Stop Overusing Simple English Words! LEVEL UP Your Vocabulary!

Do you find yourself using the same  words over and over again in English?

Simple words like good, bad, nice,  big, easy, hard, interesting.

Today you'll expand your vocabulary with  alternative words to give you more options  

to express your ideas fluently,  professionally, and confidently.

Welcome back to JForrest English.

Of course, I'm Jennifer Now

Let's get started.

First of all, just know there is  nothing wrong with using simple words.

You can and should use these  words in your daily speech.

The goal of this lesson is just  to give you a alternatives.

Learning these alternatives  will also help you improve  

your comprehension when natives use these words.

Now let's start with a word  that I'm guilty of overusing.

And just remember that native speakers are  guilty of overusing these words as well.

Our first word, our vacation was amazing.

I'm sure you know the word amazing.

And you might think, well this is  a replacement to a common word.

It's a replacement to good, very good or great.

And that's true.

But this replacement word  amazing has become overused.

And I say I'm guilty of it because there  are 30 or more common alternatives.

So why just use the same word over and over  again when 30 or more alternatives exist?

So let's review the most common  The concert was simply incredible.

So here the alternative word is incredible.

Incredible.

Now you can modify this to make it sound  stronger and say simply incredible.

My English progress in just  one month is astonishing.

Astonishing now hopefully that's something you  are thinking right now and hopefully my lessons  

play a role in helping you get astonishing  results, amazing results, astonishing results.

If you think so, then put that's right, that's  right, put that's right in the comments.

We also use Amazing to describe scenery  or buildings or situations even.

For example, the sunset was  breathtaking to use a replacement to.

Amazing.

Now don't worry about taking notes because  I summarize everything in a free lesson PDF.

You can find the link in the description.

We're bringing incredible talent and.

Tools.

The story of the Lake Penyer drilling  accident is an astonishing record.

It was initially constructed in 1436,  

but the astonishing front facade wasn't  completed until the 19th century.

Our next common word?

The restaurant was nice.

Nice.

This is a positive adjective.

It's a feeling of general satisfaction.

Of course you can use it to describe  people, things or experiences.

For example, you can say what a  pleasant day, what a pleasant day.

So this is something you can use every single day.

Or you can say the receptionist  at the hotel was lovely.

Instead of describing him  or her as nice was lovely.

Now that is a person.

You can also describe an  experience or a specific object.

Our stay at the hotel was delightful, delightful.

We had an enjoyable time at the park.

It's been a night.

It's been a pleasant surprise.

To be involved in this kind of thing and  this really does have a lovely sauce to it,  

even though we put cream cheese in it.

Now, sleeping is delightful.

Here's a common word you probably use every day.

The exam was easy.

Easy you can say.

I studied for weeks, so the  exam was a piece of cake.

I find that most students know  this idiom to be a piece of cake.

The exam was a piece of cake or  hopefully you're thinking right now,  

Jennifer makes learning English easy peasy.

So you just add the word peasy here.

Easy peasy.

It sounds very fun, very  casual, very light hearted.

So if you agree that Jennifer  makes learning English easy peasy,  

put that's right, but that's  right in the comments.

Or you could say you make speaking  in public look effortless.

Look easy, look effortless.

Now you could say the instructions were easy to  follow or easy to understand, so you can replace  

easy to follow with the instructions  were straightforward and Oregon clear.

So you can use both or you can just use one.

If it would work, we know it.

Would work.

Piece of cake.

I think most people would get behind it.

It's effortless.

We just.

Do it without really thinking about it.

Seems pretty straightforward.

Now, what's the opposite of easy?

The exam was hard.

You can say I didn't study.

So the exam was challenging.

The exam was difficult, or you could  say we thought the hike was going to  

be a piece of cake or easy peasy,  but it was strenuous strenuous.

It was arduous, arduous.

Both strenuous and arduous mean  requiring much effort or energy,  

so they're generally used with physical tasks.

You can also say I had a tough day  instead of saying I had a hard day.

The cosmetics were challenging.

It's.

Going to be difficult to get them to pay.

Because of this, couples avoid tough  conversations about money before getting married.

How about this easy word?

The traffic downtown is always bad instead of bad.

You can say the traffic this morning was dreadful.

Dreadful.

Or I had a terrible headache last night.

Instead of bad headache, the  food on the plane was appalling.

Appalling.

This is more severe than bad.

It means very bad.

So often these alternatives can replace  very or so plus the common adjective.

You know, they're just so earnest and dreadful.

I asked.

My son, who is by the far terrible,  terrible athlete, gets it from his dad.

I wouldn't crave it, but it's not.

Terrible.

How about this common one?

She's a happy person.

I think this describes me overall.

Instead, you can say she's a joyful person.

She's a cheerful person.

You can say he was elated, elated  after hearing the good news.

She felt ecstatic, ecstatic.

When she got the job.

It was so good.

And I brought the joyful grains.

I know that others felt devastated or elated.

But I didn't care.

I was jumping up for joy.

I was ecstatic.

I was happy.

Our next common word.

That was a smart question instead of smart.

You can say that was a clever question.

That was a brilliant question.

Brilliant sounds like very smart.

Or you can say he's extremely intelligent.

He's extremely bright.

You don't have to use the modifier.

Extremely is just an option.

Just like you could say he's  extremely smart or just he's smart.

He gave an astute, astute, he gave  an astute analysis of the market.

That is an excellent word to use in a  more professional or academic environment.

You can say his ingenious ingenious.

His ingenious method solved the issue quickly.

There are more clever ways to  prove bounds on the cop number.

