Intensifiers amplify words or phrases, often as adverbs or modifiers. Common ones include “very” and “really,” but chaining them can lead to incorrect grammar. Some intensifiers rely on specialized adjectives, while others are used with comparative adjectives. Swear words and fillers are also intensifiers, but are unnecessary in formal writing. Understanding intensifiers helps non-native speakers understand English grammar and lexical units.
Intensifiers are words that are used to amplify the meanings of other words or phrases. Many times, these are in the form of adverbs or modifiers that complement verbs. Other intensifiers can be classified as different parts of the English lexicon.
Many intensifiers are extremely common words in the English language. Some of the more common ones with the broadest general usages include the words “very” and “really.” Giving these examples helps illustrate the problems with “chained intensifiers,” where these words can be strung together many times, resulting in somewhat incorrect and rather annoying grammar. For example, if someone says “it’s very, very, very, very hot outside,” the tongue suffers from overuse of an intensifier, even though it may be commonly understood.
Other intensifiers are much more substantial as they rely on more complex and specialized adjectives. For example, if an English speaker says “the car was dangerously close to the side of the road,” they are using the intensifier “dangerously,” which builds on the adjective “dangerous” and intensifies the adjective, “near,” into a very specific context. Other similar intensifiers include words like “unbelievably” and “completely,” which are also commonly used as adverbs or adjective modifiers. An English speaker might use “completely” as an adverb, as in “she read the book through” or as an adjective modifier in “The result was completely disgusting.”
Some special types of intensifiers are used with comparative adjectives. For example, the intensifier “alot” is used with comparatives, where an English speaker might say “this is much greater than that.” Other similar intensifiers include “a lot,” “a lot,” “a little,” and “by far.”
Sometimes, escalation words are technically called “swear words.” Informally, these may be referred to as “fillers”. The idea is that usually speech enhancers aren’t really needed. They often represent unnecessary additions to the sentence, and in an academic setting, instructors often encourage students to leave them out of formal writing.
Knowing the intensifiers will help a non-native English speaker better understand the real grammar of the language. It will also reveal more about the use of “lexical units” which include adverbs and adjectives. Finally, it will help illuminate the ways in which English speakers pursue comparative or superlative language.
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