picture of an old, worn teddy bear against a dark red background

On its last legs (Describing the condition of objects, Part 1)

On May 31, 2023May 26, 2023 By Kate WoodfordIn Idioms, Synonyms, the English language, Vocabulary4 Comments

Listen to the author reading this blog post:

A friend recently told me that she needed a new sofa. Her current one, she said, ‘had seen better days’, meaning that it was clearly old and damaged. This nice idiom (‘have seen better days’) got me thinking about the many ways we describe the condition of objects, both good and bad. This post, in two parts and covering both single words and phrases, is the result of this. Continue reading “On its last legs (Describing the condition of objects, Part 1)” →

a man with his mouth open and eyebrows raised in a shocked expression, halfway through removing his glasses as he stares at something off-camera

Stunned and thunderstruck (Words for being surprised or shocked)

On May 24, 2023May 16, 2023 By Kate WoodfordIn Synonyms, the English language, Vocabulary25 Comments

Listen to the author reading this blog post:

by Kate Woodford

This post is for anyone who feels they use the words ‘surprised’ and ‘shocked’ too much and is looking for more interesting alternatives. It will include both single words and phrases. Continue reading “Stunned and thunderstruck (Words for being surprised or shocked)” →

a woman looking brave and determined as she prepares to do a difficult trick in a skate park

Plucking up courage: talking about being brave

On May 17, 2023May 9, 2023 By Liz WalterIn Synonyms, the English language, Vocabulary17 Comments

Listen to the author reading this blog post:

by Liz Walter

Everyone has times when they have to do things that scare them, and there are lots of different ways to talk about this. Continue reading “Plucking up courage: talking about being brave” →

portrait of a textile artist wearing eccentric make-up and sequins and a large, brightly coloured headdress

Quirky and novel: ways of saying that something is unusual (1)

On April 12, 2023April 4, 2023 By Kate WoodfordIn Synonyms, the English language, Vocabulary21 Comments

Listen to the author reading this blog post:

by Kate Woodford

Today, I’m looking at the various words that we use to describe things that are unusual or in some way different. As usual, I’ll be looking at the subtle differences in meaning between this group of near-synonyms. Continue reading “Quirky and novel: ways of saying that something is unusual (1)” →

a man wearing a tuxedo and holding a trophy, with stage lights in background

Triumphs and success stories (The language of success, Part 1)

On December 1, 2021December 6, 2021 By Kate WoodfordIn Synonyms, the English language, Vocabulary20 Comments

by Kate Woodford

We like positive posts on the About words blog, so this week we’re looking at language connected with success. As there are so many useful words and phrases in this area this post, focusing mainly on nouns, is the first of three. As ever, we’ll look at the most frequent and useful words and phrases. Continue reading “Triumphs and success stories (The language of success, Part 1)” →

finger pressing a button labelled 'start'

Outsets and onsets! (Words meaning ‘start’)

On November 10, 2021November 15, 2021 By Kate WoodfordIn Synonyms, the English language9 Comments

by Kate Woodford

One of several things that we like to do on this blog is look at the many different ways that we express the same thing in English. This week we’re focusing on nouns and phrases that we use to refer to the start of things. Continue reading “Outsets and onsets! (Words meaning ‘start’)” →

Pompous and patronizing (Describing character, part 5)

On December 23, 2020December 18, 2020 By Kate WoodfordIn Synonyms, the English language, Vocabulary23 Comments

by Kate Woodford

Today, in the last of the ‘Describing character’ posts, we’re looking at words for a variety of negative characteristics, from the tendency to criticize others, the belief that you are better than everyone else.

Continue reading “Pompous and patronizing (Describing character, part 5)” →

You could hear a pin drop: more interesting ways of saying ‘quiet’

On November 11, 2020November 10, 2020 By Liz WalterIn Idioms, Synonyms, the English language, Vocabulary11 Comments

by Liz Walter

Quiet is a word that English students learn early in their studies. Today we are going to look at some more specific and subtle ways of talking about quietness and silence.

Continue reading “You could hear a pin drop: more interesting ways of saying ‘quiet’” →

Extrovert or introvert? (Describing character, part 4)

On November 4, 2020November 5, 2020 By Kate WoodfordIn Synonyms, the English language, Vocabulary31 Comments

Francesco Carta fotografo/Moment/Getty Images

by Kate Woodford

Today’s post is the latest in a thread dedicated to describing people’s personalities. We’ve previously looked at adjectives and phrases for people who are relaxed and happy (Part 3), kind and mean (Part 2), and hard-working and lazy (Part 1). Today we focus on words and phrases meaning ‘sociable’ and ‘shy’.

Continue reading “Extrovert or introvert? (Describing character, part 4)” →

Laid-back and sunny (Describing character, part 3)

On September 23, 2020September 23, 2020 By Kate WoodfordIn Synonyms, the English language, Vocabulary20 Comments

by Kate Woodford

Today’s post is the latest in a thread devoted to describing people’s characters. In the previous two posts, we looked at ways of talking about people who are hard-working, ambitious, and lazy, among other traits. As usual, we start on a positive note, looking at words and phrases that describe people who are relaxed.

Continue reading “Laid-back and sunny (Describing character, part 3)” →