Yeah, I think that that's very  actually a very astute observation.

Well, local officials came  up with a brilliant plan.

Here's a common one that native speakers overuse.

The documentary was interesting.

Interesting instead of interesting.

You can say the history of  ancient Egypt is fascinating.

Fascinating.

Or the speaker gave an intriguing,  intriguing presentation.

His captivating performance held the  audience's attention Captivating.

These are great alternatives because  interesting can sometimes mean negative,  

but the three alternatives I gave you  are always used in a positive way but.

I just think it's a fascinating.

Idea.

I think it's so captivating to see this couple  in this really intense night of their lives.

I find the.

Definition of compassion.

Is a fascinating 1 and.

It's not one that I hear people talk.

About our next common word.

Thanks for the beautiful flowers.

Again, there is nothing  wrong with saying beautiful,  

but there are so many beautiful alternatives.

Like the word gorgeous.

Her garden is gorgeous.

The colors of the leaves in  fall are stunning, stunning.

Or the flower vase is exquisite, exquisite.

Now notice I said vase.

Both pronunciations vase which rhymes with  face, and vase which has an ah but AZ sound.

Both are used in American English,  which is interesting because vase  

is the American pronunciation and  Vaz is the British pronunciation,  

and generally in American English we  don't adopt British pronunciation.

But for this specific word, vase or Vaz,  both are commonly used in North America.

There are kind, loving men looking  for a gorgeous woman like you.

Deep sea.

Corals actually come in a  stunning array of brilliant color.

Cajal was in awe of its exquisite detail,  both as a scientist and an artist.

Our next common word?

I have an important meeting this afternoon.

How many times do you describe  something as important?

I know I sure use it a lot.

Instead, you can say the meeting is crucial.

Crucial or this is a significant,  significant opportunity for our company.

You can say it's vital vital or it's essential  

essential to get enough rest  before the exam, but their.

Influence is crucial in the  development of their children.

Now the site is a work.

In progress, but it's significant.

Progress because it's designed  with the users who matter.

Most having these vital money talks  before getting married will prepare  

you to have them during marriage from  a place of honesty and understanding.

Our next common word.

The movie was funny instead of funny.

You can say the comedian is hilarious.

Hilarious.

This sounds like very funny.

Or her reaction was humorous.

Her reaction was comical.

Instead of saying you're very funny,  you can say you're very witty witty.

Keep in mind though, that this  means funny in a clever way,  

so it does have a slightly different meaning  from funny, but it's a great alternative to know.

Made-up nonsense gibberish  is frequently hilarious.

He's very keen on his.

His work is is very humorous anyway.

He was a very witty, very wise.

Man, how about this common word?

I made-up a big mistake rejecting the job offer.

You can say it was a substantial,  substantial mistake, but we can fix it.

Or this is an enormous enormous.

That sounds like very big enormous project.

You can use enormous to describe objects.

You can also use massive.

Elephants are massive.

Elephants are massive.

Elephants are enormous.

We've come to a.

Very.

Substantial phase one deal patient.

All these things are areas where  we've made an enormous investment  

and there have been significant payouts.

These are massive machines.

And what's the opposite of big?

It was a small mistake.

A small mistake.

Let's review some common alternatives.

Don't be mad.

It's a tiny mistake.

We can fix it.

Tiny is very small.

So if you want to minimize the importance of  a mistake, you can say it was a tiny mistake.

Here's a great one.

I made some minor changes to the report.

Minor changes.

Or you could describe an object and  say only compact cars can park here.

It's an alternative to saying small cars,  

only compact cars can park  here with money or resources.

You can say we invested a  modest, a modest amount of money.

Soil is mostly made of little tiny rocks.

It's texture depends on the size of those rocks.

In between all these minor  changes, wash your hands,  

wear a mask, get a vaccine, you know the drill.

So although the findings were pretty modest,  The Who thinks this one's worth a shot.

Here's one that might apply to you.

Many students are scared of  speaking English in public.

You can say she became terrified.

Terrified.

That sounds like very scared.

She became terrified when she found out she had to  

give a presentation or the  noise frightened the kids.

Frightened instead of scared.

Now to say extremely scared,  you can use the word petrified.

I'm petrified of spiders.

We are.

Terrified of being wrong?

What are you frightened of ever losing?

My engagement, right It was.

I was absolutely petrified.

Of this man.

Let's review this common word.

It was brave of you to agree to  give the presentation in front  

of 2000 people even though you were petrified.

It was brave of you.

You can say she made the  bold decision to move abroad.

It's brave.

It's bold.

She made the bold decision or it was courageous.

It takes a lot of courage.

It was courageous of you to quit your job.

For the first time in my life, I understood.

How courageous she is.

So we were so proud of him because  he was so courageous, so visionary.

Now that's a pretty bold statement.

There are many more alternatives to  common words that I could teach you,  

and honestly, this lesson benefits me as well.

It's a reminder to myself and all native speakers  to start using all the common alternatives.

I was going to say amazing alternatives because  

I overuse that word, all the  common alternatives that exist.

So if you want me to make another lesson  just like this, put more, more, more,  

put more, more, more and I will find  more spectacular instead of amazing.

I will find more spectacular alternatives for you.

So put more, more and more in the comments.

And of course, make sure you like this lesson,  

share it with your friends and subscribe so  you're notified every time I post a new lesson.

And you can get this free speaking  guide where I share 6 tips on how  

to speak English fluently and confidently.

You can click here to download it or  look for the link in the description.

Now here are some other words that you should  remove from your vocabulary immediately.

Make sure you watch it right now.