This is an All Ears English podcast. Avoid this mistake with stacked adjectives.
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hey Michelle how are you good good Aubrey I'm excited to be recording with you today guys Lindsey is away for today but she will be back don't worry we miss you Lindsay she'll be back next week but it's so fun to record with you Michelle and I have a question for you yes do you often go to a spa No I did go recently I I got, I did go to a spa very recently, actually.
It was for my future sister -in -law's bachelorette.
But that was a very, very special occasion.
But I do not go to spas.
So you don't either?
No, it's a rare occurrence for me as well.
I did a girl's trip in Sedona and we went to a spa, got a massage.
But then they all did facials.
And I was like, no, thanks.
I'll just wait over here.
A lot of it, I'm like, I don't know.
I'm okay. And it's expensive.
It's expensive. expensive oh my gosh is it expensive I mean but some people that's what they like that's what they like and that's okay right they put their priorities in one place and it's kind of their self -care and that's important too so exactly yeah but it's interesting because I recently saw a student mistake and this is a common error for language learners and what they said was it is a so nice spa they're trying to describe a spa as really nice super nice but this mistake with so happens a lot because we think of it as interchangeable with really very and so then we try to use it in the same
way the grammar is a little different for this so we're gonna dive into this today so that you can avoid this very common error yeah oh my gosh this is gonna be so useful so really Aubree this is about something called stacked adjectives and And stacked adjectives, they're also known as cumulative adjectives, and they refer to multiple adjectives before a noun.
So, Aubrey, can you tell us more?
Yeah, exactly. So, for example, this sentence, right?
If you want to say, it is such a nice spa, it is a really nice spa, really and nice are both adjectives.
We're stacking them to emphasize how nice the spa is, how fancy it is, right?
And we can do this, of course, but the grammar is a little different on how we can stack so as an adjective and how we stack these other adjectives.
Very, really, extremely, super.
So, these are called intensifiers.
And for most intensifiers, they can come after a verb or an article, but they come first. So, this is interesting and they are used to emphasize this other adjective like nice, beautiful, common, whatever that adjective is.
we use an intensifier to emphasize it.
Yeah, so a good thing to say would have been a really nice spa.
It is a really nice spa instead of a so nice spa.
Or what's another example?
Or any of these, right?
It's an extremely nice spa, super nice spa.
There are a lot of options here and you want to have variety so you can switch it up, but we can't say so.
And we also, So you could say this is an extremely nice hotel or extremely fancy hotel.
And both of those are stacked adjectives.
Extremely is the intensifier emphasizing how nice or how fancy it is.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
So and a pro tip that we are going to give you right now is that after an indefinite article, so cannot be used as an intensifier.
fire. So you cannot say this is a so fancy hotel, or it's a so delicious restaurant, right?
Because that is after an indefinite article.
Exactly. So this will help you know when you can and can't use so, right?
If you have that indefinite article, uh or an, then it's going to be very, really, extremely.
So those two, this is a super fancy hotel.
It's an extremely delicious restaurant.
front there are a lot of intensifiers you can use after an article but not so this is the exception that's right so so how to many different ways this is just one of the many ways we use so is as an intensifier that's true that's right so how do we use so as an intensifier aubrey yes so when you're using so it must come directly after a verb so here are some examples you You certainly could say this spa is so nice.
You can't, there can't be a stacked adjective here because it has to come after the verb.
Right. Or you could say we stayed in a hotel that was so extremely fancy.
So it comes after was, so you can use it.
Yes. And this is where it's interesting.
We can have this stacked adjectives so extremely, so has to come first because it's the intensifier, but it has to come right after the verb.
Right. Yeah, or you might say, the food is so very delicious.
And this is a great way to emphasize, to have this intensified emotion.
I want to, I really want to emphasize how delicious it is.
And as a quick pronunciation note, can we use a monotone here, Michelle, could I just say, the food is so very delicious?
No, that would, it would be like, wait, really it is because you don't sound excited about it at all.
Right? Are you lying?
You sound like you don't think it's delicious.
Yes, exactly. You would have to say it's so very delicious.
So saying it like that, I'm not sure I would say so very delicious, but it is correct, right?
So that sounds very, but what I'm trying to say here is that you can play with it with these stacked diaptatives.
And that's what's fun about it.
One, somebody might say, oh, this is so very delicious.
malicious and somebody might not say that, but it's correct.
And so you can kind of have fun with it.
That's what I like about this is that they're stacked.
So you're choosing a couple and you're going for it based on your personality.
So this one I would definitely say is traffic is so incredibly bad today.
Right. I love that.
So incredibly bad. Wow.
That's fine. I agree.
And I would say that.
And it's interesting to think about this is not just for positive things.
We use intensifiers.
We stack adjectives to talk about how terrible things are.
And again, don't use monotone.
Note Michelle's interesting intonation.
You have to emphasize these adjectives.
You have to hit them harder to vary your tone, right?
It's so incredibly bad today.
And of course, you could just say, it's so bad today or traffic is incredibly bad today.
