Placement Order of Modifiers

Basic Order of Modifiers and Pre-Modifiers

This is a simplified list showing the order for using adjectives and adverbs with nouns. Remember that you can't use each type of modifier with every noun and that this is only a partial list. An adverb such as very will be placed before the adjective it will intensify: a very clean old house; a very old house. Modifiers for size vary in placement: a new little chair is ordered differently from a big new chair.

1. Articles, Demonstratives, Possessive Adjectives,Quantities: e.g. a/an, the, this, that, these, my, its, three, several, many, few

2. Evaluation of Appearance, Condition, or Worth: e.g. cheap, pretty, dirty, clean, fashionable, wrinkled, furry

3. Age: e.g. old, 10-year-old, new, antique, used

4. Color: e.g. bright red, clear, green

5. Material: e.g. brick, plastic, cotton, steel, wooden

6. Noun: e.g. house, dress, flower, bottle, table, car

Example: She wore her beautiful red silk scarf .
Atlanta has many lovely old brick homes.