Adjectives (gradable / non-gradable)

Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives Adjectives can be either gradable or non-gradable Gradable Gradable adjectives are adjectives like cold hot and frightened. You can be very cold or a bit cold. Gradable adjectives show that something can have different degrees. Non-gradable Non-gradable adjectives are adjectives like married or wooden. You cant be very married or a bit married. Non-gradable adjectives do not have different degrees. Adjectives like terrifying, freezing amazing are also non-gradable adjectives. They already contain the idea of very in their definitions freezing means very cold etc. Using adverbs of degree When we use adverbs of degree to modify adjectives we usually have to use different adverbs for gradable and non-gradable adjectives.

NOT Im completely hot. NOT It was very fantastic!

With gradable adjectives

Its a bit cold in here. Shall I turn the fire on? Hes very interested in history. Why dont you buy him a history book? This exercise is really difficult. I dont know any of the answers. Im extremely tired. Im going to bed.

The adverbs a bit, very, really, extremely and quite can all be used with gradable adjectives. With non-gradable adjectives

Its absolutely freezing in here. Shall I turn the fire on? Hes completely fascinated by history. Why dont you buy him a history book? This exercise is absolutely impossible. That film is really terrifying. Dont go and see it on your own.

The adverbs absolutely and completely can be used with non-gradable adjectives. Notice that really can be used with both gradable AND non-gradable adjectives.

Gradable Adjectives
A gradable adjective can be used with "grading adverbs" that vary the adjective's grade or intensity. Look at these examples: gradable adjectives angry, big, busy, clever, cold, deep, fast, + friendly, good, happy, high, hot, important, long, popular, rich, strong, tall, warm, weak, young

grading adverbs a little, dreadfully, extremely, fairly, hugely, immensely, intensely, rather, reasonably, slightly, unusually, very

A gradable adjective can also have comparative and superlative forms: EC Tip: "Gradable adjectives" are also called "qualitative adjectives". "Grading adverbs" are also called "submodifiers".

big, bigger, the biggest hot, hotter, the hottest important, more important, the most important

Look at these example sentences:

My teacher was very happy with my homework. That website is reasonably popular. But this one is more popular. He said that Holland was a little cold and Denmark was rather cold. But Sweden was the coldest.

Non-gradable Adjectives
A non-gradable adjective cannot be used with grading adverbs:

It was rather freezing outside. The dog was very dead. He is investing in slightly nuclear energy.

Non-gradable adjectives do not normally have comparative and superlative forms:

freezing, more freezing, the most freezing dead, deader, the deadest nuclear, more nuclear, the most nuclear

Often, non-gradable adjectives are used alone: EC Tip: Don't try to learn lists of gradable and non-gradable adjectives! It's better to understand what makes an adjective gradable or non-gradable. This is a matter of logic and common sense. Most native-speakers have never heard of gradable and non-gradable adjectives. They just "feel" that it doesn't make sense to say "fairly excellent" or "very unique". You probably have the same idea in your language.

It was freezing outside. The dog was dead. He is investing in nuclear energy.

However, a non-gradable adjective can be used with "non-grading adverbs" (which usually just give the adjective extra impact), for example: non-grading adverbs non-gradable adjectives absolutely utterly completely totally nearly virtually essentially mainly almost awful excellent terrified dead impossible unique chemical digital domestic classifying absolute extreme

Here are some example sentences with non-gradable adjectives:

Her exam results were absolutely awful. She will have to take the exam again. Is there anything like it in the world? It must be virtually unique. It starts an essentially chemical reaction.

Adjectives that can be gradable and non-gradable

Some adjectives may have more than one meaning or sense. It's possible for the same adjective to be gradable with one sense and non-gradable with another sense. For example: adjective He's got a very old car. I saw my old boyfriend yesterday. He has some dreadfully common habits. "The" is a very common word in English. gradable common = not young

non-gradable former, exgradable gradable vulgar prevalent

The two countries' common border poses problems. non-gradable shared

Adverbs used with gradable and non-gradable adjectives

The adverbs really (very much) and fairly and pretty (both meaning "to a significant degree, but less than very") can often be used with gradable and non-gradable adjectives: gradable non-gradable

Please don't forget! It's really important. He was really terrified. He's a fairly rich man. He's pretty tall. It's a fairly impossible job. It's pretty ridiculous when you think about it.

"Quite" with gradable and non-gradable adjectives

The meaning of the adverb "quite" changes according to the type of adjective we use it with: adjective It's quite warm today. gradable quite = fairly, rather

Are you quite certain? non-gradable completely, absolutely

Reference
Non-gradable adjectives Although we don't recommend that you learn lists of non-gradable adjectives, here are some for reference. You can decide for yourself whether they are extreme, absolute or classifying. alive, awful, black, boiling, certain, correct, dead, domestic, enormous, environmental, excellent, freezing, furious, gigantic, huge, immediately, impossible, miniscule, mortal, overjoyed, perfect, pregnant, principal, ridiculous, superb, terrible, terrified, unique, unknown, white, whole Non-grading adverbs Again, no need to learn lists. Here are a few examples. There are many more. Remember that you cannot use all non-grading adverbs with all non-gradable adjectives. Some collocate (go together). Some don't. absolutely, almost, completely, entirely, exclusively, fully, largely, mainly, nearly, perfectly, practically, primarily, utterly, virtually