Grammer
B1:B2
1- Adjectives: gradable and non-gradable
Grammar test 1:
1- These shoes are ___ small.
- a bit
- absolutely
2- The pasta was ___ tasty.
- Completely
- Very
3- The dessert was ___ delicious!
- Absolutely
- Very
4- It's not ___ perfect, but it's good enough.
- Completely
- Very
5- I'm ___ late. I'm so sorry!
- Completely
- Very
6- We were ___ exhausted when we arrived home.
- Absolutely
- Very
7- My phone battery is ___ dead.
- Totally
- Very
8- The book is ___ amazing!
- Absolutely
- Very
Grammar explanation
Gradable adjectives
Most adjectives are gradable. This means we can have different levels of that
quality. For example, you can be a bit cold, very cold or extremely cold. We can
make them weaker or stronger with modifiers:
She was quite angry when she found out.
The film we saw last night was really funny!
It can be extremely cold in Russia in the winter.
Here is a list of some common gradable adjectives and some modifiers that we
can use with them.
Non-gradable: absolute adjectives
Some adjectives are non-gradable. For example, something can't be a bit finished
or very finished. You can't be a bit dead or very dead. These adjectives describe
absolute qualities. To make them stronger we have to use modifiers like
absolutely, totally or completely:
Thank you, I love it! It's absolutely perfect!
Their farm was totally destroyed by a tornado.
My work is completely finished. Now I can relax.
Here is a list of some common absolute adjectives and some modifiers that we
can use with them.
Non-gradable: extreme adjectives
Adjectives like amazing, awful and boiling are also non-gradable. They already
contain the idea of 'very' in their definitions. If we want to make extreme
adjectives stronger, we have to use absolutely or really:
Did you see the final match? It was absolutely amazing!
After 32 hours of travelling, they were absolutely exhausted.
My trip home was really awful. First, traffic was really bad, then the car broke
down and we had to walk home in the rain.
Here is a list of some common extreme adjectives and some modifiers that we
can use with them.
Grammar test 2
1- The summers here are ___ hot.
- Absolutely
- Extremely
2- The house was ___ destroyed in the war.
- Extremely
- Totally
3- She was ___ angry.
- Absolutely
- Very
4- The interactive museum was ___ fascinating.
- a bit
- absolutely
5- We were ___ tired so we stayed in.
- Completely
- Quite
6- You don't have to pay. It's ___ free.
- Completely
- Very
7- The apartment looked ___ small in the picture.
- Completely
- Quite
8- In real life, it was ___ tiny.
- Really
- very
