Extreme Adjectives

Avoiding “very”
Gradable adjectives
● Some adjectives in English are gradable - that means you can have
different degrees or levels of that quality.
● With regular adjectives, we can use these adverbs: a little, a bit, slightly,
fairly, rather, very, extremely, immensely, intensely, hugely
○ I’m rather hungry. / I’m very hungry.
○ This room is a bit dirty. / This room is extremely dirty.
○ We’re a little tired. / We’re immensely tired.
Extreme adjectives
● Extreme adjectives (or non-gradable adjectives) are words that mean
“extremely + adjective”
○ “freezing” (means “extremely cold”)
● The weather can’t be “a little bit freezing” or “very freezing” – because the
word “freezing” itself automatically means “extremely cold.”
● However, there are other adverbs* we can use to give additional
emphasis to the extreme adjective: Absolutely / completely / utterly
○ I’m absolutely furious.
○ We’re completely exhausted.
○ The movie was utterly terrifying

*These adverbs cannot be used with gradable adjectives

Warm up activity - extreme adjectives
appalling / awesome / brilliant / dreadful / horrendous / terrible / terrific /
wonderful

Extremely good:

Extremely bad:

Discuss with the adjectives above

Activity #2
A. Agonizing 1. Painful
B. Critical 2. Easy
C. Effortless 3. Dirty
D. Filthy 4. Large
E. Hilarious 5. Clean
F. Mouthwatering
6. Tasty
G. Penniless
7. Funny
H. Perilous
I. Spotless 8. Poor
J. Vast 9. Dangerous
10. Serious
Activity #2 - Answers
A. Agonizing 1. Painful
B. Critical 2. Easy
C. Effortless 3. Dirty
D. Filthy 4. Large
E. Hilarious 5. Clean
F. Mouthwatering
6. Tasty
G. Penniless
7. Funny
H. Perilous
I. Spotless 8. Poor
J. Vast 9. Dangerous
10. Serious
Activity #3
Adjective Noun Adjective Noun

