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Difficulty: MediumAdjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

The university archives committee recently acquired a _____ desk to restore historical documents. Which of the following options presents the adjectives in the grammatically correct order to complete the sentence?

  1. valuable old rectangular woodenAnswer
  2. B
    wooden old valuable rectangular
  3. C
    old valuable rectangular wooden
  4. D
    valuable rectangular wooden old

Answer

The correct sequence of adjectives is 'valuable old rectangular wooden'.
In standard English grammar, multiple adjectives before a noun follow a specific order: Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Color → Origin → Material → Purpose. In this sentence, 'valuable' expresses an opinion, 'old' denotes age, 'rectangular' describes shape, and 'wooden' specifies the material. Placing them in the order 'valuable old rectangular wooden' is grammatically correct.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the types of cumulative adjectives modifying the noun 'desk'.
'valuable' represents opinion, 'old' represents age, 'rectangular' represents shape, and 'wooden' represents material.
Categorizing each modifier is essential to apply the standard adjective order rule.
2
Apply the standard English adjective order rule (OSASCOMP: Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Origin, Material, Purpose).
Opinion ('valuable') comes first, followed by Age ('old'), Shape ('rectangular'), and Material ('wooden').
Adjectives preceding a noun must follow a natural cumulative sequence.
3
Select the option matching this sequence.
'valuable old rectangular wooden' is the correct placement.
This sequence adheres strictly to standard English grammatical rules.

Key Concept

Order of Adjectives
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Topics

Adjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

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