Advanced Adjective Problems

“The last carried-out project” L

Or

“The last project carried out” J

Used clothing (with past participle before the noun) = permanently USED, i.e. from a second-hand
shop

Or

The clothing used in that production (with the past participle after the noun) =

            Used on one occasion only (příležitostní)

Ordering adjectives when there is more than one adjective before a noun, the most common order is:

quantity > opinion > size > quality > shape > age -> colour > origin > material > purpose

EX: It's easy for efficient, new, consulting firms to enter the market. (quality, age, purpose)


More on the position of adjectives

When we use more than one adjective before a noun, there is often a preferred order for these
adjectives. However, this order is not fixed: opinion + size/physical quality/shape/age + colour +
participle adjectives + origin + material + type + purpose + noun.

• an old plastic container                        (= age + material + noun)

• a hard red ball                                        (= quality + colour + noun)

• a frightening Korean mask                  (= opinion + origin + noun)

• a round biscuit tin                                             (= shape + purpose (for holding
biscuits) + noun)

• a small broken plate                              (= size + participle adjective + noun)

• a useful digital alarm clock                  (= opinion + type + purpose + noun)

To help you to learn this order, it can be useful to remember that gradable adjectives (describing
opinion, size, quality, shape, and age) usually precede ungradable adjectives (participle adjective
and adjectives describing origin, material, type and purpose).