Adverbs of Degree
Adverbs of degree
show how much or to what degreee something happened.
For example:
- Mike is a very good student.
- I'm quite excited about my interview
tomorrow.
There are many adverbs
of degree. Some common ones include:
almost, completely, enough, extremely, hardly,
just, nearly, pretty, quite, too, scarcely,
so, such, very.
Adverbs of degree
usually go before the adjective, adverb, or
noun being modified. For example:
- That test was extremely difficult.
- You did pretty well in that test.
- I almost got an 'A' in our test.
Enough
Enough means a satisfactory amount or
degree. For example:
- I'm so busy, I haven't got enough time.
- Do you have enough potatoes?
Enough comes
after adjectives and adverbs:
- This jacket isn't big enough for me.
- She speaks English well enough to go
to an American university.
Enough usually
comes before nouns:
- We have enough money to buy our own
apartment.
We often use enough...for,
especially with people and things. For example:
- This job isn't good enough for her.
- We have enough time for a quick
lunch.
Enough...to infinitive
is also a common structure. For example:
- She's old enough to drive a
car.
- We have enough time to eat some
lunch.
Too
Too means
more than enough, an excessive amount or degree.
For example:
- This room is too hot.
- He eats too quickly.
Too is also
used with for: For example:
- This book is too simple for
me
- Our apartment is too small for
us.
Too...to infinitive
is also a common structure. For example:
- This book is too easy to study.
- Our apartment is too small to live
in.
Too and Very
Very means
something is done to a high degree, it is usually
factual. For example:
- He finishes his work very quickly.
Too means something is done to an excessive
degree, it is often a criticism.
- He finishes his work too quickly.
Very is a common
word, so if you'd like to use something different
to spice up your vocabulary try one of these:
absolutely, acutely,
amply, astonishingly, awfully, certainly, considerably,
cruel, dearly, decidedly, deeply, eminently,
emphatically, exaggeratedly, exceedingly, excessively,
extensively, extraordinarily, extremely, greatly,
highly, incredibly, indispensably, largely,
notably, noticeably, particularly, positively,
powerfully, pressingly, pretty, prodigiously,
profoundly, really, remarkably, substantially,
superlatively, surpassingly, surprisingly, terribly,
truly, uncommonly, unusually, vastly, wonderfully.
(Quoted from Roget's New Millennium¢â
Thesaurus, First Edition)
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