Adjective Order: a nice new house
How to stack multiple adjectives before a noun in the right order
Opinion Before Fact
When you put two or more adjectives before a noun, opinion adjectives come first, then fact adjectives.
Opinion adjectives express what someone thinks or feels: nice, beautiful, ugly, delicious, interesting.
Fact adjectives give objective information — size, age, colour, origin, material: large, old, red, Japanese, wooden.
| Type | Adjectives | Example |
|---|---|---|
| opinion + fact | nice + long | We had a nice long business trip. |
| opinion + fact | interesting + young | She’s an interesting young candidate. |
| opinion + fact + fact | beautiful + large + wooden | There was a beautiful large wooden conference table. |
If you only have fact adjectives, the opinion rule does not apply — see the order below.
The Order of Fact Adjectives
When you stack several fact adjectives, they generally follow this sequence:
| 1 – Size | 2 – Age | 3 – Colour | 4 – Origin | 5 – Material | Noun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| large | wooden | table | |||
| old | Russian | song | |||
| small | black | plastic | bag | ||
| old | white | cotton | shirt |
Some examples in full sentences:
- We moved into a tall modern office building. (size → age)
- He always carries a small black leather briefcase. (size → colour → material)
- The CEO wore an old white cotton shirt to the team event. (age → colour → material)
Size and Length Before Shape
Adjectives for size and length (big, small, tall, long) go before adjectives for shape and width (round, thin, narrow, wide).
- a large round meeting table
- a tall thin intern
- a long narrow corridor
Colour Adjectives and “and”
When you have two or more colour adjectives, join them with and:
- a black and white uniform
- a red, white and blue banner
You do not normally use and between other types of adjectives before a noun:
- a long black dress (not
a long and black dress)
Adjectives After Linking Verbs
Not every adjective sits before a noun. After be, get, become, seem, look, feel, sound, taste, and smell, the adjective describes the subject.
- The new hire looks nervous.
- The deadline is tomorrow and I’m getting stressed.
- The client seemed satisfied after the demo.
- This coffee tastes bitter.
Do not confuse this with adverbs. Adjectives describe how something is; adverbs describe how something is done:
| Adjective (after linking verb) | Adverb (after action verb) |
|---|---|
| You look tired. | She works efficiently. |
| The food tastes good. | He speaks clearly. |
| Please be careful. | Please drive carefully. |
Number Words: first, next, last
Words like first, next, and last come before the number, not after it.
- The first two weeks of training were intense. (not
the two first weeks) - We’ll be travelling for the next few days. (not
the few next days) - I spent the last ten minutes reviewing the report.
Quick Self-Check
We need to buy a _____ table for the meeting room.
Select your answer:
She wore a _____ scarf to the conference.
Select your answer:
I didn't enjoy the _____ of the project.
Select your answer:
After the long meeting, everyone _____ exhausted.
Select your answer:
He brought a _____ flag to decorate the office for the World Cup.
Select your answer: