Adjectives, Articles, and Proper Adjectives Continue
The Order of Adjectives
Sometimes several adjectives are used to describe a single noun or pronoun.
When you use two or more adjectives, the usual order is: size, quality, color, origin, substance.
For example: a small green plastic box
size color substance
a stylish red Italian car
quality color origin
Here are more examples. a large Indian temple
a tall white stone building
a colorful cotton shirt
a long Chinese silk robe
delicious Spanish food
an old graceful Japanese lady
crunchy Australian apples
a short handsome English man
Adjectives of quality sometimes come before adjectives of size.
For example: beautiful long hair elegant short hair
But adjectives of size always come before adjectives of color.
For example: beautiful long black hair elegant short red hair
If you use any adjective of substance, it comes after the color adjective.
For example: a beautiful long black silk dress
Kinds of Adjectives
Some adjectives tell about the size of people or things.
a big house a long bridge tiny feet
a large army a high mountain big hands
a huge ship a short man a short skirt
a tall building a thin boy long trousers
Some adjectives tell about the color of things.
a red carpet a gray suit a brown bear
a white swan an orange balloon green peppers
a blue uniform a yellow ribbon black shoes
Some adjectives tell what people or things are like by describing their quality.
a beautiful woman a young soldier a flat surface
a handsome boy an old uncle a hot drink
a poor family a kind lady a cold winter
a rich couple a familiar voice a sunny day
a strange place a deep pool cool weather
Some adjectives tell what things are made of. They refer to substances.
a plastic folder a stone wall a clay pot
a paper bag a metal box a glass door
a cotton shirt a silk dress a concrete road
a jade ring a wooden spoon a porcelain vase
Some adjectives are made from proper nouns of place. These adjectives are called adjectives of origin.
An Ethiopian
a Mexican hat a British police officer
the French flag a Filipino dress
an American custom Washington apples
a Japanese lady a Spanish dance
an Indian temple an Italian car
Adjective Endings
Adjectives have many different endings.
Some adjectives end in -ful. These adjectives describe noun or pronouns that are full of something or have a lot of something.
a beautiful face a painful injury a careful student
a cheerful baby a joyful smile a helpful teacher
a powerful machine a wonderful time playful children
a skillful player a useful book colorful clothes
Some adjectives end in -ous.
a famous writer a courageous soldier
a mountainous area an adventurous explorer
a dangerous job a poisonous snake
a humorous film a generous gift
mischievous children marvelous results
Some adjectives end in -y.
a messy room a noisy car dirty hands
a sleepy dog a cloudy sky thirsty children
a muddy path a sunny day stormy weather
an easy test a lazy worker juicy fruit
Some adjectives end in -less. These adjectives describe a person or thing that does not have something.
a cloudless sky a meaningless word
a sleeveless dress a fearless fighter
a careless driver homeless people
a joyless song seedless grapes
a useless tool harmless animals
Some adjectives end in -al.
a national flag personal possessions
musical instruments a traditional costume
electrical goods magical powers
a coastal town medical equipment
Here are some adjectives that end in -ic, -ish, -ible, -able, -ive and -ly.
a fantastic singer a terrible mess an imaginative story
an energetic dog a sensible answer expensive jewelery
basic grammar horrible smells talkative children
enthusiastic shouting visible footprints a creative artist
a selfish act a likeable child friendly teachers
foolish behavior comfortable clothes a lovely dress
stylish clothes valuable advice a lively cat
childish talk suitable colors an elderly man
Many adjectives end in -ing.
loving parents an interesting book
a caring nurse a disappointing result
a flashing light an outstanding swimmer
a smiling face an exciting ride
a boring story chattering monkeys
a gleaming car shocking news
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NOTE
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Many of adjectives end in ed.
a closed door, satisfied customers
boiled eggs ,worried passengers
wasted time ,escaped prisoners
a painted wall, excited students
reduced prices, invited guests
Describing What Something Is Made Of
Some nouns can be used like adjectives. For example, if you have a chair that is made of plastic, you can use the noun plastic as an adjective and say that the chair is a plastic chair. If you have a watch that is made of gold, you can say it is a gold watch.
But the nouns wood and wool can’t be used like this. To make adjectives of these nouns you have to add en.
Noun adjective example
wood wooden a wooden door
wool woolen a woolen jumper
Describing What Something Is Like
There’s another way to make adjectives from nouns. Suppose you want to say that something is like a certain material, although not made of it. To make these adjectives, add -en to some nouns and -y to other nouns.
noun adjective example
gold golden a golden sunrise (= bright yellow like gold)
silk silky or silken silky skin (= as soft as silk)
lead leaden a leaden sky (= dark gray like the color of lead)