Structure: Intensifiers – Basic 6 English Lesson Note (Third Term)

What are Intensifiers?

Intensifiers are words that make adjectives and adverbs stronger or weaker. They show how much or to what degree something is true.

Common Intensifiers:

Strong Intensifiers:

• very – She is very intelligent.
• so – The test was so difficult.
• too – He is too young to drive.
• really – I am really excited about the trip.
• extremely – The weather is extremely hot.

Moderate Intensifiers:

• quite – The movie was quite interesting.
• rather – The food is rather spicy.
• fairly – She is fairly good at singing.

Strong Positive Intensifiers:

• greatly – We greatly appreciate your help.
• highly – She is highly respected.
• absolutely – I am absolutely certain.

Usage Rules:

1. With Adjectives:

• very + adjective: very beautiful, very smart
• so + adjective: so tired, so happy
• too + adjective: too expensive, too late

2. With Adverbs:

• very + adverb: very quickly, very carefully
• quite + adverb: quite slowly, quite well
• really + adverb: really fast, really loudly

Exercise E – Choose the Correct Intensifier

Fill in the blanks with appropriate intensifiers:

1. The baby is _______ cute. (very/too/greatly)
2. I am _______ sorry for being late. (quite/so/rather)
3. She sings _______ beautifully. (too/really/greatly)
4. The soup is _______ hot to drink. (very/too/quite)
5. We _______ enjoyed the school program. (so/greatly/too)

Exercise F – Match Intensifiers with Meanings

Draw lines to connect intensifiers with their strength:

Exercise G – Rewrite with Intensifiers

Improve these sentences by adding suitable intensifiers:

1. The mathematics problem was difficult. → The mathematics problem was _______ difficult.
2. She is good at drawing. → She is _______ good at drawing.
3. The children were excited about the field trip. → The children were _______ excited about the field trip.
4. The book is interesting. → The book is _______ interesting.

Exercise H – Create Your Own Sentences

Use these intensifiers in sentences about yourself:

1. very: I am very _________________________________
2. so: I feel so _________________________________
3. quite: I am quite _________________________________
4. really: I really _________________________________
5. greatly: I greatly _________________________________

Exercise I – Correct Usage

Circle the correct intensifier:

1. The food is (too/very) salty. I can’t eat it.
2. She is (quite/greatly) talented in music.
3. I am (so/too) happy to see you again.
4. He works (very/greatly) hard every day.
5. The weather is (rather/too) cold today.