Adorable, pudgy, fuzzy puppies will help you learn the correct order of adjectives to employ when describing a noun with multiple descriptors.

1. ADJECTIVES
THE ORDER OF
How to Construct a Sentence with
Multiple Descriptive Words

2. "Order of
adjectives?
Can't I just
lump them
all
together in
front of
the noun
and call it
a day?"

3. 1. DETERMINER
2. OPINION
3. SIZE
4. AGE
5. SHAPE
6. COLOR
7. MATERIAL
8. ORIGIN
9. PURPOSE
It might surprise you to discover
that when adjectives are presented
in a series, they must follow a
particular order.
HERE'S THE PROPER
ORDER OF ADJECTIVES!

4. 1. DETERMINER
Determiners include articles (a, an, or the) and other
limiters (e.g., your, eight, or his).
Ten lovable, small, young, pudgy, beige, fuzzy,
French pet puppies.
The determiner in this example is ten (because you
can never have too many puppies).

5. 2. OPINION
Theopinionadjectivedescribesan
observationorwhatyouthinkabout
something(e.g., beautiful, tasty, or
horrific).
Tenlovable, small, young, pudgy, beige,
fuzzy, Frenchpetpuppies.
Theopinioninthisexampleislovable
(eventhoughsomewouldarguethat's
notsomuchanopinionasafact).

6. 3. SIZE
S i z e d e s c r i b e s h o w b i g o r s m a l l
s o m e t h i n g i s
( e . g . , B I G , S M A L L , M I N U S C U L E ,
o r E N O R M O U S ) .
T e n l o v a b l e , s m a l l , y o u n g , p u d g y ,
b e i g e , f u z z y , F r e n c h p e t p u p p i e s .
T h e s i z e i n t h e e x a m p l e i s S M A L L .

7. A G E4.
A s y o u w o u l d e x p e c t ,
a g e d e s c r i b e s h o w
y o u n g o r o l d
s o m e t h i n g i s
( e . g . , Y O U N G , O L D ,
A N C I E N T , o r N E W ) .
Ten lovable, small, young, pudgy,
beige, fuzzy, French pet puppies.
The size in the example is young.
(We're talking puppies, not dogs.
Not everyone is a dog person, but
everyone is a puppy person.)

8. 5. SHAPE
Next, describe what
shape something is
(e.g., round, square, or
flat).
Ten lovable, small,
young, pudgy, beige,
fuzzy, French pet
puppies.
The size in the
example is pudgy.

9. O V E R H A L F W A Y T H E R E , F O L K S ! N E X T I N T H E L I S T I S
C O L O R ( E . G . , R E D , P I N K I S H , O R Y E L L O W ) .
T E N L O V A B L E , S M A L L , Y O U N G , P U D G Y , B E I G E , F U Z Z Y ,
F R E N C H P E T P U P P I E S .
T H E C O L O R I S U S U A L L Y P R E T T Y E A S Y T O S P O T . I N T H E
E X A M P L E , I T ' S B E I G E .
6 . C O L O R

10. 7. MATERIAL
THE MATERIAL DESCRIBES WHAT SOMETHING
IS MADE OUT OF (E.G., WOODEN, COTTON,
SILVER, OR METAL).
TEN LOVABLE, SMALL, YOUNG, PUDGY, BEIGE,
FUZZY, FRENCH PET PUPPIES.
ALTHOUGH WE ALL KNOW PUPPIES ARE MADE
OUT OF LOVE AND HAPPINESS, TECHNICALLY
SPEAKING, IT'S PROBABLY MORE ACCURATE
TO DESCRIBE THEM AS FUZZY.

11. 8. ORIGIN
O R I G I N D E S C R I B E S W H E R E S O M E T H I N G I S F R O M ( E . G . , F R E N C H ,
W E S T E R N , O R S O L A R ) .
T E N L O V A B L E , S M A L L , Y O U N G , P U D G Y , B E I G E , F U Z Z Y , F R E N C H
P E T P U P P I E S .
T H E O R I G I N I N T H E E X A M P L E I S F R E N C H . ( T H E S E A R E F R E N C H
B U L L D O G P U P P I E S , A B R E E D T H A T O R I G I N A T E S , A S Y O U W O U L D
E X P E C T , I N F R A N C E . )

12. PURPOSE
9.
T h e p u r p o s e a d j e c t i v e
d e s c r i b e s w h a t s o m e t h i n g
i s u s e d f o r o r w h a t i t
d o e s ( e . g . , R A C I N G [ a s i n
r a c i n g c a r ] o r S L E E P I N G
[ a s i n s l e e p i n g b a g ] ) .
T e n l o v a b l e , s m a l l , y o u n g ,
p u d g y , b e i g e , f u z z y ,
F r e n c h p e t p u p p i e s .
T h e p u r p o s e o f t h e s e
p u p p i e s i s t o b e
c o m p a n i o n s , s o t h e
p u r p o s e i n t h e e x a m p l e
i s P E T .

13. FINALLY . . .
THE NOUN
NOW THAT YOU'VE LISTED ALL THE ADJECTIVES, IT'S
TIME TO IDENTIFY THE WORD YOU HAVE BEEN
DESCRIBING (I.E., THE NOUN). FINALLY! WE HAVE
REACHED THE PUPPIES.
TEN LOVABLE, SMALL, YOUNG, PUDGY, BEIGE,
FUZZY, FRENCH PET PUPPIES.
IN THE EXAMPLE, THE NOUN IS PUPPIES, IN CASE
YOU DIDN'T GET THE MEMO . . .

14. C O N C L U S I O N
W H I L E T H E R E A R E N O R U L E S L I M I T I N G T H E
N U M B E R O F A D J E C T I V E S T H A T C A N B E U S E D , T W O
O R T H R E E A R E G E N E R A L L Y S U F F I C I E N T . M O S T
R E A D E R S W O U L D P R E F E R T O R E A D " P U D G Y , F U Z Z Y
P U P P I E S " T H A N " T E N L O V A B L E , S M A L L , Y O U N G ,
P U D G Y , B E I G E , F U Z Z Y , F R E N C H P E T P U P P I E S . "
Though I'd take either, if we're
being perfectly honest.

15. W A N T T O R E M E M B E R
T H E O R D E R ?
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