PERIOD 1 · WEEK 5
Nouns 2/2
Adjectives & Noun Phrases
Ordering stacked adjectives and building noun phrases that sell
Business English · International Business
PERIOD 1 · WEEK 5
Nouns 2/2
Adjectives & Noun Phrases
Ordering stacked adjectives and building noun phrases that sell
Business English · International Business
Your year in English
Period 1
Basis Engels & Grammatica
Period 2
TBC
Period 3
TBC
Period 4
Exam preparation
Week 5 · Nouns 2/2
Period 1
W1
Words
W2
Sentences
W3
Nouns 1/2
W4
Nouns 1/2b
W5
Nouns 2/2
W6
Verbs 1/2
W7
Verbs 2/2
W8
Other words
Week 5 · Nouns 2/2
TODAY'S OBJECTIVE
Nouns 2/2 — Adjectives & Noun Phrases
Content aim
Build a persuasive, business-relevant noun phrase for product or service copy — a tagline, a proposal opener, a webshop listing.
Language aim
Order stacked adjectives correctly (opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, purpose) and expand a bare noun into a rich noun phrase.
Content is CEFR B2 · your written output is assessed at B1
OPENING ACTIVITY
Notice the pattern
Introducing the SoundWave Pro: a sleek, lightweight, foldable Japanese travel headphone with an elegant matte-black finish. Its innovative, noise-cancelling technology and soft, breathable ear cushions make it the perfect companion for long-haul flights and busy commutes. Built from durable, recycled aluminium, the SoundWave Pro pairs premium sound quality with a genuinely sustainable design.
With a partner:
1. Underline every word that gives extra details about something.
2. Look at the order they appear in.
3. Could you swap any two?
OPENING ACTIVITY
Notice the pattern
Introducing the SoundWave Pro: a sleek, lightweight, foldable Japanese travel headphone with an elegant matte-black finish. Its innovative, noise-cancelling technology and soft, breathable ear cushions make it the perfect companion for long-haul flights and busy commutes. Built from durable, recycled aluminium, the SoundWave Pro pairs premium sound quality with a genuinely sustainable design.
With a partner:
1. Underline every word that gives extra details about something.
2. Look at the order they appear in.
3. Could you swap any two?
CYCLE 1 · INSTRUCT
Adjective order
Stack more than one adjective, and native speakers put them in a fixed order — even though no one was ever taught the rule explicitly.
1
Opinion
innovative, elegant
2
Size
compact, lightweight
3
Age
new, modern
4
Shape
slim, foldable
5
Colour
matte-black, navy
6
Origin
Japanese, Dutch
7
Material
leather, aluminium
8
Purpose
noise-cancelling, travel
CYCLE 1 · TASK
Reorder the adjectives
In pairs: put each scrambled string into the natural order. (5-6 min)
1
foldable · sleek · Japanese · travel · headphone
2
cotton · navy · lightweight · bag
3
round · modern · elegant · silver · watch
4
delivery · reliable · Dutch · van
CYCLE 1 · CHECK
Cold-call check
2-3 pairs, one string each (1-2 min)
1. sleek, foldable, Japanese travel headphone
2. a lightweight, navy cotton bag
3. an elegant, modern, round silver watch
4. a reliable Dutch delivery van
CYCLE 2 · INSTRUCT
Building a noun phrase
A bare noun rarely sells anything. Add a determiner, ordered adjectives, and often a short phrase after the noun.
Determiner
A, an
The
This, that
Adjectives (ordered)
durable, waterproof
Noun
backpack
Post-modifier
with a padded laptop compartment
The post-modifier is often what makes copy feel specific rather than generic — it's doing work the adjectives alone can't do.
CYCLE 2 · TASK
Expand the noun
Individually: expand 3-4 bare nouns into full noun phrases. (5-6 min)
chair
+ determiner
+ adjectives
+ noun
+ post-modifier?
app
+ determiner
+ adjectives
+ noun
+ post-modifier?
packaging
+ determiner
+ adjectives
+ noun
+ post-modifier?
service
+ determiner
+ adjectives
+ noun
+ post-modifier?
CYCLE 2 · CHECK
Share your best phrase
A few volunteers read theirs aloud (1-2 min)
Model answer
chair → a comfortable, ergonomic office chair with adjustable armrests
AFTER THE BREAK
Your turn: sell it
Block 2 — use layered noun phrases in a real piece of business writing for your own course.
Marketing
A campaign tagline + concept description for a product launch.
Accountmanager
A persuasive client pitch / proposal opener.
E-Commerce
A persuasive webshop product listing.
Formative writing-portfolio entry — does not count toward your exam grade.