We can emphasise the meaning of a statement in many ways.
Emphasizing...
Powerful Adjectives
The choice of a strong adjective is a common device.
- It's very hot in here. → It's boiling in here.
- It cost a lot. → The price was exorbitant / astronomical.
- It's a big problem. → It's a monumental / vast / colossal / gigantic problem.
Collocation
Collocation is important when choosing strong adjectives.
For example, a number of intensifying adjectives close to the meaning of 'complete' collocate with particular nouns but not with others.
- an eternal optimist
- a comprehensive defeat
- sheer stupidity
- total nonsense
- utter madness
- unshakable faith
Adverbs of degree
Adverb-adjective combinations are common to give emphasis.
- absolutely ridiculous
- totally wrong
- downright rude
- plain stupid
- thoroughly ashamed
- dead right
- utterly defenceless
- that's perfectly all right
Adverb-verb combinations are also quite common.
- I quite / totally agree.
- I quite / fully understand.
- I would much / greatly appreciate it.
Exaggeration
We often use phrases that contain exaggeration to strengthen a meaning.
- indescribably beautiful
- incredibly talented
- unspeakably rude
- inexpressibly sad
- infinitely better
- incomparably superior
Another way of adding more strength to a meaning is to use less frequent collocations:
- delightfully eccentric
- perfectly awful
Sentence adverbials
Sentence adverbials can also lend emphasis to a statement.
- Believe it or not, …
- Amazingly enough, …
- Difficult as it is to believe, …
- Incredible though it is, …
- To everyone's astonishment, …
Phrases that invite or express surprise
We can also strengthen a statement, or question, by adding a word or short phrase before or after a key word in the sentence:
- The same thing happened as recently as Iast week.
- You can pay as much as £100 for a pair of jeans there.
- No fewer than ninety students turned up for the lecture.
- Bill Gates himself was at the conference. You mean the Bill Gates? The very man. What in the world was he doing there? Why on earth didn't you give him my name? Why ever didn't you tell me before?
Exercise
Please open the exercise to continue.