| Did you know that when more than one adjective | | | | ask your students to suggest examples. Write |
| is used in a sentence, that they need to be | | | | two examples for each type of adjective. |
| written in a specific order? | | | | 2) Ask your students to copy what you have |
| Most English speakers, including your students do | | | | written on the board and include two more |
| this automatically. When they speak or write they | | | | examples for each adjective type. |
| use what sounds correct to guide the order of | | | | 3) Write 3 or 4 adjectives on the board and ask |
| adjectives. They know that "the brick last house" | | | | your students to use all of them in a sentence. |
| sounds odd and can quickly and confidently adjust | | | | Here are some adjectives that you could use |
| it to "the last brick house". This is fine for | | | | (hairy, big, yellow), (cold, silver, English), (roasted, |
| commonly used adjectives. | | | | salty, chilli), (fluffy, young, white). This activity |
| However, if your students need to use adjectives | | | | could be done a few times. |
| that are not as common, especially ones that are | | | | 4) Write 3 or 4 adjectives on the board. Include |
| not used in everyday conversation, it can be very | | | | one or two words that your students will not |
| difficult for them to determine what the correct | | | | know. Here are some examples (re-hydrated, |
| adjective placement is. | | | | orange, African), (dusty, brown, marsupial), (acidic, |
| Give your students opportunities to explore and | | | | salty, Greek). Ask your students to look the |
| practice how adjectives should be placed in a | | | | words that they don't know up in a dictionary and |
| sentence and their skills and confidence will | | | | then use all the words in one sentence. |
| increase. | | | | 5) Ask you students to find three examples of |
| Here is the correct order for adjectives. | | | | adjective order in books that they have been |
| 1) OPINION (lovely, useful) | | | | exploring in class. |
| 2) SIZE (big, enourmous) | | | | 6) Write a sentence on the board that includes at |
| 3) AGE (mature, ancient) | | | | least three adjectives. Ask your students to write |
| 4) SHAPE (square, oval) | | | | the opposite of that sentence. When they do this |
| 5) COLOR (red, burgandy) | | | | it will become clear that even though the meaning |
| 6) ORIGIN (American, English) | | | | of the adjectives can change dramatically the |
| 7) MATERIAL (wooden, cotton) | | | | order of adjectives stays the same. |
| 8) PURPOSE (typing, sun) | | | | For example, "The boy saw the long, dusty, dirt |
| Use these exercises to get your students | | | | road" becomes "The boy saw the short, clean, |
| practicing adjective placement. | | | | concrete road". |
| 1) Write the order of adjectives on the board and | | | | |