Language/French/Grammar/Degree-adverbs

Degree adverbs

What are Degree Adverbs?

Adverbs which indicate the extent to which something is the case are degree adverbs. As a class they can modify every kind of sentence element: verbs, adjectives, nouns, prepositions and other adverbs. But individually some of them may be restricted to modifying particular categories of item (e.g. très can modify adjectives, prepositions and adverbs - très heureux 'very happy', très à la mode 'very fashionable', très bien 'very well' - but not verbs *Je fume très 'I smoke very'):

Examples

• Je fume modérément

I smoke moderately

• Tout est si clair maintenant

Everything is so clear

• Ce ne sera pas tout à fait la vérité

That won't be entirely the truth

• Je tends ma main jusqu'à presque toucher son visage

I stretch out my hand almost to touch his face

• Elle a dressé trop brusquement la tête

She lifted her head up too quickly

TABLE Typical degree adverbs

Representative examples

tab1

A number of degree adverbs also function as quantifiers modifying nouns :

Tab2