Adjectives: gradable and non-gradable
Adjectives can be gradable or non-gradable.
Gradable adjectives can be made stronger or weaker. For this purpose, we use adverbs like ‘very’, ‘pretty’ and ‘rather’ before them:
- This cake is very tasty.
- That movie was really interesting.
- Mary is extremely tired.
We do not use adverbs like ‘very’, ‘pretty’ and ‘rather’ for non-gradable adjectives.
For example, freezing already means very cold. Think about the meaning of the words:
- It’s freezing outside. (Very cold.)
- That film was terrifying. (Very scary.)
- This meal is delicious. (Very tasty.)
Note: Some emphasizing adverbs like ‘totally’, ‘absolutely’, ‘completely’, ‘perfectly‘, etc. are normally used with adjectives that are in themselves already quite absolute (i.e. non-gradable adjectives). They give even greater emphasis to what is said:
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