Fairly/rather

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Minhuoc

#210922 Thu, 30 Mar 06 06:16 AM

Can these words be interchangeable? Please help me.

1. The room looks fairly clean.

2. The rooms looks rather clean.

Thanks.

Minhuoc

Joined on Wed, Oct 19 2005

Full Member (358)

paco2004

#210925 Thu, 30 Mar 06 06:28 AM

I would take "fairly clean" as "moderately or tolerably clean". I am using "rather clean" in the sense that if I have to choose one between "clean" and "not clean", I'll choose "clean". But my dictionary says that "rather clean" is closer to "very clean" than "fairly clean".

paco

paco2004

Joined on Wed, Nov 17 2004

Senior Member (4,095)

In Japan today even dogs are learning how to bow-wow in English.

Minhuoc

#210926 Thu, 30 Mar 06 06:39 AM

I understand what you have explained. Thanks for that. But if you have to decide which one you choose so that you get a good mark for example. Thanks.

Minhuoc

paco2004

#210932 Thu, 30 Mar 06 06:52 AM

One of my E-J dictionaries explains the difference as follows:

Suppose a student says "The test was fairly easy". It suggests he feels happy with the easiness thinking that he could pass the test.

Suppose a student says "The test was rather easy". It suggest he is unsatisfied with the test because it was too easy for him.

paco

paco2004

Minhuoc

#210933 Thu, 30 Mar 06 06:54 AM

Thank you Paco. I will decide which one by myself.

Thanks a lot.

Minhuoc