In the following order of adjective exercises, you will complete a table, rearrange scrambled words, and rewrite garbled sentences. Pay close attention to when commas are needed between adjectives. A pdf worksheet is also available to download for free.
Exercise 1: Order of adjectives
Place the adjectives from the box into the table in the correct order.
| Order | Adjective |
|---|---|
| 1 |
opinion |
| 2 |
size |
| 3 |
physical quality |
| 4 |
shape |
| 5 |
age |
| 6 |
colour |
| 7 |
origin |
| 8 |
material |
| 9 |
type |
| 10 |
purpose |
Exercise 2: Rearranging words
Arrange the words according to the correct adjective order rules.
1. a wooden small lovely chair
a lovely small wooden chair
2. a Japanese unusual red box
an unusual red Japanese box
3. a plastic big U-shaped pipe
a big U-shaped plastic pipe
4. a cooking square metal pot
a square metal cooking pot
5. an old beautiful Turkish carpet
a beautiful old Turkish carpet
6. a leather shiny black jacket
a shiny black leather jacket
7. comfortable sporty white running shoes
comfortable white sporty running shoes
8. a heavy large rectangular wooden table
a large heavy rectangular wooden table
9. a cleaning metal small tool
a small metal cleaning tool
10. a rectangular general-purpose plastic container
a rectangular general-purpose plastic container
Exercise 3: Reordering adjectives
Rewrite the sentence according to the correct adjective order rules.
1. She bought a ceramic beautiful small white cup.
She bought a beautiful small white ceramic cup.
2. He gave me an Italian lovely red sports car.
He gave me a lovely red Italian sports car.
3. We stayed in a cozy old rectangular wooden cabin.
We stayed in a cozy old rectangular wooden cabin.
4. My friend wore a velvet stunning long blue dress.
My friend wore a stunning long blue velvet dress.
5. He wrote her a love emotional long letter.
He wrote her a long emotional love letter.
6. She admired an old artistic black French painting.
She admired an artistic old black French painting.
7. We found a messy small green children's playground.
We found a small messy green children's playground.
8. She used a lightweight portable black Japanese laptop.
She used a lightweight portable black Japanese laptop.
9. They admired a sparkling young dazzling wedding golden ring.
They admired a sparkling, dazzling young golden wedding ring.
10. My cousin adopted a tiny playful brown cheerful rescue dog.
My cousin adopted a playful, cheerful tiny brown rescue dog.
Exercise 4: Order of adjectives comma rules
Decide if the statements below are True or False based on the rules for using commas with adjectives.
1. When adjectives come from the same category, you separate them with a comma.
2. When adjectives come from different categories, you must always use a comma.
3. You should not place a comma between the last adjective and the noun it describes.
4. A determiner (like "my," "two," "that") must always be followed by a comma.
5. The phrase "That square red car" is correct because the adjectives are from different categories.
6. "We rode in a comfortable, luxurious limousine" is correct because comfortable and luxurious belong to the same category.
7. You must always use commas between adjectives.
8. The phrase "Two fat white geese" is correct because the adjectives come from different categories.
9. "My progressive, rigorous, and old university" uses commas correctly between adjectives of the same category.
Answers to Exercise 1:
- a tiny red round ball
- a heavy large blue box
- a beautiful old brick house
- a beautiful old Italian painting
Answers to Exercise 2:
- They live in a small, cozy wooden cottage.
- I love her sweet, cheerful little cat.
- She lives in a bright, spacious, modern apartment.
