really
part of speech
adverb
meaning for a pupil
1) In fact, truly: «Is it really true?» tree →
2) Very: «really hot». tree →
3) Used to show surprise or doubt: «Really?» tree →
4) Used to make a statement softer or stronger: «I don't really like it.» tree →
5) (casual) «Really?!» or «srsly» (texting) is annoyed surprise: you can't be serious. tree →
6) (casual, sarcastic) «Oh, really?» means I don't believe you; «Really, Tom?» means I am disappointed in you. tree →
7) (casual, UK) «Not really» is a polite soft no. tree →
8) (formal) «Genuinely», «indeed», «in fact», «exceedingly» and «considerably» are stiff words for really. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday talk, «really» adds strength or asks if something is true. In reading, «Really?» shows a character's surprise. In science: what really happens versus what seems to happen. In casual talk: «really?!», «srsly», «not really». In the exam voice: «indeed», «in fact», «considerably greater». Phrases: not really, really and truly, really?, I really mean it.
examples
- It's really cold today. tree →
- Did you really see a whale? tree →
- «I won!» «Really?» tree →
- I don't really like broccoli. tree →
- She really wants a puppy. tree →
- What really happened? tree →
- That was really kind of you. tree →
- The sun doesn't really move; the Earth spins. tree →
- srsly?? only 2 cookies left out of 12? (casual) tree →
- «I did my homework.» «Oh, really? Show me.» (sarcastic) tree →
- Really? You broke it again? Bloody hell. (rough) tree →
- The second quantity is considerably greater than the first; determine by how much. (formal exam) tree →
- I really cannot squeeze myself through!” tree →
note
Two l's: «really». «Not really» means «not much» or a soft «no». In writing, «really» + adjective is fine, but try stronger words sometimes: «freezing» instead of «really cold». «Really?» can be real surprise or doubt — read the tone. Formal «considerably» = really (a lot); «indeed» = really (truly). It does not change the numbers.
In the corpora
- If prices rise and pay doesn't, a person is really getting poorer each year.
- A crush means really liking someone and thinking about them a lot; it is a private feeling and often passes.
- Knowing how money, work and choices really work now makes the big steps much less scary later.
- The secret of reliable people is to only promise what they can really do.
- If you are really worried about a child being unsafe, tell a trusted adult instead of turning it into gossip.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «really» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.