The sentence

F. Intensifiers
‘Very’, ‘too’ and ‘very much’
1. Intensifiers are words like very and too which strengthen adjectives and adverbs.
2. We use very to strengthen:
- the positive form of adjectives (not comparative/superlative): Martha has been very
ill.
- adjective + noun: John is a very nice man.
- adverbs: The wheels of bureaucracy turn very slowly.
- many past participle adjectival forms: I’m very interested. You’re very mistaken.
The very goes with best/worst: It’s the very best/the very worst meal I’ve ever had.
and some nouns (beginning/end): I wanted till the very end of the film.
3. Too goes before adjectives and adverbs and means ‘more than is desirable’:
Compare: It’s very hot, but I can drink it. It’s too hot and I can‘t drink it.
It’s often more polite to say not very good or not too good rather than ‘bad’:
His work’s not very good/not too good. (There is no difference in meaning here.)
4. Very much goes with:
- comparatives: She is very much better.
- verbs: I like your painting very much. This idea has very much interested me.
- adjectives like afraid, awake, alive and alone: Old Mrs Page is very much alone.
Adverbs in place of ‘very’: ‘extremely happy’, ‘fast asleep’
1. We often use extremely and really for special emphasis instead of very:
I’m very sleepy. → I’m extremely sleepy. (more emphatic)
2. In everyday speech we often use terribly and awfully in place of very:
That hi fi is very expensive. → It’s awfully/terribly expensive.
3. Note that we say fast asleep and wide awake (Not *very asleep/very awake*):
Don’t disturb the children – they’re fast asleep.
4. We use some –ly adverbs in fixed phrases: deeply hurt, painfully embarrassed, highly
respected, richly deserved, I greatly appreciate, badly needed, bitterly cold:
Mr Wilson is highly respected in our community.
A new playground for our children is badly needed.
G. Focus adverbs
‘Even’, ‘only’, ‘just’ and ‘simply’ for ‘focusing’
1. We can change the position in a sentence of adverbs like even, only, just and simply
depending on where we want to ‘focus our attention’. Compare:
Even I understood Professor Boffin’s lecture. (i.e. even though I’m stupid)
I even understood Professor Boffin’s lecture. (i.e. out of various things I understood)
2. In everyday speech, we often put these adverbs before the verb and other people can
understand what we mean from stress and intonation: I only asked a question means
‘that’s all I did’ rather than ‘I was the only person who asked a question’.
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