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    Intensifiers: Quite

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    Nataliia Khalina
    Mitigators are words like fairly, rather, quite that weaken the strength of an adjective. They make an adjective less strong or intense. Intensifiers are words like very, really, extremely that strengthen the strength of an adjective. They make an adjective more strong or intense. With strong adjectives, intensifiers like absolutely, completely, exceptionally are used instead of very to intensify the adjective.

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    Intensifiers: Quite

    Uploaded by

    Nataliia Khalina
    46 views3 pages
    Mitigators are words like fairly, rather, quite that weaken the strength of an adjective. They make an adjective less strong or intense. Intensifiers are words like very, really, extremely that strengthen the strength of an adjective. They make an adjective more strong or intense. With strong adjectives, intensifiers like absolutely, completely, exceptionally are used instead of very to intensify the adjective.

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    Mitigators are words like fairly, rather, quite that weaken the strength of an adjective. They make an adjective less strong or intense. Intensifiers are words like very, really, extremely that strengthen the strength of an adjective. They make an adjective more strong or intense. With strong adjectives, intensifiers like absolutely, completely, exceptionally are used instead of very to intensify the adjective.

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    46 views3 pages

    Intensifiers: Quite

    Uploaded by

    Nataliia Khalina
    Mitigators are words like fairly, rather, quite that weaken the strength of an adjective. They make an adjective less strong or intense. Intensifiers are words like very, really, extremely that strengthen the strength of an adjective. They make an adjective more strong or intense. With strong adjectives, intensifiers like absolutely, completely, exceptionally are used instead of very to intensify the adjective.

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    Mitigators are the opposite of intensifiers.

    When we want to make an adjective less strong we use


    these words: fairly, rather, quite

    By the end of the day, we were rather tired.


    The film wasn't great, but it was quite exciting.

    and in informal English: pretty

    We had a pretty good time at the party.

    But
    quite

    When we use quite with a normal adjective, it makes the adjective less strong:

    The food was quite bad.


    (= The food was bad but not very bad.)

    My nephew is quite clever.


    (= My nephew is clever but not very clever.)

    But when we use quite with a strong adjective, it means the same as absolutely:

    The food was quite awful.


    (= The food was absolutely awful.)

    As a child he was quite brilliant.


    (= As a child he was absolutely brilliant.)

    Mitigators with comparatives

    We use these words and phrases as mitigators:

    a bit rather
    just a bit slightly
    a little just a little bit
    a little bit

    She's a bit younger than I am.


    It takes two hours on the train but it is a little bit longer by road.
    This one is rather bigger.

    We use slightly and rather as mitigators with comparative adjectives in front of a noun:

    This is a slightly more expensive model than that.


    This is a rather bigger one than that.
    Intensifiers

    We use words like very, really and extremely to make adjectives stronger:

    It's a very interesting story.


    Everyone was very excited.
    It's a really interesting story.
    Everyone was extremely excited.

    We call these words intensifiers. Other intensifiers are:

    amazingly particularly
    exceptionally remarkably
    incredibly unusually

    We also use enough to say more about an adjective, but enough comes after its adjective:

    If you are seventeen, you are old enough to drive a car.


    I can't wear those shoes. They're not big enough.

    Intensifiers with strong adjectives

    Strong adjectives are words like:

    very big enormous, huge

    very small tiny

    very clever brilliant

    very bad awful, terrible, disgusting, dreadful


    very sure certain

    very good excellent, perfect, ideal, wonderful, splendid

    very tasty delicious

    We do not normally use very with these adjectives. We do not say something is very enormous or
    someone is very brilliant.

    With strong adjectives, we normally use intensifiers like:

    absolutely really
    completely quite
    exceptionally totally
    particularly utterly

    The film was absolutely awful.


    He was an exceptionally brilliant child.
    The food smelled really disgusting.

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