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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Quite or Very
Quite or Very
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goodnesses
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Quite or Very
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Hi, every body.
A friend asked about what could the difference be (if any) between "quite" and "very". And when we should use one or the other.
Would you help me give him some explanations.
Thanks a lot.
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16 Sep 2008
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Zora
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Very always means "a lot"/"extremely" but "quite" could mean either "a lot" or "a little" or "not so much" depending on the adjective/adverb it�s connected to ...
example:
She drives quite slow ... means she drives not so fast WHEREAS she drives quite fast means - she drives a bit or a little faster than the norm.
When using "quite" it will always depend on the adjective/adverb it�s modifying. If it�s a positive or "good" thing, then it will mean that it is "even better"... and if it�s a negative idea, it will mean it�s "a bit worse." Whereas "very" usually means... "extremely" not ... just a little... better or worse - like "quite" does...
I�m not sure if that makes any sense or not...
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16 Sep 2008
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goodnesses
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So, if I follow your reasoning the following 2 sentences are the same in meaning.
1-The car he bought is very expensive.
2-The car he bought is extremely expensive.
and the 2 of them are different from this 3rd one.
3-The car he bought is quite expensive.
Sorry but I am not very convinced.
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16 Sep 2008
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donapeter
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maybe this way is better for you to understand.
The car he bought is very expensive.- (maybe I can make an effort and buy it)
The car he bought is extremely expensive.(i could never buy it because is more than I could ever afford)
The car he bought is quite expensive.( maybe i can find another one, the same type, at a better price)
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16 Sep 2008
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marta73
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Hi, goodnesses, can this be of any help?:
Degree can only apply to GRADABLE words. There are two kinds of gradable words:
- SCALE words, which indicate a relative position on a scale ( e.g large, small)
- LIMIT words, which indicate the end-point of a scale ( e.g black, white)
With ADJECTIVE SCALE WORDS, some degree adverbs " indicate a extreme position on a scale": e.g very friendly.
Others " intensify the meaning slightly" : e.g It�s quite expensive
With ADJECTIVE LIMIT WORDS, you would use two main classes of adverbs:
- those indicating that the limit word�s meaning is used to it�s fullest extent : e.g The story is completely true
- those indicating a position near the limit of the scale: e.g The bottle is almost empty
"QUITE" has two uses: quite= " considerably" goes with scale words ; quite= "absolutely" goes with limit words. In any case, it intensifies the meaning of the adjective.
" VERY" would not be used with limit words, since both of them indicate a extreme position on the scale and would be redundant: e.g * The story is very true
I�ve taken this from A Communicative Grammar of English , by G. Leech and J. Svartvik. ( Longman). Hope it�s not too messy! |
16 Sep 2008
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Zora
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The problem, I think is that, as you are not native speakers, you see "extreme" as meaning "the most ever" type thing when in fact it could mean "very" too in some cases.
A car that one considers "very" expensive, might be in fact "extremely" expensive to another. The modifier is sometimes subjective, not literal.
And a car that is "quite" expensive mean could mean simply that compared to another one of more value it is in fact less expensive.
It�s not a hard concept since quite just is a modifier that makes some "a little more..." or "a little less..."
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16 Sep 2008
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goodnesses
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Don�t you think Zora that you are giving "the thing and its opposite" in the same time. You say that "very" and "extremely" have the same meaning whereas your examples express the opposite since your are speaking about 2 different persons. I agree that a car that is extremely expensive for me as a teacher is certainly extremely cheap for Bill Gates. Does this mean that expensive and cheap have the same meaning?
When I say "The test was quite difficult.", for example, does it mean that it was "a little more difficult" than I expected?
Don�t you think that here, in this case, the meaning of the sentence is that I was waiting for a difficult test but the one I got was more difficult than expected. Thus "quite" means the same as "very" since more than difficult doesn�t mean, in my opinion, something else than very difficult.
So, do you agree with me if I tell you that for me this sentence "The test was quite difficult." means that the test was not easy but not as difficult as I feared. Its difficulty was within the limits of my abilities.
Waiting for your feedback.
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17 Sep 2008
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Vickiii
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From a natives perspective....a native that is just learning all of the names for rules - at that!
Quite emphasises the adjective that you couple it with or underemphasises it depending on the tone of your voice.(Couple=join)
It is quite expensive = more expensive than i want to pay
It is quite expensive = it does cost a lot but I think it is worth it.
You are driving quite slow = more slow than necessary
You need to drive quite slow = it is dangerous - please drive slowly.
BUT I find it is usually used to convery sarcasm.
Quite expensive = I expected it to be expensive, but it is even more expensive than i expected and you have to be kidding yourself if you think i will pay that!
Quite slow = you are driving really slowly and it is starting to annoy me, give me a break and speed up.
Quite tall = either - stop telling me you are tall because really you are not - or - oh my god you are freakishly tall
Quite intelligent = cough cough oh yes he is a genius, NOT!
Quite realistic = this person is on another planet and has no idea about reality.
Quite fast = slow down you lunatic before you kill us all!
Kehehe - hope that helps...  |
17 Sep 2008
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Vickiii
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and just to respond directly to one point goodnesses: I believe it is all about which word you emphasis and the context of the conversation - I would say the following:
"The test was quite difficult." the test was really difficult and i think i have failed
"The test was quite difficult."I can understand why you had difficulty becuase there were some hard parts to the test
"The test was quite difficult."The test was hard but i think i did ok.
So unfortuanetly there is no one answer sorry. English is crazy! |
17 Sep 2008
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jujuka
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Hi Bouabdellah,
Check your hotline email box. I have sent you two pages from a book entitled "Practical English Usage" by Michael Swan. The explanations about "fairly, quite, rather and pretty" may make this issue a bit clearer.
CU, Judit
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17 Sep 2008
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Zora
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lol... Vickii is correct that it will also depend on where you put the intonation in the sentence as it can convey sarcasm. :-D
And yes, goodnesses - the exam example that you used basically is the idea behind things... since had you used "very" in instead, it would mean the exam "was much more difficult than originally expected" but "quite" would convey that it was only "marginally harder than expected."
And I agree that English can be a crazy language of ideas that contrast one another and rules change just because ... a word starts with a vowel or ends with a something silly... lol (just joking btw) :-)
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17 Sep 2008
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