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Expressing degree

Adverbs of degree

We can use adverbs to indicate the degree to which an action is done. They answer the question 'How much?'.

She admired him deeply.
You almost killed me!
I liked her enormously.
She misses her mother dreadfully.

Sometimes these adverbs tell us more about the verb, as in the examples above. But sometimes they modify an adjective or another adverb:

modifying an adjective	modifying an adverb
She is really* sad.* adjective They are extremely* sorry.* adjective I'm feeling quite* sick.* adjective	It rained really* hard all day. adverb She ran extremely quickly to school. adverb He spoke quite softly*. adverb

When adverbs of degree make a statement stronger, they are known as intensifiers. If they make a statement less strong, they are known as down-toners.

For a PrimeTeach teaching activity which provides KS2 students with practice in using adverbs of degree, see:

Film reviews

If you would like to try to identify some adverbs of degree, click here:

Intensifiers

Here is a list of common intensifiers:

a great deal	a lot	absolutely	all
almost	awfully	completely	deeply
dreadfully	entirely	extremely	fantastically
fully	greatly	hard	hugely
immensely	incredibly	largely	much
perfectly	quite	really	remarkably
simply	so	strongly	terribly
too	totally	tremendously	truly
unbelievably	utterly	very	very much

Intensifiers can act like superlatives (absolutely, entirely, fully, utterly) or they can simply increase the force of the statement (greatly, much, so, well, a lot).

I was utterly amazed.
She sang incredibly well.
I understand perfectly.

If you would like to practise using intensifying adverbs, click here:

Down-toners

Here is a list of common down-toners:

a bit	almost	fairly	half	just
moderately	nearly	not ... much	partly	practically
rather	reasonably	slightly	somewhat

This is rather boring.
I am nearly finished.
Her homework was just acceptable.

Down-toners affect the impact of a statement in various ways:

	by giving an approximation: (almost, nearly)
		He almost* spoiled the surprise.*
	by 'hedging': (kind of, sort of, rather, more or less)
		I sort of* like her.*
	by limiting or softening the force of the statement: (mildly, slightly, somewhat, a bit, only, merely, simply, just)
		He was only* joking*.

Down-toners such as only and just are some of the most commonly used adverbs in English, and it is well worth spending time to become familiar with their usage. Correct usage will help to make your English sound more fluent.