English is full of collocations, which are words that sound natural and correct together. One common type of collocation is adverbs with verbs.
In this case, specific adverbs are used most often with certain verbs, such as when you say "I truly appreciate your support." It is wrong and awkward to say "I strongly appreciate your support" or "I sincerely appreciate your support" because "strongly" and "sincerely" are not collocations with the verb "appreciate".
Knowing these collocations can help boost your score on tests like IELTS and TOEFL and can also help you sound more natural when you speak or write in English.
Below you can find a list of adverb + verb collocations that English speakers use every day:
truly appreciate
I truly appreciate your help.
Thank you for your gift. I truly appreciate it.
sincerely apologize
I sincerely apologize for the mistake.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that you experienced.
strongly recommend
I strongly recommend that you get travel insurance for your trip.
My doctor strongly recommended that I exercise more
firmly believe
I firmly believe that gun laws should be stricter.
The President firmly believes that he can fix the broken economy.
deeply regret
We deeply regret that you were unhappy with the service that you received.
I deeply regret that I wasn't honest with you.
totally agree
I totally agree with you
My wife totally agrees with me that we should get a dog.
carefully consider
I have to carefully consider the job market before I quit my current job.
She wants to carefully consider our offer before she makes a decision.
eagerly await
My kids are eagerly awaiting Christmas because Santa Claus is going to bring them presents
I'm eagerly awaiting my vacation. I need a rest.
honestly admit
I honestly admit that I don't like my roommate.
He honestly admitted that he still smokes sometimes.
completely understand
I completely understand how you feel
My professor is very good at explaining things. I completely understand all of her lessons.
fully accept
I fully accept responsibility for my mistake and its consequences
I fully accept the terms and conditions of the contract
Practice
Choose the correct adverb to match the verb:
I firmly/deeply/totally agree with your opinion.
She strongly/fully/truly recommends that I study information technology in college.
Everyone is totally/eagerly/carefully awaiting the results of the vote.
My boyfriend sincerely/completely/firmly understands how I feel about getting married.
My brother truly/completely/totally appreciated the advice that I gave him.
We sincerely/fully/deeply regret our mistake and how it affected you.
I completely/totally/firmly believe that education is a good investment.
They honestly/deeply/sincerely apologized to their guests for the problem.
He completely/fully/firmly accepts the responsibilities of the job.
You should deeply/firmly/carefully consider the risks of buying a house before you do it.
I carefully/honestly/totally admitted during the job interview that I didn't have any experience.
Answers
I totally agree with your opinion.
She strongly recommends that I study information technology in college.
Everyone is eagerly awaiting the results of the vote.
My boyfriend completely understands how I feel about getting married.
My brother truly appreciated the advice that I gave him.
We deeply regret our mistake and how it affected you.
I firmly believe that education is a good investment.
They sincerely apologized to their guests for the problem.
He fully accepts the responsibilities of the job.
You should carefully consider the risks of buying a house before you do it.
I honestly admitted during the job interview that I didn't have any experience.