Isolating Intensifiers in Verbal Processes Found in English Literary Discourse

Abstract: Isolating intensifiers are regarded as markers of the lexical-grammatical class denoting graduation. This category of language performs up-scaling or down-scaling of isolated and individual item solely so as to convey the level of intensity (Martin & White, 2005). The paper aims at exploring how isolating intensifiers upgrade and downgrade verbal processes found in English literary discourse. The study was conducted using qualitative method and basing on 120 samples extracted from the English literary works namely Wuthering Heights by Bronté, The Man of Property by Galsworthy, The moon and Sixpence by Maugham and Vanity Fair by Thackeray. The findings show that the isolating intensifiers can modify a range of various processes such as Material, Mental, Behaviour and Rational processes so as to raise or lower the degree of intensity for the processes. The study also makes some certain contributions to English learning, teaching as well as language study.