Types of Adjectives

Now we know that adjectives are words that provide us with information or details about something or someone (nouns).

In this lesson, we will explore a new aspect of adjectives in English: their Purpose or Classification. Knowing the purpose of an adjective or description will help you decide the order words should take when you need to use 2 or more descriptions at once.

Adjective Order

Adjectives conventionally follow a certain order when we use multiple descriptions. Generally, try to make what you say sound natural, follow your instinct. Take, for example, the following phrases, the first sentence is conventionally correct.

A big blue house

While the following example is conventionally considered incorrect. I emphasize conventionally because it's not necessarily incorrect, but it does sound a bit less natural, so it's considered incorrect.

A blue big house

Something that works for me is looking for similar patterns and saying them out loud or even just in my head and "feeling" if it sounds more natural to me. Believe me, if you follow your instinct or deduction, you will most likely be correct. Over time, your sense of logic will improve, and you won't need to memorize anything.

Big blue house, Small yellow rat, Large black shirt... Blue big house, Yellow small rat, Black Large shirt...

When comparing similar words, it becomes increasingly obvious which option is correct.

Classification and Order in Adjectives

Below is a list of some of the most common classifications for adjectives, along with some examples. Note how the order conventionally begins with opinion, followed by size, and then perhaps purpose when describing something or someone using multiple adjectives at once. Pay attention to the colors and see how we follow a specific order when using adjectives in English.

Adjectives	Purpose	Examples
One, My, That, A/An, The	Number, Article, Demonstrative, Possessive	One teacher, My wife, That car, A problem, The door
good, bad, nice, beautiful, easy	Opinion	The good guys, Bad movies, Nice car, Beautiful day, An easy test
big, little, small, tall, short	Size	Big dogs, Little money, Two amazing small phones, That tall man, Easy short lessons
young, new, old, recent, ancient	Age	Short old man, Beautiful new phone, Old cars, Recent event, An ancient civilization
round, oval, spherical, curved, triangular	Shape or Form	Round table, The oval office, Spherical ball, An old curved road, Small triangular slice of pizza
dark, white, blue, light, yellow	Color	Ancient dark room, White man, blue sky, Light skin, This small yellow rat
Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Brazilian, American	Origin	Delicious Mexican food, Ancient Italian language, Brazilian carnival, Chinese people, American dream
metallic, glass, plastic, leather, cotton	Material	A triangular metallic keyboard, Glass window, That beautiful American leather jacket, plastic bottle, Chinese cotton shirt
writing, gaming, sleeping, cooking, reading, coffee	Propósito	Writing desk, Leather gaming chair, Blue sleeping bag, Cooking classes, Reading glasses, Coffee table

Honestly, this information isn't something you should spend too much time on. While it's important to know that there is a pattern for using multiple adjectives, native English speakers rarely think about this when communicating. They rely on their intuition to determine what sounds better, and I recommend you do the same! With practice and experience, your intuition will improve. You'll probably only think about this table once or twice in your life. In fact, I don't even have this information memorized, and I'm the teacher!

It's time to practice this lesson. Click on the orange button below. Good luck, and see you in the next lesson!