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Maverick88 Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

Quite

1) As I know, 'quite' has 2 meanings which contradict each other. One is 'fully',completely', and the other one is 'rather','pretty'. How am I supposed to know which one is meant?

2) 'Put (an) emphasis on (smth)'

When do I need an 'an' article (if I need it at all)?

Thanks
  

Top answer

Hi, Mav', here's what I've found: 1) quite: adv] to a degree (not used with a negative); "quite tasty"; "quite soon"; "quite ill"; "quite rich" 2) I personally would say either "I want to put the emphasis on/an emphasis on" Consider this as the begining of an answer till a native sees your post, right?

— Pieanne

  • Hi, Mav', here's what I've found: 1) quite: adv] to a degree (not used with a negative); "quite tasty"; "quite soon"; "quite ill"; "quite rich" 2) I personally would say either "I want to put the emphasis on/an emphasis on" Consider this as the begining of an answer till a native sees your post, right?
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9 Answers
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Hi, Mav', here's what I've found:

1) quite: adv] to a degree (not used with a negative); "quite tasty"; "quite soon"; "quite ill"; "quite rich"

2) I personally would say either "I want to put the emphasis on/an emphasis on"

Consider this as the begining of an answer till a native sees your post, right?
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Hi Anne

According to what I found 'quite' does mean to a degree but it can mean either to an extreme degree or to a moderate\small degree. That's the whole fuss -- a word has two contradictory meanings.

Thanks anyway
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Hello

The sense of 'quite' depends on which word you put the stress.

(1) Mav speaks English quite fluently. Mav speaks very fluently.
(2) Paco speaks English quite fluently. Paco doesn't speak very fluently.

paco
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1) "quite" means "completely" when preceded by "not". In fact, "not quite" means "not completely" in the sense of "almost completely". This may be its most common use.
Otherwise, it also means "completely", but it requires a very loose interpretation of "completely" at times. That is, "quite" can be used in an exaggerated sense so that, even though it literally means "completely", the pr
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Hi CJ,

I didn't quite understand. = I didn't completely understand. (But I 'almost' understood.)
I quite understood. = I completely understood. (I understood all too well.)

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1) I quite didn't understand = I completely didn't understand?

2) I quite succeeded = I completely succeded
3) I quite didn't succeded = I failed;
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Hi Paco

How am I supposed to know where the emphasis is?
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Hello Mav

In writing you can't feel where the stress is put, but in speaking you can.


paco
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Yes, but anyway it'd be very nice to me to know how to readEmotion: smile
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"quite" is not used before "not", just "after", if at all, so 1 and 3 are not possible. You have to substitute (for 1), "I completely misunderstood", and (for 3), "I completely failed". It is not usual to use "quite" in these: ?"I quite misunderstood", ?"I quite failed", but you might hear these once in a great while. Even my contribution "I quite understood" probably should have had a
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