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!
Ecco le icone di diversi software ottenibili giocando da poter usare come foto profilo su Nintendo Switch e Nintendo Switch 2 ottenibili su My Nintendo (settimana del 29/07/25)!