"Really" in a negative sentence

I am not really ready to get married.

Did I put "really" in the right place? I just want my sentence to sound stronger than "I am not ready to get married."

Solution 1:

It is ambiguous.

The ambiguity comes from that fact that "really ready" is not the same thing as being plain "ready". So, if you are not "really ready" you might still be "ready".

Some alternatives:

I am really not ready to get married.

I am really unready to get married.

I'm not ready to get married at all.

Solution 2:

"Really" is an intensifier that you can place before "ready" or "not ready." Some might suggest restricting really for factual, real events. To my ears, "I am not ready to get married" sounds stronger than the slightly verbose and uncertain "I am not really ready to get married."

If you decide to write, "I am really not ready to get married," note that "really" now modifies the decisive "not ready," and the effect is strengthened, especially if you have a clue as to how it is being spoken, e.g., "Mom, I am really NOT ready to get married."

Solution 3:

To give your sentence more emphasis, you should put it this way:

"I really am not ready to get married!"