We have done a post on using adjectives and intensifers but we thought we should re-visit with something more focused on choosing the right adjective for the right person, place, thing, event or situation.
Long-time readers know we love comic books (check out our comic book blog here). So, we'll use some of our favourite characters to show how choosing the right adjective is important in your English communications.
Read the sentence below. and study the two panels.
The Hulk is very angry. 👎
 |
| © Marvel Comics |
Angry is a high-frequency word. It's one of the first words ESL students learn, but ask yourself the question,
- Does "angry" really tell you how the Hulk feels in the pictures?
🙅
Go to the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus (a list of words with similar and opposite meanings) online and look up angry (the QR code is below for smartphone users).
Remember to use a dictionary to help you choose a suitable word. Even though the meanings are similar, each one has a different nuance. For example, a mother might get annoyed 😠with her small children but the Hulk is furious 😡with Doc Samson.
Another popular, high-frequency word is big but if you're talking about the actor Hafthor Julius Bjornsson (from Game Of Thrones) big isn't a big enough word to describe him.
Go to Merriam-Webster: Thesaurus , find the right adjectives for the images below. The comments section can be used to write answers.
Hafthor Julius Bjornsson is ____________
Greece's Navagio Beace is nice ❌ | Greece's Navagio Beace is_______
The lion looks so scary !❌ | The lion looks so______!
copyright: Paramount Picture, 1987
This scene from Planes, Trains, And Automobiles is funny!❌
This scene from Planes, Trains, And Automobiles is absolutely _______
* Remember, if you use an intensifier like absolutely, it must be followed by a strong adjective 💪 .
Exercise
The British Council is an excellent resource for people learning English. Please try the exercises below.
You can use the comments section to ask questions or discuss your answers.
No comments:
Post a Comment