definistions of 'pretty'
The definitions of 'pretty' in Longman Dictionary are as follows:

1 fairly or more than a little :
I’m pretty sure he’ll say yes.
She still looks pretty miserable.

2 very :
Dinner at Luigi’s sounds pretty good to me.

However, it is difficult for me to judge which meaning 'pretty' conveys when I read a sentence containing this word. Does it depend on the intonation in speech?

Question

definistions of 'pretty'
The definitions of 'pretty' in Longman Dictionary are as follows:

1 fairly or more than a little :  
I’m pretty sure he’ll say yes. 
She still looks pretty miserable. 

2 very :  
Dinner at Luigi’s sounds pretty good to me. 

However, it is difficult for me to judge which meaning 'pretty' conveys when I read a sentence containing this word. Does it depend on the intonation in speech?

Answer

Intonation does make a difference.

"I'm pretty SURE he'll come." - I'm very sure he'll come.

"I'm PRETTY sure he'll come." - I think he'll come, but there might be some doubt.  I am less confident that he will come than I would be if I said it as above.

Verpassen Sie nicht die Gelegenheit, bequem von zu Hause aus eine Sprache zu lernen. Stöbern Sie in unserer Auswahl an erfahrenen Sprachlehrern und melden Sie sich jetzt zu Ihrer ersten Unterrichtsstunde an!