[susan53]

intensive refers to a lot of things all happening in a short time or small space. For example a 30 hr course can be taught one hr a week for 30 weeks (non-intensive) or 6hrs a day for 5 days (intensive - a lot of learning is all crammed into a short time rather than being spread out. Here are some examples from a concordancer with comments :

.. environmentally sound products combined with intensive campaigning by Friends of the Earth - similar to the above : a lot of campaigning in a short space of time

... sufferer is more often saved by immediate and intensive care. A lot of care in a short time

Intensive farming of cattle is divided into two main ... A lot of cattle reared in a relatively small space - ie not broken up by space devoted to other animals/crops

to minimise the exposure of children to intensive sunlight. A lot of (strong) sunlight in a short space of time


Some of the expressions above (intensive care, intensive farming) are lexical chunks with a specific meaning. However, in other cases intense can often be substituted with a slight change of meaning. The meaning of a lot of /strong remains, but the idea of being crammed into a short time or small sppace disappears. If I talk about intense sunlight for example, I'm talking about a lot of (strong) sunlight, but not necessarily within a short space of time : ... need shelter from cold winds and intense sunlight.

The following examples also show the same thing happening :

dry skin usually on the knees and elbows cause intense itching -
a crisp dry white with intense flavours.
Golden tipped, clear intense orange petals.
..to avoid being cooked in their shells by the intense heat.
With such an intense and exclusive relationship,

The last example also shows another characteristic of intense - that it often has the connotation of strong psychological involvement. Other examples :


...we are released from the intense emotions of child/ parent relationships,
... in the semi-final could hardly have been more intense.
....sport programmes, remembers Hill as a very intense, if erratic, driver
...The clearest indicator of the intense competition
... a lengthy and intense talk about the search for peace in Vietnam
... Intense diplomatic efforts

The final example is a good illustration of why one word might be chosen over the other. The speaker could have said intensive diplomatic efforts - but it doesn't convey quite the same feeling of people trying desperately to find a solution, simply that there was a lot of activity happening in a short space of time.

Hope that helps.