ADVERBS OF DEGREE

Usage
Adverbs of degree tell us about the intensity or degree of an action, an adjective or another adverb. Common adverbs of degree: Almost, nearly, quite, just, too, enough, hardly, scarcely, completely, very, extremely. Adverbs of degree are usually placed: 1. 2. before the adjective or adverb they are modifying: e.g. The water was extremely cold. before the main verb: e.g. He was just leaving. he has almost finished.

Examples

he doesn!t quite "now what she!ll do after university. They are completely e#hausted from the tri$. % am too tired to go out tonight. He hardly noticed what she was saying. Enough, very, too &nough as an adverb meaning !to the necessary degree! goes after adjectives and adverbs.

Examples

%s your coffee hot enough' (adjective) He didn!t wor" hard enough. (adverb) %t also goes before nouns, and means !as much as is necessary!. %n this case it is not an adverb, but a !determiner!.

Examples

*e have enough bread. They don!t have enough food. oo as an adverb meaning !more than is necessary or useful! goes before adjectives and adverbs, e.g.

This coffee is too hot. (adjective) He wor"s too hard. (adverb) Enough and too with adjectives can be followed by !for someone/something'.

Examples

The dress was big enough for me. he!s not e#$erienced enough for this job. The coffee was too hot for me. The dress was too small for her. *e can also use 'to + infinitive' after enough and too with adjectives+adverb.

Examples

The coffee was too hot to drin". He didn!t wor" hard enough to $ass the e#am. he!s not old enough to get married. ,ou!re too young to have grandchildrenVery goes before an adverb or adjective to ma"e it stronger.

Examples

The girl was very beautiful. (adjective) He wor"ed very .uic"ly. (adverb) %f we want to ma"e a negative form of an adjective or adverb, we can use a word of o$$osite meaning, or not very.

Examples

The girl was ugly OR The girl was not very beautiful He wor"ed slowly OR He didn't wor" very .uic"ly. BE !AREF"#$ There is a big difference between too and very.

Very e#$resses a fact: He s$ea"s very .uic"ly. oo suggests there is a proble%: He s$ea"s too .uic"ly (for me to understand). Other adverbs l&'e very These common adverbs are used li"e very and not very, and are listed in order of strength, from $ositive to negative: extremely, especially, particularly, pretty, rather, quite, fairly, rather, not especially, not particularly. /ote: rather can be $ositive or negative, de$ending on the adjective or adverb that follows:

(os&t&ve: The teacher was rather nice. )egat&ve: The film was rather disa$$ointing.

Note on inversion

ith negative adverbs

/ormally the subject goes before the verb: S"B*E! % he VERB left goes

However, some negative adverbs can cause an &nvers&on 0 the order is reversed and the verb goes before the subject

Examples

% have never seen such courage. Never have % seen such courage. he rarely left the house. !arely did she leave the house. /egative inversion is used in +r&t&ng, not in s$ea"ing.