A2 • Lesson 13 of 75

Describing Experiences

Making your stories come alive

🎨 Description
📖 Do Prep First →

Retrieval Practice

Before we learn new vocabulary, let's retrieve what you already know. Click each card to check your memory.

📍 From Lesson 12: Follow-Up Questions
What are the 5 types of follow-up question?
🔍 Detail • 🤔 Reason • 💭 Feeling • ⭐ Highlight • 🔮 Future

Today you'll learn to ANSWER those questions with vivid descriptions!

📍 From Lesson 11: Cause & Effect
What 5 connectors link a cause to an effect?
so • Because of this • That's why • As a result • This means
📍 From Lesson 7: Comparing Things
What 3 comparison structures did you learn?

1. [A] is comparative than [B]

2. [A] is not as adjective as [B]

3. [A] is similar to / different from [B]

The Problem

🤔 "How was your holiday?"

❌ "It was good."

❌ "It was nice."

❌ "It was fun."

These words tell us NOTHING! Good how? Nice in what way?

✓ Compare these descriptions:

"The food was good."

"The food was really delicious. The pasta was so fresh, and the sauce was incredibly tasty."

Today's Goal: Learn powerful adjectives and intensifiers to describe experiences more vividly.

The Experience Vocabulary Upgrade

Part 1: Intensifiers (How strong?)

Control HOW strong your description is:

quite
⭐ mild
really
⭐⭐ medium
very
⭐⭐⭐ strong
incredibly / absolutely
⭐⭐⭐⭐ extreme

Part 2: Better Adjectives

Stop using "good", "nice", and "fun"! Use these instead:

Instead of... Use these Example
👍 "good" amazing, fantastic, wonderful, brilliant, excellent "The concert was amazing!"
👎 "bad" terrible, awful, disappointing, exhausting, stressful "The film was terrible."
🤔 "interesting" fascinating, surprising, eye-opening, unusual "The museum was fascinating."
✨ "beautiful" stunning, gorgeous, lovely, spectacular "The view was stunning."
🎉 "fun" exciting, thrilling, hilarious, entertaining, memorable "The show was hilarious!"

👍 Instead of "GOOD" — say...

amazing • fantastic • wonderful • brilliant • excellent
📝 Model answer

"How was the restaurant?" → "It was absolutely fantastic. The food was really delicious and the atmosphere was wonderful."

The was .
Word bank:
holidayconcertfoodweatherreallyabsolutelyamazingfantasticwonderfulbrilliant

👎 Instead of "BAD" — say...

terrible • awful • disappointing • exhausting • stressful
📝 Model answer

"How was the flight?" → "It was really awful. The seats were uncomfortable and the food was terrible."

The was .
Word bank:
filmjourneymealexamreallyquiteterribleawfuldisappointingexhausting

Instead of "BEAUTIFUL" — say...

stunning • gorgeous • lovely • spectacular
📝 Model answer

"What was the beach like?" → "It was absolutely stunning. The water was so clear and the sunset was gorgeous."

The was .
Word bank:
viewbeachgardencityabsolutelyreallystunninggorgeouslovelyspectacular

Important rule: "absolutely" goes with extreme adjectives (amazing, terrible, stunning). "very" goes with normal adjectives (good, bad, beautiful). Do NOT say "very amazing" ✗ — say "absolutely amazing" ✓

Guided Practice

👁️ I DO — Watch the model

Read this model answer. Notice the intensifier + powerful adjective + specific detail pattern:

🤔 "How was your weekend?"

📝 Model answer

"It was really fantastic. On Saturday I went to a restaurant with my friends and the food was absolutely delicious. Then on Sunday I went for a walk in the mountains and the views were absolutely stunning. I was quite exhausted by the evening, but it was a really memorable weekend."

Notice: 4 different intensifier + adjective combinations, plus specific details about WHAT made it good.

🤝 WE DO — Complete together

Upgrade these boring descriptions. Use the sentence builders and word banks.

Original: "My holiday was good."

Upgrade it!

My holiday was ___ ___. The beaches were ___ and the food was ___.
Word bank:
reallyabsolutelyfantasticwonderfulamazingstunninggorgeousdeliciousincredible

Original: "The movie was bad."

Upgrade it!

The movie was ___ ___. The story was ___ and the acting was ___.
Word bank:
reallyquiteterribleawfuldisappointingboringconfusing

Original: "The city was nice."

Upgrade with specific aspects:

The city was ___. The buildings were ___, the food was ___, and the people were ___.
Word bank:
really lovelyabsolutely amazingstunninggorgeousdeliciousfantasticreally friendlyvery welcoming

✍️ YOU DO — Try alone

Now upgrade these on your own. Use the word banks to help, then check.

Original: "The party was fun."

Make it vivid!

Word bank:
absolutely brilliantreally excitingfantastichilariousmemorablethe musicthe peoplethe atmosphere

Original: "The exam was bad."

Describe how it REALLY felt:

Word bank:
really stressfulincredibly difficultexhaustingdisappointingconfusingthe questionsthe timethe result

Interleaved Practice

Choose the RIGHT intensifier and the RIGHT adjective for each situation.

"How was the hotel?"

The hotel was expensive but very comfortable. Describe it positively:

The hotel was ___ ___. The rooms were ___.
Word bank:
reallyabsolutelyquitefantasticlovelygorgeouscomfortablespacious

"How was the train journey?"

