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- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
The conversation might sound like this: A: I really like your plan! B: Yes, it's pretty good but it needs a little revising
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
But you might need to consider a few more points. B: Yes, it will probably be more effective if you highlight the staffing requirements and expand on the budget.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
Whether you like business or not, this conversation gives you important grammar information that you can use in just about any situation.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
In particular the exchange offers examples of some of the most important adverbs that you will hear in everyday speech.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
This week, we will explore special adverbs that increase or decrease the force of a statement.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
Adverbs are words that modify, or change, the meaning of adjectives, verbs, and sometimes entire sentences.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
They are often used to show time, a way of doing something, place, or degree a measure of something.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
Some kinds of adverbs act as amplifiers. The word amplify means to make something stronger.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
So these amplifiers make the meaning of an adjective or sentence stronger.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
In American English, amplifiers have three common uses: increasing intensity, expressing certainty and showing precision
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
This information comes from Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber, two experts on English grammar.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
Words such as really and very are among the most common that increase the intensity of a statement. They usually modify an adjective.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
Take the adjective good for example. Imagine you are trying some food that your friends cooked.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
Perhaps you want to tell them, "This food is good." You could increase the intensity of your statement by using the word very: "This food is very good."
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
You could express certainty by using an amplifier such as definitely: "This is definitely the best food I've ever had."
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
Or you could use an amplifier to show precision: "At exactly 5:13 p.m. on February 6 th I ate the best food I've ever had in my life!"
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
Other kinds of adverbs act as downtoners. Downtoners are the opposite of amplifiers.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
They reduce the force of a statement or express doubt In other words, they set the tone of a statement.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
You can remember the term 'downtoner' by thinking about what it does: toning down a statement.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
Downtoners have three common functions reducing intensity, expressing doubt or showing imprecision
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
Three common downtoners in conversational English are pretty, maybe and probably, say Conrad and Biber.
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
How can you use downtoners to change the meaning of the statement? Take our earlier example: "This food is good."
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
If you wanted to reduce the intensity of your statement, you could say: "This food is pretty good."
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
You could show doubt, even raise questions, by saying: "This is maybe the best food I've ever had." Or, "This is probably the best food I've ever had."
- Public domaingeneral-american
Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners
These statements express someone’s opinion about the food. But they are not as strong as the example sentences that use amplifiers.
Source badges: Public domain · Creator video · Digital presenter · Reference recording. Literary passages are public domain. Studio notes are not spoken in the audio.