How to Talk about your Holidays Without Saying that they were ‘Great’
We’ve all been there. You’ve just come back from a fantastic three-week trip through a country you hadn’t been to before, seen picture-perfect views and tasted brand new cuisine, and when someone asks you how your trip went, you say “ Great.” Well, that’s great! But do you ever feel limited by your words? Here are some ways in which you can give more life to your opinions.
Great:
Add any of these words to the phrases below:
fantastic, excellent, interesting, magnificent, wonderful, top-notch, brilliant, superb, sublime
“ I had a ____ time.”
“ It was a ________ experience.”
“ From the day we left, until we reluctantly got back on the plane, the whole trip was ____.”
If you wish, you can use the same list sarcastically:
“ The incompetent waiter was ___, the rock-hard bed was ____, and killing cockroaches was a ____ use of my time.”
Place:
Any of these can perfectly fit in the gaps below to describe the wonderful sights you’ve seen:
beautiful, charming, picturesque, picture-perfect, inspirational, epic , idyllic, awe-inspiring
“… and what a ____ landscape!”
“ The most ____ architecture I’ve ever seen.”
“ I could have spent years staring at those _____ waterfalls.”
“ …And as I watched the scarlet sunset over the tiled roofs, and listened to the gentle hum of conversation from the café below, and the fresh scent of home-cooked bolognese filled my nostrils, I wondered if I would ever find another town as ____ as [enter place name here].”
Listen:
Weather:
To describe the weather in a more interesting way you will need more specific adjectives:
“ It was very sunny, so it was a shame there was that biting wind” biting wind – strong and cold wind
“ The sun was blazing all day! It was truly scorching!” blazing / scorching – very hot and sunny
“ There wasn’t a drop in sight during the first week, but then, the heavens opened!” no drop in sight – no rain : the heavens opened – heavy rain
“ Summers in London have always been quite mild, but, thanks to global warming, they’re quickly becoming comparable to Spain’s” mild (summer) – warm, but not hot
Food:
Use some of these expressions to make people jealous of your culinary adventures:
” Hungarian cuisine is absolutely exquisite. The great variety of dishes on offer could satisfy any pallet.” exquisite – fantastic : palate – roof of the mouth (used to refer to personal taste choice)
” All of the pastries, chocolates and cakes were so tempting that I couldn’t resist. I put on a few kilos, but it was worth it!” tempting – inviting / attractive : put on (weight) – gain weight
” The children said that their pastas were yummy, my husband looked pleased with his pie, but my salmon was just divine.” yummy (colloquial) – tasty : divine – heavenly
Bad:
Not all holidays go to plan. Use these expressions when things go wrong:
” Our whole stay at the resort was atrocious. On arrival, the staff were unwelcoming, and they reluctantly showed us to our poorly equipped room. The excruciatingly ugly bedsheets looked like they were bought in the nineteenth century, and the TV didn’t have any English channels whatsoever. The only meal we dared to eat in the restaurant was over-priced and tasteless, and all of my mojitos were below-par. Oh. and the swimming pool left me smelling of chlorine for days.” atrocious – terrible : excruciating – painful (or painfully bad): whatsoever – at all (none at all) : below-par – not good enough
Listen:
So, how were your holidays? Leave a comment below describing your experiences. Feel free to exaggerate!
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