76   I can use a range of adverbs

A    Other ways of saying very

Some adverbs are used with particular adjectives or verbs to mean very, a lot, or to a large degree.

Phrase 

Meaning 

Other examples

 

I was bitterly disappointed with my results.     

very disappointed.    

bitterly cold

 

He was desperately unlucky to lose his job.     

very unlucky.      

desperately need

 

Jack was seriously injured in the crash.

badly injured.     

seriously ill

 

He was terribly sorry he couldn’t come.    

very sorry    

terribly sad

 

It’s vitally important we remember.    

very important.   

 

It’s highly unlikely that she’ll be late.  

very unlikely.      

highly intelligent

 

He feels strongly that the war is wrong.     

has a strong belief.    

strongly oppose

 

Prices have risen sharply.      

risen a lot.    

fall sharply

 

This expression is widely used.     

used a lot.    

travel widely

 

I love Lucy, but she’s completely mad.

I completely forgot about the party.

Her first book was totally different.

I’m not totally convinced he’s innocent.     

completely is used to emphasize an adjective or verb. SYN totally. convinced 100 per cent sure.      

completely bald

completely ruined

totally sure 

1     Add a suitable adverb to each sentence. 

►   It’s /\ important to go.  It’s vitally important to go.

1     They’re intelligent boys. ________              

2     It’s cold outside. ________    

3     That man is mad. ________    

4     Paula’s been ill. ________

5     Their profits have fallen. ________      

6     We need to earn more money. ________     

7     It was unnecessary to do that. ________

1     They're highly intelligent boys.

2     It's bitterly cold outside.

3     That man is completely mad.

4     Paula's been seriously ill.

5     Their profits have fallen sharply.

6     We desperately need to earn more money.

7     It was totally unnecessary to do that.

B    Frequency and degree

AXEL: Do you and Mac still go to concerts together regularly?

HARRY: No, we rarely see each other these days. The last time was roughly a year ago.

AXEL: Oh. Why’s that?

HARRY: Well, he lives in Watford now, which is miles away. That’s mainly the reason.

AXEL: But you still go to concerts, don’t you?

HARRY: No. actually I don’t. I think I’m getting a bit old for rock concerts. Generally I just listen to music at home.

AXEL: Don’t you miss the excitement of live concerts?

HARRY: That’s partly why I don’t go. I find the noise and hysteria rather annoying, actually.

 

Glossary

regularly  happening quite often.

rarely  not happening often. SYN seldom.

roughly  about: not exactly. SYN approximately.

mainly  mostly. SYN largely.

actually  really (often used when you are saying the opposite of what sb expects). SYN in (actual) fact.

generally  usually: most of the time. SYN on the whole.

partly  to some degree but not completely. SYN to some / a certain extent (To some extent I agree. or I agree to a certain extent.).

 

spotlight  rather, fairly, quite, pretty

These words are all used to say that something is true to some extent. Rather and pretty INF are usually stronger, quite and fairly are usually weaker.

He’s fairly/quite lazy.

The film was pretty good.

With positive words, rather suggests a positive opinion is unexpected.

It was a very cheap restaurant, but surprisingly the food was rather good.