English Vocabulary for ESL learners

ADVERB + ADJECTIVE COLLOCATIONS

Common adverb-adjective collocations.

Collocations are two or more words that often go together. They are combinations that native English speakers use all the time.
Here are some common adverb + adjective collocations.

absolutely delighted	Carla was absolutely delighted to win first prize.
actively involved	They are both actively involved in politics.
badly injured	Several passengers were badly injured in the accident.
bitterly cold	They set off on a bitterly cold winter morning.
bitterly disappointed	Sam was bitterly disappointed with the result.
blissfully unaware	He sat on the edge of the cliff blissfully unaware of the danger.
completely different	The twins have completely different personalities.
conveniently located	The house is conveniently located near shops and schools.
deadly serious	Tom was deadly serious when spoke about his plans.
deeply divided	The referendum left the country deeply divided.
deeply offended	You could see that Bill was deeply offended by the remark.
desperately eager	The candidate was desperately eager to please.
entirely satisfactory	The result was not entirely satisfactory.
eternally grateful	I will be eternally grateful for all your help.
fiercely competitive	Low-cost airlines are fiercly competitive nowadays.
fully aware	Tom was fully aware of the consequences.
heavily armed	The soldiers guarding the building were all heavily armed.
highly impressed	We were all highly impressed by the athlete's performance.
highly unlikely	It is highly unlikely that any survivors will be found.
highly unusual	Snow at this time of the year is highly unusual.
mildly amused	The teacher didn't laugh, although she did look mildly amused.
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	Housing is reasonably priced in this area.
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.

see also:
- Collocations: adverbs-verbs
- Collocations with 'go'
- English idiomatic expressions
- useful phrases

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Please note that British English spelling is used on this website.