Mark Forsyth on the Proper Advective Order (!)
“…adjectives in English absolutely have to be in this order: opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose Noun. So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife. But if you mess with that word order in the slightest you’ll sound like a maniac. It’s an odd thing that every English speaker uses that list, but almost none of us could write it out. And as size comes before colour, green great dragons can’t exist.”
- Opinion
- size
- age
- shape
- colour
- origin
- material
- purpose
- Noun
Sensational!
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