Adverbs of Degree

How much?

සිංහලෙන්

• The water was extremely cold.
• The film is quite interesting.
• She has almost finished.
• I was just leaving.

very or too?

This is the important one.

• very = a lot. It's just a fact.
• too = more than is OK. There's a problem.

very vs too

සිංහලෙන්

• The tea is very hot.a fact
• The tea is too hot to drink.a problem
• He speaks very quickly.a fact
• He speaks too quickly for me to understand.a problem

too + adjective + to + verb, or + for someone:

too… to / too… for

සිංහලෙන්

• You're too young to get married!
• The dress was too small for her.

too at the end of a sentence means something else: also. Can I come too?

enough

enough = as much as you need. It goes after an adjective or adverb, but before a noun.

enough

සිංහලෙන්

• Is your coffee hot enough?
• He didn't study hard enough to pass.
• She's not old enough to vote.
• We have enough food.before a noun

Stronger, weaker

Different strengths

සිංහලෙන්

• The lecture was extremely boring.
• The lecture was a bit boring.
• She sang pretty well.

not very is a soft, polite way to say something negative: The food was not very good sounds kinder than The food was bad.

Starting with "never" or "rarely" (formal)

In formal or dramatic English, never, rarely, seldom, not only can go at the start. Then the order flips like a question:

Formal

සිංහලෙන්

• Never have I seen such courage.
• Not only did she cook, but she cleaned too.

You don't need this in everyday speech. But you'll see it in exams and speeches.

Quick check

Tap an answer. Nothing is saved.

1. This box is heavy for me to lift.

   verytoo

2. Is Kasun to drive?

   enough oldold enough

3. Thank you! The food was delicious.

   verytoo

4. I don't have for a new phone.

   enough moneymoney enough