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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’: He had been quite good at drawing when he was at school. (OK, moderately good but not outstanding) They were quite excited about moving to a new place. (a little excited)
When we use quite with a gradable adjective or adverb, it usually means ‘a little, moderately but not very’. It has a similar meaning to ‘rather’ or ‘fairly’: …
In a nutshell, quiet is an adjective and verb revolved around the absence of sound, while quite is an adverb that modifies other words to indicate degree. Quiet describes a silent environment or action, as in a peaceful location or the act of silencing.
26 paź 2015 · I (UK) use quite a to qualify magnitude in two simple but contradictory ways (so British!) depending on emphasis - There were quite a few people there (i.e. there were more people than expected). There were quite a few people there (i.e. you are (tactfully) suggesting that the turnout was disappointing).
In short, "quite" can mean "very" or "not so much"! In spoken English, we tend to put emphasis on the word when we are minimising something, and perhaps draw it out with a negative inflexion, for example:-was the town busy?-it was quite busy. (meaning it wasn't very busy)
Quite and quiet are two English words that are very easy to confuse, but they are actually different parts of speech. Quite is an adverb that means to the maximum extent. Quiet can be an adjective, noun, or a verb. In all cases it refers to an absence of loud noise.
Definition of quite adverb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
