Hi there, this is Harry and welcome back to my advanced English lessons with Harry.
And what we're going to talk to you about today are actually
adjectives. So the lesson today is based on adjectives. And these are advanced adjectives
that we use to describe people. Now, unusually, now I have actually 12, not 10, I usually have
a list of 10. I don't know why I've got 12. So I'm going to go down through the list of 12.
Okay, this is called the 12 disciples go down through the list of 12.
And I'll go back through them individually and give you an example one by one.
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Okay, now, here they are. So some of them are positive and some of them are negative, I'll
give you positive and negatives as we go through them. Sensible, is positive.
Sensitive, but someone neutral. It could be depends on how you look at the person.
Positive or negative or more positive, negative. Assertive, very positive, assertive.
Competitive, okay, that can be a little bit negative if you're too competitive,
but like me a little bit too competitive at times. Greedy, very definitely a negative greedy.
Arrogant, another very definite. On the negative side negative, arrogant. Thick. Well,
thick can have a meaning of a bit stupid. So a little bit negative.
Patronising, again, a little bit negative. Patronising. Obnoxious, very definitely negative,
obnoxious. Pretentious, also a little bit negative, pretentious. Ruthless.
And down to earth, okay, so let's go through them one by one.
Number one sensible. Well, when somebody is sensible, they take the right approach to
something without taking risk. It's sensible when you're standing at the side of the road
to look right and left to make sure there's no traffic coming in, not just walk across the road
without having a care in the world, okay. So you're sensible about it.
You're sensible in the way you approach the problem
that your child might have at school. So when he comes home, and he's got a bloody nose,
or some little problem, you don't run down to school shouting and screaming,
you sit down in a sensible way with him and try to find out exactly what happened. And then try
to find or think about the best way to deal with the problem. And that would be sensible.
He's very sensible, he doesn't do things without thinking about the risk. He won't
just run off with his friend and not tell us where he is going. He's really,
really sensible. It's a sensible thing to do.
So when it's sensible, you take
certain precautions, you don't do things just in a risky way. Okay?
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Now, sensible is the next word.... Sorry, sensitive is the next word. And these two words
get confused, sensible and sensitive, because in some languages, they actually have the same
word. So it's hard to distinguish. But in English,
sensible, and also sensitive. So when somebody is sensitive, their feelings a little bit close to
the surface. So if they get criticised, they get upset. If somebody shouts at them, they get upset.
Or if they see something, unsavoury on the TV, or in the movie, they, they might shed
a tear about children that have been orphaned or animals that have been badly treated. So they're
very sensitive to those sorts of situations, and therefore can be very, very emotional.
And emotional can be a word, very synonymous with the whole idea of being sensitive to.
Now, we can also be sensitive to change, like, my nose can be very sensitive. At this time of
the year, when there's fresh pollen in the air, or the trees are growing leaves or the
new plants are out. And when you go out, it's nice to breathe in deeply but
within a day or two, my eyes are watering. My nose is running. And I'm sneezing a lot. So I'm very
sensitive to the change in the climate, particularly
in the spring into the early summer. So yeah, that's about being sensitive in that way as well.
So just to make sure we understand the difference between sensible doing things
without taking risk sensitive, where our emotions sometimes might take over and we
can be a little emotional about things particular criticism.
Assertive. So assertive when you make your point you make it clear and you
stick to it and you're not going to be easily persuaded or easily moved.
Competitive. Well, when you're competitive, it means you... you don't want to give in without
a fight. Or if there's a game you want to win, or there's a challenge you want to,
to achieve it. Yeah, so competitive means you don't just participate,
just for the sake of it or even just to have fun.
So, you know, when we were growing up, as kids, we were always competitive. Yeah, we always wanted
to be the best. I grew up, I still am, of course, I'm a twin. And we are identical twins. So we were
very competitive. So if one did one thing, the other would want to do better, if one did better,
the other one would want to be better again. So we were always in a competitive environment, whether
our parents did it deliberately or not, I don't think they did. But you know, one did something,
they would encourage the other one to do better the next time. So everything became competitive.
