Order Of Adjectives
1) The “Royal Order” of Adjectives
Why “big red balloon” sounds right, but “red big balloon” sounds wrong.
Native English speakers naturally use a specific order when placing multiple adjectives before a noun. If you mix up the order, the sentence will sound very strange, even if it is technically understandable.
2) The Master Cheat Sheet
The standard order from first to last.
You can remember this order using the acronym OSASCOMP (Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Origin, Material, Purpose), preceded by the Quantity.
| # | Category | What it answers | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quantity | How many? | A, an, the, some, five, many |
| 2 | Opinion | What do you think of it? | Beautiful, ugly, delicious, weird, lovely |
| 3 | Size | How big is it? | Huge, tiny, tall, short, massive |
| 4 | Age | How old is it? | Old, new, young, ancient, antique |
| 5 | Shape | What shape is it? | Round, square, flat, oval |
| 6 | Color | What color is it? | Red, blue, dark, pale, blonde |
| 7 | Origin | Where is it from? | Italian, French, lunar, Victorian |
| 8 | Material | What is it made of? | Wooden, metal, silk, plastic |
| 9 | Purpose | What does it do? | Sleeping (bag), mixing (bowl), running (shoes) |
“I bought two (1) beautiful (2) tiny (3) antique (4) round (5) silver (6) French (7) metal (8) pocket (9) watches.”
Note: You should almost never use this many adjectives in real life! Usually, we max out at 2 or 3.
3) Real-World Examples
Breaking down combinations of 2 or 3 adjectives.
“She drives a wonderful old Italian sports car.”
- Wonderful = Opinion
- Old = Age
- Italian = Origin
“He is wearing an ugly big orange tie.”
- Ugly = Opinion
- Big = Size
- Orange = Color
“We sat around a new square wooden table.”
- New = Age
- Square = Shape
- Wooden = Material
“I need to buy small black running shoes.”
- Small = Size
- Black = Color
- Running = Purpose
4) Common Mistakes to Avoid
Where English learners (and sometimes natives!) get tripped up.
Mistake 1: Putting Fact before Opinion
Always tell us how you feel about the object before you tell us the cold, hard facts about it.
A wooden beautiful chair.
A beautiful wooden chair.
Mistake 2: Mixing up Size and Color
Size comes very early in the sequence, while color comes right before the noun’s origin or material.
Look at that red big balloon!
Look at that big red balloon!
Mistake 3: Putting Age before Size
Physical size generally takes precedence over how old something is.
An old massive castle.
A massive old castle.
If adjectives come from different categories (e.g., Size and Color), you do not need a comma between them (a big red car).
If they come from the same category (e.g., two opinions), you do need a comma or the word “and” (a beautiful, elegant dress / a red and white flag).
Sounds Of Letters
1) What is Phonics?
The secret code of reading and speaking.
Phonics is the relationship between the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. While there are only 26 letters in the English alphabet, there are 44 unique sounds (called phonemes)!
2) The Vowels: Short vs. Long
The glue that holds words together (A, E, I, O, U).
Every single syllable in English must have a vowel. Vowels are special because they can make a short sound or a long sound.
Quick sounds, usually found in middle of small words.
- A: /a/ as in Apple, Cat
- E: /e/ as in Elephant, Bed
- I: /i/ as in Igloo, Pig
- O: /o/ as in Octopus, Dog
- U: /u/ as in Umbrella, Sun
The vowel “says its own name”.
- A: /ay/ as in Ape, Cake
- E: /ee/ as in Eagle, Tree
- I: /eye/ as in Ice, Kite
- O: /oh/ as in Ocean, Bone
- U: /you/ as in Unicorn, Cube
3) Tricky Consonants: C & G
Letters with a split personality.
Most consonants (like B, M, S, T) make one reliable sound. However, C and G change their sounds depending on the vowel that comes right after them.
| Letter | The Hard Sound (Default) | The Soft Sound (Before E, I, Y) |
|---|---|---|
| C | Sounds like /K/ Cat, Cup, Cold | Sounds like /S/ City, Cent, Fancy |
| G | Sounds like /G/ Goat, Gum, Game | Sounds like /J/ Giraffe, Gem, Gym |
4) Consonant Digraphs
Two letters, one brand new sound.
When certain consonants team up, they drop their individual sounds and create one completely new sound together. These are called digraphs.
- CH: /ch/ as in Chair, Much
- SH: /sh/ as in Ship, Wish
- TH: /th/ as in Thumb (quiet), That (voiced)
- WH: /w/ as in Whale, White
- PH: /f/ as in Phone, Dolphin
Don’t confuse digraphs with Blends! In a blend (like blue or stop), you can still hear both individual letters quickly sliding together.
5) The Magic “E” (Silent E)
The bossiest letter in the alphabet.
| Short Vowel Word | Add Magic “E” | The Change |
|---|---|---|
| Cap (/a/ short) | Cape (/ay/ long) | The ‘a’ says its name. |
| Pin (/i/ short) | Pine (/eye/ long) | The ‘i’ says its name. |
| Hop (/o/ short) | Hope (/oh/ long) | The ‘o’ says its name. |
| Cub (/u/ short) | Cube (/you/ long) | The ‘u’ says its name. |
6) Vowel Teams
When two vowels go walking.
Sometimes two vowels sit next to each other. The old saying goes: “When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.” This means the first vowel says its long name, and the second is quiet.
