INTENSIFIERS

Here's a list and exercises thanks to British Council.

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/es/english-grammar/adjectives/intensifiers

Here are some others which can be used to ‘intensify’ many adjectives – ‘very’ ‘really’ ‘totally’ ‘absolutely’ ‘completely’ ‘utterly’ ‘entirely’.

·                       It’s very tall.

·                       We’re really happy.

·                       She’s totally exhausted.

·                       I’m absolutely horrified.

·                       He’s completely hopeless.

·                       You look utterly miserable.

·                       I’m entirely satisfied.

Certain adjectives have their own ‘special’ intensifiers which are often used with them. Here are some common ones:

blind drunk  “He was blind drunk and behaved really badly.”

bone dry  “I must have a drink. I’m bone dry.”

brand new  “I’ve just bought a brand new car.”

crystal clear  “The sea near Rhodes is crystal clear.”

dead easy  “That exam was dead easy. I’ve certainly passed.”

dead lucky  “He’s won three lottery prizes this year. He’s dead lucky.”

dead right  “I agree entirely. You are dead right.”

dirt cheap  “I bought my car for a dirt cheap price from an old lady.”

fast asleep / sound asleep  “I was in bed and fast asleep by nine.”

  “I was sound asleep and I didn’t hear anything.”

paper thin  “These office walls are paper thin. You can hear everything.”

pitch black   “There’s no moon. It’s pitch black out there.”

razor sharp   “Be careful with that knife- it’s razor sharp.”

rock hard  “It’s impossible to dig this soil – it’s rock hard.”

stark naked   “The hotel door slammed behind me and I was left standing stark naked in the middle of the corridor.”

stone deaf  “He can’t hear a thing. He’s stone deaf.”

wide awake  “I was wide awake by six.”

wide open  “Who left the door wide open?”