Gradability.

Adjectives are gradable or ungradable.

Gradable adjectives can be seen as existing along a scale. They are used with adverbs such as somewhat, extremely, slightly, fairly and extremely for example. Someone can be fairly happy or extremely happy. They can be used in comparative and superlative forms.

Ungradable adjectives are not modified on a scale. Something can't be a bit impossible, someone cannot be very married. They do not occur in comparative /superlative forms.

Adjectives like ‘terrifying’, ‘freezing’ ‘amazing’ are also non-gradable adjectives. They already contain the idea of ‘very’ in their definitions – ‘freezing’ means ‘very cold’

. Ungradable adjectives do sometimes occur with non-grading adverbs such as completely or absolutely which emphasize the extent of the quality, e.g.:

The questions were completely impossible.

The film was absolutely superb.

Gradable and ungradable

Some adjectives have both gradable and ungradable senses with similar meanings e.g.:

1,She sounded slightly foreign but I couldn't place her accent.

2.They are advising on foreign policy

3.He was very diplomatic, given the circumstances.

4. She used to work as the diplomatic correspondent for the BBC.

In examples 1 and 3, the adjectives are gradable because they refer to the quality the people have. Examples 2 and 4 ungradable because they refer to a particular type of policy or correspondent.

Which adverb do I use?

The common grading adverbs extremely, very, rather, slightly and a bit, which emphasize degrees of a particular quality, don’t usually occur with ungradable adjectives, since ungradable adjectives identify a particular type or an absolute quality. Compare the following examples with ungradable and gradable adjectives:

Ungradable / gradable
This food is
absolutely delicious. / This food is
extremely tasty.
That's a completely idiotic idea. / That's a very silly idea.

Common non-grading adverbs such as completely, totally,entirely, utterly and absolutely, which emphasize absolute qualities, do not usually occur with gradable adjectives, since gradable adjectives describe qualities which can be measured in degrees. Compare the following examples with gradable and non-gradable adjectives:

Ungradable / gradable
The film was
absolutely excellent. / The film was
very interesting.
The exercise was completely impossible. / The exercise was very hard.

Another thing to remember is that 'really,' 'fairly' 'quite' and 'pretty' (informal) are used with both gradable and ungradable adjectives, e.g.:

It’s a really interesting/fascinating class.

Quite can be used as an intensifying adverb with gradable adjectives and adverbs meaning

'rather,' 'fairly' or 'to a considerable degree.'

The class is going to be quite interesting tonight, as it's about gradability.

You have to do this exercise quite quickly.

Quite can also be used with ungradable adjectives and adverbs, meaning 'totally/completely'

It's quite impossible to drive in that part of town when the Madrid Marathon's on.

Where did this book come from? It's quite definitely not mine.

Pretty is informal and can be used with gradable and ungradables :

His law exams were pretty tough.

It's pretty amazing that he passed his driving test- he only had 3 lessons!

  • Note that some ungradable adjectives (e.g major, medical, actual, financial) are not often used with an adverb such as absolutely or completely.

The estimate for the new kitchen was 10,000 Euros but the actual cost was 12,000 after some last- minute additions.

  • Gradable adjectives can be used as ungradable adjectives and vice-versa if we want to give emphasis or if we want to be funny.

It was my first night in a proper bed after a three-week camping holiday and I felt almosthuman again.

You were in the local newspaper – you're virtually famous!