Friday, October 30, 2015

Adjective intensifiers


There are some words which can be used to 'intensify' many adjectives – 'very', 'really', 'totally', 'absolutely', 'completely', 'extremely', 'utterly' and 'entirely'.
·    It's very tall.
·    We're really happy.
·    She's totally exhausted.
·    I'm absolutely horrified.
·    He's completely hopeless.
·    You look utterly miserable.
·    I'm entirely satisfied.
Certain adjectives have their own 'special' intensifiers which are often used with them. Here are some common ones:
blind drunk
·    He was blind drunk and behaved really badly.
bone dry
·    I must have a drink. I'm bone dry.
brand new
·    I've just bought a brand new car.
crystal clear
·    The sea near Rhodes is crystal clear.
dead easy
·    That exam was dead easy. I've certainly passed.
dead lucky
·    He's won three lottery prizes this year. He's dead lucky.
dead right
·    I agree entirely. You are dead right.
dirt cheap
·    I bought my car for a dirt cheap price from an old lady who had hardly driven it.
fast asleep / sound asleep
·    I was in bed and fast asleep by nine.
·    I was sound asleep and I didn't hear anything.
paper thin
·    These office walls are paper thin. You can hear everything said in the next office.
pitch black
·    There's no moon. It's pitch black out there.
razor sharp
·    Be careful with that knife - it's razor sharp.
rock hard
·    It's impossible to dig this soil – it's rock hard.
stark naked
·    The hotel door slammed behind me and I was left standing stark naked in the middle of the corridor.
stone deaf
·    He can't hear a thing. He's stone deaf.
wide awake
·    I was wide awake by six.
wide open
·    Who left the door wide open?

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