Watching Your Intensifiers

Wow. Okay, this feels familiar.

So there I was, writing a blog post about verbs, when I went to discuss intensifiers, transforming my 500-word blog post into a 2,000-word monster.

Therefore, I’ve broken out the topic into its own post. Hot dog! Let’s get started.

Intensifiers

Adverbs can function as intensifiers, meaning they modify and enhance the meaning of adjectives or other adverbs. When used as intensifiers, adverbs emphasize or strengthen the degree or intensity of something, adding more punch to the description.

How Adverbs Act as Intensifiers

Modifying Adjectives: When an adverb intensifies an adjective, it alters how we perceive the described quality. It can either amplify or diminish the adjective’s impact.

• The food was extremely spicy. (The adverb extremely intensifies the spiciness.)

• She’s quite talented. (The adverb quite lessens the intensity but still highlights the talent.)

Modifying Other Adverbs: Adverbs can also intensify other adverbs, making an action feel more or less powerful.

• He drove very fast. (The adverb very intensifies fast.)

• She sings incredibly well. (The adverb incredibly enhances well.)

Examples of Common Intensifying Adverbs

• Very: The weather is very cold. (Very adds intensity to cold.)

• Really: She’s really excited. (Really enhances the excitement.)

• Too: It’s too late to start. (Too emphasizes that it’s beyond the acceptable point.)

• So: I’m so happy! (So amplifies the feeling of happiness.)

• Absolutely: He’s absolutely sure. (Absolutely reinforces the certainty.)

• Quite: The movie was quite enjoyable. (Quite moderates the enjoyment.)

• Extremely: That test was extremely difficult. (Extremely makes the difficulty stand out.)

• Barely: She could barely hear him. (Barely reduces the action, showing it was almost not possible.)

Negative Intensifiers

• Hardly: I hardly know him. (Hardly reduces the degree of knowing.)

• Slightly: It’s slightly chilly outside. (Slightly lowers the impact of the cold.)

Why Use Intensifiers?

Well, intensifiers allow you to:

• Emphasize certain details.

• Enhance emotions or actions in your writing.

• Clarify the strength or weakness of a description.

For example, instead of saying, “She’s happy,” saying “She’s incredibly happy” changes the perception and energy of the sentence, making it more expressive.

Abusing Intensifiers

Using them too often or too heavily — can weaken your writing and make it feel repetitive, overly dramatic, or imprecise. Here are some key problems related to overusing intensifiers:

1. Weakening Your Message

Overusing intensifiers can dilute the impact of your words instead of strengthening your writing.

Ursula Le Guin called them ticks in the prose!

For example, if you describe everything as "really important" or "extremely difficult," readers may stop feeling the weight of those descriptions. When everything is intense, nothing truly stands out. Here’s an example of overuse.

• The movie was really amazing, and the acting was incredibly good. I totally loved it.
  
  vs
  

• The movie was stunning, and the acting was unforgettable. I loved every moment.

2. Vagueness and Lack of Precision

Relying too much on intensifiers can lead to vague descriptions. Instead of showing exactly why something is "very bad" or "so beautiful," you're telling the reader in a general, unspecific way.

• The weather was very bad.
  
  vs
  

• The weather was stormy, with heavy rain and strong winds that knocked over trees.

3. Repetitiveness

When you overuse intensifiers, your writing can become monotonous. If every sentence is filled with words like very, really, so, or extremely, it can make the reader feel like you’re relying on the same tricks to amplify your point.

• She was very tired, and the house was really messy. It had been an extremely long day.
  
  vs
  

• She was exhausted, and the house was in disarray after such a long, grueling day.

4. Inflation of Emotion

Overusing intensifiers can make your writing feel overly dramatic or exaggerated, especially in emotional scenes. Constantly using phrases like "so sad," "absolutely terrifying," or "extremely happy" can make your story feel less genuine.

• He was so scared that he literally jumped out of his skin.
  
  vs
  

• His heart raced, and his hands trembled as he backed away.

5. Impact Fatigue

When you constantly use intensifiers, their impact diminishes. Readers start to expect that everything is "really" or "extremely" something, and the words lose their power over time. Instead of emphasizing key moments, it creates a flat, continuous tone.

How to Avoid Abusing Intensifiers

• Be Specific: Use strong verbs and descriptive adjectives to convey your meaning without relying on intensifiers.
  

• Use Sparingly: Save intensifiers for moments that really need an extra punch, rather than using them in every sentence.
  

• Show, Don’t Tell: Instead of saying something is “really amazing,” describe what makes it amazing.
  

• Vary Your Language: Avoid using the same intensifiers repeatedly. Mix it up with more precise or unique descriptors.

How do you spot an amateur author? Count the number of intensifiers (usually -ly words) used in a paragraph. :)

So here’s my advice. Before submitting your story to a contest or publishing editor, throw your work — scene by scene — into an AI engine and have it look for intensifiers. The results might surprise you in that, unconsciously, you’re constantly using intensifiers when a better verb or adverb would do.

R