Practice The key to these exercises is on page 364.

Put each adjective into the correct box below. Each box will contain ten adjectives.

amazing attractive cold correct dead enormous exciting

expensive extinct fascinating freezing good interesting huge
large minute paralysed shy sick ugly

ungradable adjectives gradable adjectives

Use the words in the box below to rewrite each sentence, making it either stronger or weaker
according to the instructions. Use each word once only. The exercise begins with an example (0).

virtually very somewhat a bit highly absolutely ~ fabulously fairly

Make these sentences weaker:

o The dress I bought yesterday is damaged . ........ .T.4..rfr~~.!.p.q.'!jJ&.)!~tf!:~.i!.digft:#y..~e4.· .. .
1 These days mobile phones are inexpensive ................................................................................... .
2 Be careful changing gear; the gearstick's stiff ............................................................................... ..
3 The inscription on the tomb was indecipherable ........................................................................... ..
4 Many of the Inca religious ceremonies were bloodthirsty ............................................................... .
Make these sentences stronger:
5 Jane's flat was freezing last night. ................................................................................................ .
6 This new computer game sounds interesting ................................................................................ ..
7 Hilary's new boyfriend is rich. .. .................................................................................................... .
8 Victory in our next game seems unlikely. .. ................................................................................... ..

Match the labels (A-D) with the sentences (1-6). Some labels may be used more than once.

A US English B formal C informal o very informal

1 We were wearing the same outfit! It was dead embarrassing.

2 The cave paintings were real impressive.
3 I thought Dave's behaviour was a bit bizarre last night.
4 The professor's lecture was most illuminating.
5 Francis Bacon's later works were somewhat disturbing.
6 These new engines are pretty reliable.

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Read the article below and decide which word (A-C) best fits each space (1-1 0). The exercise
begins with an example (0).

Fakes found in major museums

Oscar White Muscarella, a (0) ...
respected archeologist at New York's
Metropolitan Museum, claims that
more than 1,250 forgeries are on
display in the world's leading
museums and art galleries. In his latest
book Muscarella specifically names 37
forgeries in the Louvre, 16 in the
British Museum and 45 in his own
museum in New York. Muscarella's
earlier claims have been heavily (1) ...
by some museum officials who are
(2) ... opposed to his arguments. But
Muscarella has (3) ... good scientific
evidence for his claims, showing that
over 40 per cent of the objects
examined by the Oxford Thermo-
luminescence laboratory are fakes.
The reason for the quantity of
forgeries is (4) ... simple. Because
many of the objects in our museums
were found by amateurs and illegally
exported from their countries of origin
they have no official provenance or
documented history. Museums are
painfully (5) ... of this embarrassing
problem and as a result they have
been known to overlook the lack of
written records before accepting or
buying antiquities. This makes it (6) ...
impossible to detect forgeries,
especially if they are accurate copies.
But in fact many forgeries are (7) ...
obvious as they are often copied from
a photograph which only shows the
front of an object. When examining
the back of the forgery they can look
(8) ... different from the original. But
museum officials tend to be (9) ...
conservative and hate to question
objects which have been sitting in
their collections for many years.
Muscarella specialises in the
ancient Middle East, and this is the
area of archaeology in which he has
found so many forgeries. But his
research has had the effect of
undermining the reputation of some
of our most (10) ... regarded
institutions, and this should be of
concern to anyone who values our
cultural heritage.

0 A absolutely ® highly every

A discussed B rejected C criticised
2 A bitterly B highly C rather
3 A perfectly B absolutely C somewhat
4 A virtually B quite C really
5 A conscious B understanding C aware
6 A very B virtually C pretty
7 A a bit B entirely C deeply
8 A completely B absolutely C almost
9 A heavily B dead C deeply
10 A very B highly C absolutely

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 Six of these sentences contain mistakes. Tick (til the correct sentences, then find the mistakes
and correct them.
1 We thought the state rooms in the White House were real impressive! ..................................... .
2 I'm afraid there's nothing to eat; the fridge is very empty. . .............................. .
3 The tour bus is completely full so I've only got six seats left to offer you. . .................................... .
4 I love these 'awayday' tickets; they're nice and cheap. .. ................................... .
5 We chose the hotel because it was very recommended by our neighbours ...................................... .
6 If you were really serious about your studies, you would have given up
that evening job.
7 Everyone in our class loves Jackie - she's dead friendly.
8 Jack was a very built man with massive shoulders and a menacing stare. . .................................... .
9 I found the funeral ceremony absolutely moving.
10 The Ambassador would be really delighted to accept this honour on
behalf of the President.

This box contains eight groups of gradable and ungradable adjectives with similar meanings,
There are four adjectives for each group in the box below. Complete the gaps in the table. The
example for nice is provided.

annoyed boring -I<wi II idi rr delighted diminutive diverting ecstatic engaging

exhilarated -bBtllol1S" famished .QF1tasttr fascinating furious happy hungry
interesting irate irritated little ~ minute ravenous scarce starving
stultifying tedious tiny uncommon uninteresting unique unusual

gradable adjectives ungradable adjectives

dull ................ ................ ................
2 small ................ ................ ................
3 amusing ................ ................ ................
4 rare ................ ................ ................
5 angry ................ ................ ................
6 nice .. ..t~.~ ... xxx xxx
7 pleased ................ xxx xxx
8 peckish ................ xxx xxx

238
The writer of this letter has made mistakes with some of the adjectives she has used. Find the
mistakes and substitute suitable alternative adjectives from the table in exercise 6. You can only
change the adjectives, everything else must remain the same. There are 14 unsuitable adjectives
in the letter, including the example.

HOTEL PALMERA ~
BARCELONA "-,

1 'Dear SUSal1l1a,
2 ltavil1g al1 absolutely ~tiWie here in Barcelona. The weather has been
3 wonderfully hot and sUl1ny with hardly a cloud in the sky. Our hotel is in the
4 Grothic q.uarter - if's very Wiil1ute but q.uite cOWifortable. The staff are all very
5 friendly al1d helpful - we got back froWi a club at 3 a.Wi. a couple of days ago -
6 all of us were absolutd; hungry of course - and the doorWian kil1dly offered to
7 Wiake us all sal1dwiChes l Steve wasn't iWipressed (as usual.'), he was actually fairly
8 furious because they didn lt have granary bread l
9 We1ve seen WiOSt of the sights in the City. Karen was absolutely pleased when
lOwe wewr to the 'Sagrada FaWiilia' - she loves Graud(s work. Ir's certainly a totally
11 rare bUilding. lti1d Steve was very ecstatic about gOing to the MaritiWie MuseuWi -
12 he SeeWiS to find anything to do with boats utterly interestil1g. I cal1 /t
13 understand it Wiyself. I was absolutely anl10yed whei1 he suggested we stay there
14 over IUl1ch tiWie - especially as I was a bit faWiished at the tiWie (not surpriSil1g
15 after two very tediOUS hours of looking at dusty old ShipS l It was eVei1 Wiore
16 stultifyil1g than that afternoon we spent with the VltT ii1Spectors - if you can
17 iWiagine such a thing I)
18 The street life here is very faSCinating. We1ve spent a lot of tiWie wai1dering
19 around ai1d staril1g at the street perforWiers. Luckily there are lots of paVeWiei1t
20 cafes and if's very fabulous to siWiply while away the tiWie watchii1g the world go
21 by.
22 Itnyway, I hope things are gOing well at the office, although I canl t say (Wi very
23 exhilarated at the thought of getting back there l1ext weeki
24 Lots of love
Jackie

LiKe, 2 ~
............. llWt-tMtU
. ... .J~ ....................................... ...... .

239