Stop saying "very" - Say THIS instead!

0:00Hi, and welcome to the Espresso English podcast, where you can improve your English in just a few minutes a day. My name is Shaina, and I'm the teacher at Espresso English. Make sure to visit the website, EspressoEnglish.net, where you can get online courses and e-books that will help you learn English even faster. Let's get started with today's lesson. Stop saying very tired, very big, very good.

0:31Instead, you can use a better, stronger, more precise word. So today I'll teach you how to upgrade 20 words so that your vocabulary will be very good. I mean, excellent. To learn more, you can download my free guide to extreme adjectives in English, which includes a quiz to test yourself. Click on the link in the video description and enter your email address to get that free PDF. Instead of very tired, you can say exhausted. I worked 12 hours today. I'm exhausted.

1:02Instead of very hungry, you can say starving or ravenous. I skipped lunch, so I'm starving. The kids were ravenous after a full day at the park. Instead of very big, you can say huge, gigantic, enormous, or immense. They live in a huge house. The tutoring made an enormous difference in his grades. Instead of very small, you could say tiny or minuscule. The bedroom was tiny.

1:32There was barely enough space for a bed. There's a minuscule scratch on the car. Instead of very good, you can say excellent, fantastic, incredible, or terrific. She did a fantastic job on the project. And instead of very bad, you can say terrible or horrible. He was kicked out of school for his terrible behavior. Instead of very old, you can say ancient. We saw the ruins of an ancient temple. Instead of very funny, you can say hilarious.

2:04The movie was hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing. Instead of very angry, you can say furious. She was furious when her boyfriend flirted with another woman. Instead of very scared, you can say terrified or petrified. I won't go on the hot air balloon ride because I'm terrified of heights. By the way, there are some special grammar rules that we need to know about these extreme adjectives. They're all covered in the free lesson PDF, again, which you can download by clicking on the link in the video description.

2:38Let's keep going. Instead of very interesting, you can say fascinating or captivating. The book was fascinating. I couldn't put it down. Instead of very beautiful, you can say gorgeous, stunning, or breathtaking. There are some stunning beaches on the West Coast. Instead of very surprised, you can say astonished or astounded. I was astonished that a seven-year-old broke the world record. Instead of very unpleasant, you could say disgusting, repulsive, or revolting.

3:13I hate mushrooms. I find them revolting. Instead of very unusual, you could say extraordinary, unprecedented, or bizarre. That last one has a little bit of a negative connotation. He's shown extraordinary improvement in his English. I wonder what he's doing differently. Instead of very important, you could say essential, crucial, or vital. It is crucial for hospital rooms to be clean. Instead of very loud, you can say deafening.

3:43The music at the outdoor concert was deafening. Instead of very smart, you can say brilliant. He's a brilliant scientist. Instead of very cute, you can say adorable. The puppies are absolutely adorable. Instead of very sure, you can say certain, positive, or convinced. I'm positive that my courses and e-books will help you become more fluent in English. So, instead of saying very plus a basic adjective, try using one of these stronger words instead.

4:16It's a simple change, but it makes you sound a lot more fluent. Remember to get your free PDF guide in the video description. And if you'd like to level up your vocabulary even more, check out my Advanced Vocabulary and Collocations course. You will learn tons of high-level words and how to put them together naturally like a native speaker. The link to that course is also below this video. Thanks for joining me, and I'll talk to you next time. If you want more great English lessons, visit EspressoEnglish.net, where you can sign up by email to receive a free e-book with 500 plus real English phrases.

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