are these words commonly used？：很好 、极好 、非常好 、相当好 、特别好 、十分好、极其好

Question

I am wondering what the differences are between these and how they could be used (example sentences would be awesome!). Thank you!

Answer 1

Let's forget about '好', you can replace it with any other adjective. Your question is about the difference between superlatives

很 = is; very

极 = very; extremely

非常 = very; extraordinarily

相当 = quite; very

特別 = very; especially

十分 = very (fully)

极其, 极之 (more colloquial) are the same as 極 (more literary)

Examples:

她的成绩很好 = her grade is good/ her grade is very good

她的成绩极好 = her grade is very good/ her grade is extremely good

她的成绩相当好 = her grade is quite good/ her grade is very good

她的成绩特别好 = her grade is very good/ her grade is especially good

她的成绩十分好 = her grade is very good

More examples:

他跑得很快 = he runs fast/ he runs very fast

他跑得极快 = he runs very fast/ he runs extremely fast

他跑得相当快 = he runs quite fast/ he runs very fast

他跑得特别快 = he runs very fast/ he runs especially fast

他跑得十分快 = he runs very fast

Answer 2

1. 很, 非常, and 十分 are by far the most colloquial and rather interchangeable. Note, however, an adverb of degree is usually incorporated in some sentences by default (e.g., compare 他很高 vs ?他高; the former is more idiomatic). In these instances, 'very' has a weak semantic presence.

2. 極 and 極其 are fairly written. 極 may work better with simpler, monosyllabic adjectives, e.g. 極好的機會 ('a splendid opportunity'), 極高的風險 ('very high risk'). 極其 may work better with more complex, bisyllabic adjectives. So 極其好 doesn't sound right, but 極其嚴峻 ('extremely serious') and 極其危險 ('extremely dangerous') are fine.

3. 相當 is also fairly written. So it sounds weird if the answerer in sentence b. uses 相當 as 'very', because it is only a friendly, informal conversation. Compare the formality to sentence a.

   a. 這家公司開出的條件相當誘人。 The offer of this company is very tempting.

   b. Q: 你喜歡這個娃娃嗎？ Do you like this doll? A: 我相當喜歡。 I like it very much.

4. 特別 means 'especially', which means there is implied comparison. This is absent in 很. In sentence b., there is implied comparison with the listener's previous performance. In sentence c., there is implied comparison with people other than the listener themself.

   a. 你這次考試的成績很好。 Your grades in this exam are (very) good.

   b. 你這次考試的成績特別好。 Your grades in this exam are especially good. (perhaps implying you did better than before)

   c. 你的成績特別好。 Your grades are especially good. (perhaps implying you did better than others)