How to Use Adverbs of Degree in English Correctly

 

English is a notoriously tricky language for any native speaker of one to learn, but it’s especially difficult when it comes to understanding adverbs of degree. So what are they? And how do they work? It might seem like an impossible task if you try to tackle this question on your own, but the answer is surprisingly simple thanks to my blog post here.

 

 

Adverbs of degree are words that modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs to indicate the intensity or degree of an action. They can be used to express how strongly something is done, how much something is affected, or how likely something is to happen. Adverbs of degree are often used with gradable adjectives and adverbs, which describe things that can vary in intensity or degree (e.g., “She’s a little bit angry” or “He’s quite tall”).

 

Some common adverbs of degree include: almost, entirely, highly, quite, slightly, and very. These words can be used to modify verbs (e.g., “He ran quickly”), adjectives (e.g., “She’s very tired”), or other adverbs (e.g., “He drove extremely slowly”).

 

When using adverbs of degree, it’s important to be aware of the level of intensity you’re conveying. Using too many intensifyers can make your writing sound overexaggerated or unbelievable. For example, saying “The food was extremely delicious and I ate way too much” sounds better than saying “The food was super duper delicious and I ate way way too much.”

 

 

There are many different types of adverbs of degree, each with their own specific meaning. Here are some examples of common adverbs of degree:

 

Very: This is probably the most common adverb of degree. It is used to emphasize the extent or magnitude of something. For example, “I’m very tired” means “I am extremely tired.”

 

Too: This adverb is used to indicate that something is excessive. For example, “You’re driving too fast” means “You’re driving at an excessive speed.”

 

Enough: This adverb is used to indicate that something is sufficient. For example, “I’ve had enough of your nonsense” means “I have had enough of your foolishness.”

 

Very few people realize just how many different types of adverbs there are. In fact, there are entire books devoted to the subject. However, for the average person, it’s not necessary to know every single type of adverb. Just knowing the most common ones will suffice in most situations.

 

 

When you’re using adverbs of degree, it’s important to be aware of a few things in order to use them correctly. First, let’s review what adverbs of degree are. Adverbs of degree tell us the level or intensity of an action or adjective. They can be used to express how strongly we feel about something, or how big or small an action is.

 

 

1. Pay attention to the word order. In English, adverbs of degree usually go in front of the main verb or adjective they’re modifying. For example, if you wanted to say “I am very tired,” you would say “I am tired very.” If you want to say “This is a really great movie,” you would say “This is a great movie really.”

 

 

2. Be careful of double negatives. When you use more than one negative word in a sentence, it can actually have a positive meaning. For instance, if you say “I am not uninterested in learning more about that,” it means you are interested. To say you are not interested, you would say “I am uninterested in learning more about that.”

 

3. Make sure your adverb and verb agree in tense. If you’re talking about something that happened in the past, your adverb should be in the past tense as well. For example, if you wanted to say “Yesterday, I ran quickly to catch the bus,” you would say “Yesterday, I ran quickly to catch the bus.” However, if you wanted to say “I will run quickly to catch the bus tomorrow,” you would say “I will run quickly to catch the bus tomorrow.”

 

4. Be consistent with your adverbs. If you use an adverb to describe one verb in a sentence, make sure all the verbs are described by an adverb. For example, if you say “He slowly walked across the room and then quickly sat down,” it would be more grammatically correct to say “He slowly walked across the room and then quickly sat down.”

 

5. Pay attention to adjectives and adverbs that  have the same meaning. Some words can be used as both adjectives and adverbs, but they often have slightly different meanings. For example, the word “fast” can be an adjective (“He is a fast driver”) or an adverb (“He drives fast”). However, “fast” as an adjective means “able to do something quickly,” while “fast” as an adverb means “doing something quickly.”

 

 

 

Adverbs of degree are words that we use to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. They indicate the level or intensity of an action, emotion, or another quality. Adverbs of degree are often used with gradable adjectives and verbs, which means they can be compared on a scale from low to high. For example, “He’s a little bit taller than me” or “I’m feeling quite sick today.” When deciding which adverb to use, it’s important to consider the context and what you want to convey about the situation.