AEE 2521: That's Terrible! How Passionate People Articulate Negative Things

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Ears English – Episode 2521

Title: That’s Terrible! How Passionate People Articulate Negative Things
Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Michelle Kaplan
Date: November 27, 2025
Length: ~20 minutes (excluding ads/outros)

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Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Lindsay and Michelle tackle vocabulary for expressing negative experiences and emotions in English. Centered around the listener question: “Which word do you use more—horrible or terrible?” the hosts explore the nuanced (and often negligible) differences between these terms, share their own preferences, describe related idioms and expressions, and discuss how these words let speakers show personality and passion. The episode is rich with practical examples, role-play, and insights into natural conversational English.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Talking About Bad Experiences

• [02:54] Food as an Example
  • The hosts open by discussing whether they've had “terrible food.” Michelle comments,

    “Terrible is a very strong word...I’ve had some mediocre food.”

    • She shares that what one person considers “terrible,” another might love—illustrating subjectivity in word choice and experience.
  • Lindsay reminisces about a “weird sandwich” in London—not terrible, but strange.
• Insight: How language choice reflects true feelings and context—sometimes “terrible” is too strong.

2. Listener Question: Horrible vs. Terrible

• [04:34] Direct Listener Q&A
  • Riyadh from Syria asks: “Which word do you prefer to use in your life: horrible or terrible?”
  • Both words mean “very bad.” The hosts agree the difference is slight, almost “negligible."

    Michelle: “Honestly, they’re so small, I don’t even necessarily want to get into it...” [05:47]
    Lindsay: “That’s negligible. Negligible difference. Right.” [06:06]

• Host Preferences:
  • Lindsay leans toward “horrible.”
  • Michelle leans toward “terrible.” She gives real-life context:

    “On the way to drop off my daughter at school, there was terrible traffic.” [06:39]

3. Usage and Interchangeability

• [07:12] When to Use Each Word
  • Both terms are mostly interchangeable. Examples:
    • “The traffic is horrible at this time of day.”
    • “The traffic is terrible at this time of day.”
  • Phrases like “The workload isn’t too terrible” sound more natural than “too horrible.”

    Lindsay: “I feel like I hear the chunk ‘too terrible’ more often.” [08:11]

• Insight: While both words are correct, collocations and common chunks matter.

4. Idiom Focus: ‘Terrible’ Expressions

• [08:28] ‘Terrible Twos’
  • A well-known American phrase referring to challenging behavior when children reach age two.

    Michelle: “They start to be more opinionated. But two is tough because they don’t have that much language.” [08:56]

• [09:48] ‘Feel Terrible’
  • Physical/emotional distress or guilt.

    Lindsay: “I feel terrible about this, but I can't come to your wedding.” [10:05]

• [10:19] ‘Terribly’ as Intensifier
  • Example: “I’m terribly sorry, but I will not be accepting the position.”

    Lindsay: “I feel like I hear this among British English speakers too, pretty often.” [10:33]

• [10:48] ‘That’s Terrible!’
  • Common exclamation of empathy or dismay.
• [10:56] ‘A Terrible Blow’
  • A major setback or disappointment.

    Lindsay: “It was a terrible blow for him when he didn’t get into his dream school.” [11:05]

5. Idiom Focus: ‘Horrible’ and Related Words

• [13:18] ‘A Horrible Experience’
  • Direct recounting of a negative event.
  • “We had a horrible experience at that hotel.”
• [13:56] ‘That’s Horrible!’
  • Sympathetic response to bad news.
• [14:07] ‘Horribly’ as Intensifier
  • “That’s horribly rude of you.” (Sounds a bit more formal/elevated.)

    Michelle: “This one sounds a little elevated to me…almost…like British English…” [14:15]

• [14:31] ‘Horrifying’
  • Describes something shocking, frightening, or intensely unpleasant.

