ACT Conventions Of Standard English Practice Test

When multiple adjectives describe the same noun, English follows a natural order, and size usually comes before color. Here, the ball is described first by its size (big) and then by its color (red), with the noun (ball) at the end. This arrangement—big red before the noun—reads smoothly and matches the common pattern for describing objects. Swapping the adjectives to red before big sounds off because it goes against that usual sequence. Placing an adjective after the noun isn’t typical for a straightforward noun phrase, and moving both adjectives to after the noun doesn’t fit standard grammar for describing the object. If you wanted to treat the adjectives as equally independent, you’d typically use a comma (A big, red ball), but the simplest, most natural order here is big red before ball.