A practical english grammar - Vyssaja skola 1978
Order of adjectives and other modifiers before the noun
Sound symbols
We find that there are several classes of words that can occur in front of nouns, and if words from various classes occur together their order is prescribed by rule. Study Table 15-1.
TABLE 15-1: SEQUENCE OF MODIFIERS BEFORE NOUNS
The first word in the series is the noun determiner (a possessive noun or pronoun, an article, a demonstrative word, etc.). A possessive noun may have its own determiners, etc., in front of it.
those men
that man’s car
his first wife’s brother
Next come ordinals: first, second, third, etc.; last, next. Only and the same belong here also, as well as superlatives.
In Column 3 of Table 15-1 we have enumerators: one, two, three, etc., as well as few, several, and many. Other and the superlatives may either precede or follow the enumerators, except that other must follow several, few, and many. Adjectives such as numerous, countless, myriad, etc., may be used here too.
the first two houses several other men
his two other brothers his numerous other plays
his other two brothers his only other friend
the greatest two authors their best other work the two greatest authors
Column 4 includes the descriptive adjectives in general. If two or more of these words occur at the same time, commas are written between them, and they are spoken with pauses and series intonation. There is no prescribed word order, except that generally English usage prefers to put the “heavy” element last.
a cold, rainy, thoroughly unpleasant day
Column 5 includes little, old, and new, which have fixed positions. If little occurs at the same time as old or new, it comes first. The expression “little old” is idiomatic, implying mild contempt, sometimes mingled with affection.
that little old car
She’s a sweet little old lady.
The student must remember to put descriptive adjectives ahead of little, old, and new.
a beautiful little girl
that lovely old house
his magnificent new sailboat
Column 6 includes the adjectives of color: red, white, black, green, etc.:
those two pretty little red flowers
a ferocious old black bull
Column 7 includes the categorizing adjectives, those that do not describe the noun but rather include it in certain classes of things. These adjectives need to be distinguished from the descriptive adjectives in Column 4. In general, if the adjective names a quality that can be measured along a scale of intensity (good, beautiful, interesting, ferocious) then it is descriptive; if it names an all-or-nothing attribute, something that the noun either is or is not, then it is categorizing. Adjectives can move back and forth from Column 7 to Column 4, according to the context; an adjective may be descriptive in one use and categorizing in another.
a famous Shakespearean actress
several important realistic novelists
a significant naval victory
The last thing before the head noun (or inseparable noun compound) is the noun adjunct (see page 140).
a few old stone houses
some curious glass lampshades