An intensifier is a word such as very, really, extremely or absolutely that turns the strength of another word up. Editing them means deleting the ones that add nothing and replacing others with a more exact word or a detail. It is the last skill in vocabulary and precision and a good final pass on any draft.
The aim is not to write flat, cautious sentences. The aim is to let each word carry its own weight.
Why do intensifiers weaken writing?
Intensifiers tell the reader how strongly to feel without giving them a reason. It was a really, really big problem asks the reader to trust you. It closed the school for a week shows them.
They also wear out. After a few very words, the reader stops noticing them, so the emphasis you wanted disappears.
How to edit them, step by step
- Circle every intensifier in the passage.
- Delete each one and reread. If the meaning holds, leave it out.
- If the sentence now feels too plain, replace the adjective with a stronger exact one, such as exhausted for very tired.
- Or add a concrete detail that shows the strength, such as her hands shook.
- Keep an intensifier only when the degree is part of the meaning and no single word replaces it.
Worked example
Original: The very tired old man was really extremely happy to see the really beautiful garden.
Step 1, circle: very, really, extremely, really.
Step 2, delete and reread: The tired old man was happy to see the beautiful garden. The meaning holds, but the sentence is now plain and general.
Step 3, stronger exact words:
| Weak phrase | Exact replacement |
|---|---|
| very tired | exhausted |
| extremely happy | delighted |
| really beautiful | (delete, then show it) |
Step 4, add detail for the garden: lined with white jasmine.
Result: The exhausted old man was delighted to see the garden, lined with white jasmine.
The sentence lost four intensifiers and gained more information.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is replacing one intensifier with another and thinking the job is done.
Mistaken edit: The test was extremely difficult, so I felt absolutely terrible.
Very became extremely, and really became absolutely. The sentence is no more exact than before.
A better edit: The test was the hardest of the term, so I left the hall with a sinking feeling. The details tell the reader why.
A related slip is stacking emphasis on words that cannot be intensified: very unique, absolutely essential, completely full. Unique, essential and full already mean the extreme, so the extra word adds nothing.
Check yourself
Try these, then open each answer.
1. Edit: The exam was really very difficult and I was extremely nervous.
Show answer
One good version: The exam was gruelling and I was anxious. Another: The exam ran past my last question and I kept checking the clock. Both remove the intensifiers and replace them with exact content.
2. Which use of very should be kept? (a) a very old house (b) the very first bus (c) very angry
Show answer
(b). In the very first bus, very stresses that it really is the first, and no other word replaces it. (a) could be an ancient house and (c) could be furious.
3. Fix: It is absolutely essential that we completely finish the very unique project.
Show answer
It is essential that we finish the project. Absolutely repeats what essential already means, completely repeats finish, and very unique is stacking emphasis on an absolute word. If unique matters, keep it alone: the unique project.
Where this leads next
You now have all five precision edits: exact verbs, natural collocations, tested phrases, consistent tense and cleaner emphasis. Use the vocabulary and precision practice set to mix them, and the writing revision compare view to judge whether an edited version really reads better.
It is hard to see your own filler words because you remember what you meant to say. In online one-to-one English First Language tuition, a teacher reads what is actually on the page and asks what each word adds.