    Lindsay: “This is something that’s scary but also not scary in the typical way.” [14:34]

  • Examples:
    • “The price tag on that furniture is horrifying.”
    • “Showing up to a wedding in casual clothing…that was absolutely horrifying.” [15:32]

    Michelle: “Horrifying is a really good one…I think it’s stronger than horrible and terrible, don’t you think?” [15:46]

• Note: Some expressions are set phrases (e.g. only “terrible twos,” not “horrible twos”).

6. Personality in Word Choice & Cultural Commentary

• [16:00] Expressing Identity and Emphasis

  • Certain words reflect personality; animated speakers might use “horrifying” more often.

    Lindsay: “It depends on your personality…if you're someone that emphasizes things…narrates life in a sense.” [16:00] Michelle: “That’s me! I like to have fun with words and just be…I’m very emphatic in the way I speak.” [16:23]

• [16:39] More Synonyms: ‘Appalling’

  • Slightly more disgusted/turned-off, less common than “horrifying” for Michelle.

    Michelle: “Appalling, that’s more disgusting, right?” [16:50] Lindsay: “It’s got a slightly different quality to it.” [17:06]

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Subjectivity of ‘Terrible’:

  “My friend thinks it’s the best Indian food he’s ever had…sometimes it’s really just a matter of opinion, I guess.”
  — Michelle Kaplan [03:25]

• On Intensity:

  “Terrible is a very strong word.”
  — Michelle Kaplan [03:07]

• On Subtle Differences:

  “That’s negligible. Negligible difference. Right.”
  — Lindsay McMahon [06:06]

• On British English and ‘Terribly’:

  “I feel like I hear this among British English speakers too, pretty often.”
  — Lindsay McMahon [10:33]

• On Collocations:

  “For some reason, I feel like I hear the chunk ‘too terrible’ more often.”
  — Lindsay McMahon [08:11]

• On Role-play and Vocabulary Expansion:

  “Try to do that—when someone makes a statement, if you agree and they’ve used an adjective, try to use another adjective that means the same thing. Really good practice.”
  — Lindsay McMahon [18:57]

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Role-play Example: Putting It All Together

[17:31]

• Michelle: “I feel terrible for her.”
• Lindsay: “Same. She thought this was the one. It’s really horrible.”
• Michelle: “Yeah. And what he said to her in the end was horrifying.”
• Lindsay: “I know. Totally appalling.”

Explanation:

• “Feel terrible” – empathy
• “Really horrible” – very bad situation
• “Horrifying” – extremely shocking/upsetting
• “Appalling” – utterly disgusting/objectionable

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------|------------| | Food discussion, ‘terrible’ subjectivity | 02:54-04:01| | Listener Q: “Horrible” vs “Terrible” | 04:34-06:15| | Difference is negligible | 05:47-06:15| | Preference and interchangeability | 06:24-07:53| | Collocations: “too terrible” | 07:53-08:11| | Idioms/Set Phrases: “Terrible Twos”, etc. | 08:28-11:21| | Switching to “Horrible” expressions | 13:10-15:43| | “Horrifying” and personality in word choice | 14:31-16:35| | Synonyms: “Appalling” vs. “Horrifying” | 16:39-17:06| | Role-play: Mixing adjectives | 17:31-18:38| | Takeaway, connection, and encouragement | 19:28-20:09|

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Takeaways & Practice Tips

• “Terrible” and “Horrible” are close synonyms for “very bad.” Choose based on rhythm, what feels right, or common chunks.
• Set phrases matter: e.g., “terrible twos,” not “horrible twos.”
• Express yourself with intensity: Words like “horrifying” or “appalling” add flavor and can reflect personality.
• Try this skill: In conversation, agree with someone by repeating the sentiment but with a different adjective—build your flexibility and fluency.
• More resources: Listen to episode 2496 for speaking up in meetings, and 2519 for “hit” idioms.

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Episode Mood and Tone

• Friendly, encouraging, and conversational
• Focus on “connection, not perfection”
• Exudes playfulness (“That’s your word, Michelle!” [16:35]) and cultural curiosity

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For further practice, consider listening for these expressions in natural conversation and challenging yourself to swap out synonyms as the hosts suggest!

