before the noun; they are only used after the linking verb: Kit was ashamed.
These include a number of “a” words like afraid, alike, alive, alone, ashamed, asleep, awake, and aware.
One exception to the “adjectives before nouns” rule is that adjectives come after words like something, anybody, nothing:
The dogs wish they were somewhere safe.
The adjectives chief, elder, eldest, former, indoor, inner, main, only, outdoor, outer, principal, upper can only be used before nouns.
Kit turned out to be the eldest kitten in his family.
And a few adjectives ending in -able/-ible can also be used before or after nouns:
They are ready for any imaginable situation. They are ready for any situation imaginable.
EXERCISE 1
Find the proper adjective and put it into the correct place in the sentence (before or after words in bold type): alike, alone, alive, mere, afraid of, quiet, imaginable, possible, living, prone to, sheer, frightening
1 Chilly wasn’t the lynx at all.
2 Kit and the lynx are in many ways.
3 Kudjo is in the middle of nowhere now.
4 Kit is trouble. After all, he is a kid.
5 It was luck to find Kit in that pit.
6 There’s nothing in the forest anymore.
7 The lynx told the friends about crazy scientists doing experiments on animals that are.
8 After hearing it, everybody wanted to escape somewhere.
9 It was the only solution.
WORD ORDER OF ADJECTIVES
In general, the correct order of adjectives in English is this:
Opinion (nice, ugly, lovely)
Size / Weight (small, large, heavy)
Age (old, new, ancient)
Shape (round, rectangular, square)
Colour (red, dark-blue, turquoise)
Origin /Nationality (Japanese, Russian, English)
Material (stone, fur, paper)
Purpose/Type (hiking, writing, summer)
It’s rare to use more than 3 adjectives. But the adjectives you do use should follow this order, at least, approximately.
When there are two or more colour adjectives, use and: yellow and orange fur.
We usually don’t use and with other adjectives if they are before a noun: a huge brown lynx
However, we can use and with other adjectives if they are after the noun: The lynx was huge and brown.
When there are two or more adjectives of the same category, the more general adjective goes before the more specific one: a nice friendly lynx
EXERCISE 2
Put the adjectives in the correct order (use commas or and if necessary):
1 Luna has a /denim/ big/ shabby/ old/ backpack.
2 The lynx’s tail is /strong/ beautiful/.
3 They looked into the /trap/ deep/ scary/ hole.
4 The dogs found a /leather/ red/ stylish/ brick/ collar and immediately recognised it.
5 There was /plastic/ square/ lunch/ one/ old/ box with a /beef/ tiny/ sausage in it.
6 The lynx led them to a /enormous/ frightening/ cold/ cave covered with /mossy/ big/ brown/ old/ green/ branches.
7 The night was so /hot/ humid/ that the dogs were happy to relax in the coolness of the cave.
8 They were /sleepy/ exhausted/ depressed/.
9 Kit saw /white/ several/ big/ clean/ bones and shrank back from the sight of them.
EXERCISE 3
Describe the following using at least 3 adjectives in the correct order:
1 your favourite bag
2 an item of the clothes you are wearing now
3 your phone
4 your bedroom
5 your pen
6 your today’s breakfast
7 your town
8 your favourite cup
9 Kit
COMPOUND ADJECTIVES
Some adjectives have more than one word. For example: a blue-eyed lynx
They are called compound adjectives. Compound adjectives often include participles: a smart-looking dog, a much-hated scientist.
When they are before a noun, we use a hyphen – but when they are after a noun and the verb «to be» or another linking verb, we do not:
Akita-Inu is a long-legged dog. Akita-Inu is long legged.
The
