Shades of meaning

Hello, and welcome to Myriora English! Warm, hot and boiling all describe heat. But they're not equally hot. Words like these have different shades of meaning.

We can line them up, from weakest to strongest. Warm, then hot, then boiling. Nibble, then eat, then devour. To nibble is to take tiny bites, and to devour is to eat hungrily, all at once.

Here's another line: whisper, say, shout. They go from quietest to loudest. She whispered the answer. She shouted the answer. Same sentence, but a very different picture!

Let's try one together. Put these in order, from weakest to strongest: furious, cross, angry. Say it out loud!

Cross, angry, furious! Cross is a little angry, and furious is extremely angry. Well done if you got that order!

Here's a common mistake. Picking a strong word just because it sounds exciting. If you can sip your tea, it isn't boiling! Pick the shade that matches what really happened.

Your turn! Which word is the strongest? Pick the right card. You've got eight seconds, or pause the video. Go!

Time's up! Freezing! Cool, then cold, then freezing.

Quick review. Some words share a meaning but differ in strength. Line them up from weakest to strongest. And pick the shade that matches what really happened. See you next time!