Unit 1 - Adverbs of Degree

Adverbs of Degree

Unit 1 - Adverbs of Degree

Professor: Ok students, that is enough chit chat. It is time to start class. Today, we will start the second part of the curriculum. There will be more reading for this section, but hopefully it will not be too much to discourage you from continuing with this class.

Husband: Can we afford this car?
Wife: Well, we have enough money, but I still think the cost is too much!
Husband: Ok, let’s find something cheaper.

Sylvia: I heard you are quitting law school?
Hank: Yes, it is too much work for me, and I don’t think I get enough out of it.  I plan on doing something else.

Adverbs of degree show how much or to what degreee something happened. For example:
- Mike is a very good student.
- I'm quite excited about my interview tomorrow.

There are many adverbs of degree. Some common ones include:
almost, completely, enough, extremely, hardly, just, nearly, pretty, quite, too, scarcely, so, such, very.

Adverbs of degree usually go before the adjective, adverb, or noun being modified. For example:
- That test was extremely difficult.
- You did pretty well in that test.
- I almost got an 'A' in our test.

Enough

Enough means a satisfactory amount or degree. For example:
- I'm so busy, I haven't got enough time.
- Do you have enough potatoes?

Enough comes after adjectives and adverbs:
- This jacket isn't big enough for me.
- She speaks English well enough to go to an American university.

Enough usually comes before nouns:
- We have enough money to buy our own apartment.

We often use enough...for, especially with people and things. For example:
- This job isn't good enough for her.
- We have enough time for a quick lunch.

Enough...to infinitive is also a common structure. For example:
- She's old enough to drive a car.
- We have enough time to eat some lunch.

Too

Too means more than enough, an excessive amount or degree. For example:
- This room is too hot.
- He eats too quickly.

Too is also used with for: For example:
- This book is too simple for me
- Our apartment is too small for us.

Too...to infinitive is also a common structure. For example:
- This book is too easy to study.
- Our apartment is too small to live in.

Too and Very

Very means something is done to a high degree, it is usually factual. For example:
- He finishes his work very quickly.
Too means something is done to an excessive degree, it is often a criticism.
- He finishes his work too quickly.

Very is a common word, so if you'd like to use something different to spice up your vocabulary try one of these:

absolutely, acutely, amply, astonishingly, awfully, certainly, considerably, cruel, dearly, decidedly, deeply, eminently, emphatically, exaggeratedly, exceedingly, excessively, extensively, extraordinarily, extremely, greatly, highly, incredibly, indispensably, largely, notably, noticeably, particularly, positively, powerfully, pressingly, pretty, prodigiously, profoundly, really, remarkably, substantially, superlatively, surpassingly, surprisingly, terribly, truly, uncommonly, unusually, vastly, wonderfully.
(Quoted from Roget's New Millennium Thesaurus, First Edition)

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Grammar Exercises

Complete the sentences using enough, too, and very.

Example: The hot and sour pork was _____ spicy for me to eat.

a) too
b) very
c) enough

The answer is: a) - too
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1. The man is _____ poor to buy a car.
a) too
b) very
c) enough

2. I am just _____ tired to work any more.
a) too
b) very
c) enough

3. Is this box light _____ for you to carry?
a) too
b) very
c) enough

4. Thank you _____ much for your nice words.
a) too
b) very
c) enough

5. Do you have _____ money for emergencies?
a) too
b) very
c) enough

6. How much calcium is _____ to prevent bone loss?
a) too
b) very
c) enough

7. Don't worry about your mother, she'll be home _____ soon.
a) too
b) very
c) enough

8. I'm _____ interested in everyone's opinion, so I appreciate your view.
a) too
b) very
c) enough

9. We don't get enough sleep because we have _____ much homework to do.
a) too
b) very
c) enough

10. High-definition televisions are much _____ expensive for the average American consumer.
a) too
b) very
c) enough
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Answers

"a", "a", "c", "b", "c", "c", "b", "b", "a", "a"