ADJECTIVES AND

ADJECTIVE ORDER

Teacher Guidelines ▶ pages 1 – 2

4-5
Instructional Pages ▶ pages 3 – 5
Activity Page ▶ pages 6
Practice Page ▶ page 7
GRADE

Homework Page
Answer Key
▶
▶
page 8
page 9 – 10
 Classroom Procedure: Lesson Title:
Adjectives and Adjective Order
1. Display the following sentence: “Joey lives in a house.”
Subject: Language Arts
Ask the students about this sentence: “Is this sentence
complete? Is this sentence descriptive enough? If we Approximate Grade Level: 4 - 5
were going to drive to Joey’s house, would we know Objectives: Students will know adjectives
where Joey lives just by reading the above sentence? are a part of speech that helps describe
Allow for response and discussion. Explain to the nouns. Students will see the difference
students that the above sentence is missing adjectives. between an adjective and an adverb.
Adjectives describe nouns and add detail to a sentence. Students will use adjectives in writing.
Students will learn that there is a rule
2. Distribute the Adjectives and Adjective Order content when using multiple adjectives. Multiple
page. Read and review the information with the adjectives have a specific order or pattern.
students. Save the final questions for the lesson closing. State Educational Objectives:
Use the additional resources to enhance understanding LB.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.D, LB.ELA-
in and out of the classroom. LITERACY.L.5.3.D, & LB.ELA-
LITERACY.L.3.1.G
3. Distribute the Activity page. Read and review the
Class Sessions (45 minutes):
instructions. Have students check their answers with a
2 class sessions
partner. Allow time for completion.
Teaching Materials/Worksheets:
4. Once completed, have students share their answers Adjectives and Adjective Order content
with the class. pages (3), Activity page, Practice page,
Homework page
7. Distribute the Practice page. Check and review the
students’ responses. Student Supplies: Pencils, pens,
highlighters, dictionaries or thesauruses
8. Distribute the Homework page. The next day, check and
Prepare Ahead of Time: Copy handouts.
review the students’ responses.
Options for Lesson: As an introductory or
9. In closing, ask students: “What are adjectives? Why are culminating activity, Turtle Diary has several
they needed in writing? Why did adjectives need to be in excellent adjective learning games that
a specific order? What is the order? students will love to play and learn! Go to
the website at https://www.turtlediary.com/
games/adjectives.html

The Lessons are aligned to meet the education

objectives and goals of most states. For more information
on your state objectives, contact your local Board of
Education or Department of Education in your state.

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 Teacher Notes
This lesson has the students identify and explain how adjectives help describe nouns and why they are
needed in writing. Students will learn about adjectival order and remember to follow adjectival order when
writing.

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Adjectives and Adjective Order
ADJECTIVES: WHAT ARE ADJECTIVES?
Adjectives are a part of speech that describes nouns. . Nouns are people, places, emotions or
thoughts, and things. Nouns can be abstract ideas, like freedom. Adjectives are words that make
your writing more attractive to the reader and make reading what someone has written come alive

For example, let’s say your best friend is wearing a colorful

Hawaiian shirt. Your friend asks you how you like it and to
describe the shirt. You use adjectives to describe the shirt, which
is a noun. You might say the shirt is colorful, blue, different, or
stylish. In the space, write a sentence describing the shirt
and underline the adjectives.

Adding adjectives to your writing makes your words more detailed and creative.

Look at the following sentence: The brown and withered book is on the wooden shelf. Underline the
noun and circle the adjectives in the sentence.

