I shall give a more particular description of it, ...

[Sierra2025]

My grammar textbook tells me that some adjectives can use as both gradable and non-gradable adjectives. These have different meanings though, such as old, common, etc.

I have organised the following table using a dictionary, but I'm not sure about the word "particular". AI tells me that "particular" is unlikely to be used as a gradable adjective, but I can still find example sentences such as:

> I shall give a more particular description of it, with plans and estimates, in my Essay on the Management of Heat.
> I reserve for a special message a more particular communication on this interesting subject.

or some phrases like:

> to be more particular, ...

I'm a bit confused about the word "particular". When it used as a gradable adjective, what does it mean? Have I organised it correctly in the table?

| Adjective | Gradable | Non-gradable |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| common | frequent, occurring often | shared |
| civil | polite and formal | relating to ordinary citizens or to the state |
| clean | free from dirt, marks, or stains etc | done in a fair way; having no record of offences/illicit activity; complete |
| critical | crucial | involving criticism; serious and worrying |
| empty | not containing any things or people; without purpose | not sincere or without any real meaning |
| false | not sincere or honest | untrue; wrong; not real |
| late | after the expected time | dead; former |
| odd | strange or unusual | separated from a pair or set; occasional/various |
| original | new, interesting | existing from the beginning; first or earliest |
| particular | special or great | specific; fussy or hard to please |
| straight | not curved or bent | immediately; honest, direct; uninterrupted |

 

[jutfrank]

I'm a bit confused about the word "particular". When it used as a gradable adjective, what does it mean?

It's rarely used in a gradable way, so I would suggest you don't need to worry about that. Just focus on the main ways that it is used.

There's a famous line spoken by Liam Neeson's character in the film Taken:

"... what I do have are a very particular set of skills"

In this context, he's using the phrase 'very particular' as a synonym for 'highly specialised', so the notion of gradability makes good sense. In other senses and uses of the word 'particular', gradabililty doesn't make sense.

Have I organised it correctly in the table?

No. In fact, I think the whole thing is mistaken. Did you make this table yourself or ask an AI tool to do it for you? What's your goal here?

 

[Sierra2025]

Thanks!

Indeed, I made the table myself but I still had some confusion in some places, so I used an AI tool in some places.

I did this because in the exercises of my textbook, there were exercises that asked you to distinguish between different meanings. The textbook mentioned a list of adjectives with different meanings when used as gradable/non-gradable adjectives, so I wanted to make it.

 

[jutfrank]

Well, that table is no good and won't help you.

 

[Sierra2025]

Thanks for the direct feedback. Is there a more efficient way to learn this grammar point, or is this grammar point actually not important at all and I shouldn't pay so much attention to this concept?

 

[emsr2d2]

Is there are more efficient learning method

Please use the Edit button to fix the errors above.

 

[jutfrank]

Is there are more efficient learning method to this grammar point, or is this grammar point actually not important at all and I shouldn't pay so much attention to this concept?

This is not a grammar point. It's about understanding the meaning of words, so think of it as vocabulary. Very often adjectives are used in a gradable sense, and so it's very important that you understand the notion of gradability, and equally important that you study words in good, authentic context because often words that are normally classed as ungradable are in fact gradable when used in real language.

Still, I believe that there is value in learning certain adjective pairs, such as 'tired/exhausted' for example, so that's one place that you might consider focusing your studies.