The Secret Order of Adjectives

Describing someone as “an old funny lady” just sounds weird, right? Native speakers instinctively know there’s a better way to say it.

Here’s why…

It’s because English has a hidden rule for the order of adjectives.

Try using this specific order when describing something:

1. Determiner: a, an, the, this, those, my, your, our, their…)
2. Quantity: one, eight, few, many…
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3. Opinion: pretty, ugly, boring, delicious, perfect, valuable… .
4. Size: tiny, medium-sized, giant, large… 
5. Age: old, new, decades-old, brand-new, ancient… 
6. Shape: round, square, triangular, heart-shaped, circular… 
7. Colour: green, blue, pink, colourful… 
8. Origin: French, German, Chinese… 
9. Material: silver, wood, plastic, cardboard…
10. Purpose (or qualifier): wedding, travel, shopping, cleaning, sports…

Remembering the acronym: OSASCOMP (Old Susi’s Apple Strudel Competition Offered Many Prizes) might be able to help you.

Let’s see how it works:

• Would you like three adorable grey kittens?
• We watched a thrilling old Japanese film. 
• They have three nice teenage boys.
• He’s an attractive young German actor.
• She wore a dazzling emerald green silk dress.

Now it’s your turn. Can you describe something using the secret order?