Intensifiers
What is an intensifier?
An adverb placed before an adjective to make that adjective stronger is called an intensifier:
-
The game was really entertaining.
-
The meal was very tasty.
The adverb really is an intensifier. It intensifies the adjective entertaining.
The adverb very is an intensifier. It intensifies the adjective tasty.
| Common intensifiers* | ||
| very | really | extremely |
| incredibly | exceptionally | unusually |
| particularly | remarkably | |
| Examples: remarkably fit, unusually warm, incredible easy, particularly unusual |
*These intensifiers are used before 'moderate' adjectives.
Strong adjectives
Examples of strong adjectives include wonderful, huge and freezing:
- wonderful means very good;
- huge means very big;
- freezing means very cold.
- truly sorry
- highly intelligent
- bitterly cold
- bitterly disappointed
- firmly committed
- gravely ill.
| Moderate and strong adjectives | |
| Intensifier + moderate adjective | Strong adjective |
| very good | wonderful, fantastic, perfect, brilliant |
| very bad | awful, terrible, dreadful |
| very hot | boiling |
| very cold | freezing |
| very hungry | starving |
| very clean | spotless |
| very dirty | filthy |
| very tired | exhausted |
| very big | enormous, huge, massive |
| very angry | furious, fuming, livid |
Which intensifiers do we use before strong adjectives?
We do not usually use very with strong adjectives: very huge
very awful.
With strong adjectives, we normally use intensifiers such as absolutely, completely and utterly.
| Examples of intensifiers used before strong adjectives | |
| Strong adjective | Intensifier + strong adjective |
| fantastic | absolutely fantastic |
| furious | absolutely furious, completely furious |
| huge | absolutely huge |
| exhausted | absolutely exhausted, completely exhausted |
| disgusting | utterly disgusting |
Intensifiers with particular adjectives
Certain intensifiers and adjectives are commonly used together: we often hear highly successful, but not highly famous. Instead, we’d say extremely famous.
Some common combinations include
Practise this vocabulary
Advanced vocabulary exercise: intensifiers with particular adjectives