Use fairly, quite, rather, or pretty with gradable adjectives, as in the film was quite good, and absolutely, completely, or totally with non-gradable adjectives that are already extreme in meaning, as in she was absolutely exhausted after the marathon.
Grammar Rule
Gradable adjectives take fairly/quite/rather/pretty; non-gradable adjectives, already extreme in meaning, take absolutely/completely/totally.
Adverbs of Degree (Extension): Rules and Examples
| Adjective type | Intensifiers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Gradable (good, hot, tired) | fairly / quite / rather / pretty | The film was quite good. The soup is fairly hot. |
| Non-gradable (exhausted, freezing, amazing) | absolutely / completely / totally | She was absolutely exhausted after the marathon. The weather is absolutely freezing today. |
Remember: fairly/quite/rather/pretty + gradable adjectives; absolutely/completely/totally + extreme adjectives.
Practice Test
Instructions
Answer each question in the test below choosing the correct intensifier for each adjective. You will get a new random set of questions every time you retake the test, plus a downloadable results summary with your name and score at the end.
Adverbs of Degree – Extension
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which intensifiers go with gradable adjectives?
Fairly, quite, rather, and pretty, as in the film was quite good.
Which intensifiers go with non-gradable adjectives?
Absolutely, completely, and totally, as in she was absolutely exhausted after the marathon.
What does non-gradable mean for an adjective?
It means the adjective already expresses an extreme quality, like exhausted or freezing, so it cannot be graded with words like quite or fairly.
Can you say quite exhausted?
It sounds unnatural, since exhausted is non-gradable; absolutely exhausted is the more natural combination.