The Grammar Lab: Adjectives & Word Order

The Grammar Lab: Adjectives

Lesson 06: Describing Words & Order

What is an Adjective?

An Adjective (គុណនាម) describes a noun. In English, it usually comes BEFORE the noun (unlike Khmer, where it comes after).

Difference: Khmer says "Car Red" (ឡានក្រហម), but English says "Red Car".

Position 1: Before Noun Adj + Noun

This is the most common position. The adjective describes the noun directly.

A happy boy	ក្មេងប្រុសសប្បាយចិត្ត
A red car	ឡានក្រហម
The tall tree	ដើមឈើខ្ពស់

Position 2: After Verb Be + Adj

Adjectives can come after verbs like be, feel, look, taste.

The boy is happy	ក្មេងប្រុសគឺសប្បាយចិត្ត
The car looks fast	ឡានមើលទៅលឿន
It tastes good	វាមានរសជាតិឆ្ងាញ់

Order (OSASCOMP) 1→2→3

When you have 2+ adjectives, follow this order:

Type	Example
1. Opinion	Beautiful, Good, Ugly
2. Size	Big, Small, Tall
3. Age	Old, New, Young
4. Shape	Round, Square
5. Color	Red, Blue
6. Origin	Khmer, French
7. Material	Wooden, Plastic

Fix the Order

The words are mixed up. Click to see the correct English order.

Car RedUnscramble

Cat SmallUnscramble

House Big BeautifulUnscramble

Bag Leather BlackUnscramble

Quick Check

1. Which is correct?

2. Choose the right order: (Old / Ugly / Witch)

3. Choose the right order: (Table / Wooden / Small)