Adjective Order

What does OSASCOMP mean?

It stands for:

Our Silly Aunt Sally Can Only Make Pancakes.

or

Orange Skies And Shady Clouds Over My Pillows

Vocabulary:

Mnemonic: n., (pronounced ni-ˈmä-nik) a pattern of words or initials to help you remember something.

Origin: n., where something comes from.

But it ALSO means something else.  It’s a mnemonic to help you remember correct adjective order in English!

In English, we describe things in a certain order.

Like this:

Opinion – Size – Age – Shape – Color – Origin – Material – Purpose

This is useful to know when you are using several adjectives together:

That beautiful tiny new table. Or:  The round French wooden dining table.

When you are only using two adjectives to describe one thing, it’s generally correct to order them from general (opinion) to specific:

The delicious Mexican dinner.

Listen carefully to native speakers in conversation, television shows, and movies to learn how to use adjectives naturally.

Share this:

Awesome Adjective: Damp

https://cdn.instructables.com/F8P/F5CF/COJEP27QK1O/F8PF5CFCOJEP27QK1O.MEDIUM.jpg

Meaning: A little wet.

Examples:

When I get a headache, I go lie down and put a damp towel on my forehead.

My clothes are still damp even though they’ve been in the dryer for an hour!

His diaper feels damp – you’d better change it.

 

Pop Quiz:

What’s the opposite of damp?

A.  Dry

B.  Humid

C.  Greasy

To see the correct answer, click on “Continue reading”:

Read More »

Share this:

Awesome Adjective: Obnoxious

Meaning: Very rude or annoying.

Examples: 

You have to be nice to customers all the time – even if they’re being obnoxious.

There was a really obnoxious guy on the train this morning who almost started a fight.

A lot of people become very obnoxious when they’re drunk.

 

Pop Quiz:

Which of the following describes obnoxious behavior?

A.  Quietly sitting and reading.

B.  Laughing loudly and cursing.

C.  Helping someone pick something up that’s fallen on the floor.

To see the correct answer, click on “Continue reading”:

Read More »

Share this:

Awesome Adjective: Lonely

 

Meaning: Feeling sad because you’re alone.

Examples:

After they broke up, he felt very lonely.

The holidays can be a lonely time for a lot of people.

Even though I’m alone, I don’t feel lonely!

 

Pop Quiz:

What’s the difference between alone and lonely?

A.  Alone is neither good nor bad, but lonely is always bad.

B.  Lonely is neither good nor bad, but alone is always bad.

C.  They are the same.

To see the correct answer, click on “Continue reading”:

Read More »

Share this:

Anxious Quotations

Here are some interesting quotations using our latest Awesome Adjective, Anxious:

True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.

– Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach – waiting for a gift from the sea.

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

It is a general popular error to suppose the loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for its welfare.

– Edmund Burke

Love is full of anxious fears.

– Ovid

I was very superstitious when I was a teenager, and I had to fight against that because it made me feel anxious.

– Penelope Cruz

There is nothing about which I am more anxious than my country, and for its sake I am willing to die ten deaths, if that be possible.

– Elizabeth I 

I’m totally an anxious mess all the time. There’s a constant dialogue going on in my brain, and it’s just reminding me of all the failures that I have had, and all of the things I need to do, and all of the things I’m not doing good enough.

– Aubrey Plaza

My wife, whenever I’d go off to work and I’d be kind of anxious, she’ll say, ‘Remember, have fun.’ Oh, I forgot, thanks for the reminder. Because sometimes we do forget. We take it all too seriously and there’s a lot of joy to be had wherever you are.

– Jeff Bridges

 

Share this: