What does "drastically" mean in the sentence, "The candidates have drastically different ideas for addressing the country's challenges"?
Social Studies · High School · Tue Nov 03 2020
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- The word "drastically" in the sentence "The candidates have drastically different ideas for addressing the country's challenges" is an adverb used to emphasize the extent to which the candidates' ideas differ from one another.
- It suggests that their approaches or solutions are not just slightly or somewhat different but very significantly or greatly so. Using "drastically" indicates that there is a stark contrast between the candidates’ ideas, implying that they would lead to very different outcomes or actions with respect to the challenges being faced by the country.
- The adverb "drastically" comes from the root word "drastic," which means "acting with force or violence" or "extreme in effect or action." In contemporary usage, when we say something is drastic, we mean that it is severe or radical in nature. So when you apply "drastically" to describe the difference between two things, you're suggesting a substantial degree of difference. It's a word often used to suggest big changes or contrasts.
- Understanding how adverbs work is an essential part of language study. In English, adverbs often end in "-ly" and are used to modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing more information about how, when, where, or to what degree something is done. In the given sentence, "drastically" is modifying the adjective "different," telling us the degree to which the candidates' ideas vary.