Intensifying Adjectives

When describing physical objects you can use a wide variety of adjectives such as: large, big, tiny, minuscule, small, etc. However, when describing nouns that are not physical (e.g. joy, anger, wealth) you need to pay careful attention to the choice of intensifying adjectives.

This feature provides a guide to the use of the most common intensifying adjectives for non-physical nouns.

Absolute / Complete / Total / Utter

Absolute, complete, total and utter are used to express strong feelings, extreme situations, and other events - especially negative experiences.
absolute agony
complete astonishment
total bliss
(an) utter catastrophe
absolute despairtotal
ecstasyutter furya
complete idiotutter
loathingtotal madness

Text Message Abbreviations

Here is a list of sms text message abbreviations for you to learn and use
always ... Alwz
and ... &
any ... NE
are you ... RU
are ... r
Be right back ... BRB
be ... B
before ... B4
boyfriend ... BF
Bye for now ... B4N
come ... cum
come on ... CMON
cutie ... QT
dinner ... DNR
easy ... ez
face to face ... f2f
for ... 4
get a life ... GAL
girlfriend ... GF
great ... GR8
hate ... h8
i see ... I C
late ... l8
later ... l8r
laughing ... Lar-fn
laughing out load ... LOL
mate ... M8
maybe ... mayb
mobile ... mob
night ... nite
nothing ... nufN
please ... PLS
regards ... rgds
right ... rite
see you ... CU
see ... C
sleep ... ZZZ
someone ... some1
speak ... SPK
thanks ... tks
to ... 2
today ... 2day
too ... 2
too late ... 2l8
wait ... w8
what ... wot
what ... wot
why ... y
you ... u
your ... ur

The Functions of Clauses in English

Hi Gangs,
Read through different types of clauses and bring your own exmaple of each type to class on Thursday morning.
_______________________________________________________
The Functions of Clauses

NOUN CLAUSE AS SENTENCE SUBJECT
1. Whatever that woman told you about this case is probably wrong.
2. That Charlie has paid all his bills remains a surprise to all of us.

NOUN CLAUSE AS SENTENCE OBJECT
1. He said whatever was on his mind.
2. Tell your classmates what you plan to do next.

NOUN CLAUSE AS OBJECT OF PREPOSITION
1. He wrote a book about what he did during the Vietnam War.
2. She was interested in where he went to school.

NOUN CLAUSE AS PREDICATE
1. You are what you eat.
2. The trouble with this plan is that we don't have enough money.

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
1. Instructors who read from their old class notes aren't doing their job.
2. The old jalopy in the driveway, which Elmer hasn't driven in years, needs to be towed away.

ADVERB CLAUSE
1. They bravely go where no one else has gone before.
2. I haven't seen my brother since he borrowed all that money from me.
3. Mother will stay with you until you fall asleep.

Aussie Slang of the day

beaut(adjective)
very good or excellent, perhaps even desirable. Generally pronounced bewd or bewdie.

buzz off
(verb)leave

dodgy (adjective) below standard, awkward, suspicious or underhanded. Similar to the American "Cheesy".

entree /ahn-trey/(noun) starter or appetizer in a meal before main course.

loo (noun) toilet

rip off (verb)to cheat


digger (noun) A soldier from the Australia Army who served Turkey during the First World War. So named for their tenacity in "digging in", both literally and emotionally. Australian Diggers are well respected, particularly on ANZAC day.

Apologise Vocabulary

I’m sorry that I didn’t get back to you sooner.
I didn’t realise…
Don’t worry about it…
Never mind
I’m really sorry. I’m afraid…
It doesn’t matter.
I’m sorry about…
I shouldn’t have ….
I can’t believe…
I didn’t mean to …
Forget about it…
I’m sorry for …
I thought…for some reason
Oh, that’s alright.
I had no idea…
No need to apologise.


After “I’m sorry that” we use a clause or a sentence.
After “I’m sorry about” we usually use a noun
After “I’m sorry for” we usually use Verb+ing

Types of collocations + Practice Task

Using collocations will improve your style of written and spoken English, and knowledge of collocations is often tested in examinations such as Cambridge FCE, CAE, CPE and IELTS. Learning correct word combinations will also help you avoid common learner errors.

There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun, adjective etc. Some of the most common types are:

Adverb + Adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied)
Adjective + Noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
Noun + Noun: a surge of anger (NOT a rush of anger)
Noun + Verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
Verb + Noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)
Verb + Expression With Preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up in tears)
Verb + Adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave feverishly)

Here're some more examples and I want you to make your own example for each type and share it with others.

1. adverb + adjective

Invading (to enter forcefully as an enemy) that country was an utterly stupid thing to do.
We entered a richly decorated room.


2. adjective + noun

The doctor ordered him to take regular exercise.
The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage.


3. noun + noun
Let's give Mr Jones a round of applause.
The ceasefire agreement came into effect at 11am.


4. noun + verb

The lion started to roar when it heard the dog barking.
Snow was falling as our plane took off.

5. verb + noun

The prisoner was hanged for committing murder.
I always try to do my homework in the morning, after making my bed.

6. verb + expression with preposition

We had to return home because we had run out of money.
At first her eyes filled with horror, and then she burst into tears.

7. verb + adverb

She placed her keys gently on the table and sat down.
Mary whispered softly in John's ear.


Now, it's your turn. Your examples must be appeared as below,

1. (Adv+adj) Are you fully aware of the implications of your action?
2. (Adj+noun) He was writhing on the ground in excruciating pain.
3. (Noun+noun) Let's give Mr Jones a round of applause.
4. (Noun+verb) The bomb went off when he started the car engine.
5. (Verb+noun) He has been asked to give a presentation about his work.
6. (Verb+expression with preposition)Their behaviour was enough to drive anybody to crime.
7. (Verb+adverb) I vaguely remember that it was growing dark when we left.

Collocations

What is a collocation?

A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just sound "right" to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations may be unnatural and just sound "wrong". Look at this example:

We often say: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied) or fast car (NOT quick car).