Adjective order
Hi, there

Which of THESE sentences are correct?

“Pitch is a sticky (,) black substance” or “Pitch is a black (,) sticky substance”

“That’s an animal with a grey (,) bushy tail” or “That’s an animal with a bushy (,) gray tail”

“He is talking about a thick, white, slushy substance or “He is talking about a slushy, thick, white substance”?

Thank you very much

Question

Adjective order
Hi, there

Which of THESE sentences are correct?

“Pitch is a sticky (,) black substance” or “Pitch is a black (,) sticky substance”

“That’s an animal with a grey (,) bushy tail” or “That’s an animal with a bushy (,) gray tail”

“He is talking about a thick, white, slushy substance or “He is talking about a slushy, thick, white substance”?

Thank you very much

Answer

There is an order of adjectives.  Physical quality comes before color so “sticky black” and “bushy gray” are correct. Thick and slushy are both physical qualities but “thick, slushy white” sounds better to me.

Answer

In all of these cases, both ways are correct and often used by native speakers; but putting the color last sounds a little more natural  -
“Pitch is a sticky black substance.”
“That’s an animal with a bushy gray tail”

For the last one, I would generally also reverse "slushy" and "thick" -
“He is talking about a thick slushy white substance.”

Answer

Please...

Answers · 3

Still haven’t found your answers?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!