Intensifiers Notes
Intensifiers Notes
They are modifiers that give emphasis and extra strength to the sentence. They
belong to the class of adverbs or adverbial phrases which are used to give more
information about a verb, adjective, adverb, or phrase. An intensifier has no real
meaning by itself and can usually be removed from the sentence.
Here are some of the most common intensifiers used a lot in casual speech.
Many of these intensifiers have the ending -ly, that means “like.” It can turn an
adjective into an adverb. Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, but they
also modify other adverbs.
E.g. That lasagna is incredible. That lasagna is incredibly delicious!
Adj. Adv. Adj.
Here the adjective modifies the noun. Here the adverb modifies the adjective.
Intensifiers will work in different sentences, but they all basically mean the same
thing. E.g.:
That lasagna is remarkably good. That lasagna is so good.
That lasagna is amazingly good. That lasagna is extremely good.
Some intensifiers, however, do have different meanings. Some work best in positive
sentences, and some work best in negative sentences. E.g.:
That beach is amazingly clean. That beach isn’t clean at all.
Since intensifiers are an important way to show emotion, it is not really necessary to
use in most formal writing. You should only use them when you are speaking, but be
careful – it should not be used too much!
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intensifiers&sid=242323127
Intensifiers Exercises
I was __________ sure that I had some fruit. (so, completely, utterly)