If you underlined book, circled brown and withered, then you have correctly identified the adjectives
describing the book, which is a noun. Did you circle the other adjective and noun in this sentence? The
other adjective is the word wooden that describes the shelf, which is a noun.
If the adjectives were not in the sentence, the sentence reads, The book is on the shelf. How did the
sentence change by adding adjectives? Which sentence is more interesting to read and gives more
detail? Do you see how the adjectives are most like the picture?
Look at this sentence: The small and curious hamster broke out of his dilapidated enclosure.
The adjectives small and curious describe the hamster, which is a noun. The adjective dilapidated
describes the word enclosure, which is a noun. Without the adjectives, the sentence is: The hamster broke
out of his enclosure.
Which sentence is more interesting to the reader. What do you learn about where the hamster was living?
Adjectives add detail and description to help readers see the picture the author wants the reader to see.
Adjectives paint a picture with words!

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 ORDERING ADJECTIVES
Writers do not like to just use one adjective when they are describing a noun. They want to use
many to be very descriptive and clear.
Did you know that you can use more than one adjective in a sentence to describe a noun;
however, you have to put the adjectives in a particular order? There is a special order when using
more than one adjective to describe a noun.

Here is the adjectival order or pattern

you should follow when using multiple
adjectives to describe a noun.

• Numbers will always go first.

• An example of a number as an adjective is, “There are five
doughnuts remaining in the green doughnut box.”
• Opinion is second in adjectival order.
• An example of an opinion as an adjective is, “She is
wearing an ugly sweater and thinks it’s pretty.”
• Size is third in adjectival order.
• An example of adjectives relating to size is, “The huge squirrel climbed up the tree.”
• Shape is the next in adjectival order.
• An example of an adjective associated with size is, “The round bush needed water.”
• Age is the next in adjectival order.
• An example of an adjective used to define or describe age is, “The young kitten was lost.”
• Condition is the next in adjectival order.
• An example of an adjective that describes a noun’s condition is,
“The broken mirror was left on the ground.”
• Color is the next in adjectival order.
• An example of an adjective that describes color is
“The yellow bird sang a song.”

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 ORDERING ADJECTIVES
• Pattern is the next in adjectival order.
• An example of an adjective that describes a noun’s pattern is “I received striped socks for
Christmas.”
• Origin is the next in adjectival order.
• An example of an adjective that describes origin or where someone or something is from is,
“The Canadian doctor was on the news.”
• Material is the next in adjectival order.
• An example of an adjective that describes what a noun is composed of is “The plastic bottle
was empty.”
• Purpose is the next in adjectival order.
• An example of an adjective that describes a noun’s purpose is, “The waterproof tent kept us
dry.”

By now, you are thinking, do I really need to know all of those rules about adjective order? Not
necessarily. The main thing you need to know about adjectives is adjectives describe nouns. Adjectives
make your writing more interesting to readers. Adjectives add color and description to writing, painting a
picture for the reader. While adjective order is essential, it’s more important to know when you use more
than one adjective in a sentence, they all need to make sense.

For example, we all know

who Red Riding Hood and the
Three Pigs wanted to avoid
meeting – the bad big wolf.
Not exactly – the big bad
wolf. You see how adjectival
order is common sense and
essential.

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 Activity Name __________________________ Date _________

Instructions: Divide students into groups of two. Give one student a noun, and have the other student
describe the noun using an adjective. Reverse the roles. Write the adjective in the space.

Noun Adjective Noun Adjective

Skateboard Fish

Surfboard Circus Tent

Teacher Shoes

City Cat

Soldier Food

Game Football

Soccer Cap

Dog Classroom

Sky Ocean

Boat Airplane

Video Music

Book Painting

Winter Summer

Holiday Weather

Drink Ice

Bird Car

Computer Cellphone

Socks Shirt

Sister Brother

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 Practice Name __________________________ Date _________

Instructions: In the lines below, write a sentence that describes the noun using two adjectives
description. Make sure you put the adjectives in the correct order.

