Adverbs of degree tell us about theintensityof something. Adverbs of degree are usually placedbeforethe adjective, adverb, or verb that they modify, although there are some exceptions. The words "too", "enough", "very", and "extremely" are examples of adverbs of degree.
Test your knowledge| Adverb of degree | Modifying | Example |
|---|---|---|
| extremely | adjective | The water was extremely cold. |
| quite | adjective | The movie is quite interesting. |
| just | verb | He was just leaving. |
| almost | verb | She has almost finished. |
| very | adverb | She is running very fast. |
| too | adverb | You are walking too slowly. |
| enough | adverb | You are running fast enough. |
Usage of "enough"
Enough can be used as both an adverb and as a determiner.
Enough as an adverb
Enough as an adverb meaning 'to the necessary degree' goes after the adjective or adverb that it is modifying, and not before it as other adverbs do. It can be used both in positive and negative sentences.
Examples
- Is your coffeehot enough?
- This box isn'tbig enough.
- He didn't workhard enough.
- I got hereearly enough.
Enough is often followed by "to" + the infinitive.
Examples
- He didn't work hard enoughto pass the exam.
- Is your coffee hot enoughto drink?
- She's not old enoughto get married.
- I got here early enoughto sign up.
Enough can also be followed by "for someone" or "for something".
Examples
- The dress was big enoughfor me.
- She's not experienced enoughfor this job.
- Is the coffee hot enoughfor you?
- He didn't work hard enoughfor a promotion.
Enough as a determiner
Enough as a determiner meaning 'as much/many as necessary' goes before the noun it modifies. It is used with countable nouns in the plural and with uncountable nouns.
Examples
- We haveenough bread.
- You haveenough children.
- They don't haveenough food.
- I don't haveenough apples.
Usage of "too"
"Too" is always an adverb, but it has two distinct meanings, each with its own usage patterns.
Too meaning "also"
Too as an adverb meaning "also" goes at the end of the phrase it modifies.
Examples
- I would like to go swimmingtoo, if you will let me come.
- Can I go to the zootoo?
- Is this gift for metoo?
- I'm not going to clean your roomtoo!
Too meaning "excessively"
Too as an adverb meaning "excessively" goes before the adjective or adverb it modifies. It can be used in both affirmative and negative sentences.
Examples
- This coffee istoo hot.
- He workstoo hard.
- Isn't shetoo young?
- I am nottoo short!
Too is often followed by "to" + the infinitive.
Examples
- The coffee was too hotto drink.
- You're too youngto have grandchildren!
- I am not too tiredto go out tonight.
- Don't you work too hardto have any free time?
Too can also be followed by "for someone" or "for something".
Examples
- The coffee was too hotfor me.
- The dress was too smallfor her.
- He's not too oldfor this job.
- Sally's not too slowfor our team.
Usage of "very"
Very goes before an adverb or adjective to make it stronger.
Examples
- The girl was very beautiful.
- The house is very expensive.
- He worked very quickly.
- She runs very fast.
If we want to make a negative form of an adjective or adverb, we can add "not" to the verb, we can use an adjective or adverb of opposite meaning, or we can use "not very" with the original adjective or adverb. The meanings of the phrases are not identical. Usually the phrase using "not very" is less direct, and thus more polite, than the other phrases.
Examples
| Original phrase | Opposite meaning with "not" | Opposite meaning with "not very" | Opposite meaning with an opposite word |
|---|---|---|---|
| The girl was beautiful. | The girl was not beautiful. | The girl was not very beautiful. | The girl was ugly. |
| He worked quickly. | He did not work quickly. | He did not work very quickly. | He worked slowly. |
Difference in meaning between "very" and "too"
There is a big difference in meaning between "too" and "very". "Very" expresses a fact while "too" suggests there is a problem.
Examples
- He speaksvery quickly.
- He speakstoo quicklyfor me to understand.
- It isvery hotoutside.
- It istoo hotoutside to go for a walk.
Other adverbs used like "very"
Some common adverbs are used in the same way as "very" to heighten the degree of adjectives and adverbs.
| Expressing very strong feelings | Expressing strong feelings | Expressing somewhat doubtful feelings |
|---|---|---|
| extremely, terribly, amazingly, wonderfully, insanely | especially, particularly, uncommonly, unusually, remarkably, quite | pretty, rather, fairly, not especially, not particularly |
| The movie was amazingly interesting. | The movie was particularly interesting. | The movie was fairly interesting. |
| She sang wonderfully well. | She sang unusually well. | She sang pretty well. |
| The lecture was terribly boring. | The lecture was quite boring. | The lecture was rather boring. |
Inversion with negative adverbs
Normally the subject goes before the verb, however, some negative adverbs can cause an inversion when placed at the beginning of the clause. The order is reversed and the verb goes before the subject. This inversion is only used in writing, not in speaking.
| Adverb | Normal word order | Inversion |
|---|---|---|
| Never | I have never seen such courage. | Neverhave I seensuch courage. |
| Rarely | She rarely left the house. | Rarelydid she leavethe house. |
| Not only | She did not only the cooking but the cleaning as well. | Not onlydid she dothe cooking, but the cleaning as well. |
| Scarcely | I scarcely closed the door before he started talking. | Scarcelydid I closethe door before he started talking. |
| Seldom | We seldom cross the river after sunset. | Seldomdo we crossthe river sunset. |
