3

I'm learning about sentence combination and adjective order. I have many problems with them.

For example:

The computer belongs to the teacher. The teacher teaches Chemistry. He is well-educated. He has got Chinese eyes.

Can I combine those sentences like this? Is it correct?

The computer belongs to a well-educated Chemistry teacher with Chinese eyes.

I tried to learn from the internet but it is still hard to order adjectives correctly, especially when there are compound adjectives and other adjectives.

I don't know where I should put the compound adjective, before or after the other adjectives.

Do you have any suggestions or any good websites to advise me about ordering adjectives and methods to combine sentences?

Improve this question
4
  • 1
    Yep! Your combined sentence is fine. (Though in your four uncombined sentences, the first should say a rather than the.) Note that chemistry isn't an adjective in your example; it's an attributive noun forming a larger noun phrase chemistry teacher, which well-educated then modifies. With Chinese eyes is an adjunct taking the form of a preposition phrase, not an adjective.
    – user230
    Commented Nov 16, 2013 at 13:02
  • @snailboat Thanks a lot for your help and explanations again! I always feel grateful to you. However, I wonder if it is normal to use many adjectives before noun for speaken language ,such as, the beautiful large five-story mansion ,or this phrase should be used only in written language.
    – nkm
    Commented Nov 17, 2013 at 9:27
  • 2
    It does seem a little more characteristic of written language than speech. Why? Because when we speak, we usually don't have the luxury of planning out our sentences ahead of time. We have to think of what we want to say as we're saying it. As a result, our spoken sentences are often simpler than our written sentences.
    – user230
    Commented Nov 18, 2013 at 20:04
  • See also: ell.stackexchange.com/questions/14181/…
    – Damkerng T.
    Commented Feb 2, 2014 at 12:39

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

The order of adjectives is not based on absolute order;like

a soft , comfortable chair .( to use short adjective before a long one )

But totally the rule of order is :

The adjectives of opinion(nice,wonderful)+ size + quality + age +

  • shape +color+ participle forms ( educated , furnished )

  • origin ( British ) + material + type + purpose ( alarm clock )

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .