fairly

Quite
rather
pretty

Adverb

Adjective

+
+
+

+
+
+

Unit 104; Part A

Unit 104; Part B

Noun

Verb

Unit 104; Part C

Unit 104; Part D

Unit 104; Part E

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You can use quite / pretty / rather / fairly + adjectives or adverbs. So you can say:
It's quite cold. It's pretty cold. It's rather cold. It's fairly cold.
Quite / pretty / rather / fairly = less than 'very' but more than 'a little'.

Quite and pretty are very similar in meaning:

You'll need a coat when you go out. It's quite cold / pretty cold. (= less than 'very cold', but
more than 'a little cold')
I'm surprised you haven't heard of her. She's quite famous / pretty famous.
Amanda lives quite near me, so we see each other pretty often.
Pretty is an informal word and is used mainly in spoken English.
Quite goes before a/an:
We live in quite an old house. (not a quite old house)
Compare:
Sally has quite a good job.
Sally has a pretty good job.
You can also use quite (but not pretty) in the following ways:
quite a/an + noun (without an adjective):
I didn't expect to see them. It was quite a surprise. (= quite a big surprise)
quite a lot (of ...):
There were quite a lot of people at the meeting.
quite + verb, especially like and enjoy:
I quite like tennis, but it's not my favourite sport.

Rather is similar to quite and pretty. We often use rather for negative ideas:
The weather isn't so good. It's rather cloudy.
Paul is rather shy. He doesn't talk very much.
Quite and pretty are also possible in these examples.
When we use rather for positive ideas (good/nice etc.), it means 'unusually' or

'surprisingly':
These oranges are rather good. Where did you get them?

Fairly is weaker than quite / rather / pretty. For example, if something is fairly good,
it is not very good and it could be better:
My room is fairly big, but I'd prefer a bigger one.
We see each other fairly often, but not as often as we used to.

Quite also means 'completely'. For example:

'Are you sure?' 'Yes, quite sure.' (= completely sure)
Quite means 'completely' with a number of adjectives, especially:
sure right true clear different incredible amazing
certain wrong safe obvious unnecessary extraordinary impossible

She was quite different from what I expected. (= completely different)

Everything they said was quite true. (= completely true)
We also use quite (= completely) with some verbs. For example:
I quite agree with you. (= I completely agree)
Not quite = not completely:
They haven't quite finished their dinner yet.
I don't quite understand what you mean.
'Are you ready yet?' 'Not quite.' (= not completely)

Fairly, quite, rather and pretty

September 4, 2012 - http://www.englishgrammar.org/wp-content/plugins/post2pdfconverter/post2pdf-converter-pdf-maker.php?id=2276

http://www.englishgrammar.org/wpcontent/plugins/post2pdf-converter/post2pdf-converter-pdf-maker.php?id=2276
Fairly, rather, quite and pretty are all degree modifiers. They are used to express the degree
to which a certain quality is present. Fairly does not show a high degree of something, rather
and quite do. Test your understanding of these degree modifiers with this grammar exercise.
Each question is followed by four suggested answers. Choose the most appropriate one.
1. How was the movie? .. good. Not the best one I have
seen this year.
a) fairly
b) quite
c) rather
d) pretty
2. I . think we are going to lose.
a) pretty
b) rather
c) surely
d) very
3. We are having . a bit of trouble with the kids just now.
a) rather
b) quite
c) pretty
d) fairly
4. You are .. the most interesting woman I have ever
known.
a) rather
b) quite
c) pretty
d) fairly
5. She didnt run . fast enough for a record.
a) pretty
b) rather
c) quite
d) fairly
6. We were .. hoping you could stay to supper.
a) rather

b) pretty
c) quite
d) fairly
7. I speak French well enough for everyday
purposes.
a) pretty
b) rather
c) quite
d) fairly
Answers
1. How was the movie? Fairly good. Not the best one I have seen this year.
2. I rather think we are going to lose.
3. We are having quite a bit of trouble with the kids just now.
4. You are quite the most interesting woman I have ever known.
5. She didnt run quite fast enough for a record.
6. We were rather hoping you could stay to supper.
7. I speak French fairly well enough for everyday purposes.

Well, these words drive me mad. I don't know which to choose in these sentence:
1. She is ... stupid, but ... good-looking.
a. quite/ fairly

b. rather/ fairly
c. rather/ pretty
d. pretty/ rather
2. My rommate is feeling ... better today.
a. pretty
b. fairly
c. rather
d. quite
3. My patience was ... well-exhausted.
a. pretty
b. rather
c. quite
d. fairly
4. The book is ... too difficult for a child of five to read.
a. quite
b. fairly
c. rather
d. all are correct
5. He ... understands others.
a. rather
b. very
c. fairly
d. quite
And by the way, can you explain the difference of these word's usage?
Thank you very much.
_________________
On earth there is nothing great but man, in man there is nothing great but mind.
Usage of pretty, quite, rather, fairly #2 (permalink) Wed Jul 09, 2008 8:49 am
Usage of pretty, quite, rather, fairly
How about giving them a try first, Sophie?
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Usage of pretty, quite, rather, fairly #3 (permalink) Wed Jul 09, 2008 15:42 pm
Usage of pretty, quite, rather, fairly
Ok, I'll try first.
I think with comparative adjective (better) and "too" (2,4), we should use
"rather". So the answers for 2 and 4 are c.
With number 5, according to me, the most suitable one is d.
Number 3: a. Because "pretty well" sounds familiar and consonant (intuition).
I have no idea for number 1.
Now I think I need your help.
_________________
On earth there is nothing great but man, in man there is nothing great but mind.
Sophie
I'm here quite often ;-)
1. All of these answers can be considered correct. The only qualification that I can
see is that register is sometimes mixed: 'pretty' is pretty casual, while 'rather' is
fairly formal.
2. You are right.

3. My patience was ... well exhausted.-- I agree with you here too, though I can't
explain why D does not work as well.
4. You are right.
5. Yes, only D works here. I think that 'quite' is the only adverb in the list that
modifies verbs.
All in all, a rather confusing test; I am quite tired of thinking about it. I'm fairly
sure that the author is not acquainted with American English, which uses 'pretty'
pretty much all the time.