Advanced ways of comparing
Complete: “The city was ___ as vibrant as I remembered.”
Just as
“If it hadn’t been for your help, I wouldn’t have passed.” But for......
“But for your help, I wouldn’t have passed.”
Change to reported speech: “He said, ‘We’re hiring new staff.’”
He said they were hiring new staff.
Which expression means “to strongly relate to someone’s feelings or experience”?
Strike a Chord
What does unique cuisine mean?
A distinctive or special style of cooking.
What structure means “nothing could be more [adjective] than this”?
couldn’t + verb + any more + adjective/adverb
What’s an inverted form of “If I had known, I would have told you”?
“Had I known, I would have told you.”
What’s the reporting verb alternative to “say” that means to express strong belief?
Insist
What does “a sweeping statement” mean?
A generalization that oversimplifies or exaggerates.
Explain: “It’s an assault on my senses.”
It’s overwhelming in a strong or surprising way.
“The impact was strong.” → Make it more emphatic using comparison.
“The impact was nothing as strong as expected.”
Fill in: “___ you to arrive early, we would have missed the flight.”
“Were it not for”
Combine using the given word:
Direct: “We’ll finish on time,” said the manager. (CONFIDENT)
The manager was confident they would finish on time.
Choose the correct phrase:
“It’s a(n) ___ to say everyone should work nonstop.” (spot on / way too oversimplistic)
way too oversimplistic
Define “intriguing smells.”
Fascinating or mysterious aromas that attract attention.
“It’s not so much a lecture as a discussion” or “It’s not so many a lecture as a discussion”?
It’s not so much a lecture as a discussion.
What type of conditional mixes a past and present result? Give an example.
Mixed conditional — “If I had studied engineering, I would be working in a factory now.”
What is the advantage of using a variety of reporting verbs in business communication?
It adds nuance and precision (e.g., acknowledged, claimed, maintained convey attitude).
True or False: Saying something is “spot on” means you disagree with it.
False – it means you completely agree.
What does it mean to “fuse flavours”?
To combine tastes or cooking styles from different cultures.
Create your own sentence using “equally as” and explain the effect on meaning.
Example: “Her presentation was equally as impressive as the CEO’s.” It emphasizes equal quality between two things.
Rewrite using an alternative to “if”: “If the company had invested earlier, it would have succeeded.”
“Had the company invested earlier, it would have succeeded.” or “Without early investment, the company wouldn’t have succeeded.”
Paraphrase using “According to…” and an adjective:
“She said it was difficult to translate cultural ideas.”
According to her, translating cultural ideas is challenging.
Explain the difference: “element of truth” vs “complete fallacy.”
Element of truth = partially correct; Complete fallacy = totally false.
Explain “reinterpreting flavours.”
Using traditional ingredients or dishes in a new, creative way.