Whenever you have a stacked adjective, you could use one or the other.
You use both to intensify the feeling.
Yes. Yes. Exactly. And as I mentioned, there are a lot of ways that we use.
So in English, we also use it as a conjunction to introduce results and decisions, or we use it to express agreement or confirmation.
So be sure to hit follow on the business English podcast for a follow up diving into those.
We use those all the time.
That's going to be good.
Yes. So hit follow here on Allers English and also the business English podcast to get part two of this series.
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All right, Michelle, let's dive into a role play here.
You and I are on vacation in Fiji here, ooh on my bucket list do you want to go to Fiji Michelle I haven't but yeah I would like to I would certainly like to go to Fiji ever since I saw the movie The Truman Show as a young person do you remember that they say she's from Fiji and I looked up Fiji I'm like I want to go there that's hilarious and I feel so that's such a great connection moment when you when because I was just thinking of that but I'm thinking I'm not going to mention The Truman Show and then you you said it.
And I was, yeah, that's amazing.
That's one of my favorite movies.
I agree. I watched it with my children.
They loved it. Guys out there listening, if you haven't seen The Truman Show, it's excellent.
You should watch it.
And you'll note the point when they say, we're moving to Fiji.
You'll be like, oh, this is when Aubrey decided she must go to Fiji.
Well, here, luckily, in this role play, we're in Fiji.
Yes, I love it. I'll start us out.
I'm so impressed by this resort.
The rooms are fantastic.
Fantastic. Oh, my gosh.
I know. Did you have little chocolates on your pillow?
That was a very nice touch. Yes.
And I already ate them all.
I'm so bad with chocolate.
It never lasts long around me.
That's so funny. I saved mine to have tonight with a glass of wine.
Oh, I'm in for that.
Let's go check out the cafe by the pool.
I heard it's really good.
Okay. Oh, this sounds delightful.
I know, right? I'm in.
Let's go. Why are we here?
Let's go to to Fiji.
Let's go through this role play.
A lot of interesting stacked adjectives here.
I first said I'm so impressed by this resort and I could add more.
I could say I'm so very impressed by this resort, but notice it's right after a verb.
I am so impressed. That's when we can use so as an intensifier.
That's a really just great way to think of it.
And then I said that was a very nice Nice touch. And I couldn't have said that was a so nice touch, right?
Because again, we have that indefinite article.
Exactly. After an indefinite article, don't you?
So, this is a very common error.
If you've been doing it, you're in good company, you're not alone.
This in a lot of your first languages out there, you do do that, right?
You can, you're seeing so as interchangeable with these other intensifiers, works a little differently in English.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then I said, I'm so bad with chocolate.
And I could have said, I'm so extremely bad about chocolate, right?
We can stack more adjectives here.
But again, we have so right after the verb, I am so bad with chocolate.
And I think the more adjectives you stack, the more dramatic it gets, right?
So think about that, right?
So I'm so bad with chocolate.
Okay. But if you said, I'm so extremely, incredibly bad with chocolate, right?
You can be adding a big personality.
You can add as many as you want, right?
It's going to be more dramatic.
And we do that. We do that to exaggerate, right?
It's fun, but again, don't use a monotone.
If you're stacking adjectives like this, you have to hit them harder.
You have to emphasize it.
Bam, bam, bam. Exactly.
And then I said, that's so funny, and I feel like I say this one a lot.
Oh, that's so funny.
That's so funny, right?
I say that a lot too, yeah.
And this is interesting.
So, of course, so comes after the the verb only.
All of these others are more flexible.
They can come after a verb or the article, right?
So you could say, I'm so bad with chocolate or also I'm really bad with chocolate.
So that's what's interesting.
Those are more flexible.
So is the one that has to come after a verb.
Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
And then finally you said, I heard it's really good.
So really good. And so Aubrey and I are going to have chocolate and wine by the pool.
Oh my gosh. In Fiji.
Couldn't be better.
I love this. I love intensifiers, not only for interesting vocabulary, but to give you more natural, varied pronunciation.
You want to avoid a monotone, and that's tricky.
There's so much you're thinking about when you are speaking.
The vocabulary, the grammar. Sometimes we forget we can't speak in a monotone, especially if we're stacking addicting adjectives, if we're sharing how incredibly bad something is or how wonderfully good it is, we need to emphasize those words.
Yeah, love it. Yeah, this is huge, guys.
This is going to help you sound more native and natural and just adding color to everything that you're saying.
So very common stuff.
Again, you know, just this is a good way that you can avoid that repetition and mix things up.
So you are going to now avoid this common mistake with So, Aubrey, this was a lot of fun.
Guys, again, remember that you hit follow wherever you're listening to All Ears English and the Business English Podcast. And, Aubrey, anything else before we head out to Fiji?
No, that's it. Yeah, be sure to hit follow so you hit part two, and Michelle and I will be in Fiji.
So, see you next time.
Okay. All right. Bye, guys.
Bye, guys. Bye. Thanks for listening to All Ears English.
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