Classical Music not Classic Music
Answers to the exercise

    1. They've decided to build the new city hall in a neo-classical style.
    2. I've been playing folk guitar for a few years but now I want to study classical guitar.
    3. Do you think Lord of the Rings could be called a classic?
    4. Natsume Soseki's I am a Cat is one of the great classics of Japanese literature.
    5. He received a classical education with a strong emphasis on Latin and Greek.
    6. My uncle studied classics at Oxford.
    7. I heard your sister teaches classical ballet.

    Further Comments

    There are many other ways we can use the word classic. The Longman Advanced American Dictionary includes the following:

    • The Coca Cola bottle is one of the classic designs of our century.
    • Barbecued ribs are one of the classics of Southern cuisine.
    • Tuesday night's game against the Clippers was a classic.

    In all of these cases, classic suggests something very special which will be remembered for a very long time.

    I don't suppose any of my one-point lessons will become English teaching classics, but we hope you've found this week's lesson useful and interesting and especially remember: Beethoven's music is classical music,and Kaori Muraji plays the classical guitar. OK?

    There are plenty of other one-point lessons on this site. Please click here if you want to try some of them.

    © Robert E. Jones, 2004