13
On the move (A)
Textbook: pp. 58–61
GoalAdjective order (opinion – size – physical quality – shape – age – colour – origin – material – type – purpose); travel and leisure vocabulary.
New words
trip · sayohatvisitor · tashrif buyuruvchi, mehmoncampsite · qarorgoh, lagercraft · hunarmandchilik buyumi
Explanation
When several adjectives come before a noun they follow a set order: opinion – size – physical quality – shape – age – colour – origin – material – type – purpose + noun. For example: a lovely round wooden table; a small blue Chinese tea set. We rarely use more than two or three adjectives; if you need more, split the sentence. Commas are used only between adjectives of the same type: a hot, sunny day. Travel vocabulary: trip (a short journey), journey (a long way), tour (an organised trip), campsite, souvenir, itinerary.
Worked examples
We stayed in a charming little stone cottage near the lake.
She packed a big red cotton rucksack for the trip.
Class activity
“Suitcase” game: students describe an item in their suitcase with three adjectives in the correct order; others check the order.
Practice
1
Put in order: a (wooden / small / lovely) boat
a lovely small wooden boat
2
Put in order: a (silk / long / beautiful / Uzbek) scarf
a beautiful long Uzbek silk scarf
3
Correct: She bought a leather brown big bag.
She bought a big brown leather bag.
4
Why is “a red old car” unnatural in English?
Age comes before colour in the normal order, so we say an old red car.