Big round table vs round big table

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Edge
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Big round table vs round big table

Post by Edge »

How do we know adjective order? Is it big round or round big?
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Josef Essberger
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Re: Big round table vs round big table

Post by Josef Essberger »

Edge wrote: February 9th, 2025, 8:20 am How do we know adjective order? Is it big round or round big?
Normally we say "a big round table".

See this page for full explanation:
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adj ... -order.php
English Prepositions List by Josef Essberger
Extremely useful ebook full of examples and visual aids to learn prepositions :ok: Inés Barbero
Brave
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Re: Big round table vs round big table

Post by Brave »

The "normal" order for fact adjectives is

size, shape, age, colour / origin / material / purpose

Big is size and round is shape.
engtommy
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Re: Big round table vs round big table

Post by engtommy »

I vote "A big round table" {-:
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designerqualify
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Re: Big round table vs round big table

Post by designerqualify »

Adjective order follows a general pattern in English, and while it may seem a bit tricky at first, there's a guideline that can help you remember the right order. The usual order for multiple adjectives is:
1. Quantity or number
2. Opinion or quality
3. Size
4. Age
5. Shape
6. Color
7. Proper adjective (often nationality, origin, religion, etc.)
8. Material
9. Purpose or qualifier
So, in your example, you should say "big round" rather than "round big" because size comes before shape in the standard adjective order.
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