Questions tagged [gradability]

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Is the adjective "irregular" gradable?

Is it improper to describe something as "more irregular" than something else, or is irregular non-gradable? Merriam-Webster isn't very helpful with classifying adjectives in this way, and ...
Zaya's user avatar
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Is using "complete" as a gradable adjective ok in some situations?

So in writing, I want to express various degrees of completion. Originally, I used "in a more complete implementation". A reviewer remarked that this was wrong, as complete is not gradable. ...
step21's user avatar
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Is "incredible" a gradable or non-gradable adjective?

Is incredible a gradable or non-gradable adjective? I noticed many books in Google state its comparative and superlative forms more incredible and most incredible, so according to this view = ...
Mohammad Ahmad's user avatar
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2 answers
123 views

Have non-gradable adjectives ever come to be used as gradable?

Are there examples of non-gradable adjectives that, over time, have come to be used as gradable? For example, has a word commonly accepted as non-gradable (like binary in "It's a binary choice" [...
crenshaw-dev's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
140 views

Can (or should) "prevalent" be gradable? [closed]

Well, that's all. Can it? Is it not illogical to say that something is "more prevalent"? Is "prevalent" not, by definition, superlative? Is it not like saying that something is "more best"?
Jules Cocovin's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
574 views

Comparative form of adjective "starving"

There is a way to say hungrier, but my question is whether there is any way to use the same form with starve. I searched and found nothing. I would like to know the comparative adjective of starving.
U13-Forward's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

Graded/ungraded adjectives and grading/non-grading adverbs

I saw in the Farlex Grammar Book an explanation of gradable adjectives and graded adverbs. It lists the following words as examples of each category: Gradable adjectives small cold hot difficult sad ...
Zebrafish's user avatar
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In the PP 'near here', why is 'near' the head?

In CGEL (p. 640), it is stated (without argument) that in the sentence [1] They live n̲e̲a̲r̲ ̲h̲e̲r̲e̲. we have the preposition phrase (PP) ...
linguisticturn's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
7k views

why is it grammatically incorrect to say "very incredible"?

I have been told that it is wrong to say "very incredible " and "very fantastic". Could you tell me why?
lucy's user avatar
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1 vote
3 answers
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What is wrong with the expression 'most perfect', and the adjective-forms 'rounder' and 'squarer'?

Here is an excerpt from the textbook High School English Grammar & Composition, by Wren & Martin (2005 edition by S. Chand, New Delhi): Certain adjectives do not really admit of comparison ...
Solace's user avatar
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5 answers
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Can something be more unique than something else? Can something be very unique? [duplicate]

Family debate - one says that uniqueness is relative, others say something either is or is not unique. Does uniqueness mean that there is only one of a certain thing/person, so that it would mean more ...
Charlotte Karlan's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
10k views

Can a person be "overly literal"

It's common to say someone is being overly literal if their interpretation of a phrase is too strictly literal either intentionally (nitpickers) or unintentionally (people learning another language). ...
wunth's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
484 views

Can "validity" be "improved" or "increased"?

There are a number of webpages where one can read about "improving the validity" of a scientific process or measurement. Indeed, the entire Wikipedia page for Validity in statistics (which is the ...
darthbith's user avatar
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6 votes
4 answers
26k views

Is using "more correct" a grammatical faux pas?

I caught myself saying "to be more correct", is this strictly possible given that something is usually correct or incorrect. If this is a grammatical faux pas, what is it called?
Rolf of Saxony's user avatar
16 votes
7 answers
23k views

How can something be "fuller" or the "fullest"?

Consider the definition for full (Source): full [foo l] adjective, fuller, fullest. completely filled; containing all that can be held; filled to utmost capacity: a full cup. complete; entire; ...
Thunderforge's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

Is the term "very average" correct?

In general does the phrase "[adverb] average" follow the rules of proper English? For example I asked of the water level of a forest and someone replied that it was "very average for this time of year"...
Celeritas's user avatar
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"How perfect is that?" [duplicate]

Is this proper usage ? seems to me "perfect" is like "best" (it can't be more or less "perfect or "best").
user73791's user avatar
16 votes
6 answers
5k views

Using "so" and "very" for ungradable adjectives

We generally use modifiers such as "so" and "very" for gradable/normal adjectives (water can be quite/so/very HOT, but not quite/so/very BOILING (an ungradable/extreme adjective). Yet would you say ...
Louel's user avatar
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5 answers
11k views

Is "almost exactly" correct English?

Is the collocation "almost exactly" grammatical, when one is trying to express that something is almost at the edge of being exact? E.g.: ...and it's almost exactly like...
Bleeding Fingers's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
397 views

Is "responsible" a gradable or a non-gradable adjective?

Is responsible a gradable adjective that can be modified with too? E.g., "He is too responsible".
Dawid's user avatar
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2 votes
4 answers
10k views

Is "emptiest" a logically correct term?

There are some adjectives that are logical binaries, e.g. empty — either the noun is empty or it isn't. Can we apply a superlative degree to such adjectives? E.g. This is the emptiest these ...
Rahul Ranjan's user avatar
7 votes
4 answers
20k views

Is it correct to use the comparative adjective "blacker?"

You can find bluer, redder, greener, and whiter in the dictionary, but not blacker. This seems mystifying. In his "El Paso" song, Marty Robbins sang, "Blacker than night were the eyes of ...
Bill Oakey's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
576 views

Can "very" be combined with "non-"?

Absolute pathnames should be avoided in #include directives because they make the program very nonportable. Somehow, the quote above sounds weird. Can we use "very" with an adjective that starts ...
Pacerier's user avatar
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15 votes
3 answers
16k views

Is "very crucial" redundant?

This came up as a multiple-choice question in an exam. Is using "very crucial" redundant?. . . or tautology?
Mob's user avatar
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4 answers
1k views

"Innocuous enough"?

Is the phrase "innocuous enough" valid? Or is the word innocuous a 'binary' word, in the sense that something is either innocuous, or is somewhat harmful/offensive? Example usage: Should we ...
Ricket's user avatar
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31 votes
6 answers
6k views

Are the rules regarding absolute adjectives too absolute?

A common grammar lesson that was taught to me in the US and that I've had to teach abroad in EFL classrooms is that we're not to use adverbs of emphasis with absolute modifiers, just as we're not ...
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