VOCABULARY
Vocabulary: Base and Strong Adjectives
Base adjectives versus strong adjectives
Base adjectives
Base adjectives are normal adjectives that don't have the idea of 'very'
Strong adjectives
Strong adjectives, however, are extreme adjectives that have the idea of 'very'
Examples
- gorgeous = very beautiful
- huge = very big
Base Adjectives | Strong Adjectives |
---|---|
beautiful | gorgeous |
ugly | awful |
dirty | filthy |
good | superb, great, fantastic |
bad | terrible |
happy | thrilled |
angry | furious |
hungry | starving |
tired | exhausted |
funny | hilarious |
big | huge, enormous |
small | tiny |
fat | obese |
scared | terrified |
cold | freezing |
hot | boiling |
The use of very, absolutely and really with base and strong adjectives
Very, absolutely and really are used differently according whether the adjective is a base or a strong one:
very | absolutely | really | |
---|---|---|---|
Base adjectives | |||
Strong adjectives |
Examples:
- He was very happy; he was absolutely thrilled.
- He was really happy/thrilled.