Adverbs of Degree in English: Meaning and Usage

Adverbs of degree help express how strong, intense, or limited an action or quality is. This guide explains their meaning, main types, sentence patterns, common mistakes, and practical examples. You will also find useful comparisons and exercises to improve your accuracy.

I. What Are Adverbs of Degree?

Adverbs of degree are words that describe how much, to what extent, or how intensively something happens. They modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs to show the level, strength, or limitation of an action, a description, or a quality in a sentence.

Adverbs of degree commonly serve three main purposes in English grammar:

• To modify adjectives
  Example: She’s incredibly talented. (modifies the adjective “talented”)

• To modify adverbs
  Example: He drove very quickly. (modifies the adverb “quickly”)

• To modify verbs
  Example: I completely agree with you. (modifies the verb “agree”)

In some structures, they can also influence the meaning of quantifiers or relate to thresholds and limitations, as in: “She hardly speaks.” or “That’s too expensive.”

Understanding and using adverbs of degree properly helps learners:

• Express meaning with more precision — instead of just “good,” learners can say “really good,” “fairly good,” or “almost good,” depending on the context.

• Sound more natural and fluent in both speaking and writing.

• Improve their scores in writing and speaking tests such as IELTS or TOEFL by increasing sentence variety and lexical resource.

• Avoid common errors like redundancy, overuse of “very,” or incorrect intensifier placement.

Mastering this group of adverbs allows learners to confidently describe not only what is happening, but also how strongly it happens — which is essential in descriptive and argumentative communication.

1. Types of Adverbs of Degree

Adverbs of degree can be grouped based on the level of intensity or limitation they express. Understanding these groups helps you choose the right word for your sentence and control the tone of what you're saying or writing.

Low or Medium Degree Adverbs

These adverbs express a slight or moderate degree of intensity. They’re useful for softening language or showing neutral emphasis.

High or Extreme Degree Adverbs

These adverbs express a strong or intensified degree. They often strengthen adjectives or adverbs and are common in both speech and writing.

Limiting or Negative Degree Adverbs

These adverbs limit, reduce, or negate the meaning of the word they modify. They’re often used to introduce contrast or emphasis in writing.

By grouping adverbs this way, you can better decide:

• How strong you want your message to sound

• Whether you're reinforcing or limiting an idea

• Which words will make your descriptions more precise and natural

To expand your descriptive word range, explore english vocabulary by topics.

2. How to Use Adverbs of Degree Correctly

To use adverbs of degree accurately, it's important to understand the common sentence structures they appear in, as well as avoid typical errors that learners often make.

Sentence Patterns and Structures

Adverbs of degree are typically placed before the word they modify. Here are some standard patterns:

Note: "Enough" comes after the word it modifies, unlike most degree adverbs. 

Using Adverbs of Degree in IELTS Writing and Speaking

In academic or test settings like IELTS, adverbs of degree can:

• Help add nuance and clarity to your ideas
  Example: “The solution is highly effective in urban areas.”

• Improve your lexical resource score
  Example Speaking Part 2: “I was incredibly nervous before giving my first presentation.”

• Show emotional or factual emphasis
  Example: “The results were significantly different compared to the previous study.”

Just make sure they are used appropriately and not redundantly.

Mastering placement and range of adverbs of degree will make your English more fluent, precise, and natural. In the next section, we’ll compare them with other types of adverbs so you can avoid mixing up their usage and functions.

• For broader structural revision, explore learn English grammar.

II. Comparison with Other Types of Adverbs

In English grammar, adverbs are classified by the type of information they add to a sentence — such as time, manner, frequency, place, or degree. Understanding how adverbs of degree compare with other types can help avoid confusion and grammar mistakes.

Degree vs Manner vs Frequency Adverbs

The table below compares degree adverbs with manner and frequency adverbs — three of the most commonly used types in everyday speech and writing.

Tip: Degree adverbs usually appear before adjectives and other adverbs. If you need to strengthen your understanding of how adjectives relate to nouns, see common nouns and proper nouns.

Degree Adverbs vs Intensifiers

In writing and speaking, intensifiers are a subclass of adverbs of degree. All intensifiers are degree adverbs, but not all adverbs of degree act as intensifiers.

For instance, “slightly” is a degree adverb, but not an intensifier — it weakens meaning. In contrast, “absolutely” is an intensifier — it strengthens meaning dramatically.

• For more guidance on identifying adverb types, visit adverbs in English.

III. Exercises – Practice Using Adverbs of Degree

Now it’s time to apply what you've learned. Practicing adverbs of degree in context will help reinforce your understanding of how they work in real communication. Below are three exercise types designed to build your accuracy and confidence.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Instructions: Fill in the blanks with a suitable adverb of degree from the box.

Word bank: totally · slightly · really · very · hardly

1. I’m feeling ______ tired after working all day.

2. We ______ agree with the proposal — it makes no sense.

3. She’s ______ excited about her trip to Japan.

4. The soup is ______ spicy; I like it that way.

5. He ______ noticed the change — it was too small to see.

Exercise 2: Choose the Correct Adverb (Multiple Choice)

Instructions: Choose the most suitable adverb of degree to complete each sentence.

1. That movie was ______ boring that I fell asleep.
   a) really
   b) slightly
   c) extremely

2. The test was ______ easy — I finished it in 15 minutes.
   a) quite
   b) poorly
   c) beautifully

3. She's ______ good at public speaking.
   a) slowly
   b) very
   c) rarely

4. I was ______ surprised by the results.
   a) completely
   b) a bit
   c) hardly

Exercise 3: Correct the Mistakes

Instructions: Each sentence below contains an incorrect use of an adverb of degree. Fix the errors.

1. She too much liked the cake.

2. I am enough tall to reach the top shelf.

3. They absolutely like cold weather.

4. The baby is enough hungry.

Answer key

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IV. Fast, Effective, and Flexible IELTS Prep

Adverbs of degree are one of the important grammar items in English. You must have a firm grasp of this knowledge to avoid losing points during real tests. If you want to learn smart, not hard, discover our strategic IELTS prep course today:

• IELTS online course: Master Every Section of IELTS