Ungradable adjectives

Adjectives are words like "small", "green", "old", "nice", "healthy", etc. which describe the characteristics of things.

Most adjectives can be intensified with "very":

• very small
• very old

But there are certain adjectives that don't fit well with intensifiers like "very". These ungradable adjectives are

Shetland Ponies

Shetland Ponies Shoot to Fame
Shetland ponies have been recieving a lot of media attention recently and they certainly deserve it.  First, they starred in a campaign to attract visitors to their native country, Scotland. 

Weird tongue-slip

It's a terrible, terrible tragedy.

There was a major flood nearby. You've been watching news reports about it. You and a coworker are talking about how bad it is for the people that live there.

It's a terrible, terrible tragedy.

Shoot Yourself in the Foot

This is an amazing phrase used in spoken English. If you “shoot yourself in the foot” it means that you accidentally do something that is negative for you.To help you remember phrases, it’s very helpful to understand the original meaning of the phrase.

Explain how much

When you want to explain the degree of something in English, you use adverbs like these:

She's very sick.
I'm a little sleepy.
Those are common adverbs which you probably already know. What about these?

Easier said than done

You're not in very good shape. Your friend is giving you some advice. She says that you should exercise every day, but you're very busy so it's not easy to find time to exercise. You think in response to your friend's suggestion. 
Easier said than done.