CAMBRIDGE
ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE ADVANCED
UNIT 83
Give or take: more vague expressions
The words and phrases in this unit
are mostly for informal conversation, except where indicated, and may sound
inappropriate in more formal contexts.
|
|
A
|
Vague
expressions for numbers and quantities
He
left a sum in excess of $1 million when he died. [more than; used in
more formal contexts]
It’ll
cost you somewhere in the region of £900 a month to rent a flat. [less
formal = around/about £900]
It’ll
take five hours, give or take half an hour, to drive there. [could
take 4.5 or 5.5 hours; informal]
The
second meeting is approximately two and a half months after the first
one. [could be between 9 and 11 weeks.; rather formal]
It’ll
take a week or so to get the computer repaired. [more than a week, but
unclear how much more; informal] Quite a few students hadn’t
registered. [a surprisingly or undesirably large number]
There
was only a smattering of women authors among the prize winners. [small
proportion]
Would
you like a dash/smidgen of chilli sauce with your kebab? [very
small quantity]
I’d
like a dollop of ice cream with my fruit salad. [usually a small amount;
however, we can also say a large dollop]
I
used to have stacks of CDs with my files on, but now I have them all
on one memory stick. [a large number or quantity of; informal]
|
B
|
Making
things less precise in informal conversation
More
or less is often used with verbs and adverbs
to make things more vague:
I
think we’ve more or less solved the problem with the computer now.
My
English is more or less the same level as the other students in the
class.
A
bit and a bit of a are used with
adjectives and nouns to soften the meaning:
I’m
a bit fed up with all the complaints I’m getting.
We
were in a bit of a panic when we heard there was a strike at the
airport.
Or
whatever, or something, things like
that and that kind of thing are useful expressions for referring
vaguely to things and actions:
You
could work on Saturday, then spend Sunday going to museums or galleries or
whatever. [or similar activities]
If
you don’t want tea, have a lemonade or something. [any other kind of
drink you want]
In
the evenings we played board games and things like that / and that
kind of thing. [different kinds of entertaining activities]
We
need a big container made of plastic; a dustbin or something along those
lines would do. [something fitting that description]
He
said he was fed up with all the attacks and criticisms, or words to that
effect. [or similar words expressing the same meaning]
Common
mistakes
We
do not usually use more or less with people’s ages: He’s about 35 (NOT
He’s more or less 35).
|
EXERCISES
83.1
|
Make
the numbers in these sentences less precise, using expressions from A
opposite. Follow the instructions in brackets.
|
|
83.2
|
These
sentences contain some more vague language items used in conversation which are
not presented on the opposite page. Underline the items that make the meaning
less precise. Make a note of the grammar (i.e. is the item used with nouns,
adjectives, etc.?).
|
|
83.3
|
Fill
the gaps in these sentences with suitable words from A opposite.
|
|
83.4
|
Put
an appropriate adjective or noun in the gap. There will usually be more than
one possible answer. Then underline the vague expressions in each sentence.
|
|
83.5
|
Over to you
Which
expressions from the opposite page could you use to talk about:
•
the amount of rent you pay for your accommodation or the amount you spend on
food each week?
•
how long it takes you to get from home to your workplace or place of study?
•
any favourite items you like to add to your food, e.g. salt, cream, milk,
ketchup?
|
ANSWER KEY
83.1
Suggested
answers:
1 The company will invest in excess of £10 million in new technology over the next five years. 2 It will cost you in the region of / around / about £10,000 to have the whole house redecorated. 3 Informal: It could take seven hours, give or take an hour / or so, to drive to Aberdeen, depending on the traffic. Formal: It could take approximately seven hours to drive to Aberdeen, depending on the traffic. 4 Quite a few students failed the exam. I was rather surprised and disappointed.
83.2
1
Her hair’s a sort of reddish colour, and I’d say she’s, well, forty,
forty-fourish.
Sort of is used here with an adjective, but it can be used with almost any type of word. The -ish suffix is used here with a descriptive adjective and a number denoting age, but it is also often used with clock times, e.g. We arrived around half-past sevenish. Well is often used to make things less direct. 2 The garden was a bit on the big side, but it was very pretty. The expression a bit on the … side is used with adjectives to denote a quality that is not what we want or hope for, e.g. The living room was a bit on the dark side, but we bought some new lamps and then it was OK.
3
There was a kind of elasticky thing that held the two parts together, and
I’ve lost it.
Kind of and sort of can both be used with adjectives and with almost any other word class. Putting the -y suffix on a noun or adjective to make it indirect or less precise occurs in informal conversation, e.g. It was a browny colour with a kind of acidy taste. 4 They’re good shoes. They’re comfortable on long walks and that. And that just means ‘and similar things’. It is very informal. Here it is used with a noun, but people often use it with verbs too, e.g. They were singing and that at the party last night. 5 I’ve been to the doctor’s and had treatments and suchlike, and I’m sure it helps in one way or another. And suchlike normally follows a plural noun, but it could also be used with an uncountable one, e.g. It’ll be useful for your work and suchlike.
83.3
1
stacks / a (large) dollop / dollops
2 dash / smidgen 3 stacks 4 smattering 5 dollop
83.4
Possible
answers:
1 worrying / strange / odd 2 nuisance / pain / problem 3 embarrassing 4 sandwich / snack 5 relax / watch TV / have a sleep 6 souvenirs / pots / jewellery / pictures 7 sightseeing 8 finished / done everything / completed the job Expressions to underline: 1 a bit 2 (it’s) a bit of a 3 a bit 4 or something 5 or whatever 6 a sort of, and things like that 7 and that 8 more or less |
No comments:
Post a Comment
thank you for visiting my blog and for your nice comments