MSN: The pretty forest with waterfalls that tops lists of UK autumn walks The pretty forest with waterfalls that tops lists of UK autumn walks A beautiful forest with trails and waterfalls has been named the UK's best autumn walks. Hafren Forest lies north-west of Llanidloes, an ancient market town in central Wales. The forest covers around ...

Understanding the Context

Pretty is used to tone down a statement and is in wide use across the whole spectrum of English. It is common in informal speech and writing but is neither rare nor wrong in serious discourse. PRETTY definition: pleasing or attractive to the eye, as by delicacy or gracefulness. See examples of pretty used in a sentence.

Key Insights

We can use pretty as an adverb, before an adjective or another adverb, meaning ‘quite, but not extremely’. It is informal: … 1. To a fair degree; moderately: a pretty good student. 2. In a pretty manner; prettily or pleasingly.

Final Thoughts

When particularly stressed, the adverb pretty serves almost to diminish the adjective or adverb that it modifies, by emphasizing that there are greater levels of intensity.