Intensifying & Softening Adverbs: Make Your English More Nuanced
In this advanced-level English lesson (B2/C1), you’ll discover how to use intensifying and softening adverbs to adjust the strength of your statements and express yourself more precisely. Whether you want to emphasize something strongly or tone it down respectfully, this video teaches you how to do both.
The lesson begins by introducing intensifying adverbs like very, incredibly, extremely, utterly. You’ll see how they add force and emphasis — for example, turning “happy” into “incredibly happy”. The presenter shows which combinations are natural and which sound odd, helping you avoid awkward phrasing.
Then you’ll move on to softening adverbs — words such as slightly, somewhat, rather, a bit. These allow you to understate, qualify, or hedge a statement: “I’m rather tired” or “He was somewhat surprised”. Softening expressions are especially useful in polite conversations, giving opinions, or when you want to avoid sounding too direct.
Throughout the video, real-life examples and contextual sentences are used to illustrate how these adverbs work in typical speech. You’ll also learn common collocations (which adverb pairs well with which adjective), as well as tips on when to choose an intensifier or a softener depending on context, tone, and formality.
By the end, you’ll have a toolkit to make your English more expressive and subtle. Instead of always saying “very good” or “very bad”, you’ll be able to tailor your phrasing more precisely—“absolutely fantastic”, “slightly disappointing”, or “utterly amazed”.
Use the video actively: pause to note down new adverb-adjective combinations, speak the example sentences aloud, and try swapping intensifiers or softeners in your own writing and speech. Over time, your English will sound more natural, flexible, and rich—just what advanced speakers aim for.
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