Describing People and Objects
Adjectives
Adjectives are placed directly before nouns to describe certain qualities.
The closing balance for the new account closes next week.
A money market fund is a safe investment.
Adjectives are also often used with the verb 'to be' to describe the character of people or things. In this case, place the adjective at the end of the sentence.
A 15% return on investment is extraordinary.
The verification process is very reliable.
Adjective Order
It is possible to use a string of adjectives to describe a person, place or thing. When using more than one adjective, use the following pattern to place the adjectives in order before the noun.
Opinion, dimension, age, shape, color, origin, material + noun
NOTE: Use no more than three adjectives to describe a noun.
1. Opinion
Example:
The finance department is announcing the deprecative terms of money in the company.
The expense receipt was unbelievably high.
2. Dimension
Example:
My personal property has a large value attached to it.
The dollar value of his personal property was smaller than one might have expected.
3. Age
Example:
It is a modern kind of intangible asset.
It is a matured treasury bond.
4. Shape
Example:
He and the cosigner purchased the rectangular plot of land.
5. Color
Example:
The subsidiary is represented in this graph by the yellow lines.
The red column represents fixed costs.
6. Origin
Example:
The government has added value tax on imported furniture to market local products.
China's voting share is too high for this product.
7. Material
Example:
We decreased paper waste by switching to a bill on demand policy.
A treasury bond offers secure investment.
Here are some examples of nouns modified with three adjectives in the correct order based on the list above.
The most interesting course assignment in accounting was to write a report on deferred revenue.
Most people trust an official certified check.
Don't expect a fast turnaround if you renovate a large, old brick building and try to sell it.
The fortunate 21 year old American payee didn't even have a cosigner.