Gradable and Non-gradable Adjectives

Gradable and Non-gradable Adjectives

Hello dear English learners! Today we are looking at a very handy area of vocabulary: gradable and non-gradable adjectives. These two groups help you express shades of meaning — from ordinary impressions to truly powerful descriptions. If you are preparing for B2 First or C1 Advanced, this is a must-know topic.

Why does this matter?

Imagine you watched a film that left you speechless. You could say:

• The film was interesting.
• The film was very interesting.

Not bad — but it still doesn’t reflect how strongly you felt.

• You might try the superlative:

The film was the most interesting film I’ve ever seen.

Better… but still not quite there.

Now try a non-gradable (strong) adjective:

• The film was fascinating.

And if you want to make it sound even stronger:

• The film was absolutely fascinating.

See? A few well-chosen words can communicate a whole world of emotion.

Gradable Adjectives (Weak Adjectives)

Gradable adjectives describe qualities that can vary in intensity — age, size, happiness, difficulty, etc.

Examples:

• This house is old.
• Those people seem happy.

We can “grade” these adjectives using these modifiers:

very, quite, rather, a bit, slightly, extremely, fairly, pretty, really

Examples with modifiers:

• This bread is a bit stale.
• Those people seem rather happy.
• We had a very exciting day at the zoo.

Comparison

Gradable adjectives can also form comparative and superlative structures:

• That house is older than the other one.
• This house is the oldest in the village.
• The house is as old as I am.

Non-gradable Adjectives (Strong Adjectives)

Non-gradable adjectives describe absolute qualities — things that are either one way or not. You can’t be very finished or quite dead, for example.

Examples

• The house is finished. (You cannot say very finished.)
• The film was fascinating.
• The room was tiny.

These adjectives cannot be compared:

✗ This house is more finished than that one.

✗ She is the most furious.

Modifiers you can use

Instead of very, use adverbs such as:

absolutely, completely, totally, utterly, perfectly, entirely, fully, mainly

Examples:

• Your dress is absolutely gorgeous.
• Fiona has been totally devastated since the divorce.

Good news: really works with both types!

• It was a really difficult task.
• The day seemed really arduous.

Common Gradable and Non-gradable Adjective Pairs

Final tip

Learners preparing for B2 First / C1 Advanced love this topic because it helps them write more expressively and sound more natural — just the kind of upgrade examiners appreciate.

Download the lesson on gradable and non-gradable adjectives in PDF here

Download the exercise on gradable and non-gradable adjectives in PDF here

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