1. Noun - Hat Adjective Descriptions - Material and Pattern

_____________________________________________________________________
2. Noun - Tent Adjective Descriptions - Purpose and Number
___________________________________________________________________
3. Noun - Grandfather Adjective Descriptions - Origin and Opinion
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Noun - Ice Cream Adjective Descriptions - Color and Size
____________________________________________________________________
5. Noun - Backpack Adjective Descriptions - Condition and Shape
_____________________________________________________________________
6. Noun - Desk Adjective Descriptions - Condition and Age
_____________________________________________________________________
7. Noun - Bed Adjective Descriptions - Color and Shape
_____________________________________________________________________
8. Noun - Hamster Adjective Descriptions - Opinion and Age
_____________________________________________________________________

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 Homework Name __________________________ Date _________

Instructions: Read the following sentences. Fix the sentences, so the adjectives are in the correct order.

1. For Thanksgiving dinner, I age big two spoonfuls of yellow bright corn.
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Anne is a new quiet green belt in my Japanese difficult martial arts class.
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Math class is the toughest terrible class that I have ever had in my young exciting life.
_____________________________________________________________________
4. For Christmas, my Canadian pretty mother and my old Greek Grandfather get together and make a
delicious exciting large meal.
_____________________________________________________________________
5. The unicorn had a sharp unique small horn and purple striped fur.
_____________________________________________________________________
6. My computer is four years old small gray ugly and useless.
_____________________________________________________________________
7. My desk is old and round.
_____________________________________________________________________
8. My grandmother’s purple is Italian and gray.
_____________________________________________________________________
9. For my birthday, my mom got me a striped purpose heart shaped cake.
_____________________________________________________________________
10. Isaiah’s leather old blue sneakers need to be replaced.
_____________________________________________________________________

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 Practice Answer Key
Name __________________________ Date _________

Instructions: In the lines below, write a sentence that describes the noun using two adjectives
description. Make sure you put the adjectives in the correct order.

1. Noun - Hat Adjective Descriptions - Material and Pattern

The man is wearing a striped wool hat.
2. Noun - Tent Adjective Descriptions - Purpose and Number
We unpacked three waterproof tents when we went camping.
3. Noun - Grandfather Adjective Descriptions - Origin and Opinion
My funny Cuban Grandfather is here on a visit.
4. Noun - Ice Cream Adjective Descriptions - Color and Size
The ice cream on my plate for dessert was minuscule and blue.
5. Noun - Backpack Adjective Descriptions - Condition and Shape
My round broken backpack needs to be replaced this year.
6. Noun - Desk Adjective Descriptions - Condition and Age
The ancient and purposeful desk sits in our dining room.
7. Noun - Bed Adjective Descriptions - Color and Shape
My bed is round and blue.
8. Noun - Hamster Adjective Descriptions - Opinion and Age
Oscar, the hamster, is ugly and old.

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 Homework Answer Key
Name __________________________ Date _________

Instructions: Read the following sentences. Fix the sentences, so the adjectives are in the correct order.
1. For Thanksgiving dinner, I age big two spoonfuls of yellow bright corn.
For Thanksgiving dinner, I ate two big spoonfuls of bright yellow corn.
2. Anne is a new quiet green belt in my Japanese difficult martial arts class.
Anne is a quiet new green belt in my difficult martial arts class.
3. Math class is the toughest terrible class that I have ever had in my young exciting life.
Math class is the toughest and most terrible that I have ever had in my exciting young life.
4. For Christmas, my Canadian pretty mother and my old Greek Grandfather get to-
gether and make a delicious exciting large meal.
For Christmas, my pretty Canadian mother and my old Greek Grandfather get to-
gether and make a delicious large meal.
5. The unicorn had a sharp unique small horn and purple striped fur.
The unicorn had a unique small horn and purple striped fur.
6. My computer is four years old small gray ugly and useless.
My computer is small, old, and gray.
7. My desk is old round.
My desk is round and old.
8. My grandmother’s purple is Italian and gray.
My grandmother’s purse is gray and Italian.
9. For my birthday, my mom got me a striped purpose heart shaped cake.
For my birthday, my mom got me a heart-shaped and purple striped cake.
10. Isaiah’s leather old blue sneakers need to be replaced.
Isaiah’s blue old leather sneakers need to be repaired.

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