Have you ever been a little mad? How about extremely mad? If so, you know how useful it is to be able to describe the intensity of things! But did you know that not all adjectives can be described on a continuum? If this sounds, well, a bit confusing, keep reading to understand this very important topic!
In this post:
What are gradable adjectives?
Most adjectives in English can have varying levels of intensity. For example, when you take a swim in the ocean, the water might be a little cold or very cold. Adjectives that can be described in different degrees are called gradable adjectives.
In order to describe a gradable adjectives’s degree, it can be combined with adverbs like:
slightly
somewhat
a little
a bit
very
extremely
Examples of gradable adjectives
| ADJECTIVE | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| good | This cake is very good. |
| bad | That is an extremely bad idea! |
| big | They live in a very big house. |
| small | Eddy has a somewhat small car. |
| heavy | Careful, that table is extremely heavy. |
| short | I’m a little short. |
| tall | Her dad is very tall! |
| nice | They have extremely nice friends. |
| mean | I’m sorry I was a little mean. |
| happy | Lily is always very happy to go to sleep. |
| sad | That movie is a little sad. |
| angry | Don’t worry, he’s only slightly angry. |
| scared | Vikram is a bit scared of dogs. |
| old | This couch is very old. |
| young | Your teacher is a little young! |
What are non-gradable adjectives?
Some adjectives cannot be described in varying levels of intensity. These adjectives are called non-gradable adjectives. Two common forms of non-gradable adjectives are extreme adjectives and absolute adjectives.
Extreme adjectives
Certain adjectives in English have very built into their meaning. These adjectives, called extreme adjectives, are non-gradable.
For example, the adjective horrible means very bad. Because the intensity is already part of the adjective’s meaning, you typically wouldn’t use little or very with the adjective horrible.
Instead, extreme adjectives can be modified with adverbs like:
really
absolutely
particularly
so
such a / such an
These modifiers don’t change the degree of an adjective like a little or very do. Instead, they emphasize the intensity that is already inherent to the adjective. Because of this, these adverbs can also be used with gradable adjectives for added emphasis (as in they are really nice).
Examples of extreme adjectives
| ADJECTIVE | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| fantastic | This restaurant is so fantastic! |
| horrible | I have some really horrible news. |
| enormous | Her school is absolutely enormous. |
| tiny | Our baby has really tiny toes. |
| gorgeous | This dress is particularly gorgeous! |
| terrified | He is really terrified of snakes. |
| amazing | They had such an amazing vacation. |
Absolute adjectives
Some adjectives in English describe qualities that must be entirely true or entirely not true. For example, a person cannot be a little married or very married. You are either married or not! These are called absolute adjectives, and they are usually not modified with words like a little or very.
Instead, with these adjectives, you can use adverbs such as:
almost
really
truly
These modifiers emphasize the extent to which an absolute state has been reached. For example, while an adjective like ready isn’t gradable, you can still be almost ready—meaning the state of readiness has almost been achieved. These adverbs can generally also be used with gradable adjectives (like in I'm almost happy).
Note that the meaning of really depends on the type of adjective it modifies. With an extreme adjective, really emphasizes its intensity—but with an absolute adjective, really highlights its certainty or factual nature.
Examples of absolute adjectives
| ADJECTIVE | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| perfect | These are truly perfect peaches! |
| finished | Junior is almost finished with his homework. |
| dead | This plant is almost dead. |
| free | Are these books really free? |
| married | Yes, we are truly married. |
| impossible | This puzzle is almost impossible! |
| unique | You have some truly unique ideas. |
We hope this was very helpful!
Now that you’ve studied this guide, you are truly amazing with gradable and non-gradable adjectives!