VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT IN NARRATIVE ESSAYS VERSION 2.0

SOPHISTICATED ADJECTIVES

1.1 TO DESCRIBE PLACES

No. Common adjective

Sample sentence Sophisticated adjective

1 Attractive The mural drawn by the boys was attractive.

Spellbinding, eye-catching, attention-grabbing,

2 Beautiful The scenery was beautiful.

Spectacular, picturesque, stunning

3 Big We spent six hours at the big shopping mall.

Gigantic, giant, colossal

4 Busy We left the busy town after lunch.

Bustling, hectic, frenzied

5 Clean The island was clean. Spotless, dirt-free, pristine

6 Clear The sea was clear. Crystalline, crystal-clear, translucent

7 Cloudy The sky was cloudy Sunless, gloomy, lowering

8 Colourful The buildings were colourful.

Vibrant, multi-coloured, resplendent

9 Cool The wind from the mountain was cool.

Chilly, breezy, nippy

10 Crowded The crowded stadium was noisy.

Swarming, teeming, jam-packed

11 Dangerous The road to the apartment was dangerous.

Treacherous, perilous, precarious

12 Dark The cave was dark. Coal-black, pitch-dark, pitch-black

13 Dirty The public toilet was dirty.

Filthy, unhygienic, grubby

14 Famous We stayed at a famous resort.

Eminent, prominent, renowned

15 Fresh The air was fresh. Invigorating, refreshing, bracing

16 Grand The hotel lobby was grand.

Majestic, imposing, glorious

17 Great The waterfalls were great.

Magnificent, impressive, extravagant

18 High We took photos of the high tower.

Sky-scraping, soaring, lofty

19 Hot We ran along the beach under the hot sun.

Scorching, sweltering, oppressive

20 Isolated The camping site was Inaccessible, secluded,

remote. isolated

21 Noisy The wet market was noisy.

Deafening, boisterous, rowdy

22 Peaceful The village was peaceful.

Serene, tranquil, composed

23 Polluted The air in the city centre was polluted.

Impure, contaminated, grimy

24 Rough The countryside was rough.

Rugged, wild, desolate

25 Special Her village was very special.

Distinguished, exceptional, notable

26 Strange The forests were strange.

Peculiar, bizarre, outlandish

27 Strong The wooden bridge was strong.

Indestructible, resilient, durable

28 Wonderful The Disneyland was wonderful.

Fantastic, superb, astonishing

1.2 TO DESCRIBE PEOPLE (POSITIVE PERSONALITIES)

No. Common adjective

Sample sentence Sophisticated adjective

1 Active She was an active student.

Energetic, enthusiastic, agile

2 Adventurous He was an adventurous person.

Bold, intrepid, audacious

3 Beautiful His bride was very beautiful.

Appealing, charming, admirable

4 Busy The manager was always busy.

Engaged, hectic, bustling about

5 Careful We were careful in making decisions.

Meticulous, scrupulous, thorough

6 Clever The clever boy smiled at me.

Brainy, witty, bright

7 Committed He was a committed employee.

Devoted, faithful, dedicated

8 Confident I was confident we would win.

Optimistic, cocksure, assured

9 Cooperative Everyone was cooperative

Supportive, accommodating, obliging

10 Famous She was a famous singer.

Celebrated, prominent, acclaimed

11 Friendly The receptionist was friendly.

Amiable, amicable, affable

12 Funny My granduncle was funny.

Amusing, humorous, hilarious

13 Generous The manager was Philanthropic, big-

generous. hearted, benevolent14 Glamorous He led a glamorous life. Dazzling, alluring,

sensational15 Good His son had good

personalities.Righteous, virtuous, honourable

16 Great His mother was a great lawyer.

Distinguished, eminent, prominent

17 Hardworking The workers were hardworking.

Diligent, industrious, assiduous

18 Helpful My best friend was helpful.

Benevolent, accommodating, obliging

19 Honest I admired the honest tour guide.

Trustworthy, unequivocal, frank

20 Kind The district officer was kind.

Benevolent, kind-hearted, indulgent

21 Special We had a special guest. Notable, distinguished, exceptional

22 Strange She was strange when she was alone.

Creepy, uncanny, weird

23 Strict Her husband was a strict man.

Rigid, stern, uncompromising

24 Strong He fought with a strong man.

Mighty, sturdy, burly

25 Successful The successful team was great.

Triumphant, victorious, unbeaten

26 Tidy Her tidy look impressed us.

Presentable, well-groomed, spruce

1.3 TO DESCRIBE PEOPLE (NEGATIVE PERSONALITIES)

No. Common adjective

Sample sentence Sophisticated adjective

1 Arrogant I hated his arrogant attitude.

Snobbish, stuck-up, supercilious

2 Bad I could not stand my bad neighbour.

Dreadful, horrible, awful

3 Careless She was a careless driver.

Reckless, thoughtless, negligent

4 Crazy Were they crazy? Lunatic, insane, loony

5 Cruel The cruel criminal was arrested.

Barbaric, malicious, atrocious

6 Dangerous The armed robber was dangerous.

Ruthless, brutal, merciless

7 Dishonest The dishonest clerk was fired.

Fraudulent, deceitful, corrupt

8 Evil We stayed away from Black-hearted, devilish,

the evil killer. wicked9 Fat The fat landlady chased

us out.Overweight, stout, flabby

10 Greedy The village headman was greedy.

Avaricious, voracious, ravenous

11 Lazy The lazy students were sleeping.

Slothful, sluggish, indolent

12 Rude The rude boy was her cousin.

Discourteous, boorish, ill-mannered

13 Selfish Their selfish attitude was bad.

Self-centred, self-seeking, egotistical

14 Stupid Her stupid act made everybody angry.

Brainless, half-witted, absurd

15 Thin The thin man was her father.

Lanky, scrawny, skeletal

16 Tired We were tired. Exhausted, wearied, fatigued

17 Troublesome He was punished for his troublesome act.

Irksome, annoying, niggling

18 Ugly His face was ugly after the accident.

Gruesome, monstrous, hideous

19 Useless A drunkard was a useless person.

Worthless, hopeless, futile

20 Weak A weak leader made no progress.

Ineffective, forceless, frail

1.4 TO DESCRIBE FEELINGS

No. Common adjective

Sample sentence Sophisticated adjective

1 Angry She was angry when her husband left her.

Irritated, annoyed, fuming

2 Bad I felt bad when I lied to you.

Dreadful, awful, horrible

3 Bored We were bored. Bored to death, bored stiff, bored rigid

4 Confused Everybody was confused why he ran away.

Puzzled, perplexed, baffled

5 Disappointed He was disappointed for failing his test.

Disenchanted, thwarted, saddened

6 Happy We were happy to be there.

Radiant, elated, contented

7 Lonely The lonely wife cried in her room.

Lonesome, forlorn, desolate

8 Nervous She looked nervous during the contest.

Panicky, anxious, edgy

9 Proud They were proud to be Pompous, conceited,

able to help us. swollen with pride10 Sad They were sad to lose

the game.somber, miserable, poignant

11 Scared She was scared to stay alone at night.

Petrified, terrified, horrified

12 Surprised She was surprised to see me.

Startled, stunned, astonished

13 Worried He looked worried. Upset, apprehensive, troubled

1.5 TO DESCRIBE OTHERS (FAVOURABLE)

No. Common adjective

Sample sentence Sophisticated adjective

1 Accurate The answers given were accurate.

Precise, exact, faultless

2 Bright He used a bright colour to paint his room.

Gaudy, glowing, dazzling

3 Cheap The items were cheap. Inexpensive, under-priced, low-priced

4 Clear My explanation was clear.

Lucid, unambiguous, clear-cut

5 Delicious We tasted the delicious food.

Appetizing, savoury, delectable

6 Easy Frying egg was easy. Effortless, undemanding, unconstrained

7 Important 11 January was an important day to me.

Momentous, historic, vital

8 Interesting The story was interesting.

enthralling, engrossing, engaging

9 Lasting I hoped to have a lasting marriage.

Lifelong, undying, long-standing

10 Perfect The essay was perfect. Flawless, faultless, immaculate

12 Strong Her evidence was strong.

Undisputed, convincing, solid

13 Successful Our plans were successful.

Fruitful, victorious, flourishing

14 Valuable He took all the valuable items.

Priceless, invaluable, treasured

1.6 TO DESCRIBE OTHERS (UNFAVOURABLE)

No. Common adjective

Sample sentence Sophisticated adjective

1 Accidental The mistake was accidental.

Unforeseen, unintended, unintentional

2 Bad The plane crash was bad.

Appalling, disastrous, catastrophic

3 Boring We left early as the movie was boring.

Dreary, dry, stale

4 Complex The solution was complex.

Complicated, multifaceted, multifarious

5 Difficult Climbing Mount Tahan was difficult.

Arduous, strenuous, backbreaking

6 Empty The house was empty. Vacant, deserted, uninhabited

7 Expensive I bought an expensive house.

Pricey, costly, luxurious

8 Heavy The responsibility was heavy.

Hefty, weighty, profound

9 Ill His grandmother was very ill.

Bedridden, ailing, frail

10 Illogical Her reason was illogical. Absurd, fallacious, irrational

11 Unclear His unclear idea was rejected.

Ambiguous, hazy, doubtful

12 Unlucky We were unlucky that day.

Luckless, hapless, doomed

13 Wrong It was wrong to cheat others.

Sinful, vicious, unscrupulous