形容词的位置及其在句中的排列次序，都有语法准则可遁，不可随心所欲，恣意安插。

在每个英语句子中，如果形容词位置错了或一句中几个连续性的形容词排列不正确的话，便会有错误，甚至意思也跟着改变。

一般上说，形容词的位置是紧贴在被修饰的名词前面;不然的话，就跟在接系动词(linking verb)后面充当补足语(complement)。例如：

① Sam is an industrious professional designer.

② What is it that bulky box? May I know?

③ Homeless cats are seen wandering about the field.

④ David looks cheerful everyday.

⑤ Janet is being nasty today.

⑥ The sky suddenly turned dark.

①-③里的形容词修饰它们后头的名词;④-⑥里的形容词是补足语。

下面要讨论的不是形容词的正常位置，而是在各种特殊情况下所处的特殊位置。这些特殊情况，主要有下列七种：

㈠形容词被其他词语修饰时，便要跟在所修饰的名词后面，如：

⑦ This hole←large←enough for a dog to pass through must be blocked up.

⑧ Don’t throw away that filing cabinet←big←enough to keep all the old documents.

㈡两个意思相反的形容词并用时，也是要跟在被修饰的名词后面，如：

⑨ We should be fair to all people, big and small, young and old.

㈢形容词修饰“anything, something, nothing, everything” 等代名词时，也要在后头出现，如：

⑩ There is nothing funny about it.

11. Something important has been found.

㈣在某些固定的词语中，形容词在名词后头出现，如：

12. Military offenders will be sued in the court-martial. (军事法庭)

13. The sum total (总数) of his teaching experience is two years as a relief teacher in a secondary school.

14. Since time immemorial (太古时代), human beings have fought for survival.

㈤在某些口语中，形容词也跟在被修饰的名词之后，如：

15. On Sunday last (上星期日);16. On Monday next (下星期一);17. Volume one (第一卷);18. Chaper two (第二章); 19. Page three (第三页)。

㈥有时，为了加强句子语气，形容词可以放在句首，如：

20. Brave he may be, but he is not a good soldier.

21. Old though Jane is, she is healthy and energetic.

㈦另一种强调方法，是把意义相吸的几个形容词贯串起来，放在名词之后，如：

22. Once upon a time, there lived a grey-haired king, hale and hearty.

23. The editor was a scientiest, original, sagacious and inventive.