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Gradable and Non-gradable Adjectives
Gradable Adjectives
Look at this diagram.
| 0 degrees | 5 degrees | 10 degrees | 15 degrees |
| Freezing | Very cold | Cold | Quite cold |
We can use different words to say it is more or less cold. Very and quite vary the intensity of the word cold.
Adjectives that can vary in intensity are called: gradable adjectives.
Typical gradable adjectives are: angry, big, busy, clever, cold, deep, fast, friendly, good, happy, high, hot, important, long, popular, rich, strong, tall, warm, weak, young
Gradable Adjectives:
Have a comparative and superlative form.
For example: It is colder than yesterday.
Grading Adverbs
The words very and quite are grading adverbs (Adverbs of degree). Grading adverbs vary the intensity of gradable adjectives.
Typical gradable adverbs are: a little, extremely, fairly, rather, reasonably, slightly, unusually, very.
Non-gradable Adjectives
Look at the diagram again. We cannot say: quite freezing or very freezing because freezing is an extreme. It cannot be more or less freezing.
| 0 degrees | 5 degrees | 10 degrees | 15 degrees |
| Freezing | Very cold | Cold | Quite cold |
Adjectives that cannot vary in intensity are called: non-gradable adjectives.
Non-Gradable Adjective
DO NOT have a comparative or superlative form.
Non-gradable adjectives are usually:
1. extremes (for example: freezing)
2. absolutes (for example: dead)
Typical non-gradable adjectives are:
|
Extremes |
Boiling, Awful, Excellent |
|
Absolutes |
Impossible, Unique, |
Non-grading Adverbs
The non-grading adverb used depends on the type of non-gradable adjectives
Typical non-gradable adverbs are:
|
Extremes |
Completely, utterly, absolutely |
|
Absolutes |
Totally, virtually, nearly |
Exceptions
The adverbs really (very much) and fairly and pretty (quite) can often be used with gradable and non-gradable adjectives.
The meaning of the adverb "quite" changes according to the type of adjective we use it with:
|
|
Adjective |
quite = |
|
It's quite warm today. |
Gradable |
fairly, rather |
|
Are you quite certain? |
non-gradable |
completely, absolutely |
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