69   I can use a range of adjectives

A    Describing places

Hidden away in this remote part of rural France is the village of La Toque. It’s a curious, old-fashioned sort of place. There’s only one hotel, so it’s vital to book in advance, but don’t expect anything grand. The accommodation and food are very simple, but the prices are reasonable and I was impressed with the overall quality. The local people are still a bit suspicious of tourists, but I found them very polite. However, you may not meet many, as the streets are usually deserted by 10 p.m.!

 

Glossary

remote  far away from where many people live.

rural  connected with the country, not the town. OPP urban.

curious  unusual or strange.

old-fashioned  typical of the past but not of the present. OPP modern.

vital  necessary and important. SYN essential.

grand  impressive and large or important.

simple  including the things you need but no extra things. SYN basic.

reasonable  If prices are reasonable, they are not too high. SYN fair. OPP unreasonable.

impressed with sth/sb  feeling that sth/sb is good or of a high standard.

overall  general; considering everything.

suspicious of sth/sb  feeling that sth/sb is dishonest and cannot be trusted.

polite  behaving in a good or correct way. OPP rude.

deserted  empty because everyone has left. OPPS busy, crowded.

 

1     Find seven more pairs of synonyms or opposites below.

simple  modern  curious  fair  polite  

essential  busy  old-fashioned  rural  basic  

urban  rude  deserted  vital  strange  reasonable

►   SYN: simple, basic    

SYN: ________

SYN: ________

SYN: ________

OPP: ________

OPP: ________

OPP: ________

OPP: ________

curious, strange; fair, reasonable; essential, vital

modern, old-fashioned; polite, rude; busy, deserted; rural, urban

4     Test yourself. Cover the glossary meanings and look at the words. Say the words and their synonyms and opposites.

B    Describing feelings

Adjectives   

Example(s) 

Meaning

 

terrifying/terrified 

It was a terrifying film.

I was terrified watching that film.

very frightening, very frightened.

 

disappointed/disappointing  

I was disappointed with my results. My results were disappointing.  

feeling unhappy because sth is not as good as you hoped.

 

amazing/amazed      

Some of the dancers were amazing.    

surprising and difficult to believe, often in a positive way.

 

shocking/shocked    

It was shocking to see so many people with nowhere to live.

upsetting and very surprising in a negative way.

 

alarming/alarmed    

When the police arrived, it was a bit alarming. 

frightening or causing worry.

 

disgusting/disgusted

Last night’s meal was disgusting.  

very unpleasant.

 

amusing/amused      

We all thought the film was quite amusing.

funny in a gentle way.

 

embarrassed/embarrassing  

I was embarrassed when I got his name wrong.     

feeling uncomfortable because of sth silly you have done.

 

astonishing/astonished   

It’s astonishing how much she has changed in the last five years.

very surprising

 

satisfying/satisfied OPP dissatisfied    

Cooking for others is very satisfying.  

making you feel pleased or happy.

spotlight  -ed/-ing endings

We use adjectives that end with -ed to describe our feelings. We use adjectives that end with -ing to describe the person or thing that makes us have these feelings.

We were shocked by his behaviour.

His behaviour was shocking.

C    Describing qualities

People have mixed feelings about the new city hotel. Here are some comments.

The rooms were adequate but I didn’t like the artificial flowers.

I like the contemporary design –simple but effective.

The bed was a bit firm for my liking.

Most of the staff were temporary but they seemed very efficient.

I was able to take my dog. It’s rare for a hotel to allow them.

I was glad we had one of their best rooms. Some looked a bit cramped.

They put champagne in our room, which was very unexpected.

Glossary

mixed feelings both positive (+) and negative (-) feelings about sth.

adequate  just good enough but nothing more. OPP inadequate.

artificial made by people and used instead of sth natural. OPPS real, natural.

contemporary of the present time. SYN modern. OPP old-fashioned.

effective  successful and giving the result you want. OPP ineffective.

firm  quite hard. OPP soft.

temporary employed or continuing for only a limited period of time. OPP permanent.

efficient working well, quickly, and without mistakes. OPP inefficient.

rare not done, seen, or happening very often. OPP common.

glad  pleased; quite happy. SYN pleased.

cramped small, and not having enough space. OPP spacious.

unexpected If sth is unexpected, it surprises you because you didn’t know it was going to happen. OPP expected. 

10   Test yourself. Look at the words in the first column and cover the examples and meanings. Can you remember the meanings?