OSASCOMP

Thought I'd do a little thing on writing. Here you go:

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You know how there are some things you know but don't know how you know them? It's especially true of the way we learn English - the more we read, the more we imbibe the best form and pattern of writing and speaking... often without realising.

For example, there is definitely an order to the way you use multiple adjectives to describe a single thing. You'd probably raise an eyebrow if someone wrote about green, little men from Mars, or a cylindrical, huge, battered, red, old spaceship. You don't know why, but you do know that you want to move those adjectives around to make sense.

What's the pattern?

Believe it or not, there really is a specific order - it's called OSASCOMP: Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material, Purpose. You'd never use them all of course, but it makes sense to put them in order where you see them. For example:

Pass me that lovely big old red tomato would you? (opinion, size, age, colour, OSAsComp)

The glittering Russian satellite fell quickly through the cool velvet sky. (opinion, origin, and then opinion, material, OsascOmp and OsascoMp)

Or to go back to our slightly clunky (opinion) original (origin) example:

The huge, old, battered, cylindrical, red spaceship stood on the launchpad. (size, age, age, shape, colour, oSASComp)

Well anyway. There it is, just in case you wanted to check your description of a thing. OSASCOMP. Though to be honest, sometimes it's best to keep the list of adjectives as short as possible. Innit.