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ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > adjective order    

adjective order



aydin1362
Iran

adjective order
 
Hi everybody,
 
Can you please help me out!
Which is right? And why?
He has a long fat face.
He has a fat long face.
 

21 May 2017      





maryse pey�
France

Well, I have found in a book for TOEFL and TOEIC preparation this order of given adjectives.:
 
OPINION - SIZE - AGE - SHAPE - COLOR - ORIGIN - MATERIAL - PURPOSE
 
If we consider LONG as a size adjective and FAT as a SHAPE one I would say that "a long fat face" sounds best.
 
Do our colleagues agree with that ?

21 May 2017     



cunliffe
United Kingdom

I agree with Maryse, although fat faces are usually round. 

21 May 2017     



aydin1362
Iran

Thanks indeed!
 
Very helpful!

21 May 2017     



ldthemagicman
United Kingdom

Dear Aydin and Maryse,
 
I agree: "He has a long fat face." �Long� = Size; �Fat� = Shape.
 
I have seen the following �silly word � given as a way to remember Adjective Order in English. 
 

ADJECTIVE ORDER = "OSASCOMP" (Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material, Purpose)

Or, an even sillier sentence to help you remember, which I have just written:

"Open scissors against shaped column, originally matched purple."

I know that some Teachers think that remembering silly little sentences ... "Thirty days has September ..." "If a word begins with the sound of a vowel, use �an� not �a� " ... "Stalactites and Stalagmites: When the mites go UP, the tights come DOWN ...", etc. is a ridiculous way to learn. If they think in this way, they are unaware that it is one of the CLASSIC WAYS OF LEARNING. This system has been used effectively for CENTURIES.

Les Douglas 

21 May 2017     



ninon100
Russian Federation

Speaking of which, dear Les, how do we remember the colours of the rainbow? Is there a rhyme or magic phrase for that?

22 May 2017     



ldthemagicman
United Kingdom

Dear Ninon,
 
I �m delighted to help you!
 
"Richard of York gave battle in vain!"
 
"Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet"
 
I hope that this helps.
 
Les
 
(What a lovely family you have! 
 
 

22 May 2017     



ldthemagicman
United Kingdom

Ninon,
 
Also, tell your children, while drawing the first letter with your finger in the air:
 
A camel with one hump is a
 
Dromedary.

A camel with two humps is a

Bactrian.
 

(And a camel with three humps is called:
 

HUMPHREY.)

22 May 2017     



ninon100
Russian Federation

Thank you so much, I had no idea you could remember it so easily :)
Yeah, my kids are grown up now, 13 and 9! 
You are a treasury, Les... 

22 May 2017     



ldthemagicman
United Kingdom

In the same way:
 
"How can can I tell the difference between an Indian elephant and an African elephant?
 
1) An Indian elephant has Insignificant, India-shaped ears.
2) An African elephant has Ample, Africa-shaped ears.
 
Les 

22 May 2017     



yanogator
United States

In the US, we use the fictional name Roy G. Biv to remember the colors of the rainbow.
 
Bruce 

22 May 2017     

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