Adjective order

[lbski14]

I realize that there is a rule for adjective order, but I came across a tricky question.

Why do we say beautiful old-fashioned wood floors instead of old-fashioned beautiful wood floors

Is old-fashioned considered age or opinion? If it's age, that makes sense because age goes after opinion.

If old-fashioned is considered opinion also, then I heard we are supposed to just choose which one goes first according to what sounds good.

How am I supposed to teach my students what sounds good if this is the case?

Someone help!

 

[corum]

An old-fashioned something is not necessarily old. An old-fashioned, say, glass-fronted cabinet that was built last week is not old. Its distinctive mode of construction can be said to be not modern, i.e. showing features that were designed a long time ago. Old-fashioned is an opinion.

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/adjord.htm

beautiful old-fashioned wood floors :tick:
old-fashioned beautiful wood floors :cross:

Try to find the answer in the dactyls and anapests, in prosody, in the system of metrics in which I am hopelessly incompetent.

ladies and getlemen :tick:
gentlemen and ladies :cross:

The reason is one of prosody.

 

[2006]

I realize that there is a rule for adjective order, but I came across a tricky question.

Why do we say beautiful old-fashioned wood floors instead of old-fashioned beautiful wood floors

Is old-fashioned considered age or opinion? To me it's style, wherever that fits in. If it's age, that makes sense because age goes after opinion.

If old-fashioned is considered opinion also, then I heard we are supposed to just choose which one goes first according to what sounds good.
I think "sounds good" is the key.
How am I supposed to teach my students what sounds good if this is the case? I think the most important word is "beautiful", so I would say it first. "beautiful" is also unlike "old fashioned" and "wood", so it would sound odd between the other two adjectives.

Someone help!

2006

 

[bds51]

Hello Ibski14,
Your feeling is right; beautiful is your opinion and old-fashioned is 'style' and opinion always goes before style. And even if old-fashioned were 'age' ,opinion still goes before age and age goes before style.