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33 Intensifiers and Mitigators Full

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242 views4 pages

33 Intensifiers and Mitigators Full

Uploaded by

ynurinisa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Intensifiers and Mitigators in English

Introduction
When speaking or writing in English, we often want to express how strong or weak something is. We
use special words to make adjectives (like "happy") or adverbs (like "quickly") stronger or weaker.
These words are called intensifiers and mitigators.
• Intensifiers make the meaning of an adjective or adverb stronger.
• Mitigators make the meaning weaker.
Understanding how to use these words will help you express yourself more precisely.

Intensifiers
What are Intensifiers?
Intensifiers are words that increase the strength of the adjectives or adverbs they modify. They help us
show a higher degree of something.
Common Intensifiers:
1. Very
2. Really
3. too
4. So
5. Extremely
6. Incredibly
7. Totally
8. Absolutely
9. Completely
Examples:
• Very: "She is very happy today."
• Really: "That was a really exciting game."
• So: "I am so tired after the trip."
• Extremely: "It's extremely cold outside."
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Created by: Ahmed Sedki
• Incredibly: "He is incredibly fast."
• Totally: "This place is totally amazing."
• Absolutely: "She is absolutely certain."
• Completely: "They were completely surprised."
Ordering Intensifiers by Degree of Intensity (from weakest to strongest):
1. Very
2. Really
3. So
4. Extremely
5. Incredibly
6. Totally
7. Completely
8. Absolutely
Explanation of Order:
• Very is a common intensifier but not as strong as extremely or absolutely.
• Absolutely and completely indicate the highest degree and are often used with adjectives that
already have a strong meaning (like "perfect" or "horrible").

Mitigators
What are Mitigators?
Mitigators are words that decrease the strength of the adjectives or adverbs they modify. They help us
show a lower degree of something.
Common Mitigators:
1. Slightly
2. A little
3. Somewhat
4. Fairly

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5. Rather
6. Quite
Examples:
• Slightly: "I'm feeling slightly better today."
• A little: "She was a little nervous before the test."
• Somewhat: "He is somewhat interested in science."
• Fairly: "The exam was fairly easy."
• Rather: "It's rather cold today."
• Quite: "The book was quite interesting."
Ordering Mitigators by Degree of Intensity (from weakest to strongest):
1. Slightly
2. A little
3. Somewhat
4. Fairly
5. Rather
6. Quite
Explanation of Order:
• Slightly indicates a very small degree.
• Quite can be stronger than rather and often suggests a moderate degree.
• Note: In some contexts, especially in British English, quite can be a mitigator, but in American
English, it can also be an intensifier.

Using Intensifiers and Mitigators Correctly


Choosing the Right Intensifier or Mitigator
It's important to pick the word that best matches the degree you want to express.
Examples with Intensifiers:
• "The movie was very good." (It was good.)
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• "The movie was extremely good." (It was better than just "very good.")
• "The movie was absolutely fantastic." (It was excellent.)
Examples with Mitigators:
• "I'm slightly worried about the test." (A small amount of worry.)
• "I'm somewhat worried about the test." (More worry than "slightly.")
• "I'm quite worried about the test." (Even more worry.)

Special Notes
Extreme Adjectives
Some adjectives already have a strong meaning, like "freezing" (very cold) or "exhausted" (very tired).
We usually use certain intensifiers with these:
• Absolutely: "She is absolutely exhausted."
• Totally: "The food was totally disgusting."
Avoiding Double Intensifiers
Usually, we don't use more than one intensifier at a time:
• Correct: "She is very happy."
• Incorrect: "She is very extremely happy."

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