Mastering Intensifiers and Mitigators in English: A Complete Guide

Name: Adjectives #5 | Intensifiers + Mitigators | Basic English Grammar
Uploaded: 2026-01-21T08:22:43.576522+00:00
Channel: Shaw English Online
Description: Summary and key takeaways on Mastering Intensifiers and Mitigators in English: A Complete Guide, covering Introduction In this article we explore two powerful

Shaw English Online

Jan 21, 2026

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3 min read

YouTube video ID: E-YYxdv_U0c

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Introduction

In this article we explore two powerful tools that can change the strength of any adjective: intensifiers (which make adjectives stronger) and mitigators (which tone them down). Understanding when and how to use them will make your spoken and written English sound more natural and precise.

What Are Intensifiers?

Intensifiers are words that add emphasis to an adjective, giving it more power.

Common Intensifiers

really – The video is really interesting.
very – I am very happy to learn English.
absolutely – Your new dress is absolutely amazing.
extremely – It’s extremely cold outside.
incredibly – Your son is incredibly smart.
completely – My wallet is completely empty.
unusually – The classroom was unusually quiet.
enough – He isn’t old enough to drive. (Note: enough follows the adjective.)

Intensifiers with Comparatives

much – He runs much faster than me.
a lot – This red bag is a lot heavier than the white one.
far – She is far taller than me.

Intensifiers with Superlatives

easily – This is easily the best restaurant in town.
by far – Sarah is by far the smartest girl in class.

What Are Mitigators?

Mitigators do the opposite: they weaken the impact of an adjective.

Common Mitigators

fairly – It’s fairly sunny today.
rather – I’m rather tired.
pretty – It’s pretty expensive.
quite – The movie was quite good. (When used with non‑extreme adjectives, it softens.)

Important: With extreme adjectives such as terrible, perfect, enormous, excellent, the word quite becomes an intensifier (e.g., She is quite gorgeous = absolutely gorgeous).

Mitigators with Comparatives

a bit – He’s a bit faster than me.
rather – This dress is rather nicer than that one.
slightly – My car is slightly older than yours.

Practice: Identify Intensifiers vs. Mitigators

Sentence	Adjective	Modifier	Function
It’s a very interesting game.	interesting	very	Intensifier
She cooks fairly good pasta.	good	fairly	Mitigator
He’s quite brilliant at speaking English.	brilliant (extreme)	quite	Intensifier
She’s a bit younger than I am.	younger (comparative)	a bit	Mitigator
My dog is much fatter than my cat.	fatter (comparative)	much	Intensifier

Pronunciation Practice

Repeat each sentence aloud to internalise rhythm and stress: - It’s a very interesting game. - She cooks fairly good pasta. - He’s quite brilliant at speaking English. - She’s a bit younger than I am. - My dog is much fatter than my cat.

Why It Matters

Using intensifiers and mitigators correctly: - Adds nuance to your descriptions. - Helps you sound more native‑like. - Prevents misunderstandings caused by over‑ or under‑statement.

Final Tips

Pair intensifiers with non‑extreme adjectives; use quite carefully.
Remember that enough follows the adjective.
Practice by listening to native speakers and mimicking their usage.

Mastering intensifiers and mitigators lets you fine‑tune the strength of your adjectives, making your English sound clearer, more natural, and more persuasive.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Yes, the full transcript for this video is available on this page. Click 'Show transcript' in the sidebar to read it.

What Are Intensifiers?

Intensifiers are words that add emphasis to an adjective, giving it more power.

What Are Mitigators?

Mitigators do the opposite: they weaken the impact of an adjective.

Why It Matters

Using intensifiers and mitigators correctly: - Adds nuance to your descriptions. - Helps you sound more native‑like. - Prevents misunderstandings caused by over‑ or under‑statement.

Helpful resources related to this video

If you want to practice or explore the concepts discussed in the video, these commonly used tools may help.

English Grammar In Use Paperback Recommended

Comprehensive grammar reference that explains intensifiers, mitigators and many other structures, helping learners apply them correctly now

Amazon →

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary Physical Book

Provides clear definitions and example sentences for intensifiers and mitigators, essential for everyday usage

Amazon →

English Vocabulary Builder Book

Offers themed word lists and practice exercises to expand adjective knowledge and appropriate modifiers

Amazon →

Pronunciation Practice For English Learners Workbook

Includes drills for the sentences used in the article, reinforcing correct stress and intonation with intensifiers and mitigators

Amazon →

Links may be affiliate links. We only include resources that are genuinely relevant to the topic.

