Words like very, extremely and really seem to make your meaning stronger. But do they?

Consider the following sentence:

It was a very cold winter and many of the old people in

the village died of hypothermia.

Is it any less strong without the word very?

It was a cold winter and many of the old people in the

village died of hypothermia.

Consider the following sentence:

I love you. Will you marry me?

Does it sound better if we write it this way?:

I really love you. Will you marry me?

A shopkeeper woke up in the morning and found that his shop had been robbed in the night.

He called the police. They arrested two local boys and called them in for questioning...

The police asked the first boy: Did you rob the shop last night?

The first boy answered: No, I swear to you. I didn’t do it. I would never, never, ever do a thing like that. I’m telling the truth, you’ve got to believe me. Please mister, I'm not lying.

Then the police asked the second boy: Did you rob the shop last night?

The second boy answered: No, I didn’t.

Then the police asked the second boy: Did you rob the shop last night?

The second boy answered: No, I didn’t.

Do the extra words in the first boy’s answer help make it sound more truthful?

Which is stronger?

I really, really, very much hate to eat spinach.

I hate spinach.

This?

Or this?

Short sentences are clearer and stronger than long ones.

Hans Anderson 2007-Present: Lecturer at FPT Greenwich

Programmes, FPT University. 2007: M.S., Computational Mathematics,

University of Minnesota 2001: B.A., Computer Science, Gustavus

Adolphus College, Saint Peter, MN