GRADABLE AND UNGRADABLE ADJECTIVES

Gradable and Ungradable Adjectives

Gradable Adjectives

Most adjectives are gradable. We can make the adjective stronger or weaker and we can talk about different levels of meaning. It's also natural to make comparatives and superlatives with gradable adjectives. We change the strength of the adjective using words like very or extremely. For example:

• The book was good. (Normal meaning)
• The book was very good. (Stronger meaning)


• I'm sad. (Normal meaning)
• I'm extremely sad. (Stronger meaning)

Here are some adverbs that we can use with gradable adjectives:

Ungradable Adjectives

Some adjectives are ungradable. They have strong meanings already. They include words like fantastic, terrible, delighted and devastated. We don't think about someone as being a little bit devastated - they are just devastated or not devastated. However, we still sometimes want to emphasise the meaning and we can use adverbs like absolutely, totally, truly and completely with ungradable adjectives.

Here are some adverbs that we can use with ungradable adjectives:

What's the difference?

Generally, we can use really, so and too with both gradable and ungradable adjectives.

• I'm so tired. (correct)
• I'm so exhausted. (correct)


• You look really beautiful. (correct)
• You look really stunning. (correct)

However, we don't use very with ungradable adjectives, and we don't use absolutely with gradable adjectives. Look at this example:

We don't say 'very perfect' because 'perfect' is ungradable. Instead, we can say 'absolutely perfect' if we want to add emphasis.

Here's another example.

We don't say 'very exhausted' because 'exhausted' is ungradable.

Instead, we say 'very tired' (because 'tired' is gradable), or 'absolutely exhausted' (because 'exhausted' is ungradable).

In a similar way, we don't usually use absolutely, totally, truly, and completely with gradable adjectives. Look at these examples:

• NOT: I'm completely tired.
Instead, we say: I'm very tired. OR I'm completely exhausted.
• NOT: That film was totally good.
Instead, we say: That film was very good. OR That film was totally amazing.
• NOT: He felt absolutely cold.
Instead, we say: He felt very cold. OR He felt absolutely freezing.

Here is a list of gradable and ungradable adjectives:

In summary, we can use:

• Gradable adjectives with very, extremely, incredibly, terribly, awfully, quite, rather, fairly, pretty, a bit, a little, slightly.
• Ungradable adjectives with absolutely, completely, totally, utterly, entirely, truly.
• Generally, really, so, too with both.