INTENSIFIER

Intensifier

Intensifier is a linguistic term for a modifier that makes no contribution to the propositional meaning of a clause but serves to enhance and give additional emotional context to the word it modifies. Intensifiers are grammatical expletives, specifically expletive attributives, because they function as semantically vacuous filler. Characteristically, English draws intensifiers from a class of words called degree modifiers, words that quantify the idea they modify. More specifically, they derive from a group of words called adverbs of degree, also known as degree adverbs. However, when used grammatically as intensifiers, these ...

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intensifier

Noun

  1. That which intensifies.
  2. A word or particle that heightens or lowers the intensity of meaning of an item.
  3. An agent used to intensify the lights or shadows of a picture.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: intensifier
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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