Adjective Order — The Unwritten Rule
English has a strict (but unspoken) order for multiple adjectives
Category: Adjective Order
The Rule
English adjective order: Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Color → Origin → Material → Purpose → NOUN. 'A beautiful small old round red Italian leather racing car.'
Why This Matters
Japanese adjective order is much freer. English has a rigid sequence that native speakers follow instinctively but rarely learn explicitly. 'A red big ball' sounds wrong to native ears, but 'a big red ball' sounds natural. Japanese speakers often place adjectives in random order.
Examples
• a beautiful old French painting — "美しい古いフランスの絵画" [Opinion (beautiful) → Age (old) → Origin (French)] • a small round wooden table — "小さい丸い木のテーブル" [Size (small) → Shape (round) → Material (wooden)] • an expensive new Japanese car — "高価な新しい日本の車" [Opinion (expensive) → Age (new) → Origin (Japanese)]
Common Mistakes
❌ a wooden small round table ✅ a small round wooden table → Material comes after size and shape: Size → Shape → Material ❌ a French beautiful old painting ✅ a beautiful old French painting → Origin comes after opinion and age: Opinion → Age → Origin
Quick Tip
Remember 'OSASCOMP': Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Origin, Material, Purpose. In practice, rarely do sentences have more than 2-3 adjectives.
Remember 'OSASCOMP': Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Origin, Material, Purpose. In practice, rarely do sentences have more than 2-3 adjectives.
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: a wooden small round table → Correct: a small round wooden table. Material comes after size and shape: Size → Shape → Material
Incorrect: a French beautiful old painting → Correct: a beautiful old French painting. Origin comes after opinion and age: Opinion → Age → Origin
Quiz
Which order is correct?