Common Adverbs in Conversation: Amplifiers, Downtoners

2017 · VOA Learning English

This speaker is a general-american model. Each line below can be recorded and scored against it.

Transcript

1. From VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. Imagine you are at a business meeting.

   0.0s–10.8sPractise this

2. You have just presented a plan to your business partners. They want to give suggestions for how to make your plan better.

   10.9s–20.8sPractise this

3. The conversation might sound like this: A: I really like your plan! B: Yes, it's pretty good but it needs a little revising

   20.8s–32.9sPractise this

4. 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.

   37.1s–52.1sPractise this

5. Whether you like business or not, this conversation gives you important grammar information that you can use in just about any situation.

   52.2s–63.8sPractise this

6. In particular the exchange offers examples of some of the most important adverbs that you will hear in everyday speech.

   63.9s–74.0sPractise this

7. This week, we will explore special adverbs that increase or decrease the force of a statement.

   74.0s–82.8sPractise this

8. Adverbs are words that modify, or change, the meaning of adjectives, verbs, and sometimes entire sentences.

   90.7s–103.0sPractise this

9. They are often used to show time, a way of doing something, place, or degree a measure of something.

   103.2s–113.4sPractise this

10. Some kinds of adverbs act as amplifiers. The word amplify means to make something stronger.

    114.3s–125.0sPractise this

11. So these amplifiers make the meaning of an adjective or sentence stronger.

    125.1s–132.6sPractise this

12. In American English, amplifiers have three common uses: increasing intensity, expressing certainty and showing precision

    132.7s–146.0sPractise this

13. This information comes from Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber, two experts on English grammar.

    146.2s–155.0sPractise this

14. Words such as really and very are among the most common that increase the intensity of a statement. They usually modify an adjective.

    155.1s–169.4sPractise this

15. Take the adjective good for example. Imagine you are trying some food that your friends cooked.

    169.5s–179.2sPractise this

16. 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."

    179.3s–194.5sPractise this

17. You could express certainty by using an amplifier such as definitely: "This is definitely the best food I've ever had."

    194.7s–206.3sPractise this

18. 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!"

    206.6s–221.9sPractise this

19. Other kinds of adverbs act as downtoners. Downtoners are the opposite of amplifiers.

    222.1s–232.3sPractise this

20. They reduce the force of a statement or express doubt In other words, they set the tone of a statement.

    232.5s–243.0sPractise this

21. You can remember the term 'downtoner' by thinking about what it does: toning down a statement.

    243.3s–253.2sPractise this

22. Downtoners have three common functions reducing intensity, expressing doubt or showing imprecision

    253.3s–264.6sPractise this

23. Three common downtoners in conversational English are pretty, maybe and probably, say Conrad and Biber.

    264.7s–276.2sPractise this

24. How can you use downtoners to change the meaning of the statement? Take our earlier example: "This food is good."

    276.4s–286.6sPractise this

25. If you wanted to reduce the intensity of your statement, you could say: "This food is pretty good."

    286.8s–295.2sPractise this

26. 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."

    295.4s–308.7sPractise this

27. These statements express someone’s opinion about the food. But they are not as strong as the example sentences that use amplifiers.

    308.9s–319.5sPractise this

28. In other words, saying "This food is pretty good" is not as forceful as saying, "This food is really good."

    320.0s–330.0sPractise this

29. Let's think back to the business conversation: A: I really like your plan! B: Yes, it's pretty good but it needs a little revising.

    340.1s–352.8sPractise this

30. You might notice that one of the speakers uses amplifiers such as really and very

    372.3s–381.1sPractise this

31. She is using these words to give more force to her statement. She is probably more excited about the business plan.

    381.5s–393.6sPractise this

32. The second speaker uses downtoners the words pretty and probably for example. So you might suspect that he is more guarded about the plan.

    393.7s–408.3sPractise this

33. Maybe he has doubts that the new plan will be better. The amplifiers and downtoners they use are also among the most common ones that you will hear in American English.

    408.5s–423.8sPractise this

34. These words are useful in a number of settings. They are polite and acceptable in almost any situation.

    424.6s–435.2sPractise this

35. Different amplifiers and downtoners are more common in writing.

    444.4s–449.3sPractise this

36. For example, you are more likely to read words such as indeed, certainly, or approximately than you are to hear them in everyday conversation.

    449.6s–462.5sPractise this

37. If you use these amplifiers and downtoners in conversation, your speech will take on a very official sound.

    462.6s–471.1sPractise this

38. While that might be a good idea in a formal presentation or speech, it might not be the best choice for an everyday conversation.

    471.1s–481.1sPractise this

39. Amplifiers and downtoners are not always necessary to use in a sentence. But when you see or hear them, you are getting information about the thoughts and feelings of another person.

    481.6s–496.0sPractise this

40. You are learning about how strongly they feel about something. And that's the end of this really long report!

    496.1s–504.7sPractise this