-is-this-fft-'s blog

Is "quite easy" easier or harder than "easy"?
By -is-this-fft-, history, 4 years ago, In English

There have been some questions about this comment (and its parents) and it seems different people understand the expression differently. So I wanted to create a poll.

If your answer is "depends on the context", vote based on the context of that comment.

  • Vote: I like it
  • +52
  • Vote: I do not like it

Comments Comments (54)
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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +502 Vote: I do not like it

Upvote this and downvote the other if you think "quite easy" is harder than "easy".

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it -27 Vote: I do not like it

    Is it was "easy" or "quite easy" way of getting contribution? :)

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      4 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it +15 Vote: I do not like it

      People were supposed to upvote one and downvote the other to keep the contribution balanced. But it seems many did not get the idea.

      Anyway at this stage even +300 voted comments only change contribution by +1. The only way to seriously get cobtribution for me is to write rounds and tutorials.

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it -236 Vote: I do not like it

Upvote this and downvote the other if you think "quite easy" is easier than "easy".

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
    ← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it +19 Vote: I do not like it

    Why both comment is upvoted?

    UPD:now this comment is heavily downvoted.

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +32 Vote: I do not like it

This is quite a predicament.

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it -36 Vote: I do not like it

it depends on my left heel and gladiolus.

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4 years ago, # |
← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it +64 Vote: I do not like it

Quite easy is harder than easy

Excerpts from a grammar book

Quite is a degree adverb. It has two meanings depending on the word that follows it: ‘a little, moderately but not very’ and ‘very, totally or completely’:

When we use quite with a gradable adjective or adverb, it usually means ‘a little, moderately but not very’

When we use quite with a non-gradable adjective or adverb (an extreme adjective or adverb has a maximum and/or minimum, for example right – wrong), it usually means ‘very’, ‘totally’ or ‘completely’:

So "quite easy" means "it is somewhat/slightly easy".

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/quite

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

    Grammerforces

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +3 Vote: I do not like it

    Looking at the votes above, we can conclude Indians have other opinion.

    Why?

    • they are the most frequent nation here
    • we already know how they give contests and solve questions
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      4 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it +51 Vote: I do not like it

      *problems

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      4 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it -14 Vote: I do not like it

      Hey Wait, What is your last point! How they give contests? Due to some cheaters don't blame a whole country, Please! It really hearts those who are trying harder to get better!

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +21 Vote: I do not like it

Also, is "almost surely" more or less reliable than just "surely"?

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

    While "almost surely" literally means "with a 100% probability", I don't know if "surely" means "always" or "I guess so". In russian, however, "almost surely" is "почти наверное", which, being translated outside of a mathematical context, turns into something like "almost maybe", which definitely sounds very doubtful

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      4 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it +26 Vote: I do not like it

      While "almost surely" literally means "with a 100% probability"

      I think that's the definition in math only.

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      4 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

      well, the problem is in "наверное" changing it's meaning from "surely" to the current one.

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      4 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

      I suppose "почти наверняка" is better translation for this

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +27 Vote: I do not like it

    It is almost surely less reliable.

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +1 Vote: I do not like it

In the context, how about "trivial"? As in "doesn't require much insight, but still might require some tedious effort".

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

    Someone already got mad when I said "quite easy", can you imagine the reaction if I had said "trivial"? xd

    Anyway, while this problem doesn't need any "special" insight, it still needed just enough thinking to not be called "trivial".

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

    I wouldn't call a tedious problem trivial. Maybe trivial to solve.

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +5 Vote: I do not like it

It should be ez4me.

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +25 Vote: I do not like it

    ez4ence

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      4 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it +3 Vote: I do not like it

      not so EZ4ENCE now I guess, I mean, at least they have upgraded the fIrEpOwEr

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +46 Vote: I do not like it

Well, I was 100% sure that "quite easy" is more difficult than "easy" but it seems many people here understand it in a different way.

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +55 Vote: I do not like it

    Same. I wonder what's the distribution of answers depending on age or rating.

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +68 Vote: I do not like it

    I thought quite easy means that it is very easy. Like for example: "That is quite good" meaning, that is very good. I usually replace quite with very that is how I understood that "quite easy" means "very easy". Seems like I am wrong?

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +22 Vote: I do not like it

It's 12:30 AM here, now I can't sleep before knowing the answer.

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4 years ago, # |
← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it +17 Vote: I do not like it

Would be nice to have a CP dictionary, published by CF community.

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +31 Vote: I do not like it

People can't even vote in such way that sum of contribution on 2 first comments is equal to 0. What do you really expect from that poll? Also considering that a majority of people here solve questions instead of problems, can this poll really show something?

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

    Then disable CF for Indians for a week poll to be real.

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      4 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it +20 Vote: I do not like it

      we definitely need a feature "Let downvote/upvote my comments only for people with rating from a range [L, R]"

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        4 years ago, # ^ |
          Vote: I like it +13 Vote: I do not like it

        everyone be like: Aright, imma set L and R to my rating of my alt account and keep spamming useless comments for free contribution.

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          4 years ago, # ^ |
            Vote: I like it +15 Vote: I do not like it

          You think everyone would do that? So you would do that?

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            4 years ago, # ^ |
              Vote: I like it -29 Vote: I do not like it

            I wouldn't waste my time for that, But the idea its self is weird.

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        4 years ago, # ^ |
          Vote: I like it -20 Vote: I do not like it

        let L be 1321 and R 2391

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +104 Vote: I do not like it

Personally, I read (and use) "quite easy" as meaning easier than just "easy", and I might use it in opposition to "fairly easy". The grammar book that someone cited above is for British English, so maybe this is an area where British English and American English differ.

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
    ← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it +30 Vote: I do not like it

    +1. I thought "quite" could be replaced by "very" (with some exceptions like "quite a few"). As Japanese people usually learn American English (and little about British English, such as "centre") and so do I, I am quite shocked here.

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +18 Vote: I do not like it

    Indeed, this seems to be the case. Here is a relevant video:

    https://youtu.be/4xOooQvE9d0?t=166

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      4 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it +9 Vote: I do not like it

      I don't understand why I subconsciously follow American English even though I attended a school following British English.

      That video clears all confusion! Thanks for sharing.

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4 years ago, # |
← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it -56 Vote: I do not like it

give me contribution and I will tell you the answer.

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

    He doesn't want your answer then. XD

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    4 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +26 Vote: I do not like it

    Anyway, you got contribution (you didn't say whether u wanted positive contribution or negative). Now tell your answer.

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

I think "quite easy" is like a little bit harder than "easy" but not too hard.

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +45 Vote: I do not like it

unpopular opinion
easy - epsilon <= quite easy <= easy + epsilon

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4 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

just use relatively easy....

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