## What are gradable and non-gradable adjectives in English?

English adjectives can be intense—no, really, they’re all about intensity!

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:

- Gradable adjectives
- Non-gradable adjectives
  - Extreme adjectives
  - Absolute adjectives

## What are gradable adjectives?

Most [adjectives in English](https://blog.duolingo.com/kinds-of-adjectives) 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!