the big/great/enormous/huge earthquake

Question

The hospitals are very busy helping the victims of the big/great/enormous/huge earthquake.Could I use all of the bolded words to modify earthquake in the above? Thanks.

Hoa Thai · Accepted Answer

AngliholicThe hospitals are very busy helping the victims of the big/great/enormous/huge earthquake

Could I use all of the bolded words to modify earthquake in the above? Thanks.

Hi Angliholic,

All four words can go with earthquake. However, in this particular present continuous context, I have a problem with great.

While other are used to talk about size, great is not usually used to describe size, but very impessive things. (e.g., great poet, great president, great economy, etc..). In that sense, great is used after one sees a result. Maybe, sometimes in the future, looking back of what this earthquake has done to / for them, people might say it was a great earthquake.

Angliholic · Answer

Hoa Thai
AngliholicThe hospitals are very busy helping the victims of the big/great/enormous/huge earthquake

Could I use all of the bolded words to modify earthquake in the above? Thanks.

Hi Angliholic,

All four words can go with earthquake. However, in this particular present continuous context, I have a problem with great.

While other are used to talk about size, great is not usually used to describe size, but very impessive things. (e.g., great poet, great president, great economy, etc..). In that sense, great is used after one sees a result. Maybe, sometimes in the future, looking back of what this earthquake, people might say it was a great earthquake.

Thanks, Hoa.

Got it!

Hoa Thai · Answer

Angliholic
Hoa Thai
AngliholicThe hospitals are very busy helping the victims of the big/great/enormous/huge earthquake

Could I use all of the bolded words to modify earthquake in the above? Thanks.
Hi Angliholic,

All four words can go with earthquake. However, in this particular present continuous context, I have a problem with great.

While other are used to talk about size, great is not usually used to describe size, but very impessive things. (e.g., great poet, great president, great economy, etc..). In that sense, great is used after one evaluates a result. Maybe, sometimes in the future, looking back of what this earthquake has done to / for them, people might say it was a great earthquake.

Thanks, Hoa.

Got it!

Hi Angelholic,

To clarify, my use of the word 'sees' is not right. Everybody who is experiencing the earthquake sees. Chaging 'sees' to 'evaluates' would fit better with the connotation of 'great', for evaluation takes time.

the big/great/enormous/huge earthquake

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