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He talks excessively all the time. He talks extremely fast. He is extremely talkative.
He hardly stops to breathe. He reasons very quickly. His ratings are very high.
Logic suggests not using degree modifiers with absolute words; for example, "He's rather dead." Test this by using rather before:
absolute, entirely, eternal, fatal, final, finite, identical, immortal, infinite, mortal, opposite, perfect, right, straight, opposite, or unique.
DEGREE
A degree adverb may have a secondary meaning.
He was especially good at debating espeecially particularly, extremely
I'm terribly sorry. terribly very, very
He was suspiciously quiet. suspiciously unusually
He is easily the best speaker. easily clearly
He communicates fairly fluently. fairly adequately, sufficiently
He was well recommended to us. well highly, top level
Degree Adverbsintensity vs. completeness
INTENSITY
Some degree adverbs indicate intensity from very much to very little (or none).
He is extremely excited about his work.
He is somewhat excited about his work.
He is hardly excited about his work.
COMPLETENESS
Some degree adverbs indicate completenessfrom very complete to partially complete.
He is completely done with his work.
He is almost done with his work.
He is partly done with his work.
UNIQUE MEANINGS
Some degree adverbs take on new meanings, different from their meanings when used as adjectives.
He is wonderfully excited about his work. creatively
We are deeply saddened to hear about his death. profoundly
The house is easily accessible. without difficulty
He is highly regarded. top level
It is virtually trouble-free. practically
He's awfully mad. very
EXPRESSIONS
Other degree adverbs are used in expressions. (These are learned over time.)
He is plain / dead wrong. completely "dead right" but not "plain right"
You are mighty kind. extremely (nice, tall, smart, pleased positive)
He is damn rude. extremely (very informal)
It's downright unfair. completely, totally
He's real / really / pretty smart. very
He's a jolly good fellow. / He'll jolly well do. very
Degree adverbs
-a partial list
literally (1) the primary or strict meaning of a word; (2) word for word; (3) without exaggeration, actually; (4) in effect, very nearly;
virtually
(Huddleston 5834)
Adverbs for Degree
Modifying a Verb
Placement
BEFORE THE VERB BETWEEN AUXILIARY AND MAIN VERB AFTER THE VERB
Place the degree adverb before This usual placement is after the auxiliary verbs and Longer expression tend to be placed after the
the verb. before the main verb. verb.
He loves giving speeches. He will love giving a speech. He loves giving speeches .
Word Use for "Degree"
Excessive: (1) we don't believe him, or (2) there is no one like him before; unprecedented
Negatives
ambiguous (adj) something that is unclear, confusing, or not certain, especially because it can be understood in more than one way
Special Adverbs
So/Very, Too, Enough
Negatives
ERROR
*He earns too much money.
Primarily, literally means (1) word for word; however, it can also mean figuratively, virtually, nearly, in effect. See dictionary
literally.
She's a unique singer. / She's a distinctive singer.
He's dead.
Not incorrect, but logic suggests not using degree modifiers with absolute words. For example, it is confusing to use rather before:
absolute, dead, entirely, eternal, fatal, final, finite, identical, immortal, infinite, mortal, opposite, perfect, right, straight, opposite, or
unique.