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Wangqh2696122 Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

a new small restaurant or a small new restaurant?

Should we say a new small restaurant or a small new restaurant?

What should be the principle to arrange adjectives?
  

Top answer

Generally, adjectives in English follow this order: opinion, appearance (size, shape, condition), age, color, origin, material. If you are making a statement without context (such as opening a conversation) it might go like this: I want to eat in a good {opinion}, small {appearance}, new {age}, Ethiopian {origin} restaurant. " Obviously there are exceptions, but to hear "a new, small restaurant" is unusual, so a native speaker will understand that there is something so interesting or unique about the newness of the restaurant that it trumped the normal adjective order, and will expect some additional explanation of the newness.

— Anonymous

  • Generally, adjectives in English follow this order: opinion, appearance (size, shape, condition), age, color, origin, material.
  • If you are making a statement without context (such as opening a conversation) it might go like this: I want to eat in a good {opinion}, small {appearance}, new {age}, Ethiopian {origin} restaurant.
  • " Obviously there are exceptions, but to hear "a new, small restaurant" is unusual, so a native speaker will understand that there is something so interesting or unique about the newness of the restaurant that it trumped the normal adjective order, and will expect some additional explanation of the newness.
  • Cheers, Robert
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1 Answers
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Generally, adjectives in English follow this order: opinion, appearance (size, shape, condition), age, color, origin, material.

If you are making a statement without context (such as opening a conversation) it might go like this:

I want to eat in a good {opinion}, small {appearance}, new {age}, Ethiopian {origin} restaurant.

So generally, "a small, new restaurant" is
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