Writing Tip 91: The Royal Order of Adjectives Fantasticus
There is a finite methodology to the order of words that spill effortlessly out of your mouth. When it comes to a string of adjectives, when it’s wrong, it can just sound weird to the native speaker. And it’s not just the preference of style or fashion. Since those sentence-diagramming lessons (for those of us that had them) might be blocked out of your memories, here’s a quick refresher.
I present to you…
The Royal Order of Adjectives Fantasticus*
- Determiner – articles (e.g., “a” or “an”), possessive pronouns (e.g., “his” or “her”), amount (e.g., “four” or “number of” or “some”)
- Opinionated descriptors (e.g. “lovely,” “delicious,” “worn-out,” “hard-working,” or “dreamy”)More