The game of football, the game of cards, the game of Monopoly, whatever it might be,
even the the Easter, Christmas and summer exams at school also became competitive.
So when you're always thinking as a challenge, you always want to be
doing your best or in fact, winning then you could be described as being competitive.
Greedy. Greedy is when people want more than they really need. As this is a good
adjective to describe people. Greedy is often referred to when we're talking about food,
but it's not just about food. You know, so that the child who wants the extra biscuit or two
can be greedy, Don't be so greedy, yeah, leave some for somebody else. So they just stuff
another biscuit that they can hardly chew up, they have sort of being very greedy.
But we can also be greedy as adults. We want more money, we want a bigger house,
we want more responsibility, want more promotion, all of these things. This is an era of greediness,
that has crept into society. So to be greedy is to want more than you actually need.
Arrogant. Well, arrogant is when you walk around with an aura of supremacy or when you
feel you are better than other people. You look down your nose at people and you let
try let people or you don't even have to try to let people know that you think you're
better that your qualifications are better, you do things better. Everything about you,
you believe is better than the other people. So you're somewhat arrogant approach.
People don't usually like arrogant people, but they're in certain professions
it's often needed. Okay, so a little bit of arrogance is not such a bad thing to have. To me,
if you think you're the best. And you believe you're the best. Well,
you actually can be. You know, if you look at some of these footballers, they can be a
little bit arrogant, but they're really good footballers but you can see why, you know.
So Ronaldo might come across as a little bit arrogant. Why not? He is the best
footballer in the world.
Thick. Well, thick is a word that we use to describe somebody when they're a bit
stupid. Ah, don't be so thick. Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, that child, he's thick at times. I just wonder, will we ever get through it and will
he ever understand simple mathematics. Okay, so thick is an adjective we use to
describe people a little bit stupid, or don't understand something or ask stupid questions.
That's, that's a thick question. It's a really stupid question to ask. Okay, so
thick meaning a little bit stupid.
And thick is like, thick as wood. Yes, or something really thick,
meaning you can't get through. Knock knock, is there anybody there? No. A little bit thick.
Patronising. So when we talk about patronising the meaning of patronising is to
treat somebody in a way that's patronising. That you sound as if you're trying to be helpful,
but in reality, you're just trying to show that you know better than they do. Okay,
so when somebody might say, Oh, don't be so patronising. So you might say, Okay,
let me help you and I can show you how to do it. After all, I've been doing this for such a
long time now, but I'll show it to you. And if you need any help, I can show you again.
So a real patronising way to give somebody some help, rather than just say, oh, yeah,
if you need some help, give me a call. So when you're being patronising,
it's usually where you're trying to sound or seem as if you're helpful, but in reality,
you're actually demonstrating that you are in some way superior to that person.
So patronising so and you'll often hear it and express. I wish you weren't so patronising. No,
really, really, I could do it on my own. I don't need anybody else to help me so patronising.
And then after patronising we have obnoxious. Now,
be careful here with the pronunciation of obnoxious. Obnoxious. Ob-no-xious. Obnoxious.
So when somebody is obnoxious, they're really not very pleasant people. Now, you're going to have
an obnoxious smell which is a terrible, terrible smell. You come in and the smell of
like sulphur or something that would be obnoxious. Or you come in and the cat's
litter tray hasn't been cleaned out for three or four days that will certainly be obnoxious.
But when we're using this as an adjective to describe people,
that usually their habits or their behaviour is somewhat obnoxious.
Perhaps it's the language they use that every second word is f this and f that is it.
I really don't like that person is he's obnoxious, he's got no manners, he's rude. He doesn't
close his mouth when he's eating. He drinks his
water or beer so quickly, spills half of it. And he dresses like a pig. He's obnoxious.
