Word Order with Adjectives

Learn where to put describing words in an English sentence.

What is an adjective?

An adjective is a word that describes a noun (a person, place, or thing). Adjectives tell us about size, colour, age, material, and more.

e.g.big, small, red, old, new, wooden, beautiful, cold

Position 1 — before the noun

In English, adjectives go before the noun they describe.

adjective + noun

✓a big dog | a red car | an old man | a beautiful garden

✗a dog big | a car red | a man old (wrong — adjective after noun)

Position 2 — after "be"

Adjectives also go after the verb "be" (is, are, was, were, am).

Subject + be + adjective

✓The dog is big. | The car is red. | The man is old.

✓She is happy. | They are tired. | The soup is hot.

Two or more adjectives

When you use more than one adjective before a noun, they follow a fixed order. Don't worry — at A1 you usually only need one or two.

Opinion→ Size→ Age→ Colour→ Material→ Noun

✓a beautiful old house | a small red bag | a big wooden table

✗a old beautiful house | a red small bag (wrong order)

Type	Examples
Opinion	nice, lovely, beautiful, horrible, boring
Size	big, small, large, tiny, long, short
Age	old, new, young, ancient
Colour	red, blue, green, black, white, yellow
Material	wooden, plastic, metal, leather, cotton

💡 Remember: Opinion comes first, then facts (size → age → colour → material). A handy phrase: Oh So Aged Colours Make Nice — but at A1, just remember: opinion before size, size before colour!

Adjectives with "a" or "an"

Use a before consonant sounds and an before vowel sounds — and the adjective comes between the article and the noun.

✓a big apple | an old apple | a red apple | an expensive bag

💡 Rule: Use an when the adjective starts with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u). an old car, an ugly hat, an interesting book.

Exercise 1: Word Order

Click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.

Exercise 2: Sentence Builder

Choose the sentence with the correct adjective order.

Exercise 3: Error Correction

Each sentence has one word in the wrong place. Click on it.

Exercise 4: Gap Fill

Choose the correct adjective to complete the sentence.

Exercise 5: Matching

Match each sentence beginning on the left with the correct ending on the right. Click a left item, then a right item.

Exercise 6: Sentence Sort

Drag each sentence into the correct category: adjective before the noun, or adjective after "be".

Exercise 7: Spot the Extra Word

One word in each sentence does not belong. Click on it.

Your Scores

Complete the exercises to see your results here.