Categories: English Adjectives

Are you saying ‘very’ too often?

This is an interesting article. Well, I hope it is an interesting article. But if I let myself dream, I would hope that it was a very interesting article, or maybe even very very interesting? What about if it was really, really, very interesting? Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Do you ever feel disappointed by your vocabulary? You have a rich vocabulary in your native language, but your expression in English always seems ‘flat’. Here is an easy way to add ‘life’ to your language. There is a class of adjectives that are extra, emphatic, and extreme. They basically include ‘very’ in their meaning. So instead of saying that this article is ‘very interesting’, you can say that it is ‘fascinating’. Instead of saying that you are very hungry, you can say that you are ‘starving’. Have a look at the chart below.

Regular Adjective
(very, really)
Extreme Adjective
(really, absolutely, completely)
angryfurious
badawful, terrible, horrible, dreadful.
bighuge, gigantic, giant, enormous
cleanspotless, pristine
coldfreezing
crowdedpacked
dirtyfilthy, disgusting
funnyhilarious
goodwonderful, fantastic, excellent, awesome,
great, outstanding, impressive, striking, remarkable
happydelighted, ecstatic
hotboiling, scorching, roasting
hungrystarving, famished
interestingfascinating
oldancient
pretty, beautifulgorgeous, stunning
sadmiserable, depressed
scaryterrifying, frightening
smalltiny, minuscule
surprisingastounding
tiredexhausted
uglyhideous
Here’s a handy picture you can download and keep as a reference 😀
Admin

Recent Posts

The difference between ‘Shade’ and ‘Shadow’

Understanding the Difference Between Shade and Shadow While the terms "shade" and "shadow" may seem…

3 weeks ago

Business Surprises: Words to describe uncertainty

Businesses often face unexpected changes and challenges that can be hard to predict. This could…

8 months ago

English Score Conversion Tool

Congratulations on doing the English exam! If you did a Cambridge exam, then you have…

1 year ago

IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, the Cambridge Exams vs CEFR

IELTS, TOEIC, Cambridge, and TOEFL are huge, global brands for English certification examsand there may…

1 year ago

Phrasal Verbs: Around the House

Phrasal Verbs are a great tool for developing a natural sounding English. Native speakers have…

1 year ago

What are State / Stative Verbs?

State verbs are a fundamental piece of English grammar. They might seem a bit nit-picky,…

2 years ago