The Adverb of Real: Really
The adverb of real is really.
How really is formed
The adjective ends in l, so adding -ly gives two: real + ly = really.
Identical in form to cool → coolly and cruel → cruelly. What makes really unusual is not the spelling but the meaning, which has drifted a long way from real.
Really in a sentence
| Is that really what he said? | Expressing doubt or surprise, the most frequent use. |
| The film was really good. | Simply an intensifier meaning very. |
| He really believed it. | The original sense: genuinely, in fact. |
The mistake to watch for
| Incorrect | Correct |
| He plays real good. | He plays really well. |
Using real as an adverb is common in informal American speech but is not standard in writing. Note that the sentence needs two corrections: real to really, and good to well.
Related forms
Pronunciation: REE-uh-lee or REE-lee, two or three syllables depending on speed and accent. Both are standard.
| Adjective | real |
| Adverb | really |
| Noun | reality |
| Near-synonyms | genuinely, truly, actually |
Where it is actually used
Knowing the form is one thing; knowing the company a word keeps is what makes it sound natural. These are the patterns really appears in most often.
| really good / bad / interesting | As a plain intensifier, meaning very. |
| not really | A softened refusal, one of the most common phrases in spoken English. |
| Really? | On its own, expressing surprise or scepticism. |
Really or something else?
Several adverbs sit close to really, and the difference between them is usually meaning rather than formality.
| very | Only intensifies. It cannot mean in fact. Did he very mean it? is impossible. |
| truly | Formal, and about sincerity rather than emphasis. |
| actually | Signals a correction. He actually believed it implies you expected otherwise. |
A note on overuse
In formal writing, really as an intensifier is usually the first word an editor cuts. The results were really surprising is almost always stronger as the results were surprising. Keep it where it carries the original sense of in fact.
Practice
Fill the gap, then check yourself.
- She sings ___ well.
- Is that ___ what happened?
- The book was ___ good, wasn’t it?
Answers: 1. really 2. really 3. really
Frequently asked
Why does really so often just mean very?
Intensifiers wear down with use. Really began as in reality, and constant use as emphasis gradually bleached the original meaning. Very itself took the same path, from Old French verai, meaning true.
