Awesome
| William: | Hello, and welcome to the English We Speak, I'm William. |
| Yang Li: | And I'm Yang Li ... |
| William: | And your task, Yang Li, is to guess today's word, OK? |
| Yang Li: | OK. |
| William: | Awesome. Li, try some of this cake ... |
| Yang Li: | A cake? Oh, thanks! That's very nice ... |
| William: | Do you like it? Awesome. They're pretty awesome cakes, huh?! |
| Yang Li: | Yes, and I think I know what this week's word is. It's ... |
| William: | Hang on Li, try some of this coffee as well—it's really ... |
| Yang Li: | Awesome? |
| William: | Exactly—it's really awesome. You got it. So listen to this. Which three adjectives are used in this clip? |
| Example | |
| This party is awesome. The food is amazing. The wine is excellent. | |
| Yang Li: | Awesome, amazing and excellent. |
| William: | That's right. Awesome means excellent or amazing. |
| Yang Li: | Awesome. This word has existed in English for a long time, hasn't it? |
| William: | Yes, and it used to mean awe-inspiring. So awe means great respect or admiration, so something that’s awesome or awe-inspiring makes you feel great respect and admiration. |
| Yang Li: | Full of respect and admiration. But now it just means cool? |
| William: | Exactly, and that’s thanks to the influence of American slang. So the word can now be used to describe almost anything. |
| Examples | |
| These shoes are awesome.
This is an awesome radio programme. Wow! You are awesome at singing, mate! | |
| William: | And there is one slightly different usage of this word. Listen to this. |
| Example | |
| A: Are you free to come for hotpot tonight?
B: Yes, I should be. A: Awesome. That makes four of us! | |
| William: | So what does awesome mean in that clip, Li? |
| Yang Li: | It's like when we say 'great' at the beginning of a sentence. |
| William: | Well, that's it, yeah, exactly. Awesome can also be used at the beginning of a sentence to indicate agreement or approval. |
| Yang Li: | Awesome! That's clear now. |
| William: | Awesome. And that's the end of this awesome programme. |
| Yang Li: | William, do you have any cakes left? |
| William: | Er, just one. Do you want to share it, Li? |
| Yang Li: | Awesome. Bye. |
| William: | Bye. |