} Some participle and -ible/-able adjectives can be used either before or immediately after a noun, (e.g. affected, alleged, applicable, available, possible, required, stolen, suggested): 1 go back on every possible occasion. or ... on every occasion possible. The following adjectives have different meanings when used in the different positions: concerned, involved, opposite, present, proper, responsibl And what about your present writing project? (present = current) _ All the people present ... (present = in that particular place) (See Appendix 6.1.) Many -ible/-able adjectives can only be used immediately after a noun when the noun follows _ aword such as first, last, next, only + superlative adjectives, or when extra information is given after the noun: it was the most difficult decision imaginable. Elsa is a woman susceptible to periods of depression. 4 Gradable adjectives If an adjective is gradable, we can say that a person or thing can have more or less of the quality referred to (e.g. ambitious, busy). Gradable adjectives can be used with adverbs such as extremely, slightly or very: somewhat ambitious, extremely busy, slightly different, very rich, pretty strong If an adjective is non-gradable, we don't usually imagine degrees of the quality referred to (e.g. huge, impossible). To emphasise the extreme or absolute nature of non-gradable adjectives we can use adverbs such as absolutely, completely or totally: absolutely huge, completely impossible, practically unknown, almost unique, totally useless Some adjectives have both gradable and non-gradable uses: © some (c.g. common) have gradable and non-gradable uses with different meanings: Bardreth isn't a very common surname. (gradable = frequent) Elsa and my mother have certain common characteristics. (non-gradable = similar) (> See Appendix 6.2.) some (e.g. diplomatic) have gradable and non-gradable uses with only small differences in meaning between them: You're being very diplomatic. (gradable because it refers to the quality the person has) He worked as the diplomatic correspondent of a national newspaper. (non-gradable because it refers to the type of correspondent he is) (> See Appendix 6.3.) (© Some non-gradable adjectives (e.g. actual, financial, medical, major) are rarely used with a E preceding adverb such as absolutely or completely: _ I'd expected to pay about £1000, but the actual cost was much higher. (not ... the-absolestely- | aetual-cost ...) A Gradable adjectives can be used as non-gradable adjectives, and vice versa, when we want to give special emphasis or when we are being humorous: | You've got £100 - wow, youre virtually rich! "It was my first proper meal for three days, and I felt almost human again.