Everyday English (Vocabulary Building)
Topic: Extreme Adjectives
Lesson Notes August 19, 2025 (Vocabulary Building)
Words & Phrases
I subscribe to the rugby package on my TV. (‘Subscribe to’ is used when you pay to receive a service, like a TV channel, magazine, or online service.)
I bought the boxing match on pay-per-view. (a TV service where you pay to watch a specific programme, event, or movie, rather than a regular subscription)
We almost never visit my family’s graves, but we do visit my in-laws’ graves.
Grammar
In the end = used to show the final result of a situation, often after a process or a long discussion (In the end focuses on the outcome.)
In the end, we decided to take the train instead of driving.
She worked hard all year, and in the end, her efforts paid off.
After much discussion, in the end, they agreed on a compromise.
At last = used to show relief or happiness that something finally happened after a long wait (At last focuses on the feeling of finally getting what you wanted)
At last, the rain stopped, and we could go outside.
He found his missing keys at last after searching the whole house.
At last, the long-awaited train arrived at the station.
Pronunciation
These two pairs of words are tricky
Cloth (noun) klɒθ / CLOTH
Clothes (noun) kləʊðz / CLOTH-es
Breath (noun) brɛθ / BREATH
Breathe (verb) briːð / BREATH-e
Appropriate Language
Columbarium (noun) (kɒlˈʌm.bə.ri.əm / col-UM-ba-ri-um) = a structure with niches for storing urns containing cremated remains (Synonyms: mausoleum, memorial, ossuary)
The family placed their grandmother’s ashes in the columbarium.
Many cemeteries have a columbarium for those who choose cremation.
Visitors often leave flowers in front of the niches in the columbarium.
Extreme Adjectives
Mighty (adv) = very, extremely, or to a great extent (used for emphasis, often informal)
She was mighty pleased with the results of her exam.
The movie was mighty entertaining, and we all enjoyed it.
He spoke mighty loudly to be heard over the noise of the crowd.
Listening script
If I could travel back in time to any place in the world, l'd go back to Paris in the 1920s. To start with, I'm a huge fan of all the artists and writers from that period, like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein. And they all lived in Paris, so it was a really exciting city at that time. I'd love to meet all of them, but especially Hemingway because I really like his books.
So, what would I do? Well, at that time, there were all these nightclubs and cafés springing up all over Paris, with loads of incredible shows. With that in mind, I'd want to go dancing with F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda. I can imagine that being a whole lot of fun. What else? I'd have a long chat with Hemingway and Picasso about their creativity and what they were planning to do next. And last but not least, l'd take Gertrude Stein out to dinner and ask her what she really thought of all these artists with their amazing talent, but also their big egos!