Filthy Filth Exhausted Exhaustion

Perilous Hilarious

Vast Ecstatic

Effortless Starving

Brilliant Terrified
Activity #3 - Answers
Adjective Noun Adjective Noun

Filthy Filth Exhausted Exhaustion

Perilous Peril Hilarious Hilarity

Vast Vastness Ecstatic Ecstasy

Effortless Effortlessness Starving Starvation

Brilliant Brilliance Terrified Terror

Activity #4
1. Matt was suffering from exhaustion after completing the marathon.
2. Jamie was filled with ___________ after winning the lottery.
3. It was Mark’s first time jumping out of a plane. You could see the look of _______ on his
face.
4. Many people died of _______________ during the famine.
5. You can truly experience the ___________ of the Pacific Ocean when you travel by ship.
6. He managed to win the match with a broken foot. Everyone appreciated the
_____________ of his performance.
7. Google’s Translate tool can be the source of great ____________. Some of the translations
really make you laugh.
8. This part of the town is filled with so much ___________ — nobody wants to come here.
Activity #4 - Answers
1. Matt was suffering from exhaustion after completing the marathon.
2. Jamie was filled with ecstasy after winning the lottery.
3. It was Mark’s first time jumping out of a plane. You could see the look of terror
on his face.
4. Many people died of starvation during the famine.
5. You can truly experience the vastness of the Pacific Ocean when you travel by
ship.
6. He managed to win the match with a broken foot. Everyone appreciated the
brilliance of his performance.
7. Google’s Translate tool can be the source of great hilarity. Some of the
translations really make you laugh.
8. This part of the town is filled with so much filth — nobody wants to come here.
Note - Absolute adjectives
● Another type of extreme adjective is called an “absolute” adjective.
● These are words that are either “yes or no.”
● For example, dead – you can’t be “a little bit dead” or “very dead” – either
YES, you are dead, or NO, you’re not dead.
Regular & Extreme Adjectives List
Angry - furious Hot - boiling
Bad - awful, terrible, horrible Hungry - starving
Big - huge, gigantic, giant Interesting - fascinating
Clean - spotless Old - ancient
Cold - freezing Pretty - gorgeous
Crowded - packed Scary - terrifying
Dirty - filthy Small - tiny
Funny - hilarious Surprising - astounding
Good - wonderful, fantastic, excellent
Tired - exhausted
Ugly - hideous
Regular & Extreme Adjectives List - continued
Animal – cute/ adorable, ugly/ hideous, frightening/ terrifying, yucky/ revolting,
small/ tiny, big/ enormous,
Artwork – expensive/ priceless, valuable/ priceless, big/ huge, small/ tiny, good/
fantastic, clever/ genius, different/ unique,
Famous person – handsome/ stunning, pretty/ gorgeous, small/ tiny, nasty/
horrible, admired/ idolised, interesting/ captivating, energetic/ hyper, funny/
hilarious, good at…/ excellent at…, nice/ lovely, rich/ filthy rich, special/ exceptional
Festival/ Celebration/ Ceremony – expensive/ exorbitant, old/ ancient, new/ brand
new, long/ endless
Food and drink – unhealthy/ lethal, makes you full/ makes you stuffed, oily/
dripping in oil, sweet/ tooth rotting, easy to cook/ a cinch to cook, hard/ like a
rock, difficult to cook/ impossible to cook, yucky/ revolting, tasty/ delicious
Hobby/ Free-time activity – interesting/ fascinating, exciting/ thrilling, pricey/
extortionate, cheap/ free,
Job – tiring/ exhausting, stressful/ panic-inducing, dirty/ filthy, unpleasant/
horrible, good/ wonderful, interesting/ fascinating, busy/ rushed off your feet,
challenging/ impossible
Language – tricky to learn/ impossible to learn, important/ essential, beautiful/
gorgeous, ugly/ hideous
Movie – sad/ tragic, funny/ hilarious, exciting/ gripping, good/
wonderful, bad/ awful, confusing/ mind-boggling, scary/
terrifying, memorable/ unforgettable, long/ endless, moving/
heart-wrenching, silly/ idiotic, surprising/ astonishing
Music – sad/ heart-breaking, loud/ ear-splitting,
News story – important/ crucial, worrying/ panic-inducing,
sad/ tragic,
Place – difficult to get to/ impossible to get to, beautiful/
stunning, crowded/ packed, dirty/ filthy, hot/ boiling, cold/
freezing, impressive/ awe inspiring, memorable/
unforgettable, noisy/ ear-splitting, old/ ancient, nice/
delightful, poor/ poverty-stricken
School subjects/ Exams – tough/ impossible, confusing/
mind-boggling, boring/ mind-numbing, interesting/
fascinating,
Sport/ Exercise – boring/ mind-numbing, hard/ impossible,
useful/ vital, expensive/ exorbitant, painful/ excruciating
Homework
 Identify the extreme adjective
● admired/ idolized ● clever/ genius ● exorbitant/ expensive/ extortionate/ pricey
● adorable/ cute ● cold/ freezing ● filthy rich/ rich
● ancient/ old ● confusing/ mind-boggling ● frightening/ scary/ terrifying
astonishing/ surprising ● full/ stuffed
● ● crowded/ packed
● awe inspiring/ impressive ● funny/ hilarious
● crucial/ essential/ important
● awful/ bad ● heart-breaking/ sad/ tragic
● delicious/ tasty
● beautiful/ gorgeous/ handsome/ ● heart-wrenching/ moving
● delightful/ lovely/ nice hideous/ ugly
pretty/ stunning ●
● different/ unique horrible/ nasty/ unpleasant
● big/ enormous/ huge ●
boiling/ hot ● idiotic/ silly
● ● dirty/ filthy
● boring/ mind-numbing ● lethal/ unhealthy
● ear-splitting/ loud/ noisy ● memorable/ unforgettable
● brand new/ new
● endless/ long energetic/ hyper ● panic-inducing/ stressful/ worrying
● busy/ rushed off your feet
● captivating/ fascinating/ interesting ● excellent/ fantastic/ good/ ● poor/ poverty-stricken
wonderful ● priceless/ valuable
● challenging/ difficult/ hard/
exceptional/ special ● revolting/ yucky
impossible/ tough/ tricky ●
● small/ tiny
● cheap/ free ● exciting/ gripping/ thrilling
● useful/ vital
● excruciating/ painful
● exhausting/ tiring