Taking Adjectives to the Extreme
2020-10-23
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1A friend of mine had a very small wedding last weekend.
2Only close family attended in person.
3Everyone else, myself included, watched the ceremony in real time on YouTube.
4My friend, the bride, looked very, very pretty.
5She and her new husband were very happy.
6And I was very glad to see them take this step together.
7You probably noticed that I used the word "very" repeatedly in my story.
8I did it to demonstrate this point: Rather than repeat an intensifier too often, we can usually choose stronger adjectives.
9We call the strongest adjectives non-gradable, or extreme, adjectives.
10Extreme adjectives are the subject of today's Everyday Grammar program.
11An adjective is a word that describes the qualities of a noun.
12Most adjectives in English are gradable: There can be different levels to their qualities.
13Take the word "funny," which is a gradable adjective.
14Someone or something can be, for example, kind of funny, pretty funny, very funny or extremely funny.
15I used adverbs (such as "kind of" and "pretty") to show how strong (or weak) the humor is.
16Extreme adjectives work a bit differently.
17They are words that mean extremely + adjective.
18For example, the adjective "hilarious" means extremely funny.
19Generally, we do not say someone or something is "kind of hilarious" or "very hilarious" because "hilarious" itself already expresses the idea of being extremely funny.
20As an English learner, you probably already know some extreme adjectives. Here are a few common ones:
21exhausted, which means extremely tired
22excellent, which means extremely good
23freezing, which means extremely cold
24delicious, which means extremely tasty
25huge, which means extremely large
26With extreme adjectives, there are a few basic rules.
27However, English is a constantly evolving language.
28So, exceptions to these rules continue to grow.
29With that in mind, let's discuss the first rule.
30Gradable adjectives have comparative and superlative forms while extreme adjectives usually do not.
31Here are some examples for gradable adjectives:
32funny, funnier, the funniest
33good, better, the best
34tasty, tastier, the tastiest
35Someone might say, for example, "This dish is tastier than that one" or "It is the tastiest dish I have ever had."
36With extreme adjectives, we usually avoid comparatives and superlatives.
37The adjective "excellent" is an example.
38It means extremely good.
39Native speakers generally would not say "This show is more excellent than that one" or "It is the most excellent show."
40But over the years, spoken English has influenced grammar rules.
41So, you might hear some extreme adjectives in comparative or superlative form.
42Take the adjective "delicious."
43A person might say, "This is the most delicious dish I have ever had."
44It would not be considered wrong, even in written English.
45Knowing which extreme adjectives have these exceptions comes with time and experience.
46It is not something to memorize from a list.
47Now, let's talk about the second rule.
48With extreme adjectives, we avoid using most adverbs that suggest varying degree, or level.
49Many adverbs express the degree of a gradable adjective.
50You heard some earlier, such as "kind of" in kind of funny and "very" in very good.
51Other common ones include a bit, a little, and rather.
52For instance, you could say, "Her house is a bit cold" or "That story is rather dull."
53The words "cold" and "dull" are gradable adjectives.
54But with extreme adjectives, we often avoid using these adverbs.
55For example, it might sound strange to say, "Her house is a bit freezing" or "That man is rather gorgeous."
56Yet, we can use other adverbs with extreme adjectives for stronger emphasis.
57Generally, adverbs that express the meaning of totality are used with extreme adjectives.
58Some examples are totally, utterly, absolutely and completely.
59Listen to how they are used in sentences:
60That comedian is absolutely hilarious.
61I am totally exhausted.
62The rug looks completely filthy.
63Now, onto rule number three.
64This is more of an exception to rule number two.
65Only a few adverbs can be used with both gradable adjectives and non-gradable (extreme) adjectives.
66They include pretty, really, so and fairly.
67Listen to these speakers using a couple of these adverbs with both gradable and non-gradable adjectives:
68My parents are pretty tired.
69My parents are pretty exhausted.
70This painting is so nice.
71This painting is so beautiful.
72So, what can you do with the information you learned today?
73Here is something you might enjoy: Choose a day to focus on adjectives.
74On that day, listen and look for adjectives wherever English is used.
75When you hear or see one, ask yourself if it is gradable or extreme and if an adverb is used with it.
76Write down the sentence you heard or saw the words in and note where you found them.
77This will help you remember them better later on.
78I'm Alice Bryant.
