Adverbs of Degree — Fairly, Pretty, Quite, Reasonably

🎯 Lesson Goal:

Use adverbs of degree to describe how much or to what extent something is true — with natural accuracy in speech.

1. Warm-Up (3 min)

🗣️ Discuss:

1. How are you feeling today — tired, relaxed, or excited?

2. How difficult is English grammar for you?

3. How clean is your city?

💬 Sample answers:

I’m pretty tired today.
English grammar is quite easy when I practise.
My city is reasonably clean but not perfect.

🎯 Focus: Learners naturally express degree of truth or feeling.

2. Presentation (8 min)

A. Meaning — What are adverbs of degree?

They describe how much or to what extent something happens or is true.

B. Main Adverbs in This Lesson

1. Fairly

= a little more than average; not very strong, but positive
💬 Example: The test was fairly easy. (not difficult, but not super easy either)

2. Pretty (informal, mainly spoken)

= quite; rather; used to make a strong positive comment
💬 Example: She’s pretty good at singing. (similar to quite good)

3. Quite

= medium degree; sometimes means “completely” with extreme adjectives
💬 Examples:

• The weather is quite nice today. (medium)

• I’m quite sure about that. (completely sure — strong adjective)

4. Reasonably

= to an acceptable level; moderate, fair
💬 Example: The hotel was reasonably priced. (not expensive, not cheap)

C. Strength Comparison (Approximate Intensity)

Weak → StrongExamplefairlyThe film was fairly interesting.reasonablyThe room was reasonably big.quiteThe food was quite good.prettyThe lesson was pretty easy.

(Note: “pretty” is informal, “fairly” and “reasonably” are more neutral.)

D. Common Mistake Alert 🚫

❌ “It’s very fairly good.” → wrong!
✅ “It’s fairly good.” → only one degree adverb is needed.

3. Controlled Practice (5 min)

Complete the sentences with fairly, pretty, quite, or reasonably.

1. The movie was ______ funny, but not hilarious.

2. The restaurant was ______ cheap for the quality.

3. I’m ______ tired, so I might go to bed soon.

4. The exam was ______ difficult, but I passed.

5. The weather is ______ nice today — let’s go out.

6. The hotel was ______ comfortable, considering the price.

7. She’s ______ shy when meeting new people.

8. The food was ______ tasty, though the portions were small.

✅ Answers + Explanations

1. fairly → neutral tone, not extreme.

2. reasonably → acceptable/affordable price.

3. pretty → informal, natural for “quite tired.”

4. quite → moderate difficulty.

5. quite → common with adjectives like nice.

6. reasonably → fits with “considering the price.”

7. fairly → mild description of a personality.

8. pretty → natural informal expression with tasty.

4. Transformation Practice (5 min)

Rewrite using the adverbs correctly:

1. The food was good. (use pretty)

2. The teacher is helpful. (use fairly)

3. The film was interesting. (use reasonably)

4. The weather is bad. (use quite)

5. The hotel is expensive. (use pretty)

💬 Sample Answers:

1. The food was pretty good.

2. The teacher is fairly helpful.

3. The film was reasonably interesting.

4. The weather is quite bad.

5. The hotel is pretty expensive.

🧠 Note: These adverbs always come before adjectives or adverbs.

5. Engaging Discussion (5 min)

🗣️ Use one adverb of degree in each answer:

1. How comfortable is your home?

2. How easy is it for you to wake up early?

3. How friendly are people in your city?

4. How difficult is learning a new language?

5. How healthy is your current lifestyle?

6. How good is the food where you live?

💬 Encourage:

My home is reasonably comfortable but not big.
It’s pretty hard for me to wake up early.

6. Extra Discussion (3–4 min)

💬 Deeper prompts:

1. What’s something you’re quite proud of in your life?

2. Do you think you’re reasonably patient or not?

3. Is your city fairly expensive to live in?

4. What’s something that was pretty surprising recently?

🎯 Tip: Focus on combining the adverbs with descriptive adjectives naturally.

7. Wrap-Up & Review (2 min)

🧾 Quick Recap:

AdverbMeaningExamplefairlya little more than averageIt’s fairly cold today.reasonablyacceptable, not extremeIt’s reasonably priced.quitemedium or complete (depends)She’s quite good at tennis.prettyinformal, similar to quiteHe’s pretty nice.

💬 Mini Challenge:
Say three sentences about your day — each using a different adverb of degree.

It was pretty cold this morning.
My lunch was fairly tasty.
I’m feeling reasonably happy now.