Collocations 5: Intensifying adverbs 2

Jun 15, 2016

In English there are lots of other ways of saying very or very much. These alternatives collocate strongly with specific words, and other combinations often sound unnatural.

Highly

Highly is used with some probability words (likely, unusual). With the exception of highly controversial it usually combines with very positive words

.

Extremely

Extremely won’t be used with adjective recommended

.

Absolutely and (slightly more formal) utterly

Absolutely and (slightly more formal) utterly combine with adjectives with very extreme meanings where we can’t use very. For example, we say absolutely/utterly exhausted, not ~~very exhausted~~, whereas we say very tired, but not ~~absolutely~~ or ~~utterly~~ tired. Often, but not always, these words have negative connotations

.

Bitterly

Bitterly carries a feeling of deep sadness; used slightly more in writing than in conversation

.

Deeply

Deeply collocates mainly with words associated with feelings; used slightly more in writing than in conversation

.

Ridiculously

Ridiculously suggests something extreme, which seems unbelievable or unreasonable

.

Strongly

Strongly collocates with verbs, particularly verbs that relate to having an opinion

Choose an adverb form the list to fill the gap in each of these expressions.
- •utterly •bitterly •ridiculously •highly •deeply
  
  ashamed
- cheap
- controversial
- stupid
- successful
- disappointing
- opposed
- ridiculous
- easy
- concerned
Use collocations from previous exercise to complete each of these sentences.
- 1. The flight from London to Rome was . . .
  ridiculously cheap
  . It only cost 20 euros.
  - highly controversial
  - ridiculously cheap
  - highly successful
- 2. Some people love her new book; others are very angry about it. It is . . .
  highly controversial
  .
  - bitterly disappointing
  - highly controversial
  - utterly opposed
- 3. His father was a pacifist all his life and was . . .
  utterly opposed
  to war.
  - utterly opposed
  - deeply concerned
  - deeply ashamed
- 4. The exam results were . . .
  bitterly disappointing
  for the whole class. We had all expected to do much better.
  - deeply ashamed
  - highly successful
  - bitterly disappointing
- 5. When I realized how much my selfish behavior had upset everyone, I was . . .
  deeply ashamed
  .
  - deeply concerned
  - deeply ashamed
  - bitterly disappointing
- 6. In the 1990s she ran a(n) . . .
  highly successful
  company which made outstanding profits.
  - highly controversial
  - ridiculously cheap
  - highly successful
- 7. Everyone got more than 95% correct in the test; it was . . .
  ridiculously easy
  .
  - bitterly disappointing
  - utterly ridiculous
  - ridiculously easy
- 8. You must apologise immediately. It was a(n) . . .
  utterly stupid
  remark to make.
  - utterly stupid
  - utterly ridiculous
  - deeply ashamed
- 9. She has always been . . .
  deeply concerned
  about the environment and would like to work for a conservation agency.
  - deeply ashamed
  - deeply concerned
  - utterly opposed
- 10. That you should even think that I would steal money from you is . . .
  utterly ridiculous
  . You must be crazy!
  - bitterly disappointing
  - utterly ridiculous
  - deeply ashamed
In each of these sets of phrases, one is not a correct collocation. Choose the incorrect one.
- 1. . . .
  strongly love
  - strongly love
  - strongly influence
  - strongly dislike
  - strongly recommend
- 2. . . .
  highly exhausted
  - highly educated
  - highly exhausted
  - highly profitable
  - highly unusual
- 3. . . .
  bitterly regard
  - bitterly regard
  - bitterly resent
  - bitterly criticize
  - bitterly regret
- 4. . . .
  absolutely tired
  - absolutely tired
  - absolutely devastated
  - absolutely convinced
  - absolutely absurd
- 5. . . .
  deeply successful
  - deeply unhappy
  - deeply successful
  - deeply committed
  - deeply religious
In this short text, the writer has often misused the word strongly. Correct the wrong collocations choosing adverbs from the list. Use each adverb once only.
- Everyone was complaining strongly when they heard about the new plan. People were strongly shocked to hear that children would be strongly forbidden to use the sports ground and most people were strongly opposed to the new rules. Even people who normally never expressed an opinion were strongly appalled by the proposal.
  
  bitterly strictly deeply utterly strongly
  
  Everyone was complaining when they heard about the new plan. People were shocked to hear that children would be forbidden to use the sports ground and most people were opposed to the new rules. Even people who normally never expressed an opinion were appalled by the proposal.

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