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Contraposition Posted 10 years ago
Vocabulary

barely ~ at all

What do 'quite' and 'barely ~ at all' mean here?

He had thought he knew Dumbledore quite well, but ever since
reading this obituary he had been forced to recognize that he had
barely known him at all. Never once had he imagined Dumbledore’s
childhood or youth.
  

Top answer

quite is an intensifier of 'well'. barely . .

  • quite is an intensifier of 'well'.
  • barely .
  • .
  • at all is the opposite of an intensifier.
  • eg He barely ate his dinner at all This means he only ate a tiny amount.
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1 Answers
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quite is an intensifier of 'well'.

barely . . . at all is the opposite of an intensifier.
eg He barely ate his dinner at all This means he only ate a tiny amount.

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