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roadwalker · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 1750 Location: Ch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWrfaNN7DGg

I fall into the American camp: that is, when I say quite as a modifier in a positive sentence, it is synonymous with 'very'. "Dinner was quite good!" (And I would stress on 'good'.) In a negative sentence I mean 'almost' in the sense of failure to reach or failure to achieve. "Good effort, but you're not quite there yet."

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

"Dinner was not quite good." Sounds weird, but means almost.

"Good effort, you're quite there!" Sounds weird (kinda British, too), but means very.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 1:53 pm Post subject:

Quite right! It is weird. But not British sounding either...

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 1:55 pm Post subject:

Quite can also mean extremely, as in 'Sasha is quite brilliant'. And in negative sounding phrases, 'The Piggies are quite outrageously corrupt!'.

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 2:38 pm Post subject:

But it is not at all. Might as well have said 'kinda Japanese sounding'.

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 2:42 pm Post subject:

If you think it is British sounding, then I'll counter that by saying it sounds like Californian surfer-speak. It does, it does!!

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 2:45 pm Post subject:

Why not? I says it does, and I is quite right!

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

Let's ask Joe. Y'know, JOE MAMA!

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 2:47 pm Post subject:

You are quite the Joeker, aren't you, eh?

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

Droll.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 3:11 pm Post subject:

Quite!

johnslat · Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 3:20 pm Post subject:

Oh, quiet - you're quite wring - quit it Very Happy

"I’d better confess right away that I’m not a native American English speaker. If you could hear my accent, you’d spot in a jiffy that my native variety is British English. But stop, come back, because I can tell you about THE most important word to get your head around if you’re communicating with Americans. I know this because I’ve lived in the US for more than a decade now, and it’s still the word that I have to think about – every time.

Quite: It’s such a common word. Americans use it, Brits use it, and it’s the same word, right? Well no, not quite. Have a look at these sentences. Both Americans and Brits could say them all. But two of them mean different things, depending on whether an America or a Brit says them. Which ones?

1 This is quite interesting.
2 Quite fascinating, in fact.
3 I’m usually quite good at this kind of exercise.
4 But you’re quite correct. This is tricky.

One common meaning of quite in both varieties is ‘completely’. See 2 and 4 above. These two sentences mean the same in American and British English.

Fascinating and correct are both ungradable adjectives, so things are either fascinating/correct or not. There’s no half way about it. But there are other adjectives that are gradable, so for example, there can be different degrees of good or interesting. And that’s where things get complicated and quite means different things. See 1 and 3 above.

If your American boss says your work is quite good, should you be pleased or a little concerned? In British English quite good only means pretty good or fairly good, but in American English it’s much more positive. Quite good means very good, so you can give yourself a pat on the back.

And one last piece of advice for any American guys who are planning a first date with an English girl. Don’t be like one of my American friends and tell her you think she is quite pretty. He was lucky to get a second date."

http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/the-trickiest-word-in-american

Regards,
Quite John