The key intensifiers
| Word | Position | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| very | before adj / adv | strengthens (neutral) | It's very cold today. |
| really | before adj / adv | strengthens (informal) | She's really smart. |
| so | before adj / adv | strengthens (emotional) | This film is so good! |
| too | before adj / adv | excessive (negative) | It's too hot. I can't eat it. |
| quite | before adj / adv | moderately / to some degree | The film is quite good. |
| rather | before adj / adv | more than expected (formal) | That was rather surprising. |
| enough | after adj; before noun | sufficient | Is it warm enough? · There is enough food. |
too vs. very
| Word | Sense | Result | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| very | High degree — neutral | No implied problem | The coffee is very hot. (I like it!) |
| too | Excessive — negative | There IS a problem | The coffee is too hot. (I can't drink it!) |
Enough position:
Enough goes after an adjective but before a noun: "fast enough" (adj + enough) · "enough time" (enough + noun). "She's old enough to drive." · "We don't have enough money."
Scale: weak → strong
quite good → pretty good → good → very good → really good → so good → incredibly good
quite good → pretty good → good → very good → really good → so good → incredibly good
Exercises
Choose the correct intensifier.
1. I can't sleep. The music is ___ loud!
2. She is ___ tall to play basketball. (= sufficient)
3. The pizza was ___ delicious — I loved it!
4. She speaks English ___. (= to some degree, not great but ok)