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Unit 10.1 · B2 Grammar

Order of adjectives

category order before nouns; purpose or function expressed by nouns; and in combined colours; commas with similar descriptive adjectives; more flexible order after linking verbs.

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  1. 1. Choose the most natural adjective order.

    Multiple Choice20s
    Aa charming small old stone cottage✓
    Ba stone old small charming cottage
    Can old charming stone small cottage
    Da small stone charming old cottage

    💡 The normal sequence is opinion, size, age, then material before the noun.

  2. 2. Two colours are normally joined with and, as in a blue-and-white scarf.

    True / False20s
    True ✓
    False

    💡 The reference uses and to connect two colours in a combined modifier.

  3. 3. Put the adjectives in the usual order: They restored a _____ villa. (beautiful / old / Italian)

    Fill the Gap20s
    Accepted
    beautiful old Italian

    💡 Opinion comes before age, which comes before origin or nationality.

  4. 4. Which phrase has the natural colour-before-material order?

    Multiple Choice20s
    Ablack leather boots✓
    Bleather black boots
    Cboots black leather
    Dblack boots leather

    💡 Colour normally precedes material before a noun.

  5. 5. Match each adjective to its category.

    Matching30s
    magnificent→opinion/value
    tiny→size
    19th-century→age
    round→shape
    Turkish→origin/nationality
    wooden→material

    💡 Recognising adjective categories helps determine their order.

  6. 6. Complete the phrase in the usual order: an _____ watch (expensive / 19th-century / silver)

    Fill the Gap20s
    Accepted
    expensive 19th-century silver

    💡 Opinion or value precedes age, and material comes later.

  7. 7. Put the chunks in order to describe the table naturally.

    Put in Order30s
    1. 1.She bought
    2. 2.a beautiful
    3. 3.small round
    4. 4.wooden
    5. 5.table.

    💡 The adjectives follow opinion, size, shape and material order.

  8. 8. Which noun phrase is correctly ordered?

    Multiple Choice20s
    Aa lovely little village✓
    Ba little lovely village
    Ca village lovely little
    Da lovely village little

    💡 An opinion adjective normally comes before a size adjective.

  9. 9. A material adjective normally comes before a colour adjective.

    True / False20s
    True
    False ✓

    💡 The category order places colour earlier than material.

  10. 10. Use the book's colour convention: Ava wore a _____ jacket. (red / gold)

    Fill the Gap20s
    Accepted
    red-and-gold · gold-and-red

    💡 Two colours used together before a noun are linked with and, normally written with hyphens.

  11. 11. Which phrase uses commas naturally between adjectives that give similar descriptive information?

    Multiple Choice20s
    Aa cheap, badly made leather bag✓
    Ba cheap badly, made leather bag
    Ca cheap badly made, leather bag
    Da, cheap badly made leather bag

    💡 A comma can separate similar evaluative descriptions before the category changes to material.

  12. 12. Match each ordered phrase to the category sequence it illustrates.

    Matching30s
    a delightful old house→opinion + age
    a huge square table→size + shape
    a pale blue dress→shade + colour
    a modern Japanese design→age/style + origin
    a small woollen blanket→size + material

    💡 Each phrase follows the usual order of its adjective categories.

  13. 13. Complete the post-verb description with punctuation and and: The cellar was _____. (small / dark / damp)

    Fill the Gap20s
    Accepted
    small · dark and damp

    💡 After a linking verb, a list commonly uses commas and and before the final adjective.

  14. 14. After a verb, adjective order is more flexible and and usually comes before the final adjective.

    True / False20s
    True ✓
    False

    💡 Predicative adjective lists are less fixed than pre-noun sequences.

  15. 15. Which post-verb description places the opinion naturally at the end?

    Multiple Choice20s
    AThe documentary was slow, repetitive and disappointing.✓
    BThe documentary was disappointing, slow repetitive.
    CThe documentary was slow and repetitive, disappointing.
    DThe documentary slow was repetitive and disappointing.

    💡 After a verb, an opinion adjective can naturally come last, with and before it.

  16. 16. Reorder the chunks to describe an exhibit.

    Put in Order30s
    1. 1.The gallery
    2. 2.displayed
    3. 3.an exquisite
    4. 4.18th-century French
    5. 5.silver bowl.

    💡 The order is opinion, age, origin and material.

  17. 17. Put the adjectives in order: We bought a _____ blanket. (small / blue / woollen)

    Fill the Gap20s
    Accepted
    small blue woollen

    💡 Size comes before colour, and material follows colour.

  18. 18. Which compound uses a noun to express purpose or function?

    Multiple Choice20s
    Acoffee cup✓
    Bwooden cup
    Cround plate
    DFrench dish

    💡 Purpose or function is often expressed by a classifying noun before the head noun.

  19. 19. Every sequence of two short, common adjectives must contain a comma.

    True / False20s
    True
    False ✓

    💡 The reference allows compact sequences such as a big red fluffy toy.

  20. 20. Complete the phrase in the usual order: an _____ documentary (excellent / old / black-and-white)

    Fill the Gap20s
    Accepted
    excellent old black-and-white

    💡 Opinion precedes age, and the compound colour follows.