What are Extreme Adjectives?

Cold is a regular adjective, and Freezing is an extreme adjective Adjectives are words that describe the qualities of something. ome adjectives in !nglish are gradable " that means #ou can have different degrees or levels of that qualit#. For exam$le, the weather can be a little cold, rather cold, ver# cold, or extremel# cold. Extreme adjectives or non-gradable adjectives are words that mean extremel# % adjective & for exam$le, freezing means extremel# cold. 'he weather can(t be a little bit freezing or ver# freezing & because the word freezing itself automaticall# means extremel# cold.

Regular & Extreme Adjectives ist

Regular Adjective angr# bad big clean cold crowded dirt# funn# good hot hungr# interesting old $rett# scar# small sur$rising tired ugl# Extreme Adjective furious awful, terrible, horrible huge, gigantic, giant s$otless freezing $ac)ed filth# hilarious wonderful, fantastic, excellent boiling starving fascinating ancient gorgeous terrif#ing tin# astounding exhausted hideous

!"ecial Rules for Extreme Adjectives

#$ %o com"aratives&su"erlatives' *ith regular adjectives, we can use com$aratives and su$erlatives to com$are two or more things+

,# house is big' ,# neighbor(s house is bigger than mine. -com$arative. ,# $arents( house is the biggest house on the street. -su$erlative.

*ith extreme adjectives, we don(t use com$aratives and su$erlatives+

,# $arents( house is enormous' ,# $arents( house is more enormous & the most enormous'

($ )se different adverbs *ith extreme adjectives' *ith regular adjectives, we can use these adverbs+

a little, a bit, slightl#, fairl#, rather ver#, extremel#, immensel#, intensel#, hugel#

!xam$les+

/(m rather hungr+' 0 /(m ver+ hungr+' 'his room is a bit dirt+' 0 'his room is extremel+ dirt+' *e(re a little tired' 0 *e(re immensel+ tired'

*ith extreme adjectives, we CA112' use these adverbs+

/(m rather starving' 0 /(m extremel+ starving'

3owever, there are other adverbs we can use to give additional em$hasis to the extreme adjective+

absolutel# com$letel# utterl#

!xam$les+

/(m absolutel+ furious' *e(re com"letel+ exhausted' 'he movie was utterl+ terrif+ing'

'he words "rett+ and reall+ can be used with both regular and extreme adjectives+

'his room is $rett# dirt+. -regular. 'his room is $rett# filth+. -extreme. 'he $art# is reall# cro*ded. -regular. 'he $art# is reall# "ac,ed. -extreme.

Absolute Adjectives
Another t#$e of extreme adjective is called an absolute adjective' 'hese are words that are either #es or no. For exam$le, dead - #ou can(t be a little bit dead or ver# dead & either 4! , #ou are dead, or 12, #ou(re not dead. 3ere(s a list of absolute adjectives and their o$$osites -this list is not com$lete5 it onl# shows some exam$les.+ Absolute Adjective com$lete equal essential dead fatal first full ideal im$ossible infinite married $erfect $regnant unique -""osite incom$lete unequal non"essential5 extraneous alive not fatal last 0 final em$t# not ideal $ossible finite single 0 divorced 0 se$arated 0 widowed im$erfect not $regnant not unique

universal un)nown true %ote.

not universal )nown false

4ou might hear ex$ressions li)e these in s$o)en !nglish+ 'hat(s ver+ true. /t(s the ver+ first time6 'his shirt is more unique than that one. 'hese sentences are not technicall# correct, because we shouldn(t use the words ver# or more with absolute adjectives & but native s$ea)ers don(t alwa#s follow the rules7