Grammar studies/Description & emphasis
DESCRIPTION & EMPHASIS / ALRIGHT

Intensifiers vs Mitigators

The volume control of English - turn it up or tone it down like a proper native!

AT A GLANCEIntensifiers:Put it into practice ↗
01 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

The Volume Control of English

Intensifiers and mitigators are like the volume knob on your stereo - one cranks everything up to eleven, the other turns it down so you don't wake the neighbours. Master these and you'll sound like a proper native speaker!

The Basic Difference:

  • Intensifiers: Make things STRONGER (very, extremely, absolutely)
  • Mitigators: Make things WEAKER (quite, rather, fairly)
02 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

Intensifiers: Cranking It Up!

Strong Intensifiers (For Maximum Impact):

Intensifier Strength Example What It Really Means
Absolutely Maximum Absolutely brilliant! Bloody amazing!
Extremely Very High Extremely difficult Proper hard work
Incredibly Very High Incredibly stupid Mind-bogglingly daft
Ridiculously High Ridiculously expensive Taking the piss expensive
Very Standard Very tired Knackered
03 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

Mitigators: Toning It Down

Mitigators (For When You Don't Want to Offend):

Mitigator Effect Example What It Really Means
Quite Moderate Quite good Not bad, actually
Rather Polite understatement Rather annoying Bloody irritating
Fairly Moderate Fairly easy Not too difficult
Somewhat Formal/mild Somewhat confused A bit lost
A bit Casual/mild A bit tired Could use a nap
04 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

The Gradable vs Non-Gradable Trap

Watch Out for This Sneaky Rule:

  • Gradable adjectives: Can be more or less (hot, cold, big, small)
  • Non-gradable adjectives: Absolute states (dead, perfect, unique, impossible)

Correct Usage:

  • "Very hot" (gradable)
  • "Absolutely perfect" (non-gradable)
  • "Quite tired" (gradable)
  • "Completely dead" (non-gradable)

Wrong Usage:

  • "Very perfect" (perfect is absolute!)
  • "Quite dead" (you can't be "a bit dead"!)
  • "Absolutely big" (big is gradable!)
05 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

British vs American Differences

British "Quite" vs American "Quite":

  • British: "Quite good" = moderately good (not amazing)
  • American: "Quite good" = very good (stronger meaning)
  • British: "Quite brilliant" = absolutely brilliant (with non-gradable adjectives)
  • Tip: Context is everything, you muppet!
06 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

Formal vs Informal Intensifiers

Informal Formal Example (Informal) Example (Formal)
Really Extremely Really good Extremely beneficial
Pretty Quite Pretty difficult Quite challenging
Dead Completely Dead boring Completely tedious
Bloody Remarkably Bloody awful Remarkably poor
07 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

Don't Be a Numpty - Common Mistakes

Wrong Combinations:

  • "Very unique" (unique is absolute - use "quite unique" or "rather unique")
  • "Absolutely tired" (tired is gradable - use "very tired" or "extremely tired")
  • "Quite impossible" (impossible is absolute - use "absolutely impossible")

Right Combinations:

  • "Rather unique" (polite way to say "quite special")
  • "Extremely tired" (very, very knackered)
  • "Absolutely impossible" (no bloody way!)
08 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

Slang Intensifiers (Use with Caution!)

British Slang Intensifiers:

  • "Proper": "That's proper good!" (Really good)
  • "Well": "I'm well tired!" (Very tired)
  • "Dead": "It's dead easy!" (Very easy)
  • "Mental": "That's mental expensive!" (Ridiculously expensive)
  • "Bare": "There were bare people!" (Lots of people - London slang)
09 / YOUR TURN

Practice Exercises (Turn Up the Volume!)

Exercise 1: Choose the Right Intensifier/Mitigator

1. The exam was _____ difficult. (Choose: very/absolutely)
Answer:
2. That's _____ impossible! (Choose: quite/absolutely)
Answer:
3. I'm _____ tired today. (Choose: fairly/completely)
Answer:
4. The food was _____ delicious! (Choose: extremely/quite)
Answer:

Exercise 2: Identify Intensifier or Mitigator

1. "Rather interesting" - Type:
2. "Incredibly stupid" - Type:
3. "Fairly good" - Type:
4. "Absolutely brilliant" - Type:
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Brilliant! Now you can turn the volume up or down on your English like a proper native speaker!