Adjective Issues for ESL Writers
Dr. Linda Bergmann, Professor of English, Purdue
Adjectives
Adjectives describe nouns or noun phrases.
They are almost always placed in this order:

Number
Evaluation
Physical Description (size, shape, age, color)
Classifying Adjectives
Adjective Rules


The sixteen durable oblong rods undergird
Number Evaluation Shape Subject

the bridge section.

The two experienced and certified
Number Evaluation Class

engineers accompany the undergrads.
Subject
Rule One: The adjectives are placed before the noun if sentence does not use a ‘to be’ verb to define the noun.
Adjective Rules



The road was long, flat, and two-lane.
Shape Shape Class

The mixture is toxic and hazardous.
Evaluation Class
Rule Two: The adjectives are placed after the noun if a ‘to be’ verb is used to define the noun.
“To be” verbs are conjugations of “to be”: am, is, are, was, were
Comma Rules for Adjectives
Commas always separate coordinate
adjectives. Coordinate adjectives have the same
status in the sentence, as in the following
examples:

He was a difficult, stubborn child.

The quick, efficient roadwork helped the
city a lot.

The crew used meticulous, precise
measurements to complete the work.
Comma Rules for Adjectives
How will you know if the adjectives are coordinate?

Ask these two questions:









If the answer to these questions is yes, the adjectives are
coordinate and should be separated by a comma. Never put a
comma between the last adjective and the noun.
Does the sentence make sense if the adjectives are written in a different order?
Does the sentence make sense if and goes between the adjectives?
Practice Examples



1) The saw cuts were (clean deep
straight).

2) The team of (Lebanese chemical
well-renowned) engineers visited
campus.
Order the words in parenthesis to create a sentence with appropriate adjective order. Ask the ‘coordinate adjective’ questions to determine if you need a comma between adjectives.
Practice Answers

1) The saw cuts were clean, deep, and
Evaluation Shape
straight.
Shape

2) The team of well-renowned, Lebanese
Evaluation Class
chemical engineers visited campus.
Class
Practice Examples



3) The (pavement control group unhardened) mixture was used for the final experiment.

4) The (graduate industrious
intelligent) student worked hard in the class.
Order the words in parenthesis to create a sentence with appropriate adjective order. Ask the ‘coordinate adjective’ questions to determine if you need a comma between adjectives.
Practice Answers


3) The unhardened pavement control group
physical descript. Class Class
mixture was used for the final

experiment.

4) The industrious, intelligent graduate
Evaluation Evaluation Class
student worked hard in the class.
Adapted by Joshua Prenosil and Linda Bergmann from The Thomson Handbook by David Blakesley and Jeffrey L. Hoogeveen
For More Information
Contact the Purdue Writing Lab:
Drop In: Heavilon 226
Call: 765-494-3723
Email: owl@owl.english.purdue.edu
On the web: http://owl.english.purdue.edu