Gradable and Non-gradable adjectives 2 Flashcards
With gradable, we can use very, with non-gradable, we can’t.
Some adjectives have different meaning with VERY or not:
Common, old, civil, clean, critical, electric, empty, false, late, odd, original, particular, straight.
Smith is a very common name.
We have a lot of common interests. (shared, not very).
The house is very old.
I met my old professor the other day. (former, not very).
Some adjectives have similar meaning. When gradable, they are qualitative adjectives. When non-gradable, they are classifying adjectives.
Foreign, public, academic, adult, average, diplomatic, genuine, guilty, human, individual, innocent, mobile, private, professional, scientific, technical, true, wild.
He sounded slightly foreign.
She is now advising on the government’s foreign policy.
They had a very public argument.
He was forced to resign by public pressure.
We can use GOOD and…LOVELY and…NICE and….followed by other gradable adjective to emphasize the second.
Good and ready/proper/relaxed/strong. NOT good and beautiful/rich/tall.
Lovely and dry/soft/sunny/warm. NOT lovely and decent/empty/short.
Nice and clean/bright/cold/comfortable/early/fresh/quiet/simple/soft/tidy/warm. NOT nice and interesting/handsome/exciting.
If you’re all feeling good and relaxed after the break, we can continue with the meeting.
It’s lovely and warm in here.
Should we get some strawberries? Yes, they look nice and fresh.
We can link comparative adjective with AND, to mean an increasing degree of quality.
MORE and MORE+ADJECTIVE.
As she got more and more excited, her voice got higher and higher, and louder and louder.
The taxi driver just drove faster and faster and faster until I told him to stop, and I got out.
