Extreme adverbs with non-gradable adjectives
C1 AdvancedNon-gradable adjectives represent extreme or absolute qualities and require specific intensifying adverbs like 'absolutely' or 'completely' rather than 'very'.
Overview
Adjectives are categorized as either gradable or non-gradable. Gradable adjectives represent qualities that exist on a scale (e.g., cold, big), while non-gradable adjectives represent the limit of a quality (e.g., freezing, enormous) or an absolute state (e.g., dead, finished). Because non-gradable adjectives already contain the idea of 'very' within their meaning, they cannot be modified by standard submodifiers like very or extremely. Instead, they take maximizing adverbs to emphasize the totality of the state.
Form
Maximizing Adverb + Non-gradable Adjective
The adverb precedes the non-gradable adjective. While 'absolutely' is the most versatile, other adverbs are often restricted to specific collocations.
Gradable vs. Non-gradable Modifiers
Note that really and pretty are flexible and can often be used with both types in informal registers.
| Gradable Adjective | Non-gradable Adjective | Correct Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| very tired | exhausted | utterly exhausted |
| very good | fantastic | absolutely fantastic |
| very scary | terrifying | completely terrifying |
| very sure | certain | entirely certain |
Examples
Common mistakes
The movie was very hilarious.
The movie was absolutely hilarious.
'Hilarious' is a non-gradable adjective meaning 'extremely funny'; it cannot be modified by 'very'.
I am slightly certain about the date.
I am fairly certain about the date.
Absolute adjectives like 'certain' or 'dead' cannot be used with adverbs of degree like 'slightly' unless used figuratively.
Practice
Which adverb correctly completes the sentence? 'The view from the summit was _______ breathtaking.' (very / absolutely)
Show answer
absolutely
Answer:absolutely
Why:'Breathtaking' is a non-gradable adjective, so it requires a maximizer like 'absolutely' rather than the gradable modifier 'very'.
Identify the error: 'The project is now extremely finished.'
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extremely finished
Answer:extremely finished
Why:'Finished' is an absolute adjective; a project is either finished or it is not. Use 'completely' or 'entirely' instead of 'extremely'.
Rewrite using a non-gradable adjective: 'The water was very cold.' (Use 'freezing')
Show answer
The water was absolutely freezing.
Answer:The water was absolutely freezing.
Why:When switching from the gradable 'cold' to the non-gradable 'freezing', the adverb 'very' must be replaced by 'absolutely' or 'completely'.