B1 Lesson 19: Order of Adjectives + Describing Pictures

WARM UP

Look around your room or imagine a photograph.

• Can you describe a large object you can see?
• Do you own something soft and comfortable?
• Have you ever seen a strange or unusual picture?
• What makes a photo look awesome?
• Can a simple picture still be perfect? Why?

Answer in full sentences.

VOCABULARY – DESCRIBING PICTURES

• awesome – impresionante / increíble
Example: The view in the picture looks awesome.

• big comfortable – grande y cómodo
Example: There is a big comfortable sofa in the living room.

• large – grande
Example: The picture shows a large garden.

• lovely – encantador / precioso
Example: It is a lovely photograph of the beach.

• normal – normal
Example: The people in the picture look normal and relaxed.

• perfect – perfecto
Example: The lighting in the picture is perfect.

• soft – suave / blando
Example: The blanket on the chair looks soft.

• strange – extraño
Example: There is a strange object in the background.

• unusual – inusual
Example: The building has an unusual design.

Say each word out loud.
Think about photos you have seen recently.

GRAMMAR – ORDER OF ADJECTIVES

When we use more than one adjective before a noun, English usually follows a specific order.

Quality → Size → Shape → Age → Colour → Nationality → Material → Noun

Examples

• a lovely large old white Spanish stone house
• an awesome small round blue Italian glass table
• a strange large modern black metal sculpture
• a perfect soft red wool blanket

Remember

Quality adjectives usually come first.

Examples of quality:

• awesome
• lovely
• perfect
• strange
• unusual
• normal

Examples

• It is a lovely large wooden table.
• She is sitting on a big comfortable old brown sofa.
• The picture shows an unusual modern glass building.
• There is an awesome large blue swimming pool.

More Examples

• The photo shows a perfect small white wooden house.
• We can see a strange old green metal door.
• There is a soft large grey wool blanket on the sofa.
• The artist painted a lovely traditional Spanish stone cottage.

DIALOGUE – DESCRIBING A PHOTO

Anna: What can you see in the picture?

Mark: I can see a lovely large old stone house.

Anna: What else?

Mark: There is a big comfortable brown sofa near the window.

Anna: Does anything look unusual?

Mark: Yes, there is a strange modern metal sculpture in the garden.

Anna: Overall, it looks like an awesome place to live.

Read again and practise.

SHORT ARTICLE

In this photograph, there is a lovely large traditional Spanish stone house surrounded by trees. In front of the house, we can see a big comfortable brown sofa on a terrace. The garden contains several flowers and a strange modern metal sculpture. The weather looks warm, and the sky is a perfect bright blue colour. On one side of the garden, there is a soft white wool blanket on a chair. Although most of the scene looks quite normal, the sculpture gives the picture an unusual and artistic feeling. Overall, it is an awesome photograph.

Read the article twice. Focus on the adjective order.

LANGUAGE SUPPORT

Describing pictures

• In the picture, I can see...
• In the background, there is...
• In the foreground, there is...
• On the left/right, there is...

Order of adjectives

• a lovely large house
• a soft white blanket
• a strange modern sculpture
• a perfect old wooden chair

Full sentence model

• In the picture, I can see a lovely large traditional Spanish stone house with a big comfortable brown sofa outside.

PERSONAL QUESTIONS

Answer in full sentences.

• What makes a picture look awesome to you?
• Do you prefer photos of normal places or unusual places?
• What is the most strange photograph you have ever seen?
• Do you own a big comfortable sofa or chair?
• What colours make a picture look more attractive?
• Do you prefer large houses or small apartments? Why?
• Can a simple photograph be perfect? Why?
• What soft objects do you have at home?
• Do you enjoy taking pictures of buildings or people?
• Describe your ideal living room using at least four adjectives.

HOMEWORK (WRITE & RECORD)

Writing

Write 10 sentences describing a picture or room.

• Use at least 8 vocabulary words from the lesson.
• Include at least 5 noun phrases with multiple adjectives.
• Follow the adjective order rule correctly.

Recording

Read your sentences aloud clearly.

Focus on grouping adjectives naturally, for example:

• a lovely large traditional Spanish stone house
• a soft white wool blanket
• a strange modern metal sculpture.