A Big Old Secret Grammar Rule
Another persnickety dictum
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Back in May, we looked at ablauts, the vowel variation in words such as sing, sang, sung. You may recall that the rule we follow with those (whether or not we realize it) is:
If there are three words then the order of the ablauts must be I, A, O. If there are two words then the first is I and the second is either A or O.
Another Rule
When it comes to using adjectives, we all follow another hidden rule, whether we’re aware of it or not.
It was described in The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth, and the rule is as follows: When using multiple adjectives, they are always ranked accordingly:
Opinion
Size
Age
Shape
Color
Origin
Material
Purpose
This is not to say that you must use eight adjectives to describe something, but simply that if you do chose to use more than one, they must appear in the proper order.
So, for example, if you watched a press conference this week, you saw a crazy old doddering orange American grifting criminal trying to make a coherent point.
You wouldn’t say you saw an American doddering orange old grifting crazy criminal.
That would sound weird.
And weird is an adjective most people are eager to avoid these days.
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Read more:
The Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase by Mark Forsyth
