Year 7 English: Ordering Adjectives

What Are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe nouns (people, places, things, or ideas). They help to provide more detail about the noun they are describing.

Example: In the phrase “a beautiful red dress,” “beautiful” and “red” are adjectives describing the noun “dress.”

The Rule for Ordering Adjectives

When you use more than one adjective to describe a noun, there is a specific order you should follow. This order helps make sentences sound natural and clear.

The Order of Adjectives

1. Quantity or Number – How many or how much.

• Example: three, several, many

1. Quality or Opinion – What you think about the noun.

• Example: lovely, beautiful, nice

1. Size – How big or small the noun is.

• Example: small, huge, tall

1. Age – How old the noun is.

• Example: old, young, ancient

1. Shape – The form of the noun.

• Example: round, square, rectangular

1. Colour – The colour of the noun.

• Example: red, blue, green

1. Origin – Where the noun comes from.

• Example: French, American, English

1. Material – What the noun is made from.

• Example: wooden, metal, cotton

1. Purpose or Qualifier – What the noun is used for or what type it is.

• Example: swimming (as in “swimming pool”), cooking (as in “cooking pot”)

Example Sentence

Let’s put these rules into practice:

• “I bought a lovely small old round red French wooden table.” Here’s the breakdown:
• Quantity/Number: None
• Quality/Opinion: lovely
• Size: small
• Age: old
• Shape: round
• Colour: red
• Origin: French
• Material: wooden
• Purpose/Qualifier: None

Tips and Tricks

• Remember the Order: Quantity, Quality, Size, Age, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material, Purpose.
• Practice with Examples: Try creating sentences using the correct order of adjectives to get used to it.
• Be Flexible: Not every sentence will use all categories, but when you do use multiple adjectives, follow the order.

Questions and Answers

Easy Difficulty

1. What is the first category in the order of adjectives?

• Answer: Quantity or number.

1. What comes after the size of an adjective?

• Answer: Age.

1. Fill in the blank with the correct order: “a _ old square red chair.” (quality, age, shape, colour)

• Answer: “a lovely old square red chair.”

1. Which adjective describes how big or small something is?

• Answer: Size.

1. Put the adjectives in the correct order: “blue, lovely, large, old, three”

• Answer: “three lovely large old blue chairs.”

1. What is the last category in the order of adjectives?

• Answer: Purpose or qualifier.

1. Fill in the blank: “She wore a _ long white dress.” (size, colour)

• Answer: “long white dress” (size before colour).

1. Which adjective describes the origin of something?

• Answer: Origin.

1. What comes immediately before the colour in the order of adjectives?

• Answer: Shape.

1. Fill in the blank with the correct order: “a _ green new book.” (age, colour)
   • Answer: “a new green book.”
2. What does the adjective “round” describe?
   • Answer: Shape.
3. Fill in the blank: “They bought _ beautiful new Italian vase.” (age, quality)
   • Answer: “a beautiful new Italian vase.”
4. Which adjective tells you how many of something there is?
   • Answer: Quantity or number.
5. Fill in the blank with the correct order: “a _ large old wooden table.” (size, age, material)
   • Answer: “a large old wooden table.”
6. What category describes what something is made of?
   • Answer: Material.
7. Fill in the blank: “a _ square blue box.” (shape, colour)
   • Answer: “a square blue box.”
8. Which adjective describes the type or use of something?
   • Answer: Purpose or qualifier.
9. What adjective order is used for “a lovely small old round red French wooden table”?
   • Answer: Correct order.
10. Which adjective category describes what you think about the noun?
    • Answer: Quality or opinion.
11. Put these in order: “beautiful, three, red, new, large”
    • Answer: “three large new red beautiful.”

Medium Difficulty

1. Create a sentence with the following adjectives in the correct order: “modern, large, white, glass.”

• Answer: “They bought a large modern white glass table.”

1. Why is “red” placed after “round” in the sentence “a round red ball”?

• Answer: Colour comes after shape.

1. Fill in the blank: “The _ wooden old chair was in the corner.” (size, age, material)

• Answer: “The old wooden chair.”

1. What order should these adjectives go in: “French, lovely, small, wooden, old”?

• Answer: “lovely small old French wooden.”

1. Put the following adjectives in order for “a _ old American cotton shirt”: “cotton, old, American”

• Answer: “an old American cotton shirt.”