The train was delayed, crowded, and slow. Describe it negatively:

The journey was ___ ___. The train was ___ and ___.
Word bank:
reallyabsolutelyquiteawfulterribleexhaustingstressfulcrowdedslow

"How was the museum?"

The museum was interesting and taught you a lot. Describe it:

The museum was ___ ___. I learned ___.
Word bank:
reallyabsolutelyfascinatingeye-openingsurprisingso mucha lot of new things

Mixed challenge: Describe a holiday that was mostly good but one thing was bad.

Use BOTH positive and negative vocabulary:

Positive word bank:
fantasticamazinggorgeousdeliciouswonderful
Negative word bank:
terribledisappointingawfulexhausting
Connectors (from L7 + L11):
buthoweverAs a resultso

Elaborate: Extended Descriptions

Now combine everything into longer, richer descriptions. Use the formula:

📐 The Description Formula

Overall feeling + Specific aspect 1 + Specific aspect 2 + Comparison or Effect

Describe your best holiday ever (4+ sentences):

Use the formula: Overall + Place + Food + Activity + Feeling

My best holiday was ___. The ___ was ___. The food was ___. We also ___, which was ___.
Word bank:
absolutely amazingreally wonderfulbeachcitymountainsstunninggorgeousdeliciousfantasticwent hikingvisited a marketwent swimmingexcitingmemorablethrilling

Describe a disappointing experience (4+ sentences):

Use the formula: Overall + What happened + How you felt + Effect

Word bank:
really disappointingquite awfulterribleexhaustingstressfulconfusingboringfrustratedAs a resultsoBecause of this

Compare TWO experiences (use L7 comparison structures):

Describe two restaurants, two holidays, or two films — one good, one bad.

Comparison connectors (from L7):
[A] is more...than [B][A] is not as...as [B][A] is different from [B]buthowever
Description vocabulary:
amazingterribledeliciousdisappointingstunningboringfantasticawful

Free Speaking

Describe these experiences in detail. Speak for 2 minutes each. Use at least 3 powerful adjectives per topic. NO "good", "nice", or "fun"!

Speaking Timer

2:00

🎯 Topic 1: Your Best Holiday

Describe a holiday or trip you really enjoyed. What made it special?

Word bank:
absolutely amazingstunninggorgeousdeliciouswonderfulmemorableexcitingrelaxing

🎯 Topic 2: A Disappointing Experience

Tell me about something that didn't meet your expectations.

Word bank:
disappointingawfulterribleboringstressfulexhaustingfrustrating

🎯 Topic 3: An Unforgettable Moment

Describe a moment you'll never forget — exciting, scary, or emotional.

Word bank:
incrediblethrillingoverwhelmingmemorablespectacularsurprising

Challenge: Can you speak for 2 minutes without using "good", "nice", or "fun"?

Recall Zone

Connect today's lesson with skills from previous lessons. Click to check your memory.

📍 From Lesson 7: Comparing Things

What 3 comparison structures did you learn?

1. [A] is comparative than [B]

2. [A] is not as adjective as [B]

3. [A] is similar to / different from [B]

💡 Combine! "The Italian restaurant was much better than the Chinese one. The food was not as fresh."

📍 From Lesson 11: Cause & Effect

What 5 cause-effect connectors did you learn?

so • Because of this • That's why • As a result • This means

💡 Link to descriptions: "The service was terrible. As a result, the whole evening was quite disappointing."

📍 From Lesson 12: Follow-Up Questions

What 5 types of follow-up question keep conversations going?

🔍 Detail • 🤔 Reason • 💭 Feeling • ⭐ Highlight • 🔮 Future

💡 When someone asks you a follow-up question, answer with vivid descriptions!

📍 From Lesson 8: Giving Reasons

What 5 expressions make a reason stronger?

The main reason is... • Especially because... • Another reason is... • Also because... • The thing is...

💡 Use these to explain WHY an experience was amazing: "The main reason it was so fantastic was the food."

Retrieval Check

Final test! Answer without looking back.

1. Give 4 powerful adjectives instead of "good":

amazing, fantastic, wonderful, brilliant, excellent (any 4)

2. Give 4 powerful adjectives instead of "bad":

terrible, awful, disappointing, exhausting, stressful (any 4)

3. Put these intensifiers in order (mild → extreme): really, absolutely, quite, very

quite → really → very → absolutely/incredibly

4. Why can't you say "very amazing"?

"Amazing" is already an extreme adjective. Use "absolutely amazing" ✓ not "very amazing" ✗. "Very" goes with normal adjectives (very good, very bad).

📋 Today's "I Can" Statement

"I can describe experiences vividly using powerful adjectives and intensifiers instead of basic words like 'good' and 'nice'."

How confident do you feel?

1
2
3
4
5

1 = Not yet confident → 5 = Very confident

Reflection

Think about these questions:

1. Which new adjectives are easiest for you to remember?

2. Which intensifier will you use the most?

3. Can you describe your last weekend WITHOUT using "good", "nice", or "fun"?

Weekly Challenge

Every time you want to say "good", "nice", or "fun" — STOP and choose a more powerful word!

Track it: How many times can you avoid basic adjectives this week?

← Lesson 12