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Araştırma Görevlisi
Adjectives describe qualities (characteristics) of nouns.
* Some qualities can vary in intensity or grade (for example: rather hot, hot, very hot; hot, hotter, the hottest).
The adjective hot is gradable.
* Other qualities cannot vary in intensity or grade because they are:
1. extremes (for example: freezing)
2. absolutes (for example: dead)
3. classifying (for example: nuclear)
The adjectives freezing, dead and nuclear are non-gradable
Gradable Adjectives
A gradable adjective can be used with "grading adverbs" that vary the adjective's grade or intensity.
Look at these examples:
A gradable adjective can also have comparative and superlative forms:
* big, bigger, the biggest
* hot, hotter, the hottest
* important, more important, the most important
Look at these example sentences:
* My teacher was very happy with my homework.
* That website is reasonably popular. But this one is more popular.
* He said that Holland was a little cold and Denmark was rather cold. But Sweden was the coldest.
Non-gradable Adjectives
A non-gradable adjective cannot be used with grading adverbs:
* It was rather freezing outside.
* The dog was very dead.
* He is investing in slightly nuclear energy.
Non-gradable adjectives do not normally have comparative and superlative forms:
* freezing, more freezing, the most freezing
* dead, deader, the deadest
* nuclear, more nuclear, the most nuclear
Often, non-gradable adjectives are used alone:
* It was freezing outside.
* The dog was dead.
* He is investing in nuclear energy.
However, a non-gradable adjective can be used with "non-grading adverbs" (which usually just give the adjective extra impact), for example:
Here are some example sentences with non-gradable adjectives:
* Her exam results were absolutely awful. She will have to take the exam again.
* Is there anything like it in the world? It must be virtually unique.
* It starts an essentially chemical reaction.
Adjectives that can be gradable and non-gradable
Some adjectives may have more than one meaning or sense. It's possible for the same adjective to be gradable with one sense and non-gradable with another sense.
For example:
Adverbs used with gradable and non-gradable adjectives
The adverbs really (very much) and fairly and pretty (both meaning "to a significant degree, but less than very") can often be used with gradable and non-gradable adjectives:
"Quite" with gradable and non-gradable adjectives
The meaning of the adverb "quite" changes according to the type of adjective we use it with:
* Some qualities can vary in intensity or grade (for example: rather hot, hot, very hot; hot, hotter, the hottest).
The adjective hot is gradable.
* Other qualities cannot vary in intensity or grade because they are:
1. extremes (for example: freezing)
2. absolutes (for example: dead)
3. classifying (for example: nuclear)
The adjectives freezing, dead and nuclear are non-gradable
Gradable Adjectives
A gradable adjective can be used with "grading adverbs" that vary the adjective's grade or intensity.
Look at these examples:
A gradable adjective can also have comparative and superlative forms:
* big, bigger, the biggest
* hot, hotter, the hottest
* important, more important, the most important
Look at these example sentences:
* My teacher was very happy with my homework.
* That website is reasonably popular. But this one is more popular.
* He said that Holland was a little cold and Denmark was rather cold. But Sweden was the coldest.
Non-gradable Adjectives
A non-gradable adjective cannot be used with grading adverbs:
* It was rather freezing outside.
* The dog was very dead.
* He is investing in slightly nuclear energy.
Non-gradable adjectives do not normally have comparative and superlative forms:
* freezing, more freezing, the most freezing
* dead, deader, the deadest
* nuclear, more nuclear, the most nuclear
Often, non-gradable adjectives are used alone:
* It was freezing outside.
* The dog was dead.
* He is investing in nuclear energy.
However, a non-gradable adjective can be used with "non-grading adverbs" (which usually just give the adjective extra impact), for example:
Here are some example sentences with non-gradable adjectives:
* Her exam results were absolutely awful. She will have to take the exam again.
* Is there anything like it in the world? It must be virtually unique.
* It starts an essentially chemical reaction.
Adjectives that can be gradable and non-gradable
Some adjectives may have more than one meaning or sense. It's possible for the same adjective to be gradable with one sense and non-gradable with another sense.
For example:
Adverbs used with gradable and non-gradable adjectives
The adverbs really (very much) and fairly and pretty (both meaning "to a significant degree, but less than very") can often be used with gradable and non-gradable adjectives:
"Quite" with gradable and non-gradable adjectives
The meaning of the adverb "quite" changes according to the type of adjective we use it with:
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