Comments on: The Royal Order of Adjectives http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-royal-order-of-adjectives/ Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:36:00 -0500 hourly 1 By: Pedro http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-royal-order-of-adjectives/comment-page-1/#comment-207135 Pedro Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:04:44 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=3526#comment-207135 When I learned English, they showed me a video that taught us learners how to remember this. It used the word OPSHACOM. I never forgot it. O: opinion SH: shape A: age C: color O: origin M: material Whenever in doubt, remember: OPSHACOM! When I learned English, they showed me a video that taught us learners how to remember this. It used the word OPSHACOM. I never forgot it.

O: opinion
SH: shape
A: age
C: color
O: origin
M: material

Whenever in doubt, remember: OPSHACOM!

]]> By: Mary Hodges http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-royal-order-of-adjectives/comment-page-1/#comment-195470 Mary Hodges Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:03:37 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=3526#comment-195470 Interesting. I'd never heard of the "Royal Order" but just put adjectives in the order that sounded right to me. You can of course play around and change the order for emphasis or to alter the meaning. For example: An old lady's black bike. An old black lady's bike. A black old lady's bike. A lady's old black bike. A black lady's old bike. depending on whether it is the lady or the bike or both that is old or black. The only combination that sounds wrong to me is A lady's black old bike. (I know that the usual usage is "ladies' bike" to refer to a bike without a crossbar, but it looked wrong here!) Interesting. I’d never heard of the “Royal Order” but just put adjectives in the order that sounded right to me.
You can of course play around and change the order for emphasis or to alter the meaning. For example:
An old lady’s black bike.
An old black lady’s bike.
A black old lady’s bike.
A lady’s old black bike.
A black lady’s old bike.
depending on whether it is the lady or the bike or both that is old or black.
The only combination that sounds wrong to me is
A lady’s black old bike.

(I know that the usual usage is “ladies’ bike” to refer to a bike without a crossbar, but it looked wrong here!)

]]> By: Charity http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-royal-order-of-adjectives/comment-page-1/#comment-195350 Charity Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:31:10 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=3526#comment-195350 @ Jon: I remember being taught the "BAGS" mnemonic in French class... We were told that adjectives come after the noun in French, except when they are descriptors of beauty, age, goodness, or size. I don't know how accurate this is, but it was certainly easy to remember and apply. @ Jon:

I remember being taught the “BAGS” mnemonic in French class… We were told that adjectives come after the noun in French, except when they are descriptors of beauty, age, goodness, or size. I don’t know how accurate this is, but it was certainly easy to remember and apply.

]]> By: Autumn http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-royal-order-of-adjectives/comment-page-1/#comment-195332 Autumn Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:26:45 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=3526#comment-195332 Very helpful - I was just wrestling with this the other night. Thanks for the post! Very helpful – I was just wrestling with this the other night.

Thanks for the post!

]]> By: Cid http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-royal-order-of-adjectives/comment-page-1/#comment-195272 Cid Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:37:44 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=3526#comment-195272 Under the Qualifier topic, shouldn't the wording be "getting" instead of "getter"? Under the Qualifier topic, shouldn’t the wording be “getting” instead of “getter”?

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