如果要形容一隻漂亮的法國長腿獵犬,你會怎麼說?是a lovely French long-legged hunting dog嗎?還是a lovely long-legged French hunting dog呢?對母語是英語的人來說,a lovely long-legged French hunting dog聽起來比較順耳,但不一定知道為什麼。
有研究語言的人會知道,英文的形容詞其實是有順序的,小編在這裡幫大家整理出這順序, 以後照著這樣說,就能像個native speaker囉!
General opinion -> Specific opinion -> Size -> Physical quality -> Shape -> Age -> Colour -> Nationality/Origin -> Material -> Type/Purpose
例句一:I inherited a strange, big, square, antique, yellow-painted, Italian, wooden tool box from my father.
例句二:There stood a beautiful, tall, thin, middle-aged, red-haired Irish woman in the corner.
不過要注意,英文一句話裡很少用到超過三個形容詞,所以可別像以上的例句那麼地繞舌啊!
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