Transcript

[Narrator]

This is an All Ears English podcast.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Episode 2521 that's terrible how passionate people articulate negative things.

[Narrator]

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts and Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl coming to you from Colorado and New York City, usa. To get real time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the All Ears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com forward/.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Sometimes bad things happen in life and we need to comment on them today.

[Ad Voice]

Find out the difference between horrible and.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Terrible and get a few more ways to express yourself when these things come up. Ever freeze in a fast English conversation watching everyone laugh while you're still trying.

[Ad Voice]

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[Michelle Kaplan]

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[Michelle Kaplan]

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[Lindsay McMahon]

Hey Michelle, how's it going today?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Hey Lindsay. I'm doing well. How are you?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Good. But I have an important question for you here.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay.

[Lindsay McMahon]

You like food, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I. I do.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I like.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I love food.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Of course, who doesn't, right? So have you had terrible food though, where you live like in your town? Have you stumbled into just any. Just bad food? It happens once in a while.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I wouldn't like. Terrible is a very strong word, I would say. I've had some mediocre food.

[Ad Voice]

Where.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, I'm just not that excited about it. For example, I love Indian food and there is an Indian restaurant near me.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Where?

[Ad Voice]

It's just not.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It's just not there and. But what's Funny is my friend thinks it's the best Indian food he's ever had.

[Lindsay McMahon]

See, sometimes it's really just a matter of opinion, I guess.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Exactly. Exactly. But I prefer another restaurant, so I wouldn't. Again, I would never go out and say it's terrible, but it's not my favorite. How about you?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, Terrible food. Geez, nothing comes to mind. I'm sure I have before at some point, but. Yeah, same.

[Ad Voice]

I.

[Narrator]

We.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I would say weird. Weird food.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Like, when I went to London, I feel like I had some kind of. Some weird. A weird sandwich. It looked good.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I just, like, took a walk during a conference. Like, let's just grab a sandwich, right? Grab a sandwich. And it was just a weird. I. I was like. Started eating it. I was like, does it's. You know how you start eating something? You're like, it's good. Oh, actually, it's not. Is it good? You're not sure, but yeah. Yeah. Like, do I like this? Do I not just a weird experience. Yeah. Yeah. So not terrible. Not horrible, but weird.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Oh, well, I'm glad that you brought up the word horrible as well, because we're gonna answer a listener question today. This is comes to us from YouTube.

[Ad Voice]

You want me to read the question?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, that would be great. Go for it, Michelle.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay, so this question says. This listener says, hello, Lindsay, I'm Riyadh from Syria.

[Ad Voice]

I love your podcast.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I've been watching you for the past three.

[Ad Voice]

Three years.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Thank you so much for listening. Yeah. This listener says, I. Yeah, three years. That's great. I have a question for you. Which word do you prefer to use in your life?

[Ad Voice]

Horrible or terrible?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Okay, these are two kind of negative words.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Very negative words. But we can't shy away from these things. These are common words. Not everything in life is rosy and perfect. So. But yeah, I mean. So good question. I'm me and Lindsay, of course, these two words mean very bad.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes, yes. Very bad. And sometimes we just need ways to say that something is very bad. So that is totally fair. It's a great question. Great question. Yeah.

[Narrator]

Before we go any deeper into the.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Episode, make sure you do one thing. As you are listening today, hit the follow button. If you are on YouTube, hit subscribe. You can consume this podcast episode on YouTube on video, or if you're in Apple podcasts or Spotify, hit the follow button now so you don't miss a single episode of our show.

[Ad Voice]

Okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Exactly. Perfect. All right, so I looked into the differences. I was thinking, is there an Actual difference. But honestly, they're so small, I don't even necessarily want to get into it because I don't even really agree with them. I mean, do you, Lindsay, do you find that there's much of a difference between these two?