Sort of behaviour, habits, they're all describe and define the person and the
adjective describes that person really well obnoxious and obnoxious individual.
Pretentious, well, when somebody is pretentious, the meaning of it is that they are
trying to appear more important than their position really is yes. So they're a little bit
pretentious, or somebody who's perhaps a junior manager or not even a manager at all
acts in a way that they might feel they're a manager, but there have been a little
bit pretentious because they're not really in that position of seniority.
Okay, so were they trying to appear to be better, or more important
than they are. And we often hear this expression, a pretentious snob. Okay, so somebody's
trying to be really important. Looking down the nose, a little bit of people
a little bit like arrogant. Yes, slightly like that. But somewhat pretentious. Okay.
And then we have what we have, oh, yeah. Ruthless. Yes. When somebody is ruthless,
and we describe them as ruthless, it means they make decisions without any consideration
for people's opinion. They're just interested in getting the job done, or they're getting
whatever they want done, that don't take into consideration people's views, or opinions.
Let me give you an example. So a company is going through a bad time, trading wise,
they've got 120 people, and the directors come down and talk to the CEO. And they tell him that
we're going to have to go through some sort of a redundancy programme, you're going to have to get
rid of 30 people, you're gonna have to get rid of 30 people within the next month, otherwise,
you're gonna have a serious problem. So the CEO goes off and thinks about it for a few days,
has looked at the numbers, calls the staff together and tells them that tells them that we're
going to have a redundancy programme. It's going to be effective from the first of July. And I'd
be writing to you next week and let you know, who hasn't hasn't a job. The people who will stay are
those people who are most needed. And the people who will go are the people who are not needed. And
that's a fact, there would be no discussion about it. So when the letters issue that week later,
he has selected and has been very ruthless in his decision. So 30 People have been selected.
No negotiation, no discussion. The terms have been offered for the redundancy programme.
But that's it. So it's not a question of whether you're his favourite or not.
He's absolutely ruthless in his choice of those people who are going to be made redundant,
so he doesn't care whether you've got two kids at college or whether you've got a big mortgage,
he's making a decision in terms of the security and the long term security of the business.
So very, very ruthless and absolute, ruthless, individual.
And finally, somebody down to earth. Well, when we describe somebody as down-to-earth, we mean, he's
very normal. He's very matter of fact, he's got no airs and graces, and he's somebody that will just
say, what he thinks straight out, okay. So he'd be upfront, he will be direct,
you'd be very frank and honest. And we will describe him as down-to-earth.
So what do you think of Patrick? He's a good guy, when you get to know him. He's really good.
I mean, he's, he's not somebody who's got airs and graces, he's not pretentious in any way. And fact,
if he doesn't like somebody or something, he will tell them or tell you about that.
So he's really down-to-earth. Some people see that as a little bit too frank,
had been a little bit too honest. But you know, it's better than
the other way. At least you know where you are with him. He's real, down-to-earth character.
Okay, so as I said, we've got 12 adjectives. So let me just give them two again and the list.
Sensible, sensitive. And be careful those two words they do get confused,
as sensible and sensitive. Assertive, competitive, greedy, arrogant, thick, patronising,
obnoxious. And remember that pronunciation obnoxious. Pretentious and another one you have to
be careful with the pronunciation. Pretentious, pretentious, pretentious, pretentious.
Ruthless. And then down-to-earth, down-to-earth. So again, the two for the pronunciation there
obnoxious, pretentious. You get the same sound at the end. She's obnoxious, pretentious, okay.
All right. So there's your list of advanced adjectives
that we use to describe people as always, I really appreciate you
watching listening and understanding hopefully what I've said you can try using some of those
describe people that you know if you need any further examples, you can come back to me and
www.englishlessonviaskype.com. Always happy to hear from you. And, as always, join me
again in the future for more of our advanced English lessons. This is Harry saying goodbye.