07 Quite and Rather Flashcards
It’s quite ‘warm today.
Your friends are quite ‘rich.
In these examples with quite, the adjective is stressed.
It’s warmer than expected.
(They’ve got a lot of money.)
It’s ‘quite warm.
Things went ‘quite well.
If we stress quite, we limit the force of the adjective.
but not as warm as expected
(but not as well as I’d hoped)
It’s quite pleasant here.
It was quite a good party.
When we make a favorable comment, we usually prefer quite to rather. Quite is unstressed.
It’s rather depressing here.
It’s quite depressing here.
In unfavorable comments, we usually prefer rather, but quite is possible.
It was rather a dull party.
It was quite a dull party.
In unfavorable comments, we usually prefer rather, but quite is possible.
It was rather inconvenient having to change trains twice.
It was quite inconvenient having to change trains twice.
In unfavorable comments, we usually prefer rather, but quite is possible.
I expected the party to be dull, but it was actually rather good.
The test paper was rather easy.
Rather in a favorable comment often means ‘to a surprising or unusual degree’.
(It isn’t usually so easy.)
The task is quite difficult.
The task is quite impossible.
Medium degree: ‘fairly’
Full degree: ‘completely’
The film was quite good.
The film was quite brilliant.
Medium degree: ‘fairly’
Full degree: ‘completely’
I feel quite tired.
I feel quite exhausted.
Medium degree: ‘fairly’
Full degree: ‘completely’
quite absurd quite brilliant quite disgusting quite fascinated quite perfect
“Quite” means ‘completely’ before these adjectives:
quite alone quite certain quite dreadful quite fascinating quite ridiculous
“Quite” means ‘completely’ before these adjectives:
quite amazed quite dead quite empty quite horrible quite right quite awful quite disgusted quite false quite marvellous quite wrong
“Quite” means ‘completely’ before these adjectives:
quite amazing quite delicious quite extraordinary quite impossible quite sure
“Quite” means ‘completely’ before these adjectives:
quite appalled quite determined quite exhausted quite incredible quite true quite appalling quite different quite exhausting quite magnificent quite useless
“Quite” means ‘completely’ before these adjectives:
