VOA慢速英语2022--Rather, Quite and So

 

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from a reader.

Question:

I often confuse the meaning of the words "rather," "quite" and "so." Thank you, dear teacher.

Answer:

Dear Reader,

The words you asked about are a special kind of adverb called "intensifiers." These words make a statement¹ about something a little stronger. Let us look at some examples.

It was rather hot yesterday – that's why I went for a swim.

You will look quite attractive² in this shirt.

We are so excited about going to see the movie!

Note that the words come before an adjective³. They give more force to the adjective. It is difficult to say how much force these words add to an adjective because their use can change from one person to another and from one area to another. Speakers of British English use "quite" and "rather" differently than speakers of American English.

So

I would like to say a few more words about the adverb "so." As an English teacher, it bothered me when I began to hear people using "so" more often to add force to their statements⁴, as in these examples.

She was so happy.

This math homework is so hard.

My traditional grammar guides told me that this kind of statement should include "that" and another expression, as in these examples:

She was so happy that she jumped up and down.

This math homework is so hard that I needed to ask for help.

But last year, my coworker John Russell wrote about "so" in Everyday Grammar. He explained that in the past 20 years, its use as an intensifier has increased. Grammar experts at Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary still say it is an "informal⁵" use of the word.

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Words in This Story

confuse – v. to mistakenly think that one person or thing is another person or thing : to mistake (one person or thing) for another

bother – v. to cause (someone) to feel troubled, worried, or concerned

1 statement   

n.陈述；声明；综述

参考例句：

• The government will put out a new statement tomorrow.政府将于明天发布一项新声明。
• Put down your statement in black and white.把你的话用白纸黑字写下来。

2 attractive   

adj.有吸引力的；引起注意的

参考例句：

• Bright colours are attractive to children.鲜艳的颜色对儿童有吸引力。
• The food has an attractive taste.这食品的味道很诱人。

3 adjective   

n.形容词；adj.形容词的，用作形容词的

参考例句：

• Don't apply that adjective to me.不要用那个字眼来形容我。
• The adjective loose has several senses. 形容词loose有几个义项。

4 statements   

n.声明( statement的名词复数 )；（思想、观点、文章主题等的）表现；（文字）陈述；结算单

参考例句：

• We are faced with two apparently contradictory statements. 我们面前这两种说法显然是矛盾的。
• The report is inconsistent with the financial statements. 这个报告与财务报表内容不一致。

5 informal   

adj.非正式的，不拘礼的，通俗的

参考例句：

• I got an informal reception.我受到了非正式接待。
• The leaders met over informal lunches.领袖们在非正式午餐时进行会晤。