- AI / AY: Rain, Play (Makes the /A/ sound)
- EE / EA: See, Meat (Makes the /E/ sound)
- OA / OE: Boat, Toe (Makes the /O/ sound)
These pairs slide together to make a whining or howling sound:
- OI / OY: Boil, Toy
- OU / OW: Cloud, Cow
- AU / AW: Haunt, Claw
Narrations: Part II
Imperative, Exclamatory & Universal Truths
1. Indirect of: The teacher said, “The sun rises in the east.”
2. Indirect of: He said, “Please help me.”
3. Indirect of: The captain said, “Bravo! You did well.”
4. Indirect of: “Don’t smoke,” the doctor said to him.
5. Indirect of: She said, “Alas! I failed the test.”
6. Indirect of: My mother said, “Honesty is the best policy.”
7. In imperative sentences (commands), the verb is changed into:
8. Indirect of: The boss said, “Finish the work now.”
9. Indirect of: She said, “What a beautiful flower!”
10. “Let’s” in Direct speech usually changes to ___ in Indirect.
Your Score
Narrations: Part I
Assertive & Interrogative Sentences
1. Indirect of: He said, “I am happy.”
2. Indirect of: She said to me, “What are you doing?”
3. Indirect of: They said, “We have won the match.”
4. Indirect of: He said, “Do you like coffee?”
5. Change in time: “Tomorrow” becomes ___ in Indirect speech.
6. Indirect of: She said, “I will call you later.”
7. If the reporting verb is in the Present Tense (e.g., He says), the tense inside quotes:
8. Indirect of: “Where do you live?” asked the man.
9. Indirect of: He said, “I saw her yesterday.”
10. “Said to” usually changes to ___ in assertive sentences.
Your Score
Active & Passive III
Future, Dual Objects & Impersonal Structures
1. Passive of: “The council will build a new library.”
2. Passive of: “Someone gave me a gift.” (Choice A)
3. Passive of: “They say that he is very rich.”
4. Passive of: “They will have completed the task by 5 PM.”
5. Which is a correct passive for: “He sent her a letter.”
6. “People believe the earth is round.” → “The earth ___ round.”
7. Passive of: “We are going to buy a car.”
8. Passive of: “Who will win the race?”
9. True or False: ‘It is expected that…’ is an impersonal passive structure.
10. Active of: “I was offered a job by the manager.”
Your Score
Active & Passive II
Perfect Tenses & Modals
1. Passive of: “The company has launched a new product.”
2. Passive of: “They had finished the report before noon.”
3. Passive of: “You must sign the document.”
4. Passive of: “Can anyone solve this puzzle?”
5. Passive of: “The windows haven’t been cleaned for months.” Is this:
6. Active of: “The house should have been painted.”
7. Passive of: “We have not seen him since Monday.”
8. Which structure is correct for a Modal Passive?
9. “All tickets ___ already ___.” (Present Perfect Passive)
10. Passive of: “Someone might find your keys.”
Your Score
Active & Passive I
Simple & Continuous Tenses
1. Passive of: “The chef prepares the meal.”
2. Identify the voice: “The window was broken by a ball.”
3. Passive of: “She is writing a letter.”
4. Passive of: “They built the bridge in 1990.”
5. “The students ___ by the teacher right now.”
6. Passive of: “Who wrote this book?”
7. True or False: In passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject.
8. Passive of: “The police were chasing the thief.”
9. “A new road ___ near my house last month.”
10. Active of: “The cake is being cut by Sarah.”
Your Score
Describe the Scene!
Exemplar Description
The picture shows a masked thief stealing valuables from a bedroom at night. He is wearing black clothes and gloves, and his face is fully covered. He appears nervous and alert because he keeps looking around as if he is worried that someone might enter the room at any moment. In the foreground, the man is opening a drawer and taking jewelry and other expensive items. There is also a bag on the bed which he may use to carry the stolen things. The room looks quiet and dimly lit, with only a lamp and some moonlight coming through the window. One interesting detail is the dog standing near the window. The dog seems suspicious and is carefully watching the thief. It looks as though the dog may start barking soon and expose him. Overall, the scene creates tension and suspense because the thief seems anxious about getting caught while secretly stealing from the house.
Describe the Scene!
Exemplar Description
The picture shows a masked thief stealing valuables from a bedroom at night. He is wearing black clothes and gloves, and his face is fully covered. He appears nervous and alert because he keeps looking around as if he is worried that someone might enter the room at any moment. In the foreground, the man is opening a drawer and taking jewelry and other expensive items. There is also a bag on the bed which he may use to carry the stolen things. The room looks quiet and dimly lit, with only a lamp and some moonlight coming through the window. One interesting detail is the dog standing near the window. The dog seems suspicious and is carefully watching the thief. It looks as though the dog may start barking soon and expose him. Overall, the scene creates tension and suspense because the thief seems anxious about getting caught while secretly stealing from the house.
Describe the Scene!
Exemplar Description
The picture shows a masked thief stealing valuables from a bedroom at night. He is wearing black clothes and gloves, and his face is fully covered. He appears nervous and alert because he keeps looking around as if he is worried that someone might enter the room at any moment. In the foreground, the man is opening a drawer and taking jewelry and other expensive items. There is also a bag on the bed which he may use to carry the stolen things. The room looks quiet and dimly lit, with only a lamp and some moonlight coming through the window. One interesting detail is the dog standing near the window. The dog seems suspicious and is carefully watching the thief. It looks as though the dog may start barking soon and expose him. Overall, the scene creates tension and suspense because the thief seems anxious about getting caught while secretly stealing from the house.