Compact Advanced Training Part 2: 6.1- Adverb-adjective collocations and Culture old and new (Reading and use of English)

What do you know about the following painting?

What I felt when staring at the Mona Lisa.

One of the main attractions at the Louvre Museum is the painting of the Mona Lisa, so many people are desperately eager to look at it thanks to its wildly exaggerated promotion. Consequently, when being there, I was deeply interested in it.

Unfortunately, when realising what its size was, I felt bitterly disappointed since it seemed to me really small. However, when I stare at her face, I had a sensation of being actively involved in her sight as I was blissfully unaware of her enigmatic smile that made me feel bitterly cold. Therefore, it let me highly impressed how expressive she could have been.

On the other hand, people who admire the painting get absolutely delighted because of its blatantly obvious magnficence and spotlessly clean image as one of the most ridiculously expensive masterpieces in our current world.

Despite the fact that my visit didn't result entirely satisfactory, I nowadays deeply regret not having gazed at it for a longer period. Hence, if you go to Paris, I strongly recommend considering the Mona Lisa as part of your itinerary.

Written by Teacher Elmer Santana

Modifying Adverbs

Adverbs are often used before adjectives and verbs either to strengthen their meaning (intensifying adverbs) or to weaken it (softening adverbs). -Her comments were deeply offensive. (intensifier – very/extremely) -Her comments were slightly offensive. (softener – a little bit) A) Intensifying adverbs: They are used to mean ‘extremely’ or ‘completely’ in the sentences below: -Olivia really enjoys doing housework. You should see her flat – it’s always spotlessly clean. --It was downright rude of Antonio to tell Paula that she looked older than her own mother. -I hope he feels thoroughly ashamed. -It’s blatantly obvious that Olga is only interested in Richard because he’s so wealthy. I wonder what she’ll do when she finds out he’s wildly exaggerated how rich he really is! -This celebrity website is good fun but most of the information is wildly inaccurate.
B) Alternatives to very: There are a variety of words that you can use as alternatives to very which collocate with most adjectives, for example: really, extremely, terribly, incredibly and awfully.
C.- Softening adverbs: -The spokesperson said the new insurance scheme was only slightly different from the old one. -The chief executive said he was mildly surprised by the public interest in the firm’s plans. [mildly also collocates with amusing/ed, irritating/ed, offensive] -Alfredo Scaluzzi’s new film is loosely based on a nineteenth-century novel. [loosely also collocates with centred, structured, related, connected] -Ms Giroa said she regarded reports that she was about to seek a divorce as faintly ridiculous. [fairly formal; faintly also collocates with amused, surprised, patronising, absurd]
Source:

Other common adverb-adjective collocations
painfully shy	As a child I was painfully shy - I didn’t speak much.
patently obvious	From the look on his face it was patently obvious that he was not interested.
perfectly clear	It was perfectly clear that Julie did not approve.
perfectly normal	It’s perfectly normal to be nervous before an exam.
readily available	Information is readily available for visitors.
reasonably happy	Since moving to London Carla seems reasonably happy.
really amazing	The special effects used in Star Wars are really amazing.
reasonably priced
ridiculously cheap	I was lucky. The shoes I liked were ridiculously cheap!
scared stiff	Julie was scared stiff when she saw the snake.
seriously ill	The doctor informed us that dad was seriously ill.
sorely missed	Our English teacher will be sorely missed when she retires.
strictly forbidden	It is strictly forbidden to walk on the lawn.
strongly opposed	Her parents were strongly opposed to the marriage.
terribly disappointing	Tom didn’t enjoy the show. He found it terribly disappointing.
thoroughly spoilt	That child is thoroughly spoilt!
totally unbelievable	His version of the accident was totally unbelievable.
utterly stupid	It is utterly stupid to go sailing in stormy weather.
vaguely familiar	I don't know who he is but his face is vaguely familiar.
widely accepted	Payment by credit card is now widely accepted.
widely available	The product is widely available so you should have no trouble finding it.
wildly optimistic	His sales estimations are wildly optimistic.