Better than 'very good': how to expressively replace hackneyed English words

Author of the channel LinguaZen on Yandex.Zen invites you to familiarize yourself with the hit parade of English words that everyone uses too often. If you want to surprise native speakers with your vocabulary and make speech more expressive, learn alternative vocabulary from this article.

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Amazing, awesome, great - awesome, cool, great

These quality adjectives can be used in almost any situation, but that is what makes them devalue. Add more emotion and color with expressive adjectives.

How to replace amazing, awesome, great:

Unimaginable, phenomenal, remarkable, unbelievable, breathtaking, tremendous, spectacular, wonderful, splendid, startling ), stunning (stunning), overwhelming (incredible).

• Nothing can spoil this splendid day. “Nothing will ruin this great day.
• The film has been a phenomenal success. - The film was a phenomenal success.

Nice - cute, nice

• Oh, how nice! (Oh, how cute!) Many things can be nice and pleasant, but not the constant use of nice in speech.

How to replace nice:

Use the adjectives attractive, charming, cordial, delightful, gentle, gracious, kind, polite, thoughtful to describe people. , caring).

Use lovely, picturesque, fantastic to describe a landscape.

• What a picturesque view! - What a picturesque landscape!
• Thank you for coffee. It is very thoughtful of you, I need to stay awake. - Thanks for the coffee. Very prudent of you, I need to stay awake.

Good - good

We learn this word one of the first in English. It's so simple and suitable for everything that we use it all the time: good people, good movies, good songs, good books, good food, good life (good life) and many more good things. But let's expand our vocabulary so as not to sound the same?

How to replace good:

Decent, excellent, first-rate, marvelous, outstanding, superb, superior, terrific, valuable , worthwhile.

• It's a difficult course but it's worthwhile. - This is a difficult course, but worthwhile.
• He was full of marvelous ideas. - He was filled with wonderful ideas.

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Like - to like

Like as an interjection to fill in the pauses in a conversation is normal.

• I will be ready in, like, 15 minutes. - I'll be ready in, say, 15 minutes.

But if you constantly say I like (I like) to express sympathy, it's time to learn a few alternatives to diversify your vocabulary.

• I like this Italian restaurant. - I like this Italian restaurant.

How to replace to like:

Admire (to admire), adore (to adore), cherish (to love, cherish), enjoy (to enjoy), to be passionate about (to be passionate about), prize (to appreciate highly), relish (to have fun).

• Alex, I admire your courage. “I admire your courage.
• You keep talking about your work! You must be passionate about it. - You don't stop talking about your work. You must be passionate about her.

Interesting - interesting

Least interesting word in English. It says little about what kind of emotion the author wanted to convey. Which would you choose: an interesting book or a fascinating book?

How to replace interesting:

Amusing, captivating, compelling, engaging, fascinating, gripping, impressive, intriguing, stimulating ), striking (striking), thought-provoking (suggestive).

• His charm and confidence makes him an engaging person. - His charm and confidence make him an attractive person.
• I made a list of five thought-provoking books you should read. - I have compiled a list of five books that make you think. You must read them.

Important - important

Nowadays, the word has lost its power, because everything is important at once: it is important to eat vegetables and fruits, it is important to read books, it is important to respond to an email marked “important”. It is better to use synonyms with a brighter emotional connotation.

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How to replace important:

Vital, significant, essential, meaningful, serious, influential.

• Protein and carbs are the essential nutrients for humans. - Proteins and carbohydrates are essential nutrients for humans.
• Elon Musk is an influential figure in space industry. - Elon Musk is an influential figure in the space sphere.

Many - a lot

We have many friends, many stories, many work, many ideas. Why not clarify how much?

How to replace many:

Myriad, countless, copious, diverse, numerous, plentiful, several, umpteen.

• If you learn English, you will have a myriad of opportunities for work. - If you learn English at school, you will have a myriad of job opportunities.
• I drank my umpteenth cup of coffee. - I drank my nth cup of coffee.

Very - very

A worn out amplifier that is subjectively judged. If something is very bad, how bad is it? Choose other adjectives that convey information more accurately, or use comparisons.

• This summer was very hot. - It was a very hot summer.
• This summer was hot as hell. “It was hot as hell this summer.

Kind of, sort of - like, sort of like

Kind of, sort of, as it were, soften the meaning of the word following them, no matter if it is said in a positive or negative way. For instance:

• Your dog is kind of wild. - Your dog looks like a wild one. (but not really).
• She is sort of a genius. - She's like a genius. (kind of a genius, but that's not certain)

So you can talk in a conversation with friends. However, in a formal setting, especially when writing essays and business letters, replace these words with rather (rather, to some extent), somewhat (slightly, somewhat), slightly (slightly, slightly).

• We were rather pleased with the results. - We were very pleased with the result.

Colloquially, native speakers pronounce kind of and sort of as kinda, sorta.

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Things, stuff - things

People need to buy things / stuff, find things / stuff, share things / stuff, and pack things / stuff. But what are these things / stuff really? Please clarify.

How to replace things, stuff:

Accessories, affairs, assets, baggage / luggage, bags, belongings, clothes, concerns / doubts, effects ), equipment, experience, gear, goods, junk, objects, property, tools, worries, thoughts ).

• Why haven't you told me about your stuff? - Why didn't you tell me about your things?
• Why haven't you told me about your concerns? - Why didn't you tell me about your doubts?
• To go camping you need to buy a lot of things. - You need to buy a lot of things to go camping
• To go camping you need to buy special gear: a tent, a sleeping bag, a backpack. - To go hiking, you need to buy equipment: tent, sleeping bag, backpack.

Literally - literally, literally, without exaggeration

Use it only in its direct meaning as the antonym figuratively (figuratively, figuratively), and do not insert left and right in each sentence, like Kim Kardashian.

• I realized that she had taken me literally. - I realized that she took me literally.

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