Use of quite with Extreme Adjectives

[greystroke]

Hi Everyone,

I have to teach a lesson on the use of quite with extreme adjectives ( E.g. Exhausted, soaked, etc) . The teacher's book ( New cutting edge) says Quite can only be used- in British English- with some extreme adjectives like exhausted , soaked, terrible and deafening and not with others like hilarious, huge, etc. Is there some reason behind this? I would like to know -- as my students would definitely like to know!

Thanks ,

Arun

 

[bhaisahab]

Hi Everyone,

I have to teach a lesson on the use of quite with extreme adjectives ( E.g. Exhausted, soaked, etc) . The teacher's book ( New cutting edge) says Quite can only be used- in British English- with some extreme adjectives like exhausted , soaked, terrible and deafening and not with others like hilarious, huge, etc. Is there some reason behind this? I would like to know -- as my students would definitely like to know!

Thanks ,

Arun

I wouldn't use "quite" with any of those adjectives.

 

[Rover_KE]

In the sense of 'completely' rather than 'fairly', I might use 'quite' before 'exhausted' (after running a marathon) and 'deafening' (of a pneumatic drill).

But I might also say 'Ken Dodd is quite hilarious' (he is very funny).

 

[probus]

Granted that there are a good many adjectives with which one would never use quite, I do not see how this supposed rule could help students of esl to learn which they are. The cases are too numerous.

 

[Tdol]

I think it's a question of collocation rather than rule.