Gradable and Non-Gradable Adjectives

What you’ll learn

Choose degree modifiers that fit the intended scale.

ជ្រើសពាក្យបង្ហាញកម្រិតឱ្យសមនឹងន័យគុណនាម។

Meaning and use

Gradable adjectives describe a scale and commonly take very, rather, or slightly. Extreme or absolute adjectives often pair with absolutely or completely. Usage is flexible and rhetorical: nearly perfect is meaningful, and very unique occurs informally, but precise edited writing may prefer a clearer degree or description.

គុណនាមខ្លះមានកម្រិតដូចជា cold ហើយប្រើ very បាន។ គុណនាមខ្លះបង្ហាញកម្រិតខ្លាំង ឬដាច់ខាត ហើយសមជាមួយ absolutely/completely។ ការជ្រើសរើសអាស្រ័យលើន័យ និងបរិបទ។

Grammar patterns

Pattern	Example or form
Scalar degree	very cold / slightly difficult
Extreme or absolute meaning	absolutely freezing / completely empty / nearly perfect

Examples

1. The room is very cold.

   បន្ទប់ត្រជាក់ខ្លាំង។

2. The water is absolutely freezing.

   ទឹកត្រជាក់ខ្លាំងបំផុត។

3. The hall was completely empty.

   សាលទទេទាំងស្រុង។

4. Her explanation was almost perfect.

   ការពន្យល់របស់នាងស្ទើរតែល្អឥតខ្ចោះ។

Everyday conversation

Dara: Was the exercise difficult?

Maly: Slightly difficult at first, but the final question was absolutely impossible for me.

Common mistakes

Instead of	Use	Why
The answer is very completely wrong.	The answer is completely wrong.	Avoid stacking incompatible degree modifiers without a clear intended effect.
It is a slightly excellent result. (intended: strong praise)	It is an excellent result.	Slightly does not naturally express the intended strong positive evaluation here.

Practice

Try these questions before opening the answers. Write or say each answer.

សាកល្បងឆ្លើយសំណួរទាំងនេះជាមុនសិន មុននឹងបើកមើលចម្លើយ។ អ្នកអាចសរសេរ ឬនិយាយចម្លើយរបស់អ្នក។

1. Choose the more natural neutral phrase: (very / absolutely) freezing.
2. Complete: The box contained nothing; it was ___ empty.
3. Is nearly perfect necessarily contradictory?

Answers and explanations

Show answers / បង្ហាញចម្លើយ

1. absolutely freezing

   Freezing has an extreme meaning in this use.

2. completely

   Completely fits the absolute description.

3. No.

   Nearly means close to the ideal endpoint, without claiming the endpoint has been reached.

Quick recap

• Scalar degree: very cold / slightly difficult
• Extreme or absolute meaning: absolutely freezing / completely empty / nearly perfect