Question

Choose the sentence with the correct order of adjectives:
a) The child was terrified to see the black horrible huge buffalo.
b) The child was terrified to see the huge black horrible buffalo.
c) The child was terrified to see the horrible huge black buffalo.
d) The child was terrified to see the horrible black huge buffalo.

Answer 1

Hint: When adjectives are placed before a noun, they are in a particular order. Adjectives which describe opinions or attitudes are placed first and then are placed the more neutral, factual ones.

Complete answer:
According to Cambridge, the following should be the order of adjectives:

1. Opinion – Boring, disturbing, exciting

2. Size – Big, small, short, tall

3. Quantity – One, two, three

4. Shape – Square, round, oval

5. Age – Young, Old, Adult

6. Colour – Black, yellow, white

7. Origin – Indian, Chinese, Russian

8. Material – Plastic, wool, wood

In option a ‘The child was terrified to see the black horrible huge buffalo’, the order is colour-opinion-size which is incorrect. So, this option is incorrect.

In option b ‘The child was terrified to see the huge black horrible buffalo’, the order is size-colour-opinion which is also incorrect. So, this option is also incorrect.

In option c ‘The child was terrified to see the horrible huge black buffalo’, the order is opinion-size-colour which is the correct order. So, this option is correct.

In option d ‘The child was terrified to see the horrible black huge buffalo’, the order is opinion-colour-size which is incorrect. So, this option is incorrect.

Note: Stick to the order of adjectives even if the sentence seems grammatically correct.