Meaning & use
equal adjectives
Last updated
Meaning
phrasepluraltechnical
Two or more adjectives that describe a noun equally, so their order can be changed and 'and' can be used between them.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun phrase; it refers to a type of adjective group.
Patterns
- equal adjectives + noun
- use equal adjectives
In 'a big, old house', 'big' and 'old' are equal adjectives because you can say 'a big and old house'.
The teacher explained that equal adjectives can be joined by 'and' without changing the meaning.
In 'a red, white, and blue flag', the colors are equal adjectives.
Common combinations
- equal adjectives before a noun
- Equal adjectives before a noun can often be separated by commas.
- use equal adjectives
- Writers use equal adjectives to create a balanced description.
- coordinate equal adjectives
- You can coordinate equal adjectives with 'and' or a comma.
Synonyms and how they differ
- coordinate adjectives
- This is the more common term in modern grammar for adjectives that are equal in rank.
Word family
Commonly confused: equal adjectives or cumulative adjectives?
equal adjectives vs cumulative adjectives
Cumulative adjectives build a single idea and cannot be separated by 'and' or reordered, unlike equal adjectives.
Practice
Which sentence contains equal adjectives?
Choose one answer.
In 'a beautiful and red dress', the adjectives are equal because they can be joined by 'and' and their order can be changed. The other options either use cumulative order or sound unnatural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “equal adjectives”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.