Advanced Grammar for IELTS: Common Adverb + Adjective Collocations

If you aim to score Band 7.0 or higher in the IELTS Writing and Speaking sections, mastering advanced grammar and vocabulary is essential. One effective way to demonstrate a strong command of English is by using adverb-adjective collocations, natural word pairings that enhance fluency and coherence.

This article will explore the most common adverb + adjective collocations, explain why they’re important for the IELTS exam, and provide practice examples to boost your accuracy and confidence.

Why Use Adverb + Adjective Collocations in IELTS?

In both IELTS Writing Task 2 and Speaking Part 2, examiners assess your ability to use a wide range of vocabulary naturally and accurately. One of the best ways to sound more native-like and precise is to use common collocations, especially combinations of adverbs and adjectives that regularly go together.

Using collocations:

• Improves lexical resource (a key band descriptor)
• Adds natural fluency and flow to your responses
• Reduces awkward or unnatural phrasing
• Helps avoid repetition by expanding expression range

What are Adverb + Adjective Collocations?

Adverb + adjective collocations are combinations where an adverb modifies an adjective in a way that's commonly accepted and widely used in English. For example, we say “deeply disappointed” or “utterly useless”, but not “strongly disappointed” or “very useless”.

Below is a list of advanced and commonly tested adverb + adjective collocations, many drawn from the British National Corpus, ideal for IELTS candidates.

Common Adverb + Adjective Collocations for IELTS

The following are some of the common adverb + adjective collocations that can be used in the IELTS Writing and IELTS Speaking. 

1. Bitterly + [Adjective]

• bitterly cold, bitterly disappointed, bitterly divided, bitterly hostile, bitterly hurt, bitterly opposed, bitterly resentful, bitterly upset
• Example: She was bitterly disappointed by the test results.

2. Completely + [Adjective]

• completely different, completely drained, completely immune (from/to sth), completely incapable, completely lost, completely revised
• Example: His opinion was completely different from the rest.

3. Deeply + [Adjective]

• deeply ashamed, deeply attached (to sb/sth), deeply conscious, deeply depressed, deeply disturbed, deeply embedded, deeply involved
• Example: She is deeply involved in community work.

4. Entirely + [Adjective]

• entirely absent, entirely beneficial, entirely false, entirely free, entirely loyal, entirely unexpected
• Example: The explanation was entirely logical and convincing.

5. Heavily + [Adjective]

• heavily armed, heavily built, heavily censored, heavily polluted, heavily taxed, heavily protected
• Example: The report was heavily censored before release.

6. Hideously + [Adjective]

• hideously ugly, hideously expensive, hideously embarrassing, hideously injured, hideously deformed
• Example: The furniture was hideously expensive for its quality.

7. Highly + [Adjective]

• highly respected, highly controversial, highly educated, highly skilled, highly unlikely, highly trained
• Example: He is a highly skilled technician with years of experience.

8. Painfully + [Adjective]

• painfully aware, painfully shy, painfully obvious, painfully slow, painfully sensitive
• Example: She was painfully shy during her IELTS Speaking exam.

9. Perfectly + [Adjective]

• perfectly reasonable, perfectly capable, perfectly balanced, perfectly understandable, perfectly
• Example: Your answer is perfectly valid in this context.

10. Seriously + [Adjective]

• seriously damaged, seriously ill, seriously threatened, seriously impaired, seriously undermined
• Example: The building was seriously damaged in the storm.

11. Totally + [Adjective]

• totally abandoned, totally embarrassed, totally harmless, totally unacceptable, totally destroyed
• Example: His behaviour was totally unacceptable in a formal setting.

12. Utterly + [Adjective]

• utterly alone, utterly appalled, utterly careless, utterly useless, utterly fearless, utterly tragic
• Example: I felt utterly alone after moving to a new city.

Practice Exercise: Complete the Collocations

Instructions: Choose the correct adverb (A–C) that naturally forms a collocation with the adjective in each sentence.

Example (0):
The city was ___ polluted due to industrial waste.
A. Bitterly
B. Highly
C. Heavily ✅

1. She was ___ ashamed after forgetting her speech.
A. Deeply
B. Totally
C. Hideously

2. The hotel was ___ overpriced for what it offered.
A. Painfully
B. Utterly
C. Hideously

3. The environment is ___ threatened by illegal deforestation.
A. Seriously
B. Perfectly
C. Entirely

4. The house looked ___ abandoned, with broken windows and overgrown grass.
A. Utterly
B. Painfully
C. Highly

5. His reaction to the news was ___ unexpected.
A. Deeply
B. Entirely
C. Heavily

6. The student gave a ___ reasonable explanation for the delay.
A. Perfectly
B. Painfully
C. Utterly

7. He is ___ trained to handle emergency situations.
A. Bitterly
B. Highly
C. Totally

8. She was ___ depressed after failing the exam twice.
A. Heavily
B. Deeply
C. Completely

9. Their decision was ___ unjustified and irrational.
A. Totally
B. Painfully
C. Highly

10. The movie was ___ embarrassing to watch with parents.
A. Seriously
B. Hideously
C. Bitterly

Answer Key:

1. Deeply
2. Hideously
3. Seriously
4. Utterly
5. Entirely
6. Perfectly
7. Highly
8. Deeply
9. Totally
10. Hideously

Overall, mastering adverb + adjective collocations is a smart way to demonstrate advanced grammar knowledge in IELTS. These pairings can significantly enhance your fluency, accuracy, and naturalness, especially in IELTS Writing Task 2 and Speaking responses. Practice using them regularly in context, not just in isolation.

Also Check:

• Advanced Grammar Structures for IELTS (Get Band 7.0+)
• Advanced Grammar for IELTS With Comparative
• Advanced Grammar for IELTS: Confusing Verbs
• Advanced Grammar for IELTS: Contrast
• Adverbs for IELTS
• Grammar for IELTS: Especially vs Specially