Adjective order before a noun

When we use more than one adjective before a noun, there is a certain order we need to follow depending on the kind of adjective we’re using. Yes, English is weird and ordering adjectives seems irrelevant. However, getting the order wrong might not only make the sentence sound a bit strange, but cause the listener to not understand what you are saying. For example:

• The big flimsy cardboard box... => I understand the box is made of cardboard, that the cardboard is flimsy and that the whole thing is big.
• The flimsy big cardboard box... => In this sentence, it sounds like “big cardboard” is some sort of material or “flimsy big” is a size, maybe not too big, just flimsy big??? It may take me a bit longer to understand what you mean.
• The cardboard big flimsy box... => It would take me a long time to get this. Is “cardboard big” a type of size? Is “flimsy” the type of box? It sounds very confusing.

Let’s get this right. To understand adjective order, we separate them into 10 categories, each one has an order priority. Look at the table below for details:

For example, if I know that a bird is blue, little and beautiful, I might say: “That beautiful little blue bird is outside my window again”.

Keep in mind we don’t normally use more than 3 adjectives to refer to something. If we have more than that, it is better to go for a list structure, placing adjectives after the verb. For example: “George is stubborn, rude, narcissistic and annoying, but he’s a good friend”.

Also, know that this might be tricky to remember at first, but no one thinks about this table when they speak English. Once you have more practice, the adjective order comes out naturally and automatically. The table is helpful when we are first learning, but you won’t need it later on.

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