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Common Adverbs in Conversation:
Amplifiers and Downtoners |
From VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar.
Imagine you are at a business meeting.
You have just presented a plan to your business
partners. They want to give suggestions for how to make
your plan better.
The conversation might sound like this:
A: I really like your plan!
B: Yes, it's pretty good … but it needs a little revising.
A: Of course, you did a very good job. But you might need to
consider a few more points.
B: Yes, it will probably be more effective if you highlight
the staffing requirements and expand on the budget.
Whether you like business or not, this conversation
gives you important grammar information that you can use
in just about any situation.
In particular, the exchange offers examples of some of
the most important adverbs that you will hear in
everyday speech.
This week, we will explore special adverbs that increase
or decrease the force of a statement. These adverbs are
sometimes called amplifiers or downtoners.*
What are adverbs? What are
amplifiers?
Adverbs are words that modify, or change, the meaning of
adjectives, verbs, and sometimes entire sentences. They
are often used to show time, a way of doing something,
place, or degree – a measure of something.
Some kinds of adverbs act as amplifiers. The word
amplify means to make something stronger. So these
amplifiers make the meaning of an adjective or sentence
stronger.
In American English, amplifiers have three common uses:
increasing intensity, expressing certainty and showing
precision. This information comes from Susan Conrad and
Douglas Biber, two experts on English grammar.
Words such as really and very are among the most common
that increase the intensity of a statement. They usually
modify an adjective.
Take the adjective good, for example. Imagine you are
trying some food that your friends cooked.
Perhaps you want to tell them, "This food is good."
You could increase the intensity of your statement by
using the word very:
"This food is very good."
You could express certainty by using an amplifier such
as definitely:
"This is definitely the best food I've ever had."
Or you could use an amplifier to show precision:
"At exactly 5:13 p.m. on February 6th, I ate the best food
I've ever had in my life!"
What are downtoners?
Other kinds of adverbs act as downtoners. Downtoners are
the opposite of amplifiers. They reduce the force of a
statement or express doubt. In other words, they set the
tone of a statement. You can remember the term 'downtoner'
by thinking about what it does: toning down a statement.
Downtoners have three common functions: reducing
intensity, expressing doubt or showing imprecision.
Three common downtoners in conversational English are
pretty, maybe and probably, say Conrad and Biber.
How can you use downtoners to change the meaning of the
statement?
Take our earlier example: "This food is good."
If you wanted to reduce the intensity of your statement,
you could say:
"This food is pretty good."
You could show doubt, even raise questions, by saying:
"This is maybe the best food I've ever had."
Or,
"This is probably the best food I've ever had."
These statements express someone’s opinion about the
food. But they are not as strong as the example
sentences that use amplifiers. In other words, saying
"This food is pretty good" is not as forceful as saying,
"This food is really good."
Amplifiers and downtoners in a
conversation
So what does this discussion of food have to do with the
exchange we heard at the beginning of this report?
Let's think back to the business conversation:
A: I really like your plan!
B: Yes, it's pretty good … but it needs a little revising.
A: Of course, you did a very good job, but you might need to
consider a few more points.
B: Yes, it will probably be more effective if you highlight
the staffing requirements and expand on the budget.
You might notice that one of the speakers uses
amplifiers such as really and very. She is using these
words to give more force to her statement. She is
probably more excited about the business plan.
The second speaker uses downtoners – the words pretty
and probably, for example. So you might suspect that he
is more guarded about the plan. Maybe he has doubts that
the new plan will be better.
The amplifiers and downtoners they use are also among
the most common ones that you will hear in American
English. These words are useful in a number of settings.
They are polite and acceptable in almost any situation.
Amplifiers and downtoners in
writing
Remember this: the amplifiers and downtoners we have
discussed today are common in conversation.
Different amplifiers and downtoners are more common in
writing. For example, you are more likely to read words
such as indeed, certainly, or approximately than you are
to hear them in everyday conversation.
If you use these amplifiers and downtoners in
conversation, your speech will take on a very official
sound. While that might be a good idea in a formal
presentation or speech, it might not be the best choice
for an everyday conversation.
Amplifiers and downtoners are not always necessary to
use in a sentence. But when you see or hear them, you
are getting information about the thoughts and feelings
of another person. You are learning about how strongly
they feel about something.
And that's the end of this really long report!
I'm Jill Robbins.
And I'm John Russell.
*These are also often called qualifiers.
John Russell wrote this story for Learning English.
George Grow was the editor. |
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Words in This Story |
- revise
– v. to make changes
especially to correct or improve (something)
- staff
– n. the people who
make a business or organization do what it does
- amplifier
– n. grammar an adverb
that increases the force of a statement
- downtoner
– n. grammar an adverb
that decreases the force of a statement
- function
– n. the special
purpose or activity for which a thing exists or is
used
-
conversation – n.
an informal talk involving two people or a small
group of people
- highlight
– v. to direct
attention to (someone or something)
- grammar
– n. the set of rules
that explain how words are used in a language
-
particular – n.
special or unusual
- adverb
– n. a word that
describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a
sentence and that is often used to show time,
manner, place, or degree
- certainty
– n. something that is
certain : a fact about which there is no doubt
- precision
– n. exactness or
accuracy
-
imprecision – n.
the opposite of precision
- doubt
– n. a feeling of being
uncertain or unsure about something
- tone
– n. a quality,
feeling, or attitude expressed by the words that
someone uses in speaking or writing
- polite
– adj. having or
showing good manners or respect for other people
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