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Today I want to write about two adjectives which are the opposite of each other: “rational” and “irrational”. We use the word “rational” to talk about an action, a decision or a general way of thinking which is based on calm logic. We use the word “irrational” to talk about an action, a decision or a general way of thinking which is based on fear or pure emotion. For example:

This is a very difficult decision for us, so we need to be as rational as possible when making it.

My dog was suffering so I had her put to sleep. It was very hard, but I think it was the rational thing to do.

A: I’ve decided to quit my job.

B: Please be rational about this. You’ll never find another job that pays you as much as this one does!

Many people lost money on this stock because they became irrational and sold all their stock as soon as price started going down. However, the price soon went up again.

My husband can be very jealous and irrational. If he sees me talking to another man, he thinks that I’m flirting with him.

My friend was very sick last year and made some very irrational decisions because he thought he was going to die.

In my second example, I talk about putting a dog to sleep. This is a more gentle way to talk about having a veterinarian kill an animal because it is suffering pain. It is done in order to be kind to the animal. Also, in my fifth example, I talk about “flirting”. The verb “flirt” means to talk to another person in a sexual way because you’re interested in them sexually or romantically.

Today’s adjective is “nosy”, and it can be used to describe a person who tries to find out personal information about other people. For example:

My neighbor is really nosy. She’s always looking out her window to see what we’re doing.

I don’t want you to think I’m being nosy, but I was just wondering if you’re married.

I caught my friend snooping through my things in my apartment. He’s so nosy!

I don’t like Jill and Tom because they’re so nosy. They’re always asking people really personal questions!

So, as you can tell from my examples, the word “nosy” is always negative. In my third example, I used the word “snoop”. We use this word when we want to talk about a person who looks through the things that belong to other people. Again, this is always considered negative.

For the adjective this week, I’d like to go over the word “eccentric”. It is used to describe a person whose behavior is a bit unusual or strange. However, if we use the word “strange”, it is always negative. But if a person is a little strange but you still like them and want to sound more positive when describing them, you can use the word “eccentric”. For example:

Lady Gaga is a very eccentric singer and songwriter who is very popular these days.

My aunt is a bit eccentric, but she’s very interesting. Most people really like her.

I just saw a really funny movie about an eccentric family who live in New York. You should see it.

A: What do you think of our new co-worker, Gerry? He seems kind of strange to me.

B: I don’t think he’s strange. He’s just a bit eccentric, that’s all.

So we can use this word to describe people we know, famous people or characters from a story. Generally, though, we don’t use it when talking to someone directly. Therefore, please don’t say to someone directly, “I think you are eccentric.” This would seem a bit rude.

If you have a small apartment like many people do in Japan, this week’s adjective is a useful one for you: “cozy”. We use it when we want to talk about a place which is very small but which is also very comfortable and has a warm atmosphere. For example:

My apartment is very small, but it’s really cozy. I like it a lot!

I know a cozy little cafe we can go to. It’s just down this street.

I want to go somewhere cozy with my wife to celebrate our anniversary.

In these cases, the place must always be small. A large place can never be described as “cozy”. Also, if a place is small but not comfortable, it cannot be called “cozy”.

We can also use it to describe a situation in which we feel warm and comfortable. For example:

It’s so warm and cozy in my bed in the mornings. It’s really hard for me to get up.

We have a fireplace in my house. In the winters, we like to sit in front of a cozy fire and listen to music.

Sometimes, we use this word sarcastically. That means we mean the opposite of what we say. For example:

The train was packed with people last night. It was so cozy!

In this case, the person uses “cozy” in a sarcastic way. Because the train was packed with people and it WASN’T comfortable, they use the word “cozy”. When we are speaking in a sarcastic way, our voices go down to indicate that we’re being sarcastic.

In my blog today, I would like to write about the adjective “arrogant”. We use this word to describe a person who thinks they are always right and who never listens to other people. For example:

My boss is so arrogant. He never listens to anyone’s suggestions about the company.

I don’t like Martin anymore. Before he was very confident, but now he’s just become arrogant.

My coworker thinks he knows everything about this company even though he’s just started working there. He’s such an arrogant jerk!

Peter is very good at his job, and he’s usually right about everything. Unfortunately, that has made him a bit arrogant.

So, as you can see from my examples, the word “arrogant” is always negative. Please be careful of the pronunciation of this word. Some people confuse it with the word “elegant”, which has a completely different meaning. Please make sure you pronounce the “r” sound very carefully in order to have the correct pronunciation.

I have another adjective for you today, and this week the word is “spontaneous”. It is used to talk about people who suddenly decide to do something in the moment without planning it before. For example:

Karen is a very spontaneous person. One time, on a Friday night after work, she suddenly decided to fly to Korea for the weekend.

