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Order of Adjectives

The order of adjectives is a rule in English that helps us put adjectives in the right order when describing something, so it sounds natural and clear.

B1Adjectives & Adverbs

What is the order of adjectives?

The order of adjectives is a pattern that helps us describe things in a clear and natural way.

  • Opinion: beautiful, interesting
  • Size: big, small
  • Age: old, new
  • Shape: round, square
  • Color: red, blue
  • Origin: American, Chinese
  • Material: wooden, metal
  • Purpose: sleeping, eating

When to use the order of adjectives?

  • We use the order of adjectives to describe people, places, objects, and ideas in a way that sounds natural and clear.
  • The order helps to avoid confusion and makes our descriptions more effective.
  • Using the correct order also helps us to sound more fluent and confident in our language use.

Examples of the order of adjectives

  • The big red car is mine.
  • The old wooden table is very heavy.
  • The beautiful American woman is a famous singer.
  • The small round ball is used in the game.
  • The new blue shirt is very comfortable.
  • The interesting old book is about history.

Common mistakes with the order of adjectives

  • Wrong: The red big car. Correct: The big red car.
  • Wrong: The old American beautiful woman. Correct: The beautiful old American woman.
  • Wrong: The round small ball. Correct: The small round ball.

A tip to remember the order of adjectives

A simple way to remember the order is to use the phrase 'OSASCOM', which stands for Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Origin, Material, Purpose.

Quick check
Which of the following sentences uses the correct order of adjectives?

Where this matters in your exam

In IELTS, using the correct order of adjectives is important for Writing Task 2 and Speaking Part 2, where you need to describe people, places, or things in detail.

  • Writing Task 2

    Describe a person or place with multiple adjectives in the correct order.

  • Speaking Part 2

    Use the correct order of adjectives when describing a person, place, or experience.