Adjectives: gradable or non-gradable?

Knowledge of the basics of English grammar will help you to communicate clearly and confidently. Here, we review how to modify adjectives.

Most adjectives are gradable. This means that they describe a quality that can be measured in different amounts. Non-gradable adjectives, however, describe an absolute quality. The quality they describe either exists or it doesn’t. Here, we show you how to use both.

1. Identifying gradable adjectives Gradable adjectives can be used in the comparative or superlative form. They can be used to describe more or less of a quality:

We need to find a cheaper solution. (cheap, cheaper, cheapest) Is that your best offer? (good, better, best)

This is the most beautiful design I’ve ever seen. (beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful)

2. “Strong” modifiers with

gradable adjectives

To signify that a quality described by a gradable adjective is strong, we can premodify it with very or a number of other adverbs. The following are common modifiers: He’s extremely capable.

That was terribly boring.

This is rather short. But the other version is awfully long.

3. “Weak” modifiers with

gradable adjectives

If we want to show that the quality is weak, we can use the following modifiers:

It’s a little confusing.

He was slightly annoyed when we arrived ten minutes late. It was fairly easy to persuade her to change suppliers.

Note: pretty can mean “very” or “fairly”.

It’s pretty good. Well done!

It’s pretty good, but not perfect!

4. Identifying non-gradable

adjectives

These are adjectives that describe something that exists or doesn’t.