[Lindsay McMahon]

No. That's not where we're going to take this episode. Right, Michelle? Because it's not worth. It's not worth it right there. That's negligible. Negligible difference. Right.

[Ad Voice]

Good.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Vocab word.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Do you lean if. If. If something isn't. Isn't great and you want to use one of these words? Do. Does one speak to you more than the other?

[Lindsay McMahon]

H. Good question. I feel like maybe horrible. Maybe I use horrible a little bit more. What about you, Michelle? Would you say. You say terrible more? I mean, horrible.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I would say. I think I say terrible more. I mean, actually, on the way home from. On the way to drop off my daughter at school, there was terrible traffic.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Okay.

[Ad Voice]

Terrible.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Terrible. So, like, I could imagine myself having.

[Ad Voice]

Said terrible over horrible.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Just would have.

[Ad Voice]

But.

[Michelle Kaplan]

But again, it kind of depends. It's just what feels more natural and it's.

[Lindsay McMahon]

It's what feels to you as the most emphatic word in that moment. So honestly, like, it might just depend on the day, which one you choose, which one feels most powerful, in a sense, because you want to really explain to the person how bad the traffic was.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. All right. But you could say horrible. To talk about traffic. Let's give some examples of how these words are used. So the traffic is horrible at this time of day. So avoid the highway. And so, Lindsay, could we have said terrible?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, I think so. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It would have been fine.

[Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Terrible.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Very interchangeable. Right. Or I feel horrible. I have a bad cold. Could you say terrible?

[Ad Voice]

Yep.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Indeed you could find shell.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Indeed I could.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yep.

[Michelle Kaplan]

The workload isn't too terrible. So you might hear someone say it like that.

[Ad Voice]

It's not.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It's something is not terrible. Right. It's not too terrible. Right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. The workload isn't too terrible. So. Isn't too horrible. I mean, I. I guess I don't hear that as much. Too horrible. But you could say it. You know, it's not like there's a language police.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No one's gonna tell you, like, no, what are you doing?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, no, you could do it. It's just for some reason, I feel like I hear the chunk too terrible more often.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Same. Yeah, I. I would agree. But, yeah, today. So that's kind of the basic answer to the question. But I wanted to focus on some more idiomatic conversational expressions with terrible and horrible today. So we're gonna start with terrible.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Lindsay, what's the first one?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Well, you know about this. You've gone through this, Michelle.

[Ad Voice]

The.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Well, probably as a person yourself, but also as a mother.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, exactly. Yes.

[Lindsay McMahon]

The terrible. So this is. I wonder if in our listeners cultures, they have a way of saying this because it's a phenomenon. Right. With. With little kids, when they enter around the age of two, they. They start to walk. Right. They start to kind of like, run around.

[Michelle Kaplan]

They start to be more opinionated. But two is tough because they don't have, like, that much language.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. So they get very frustrated, and that's where tantrums come from and. And things like that.

[Lindsay McMahon]

That's. I was reading that that's also when the neop up the fear of new things, which is where they get crazy about trying new foods. Right. Like, they're like, oh, I don't want that. They're right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. It's like everybody thinks they have this amazing eater, and then they hit two, and then you realize, oh, no.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. Y. It's a real thing. Neophobia. Like, it's so funny. So here's a sample sentence. Sheila just entered her terrible two. So I've been trying to figure out how to handle her outbursts. Oh, yes. And that is a cultural phrase that we use in American culture. I'm curious whether that's common for our listeners.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Another one is to feel terrible. Right. Maybe you actually physically feel terrible. You feel sick, you don't feel well. But you could also just feel kind of mentally terrible. You feel.

[Ad Voice]

You're.

You're.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Something happened and you just feel bad about it.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. Maybe you feel guilty. In this case, you. I feel terrible about this, but I can't come to your wedding.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

You feel. In this case, there's a little guilt. There's. You just feel sad. You feel sad, you feel guilty, you feel bad.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And you could also use it as with an ly. So you could say terribly. Right. And this is really, really common as well. I'm terribly sorry, but I will not be accepting the position.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I feel like I hear this among British English speakers too, pretty often. Right? Yeah. Maybe more than American English. I'm not sure.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Or what's another something or just an expression.

[Lindsay McMahon]

That's terrible. Right. She lost her phone. That's terrible. That would be kind of terrible to lose your phone, right? Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And then one more is a terrible blow. So what would that mean, Lindsay? It's kind of like a. Yeah. Something really that hits you in a bad way.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yep. Something that hits you and it happens. It was a terrible blow for him when he didn't get into his dream school. Maybe a little surprising. Something is a little shocking to you. It's a blow. It's a real. You know, we did an episode about hit. Right. It hits you. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, we're gonna do. Yeah, I know. I realized that I used hit you.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. Go back and listen to 2519 guys. That would be where we talked about that. And you could make the connection there.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, good.

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[Lindsay McMahon]

All right, Michelle, let's flip over to horrible. Again, we're saying they mean the same thing, and we'll just show our listeners exactly how it. How it's used.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay, so you might hear. I mean, and again, a lot of these. I mean, some of them are only with terrible or horrible. Like, you don't say the horrible twos. It's the terrible twos. We use the alliter moderation with that. Yeah, but some of them you can just kind of mix and match. So you could say a horrible experience, but you could also say a terrible experience. So you could say we had a horrible experience at that hotel, so we won't be returning.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes, totally. Or you could just say that's horrible. Just like we taught you. That's terrible. That's horrible. We can use it this way. So that's horrible. Why didn't you tell me your hamster died?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah. Or you can just like, you can say terribly. You can say horribly. So that's horribly rude of you. This one sounds a little elevated to me. Almost like. Like, Lindsay, you were talking about British English. It sounds a little British to me, but you might hear it.

[Lindsay McMahon]

British English always seems to sound a little elevated, don't you?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, it does. Oh, yeah, I. Oh, my gosh. It's the best, though.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I don't know. I'm still a fan of Aussie English myself, but.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, yeah. Well, that too.

[Ad Voice]

Both. Both.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yep.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So much fun.

[Lindsay McMahon]

And then a few extending words here. Hor. Horrifying.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

This is something that's scary but also not scary in the typical way. What do we mean by that, Michelle?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right, so it could be, oh, the ghost was horrifying.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. But you can also use it not as. In terms of the traditional way of thinking. You're scared of something. Right. It could be something about the price. So for example, the price tag on that furniture is horrifying.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And I actually, I think I say this type of. I think I say this word a lot. Yeah, probably.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I'm.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No, that's horrifying. I think I use the word horrifying a lot.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Well, you. You shared last time on one of our episodes about how you tried to order a coffee that was like 18 or something. I can see you using it there. That is horrifying. I am canceling my order.

[Ad Voice]

Exactly.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Exactly. Actually, guys. Yeah. Make sure you hit follow because we do have a follow up for that one coming up that I just planned, so.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, good. I'm excited for that. And I would also say, Michelle, other scenarios where you might say horrifying. Embarrassing situations. I shared really embarrassing situation where I showed up to a wedding in casual clothing because I was confused about the dress code. Very confusing. That was absolutely horrifying. That would be a great moment to use that word.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Horrifying is a really good one. I think that's very common.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I think it's stronger than horrible and terrible. Don't you think?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Horrifying. I don't know. There's something about this one that feels very nat. This one almost feels the most natural to me that comes up most in my.

[Lindsay McMahon]

It's just really my daily life, you know.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It's horrifying.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. If you're someone. It depends on your personality, though. And that's what's cool about listeners at our. At their level, B2, C1, you can express your personality. I think there are certain personalities that may not use that as much. Right. It's really like if you're someone that emphasizes things and really, like, I don't know, narrates life in a sense. Like.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And that's me.

[Lindsay McMahon]

That's you, Michelle.

[Michelle Kaplan]

You know, I. I like to have fun with words and just be, you know, I. I'm very emphatic in the way I speak. So I do like to say horrifying.

[Lindsay McMahon]

That's your word, Michelle. That's your word.

[Ad Voice]

That's my word.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Horrifying. Oh, boy.

[Lindsay McMahon]

What about appalling? Do you use the word appalling?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, maybe not. Not as much as horrifying. I'm realizing as we go through this, this episode just how much I like that word.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Horrifying.

[Michelle Kaplan]

But appalling, that's more disgusting, right?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, there's an element, maybe gust there.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Not necessarily. Oh, the. I wouldn't necessarily say this food is appalling, like actually disgusting, but just. Just more like his behavior is appalling.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes. A real turn off in a sense. Right? Yeah, it's. The meaning is slightly different. It's hard to describe the meaning difference, but it is. It's got a slightly different quality to it. Okay, so let's put these all into a big role play and mix it up here, Michelle. So here we are, friends talking to. We're talking about our other friend who just had a bad breakup.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, all right, here we go.

[Ad Voice]

I feel terrible for her.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Same. She thought this was the one. It's really horrible.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. And what he said to her in the end was horrifying.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I know. Totally appalling. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, no.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. That's not good. That's not good. So we're talking about. So you say, I feel terrible for her. That means you empathize. You feel bad for someone.

[Ad Voice]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And you said, she thought this was the one. It's really horrible. What does that mean? The one.

[Lindsay McMahon]

She thought this was the one. Or you could have said he was the one. Basically, you're saying the person of your dreams, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

The person you're gonna be with forever, right?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes, exactly, exactly. And then you say, it's really horrible. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And then I said. And what he said to her in the end was horrifying.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. And then I said, I know, totally appalling. And I mean, I was just looking for another word to use there. So I don't have to repeat the words you, you used. Right. So that works really well. You're disgusted by what he did and said. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And actually that's really interesting. We could do a follow up on that. How sometimes you just want to agree with somebody, so you might just kind of repeat them, but switch your word. Right.

[Ad Voice]

So it's horrifying.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Totally appalling, right? Yes, it's, it's kind of interesting how we can connect with people in that way and I.

[Lindsay McMahon]

And just take it to another level. That'd be a great way for our listeners to challenge themselves when they're in conversation with native speakers. Try to do that. When someone makes a statement, if you agree and they've used an adjective, try to use another adjective. But you know, that means the same thing. Really good practice.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, that is, that's really interesting. Let us know how that goes, guys. All right, well, if you haven't already, go on and check out episode 2496. That was three winning frameworks to speak up in a meeting with Anna Connelly.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Excellent. What's our takeaway for today, Michelle? I mean, not everything is as you said. What's the expression? Something in roses. I don't know, sun.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I don't know, sunshine and rose.

[Lindsay McMahon]

That's true. Once in a while, something bad happens in life and we need the words to articulate it. And these are great ways to do it. We've talked about horrifying, terrible, horrible, appalling. We hope you don't run into these things too often, but once in a while it happens and we need the words, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, exactly. All right, well, thank you again to our listener for this question. Really good one, guys. You know that you can always also submit your questions on YouTube like this listener. So feel free to ask any follow ups or any other questions there as well.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yep. And I think no matter what the topic is, we're always looking to connect by choosing the right vocabulary in the right moment. So we're going to come back to that idea that we mentioned earlier about kind of, I don't know, tagging along with someone with a new adjective, a new word. So, guys, yeah, Hit that follow button so you don't miss that episode. Really good stuff.

[Narrator]

All right, Michelle, you have a good day.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I'll talk to you soon.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, bye, Lindsay. Bye, guys.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Bye.

[Narrator]

Thanks for listening. To all ears.

[Lindsay McMahon]

English.

[Narrator]

Would you like to know your English level? Take our 2 minute quiz, go to allearsenglish.com fluencyscore and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

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