awfully

awfully — adverb

1. used to make a description much stronger, often with extra feeling in what is sa

1.副詞B2
釋義

used to make a description much stronger, often with extra feeling in what is said.

例句

The soup was awfully hot, so Mina waited before taking a sip.

be awfully + adjective

Grandpa looked awfully tired after walking home in the heavy rain.

awfully + adjective with personal feeling

同義詞
  • very

    the most neutral everyday intensifier

  • really

    common in speech and often slightly more conversational

  • extremely

    stronger and often a little more formal

  • terribly

    another emotional intensifier, often with a slightly old-fashioned tone

反義詞
  • slightly

    shows a small degree, not a strong one

  • somewhat

    weaker and more moderate in tone

文法句型

awfully + adjective

awfully + adverb

be awfully + adjective

用法筆記

Usually placed directly before the adjective or adverb it strengthens, as in 'awfully kind' or 'awfully slowly'. Distinguish from sense 2 BADLY, which describes how something is done or how an event goes.

常見錯誤

❌It was awfully a long meeting.
✅It was an awfully long meeting.
💡awfully should sit next to the adjective it strengthens.
❌Nina is awfully teacher.
✅Nina is an awfully good teacher.
💡this sense cannot modify a noun by itself.

2. in a very bad or unpleasant way.

2.副詞B2
釋義

in a very bad or unpleasant way.

例句

The team played awfully and lost three easy points before halftime.

verb + awfully for poor performance

Luca sang awfully at practice, so the band stopped early.

awfully after an action verb

同義詞
  • badly

    the plain everyday choice

  • poorly

    slightly softer in tone than badly

  • terribly

    strong and emotional, often close in force to awfully

反義詞
  • well

    shows that the action is done successfully

  • smoothly

    stresses that something happens without problems

文法句型

verb + awfully

play awfully

end awfully

用法筆記

Most often follows action verbs such as play, sing, or handle. Distinguish from sense 1 GREATLY, where awfully simply strengthens an adjective or another adverb.

常見錯誤

❌The soup tasted awfully after the milk went bad.
✅The soup tasted awful after the milk went bad.
💡after linking verbs like taste, use the adjective awful, not the adverb awfully.
❌The singer was awfully on stage.
✅The singer sang awfully on stage.
💡this sense usually modifies an action, not be.