Intensifying Adverbs

Intensifying adverbs are words that make adjectives stronger. You already know "very" from earlier lessons. Now you will learn a wider set of intensifiers -- extremely, absolutely, utterly, and totally -- and discover that each one pairs correctly with certain types of adjectives but not others.

What You'll Learn

• How to use the intensifiers very, extremely, absolutely, utterly, and totally correctly
• The difference between gradable (ordinary) adjectives and non-gradable (extreme/absolute) adjectives
• Which intensifiers go with which type of adjective
• How to avoid common pairing mistakes that appear in examinations

When to Use

1. Strengthening an ordinary adjective: "The mathematics paper was extremely difficult, and many pupils struggled with the last question."
2. Emphasising an extreme adjective: "The hawker centre was absolutely packed during the lunch hour."
3. Expressing complete or total quality: "After running eight laps around the track, she was utterly exhausted."
4. Stressing that something is entirely the case: "The magician's trick was totally unexpected, and the audience gasped."
5. Using the most common intensifier for everyday descriptions: "The new library book is very interesting, and I finished it in two days."

How to Form

Two Types of Adjectives

Before choosing an intensifier, you need to know whether the adjective is gradable or non-gradable.

Which Intensifier Goes with Which Adjective?

Gradable and Non-Gradable Pairs

Many ordinary adjectives have a stronger, non-gradable partner. The intensifier you choose depends on which adjective you are using.

Key Rules

1. "Very" and "extremely" go with gradable adjectives only: Say "very hot" or "extremely cold", but not "very freezing" or "extremely exhausted". The adjective is already at its strongest, so "very" cannot make it stronger.

2. "Absolutely", "utterly", and "totally" go with non-gradable adjectives: Say "absolutely freezing" or "utterly exhausted", but not "absolutely hot" or "utterly cold". These intensifiers emphasise that something has reached the extreme.

3. "Absolutely" is the most versatile of the three: It works with most non-gradable adjectives. "Utterly" often pairs with negative or unpleasant adjectives (utterly terrible, utterly destroyed), while "totally" often pairs with adjectives about completeness (totally silent, totally unexpected).

4. "Really" works with both types: Unlike other intensifiers, "really" can modify both gradable and non-gradable adjectives. "The curry is really spicy" and "The view is really stunning" are both correct. However, in formal writing and examinations, prefer the specific intensifier.

5. Position the intensifier directly before the adjective: The intensifier always comes immediately before the adjective it modifies. "The performance was absolutely brilliant." Not "The performance was brilliant absolutely."

6. Do not stack intensifiers: Use only one intensifier at a time. Say "very difficult" or "extremely difficult", but not "very extremely difficult".

Common Mistakes

Clue Words

Gradable adjective signals (pair with very / extremely)

hot, cold, big, small, tall, short, difficult, easy, interesting, boring, important, beautiful, happy, sad, angry, tired, hungry, scared, good, bad, nice, old, young, clean, dirty, loud, quiet

Non-gradable adjective signals (pair with absolutely / utterly / totally)

freezing, boiling, enormous, tiny, exhausted, terrified, furious, starving, amazing, astonishing, brilliant, terrible, awful, dreadful, perfect, impossible, outstanding, hideous, devastated, silent, unexpected

Quick pairing test

If you can say "a bit ___" before the adjective and it makes sense, the adjective is gradable (use very/extremely). If "a bit ___" sounds wrong, the adjective is non-gradable (use absolutely/utterly/totally).

• "a bit tired" -- makes sense, so "tired" is gradable: very tired
• "a bit exhausted" -- sounds wrong, so "exhausted" is non-gradable: absolutely exhausted

Tip: Remember the rule "Very for Varying, Absolutely for Already-extreme." If the adjective can vary in degree (a little hot, quite hot, very hot), use "very" or "extremely". If the adjective is already at the extreme (freezing, perfect, enormous), use "absolutely", "utterly", or "totally".

Practice Tips

1. The "a bit" test: Before choosing your intensifier, try putting "a bit" before the adjective. If "a bit tired" sounds natural, the adjective is gradable -- use "very" or "extremely". If "a bit exhausted" sounds odd, the adjective is non-gradable -- use "absolutely", "utterly", or "totally".

2. The replacement check: If you are unsure whether an adjective is gradable or non-gradable, try replacing it with a simpler synonym. "Freezing" means "very cold", so it is already extreme -- use "absolutely freezing". "Cold" can be a little cold or very cold, so it is gradable -- use "very cold" or "extremely cold".

3. The negative/positive split for utterly and totally: When choosing between "utterly" and "totally", notice that "utterly" tends to appear with negative or strong emotions (utterly devastated, utterly hopeless, utterly ridiculous), while "totally" works with both positive and neutral contexts (totally brilliant, totally unexpected, totally silent).

4. Highlight and sort: When reading a passage, highlight every intensifier and the adjective it modifies. Sort them into two columns: gradable pairings and non-gradable pairings. This trains your eye to spot incorrect pairings quickly during examinations.

Quick Reference

Intensifier Pairing Guide

Common Gradable-to-Non-Gradable Upgrades