Discover a grammar rule unknown (even to the English)

Zoom in on an unknown grammatical rule!

The English language has its difficulties, with its false friends and impossible pronunciation. You've already experienced English grammar lessons in middle school, with the notoriously abused^3rd person "s" and the confusion between countable and uncountable. Today, we're going to look at a special rule: the order of adjectives. This rule is so little-known that even the English completely ignore it: they use it without even knowing it!

It was in 2016 that the British discovered the existence of this very specific rule! The BBC's culture editor published a tweet in 2016, which went completely viral within hours. It featured a passage from Mark Forsyth's book Elements of Eloquence, which explains the order to use when accumulating adjectives.

La règle d’or

Here's the golden rule: Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Origin, Material + Name

A way to memorize this order? Remember the initials: OTAFCOM!

English speakers are lucky because they never have to think about it, it just comes naturally. For you, on the other hand, it will take a little practice to acquire the right reflexes. But don't panic: now that you know the golden rule, all you have to do is apply it! As time goes by, you won't even think about it.

Mastering the order of adjectives in English will enable you to express yourself like a true native English speaker - your interlocutors will be blown away!

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Exercice – Remettez les mots dans le bon ordre

And now it's your turn! Can you put the words in the right order?

Spanish/book/small/An/interesting

house/modern/small/beautiful/A

green/cap/cotton/funny/A

An/modern/ugly/picture/rectangular

fast/car/American/A/pink

Answers:

An interesting small Spanish book.
A beautiful small modern house.
A funny green cotton cap.
An ugly modern rectangular picture.
A fast pink American car.

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