5 exercises — practise matching intensifiers and minimizers to the true magnitude of technical results.
0 / 15 completed
1 / 15
A benchmark shows a 45% latency reduction. Which sentence uses an intensifier that accurately matches this large magnitude?
"Significantly reduced latency" is correct: "significantly" is a strong intensifier appropriate for describing a large, meaningful change such as a 45% reduction. Option A uses "marginally", a minimizer implying a very small, barely-noticeable change, which understates a 45% improvement. Option B uses "slightly", another minimizer that similarly misrepresents the magnitude. Option D uses "somewhat", a moderate hedge that also understates a change this large.
2 / 15
A benchmark shows only a 2% improvement in throughput. Which sentence uses a minimizer that accurately reflects this small magnitude?
"Marginally improved throughput" is correct: "marginally" is a minimizer appropriate for a small, barely-significant 2% change. Option A uses "dramatically", a strong intensifier that would mislead readers into expecting a large improvement. Option C uses "vastly", another strong intensifier that overstates a 2% change. Option D uses "substantially", which likewise implies a much larger improvement than 2% actually represents.
3 / 15
Which sentence correctly places the intensifier "considerably" to modify a comparative adjective describing memory usage?
"Uses considerably less memory" is correct: the adverb "considerably" directly precedes and modifies the comparative phrase "less memory", the standard position for intensifying a comparative. Option B incorrectly places "considerably" after "less", separating the intensifier from the comparative word it modifies. Option C wrongly uses the adjective form "considerable" instead of the adverb "considerably", which cannot correctly modify "less" in this position. Option D misplaces "considerably" before the verb "uses" rather than before the comparative phrase it is meant to intensify, changing and weakening the intended meaning.
4 / 15
Which sentence correctly uses a minimizer to describe a negligible, statistically insignificant difference between two test groups?
"Fractionally higher...within the margin of error" is correct: "fractionally" is a minimizer appropriate for describing a negligible, statistically insignificant difference, and it aligns with the phrase "within the margin of error". Option A uses "overwhelmingly", a strong intensifier that misrepresents a negligible difference as a major one. Option C uses "enormously", also a strong intensifier inconsistent with a statistically insignificant result. Option D uses "tremendously", another intensifier that would mislead readers about the true (negligible) size of the difference.
5 / 15
A report says CPU usage rose from 40% to 41% under load. Choose the sentence with the degree word that most accurately calibrates this change.
"Rose marginally under load" is correct: a one-percentage-point change (40% to 41%) is a small, marginal increase, and "marginally" precisely calibrates that magnitude for the reader. Option A's "dramatically" wildly overstates a one-point change. Option C's "exponentially" is both a magnitude overstatement and a technical misuse, since the change is linear and tiny, not exponential growth. Option D's "massively" similarly and inaccurately suggests a large increase where only a negligible one occurred.
6 / 15
Alex: 'The new caching layer reduced response times by a whopping 87%.' Which option best reflects Alex's excitement and the significance of this improvement?
'Substantial' is an intensifier that clearly conveys the large magnitude of the 87% reduction. Options A and B use minimizers (slightly/marginally) which downplay the improvement, while option C uses a neutral term. Option D is overly vague.
7 / 15
Sarah (in a Slack message): 'The performance test showed a negligible difference between the two versions after running for 24 hours. It's basically the same.' Which word best captures Sarah's sentiment and minimizes the perceived change?
'Negligible' and 'essentially indistinguishable' are minimizers that accurately reflect the small difference. The other options use intensifiers or descriptors that exaggerate the divergence, misrepresenting Sarah's assessment. It's important to choose words that match the actual magnitude of change.
8 / 15
Ben (in a PR description): 'This refactoring significantly improved the API's throughput. The changes reduced latency by approximately 15%.' Which of the following best describes Ben's intention?
'Significantly' is an intensifier that highlights the substantial impact of the refactoring on throughput and latency. 'Minimal improvement' accurately reflects the 15% reduction. Options A and B use minimizers while C uses a weaker intensifier.
9 / 15
David (in a code review comment): 'The optimization resulted in a barely perceptible drop in memory usage. It's hardly worth mentioning.' Which word best reflects David's assessment?
'Barely perceptible' and 'almost nonexistent' are minimizers that accurately convey the very small impact on memory usage. The other options use intensifiers or descriptors that exaggerate the reduction, which isn't what David is communicating.
10 / 15
Emily (in a standup update): 'We implemented a new algorithm that dramatically improved query performance. The response times decreased by over 90%.' Which sentence best summarizes Emily's update?
'Dramatically' is an intensifier that accurately reflects the large magnitude of the 90% decrease in response times. Options A and B use minimizers while option C uses a neutral term, and option D implies a much smaller change than what was actually achieved.
11 / 15
Alex: 'The new caching layer reduced response times by a whopping 87%.' Which option best reflects Alex's excitement and the significance of this improvement?
'Substantial' is an intensifier that clearly conveys the large magnitude of the 87% reduction. Options A and B use minimizers (slightly/marginally) which downplay the improvement, while option C uses a neutral term. Option D is overly vague.
12 / 15
Sarah (in a Slack message): 'The performance test showed a negligible difference between the two versions after running for 24 hours. It's basically the same.' Which word best captures Sarah's sentiment and minimizes the perceived change?
'Negligible' and 'essentially indistinguishable' are minimizers that accurately reflect the small difference. The other options use intensifiers or descriptors that exaggerate the divergence, misrepresenting Sarah's assessment. It's important to choose words that match the actual magnitude of change.
13 / 15
Ben (in a PR description): 'This refactoring significantly improved the API's throughput. The changes reduced latency by approximately 15%.' Which of the following best describes Ben's intention?
'Significantly' is an intensifier that highlights the substantial impact of the refactoring on throughput and latency. 'Minimal improvement' accurately reflects the 15% reduction. Options A and B use minimizers while C uses a weaker intensifier.
14 / 15
David (in a code review comment): 'The optimization resulted in a barely perceptible drop in memory usage. It's hardly worth mentioning.' Which word best reflects David's assessment?
'Barely perceptible' and 'almost nonexistent' are minimizers that accurately convey the very small impact on memory usage. The other options use intensifiers or descriptors that exaggerate the reduction, which isn't what David is communicating.
15 / 15
Emily (in a standup update): 'We implemented a new algorithm that dramatically improved query performance. The response times decreased by over 90%.' Which sentence best summarizes Emily's update?
'Dramatically' is an intensifier that accurately reflects the large magnitude of the 90% decrease in response times. Options A and B use minimizers while option C uses a neutral term, and option D implies a much smaller change than what was actually achieved.
What will I practise in "Intensifiers and Minimizers in Technical English — IT Grammar Exercise"?
Practise calibrating magnitude accurately with degree words like significantly, considerably, marginally, and fractionally in benchmarks and reports.
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 15 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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Every exercise is written by the CoderSlingo team, drawing on real workplace English used in IT roles, then reviewed for accuracy and clarity.