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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Quite/rather
Quite/rather
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Minka
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Quite/rather
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I came across this explanation: "He�s quite tall" means that he�s taller than average
"He�s rather tall" means his height is not quite right
(He �s too tall or something?).
Native speakers, please: Do you agree?
Thank you very much :) |
5 Nov 2012
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lurdesilva
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According to Oxford Wordpower Dictionary, rather is stronger than quite .Maybe in this example it means he �s not as tall as you �d expect him to be, according to his age... I �m also interested in knowing the correct answer!  |
5 Nov 2012
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pilarmham
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As far as I know, he �s quite tall is emphatic, meaning he �s really tall , whereas he�s rather tall means he �s too tall, or there�s something that does not please you about his height.
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5 Nov 2012
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Minka
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I can �t find this negative meaning in a dictionary (or rather two of them) |
5 Nov 2012
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yanogator
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In this case, "quite" means the same as "very". We wouldn �t use "rather" in this description without a particular context. It indicates that his height could be a problem of some sort. You �ll love Matt, but I �ll warn you that he �s rather tall, so be sure to wear heels when you go out with him. Jim might be able to wear those trousers, but he �s rather tall, so they might be too short for him. I told Mary about you, but she �s rather shy, so she might not agree to meet you. My car is rather small, so you might not be comfortable in the back seat. EDIT: "Rather" is also used in a response to an extreme statement: I hear your brother is very rich. Yes, he is rather rich. This is the best cheesecake I�ve ever had. Yes, it is rather good, isn�t it? I hope this helps. Bruce
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5 Nov 2012
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Minka
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I can �t find this negative meaning in a dictionary (or rather two of them) |
5 Nov 2012
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yanogator
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Minka, I looked on Dictionary.com, and they don �t have it, either. I �m beginning to think that it might be more a US usage than British. It is the most common usage of "rather" in this sense here in the US. Bruce |
5 Nov 2012
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Minka
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Thanks, all of you! Thanks, Sophia for this link. I see it now :) |
5 Nov 2012
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c3ga
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In my school, there is a native speaker teacher and he says that: rather equals to normal but quite means too |
6 Nov 2012
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