English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate » Unit 89: Adjectives
There are many ‘extreme’ adjectives we use to say that something is very good, or very small, or very surprising, etc.
We were lucky – the weather was marvellous [very good; syns terrific, wonderful, amazing].
Don’t go and see that film – it’s awful [very bad; syn dreadful].
I was delighted she passed her exam. [very pleased]
It’s a nice modern flat, but it’s absolutely tiny [very small].
I wasn’t very hungry, but they gave us a huge meal. [very big; syn enormous]
You should watch that programme; you’ll find it absolutely fascinating [very interesting].
Everyone was really exhausted by the end of the day. [very tired]
Bungee jumping is the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done. [very frightening]
Computers are an essential part of modern life. [very important and necessary]
The food was delicious [very good; but usually only for food].
The food was absolutely marvellous. (NOT The food was very marvellous.) We can use absolutely or really before extreme adjectives, e.g. absolutely awful, really terrific, but we can’t use very.
We use very or really with gradable adjectives which do not have an extreme meaning, e.g. very big, very good, very nice, very tired, really good, really tired, etc. (NOT absolutely big)
A large group of adjectives can have an -ing or -ed ending. The -ing ending describes a person, thing or situation; the -ed ending describes the effect on someone of this person, thing or situation.
I don’t know if other people were bored, but I thought it was a very boring lesson.
The weather is so depressing at the moment; it’s making everyone feel depressed.
I was bored by that film. (NOT I was boring by that film.)
We’re very interested in the new designs.(NOT We’re very interesting in the new designs.)
These adjectives can all end in -ing or -ed, depending on the meaning.
It was really tiring going up that hill. [making you feel tired]
I was amazed she could climb that wall. [very surprised]
My exam results were very disappointing [not as good as I expected].
She was annoyed that I forgot to tell her. [angry]
I kept calling her Emma, so I was embarrassed when Ben told me her name was Angela. [feeling a bit stupid because of something you have said or done]
The map he gave us was very confusing [difficult to understand].
We were shocked by the violence in the film. [very surprised in an unpleasant way]
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for elementary level (A2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with 60 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.
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