student asking question

What does “literally” mean?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

'Literally' is an adverb, meaning 'in a literal sense'. 'Literal' is an adjective meaning 'understanding words in their most basic sense, without metaphors'. Let's say you're trying to describe something as it is, but you're worried that someone might interpret it differently, then you'll use 'literally' to clarify the meaning. Ex: I live literally right around the corner. Ex: He literally had ants in his pants.

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