Three real sentences:

• "The office was fairly cold, but by the time we got outside it was absolutely freezing."
• "I'm not saying the film was amazing, but it was pretty good, and the ending was utterly perfect."
• "She seemed rather nervous before the interview, but afterwards she looked completely relaxed."

Look at the two boosters in each sentence. What's different about the adjective they go with?

1. The queue at the post office barely moved, and by the time it was my turn I was a little annoyed — nothing dramatic, I got over it in a minute.

"I was annoyed."

2. When she opened the door and saw everyone there, she had no idea about the surprise party.

"She was astonished."

3. Fix the sentence — one word shouldn't be there.

"The waiting room has a very medical feel to it."

Three real descriptions:

• "We stayed in a beautiful, newly renovated apartment right in the old town."
• "He gave a genuinely fascinating, slightly rambling talk about local history."
• "It's a small, incredibly relaxing beach bar, completely empty on weekdays."

Notice two things: the order the adjectives come in, and words like "fascinating" versus "fascinated." Why "a fascinating talk" but "I was fascinated"? Say your guess before you check.

1. Combine naturally — opinion word "gorgeous" + fact word "Art Deco" + noun "cinema."

"They've just restored a cinema in the city centre."

2. The lecture went on for two hours and covered nothing new.

"I sat there feeling completely (bore)."

3. Everyone agreed the plot twist at the end came completely out of nowhere.

"Everyone agreed the plot twist was genuinely (surprise)."

• "Frankly, I don't think the plan will work."
• "The restaurant was, admittedly, a bit overpriced, but the food was excellent."
• "Surprisingly, nobody complained about the delay."

Where do these words sit, and what do they do — describe HOW something happened, or show your attitude to the whole statement? Say your guess before you check.

1. Rewrite starting with the comment adverb: "I think we should cancel the trip." (add "frankly" at the start)

2. Insert "admittedly" right after "was": "The hotel was a little noisy, but the view made up for it."

3. Choose the comment adverb that fits: "The trains were cancelled all morning — ___, quite a few people arrived late."

Think of a place you've visited, a meal you had, or an event you went to recently — something with a clear reaction, good or bad.

Talk about it out loud for one minute. Try to include:

• At least one gradable adjective with a soft booster.
• One extreme adjective with a strong booster.
• Your honest reaction, using a comment adverb like frankly or honestly.

Write a short message (3–5 sentences) to a friend about the same place, meal or event. Use the same three things — the checker will tell you which ones it finds.

1. "The soup was very freezing when it arrived."

2. "It is a wooden, very old chair that has been in the family for years."

3. "I was completely fascinating by the ending of the film."

4. "She looked at the bill and said, frank, she couldn't believe the price."

5. "After the marathon, I was ___."

6. "They live in a ___ house."

7. "The meeting was so ___ that half the room was checking their phones."

1. Complete: "This restaurant is (nice) than the one we went to last week."

2. Say it out loud: what's the rule for choosing between "the tallest building" and "the most beautiful building"? Give the rule before you check.

3. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, so by dinner time I was starving.

4. Put in the natural order: opinion "stunning" + origin "Italian" + noun "car." Complete: "She arrived in a car."

5. Complete naturally, using the comment adverb that means "I accept this, even though...": ", the interview did not go perfectly, but I think I answered the tricky question well."

Which part helped you most today — matching the booster to the adjective, ordering longer descriptions, or adding your own angle with a comment adverb? Say why you think that one worked for you.