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Ask for help > QUITE, RATHER, FAIRLY
QUITE, RATHER, FAIRLY
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Urpi
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QUITE, RATHER, FAIRLY
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Hi dear ones: I need to know what is the difference among these words: in the meaning if we put them from decreasing to increasing. and the usage as well. Thanks a bunch.
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14 Jun 2011
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zoemorosini
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1. Quite common= a little less than very common (It �s quite common to see Americans carrying coffee with them to work on a daily basis) 2. Rather common=somewhat common, but less than quite common (It �s rather common for people to bring their own lunch to work daily) 3. Fairly common=somewhat common, but less than rather common (It �s fairly common for people to skip breakfast altogether or to buy their lunch)
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14 Jun 2011
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yanogator
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I disagree a little. I take "quite" and "very" to be the same, but "quite" is a little more formal.
Bruce |
14 Jun 2011
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almaz
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Funnily enough, if someone says that my recent drawing, piece of writing or whatever is �quite good �, I usually assume they �re actually damning it with faint praise (unless, of course, they �re just intensely jealous). If they say it �s �rather good �, I assume they thought it would be worse. If they say it �s �fairly good �, I usually go back to the drawing board. |
14 Jun 2011
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ballycastle1
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It �s quite (as in absolutely) amazing that no-one recognises your talent, Alex. Maybe you just haven �tbeen showing your work to the right people! |
14 Jun 2011
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almaz
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Oh, Urpi! It �s just a bit of fun.
Anyway, remember that context and function are important. The OED, for example, gives different uses of �quite�: the emphatic/intensive ( �I�m quite alone� meaning �very�) or the subtractive ( �it�s quite dark� meaning �not completely�). So, asking to rank these words as decreasing to increasing doesn �t really make a lot of sense.
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14 Jun 2011
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Urpi
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Okay I get it. Thanks a lot for your help. |
15 Jun 2011
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