Subjects:

QUESTION: Where should ADJECTIVES be placed?

ANSWER:

Adjectives describe the qualities of people, things and places.
They are one of the largest word classes in English.
They are normally placed before a noun but they can also come after the verb TO BE and also after other linking verbs such as stay, look, seem, appear, become.
Look at the following:
- A tall young man and a petite middle-aged woman were walking along the narrow road.
- Tasty, fresh, white French bread is always best served with Stilton cheese and red wine.
- The fine sunny weather is set to continue. It will stay fine for the next few days.
- New ideas are always interesting and exciting.

Note that if we have more than one adjective before a noun, the order in which they appear is not always fixed, although it tends to be in this order: quality, size, age, colour, class.
Check to see to what extent this is true in the above examples.

Note also that we often use adverbs of degree to modify the meanings of the adjectives we use. Among the most common are very, too, quite, rather, much, more, and most.
Consider the following:
- It was very noisy in the garden but much quieter in the house.
- I would have said he was rather tall. But my mother described him as exceedingly tall.
- She is a very gifted child. Her teacher says that she is too intelligent for her class.