Gradable and Non-Gradable Adjectives

Gradable Adjectives

Gradable adjectives are adjectives like ‘cold’ ‘hot’ and ‘frightened’. You can be very cold or a bit cold. Gradable adjectives show that something can have different degrees.

examples:

He's very interested in science.

That class is extremely boring.

Her accent is really difficult to understand.

Non-Gradable Adjectives

Non-gradable adjectives are adjectives like ‘married’ or ‘wooden’. You can’t be very married or a bit married. Non-gradable adjectives do not have different degrees.

Adjectives like ‘terrifying’, ‘freezing’ ‘amazing’ are also non-gradable adjectives. They already contain the idea of ‘very’ in their definitions – ‘freezing’ means ‘very cold’ etc.

examples:

That film was really terrifying.

She was completely amazed by his talent.

The riddle was absolutely impossible to solve.