Have you ever heard of the Royal Order of Adjectives? If you’re planning to use multiple adjectives when describing a noun, there is a defining order, at least in the English language. You can’t just write: “Every weekend, Mom makes a Chinese big feast.” Sound awkward? Yes, it is. And the two adjectives, “Chinese” and “big” are in the wrong order. It should be: “Every weekend, Mom makes a big Chinese feast.” Why? Because the adjective for size, “big,” should come before the adjective for origin, “Chinese.”

Most of us have never been taught the correct order of adjective use in writing. Many of us just go by what we think sounds right. We’ve learned through what we’ve read, and we read what we write until we can make it sound right. Your sentences may be grammatically correct in every other way, but if the adjectives are out of order, it’s just wrong and sounds wrong.

So, here’s the Royal Order of Adjectives:

Determiner – this really isn’t a formal type of adjective, but it does help identify the noun. Words like: ‘the,’ ‘your’, ‘our’, ‘these’, etc. help identify the object.

Quantity or number – ‘many’ is a quantity adjective as is any number you choose.

Quality or opinion – ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘fair’, ‘wretched’, ‘heroic’, and so on.

Size – ‘big’, ‘small’, whatever word defines a size.

Age – ‘old’, ‘young’, and anything in between.

Shape – ‘square-shaped’, ‘triangular’, ‘rectangular’, etc.

Color – all the colors of the rainbow and beyond.

Proper adjective – nationality, place of origin, material, etc.

Purpose or qualifier – ‘silk blouse’, ‘wool sweater’, etc.

All this being said, there are always variations and exceptions to the rules. For example, you might want to write: “She purchased a brand-new tiny cottage on the lakefront.” According to the Royal Order of Adjectives, this should read: “She purchased a tiny brand-new cottage on the lakefront.” Which one reads better and makes more sense? If you’re specifically referring to a tiny cottage, then the Royal Order of Adjectives doesn’t apply. However, if you’re describing a cottage that is smaller than average for cottages, then yes, you should follow the Royal Order of Adjectives.

Typical English language confusion. Let’s add to the confusion by pointing out that it also defers to the order of the words in the entire sentence. Since adjectives go before a noun, using adjectives in other positions within the sentence is okay, but it does change the perspective and how the adjectives are used. For example, “The children at the party were loud and unruly.” This sentence could also be written, “The party was full of loud, unruly children.” Both sentences are correct, but you can see how the perspective alters.

And now you’re wondering what the overall purpose is of this Royal Order of Adjectives. Well, there really isn’t a purpose, or a reason, or anything to suggest that one way is better than another. It’s just one of those English language quirks we’ve all learned to live with and love. Just remember “green great dragons” really don’t exist. It’s all a matter of perspective and what we English speakers know, but didn’t know we knew.