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Today I’d like to write about an adjective: “generous”. It is used to talk about people who are very giving. For example:

My sister is a very generous person. She’s always giving presents to people that she knows.

My friend and I both gave money to a charity yesterday, but she was more generous than I was. She gave $100, but I only gave $50.

We can also use this adjective to talk about an offer which is very good. For example:

The job offer I got from ABC Company is very generous. They say they will pay me $90,000 a year and give me a three week vacation every year.

My friend wants to buy my car. He gave me a generous offer for it, but I don’t want to sell it.

The other day I was watching a TV show and one of the characters used the word “inevitable”, so that’s what I’d like to write about today. This adjective is used to talk about things which are impossible to stop or avoid. For example:

More immigration to our country is inevitable because our population is decreasing.

I’m afraid a tax increase is inevitable. The government just doesn’t have enough money right now.

When you study a language, making mistakes is inevitable, but you shouldn’t let that bother you.

Everyone dies eventually. Death is an inevitable part of life.

This word is often used with negative ideas such as tax increases, making mistakes or death but could also be used with neutral ideas such as immigration. It’s possible to use it with positive ideas, but that is quite rare with this word. It’s usually used when talking about serious things.

The adjective for today is “weird”. This means the same thing as “strange”, but it is more casual. For example:

I saw a really weird movie last night. I didn’t like it very much.

My new co-worker is so weird. She’s always asking people what their favorite animal is.

I love that new store in the shopping mall. They sell a lot of weird stuff there.

Generally speaking, the words “strange” or “weird” are negative, as in the first two examples. However, sometimes  they can be neutral or positive in meaning, as in the third example. In that sentence, the person likes the stuff the store sells because they are unusual items, and that person likes that. In this sentence, the word “stuff” has the same meaning as “things”.

Today, I have another adjective for you: “subtle”. It is used to talk about something that is so slight that it is difficult to detect. For example:

There is the subtle taste of garlic in this stew.

There are a few differences between these two pictures, but they’re very subtle.

A: I’ll find out if Nancy has a boyfriend for you.

B: Ok, but don’t ask her directly.

A: Don’t worry. I’ll be subtle when I talk to her.

In the first example, the taste of garlic is not strong at all. The person knows it’s there, but the taste is quite weak. In the second example, the two pictures look the same, but there are very small differences so the person has to look at them carefully in order to see them. In the third example, the person means that he’ll find out the information in an indirect way.

It’s important to know the pronunciation of this word. Even though it is spelled with a “b”, it is pronounced like a “d”. Therefore, the pronunciation is /SUD dul/.

Today’s adjective is “mediocre”.  It is used to talk about something which is very average in terms of its quality. However, if we say something is “average” rather than “mediocre”, it sounds more positive. So the word “mediocre” has a very negative feeling to it. For example:

I’ve heard the quality of education at that school is very mediocre, so I want my son to go to a different school.

Frankly, your work on this project was mediocre. What’s the matter? You usually do much better work.

I was really looking forward to eating at the new Italian restaurant downtown, but the food was really mediocre. I was so disappointed!

That singer’s latest album is very mediocre compared to her earlier albums.

So this is how we use this word. It’s usually used when talking about situations that have to do with other people, but we don’t usually use it about ourselves.

Today I have an adjective for you: “crooked”. It has two meanings:

1. for something to not be straight. For example:

The picture on the wall was crooked, so I straightened it.

I hope my tie isn’t crooked. I want to make a good impression in my job interview.

I used to have crooked teeth, so I got braces when I was younger.

2. for an important person (a high level businessman, a politician, a police officer, etc) to use their position to make money illegally. For example:

It was recently discovered that the vice president of my company is crooked. He’s been stealing money from the company and putting it into a Swiss bank account.

Recently, there’s been a government scandal in which several crooked politicians were caught taking bribes.

There are many crooked cops in the world who will let criminals go if they pay them.

In the examples, there are a couple of words people might not know. The word “bribe” means money that someone pays to an important person in order to influence them, and the word “cop” is a slang word for police officer. We usually say “crooked cop” in English, but it sounds unnatural to say “crooked police officer”.

The adjective “articulate” is used to describe a person who can express themselves very well, usually in their native language. These people usually have a large vocabulary and can use it very well when they are speaking. Examples of people who SHOULD be articulate (but who often are not) are politicians, lawyers and university professors. Here are some examples of how to use this adjective:

Many people consider President Obama to be the most articulate president of the United States in recent years.

Lawyers on TV dramas are always very articulate during the courtrooms scenes. I wonder if real lawyers are just as articulate.

My English literature professor at university was such an articulate speaker! He could always explain the details of the novels we were studying in such an impressive way!

As I mentioned, the word “articulate” is usually used for people who are speaking their native language. When we are talking about people who can express themselves well in a foreign language, we usually use the adjective “fluent”.

Also, you should be aware about the pronunciation of this word. Because the word ends in -ate and is an adjective, the pronunciation is /ar TIK kyu lit/.  It is NOT /ar TIK kyu late/. Please remember that all adjectives ending in -ate have the pronunciation of /it/.

Today’s adjective is “reliable”, and it is used in three different ways:

1. to talk about people who do what they say they are going to do. For example:

Brenda said she’d write the report for the client, but she still hasn’t done it yet. She’s really not reliable.

I’ve worked with Todd many times, and he’s a very reliable person. I think you should hire him.

2. to talk about machines that usually work very well and don’t break down. For example:

I want to buy a Mac computer because they’re supposed to be more reliable.

I want to buy a new car. I’m going to be driving a lot, so I need something that is very reliable.

3. to talk about information which is accurate. For example:

I hope the information in this article is reliable. I need to use it when I write my report.

You shouldn’t do research using the Internet because often the information online isn’t reliable.

When we want to say something or someone is not reliable, we can use the word “unreliable”. We can use both “not reliable” and “unreliable” but, generally speaking, it’s a little more casual to use “not” and then the adjective.

Today, I have another adjective for you: “ridiculous”. It is used to say a particular situation is crazy, laughable or stupid. For example:

That restaurant charges $15.00 for a cup of coffee and a small piece of cake! It’s ridiculous!

My aunt is over 50 years old but still wear mini-skirts. I think she looks ridiculous!

I didn’t like that movie. It’s about a young boy who becomes an insane killer. The story is ridiculous!

A: For our first assignment, the teacher expects us to write a 40 page essay about the environment.

B: 40 pages?! That’s ridiculous!

This is a very common word, so I hope you’ll be able to use it.  🙂

Today I want to write about the adjective, “adequate”. It has two meanings:

1. to be enough. This meaning is neutral in tone. For example:

Did you have adequate time to finish the test?

We don’t need to order more paper now. Our current supply is adequate.

This city doesn’t have an adequate number of doctors and nurses. If this doesn’t change, we’ll have a health care crisis.

2. to be good enough but not special in any way. This meaning is negative in tone. For example:

The service in that hotel was just adequate. I don’t think I want to stay there again.

My Spanish skills are adequate for ordering food in a restaurant and asking for directions, but I can’t have a real conversation in Spanish.

My boss told me today that my work performance is only adequate. I’m really upset right now!

This word is often used in business and more formal situations. In more casual conversations, we would use the word “enough” for the first definition, and we would use the word “ok” for the second definition.