Intensifiers and emphatic expression

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 particularly
exceptionally remarkably
incredibly 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 really
completely quite
exceptionally totally
particularly 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 adjectives

Some intensifiers go with particular adjectives depending on the meaning of the adjective:
I'm afraid your wife is dangerously ill.
The engine was dangerously hot.
The car was seriously damaged.
Fortunately none of the passengers was seriously hurt.

Some intensifiers go with particular adjectives. For example, we use the intensifier highly with
adjectives successful, intelligent, likely and unlikely:
He was highly intelligent.
She’s a highly successful businesswoman.

but we do NOT say:

We had a highly tasty meal.
That is a highly good idea.

We use the intensifier bitterly with the adjectives disappointed, unhappy and cold:

I was bitterly unhappy at school.
We were bitterly disappointed to lose the match.
It can get bitterly cold in winter.

You need to use your dictionary to find which nouns these intensifiers go with.
Intensifiers with particular adjectives 1
Intensifiers with particular adjectives 2

Level: intermediate

Intensifiers with comparatives and superlatives

We use these words and phrases as intensifiers with comparative adjectives:
 much a great deal
far a good deal
a lot a good bit
quite a lot 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 perfect
complete real
total 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
 An emphatic expression
An emphatic expression is one that is said with emphasis and stress to indicate
importance.  This type of expression is used to show you have strong feelings
about what you are saying.  Often emphatic expressions that are written have
an exclamation point (!) at the end of the sentence. While spoken emphatic
phrases have stress on the word that is used to emphasize or intensify your
feelings.

Creating an emphatic expression involves adding an adverb intensifier to your

existing sentence or expression to make your feelings even stronger.  In an
emphatic phrase the adverb intensifier is always added before the verb. 
Perhaps most common emphatic intensifiers in English are “really” and “very
much.” 

Some useful emphatic intensifiers:

Deeply: – strongly, with much feeling                    Fully: – completely, without any

doubt
Positively: – without any doubt                              Really: – strongly
Sincerely: – with my best wishes in mind               Strongly: – with conviction
Totally: – without any doubt                                   Utterly: – without any doubt
Very much* – strongly

*Directly emphasizing a verb with the adverb ‘very’ requires also using the word ‘much’ not just the word ‘very’ by
  itself. The word ‘very’ by itself is used to emphasize other adverbs or adjectives.
  For example: I very much doubt he ate the pizza. vs. He ate a very big pizza.

1.      Use the emphatic intensifiers in the box above in the sentences below. (Some words
can be used more than once):

(A)   We ___________________________ deny any wrongdoing.

(B)   I _____________________________ regret my decision now.
(C)   We ___________________________ appreciate all of your help.
(D)   He _____________________________believes he is right regardless of what
evidence we provide him with to the contrary.
       (E) We’d like to _________________________ encourage you to apply for the job.
       (F) My company ________________________ supports working from home.
       (G) They ________________________ reject any compromise in the negotiations.

2. Choose the most suitable word or phrase given:

(A)    I expected to receive three letters, but none __________________________ arrived.

        (i) all                (ii) completely      (iii) whatsoever    (iv) utterly
 (B) I was so tired I ___________________________________ had to take a nap.
           (i) simply         (ii) utterly              (iii) quite                 (iv) by no means
 (C) I’ll take this tie. It’s the ________________________ thing I’m looking for.
        (i) just                (ii) quite                 (iii) sheer                (iv) very
 (D) If you ask me, it’s a / an __________________________ waste of time.
        (i) sheer            (ii) absolutely          (iii) very                 (iv) really
 (E) I ________________________ like your new shoes. Where did you buy them?
        (i) would           (ii) do                       (iii) utterly              (iv) just
 (F) Helen’s new boyfriend is not _______________________ what I expected.
       (i) at all                (ii) just                    (iii) absolutely        (iv) very
  (G) ____________________________ do you think you are doing, might I ask?
       (i) Actually         (ii) Just                     (iii) Whatever         (iv)What
       
ANSWERS: EMPHATIC EXPRESSIONS

Some useful emphatic intensifiers:

Deeply: – strongly, with much feeling                    Fully: – completely, without any
doubt
Positively: – without any doubt                              Really: – strongly
Sincerely: – with my best wishes in mind               Strongly: – with conviction
Totally: – without any doubt                                   Utterly: – without any doubt
Very much* – strongly

*Directly emphasizing a verb with the adverb ‘very’ requires also using the word ‘much’ not just the word ‘very’ by
  itself. The word ‘very’ by itself is used to emphasize other adverbs or adjectives.
  For example: I very much doubt he ate the pizza. vs. He ate a very big pizza.

1.   Use the emphatic intensifiers in the box above in the sentences below. (Some words
can be used more than once):

(A)   We totally / strongly / utterly deny any wrongdoing.

(B)   I deeply /very much /really /utterly regret my decision now.
(C)   We sincerely / really appreciate all of your help.
(D)   He deeply / positively / very much / fully / really / strongly/ uttgerly believes he is
right regardless of what evidence we provide him with to the contrary.
       (E) We’d like to really / strongly encourage you to apply for the job.
       (F) My company totally / very much / fully /strongly supports working from
home.
       (G) They totally / very much / fully / really /strongly /utterly reject any
compromise in the
              negotiations.

2. Choose the most suitable word or phrase given:

(A)                        I expected to receive three letters, but none whatsoever arrived.

            (i) all                (ii) completely      (iii) whatsoever    (iv) utterly
 (B) I was so tired I simply had to take a nap.
           (i) simply         (ii) utterly              (iii) quite                 (iv) by no means
 (C) I’ll take this tie. It’s the very thing I’m looking for.
        (i) just                (ii) quite                 (iii) sheer                (iv) very
 (D) If you ask me, it’s a sheer waste of time.
        (i) sheer            (ii) absolutely          (iii) very                 (iv) really
 (E) I do like your new shoes. Where did you buy them?
        (i) would           (ii) do                       (iii) utterly              (iv) just
 (F) Helen’s new boyfriend is not at all what I expected.
       (i) at all                (ii) just                    (iii) absolutely        (iv) very
 (G) Whatever do you think you are doing, might I ask?
       (i) Actually         (ii) Just                     (iii) Whatever         (iv) What