1. Fill in the blank with the correct order: “a _ long black leather jacket.” (material, colour, size)

• Answer: “a long black leather jacket.”

1. Why do we put “beautiful” before “large” in “a beautiful large house”?

• Answer: Quality or opinion comes before size.

1. Create a sentence using “three, tiny, green, old, apples” in the correct order.

• Answer: “I bought three tiny old green apples.”

1. Fill in the blank: “She wore a _ small white hat.” (size, colour)

• Answer: “a small white hat.”

1. Explain why “French” comes after “red” in “a red French wine”.
   • Answer: Colour comes before origin.
2. Put the adjectives in order: “round, white, big, new, plastic.”
   • Answer: “a big new round white plastic ball.”
3. What is the correct order for “golden, beautiful, old, mirror”?
   • Answer: “a beautiful old golden mirror.”
4. Fill in the blank with the correct order: “a _ new brown soft blanket.” (colour, size, material)
   • Answer: “a new brown soft blanket.”
5. Create a sentence with “old, large, green, American, truck” in the correct order.
   • Answer: “He bought an old large American green truck.”
6. What adjective category comes right before “material”?
   • Answer: Origin.
7. Order these adjectives: “round, tiny, red, new, ball”
   • Answer: “a tiny new round red ball.”
8. Put these in order: “plastic, small, green, lovely.”
   • Answer: “a lovely small green plastic.”
9. Fill in the blank with the correct order: “a _ large old white book.” (size, age, colour)
   • Answer: “a large old white book.”
10. Why do we put “cotton” after “old” in “an old cotton shirt”?
    • Answer: Material comes after age.
11. Put these adjectives in order: “yellow, lovely, small, plastic.”
    • Answer: “a lovely small yellow plastic.”

High Difficulty

1. Create a complex sentence using the following adjectives in the correct order: “small, new, American, wooden, old, interesting.”

• Answer: “He bought a new small American old interesting wooden chair.”

1. Explain the ordering of adjectives in the sentence: “a beautiful old French wooden table.”

• Answer: The order is: Quality (beautiful), Age (old), Origin (French), Material (wooden).

1. Fill in the blank with the correct order: “a _ new large shiny silver bicycle.” (size, colour, material, age)

• Answer: “a large new shiny silver bicycle.”

1. Create a sentence using “lovely, three, old, small, French, new” with the correct order.

• Answer: “She bought three lovely small old new French books.”

1. What is the correct order for “metal, tall, four, ancient, lovely”?

• Answer: “four tall ancient lovely metal.”

1. Explain why “four” comes before “tall” in “four tall buildings.”

• Answer: Quantity comes before size.

1. Put these adjectives in order: “beautiful, young, American, tiny, green.”

• Answer: “a tiny young green American beautiful.”

1. Fill in the blank: “She owns a _ large old blue American car.” (age, size, colour, origin)

• Answer: “a large old blue American car.”

1. Create a sentence using the adjectives “large, new, red, lovely, American” in the correct order.

• Answer: “They bought a lovely new large American red car.”

1. Explain the importance of adjective order in a descriptive sentence.
   • Answer: Adjective order ensures that sentences sound natural and clear, following a standard pattern.
2. Put these adjectives in order: “old, brown, small, beautiful, leather.”
   • Answer: “a beautiful small old brown leather.”
3. Fill in the blank: “I received a _ new interesting small book from France.” (age, quality, size, origin)
   • Answer: “an interesting small new book from France.”
4. Create a sentence using “ancient, tiny, lovely, red, French” in the correct order.
   • Answer: “He found a tiny ancient lovely red French vase.”
5. What is the correct order for “wooden, lovely, old, square”?
   • Answer: “a lovely old square wooden box.”
6. Fill in the blank: “She bought a _ new French shiny car.” (origin, age, quality)
   • Answer: “a new shiny French car.”
7. Put these adjectives in order: “white, large, new, round, plastic.”
   • Answer: “a large new round white plastic ball.”
8. Explain why “lovely” comes before “old” in “a lovely old book.”
   • Answer: Quality or opinion comes before age.
9. Create a sentence using “four, small, interesting, red, old” with the correct order.
   • Answer: “He found four small interesting old red coins.”
10. Fill in the blank: “He wore a _ old lovely new blue shirt.” (age, quality, colour)
    • Answer: “a lovely new old blue shirt.”
11. What is the correct order for “tiny, white, plastic, new, interesting”?
    • Answer: “an interesting new tiny white plastic.”