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  • Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Lesson 321. The title of today's

  • lesson is "Don't Use the Incorrect Order of Adjectives. " Okay. All right. Now I guess

  • as a native speaker you know, most natives never ever actually even think

  • about this. We kind of instinctively know you know, just from growing up and using

  • the language what order we should put them in. And you know, as a teacher for

  • many years, I'll correct papers and I'll know when the order is wrong. I didn't

  • always know exactly how to say it. I just said well it sounds awkward. I know

  • that's not right. But this is basically the answer. We do actually have a chart

  • of ... like if you have a number of adjectives together before a noun what

  • order they should actually go in. I've looked at you know, several different

  • charts. This is more or less the chart you know, one chart to another chart they

  • may slightly vary some of the words they use. But this is basically it. So if

  • you're using adjectives, this is what should come first. Quantity or number. So

  • you should always say the quantity or number first. So like for example you

  • know any number like 3 or 5 or 8 or like several or a few all that that should

  • come first. Then quality or opinion. So I pretty, pretty is opinion. You know maybe

  • what some person thinks is pretty another may not. Cheap, the same thing.

  • That goes under... well that would go under quality. Quality or opinion . The next one

  • the third one, that you should use is size So you large or tiny or big or

  • small. Then you follow with age you know, young, old, new, brand new. Anything like

  • that. The next one should be shape. You know, square, oval . I don't know round,

  • rectangular or anything along that line. Color then any colors like here we use

  • blue and red, but it could be yellow, orange, green,. Origin, well you know, so

  • where does it come from ? Like German or Japanese or American or Thai or whatever.

  • The material like a wooden or steel or iron or whatever. Or whatever it is. And

  • the last one on the adjective chart should be like purpose or kind. . So these are

  • just some examples of what we mean by purpose or violent sports or business or

  • cooking or jogging or something like that. All right. So let's take a look at

  • the note here. If you use the wrong adjective order in English it will sound

  • awkward and weird to a native speaker. He might be able to figure out. What you're

  • talking about, but it just sounds really off. It sounds weird. Don't ... and well ....here's

  • another point too. Don't use more than three adjectives before a noun. So you

  • can use three and probably get away with it. Or you can use two . If you still have

  • other adjectives you know, you could use the three and then you know, you could

  • add a clause or some of the words to, to still describe it. But don't , don't like

  • use five adjectives before a noun. That that also starts to sound awkward. All right,

  • So let's look at some examples where we might use it and you know, why it's wrong.

  • And then what's the right way to use it. So let's look at number one here.

  • Of course with the X, this is wrong. He bought a jogging, grey, fashionable suit.

  • Yeah. now to a ... again, a native speaker you instinctively know it sounds a

  • little weird. It sounds, sounds off. So what, what should you say ?

  • He bought a fashionable, gray, jogging suit. Okay. So let's look at why. All right. Remember

  • the jogging , that, that's that's the last one. That's, that's last in order.

  • All right. Gray, gray of course goes under color. So obviously you shouldn't be

  • using one over here before this one. And then fashionable, fashionable would

  • probably go under quality or opinion. So that's why you should have fashionable

  • first under the quality or opinion. Gray here under color.

  • And oh yeah. Jog and jogging. Of course. Would go under kind or purpose. Okay.

  • Let's look at number two again. With the X, this is wrong. He only has a pair of

  • black. old, cheap sneakers. Again it sounds a little weird to a native speaker. So

  • what's the correct way ? He only has a pair of cheap, old, black sneakers. Okay.

  • Again why do we do this ? Cheap goes would go under quality. So that should be first.

  • Old would be age, so that would be after the cheap and black would be of color. So

  • that's why it should be in that order rather than the other one where you had

  • black old Jeep that would be wrong okay. Let's look at the third one. He bought a

  • Japanese, brand new, kimono. Okay you know, the ... the type of road the come on a

  • robe you know, like a silk one. You know here we're only using two adjectives but

  • it still sounds awkward if the order is wrong. So you should say he bought a

  • brand new Japanese kimono So again brand new would have to do with

  • age and Japanese would do with origin . So obviously, age comes before origin. So

  • that's that's why it should be that way. All right. Let's look at number four. I own

  • stylish three swimsuits. so to a yet to a native you would know that this really

  • sounds weird. So of course what should it

  • be ? I own three stylish swimsuits. Okay.

  • obviously three three goes into number or quantity so that definitely should be

  • first and then stylish is after that so you know that would be you know quality

  • or opinion. Okay. Let's look at number five again with the

  • X this is wrong he has an Italian expensive sports car again sounds a

  • little weird a native speaker would pick up on that right away. That it just

  • sounds weird he has ...of course this is correct what the check. He has an

  • expensive Italian sports car. So again expensive we go under quality or opinion

  • Italian of course goes under origin. So that's why expensive should be first an

  • Italian should be next well let's look at number six again with the X this is

  • wrong that is a wooden lovely rocking chair. It just sounds weird. Of course,

  • what you should say is that it is a lovely wooden rocking chair.

  • So again lovely also consider you know quality or opinion wooden would go under

  • material over here the next to last one. Okay and we just got one more to go over

  • example number seven again with the X this is wrong that is a cooking

  • expensive utensil again it just sounds really awkward and weird to a native

  • speaker so what you should be sending as that is an expensive cooking utensil so

  • again expensive goes on a quality of opinion the cooking nose under purpose

  • or kind at the end. Okay. nyway I hope you got it. Oh it's clear thank you for

  • your time. Bye bye

Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Lesson 321. The title of today's

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