English adjectives order

The table below shows different types of adjectives which are used in English as well as their definitions. Each type of English adjectives is illustrated with a few examples.

Type Definition Example
Opinion/Quality An opinion adjective explains what you think about something. silly, beautiful, horrible, difficult
Size A size adjective tells you how big or small something is. large, tiny, enormous, little
Age An age adjective tells you how young or old something or someone is. ancient, new, young, old
Shape A shape adjective describes the shape of something. square, round, flat, rectangular
Colour A colour adjective describes the colour of something. blue, pink, reddish, grey
Origin An origin adjective describes where something comes from. Victorian, Chinese, French, American, eastern, Greek
Material A material adjective describes what something is made from. wooden, metal, cotton, paper
Purpose A purpose adjective describes what something is used for. sleeping (as in 'sleeping bag'), roasting (as in 'roasting tin')

The table below shows some examples of the order in which adjectives should be used in English.

Opinion Size Age Shape Colour Origin Material Purpose NOUN
beautiful   old   brown French handmade   cupboard
  huge   round     metal   bowl
lovely big new yellow Spanish cloth beach bag
attractive mottled blue Spanish ceramic tiles