AEE: Avoid This Mistake With Stacked Adjectives

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Ears English Podcast Episode Title: AEE: Avoid This Mistake With Stacked Adjectives
Release Date: June 28, 2025
Hosts: Lindsay McMahon, Michelle Kaplan, and Aubrey Carter

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Introduction

In this episode of the All Ears English Podcast, hosts Michelle Kaplan and Aubrey Carter delve into the common pitfalls learners face when using stacked adjectives in American English. The episode is designed to help intermediate to advanced ESL learners enhance their descriptive language skills, making their conversations more vibrant and native-like.

Understanding Stacked Adjectives

Michelle and Aubrey begin by introducing the concept of stacked adjectives, also known as cumulative adjectives. These are multiple adjectives placed before a noun to emphasize its qualities.

Aubrey Carter [04:08]:
"So, for example, this sentence, right? If you want to say, it is such a nice spa, it is a really nice spa. 'Really' and 'nice' are both adjectives. We're stacking them to emphasize how nice the spa is, how fancy it is."

They explain that while stacking adjectives can enrich descriptions, it's crucial to use them correctly to avoid grammatical errors.

Common Mistakes with Intensifiers

A significant portion of the episode focuses on the misuse of intensifiers like "so." Many language learners mistakenly believe that "so" can be used interchangeably with other intensifiers such as "really" or "very."

Aubrey Carter [03:17]:
"They are using 'so' a lot because it can sound like 'really' or 'very,' but the grammar is a little different."

Michelle adds that "so" cannot be used as an intensifier after an indefinite article ("a" or "an"), which is a common error among learners.

Michelle Kaplan [05:54]:
"After an indefinite article, 'so' cannot be used as an intensifier. So you cannot say 'this is a so fancy hotel' or 'it's a so delicious restaurant.'"

Proper Usage of Intensifiers

The hosts discuss the correct placement of intensifiers. Words like "really," "extremely," and "super" typically come before the adjective and can follow articles or verbs.

Aubrey Carter [05:30]:
"If you have that indefinite article, 'a' or 'an,' it's going to be 'really,' 'very,' 'extremely,' 'so,' etc., but not 'so.' This is the exception."

They emphasize that "so" should be placed directly after a verb when used as an intensifier.

Aubrey Carter [06:32]:
"When you're using 'so,' it must come directly after a verb. So, 'This spa is so nice.'"

Examples and Application

To illustrate these rules, Michelle and Aubrey provide various examples showcasing both correct and incorrect usages of stacked adjectives.

Examples Highlighted:

• Correct: "It is a really nice spa." [04:56]
• Incorrect: "It is a so nice spa." [04:56]
• Correct: "The food is so very delicious." [07:07]
• Incorrect: "This is a so expensive service." [05:54]

They also explore how stacking adjectives can convey both positive and negative sentiments effectively.

Aubrey Carter [08:20]:
"We use intensifiers not just for positive things but also to talk about how terrible things are. And again, don't use a monotone."

Pronunciation Tips: Avoiding Monotone

A critical insight shared by the hosts is the importance of intonation when using stacked adjectives. Speaking in a monotone can dilute the intended emphasis, making descriptions less impactful.

Michelle Kaplan [07:28]:
"No, that would be like, wait, really? It is? Because you don't sound excited about it at all."

Aubrey Carter [14:11]:
"If you're stacking adjectives like this, you have to hit them harder. You have to emphasize, bam, bam, bam."

Role-Play Exercise

To reinforce the lesson, Michelle and Aubrey engage in a role-play set in a Fijian resort. This interactive segment demonstrates the practical application of stacked adjectives in everyday conversations.

Aubrey Carter [12:58]:
"I'm so impressed by this resort."

Michelle Kaplan [13:12]:
"I saved mine to have tonight with a glass of wine."

Through their dialogue, they showcase the correct usage of intensifiers and the natural flow of conversation enriched by stacked adjectives.

Key Takeaways

• Stacked Adjectives: Use multiple adjectives to enhance descriptions, ensuring grammatical correctness.
• Intensifier Placement: "So" should follow verbs, while others like "really" and "extremely" can be more flexible.
• Avoid Monotone: Emphasize stacked adjectives with appropriate intonation to convey the intended emotion.
• Context Matters: Tailor the use of intensifiers based on the sentence structure and the sentiment you wish to express.

Conclusion

Michelle and Aubrey wrap up the episode by reiterating the importance of mastering stacked adjectives to sound more natural and engaging in American English. They encourage listeners to practice these techniques to avoid common mistakes and to add color to their conversations.

Michelle Kaplan [15:25]:
"This is huge, guys. This is going to help you sound more native and natural and just adding color to everything that you're saying."

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By focusing on the correct usage of stacked adjectives and providing practical examples, this episode equips ESL learners with the tools needed to enhance their descriptive language skills effectively.

Transcript

[Michelle Kaplan]

This is an All Ears English podcast. Avoid this mistake with stacked adjectives.

[Lindsay McMahon]

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, Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, and Aubrey Carter, the aisle whiz coming to you from Arizona and New York City, usa. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com forward/subscribe.

[Aubrey Carter]

Is Allers English your so favorite podcast? Wait, that's not right. We can't use so like that. Want to learn why? Listen to today's episode to hear Aubry and Michelle go through stacked adjectives and how they can make what you are saying more fun and dramatic in your English conversations. How do you know when you've reached an advanced level in English? It's not just about having conversations. It's about being interesting when you speak. To get there, you need the right method and a clear plan. Our connection method is designed to get you there. Join our B2 English fluency course. Built entirely on spontaneous, unrehearsed video interviews with native speakers. Plus with brand new AI activities for instant feedback and a vibrant community to practice with every week. This is your roadmap to real English and real connection. Save up to $50 before June 29th and get a free bonus course. Go to allearsenglish.com B2 that's letter B number two. Hey Michelle, how are you?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Good, good. Aubry, I'm excited to be recording with you today. Guys, Lindsay is away for today, but she will be back, don't worry. We miss you, Lindsay.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes, she'll be back next week. But it's so forward with you. Michelle and I have a question for you. Yes? Do you often go to a spa?

[Michelle Kaplan]

No, same. I did go recently. I got. I did go to a spa very recently actually. It was for my future sister in law's bachelorette, so. But that was a very, very special occasion. But I do not go to spas. So you don't either?

[Aubrey Carter]

No, it's a rare occurrence for me as well. Yeah, I went. I did a girls trip in Sedona and we went to a spa, got a massage, but then they all did facial and I was like, no thanks, I'll just wait over here. A lot of it. I'm like, I don't know. I'm okay. And it's expensive.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It's expensive. Oh my gosh, is it expensive? I mean, but some people that's what they like. That's what they like. And that's okay. Right. They put their priorities in one place and it's kind of their self care, and that's important too, so.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. Yeah. But it's interesting because I. I recently saw a student mistake, and this is a common error for language learners. And what they said was, it is so nice. Spa. They're trying to describe a spa as really nice, super nice. But this mistake with so happens a lot because we. We think of it as interchangeable with really very. And so then we try to use it in the same way. The grammar is a little different for this. So we're gonna dive into this today so that you can avoid this very common error.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Oh, my gosh, this is going to be so useful. So really, Aubry. This is about something called stacked adjectives. And stacked adjectives, they're also known as cumulative adjectives, and they refer to multiple adjectives before a noun. So, Aubrey, can you tell us more?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, exactly. So, for example, this sentence, right? If you want to say, it is such a nice spa, it is a really nice spa. Really? And nice are both adjectives. We're stacking them to emphasize how nice the spa is, how fancy it is. Right. And we can do this, of course, but. But the grammar is a little different on how we can stack. So as an adjective and how we stack these other adjectives. Very, really? Extremely. Super. So these are called intensifiers. And for most intensifiers, they can come after a verb or an article. And. But they come first. So this is interesting. And they are used to emphasize this other adjective, like nice, beautiful, common, whatever that adjective is, we use an intensifier to emphasize it.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. So a good thing to say would have been a really nice spa. It is a really nice spa. Instead of a so nice spa. Or what's another example?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. Or any of these. Right. It's an extremely nice spa. Super nice spa. There are a lot of options here, and you want to have variety, so you can switch it up, but we can't say so. And we also. You could say this is an extremely nice hotel. Extremely fancy hotel. And both of those. Those are stacked adjectives. Extremely. Is the int. Intensifier emphasizing how nice or how fancy it is?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. So. And a pro tip that we are going to give you right now is that after an indefinite article, so cannot be used as an intensifier. So you cannot say this is a so fancy hotel or it's a so delicious restaurant. Right. Because that is after an indefinite article.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. So this will help you know when you can and can't use so. Right. If you have that indefinite article or an. Then it's going to be very. Really extremely. So those two stuff. This is a super fancy hotel. It's an extremely delicious restaurant. There are a lot of intensifiers you can use after an article, but not. So this is the exception.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That's right.

[Aubrey Carter]

So so many different ways. This is just one of the many ways we use so is as an intensifier. That's tricky too.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. So how do we use so as an intensifier? Aubry.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. So when you're using so it must come directly after a verb. So here are some examples. You certainly could say, this spa is so nice. You can't. There can't be a stacked adjective here because it has to come after the verb.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. Or you could say, we stayed in a hotel that was so extremely fancy. So it comes after was. So you can use it.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. And this is where it's interesting. We can have this. Stacked adjectives. So extremely so has to come first because it's the intensifier, but it has to come right after the verb.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. Or you might say, the food is so very delicious. And this is a great way to emphasize. To have this intensified emotion. It's. I want to. I really want to emphasize how delicious it is. And as a quick pronunciation note, can we use a monotone here? Michelle, Could I just say, the food is so very delicious.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No, that would. It would be like. Wait, really? It is? Because you don't sound excited about it at all.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. Are you lying? You sound like you don't think it's delicious.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, exactly. You would have to say, it's so very delicious. So saying it like that, I'm not sure I would say so very delicious. But it is correct. Right? So that sounds very. But what I'm trying to say here is that you can play with it with these stacked adjectives. That's what's fun about it. One, somebody might say, oh, this is so very delicious. And somebody might not say that, but it's correct. And so you can kind of have fun with it. That's what I like about these, that they're stacked. So you're choosing a couple and you're going for it based on your personality. So this one I would definitely say is, traffic is so incredibly bad today. Right. I love that. So incredibly bad. Wow. That's fine.

[Aubrey Carter]

I agree. And I would say that. And it's interesting to think about this is not just for positive things. We use intensifiers. We stack adjectives to talk about how terrible things. And again, don't use monotone Note note Michelle's interesting intonation. You have to emphasize these adjectives. You have to hit them harder to vary your tone. Right? It's so incredibly bad today. And of course you could just say it's so bad today or traffic is incredibly bad today. Whenever you have a stacked adjective, you could use one or the other. You use both to intensify the feeling.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, yes, exactly.

[Aubrey Carter]

And as we mentioned, there are a lot of ways that we use so in English, we also use it as a conjunction to introduce results and decisions. Or we use it to express agreement or confirmation. So be sure to hit follow on the Business English podcast for a follow up. Diving into those. We use those all the time.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, that's gonna be good.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. So hit follow here on Allers English and also the Business English podcast to get part two of this episode series.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Love it.

[Lindsay McMahon]

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[Aubrey Carter]

All right, Michelle, let's dive into a role play here. You and I are on vacation in Fiji. Here on my bucket list. Do you want to go to Fiji, Michelle?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I haven't. But yeah, I would like to. I would certainly like to go to Fiji.

[Aubrey Carter]

Ever since I've Saw the movie the Truman show as a young person. Do you remember that? They say, she's from Fiji. And I looked up Fiji. I'm like, I want to go there.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That's hilarious. And I feel so. That's such a great connection moment when you. When. Because I was just thinking of that, but I'm thinking, I'm not gonna mention the Truman Show. And then you said it, and I was, ah, yeah, that's an amazing. That's one of my favorite movies.

[Aubrey Carter]

I agree. I watched it with my children. They loved it. Guys out there listening, if you haven't seen the Truman show, it's excellent. You should watch it. And you'll know the point. When they say we're moving to Fiji, you'll be like, oh, this is when Aubry decided she must go to Fiji.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Well, here. Luckily, in this role play, we're in Fiji, so we get.

[Aubrey Carter]

I love it. I'll start us out. I'm so impressed by this resort. The rooms are fantastic.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, my gosh. I know. Did you have little chocolates on your pillow? That was a very nice touch. Much.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. And I already ate them all. I'm so bad with chocolate. It never lasts long around me.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That's so funny. I saved mine to have tonight with a glass of wine.

[Aubrey Carter]

Oh, I'm in for that. Let's go check out the cafe by the pool. I heard it's really good.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay. Oh, this sounds delightful.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right?

[Unknown]

I'm in.

[Aubrey Carter]

Let's go. Why are we here? Let's go to Fiji. Let's go through this role play. A lot of interesting stacked adjectives here. I first said, I'm so impressed by this resort. And I could add more. I could say, I'm so very impressed by this resort. But notice it's right after a verb. I am so impressed. That's when we can use so as an intensifier.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That's a really just great way to think of it. And then I said, that was a very nice touch. And I wouldn't have said I couldn't have said that was a so nice touch. Right. Because again, we have that indefinite article.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly after an indefinite article. Don't you? So this is a very common error. If you've been doing it, you're in good company. You're not alone. This in a lot of your first languages out there. You do do that, right? You can. You're seeing. So as interchangeable with these other intensifiers. Works a little differently in English.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

And then I said, I'm so bad with chocolate. And I could have said, I'm so extremely bad about chocolate. Right. We can stack more adjectives here. But again, we have. So right after the verb, I am so bad with chocolate.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And I think the more adjectives you stack, the more dramatic it gets. Right? So think about that. Right? So I'm so bad with chocolate. Okay, but if you said, I'm so extremely, incredibly bad with chocolate. Right. You can be adding a big personality. You can add as many as you want. Right. It's going to be more dramatic.

[Aubrey Carter]

And we do that. We do that to be. To exaggerate. Right. It's fun. But again, don't use a monotone. If you're stacking adjectives like this, you have to hit them harder. You have to emphasize, bam, bam, bam.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Exactly. So, and then I said, that's so funny. And I. I feel like I say this one a lot. Oh, that's so funny. That's so funny.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right? I say that a lot, too. Yeah. And this is interesting. So of course, so comes after the verb, only all of these others are more flexible. They can come after a verb or the article. Right. So you could say, I'm so bad with chocolate, or also, I'm really bad with chocolate. So that's what's interesting. Those are more flexible. So is the one that has to come after a verb.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah, definitely. And then finally you said, I heard it's really good. So really good. And so Aubry and I are gonna have chocolate and wine by the pool. Oh, my God.

[Aubrey Carter]

Fiji couldn't be better. I love this. I love intensifiers, not only for interesting vocabulary, but to give you more natural, varied pronunciation. You want to avoid. Avoid a monotone, and that's tricky. There's so much you're thinking about when you are speaking the vocabulary, the grammar. Sometimes forget we can't speak in a monotone, especially if we're stacking adjectives. If we're sharing how incredibly bad something is or how wonderfully good it is, we need to emphasize those words.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Love it.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

This is huge, guys. This is going to help you sound more native and natural and just adding color to everything that you're saying. So very common stuff. Again, you know, just. This is a good way that you can avoid that replacement repetition and mix things up. So you are going to now avoid this common mistake with so Aubry. This was a lot of fun, guys. Again, remember that you hit follow wherever you're listening to all your English and the business English podcast and Aubry. Anything else before we head out to Fiji that's it.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. Be sure to hit follow so you hit part two and Michelle and I will be in Fiji. So see.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay. All right. Bye guys.

[Aubrey Carter]

Bye.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Thanks for listening. To all ears. English Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com forward/fluency score. 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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