Public Services and Procurement Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Institutional Links

 

Important notice

Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.

For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!

Search Canada.ca
To begin your search, go to the alphabetical index below and click on the first letter of the word you are searching for.

intense, intensive

Intense means “strong, extreme or existing in a high degree.”

  • Carrie experiences intense back pain whenever she lifts a heavy load.
  • The role of the intense young man was played by Matt Damon.
  • Van Gogh was noted for his intense colours as well as his intense emotions.

Intensive means “highly concentrated” or “thorough.”

  • The detectives conducted an intensive investigation into the murder.
  • A laser is both intense (because it is strong) and intensive (because it is concentrated).