Adverbs of Degree

How Much? How Intense? How Bloody Annoying?

Adverbs of degree tell us how much or to what extent something happens. They're perfect for exaggerating your feelings and making everything sound more dramatic than it actually is.

The Intensity Scale (From Meh to Mental)

Slightly

Quite

Rather

Very

Extremely

Absolutely

Position Rules (Where to Stick Them):

Before adjectives: "It's very hot."

Before adverbs: "She drives quite slowly."

Before main verbs: "I really like pizza."

After auxiliary verbs: "I can hardly see."

Common Adverbs of Degree (The Drama Scale)

Adverb	Intensity	Example	Translation
Slightly	Low	It's slightly cold	A bit nippy
Quite	Medium	She's quite tall	Taller than average
Rather	Medium-High	It's rather expensive	Pricey but posh
Very	High	I'm very tired	Knackered
Extremely	Very High	It's extremely hot	Bloody boiling
Absolutely	Maximum	I'm absolutely exhausted	Completely done in

Special Cases (The Tricky Ones)

Gradable vs Non-Gradable Adjectives:

Gradable: "very tired, quite hot, rather cold" (Can be more or less)
Non-gradable: "absolutely perfect, completely wrong, totally mad" (All or nothing)
Wrong: "very perfect" (You can't be more perfect than perfect, you muppet)

Too vs Very (The Difference That Matters):

Very: "It's very hot." (Just stating a fact)
Too: "It's too hot." (So hot it's a problem)
Very: "She's very young." (Young, but fine)
Too: "She's too young." (Too young for something specific)

Enough (The Sufficiency Checker):

After adjectives: "Is it warm enough?" (Sufficient warmth?)
Before nouns: "Do we have enough time?" (Sufficient time?)
After verbs: "I don't sleep enough." (Insufficient sleep)

Position with Different Word Types

With Adjectives (Making Them More Dramatic):

"The weather is extremely cold." (Freezing)
"This coffee is rather bitter." (Bit harsh)
"She's quite clever." (Smart cookie)

With Verbs (Intensifying Actions):

"I really enjoyed the film." (Loved it)
"She hardly speaks English." (Barely a word)
"We completely forgot about the meeting." (Total brain fade)

Practice Exercises (Dial Up the Drama)

Exercise 1: Choose the Right Degree

1. This soup is hot. (high intensity)

2. I'm tired today. (medium intensity)

3. The exam was difficult. (very high intensity)

4. She's taller than me. (low intensity)

Exercise 2: Too, Very, or Enough?

1. This coffee is hot to drink. (problem)

2. Are you tall to reach the shelf? (sufficient)

3. The weather is nice today. (just stating)

4. I don't have money for a new car. (insufficient)

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Excellent! Now you can make everything sound extremely dramatic and absolutely perfect!