GRADABLE /

UNGRADABLE
ADJECTIVES

GRADABLE ADJECTIVES

Qualities can vary in intensity or grade:

rather hot, hot, very hot; hot, hotter, the hottest.

Grading adverbs" vary the adjective's grade or

intensity.
Grading adverbs:

Gradable adjectives

A little

Angry

Extremely

Big

Fairly

Busy

Quite

Clever

Immensely

Cold

Intensely

Deep

Rather

Fast

Very

Friendly

Slightly

Good

GRADABLE ADJECTIVES

UNGRADABLE
ADJECTIVES

Other qualities cannot vary in intensity or grade

because they are:
extremes (for example: freezing)
absolutes (for example: dead)
classifying (for example: nuclear)

They cannot be used with grading adverbs:

It was rather freezing outside.
The dog was very dead.

Non-gradable adjectives do not normally have

comparative and superlative forms:
Freezing, more freezing, the most freezing
Dead / Perfect / Unique / Correct

UNGRADABLE ADJECTIVES

Often, non-gradable adjectives are used alone:

It was freezing outside (= very cold)
The dog was dead.

Ungradable adjectives can be used with "nongrading adverbs:

non-grading adverbs

non-gradable adjectives

absolutely

awful

utterly

excellent

completely

terrified

totally

dead

nearly

impossible

virtually

unique

extreme

absolute

ADVERBS USED WITH GRADABLE AND

UNGRADABLE ADJECTIVES

The adverbs really (very much),

quite and pretty can often be used with
gradable and non-gradable adjectives:
gradable

ungradable

Please don't forget!

It's really important.

He was really terrified.

It is quite warm today.

( =fairly, rather)

Are you quite certain?

( =completely, absolutely)

He's pretty tall.

It's pretty ridiculous when

you think about it.

Look at these pairs of gradable and

non-gradable adjectives:
angry / furious
big / enormous
important / essential
hot / boiling
cold / freezing
tasty / delicious
tired / exhausted
happy / delighted

INTENSIFYING ADVERBS
With gradable
adjectives

With non-gradable
adjectives

pretty
fairly
really
extremely
rather
quite
very

absolutely
really
totally
quite
completely
pretty

FAIRLY, QUITE, RATHER, PRETTY

not nice fairly nice quite nice rather/pretty nice very nice

Fairly is the weakest. If you say that somebody is fairly nice,

it is not much of a compliment.
Quite is a little stronger. If you say that a film is quite good,
you are recommending it: it is not the best film ever made,
but it is certainly worth seeing.
Rather is stronger again; it often means more than is usual
or more than expected. If a film is rather good, it is better
than most.
Pretty is similar to rather, but it is mostly used in informal
style.

QUIZ

I am very/absolutely happy to see you.

The cat was fairly/completely dead when the vet
arrived.
To make tea, the water should be very/ - boiling.
Well done! Your homework is very/ - excellent.
Don't see that film! It's extremely/absolutely awful!
The very/completely terrified people ran for their lives.
I am reading a absolutely/very good book.
Are you sure? - Yes, I'm intensely/ quite certain.
It's really/completely cold outside. In fact, it's nearly
freezing.
The world is in a very/- ridiculous situation. I laugh so
much!