Sunday, June 17, 2012

Emphasizing adverbs

Aydyn Türk from Turkey writes:
I have been learning English for eight months but some adjectives and adverbs are still a problem for me, especially adverbs such as absolutely,definitelycertainlyexactly, etc. These mean almost the same thing in Turkish and I don’t know when to use them in English or which one to use. If you gave me some examples that would help me.
Thanks a lot.

Absolutely/ definitely/ certainly/ exactly

There is not very much difference in meaning or in use when these emphasizing adjectives are used to express strong agreement with a statement, question or suggestion.
Absolutely is perhaps the strongest. If you use exactly, you are emphasizing that what someone has said is 100% correct.
Compare the following:
  • Doesn’t Sandra look stunning in that hat?
    Oh, absolutely! I couldn’t agree more.
  • Geoffrey is a complete and utter fool.
    Absolutely! / Definitely! / Exactly!
  • Will you come shopping with me on Saturday?
    Definitely! / Certainly!
  • If we can’t find those tickets, we shan’t be able to get into the show.
    Exactly!
  • Are you going to Turkey again this summer?
    Definitely! Without a doubt!

Absolutely/ simply/ utterly/ totally/ completely/ perfectly

These emphasizing adverbs are normally used with adjectives that are in themselves already quite absolute. They give even greater emphasis to what is said.
Compare the following:
  • Your advice was invaluable – absolutely invaluable!
  • I was simply amazed when she said that she was going to marry Henry.
  • It was perfectly clear that she was serious and I was totally powerless to stop her.
  • I felt that she was completely wrong to even think about it and I am utterly exhausted by it all.


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