INTENSIFIERS: VERY, REALLY, TOO, QUITE, ENOUGH (A2 Grammar)

Intensifiers modify adjectives/adverbs to show degree or intensity.

Quick tip: VERY/REALLY = strong. TOO = excessive/problem. QUITE = moderate. ENOUGH = sufficient.

VERY / REALLY (strong emphasis)

Both add strong emphasis. Really is more informal.

• It's very cold today.
• She's really nice.
• That was very interesting.
• I'm really tired.

TOO (excessive - problem)

Too = more than good/wanted. It's a problem.

• It's too hot. (can't drink)
• She's too young. (not old enough)
• That's too expensive.
• He speaks too fast.

QUITE / FAIRLY (moderate)

Quite = moderately, rather. Less strong than VERY.

• It's quite cold today.
• She's quite nice.
• That was fairly easy.
• The movie was quite good.

ENOUGH (sufficient)

Enough = sufficient, adequate. Comes AFTER adjectives but BEFORE nouns.

• She's tall enough to reach. (adj + enough)
• It's warm enough to swim. (adj + enough)
• We have enough time. (enough + noun)
• There's enough food for everyone. (enough + noun)

Common mistakes

• Not "I'm too much tired" — say "I'm too tired". Use TOO + adjective (not too much).
• Not "It's very too cold" — say "It's too cold OR It's very cold". Don't combine VERY and TOO.

Practise it

Strong emphasis? = VERY/REALLY. Problem? = TOO. Moderate? = QUITE. Just right? = ENOUGH.