exceptional
part of speech
adjective (exceptional, more exceptional); adverb exceptionally
meaning for a pupil
1) Exceptional means extremely good, much better than usual. tree →
2) Exceptional means unusual and not likely to happen often; out of the ordinary. tree →
sense in the lessons
In school reports it praises excellent work; in formal rules «in exceptional circumstances» means only in rare cases. In stories it marks a character with a special talent. Phrases: exceptional talent, exceptional circumstances, exceptionally good.
examples
- Her painting is exceptional; it won first prize. tree →
- He showed exceptional courage in the fire. tree →
- Homework is only excused in exceptional circumstances. tree →
- The weather was exceptionally hot for spring. tree →
- This is an exceptional case — it hardly ever happens. tree →
- The school helps exceptional pupils with extra challenges. tree →
- The orchestra gave an exceptional performance. tree →
note
From «exception» (something that does not follow the rule). Do not confuse with «exceptionable» (rare: objectionable). Two meanings — «very good» and «unusual» — context tells which.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «exceptional» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.