A: Hey, why don’t we drive out and visit your family?

B: Right now? I didn’t think you were such a spontaneous person.

My wife thinks we’ve become a boring couple. She wants us to be more spontaneous.

A: Why did you buy such an expensive coat?

B: I didn’t plan to buy it. It was a spontaneous decision. I saw it in a store window and just decided I wanted to have it.

I don’t think I’ve ever done anything spontaneous in my life. I feel more comfortable when I have a plan.

So, when we use the word “spontaneous”, it can describe a person’s personality, as in the first three examples, or it can describe the decision, as in the last two examples.

The adjective for this week is the word “thorough”. It is used when we want to talk about doing something completely and carefully. For example:

We did a thorough search of the house, but we couldn’t find your watch anywhere. Somebody must have taken it.

I’m very impressed with your research for this article. It was extremely thorough.

My wife is very thorough when she cleans our house. She even cleans the tops of the doors.

We often use this word as an adverb by adding -ly to the end. For example:

We searched the house thoroughly, but we couldn’t find your watch anywhere. Somebody must have taken it.

You researched this topic extremely thoroughly. I’m very impressed.

My wife always thoroughly cleans our house. She even cleans the tops of the doors.

Sometimes, we use “thoroughly” to express our feeling about something. In these cases, it simply means “completely” or “very much”. For example:

I thoroughly enjoyed your party. Thank you for inviting me.

I was thoroughly disgusted by that movie. I’ve never seen so much blood in a movie before.

The professor’s lecture thoroughly confused me. He needs to express things in a more simple way.

Please be careful of the pronunciation of the word “thorough”. It is pronounced /THUR row/.

The other day, I was explaining the meaning of the adjective “mutual” to some people, so I want to write about that in today’s blog.

We have two ways of using “mutual”. The first one is when we want to talk about having the same interest or person in our lives as another person. For example:

Bill and I have a mutual ancestor, so I guess we’re kind of like cousins.

Penny and I met through our mutual friend, Will. She met Will in university, and I met him when I started working at my company. He introduced us at a party.

Nathan and I have a lot of mutual interests. We both like skiing, cooking, science fiction and German beer.

The second way to use it is when we want to say that we feel the same way towards another person as they feel towards us. For example:

A: I really like you.

B: The feeling is mutual. I really like you too.

Oscar and I have mutual respect for one another.

I know that Jennifer hates me but, believe me, the feeling is mutual.

Please be careful not to mix up the two meanings of this word. For example, we CANNOT say, “Jennifer hates horror movies, and the feeling is mutual.” In this case, we have to say, “Jennifer hates horror movies, and so do I.” or “Jennifer and I have a mutual hatred of horror movies.” The second meaning of “mutual” is only when talking about how two people feel about each other.

We can use the adjectives for today to describe a person’s character. The first word is “decisive”, and the other is its opposite “indecisive”. We use “decisive” when we want to say someone has the ability to make decisions firmly and easily. We use “indecisive” when we want to say someone cannot make decisions easily. For example:

My father is a very decisive man. He never has any problems making up his mind.

Bill is decisive, but he can be very stubborn. Once he makes a decision, he usually refuses to change his mind.

I think the prime minister isn’t doing a bad job, but I wish he were more decisive.

I hate my boss because he’s lazy and indecisive! The company loses money because he wastes time making decisions.

I don’t know what to order from the menu. I’m sorry for being so indecisive today.

I used to be a lot more indecisive when I was younger. Now I can make up my mind much more easily.

So, the word “decisive” is positive and the word “indecisive” is negative. Be careful about the pronunciation of these words. We DON’T say /dee SEE siv/. Instead the word is pronounced /dee SAI siv/. And when we say the word “indecisive” we have to stress the “in”, so it’s /IN dee SAI siv/. If you want to hear a clear pronunciation of these words, I recommend using The Free Dictionary. The link for that site is on my blog.

This week’s adjective is “opinionated”, and it can be used to describe people who have very strong opinions about many things and who usually share those opinions with other people all the time. For example:

My boss is a nice guy, but he’s very opinionated especially when it comes to business.

I don’t like Charlie very much. He’s much too opinionated for me. In fact, he never shuts up about his opinions!

My mother seems to be a very quiet person, but she can be quite opinionated once you get to know her.

I certainly have opinions about certain things, but I don’t consider myself to be an opinionated person.

This word is generally neutral in tone, but it has the feeling of being a little negative. If you want it to have the meaning of being extremely negative, you can say someone is “too opinionated”, as in the second example, and that is much more negative. Generally speaking, when we add “too” to an adjective which is neutral, it makes it negative.