Fun · Friendly · Flexible · Online · All ages · All levels ·
Gradable & Non-Gradable Adjectives
Gradable & Non-Gradable Adjectives
Gradable Adjectives
Most adjectives are gradable and they describe qualities that can vary in intensity or degree. You can make them stronger or weaker using modifiers like very, quite, or a bit.
Common gradable adjectives:
cold
tired
hungry
happy
angry
big
small
hot
interesting
dirty
clean
bad
Modifiers can be used with these adjectives:
very (very cold)
quite (quite tired)
a bit (a bit hungry)
fairly (fairly hot)
extremely (extremely clean)
so (so bad)
I was very tired after the exam.
This book is quite interesting.
The weather was a bit cold, but still nice.
The house was extremely small.
The film was so bad that we left after an hour.
There is nothing wrong with these adjectives (we native English speakers use them all the time) but because you are preparing for an English exam it's a great idea to try to use:
Non-Gradable Adjectives
Also known as extreme adjectives, these adjectives describe qualities that are absolute or extreme and cannot be used with modifiers like very or quite.
They already mean very something. For example freezing means very cold so saying a bit freezing means a bit very cold which doesn't make sense if you think about it.
But if you want to really emphasise them you can use strong intensifiers like absolutely or completely.
I was absolutely exhausted after the exam.
This book is completely fascinating.
Here are the equivalent extreme adjectives for the gradable ones listed above:
cold - freezing
tired - exhausted
hungry - starving, famished
happy - delighted
angry - furious
big - massive, enormous, gigantic
small - tiny, miniscule
hot - boiling, scorching
interesting - fascinating
dirty - filthy
clean - spotless
bad - awful, dreadful
I was absolutely exhausted after the hike.
The water was freezing so we didn’t swim.
The hotel room was filthy so I made a complaint.
Their apartment is enormous, much bigger than ours.
She was delighted after she passed the exam
Absolute adjectives
These are similar to extreme adjectives but cannot be used in the comparative or superlative form. Take the word dead for example. Something cannot be a bit dead or more dead than something else. It's just dead and that's it.
Examples:
dead
perfect
impossible
married
silent
true
But again, to really emphasise something or perhaps add a bit of humour it's possible to modify them with absolutely, completely and totally:
The bottle is completely empty.
Time travel is totally impossible
The church was absolutely silent
Note that the modifiers really and quite can be used with both gradable and non-gradable adjectives. Let’s have a look at some examples.
Gradable:
It’s really cold today.
is the same as:
It's very cold.
Ungradable:
The view is really amazing.
is the same as:
The view is completely amazing.
Quite can modify both gradable and non-gradable adjectives, but its meaning shifts based on the type of adjective. When used with a gradable adjective, quite typically means somewhat, fairly or to some degree. With an ungradable adjective, quite means completely or absolutely.
Gradable:
It’s quite cold today.
means rather cold, but not freezing.
She’s quite busy this week.
means she’s fairly busy, but could still have some free time.
The book was quite interesting.
means it was reasonably interesting, but not amazing.
Ungradable:
The instructions were quite clear.
means they were completely clear, easy to understand.
He’s quite certain about his decision.
means he's 100% certain.
The film was quite perfect.
means it was absolutely perfect, nothing wrong with it.
In the FCE exam
Speaking
Knowing extreme adjectives shows the examiner you have a wide range of vocabulary and improve your score in the Grammar and Vocabulary assessment criterion.
If you are asked:
Have you been to the cinema recently?
a reply of:
Yes, last week I saw the new James Bond film. It was absolutely dreadful...
is much better than:
Yes, last week I saw the new James Bond film. It was bad...
Writing
In the same way as the speaking part, extreme adjectives are perfect (or absolutely perfect!) in your writings to help your Language score. Take a film or hotel review for instance:
The plot was fascinating but the acting was totally dreadful.
The hotel room was absolutely spotless.
are better than:
The plot was interesting but the acting was not good.
The hotel room was really clean.