Level: intermediate
We use words like very, really and extremely to make adjectives stronger:
It's a very interesting story.
Everyone was very excited.
It's a really interesting story.
Everyone was extremely excited.
We call these words intensifiers. Other intensifiers are:
| amazingly exceptionally incredibly |
particularly remarkably unusually |
We also use enough to say more about an adjective, but enough comes after its adjective:
If you are seventeen, you are old enough to drive a car.
I can't wear those shoes. They're not big enough.
Intensifiers with strong adjectives
Strong adjectives are words like:
| very big | enormous, huge |
|---|---|
| very small | tiny |
| very clever | brilliant |
| very bad | awful, terrible, disgusting, dreadful |
| very sure | certain |
| very good | excellent, perfect, ideal, wonderful, splendid |
| very tasty | delicious |
We do not normally use very with these adjectives. We do not say something is very enormous or someone is very brilliant.
With strong adjectives, we normally use intensifiers like:
| absolutely completely exceptionally particularly |
really quite totally utterly |
The film was absolutely awful.
He was an exceptionally brilliant child.
The food smelled really disgusting.
- Normal and strong adjectives
- Intensifiers 1
- Intensifiers 2
| Be careful! |
|---|
|
Level: advanced Intensifiers with particular adjectivesSome intensifiers go with particular adjectives depending on the meaning of the adjective:
Some intensifiers go with particular adjectives. For example, we use the intensifier highly with the adjectives successful, intelligent, likely and unlikely:
but we do NOT say:
We use the intensifier bitterly with the adjectives disappointed, unhappy and cold:
You need to use your dictionary to find which nouns these intensifiers go with.
|
Level: intermediate
Intensifiers with comparatives and superlatives
We use these words and phrases as intensifiers with comparative adjectives:
| much far a lot quite a lot |
a great deal a good deal a good bit a fair bit |
He is much older than me.
New York is a lot bigger than Boston.
We use much and far as intensifiers with comparative adjectives in front of a noun:
France is a much bigger country than Britain.
He is a far better player than Ronaldo.
We use easily and by far as intensifiers with superlative adjectives:
The blue whale is easily the biggest animal in the world.
This car was by far the most expensive.
- Intensifiers with comparatives and superlatives
Level: Advanced
Adjectives as intensifiers
We use some adjectives as intensifiers with nouns:
| absolute complete total |
perfect real utter |
We say:
He's a complete idiot.
They were talking utter nonsense.
but we do NOT say:
The idiot was complete.
The nonsense they were talking was utter.
- Adjectives as intensifiers 1
- Adjectives as intensifiers 2
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Respected team,
Hello,
The job was too demanding so many people quit.
What is role of "so" in this sentence? Is it conjunction or adverb?
Thank you
Hi Hosseinpour,
It's a conjunction. It introduces the result of the first clause.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello sir,
Shouldn't be there a comma before "so"?
Thank you
Hi Hosseinpour,
Normally, yes. However, in informal writing, the comma is often left out.
If "so" was an adverb in that sentence, then a conjunction would need to be added, e.g. The job was too demanding and so many people quit.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Thank you sir for the help and time.
Thank you
Hi there about adjectives as intesifiers the sentence: He's a complete idiot.
is the two words 'complete idiot' are adjectives together am i right? Thank you
Hi osmank61,
No, I'm afraid not. You have an adjective ('complete') and a noun (idiot) here: a complete idiot.
The adjective from the word 'idiot' would be 'idiotic' and if you wanted to use it you would modify it with an adverb: completely idiotic.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team