Degree adjuncts

Degree adjuncts categories

Sub-type	Function	Common Examples
Maximalizer	Upper limit	completely, totally, entirely
Booster	High degree	greatly, much, intensely
Approximator	Near-limit	almost, nearly, virtually
Compromiser	Moderate degree	slightly, rather, somewhat
Minimizer	Lower limit	barely, hardly, scarcely

Degree adjuncts including comparative & superlative modifiers

Degree adjunct	Category (CGEL)	Typical scope	Semantic note	Example sentence
a bit	Adverb phrase	comparative	small difference	The new version is a bit better.
a good deal	Adverb phrase	comparative	large difference	The new system is a good deal faster.
a great deal	Adverb phrase	comparative	very large difference	The task is a great deal harder.
a little	Adverb phrase	comparative	small degree difference	The results are a little better.
a lot	Adverb phrase	comparative	large difference	The new law is a lot stricter.
absolutely	Adverb	AdjP	maximal / categorical	The claim is absolutely false.
almost	Adverb	VP / clause	near endpoint	He almost fell.
almost entirely	Adverb phrase	VP	near-total degree	The town was almost entirely destroyed.
approximately	Adverb	number / clause	numerical approximation	The journey took approximately three hours.
barely	Adverb	VP / clause	minimal degree	She barely noticed.
by far	Adverb phrase	superlative / comparative	strongest difference	This is by far the best solution.
comparatively	Adverb	AdjP	comparison-based degree	The region is comparatively stable.
completely	Adverb	VP / AdjP	total degree	The system completely failed.
considerably	Adverb	comparative	clear significant difference	The second option is considerably better.
deeply	Adverb	AdjP	emotional/intellectual depth	He was deeply concerned.
entirely	Adverb	VP / AdjP	full extent	The strategy was entirely misguided.
enough	Degree adverb	AdjP (post-head)	sufficient degree	The room is warm enough.
enormously	Adverb	AdjP	very large magnitude	The project grew enormously expensive.
essentially	Adverb	clause	conceptual equivalence	The theory is essentially correct.
even	Adverb	comparative	emphasizes increase	The results were even worse.
extremely	Adverb	AdjP	very high degree	The task is extremely demanding.
faintly	Adverb	AdjP	barely perceptible degree	A faintly visible mark appeared.
far	Adverb	comparative	strong comparative difference	The new model is far better.
fairly	Adverb	AdjP	moderate degree	The process is fairly simple.
fully	Adverb	VP / AdjP	full completion	The tank is fully loaded.
greatly	Adverb	VP / AdjP	significant degree	The changes greatly improved efficiency.
hardly	Adverb	VP / clause	minimal degree	He hardly slept.
highly	Adverb	AdjP	high degree (restricted collocations)	She is highly competent.
hugely	Adverb	AdjP	very large degree	The reform was hugely influential.
immensely	Adverb	AdjP	very large degree	The policy is immensely controversial.
just	Adverb	VP	minimal threshold	The explanation just makes sense.
largely	Adverb	clause / VP	dominant extent	The effort largely succeeded.
little	Adverb	comparative	smaller difference	The change is little better than before.
marginally	Adverb	comparative	very small difference	The results were marginally better.
mildly	Adverb	AdjP	weak evaluation	The comment was mildly critical.
moderately	Adverb	AdjP	middle degree	The reforms were moderately effective.
mostly	Adverb	VP / clause	majority extent	The audience was mostly supportive.
much	Adverb	comparative	strong comparative difference	The new version is much simpler.
nearly	Adverb	VP / clause	near endpoint	They nearly won.
partly	Adverb	VP / clause	partial extent	The damage was partly repaired.
partially	Adverb	VP	incomplete extent	The system is partially automated.
perfectly	Adverb	AdjP	ideal degree	The explanation is perfectly clear.
practically	Adverb	VP / clause	nearly complete	The project is practically finished.
profoundly	Adverb	AdjP	deep importance	The discovery was profoundly significant.
quite	Adverb	AdjP / clause	mid–high degree	The solution is quite simple.
rather	Adverb	AdjP	moderate evaluative degree	He was rather surprised.
reasonably	Adverb	AdjP	moderate / acceptable degree	The explanation is reasonably clear.
really	Adverb	AdjP / clause	strong emphasis	The argument is really persuasive.
relatively	Adverb	AdjP	comparative context	The solution is relatively inexpensive.
roughly	Adverb	number / clause	approximate degree	The cost is roughly similar.
seriously	Adverb	VP / AdjP	significant negative degree	The crisis seriously damaged trust.
severely	Adverb	VP / AdjP	strong negative degree	The drought severely affected crops.
slightly	Adverb	AdjP / comparative	small degree	The door was slightly open.
so	Adverb	AdjP	high degree	The noise was so loud.
somewhat	Adverb	AdjP	moderate reduction	The outcome was somewhat unexpected.
strongly	Adverb	VP / AdjP	strong evaluation	Experts strongly disagree.
substantially	Adverb	comparative	significant measurable difference	The second design is substantially better.
thoroughly	Adverb	VP / AdjP	deep completeness	The issue was thoroughly examined.
too	Adverb	AdjP	excessive degree	This box is too heavy.
totally	Adverb	VP / AdjP	full extent	The plan totally collapsed.
utterly	Adverb	AdjP	maximal negative evaluation	The proposal is utterly absurd.
vastly	Adverb	comparative	very large difference	The new system is vastly superior.
very	Adverb	AdjP / AdvP	high scalar degree	She is very tired.
virtually	Adverb	VP / clause	effectively complete	The system is virtually obsolete.
well	Adverb	comparative	strong difference	The new version works well better.
wholly	Adverb	VP / AdjP	entire degree	The argument is wholly unconvincing.