I got very wet, absolutely drenched

Answers to the Exercise

    Exercise
    Fill in the blanks with examples of the extreme adjectives listed above.

    1. A: Was your father angry when you crashed the car?
      B: Angry? He was absolutely furious.

    2. Switch the heating on, will you? It's freezing in this room.

    3. Is there anything to drink in the fridge. I'm parched.

    4. (Parent speaking to a child):
      Go and wash your hands. They're absolutely filthy.

    5. Will lunch be ready soon? I'm really famished.

    6. A: Were you disappointed about failing your driving test again?
      B: Devastated. Just devastated.

    7. There's an enormous gap between rich and poor in most Third World countries.

    8. A: I hear you're doing a bungee jump next weekend. Are you looking forward to it?
      B: No, I'm certainly not. I'm absolutely terrified.

    9. A: It's hot today, isn't it?
      B: Yes, scorching, isn't it?

'EXTREME' ADJECTIVES - A FEW MORE EXAMPLES

      EMOTIONS:
    • very angry - (absolutely) furious, livid.
    • very sad - (absolutely) devastated.
    • very happy - (absolutely) delighted, overjoyed.
    • very frightened - (absolutely) terrified, petrified, scared stiff.
    • very funny - (absolutely) hilarious.
    • very interesting - (absolutely) fascinating.
    • very surprising - (absolutely) amazing, astounding, astonishing.
    • in a terrible panic - (absolutely) hysterical

      WEATHER:

    • very cold - (absolutely) freezing.
    • very hot - (absolutely) scorching, boiling.
    • (Not an adjective but: raining heavily - (absolutely) pouring down).

      PHYSICAL SENSATIONS:

    • very hungry - (absolutely) starving, famished, ravenous.
    • very thirsty - (absolutely) parched.

      SIZE:

    • very big - (absolutely) enormous, huge, massive.
    • very small - (absolutely) tiny, minute.

      OTHERS:

    • very clean - (absolutely) spotless.
    • very dirty - (absolutely) filthy.
    • very beautiful - (absolutely) gorgeous (Note: it's also possible to say absolutely beautiful).

Study Tip

    In last week's lesson, I suggested using cards and Paul Pimsleur's method (5 minutes / 25 minutes / 2 hours...) to help you to remember new words and phrases. For extreme adjectives you can make cards like these (remember to use black ink on one side and red ink on the reverse side):

    @ My father was very angry 
     when he heard I'd crashed
     the car.

    		  absolutely furious / livid  

     Switch the heating on.
     It's cold in this room.

    		  absolutely freezing 
     Go and wash your hands.
     They're very dirty.

    		  absolutely filthy 
     Ever since I was a child,
     I've been really scared of 
     spiders.

    		    absolutely terrified /
    petrified / scared stiff

    If you missed last week's lesson, you can find it by clicking onto this link: How to Remember New Words and Expressions.

    I hope you enjoyed this week's one-point lesson and found it useful. If you want to look at some of my other one-point lessons, please click here.

    © Robert E. Jones, 2003