M03 mgl oth glb 6996 adv indd

16
Gradable and 
ungradable adjectives
1 
Gradable and ungradable adjectives
gradable adjectives
represent a point on a scale. For example, 
cheap
and 
expensive
are 
adjectives on the scale of ‘how much something costs’. 
ungradable adjectives
represent the limits of a scale. For example, 
free
(= it costs nothing) 
and 
priceless
(= its cost is too great to be counted) are the limits on the scale of ‘how much 
something costs’.
ungradable adjectives
free
freezing vast 
/
 
enormous
gradable adjectives
 
(very cheap)
cheap
(not very cheap)
(a bit expensive) 
expensive 
(very expensive)
cold
cool
tepid 
hot 
large 
/
 
big
small
ungradable adjectives
priceless
boiling
minute 
/
 
tiny
Most English adjectives are gradable. We can make comparative and superlative forms from 
all gradable adjectives (
➤
Unit 14
). We don’t usually make comparisons with ungradable 
adjectives, although there are some patterns we use in spoken English:
That was 
the most delicious
 meal! Her house is 
even more enormous
 than his!
!
Some adjectives can have both gradable and ungradable meanings, depending on whether 
the speaker is describing an absolute quality or one which is relative to something else:
I’m afraid there are no rooms – the hotel is 
full
.
(ungradable = completely full)
The hotel’s very 
full
 but I think I can get you a single room for tonight.
(gradable = has many guests but there is still some space)
Other adjectives like this are: 
empty
, 
beautiful
, 
black
, 
delicious
, 
new
, 
possible
.
2 
Intensifying gradable adjectives
We can make gradable adjectives stronger with 
very
, but not with the adverb 
absolutely
:
✗
That new jacket looks absolutely expensive.
✓
That new jacket looks 
very expensive
.
There are other words we use to strengthen the meaning of these adjectives: 
extremely most 
(formal)
pretty 
(informal)
rather really so terribly 
Last night’s match was