Dorocche t1_j6lp61y wrote on January 31, 2023 at 5:13 AM

Reply to comment by figmentPez in ELI5: Why does the order of adjectives matter? by AbleReporter565

Yeah, I read the second sentence as meaning the wall is brick-brown. In this case, the order does carry meaning.

"The brown big brick wall" still sounds weird though, and I don't think it can be interpreted differently.

AceDecade t1_j6lqj8z wrote on January 31, 2023 at 5:27 AM

A brown wall made of big bricks?

CreepyPhotographer t1_j6lvjiu wrote on January 31, 2023 at 6:22 AM

I shitted a brown big brick this morning

Cayowin t1_j6meklq wrote on January 31, 2023 at 10:40 AM

long as you didnt add it to the brown brick wall, you all good fam.

Captain-Griffen t1_j6mdx4v wrote on January 31, 2023 at 10:31 AM

In spoken English, yes. In written English, that would be "brown, big-brick wall". Then again, it should be "The brown, big, brick wall" in written English to begin with.

[deleted] t1_j6mmmiz wrote on January 31, 2023 at 12:18 PM

[removed]

foolishle t1_j6otspm wrote on January 31, 2023 at 9:09 PM

I would read “The brown big brick wall” as being a wall made of big bricks that were brown.

I think what happens is that if the adjectives go out of order your brain re-parses the list and assumes that they’re out of order for a reason and that there’s some kind of nesting is going on. some things are modifying other adjectives (sometimes nouning them) rather than the base noun.

Like “the old big cat” makes me assume that we are assessing “big cats” and talking about the old one.

figmentPez t1_j6lra9p wrote on January 31, 2023 at 5:35 AM

Well, if you really wanted to come up with a reason for that non-standard adjective order, it could be used to describe an average sized wall that is made of big bricks.

Captain-Griffen t1_j6mdzhl wrote on January 31, 2023 at 10:32 AM

Putting the brown first puts the emphasis on brown. Imagine two big brick walls, one brown, one green. "The brown big brick wall" no longer sounds wrong.