Summarize another video

Full Transcript YouTube

Hello students and welcome back to my 
English course on adjectives.
In this video, I'm going to talk to you about
intensifiers and mitigators.
Now what are those?
Don't be scared of by their names.
Intensifiers are simply words that will make
adjectives stronger.
They will give adjectives more power or more
emphasis.
For example, two very common intensifiers
in English are ‘really’ and ‘very’.
Mitigators on the other hand, make the adjectives
weaker like the words b'rather' or fairly'.
But we're gonna go into a little more detail.
Keep watching.
Let's start with intensifiers.
And I have a list of intensifies for you.
Of course these are not all of them, but it's
a good start because they are very common
in English.
Let's have a look.
really
This video is really interesting.
The adjectives in this sentence is 'interesting'
and we make it stronger with the intensifier,
‘really’.
It's really interesting.
very
For example, I'm very happy to learn English.
The adjective is ‘happy’.
And we give it more power with the intensifier.
very
I am very happy to learn English.
Other intensifiers include absolutely.
For example, 'Your new dress is absolutely amazing'.
‘extremely’
Like
‘It's extremely cold outside.”
‘incredibly’
For example, ‘Your son is incredibly smart.’
‘completely’
‘My wallet is completely empty.’
unusually
‘The classroom was unusually quiet.’
And finally, ‘enough’.
‘He isn't old enough to drive.’
Now for this last sentence, the adjective
is old and II intensifier is enough.
It's a special case because as you can hear
and see, ‘enough’ always comes after the
adjective.
Intensifiers are commonly used with comparative
and superlative adjectives.
For example, with comparative adjectives,
we often use 'much'.
For example, ‘He runs much faster than me.’
‘Faster’ is the comparative form of the
adjective ‘fast’.
And to intensify the comparison, we use the
intensifier ‘much’.
So he runs much faster than me.
We also use ‘a lot’.
For example, ‘This red bag is a lot heavier
than this white bag’.
‘heavier’ is the comparative form of the
adjective ‘heavy’.
And we make it even more powerful with ‘a
lot heavier’.
And we also use ‘far’.
For example, ‘She is far taller than me’.
‘taller’ is the comparative of ‘tall’.
We make it more powerful with ‘far’.
‘Far taller than me’.
Now with superlative adjectives, we can use ‘easily’.
For example, ‘This is easily the best restaurant in town’.
‘best’ is the superlative form of the adjective ‘good’.
And we make it even more powerful by saying,
‘easily the best restaurant’.
And we also use ‘by far’.
For example,
‘Sarah is by far the smartest girl in class’.
Let's move on to mitigators.
Now mitigators are the opposite of intensifiers.
They weaken the adjectives.
Let's look at a few examples.
Mitigators include ‘fairly’.
For example, ‘It's fairly sunny today’.
The adjective ‘sunny’ is weakened by the
mitigator ‘fairly’.
So it's not sunny.
It's a bit less than sunny.
Other mitigator, ‘rather’.
So when I say, ‘I'm rather tired’,
I'm not exactly tired.
I'm a bit less.
The adjective is less powerful because of
this ‘rather’.
Other example, ‘pretty’.
‘It's pretty expensive’.
Which means it's not expensive.
It's a little bit less.
Or 'quite'. 
Like, ‘The movie was quite good’.
The adjective ‘good’ is less powerful
because of this ‘quite’.
Now be very careful because if you use ‘quite’
with an extreme adjective such as ‘terrible’,
‘perfect’, ‘enormous’, or ‘excellent’
quite means ‘absolutely’.
It becomes an intensifier.
For example, ‘She is quite gorgeous.’
Means she is absolutely gorgeous.
It's more powerful because of the intensified ‘quite’.
So be very careful when you use ‘quite’
because depending on the adjective that you
choose, it has a different meaning.
And it can be either an intensifier or a mitigator.
Let's move on.
Just as intensifiers, mitigators can be used
with comparative adjectives.
Let's look at a few examples.
We can use ‘a bit’.
For example, ‘He's a bit faster than me’.
When you say, “He's a bit faster than me,”
it's less powerful than “He's faster than me.”
So ‘a bit’ mitigates.
It weakens ‘faster’.
Same goes for ‘rather’.
For example,
‘This dress is rather nicer than that dress’.
It weakens the comparison - the nicer.
And finally we can say, ‘slightly’.
For example,
‘My car is slightly older than your car’.
So it's just a little bit older than your car.
It's weak because of this mitigator.
Let's now move on to practice.
I want things to be very clear so I have a
few example sentences for you guys.
And I want you to tell me if you see an intensifier
or a mitigator.
Let's have a look.
First, ‘It's a very interesting game’.
Now what's the adjective in that sentence?
‘interesting’ of course.
What about ‘very’.
Is it an intensifier or a mitigator?
What do you think?
It's an intensifier of course.
It's a very interesting game.
It's more powerful thanks to this ‘very’.
The second sentence,
‘She cooks fairly good pasta’.
Now the adjective in this sentence is ‘good’.
I'm sure you know.
What about ‘fairly’?
Is it an intensifier or a mitigator?
It's a mitigator guys.
The adjective ‘good’ is less powerful
because of ‘fairly’.
‘She cooks fairly good pasta’.
The third example,
‘He's quite brilliant at speaking English’.
The adjective is ‘brilliant’.
Now just a hint.
It's an extreme adjective.
‘brilliant’ is a very strong adjective,
so what about ‘quite’?
Is it an intensifier or a mitigator?
It is an intensifier of course because the
adjective is extreme.
I hope you got that.
Next example.
‘She's a bit younger than I am’.
The adjective is actually a comparative adjective 
in this sentence.
‘younger’
'a bit' acts as a mitigator of course.
And finally,
‘My dog is much fatter than my cat’.
Again, it's a comparative adjective - ‘fatter’.
And what about ‘much’?
What do you think?
Intensifier, mitigator?
It's an intensifier.
It's much fatter than my cat.
Good job guys.
Let's move on.
Let's go through the sentences again and focus
on pronunciation.
Please repeat after me.
It's a very interesting game.
One more time.
It's a very interesting game.
Good.
Second example.
She cooks fairly good pasta.
She cooks fairly good pasta.
Third example guys.
He's quite brilliant at speaking English.
One more time.
He's quite brilliant at speaking English.
Moving on.
She's a bit younger than I am.
She's a bit younger than I am.
And finally,
my dog is much fatter than my cat.
My dog is much fatter than my cat.
Excellent guys.
Thank you guys for watching the video.
I hope this has helped.
Now using intensifiers and mitigators takes practice.
A lot of practice.
But I'm sure you can do it and it's worth it.
It will make a true difference to your speaking skills.
Thank you for watching.
See you next time.
Thank you guys for watching my video and for
watching this English course on adjectives.
If you want to see more videos on adjectives and
other things please show us your support.
Click ‘like’, subscribe to the channel,
put your comments below
and share the video with your friends.
Thank you and see you.