1A friend of mine had a very small wedding last weekend. Only close family attended in person. Everyone else, myself included, watched the ceremony in real time on YouTube. My friend, the bride, looked very, very pretty. She and her new husband were very happy. And I was very glad to see them take this step together. 2You probably noticed that I used the word "very" repeatedly in my story. I did it to demonstrate this point: Rather than repeat an intensifier too often, we can usually choose stronger adjectives. We call the strongest adjectives non-gradable, or extreme, adjectives. 3Extreme adjectives are the subject of today's Everyday Grammar program. 4How do extreme adjectives work? 5An adjective is a word that describes the qualities of a noun. Most adjectives in English are gradable: There can be different levels to their qualities. 6Take the word "funny," which is a gradable adjective. Someone or something can be, for example, kind of funny, pretty funny, very funny or extremely funny. I used adverbs (such as "kind of" and "pretty") to show how strong (or weak) the humor is. 7Extreme adjectives work a bit differently. They are words that mean extremely + adjective. For example, the adjective "hilarious" means extremely funny. Generally, we do not say someone or something is "kind of hilarious" or "very hilarious" because "hilarious" itself already expresses the idea of being extremely funny. 8As an English learner, you probably already know some extreme adjectives. Here are a few common ones: 9exhausted, which means extremely tired 10excellent, which means extremely good 11freezing, which means extremely cold 12delicious, which means extremely tasty 13huge, which means extremely large 14With extreme adjectives, there are a few basic rules. However, English is a constantly evolving language. So, exceptions to these rules continue to grow. 15Rule #1: comparatives, superlatives 16With that in mind, let's discuss the first rule. 17Gradable adjectives have comparative and superlative forms while extreme adjectives usually do not. 18Here are some examples for gradable adjectives: 19funny, funnier, the funniest 20good, better, the best 21tasty, tastier, the tastiest 22Someone might say, for example, "This dish is tastier than that one" or "It is the tastiest dish I have ever had." 23With extreme adjectives, we usually avoid comparatives and superlatives. The adjective "excellent" is an example. It means extremely good. Native speakers generally would not say "This show is more excellent than that one" or "It is the most excellent show." 24But over the years, spoken English has influenced grammar rules. So, you might hear some extreme adjectives in comparative or superlative form. Take the adjective "delicious." A person might say, "This is the most delicious dish I have ever had." It would not be considered wrong, even in written English. 25Knowing which extreme adjectives have these exceptions comes with time and experience. It is not something to memorize from a list. 26Rule #2: use other adverbs 27Now, let's talk about the second rule. 28With extreme adjectives, we avoid using most adverbs that suggest varying degree, or level. 29Many adverbs express the degree of a gradable adjective. You heard some earlier, such as "kind of" in kind of funny and "very" in very good. Other common ones include a bit, a little, and rather. For instance, you could say, "Her house is a bit cold" or "That story is rather dull." The words "cold" and "dull" are gradable adjectives. 30But with extreme adjectives, we often avoid using these adverbs. For example, it might sound strange to say, "Her house is a bit freezing" or "That man is rather gorgeous." 31Yet, we can use other adverbs with extreme adjectives for stronger emphasis. Generally, adverbs that express the meaning of totality are used with extreme adjectives. Some examples are totally, utterly, absolutely and completely. 32Listen to how they are used in sentences: 33That comedian is absolutely hilarious. 34I am totally exhausted. 35The rug looks completely filthy. 36Rule #3: adverbs for both 37Now, onto rule number three. This is more of an exception to rule number two. 38Only a few adverbs can be used with both gradable adjectives and non-gradable (extreme) adjectives. They include pretty, really, so and fairly. 39Listen to these speakers using a couple of these adverbs with both gradable and non-gradable adjectives: 40My parents are pretty tired. 41My parents are pretty exhausted. 42This painting is so nice. 43This painting is so beautiful. 44What can you do? 45So, what can you do with the information you learned today? 46Here is something you might enjoy: Choose a day to focus on adjectives. On that day, listen and look for adjectives wherever English is used. When you hear or see one, ask yourself if it is gradable or extreme and if an adverb is used with it. Write down the sentence you heard or saw the words in and note where you found them. This will help you remember them better later on. 47I'm Alice Bryant. 48Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 49_______________________________________________________________ 50Words in This Story 51bride - n. a woman who has just married or is about to be married 52glad - adj. feeling pleasure, joy, or delight 53intensifier - n. a word (such as really or very) that gives force or emphasis to a statement 54evolving - adj. changing slowly, often into a better, more complex, or more advanced state 55dish - n. food that is prepared in a particular way 56varying - adj. differing in size, amount, degree or nature 57dull - adj. not exciting or interesting 58emphasis - n. a forceful quality in the way something is said or written 59rug - n. a piece of thick, heavy material that is used to cover usually a section of a floor 60focus - v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific