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8/10/2019 Gradable Ungradable Adjectives
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GRADABLE /UNGRADABLE
ADJECTIVES
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8/10/2019 Gradable Ungradable Adjectives
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GRADABLE ADJECTIVES
Qualities can vary in intensityor grade:rather hot, hot, very
hot; hot, hotter, the hottest.
Grading adverbs" vary the adjective's grade or
intensity.
Grading adverbs: Gradable adjectivesA little Angry
Extreely !ig
airly !usy
Quite #lever
$ensely #old
$ntensely %ee&
ather ast
(ery riendly
)lightly Good
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8/10/2019 Gradable Ungradable Adjectives
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GRADABLE ADJECTIVES
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8/10/2019 Gradable Ungradable Adjectives
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UNGRADABLE
ADJECTIVES *ther +ualities cannotvary in intensity or grade
because they are:extrees -or exa&le: -reeing/
absolutes -or exa&le: dead/
classi-ying -or exa&le: nuclear/
0hey cannot be used 1ith grading adverbs:$t 1as rather -reeing
outside.
0he dog 1as very dead.
2on3gradable adjectives do not norally have
co&arative and su&erlative -ors:reeing, ore -reeing, the
ost -reeing
%ead 4 5er-ect 4 6ni+ue 4 #orrect
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8/10/2019 Gradable Ungradable Adjectives
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UNGRADABLE ADJECTIVES
*-ten, non3gradable adjectives are used alone:$t 1as
freezingoutside 7 very cold/
0he dog 1as dead.
6ngradable adjectives can be used 1ith "non3
grading adverbs:
non-grading adverbs non-gradable adjectives
absolutely awful extreme
utterly excellentcompletely terrified
totally dead absolute
nearly impossible
virtually unique
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8/10/2019 Gradable Ungradable Adjectives
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ADVERBS USED WITH GRADABLE ANDUNGRADABLE ADJECTIVES
0he adverbs reallyvery uch/,quiteand prettycan o-ten be used
1ithgradable and non3gradable adjectives:
gradable ungradable
Please don't forget!It's really important.
He was really terrified.
It is quitewarm today.( =fairly rater" #re you quitecertain$(
=completely absolutely"
He's pretty tall. It's pretty ridiculouswen
you tin% about it.
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8/10/2019 Gradable Ungradable Adjectives
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8/10/2019 Gradable Ungradable Adjectives
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INTENSIFYING ADVERBS
With gradableadjectives
With non-gradableadjectives
pretty
-airlyreallyextreelyrather
quitevery
absolutely
reallytotallyquiteco&letely
pretty
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8/10/2019 Gradable Ungradable Adjectives
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FAIRLY, QUITE, RATHER, PRETTY
not nice fairly nice quite nice rather/pretty nice very nice
Fairly is the 1ea9est. $- you say that soebody is fairly
nice,
it is not uch o- a co&lient. Quiteis a little stronger. $-
you say that a -il is quite good,
you are recoending it: it is not the best -il ever ade,but it is
certainly 1orth seeing.
Ratheris stronger again; it o-ten eans ore than is usualor ore
than ex&ected. $- a -il is rather good, it is betterthan
ost.
rettyis siilar to rather, but it is ostly used in
in-oralstyle.
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QUIZ $ a very/absolutelyha&&y to see you.
0he cat 1as fairly/co!pletelydead 1hen the vet
arrived.
0o a9e tea, the 1ater should bevery/ -boiling.
ell done
