| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| absolute (adj.), absolutely (adv.) |
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| Both are often used as intensifiers, and both are sometimes criticized as overkill in Formal prose. What you say is absolute nonsense and I think you are absolutely right are examples of hyperbole, which has its place, albeit usually at the Conversational levels or in the writing that imitates them. See also ABSOLUTE CONSTRUCTIONS. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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