LANGUAGE REFERENCE
142
9
GRAMMAR
G1
GRADABLE AND UNGRADABLE ADJECTIVES
Adjectives describe a quality that something possesses. To describe,
for example, variations in temperature, we can use
hot
or
cold
, which
are gradable adjectives. But to describe the limits (the maximum or
minimum level) of temperature, we use
boiling
or
freezing,
which are
ungradable adjectives.
ungradable gradable
gradable
ungradable
tiny
excellent
boiling
small
good
warm/hot
size
good/bad
temperature
big
bad
cold
enormous
terrible
freezing
Some other common gradable and ungradable forms are:
tired
exhausted
,
angry
furious
,
hungry
starving
,
interesting
fascinating
,
upset
devastated
,
unusua
l
unique and
important
essential.
Adverbs make adjectives stronger or weaker. Some adverbs can
only be used with gradable or ungradable adjectives.
+ gradable adjectives
+ ungradable
adjectives
+ gradable /
ungradable adjectives
very,
extremely,
a bit,
slightly
absolutely,
completely,
totally
really
The weather was
very
cold and I was
extremely
hungry. I was also
really
exhausted.
!
Don’t use comparative or superlative forms of ungradable
adjectives. Use gradable adjectives instead.
This water is more freezing than the water in the sea.
O
This water is colder than the water in the sea.
P
With some adjectives, we don’t use
very
,
absolutely
, etc., but instead
we use other adverbs, e.g.
highly qualified
,
completely wrong
.
G2
ORDER OF ADVERBS/ADVERB PHRASES
ADVERBS/ADVERB PHRASES OF TIME, PLACE AND MANNER
We usually put adverbs of time and manner at the end of a clause.
The last invasion of England took place
in 1066
.
When did you live
there
?
We can emphasise adverbs of time and place by putting them at
the beginning of the clause:
In 2009
, I decided to give up my job and go back to college.
ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY, CERTAINTY AND DEGREE
We usually put adverbs of frequency, certainty and degree in the
middle of a clause, between the subject and the verb.
We often take
the train to college.
You probably left
your mobile phone in the taxi.
His work mainly focuses
on the human body.
With the verb
to be,
we put the adverb after the verb.
She
is probably
the best person for the job.
His later works
are often
very large.
With auxiliary verbs, we put the adverb between the auxiliary and
the main verb.
We
have often laughed
at his jokes.
She
was definitely staying
in the big hotel.
KEY LANGUAGE
KL
DISCUSSING IMPLICATIONS;
OFFERING COUNTER-ARGUMENTS
DISCUSSING IMPLICATIONS
Maybe, but consider the implications.
But think of the consequences.
It’ll affect your profits if you lower your rates.
You need to take into account the reactions
of the other gallery owners.
That may be true, but our situation’s getting
pretty desperate.
The problem with that is that it could really
upset your best customers …
OFFERING COUNTER-ARGUMENTS
If you lower your commission, other galleries
might start doing the same thing.
I think there’s a strong argument for doing it.
We do need to have more young artists on
our books.
We’ve got to do something if we want to survive.
But it wouldn’t if we charged variable rates.
There are plenty of things you could do …
VOCABULARY
V1
ART AND ARTISTS
abstract, artist, art lover, cave painting,
ceramics, collector, critic, contemporary,
controversial, groundbreaking, landscape
(painting), masterpiece, modern, mural,
naturalistic, painter, performance art,
preview, portrait (painting), pottery, realism,
realist, retrospective, sculptor, sculpture,
thought-provoking, traditional art, video art
V2
ADVERB-/ADJECTIVE COLLOCATIONS
absolutely unique, completely different,
completely wrong, deeply moving, entirely
unexpected, heavily criticised, highly praised,
highly qualified, painfully shy, really excellent,
totally different, totally unbelievable, totally
unjustified, utterly impossible, utterly useless
V3
ADJECTIVES
absorbing, absurd, antique, appalling,
bronze, charming, classical, critical,
compelling, conservative, devastated,
dismissive, dreary, dreadful, enormous,
exhausted, exhilarating, fabulous,
fascinating, gripping, heart-breaking, heat-
resistant, hilarious, intellectual, laughable,
monotonous, nail-biting, outstanding,
passionate, picturesque, productive, radical,
rectangular, repetitive, respectful, restful,
ridiculous, shiny, stainless-steel, starving,
tedious, touching, trendy, witty
