italki - Hi guys! I'm just surveying, if you will, how many of you would favour 'fairly' meaning 'moderately'

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Oscar

Hi guys! I'm just surveying, if you will, how many of you would favour 'fairly' meaning 'moderately' over 'rather' or 'quite': - The film was fairly good, wasn't it? - The film was rather/quite good, wasn't it? Fairly sounds more formal to me, and it's a longer word to pronounce. Do you actually use it in day to day conversation? Thanks guys! Have a good one 🙂

Jan 9, 2023 10:20 AM

Answers · 12

I’m fairly sure I use it more than ‘rather’ and ‘quite’, which sound more British. And ‘quite’ definitely sounds much more positive to me than ‘fairly’ - an example of British understatement.

January 9, 2023

You are welcome and David's suggestion of "pretty good" is very common also in British English. I don't know if it's originally American or British but all Brıts would swear it is British English

January 10, 2023

Yes fairly is used regular by native speakers in daily conversation. The other options are also used frequently in daily speech. Also all the interchangeable options you have listed. are neither formal or informal they are all used by all social classes. in formal and informal situations equally.

January 9, 2023

It's fairly common! :) I think I use it a lot

January 9, 2023

In the US, one would almost certainly say the film was “pretty good.” The words you are asking about would all sound very stiff and unusual here, though they are very standard in other English-speaking countries. So, depends where you are!

January 9, 2023

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