vague language

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Page 1: Vague language
Page 2: Vague language

We use vague language when we do not want to be (or cannot be) exact,

accurate and precise.

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For each of the six questions choose the one correct answer.

1. Is rugby … American football?

a. sort of

b. kind of similar

c. kind of

d. sort of like

Page 8: Vague language

d. sort of like – Correct – the two sports are similar, but not 100% the same.

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2. I need a … to open this can. Have you got one?

a. thingummy

b. thingammy

c. thingimmy

d. thingommy

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a. thingummy - Correct – this is the correct spelling.

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3. I think the two houses are … the same.

a. rough

b. less or more

c. more or less

d. approximate

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c. more or less - Correct - an informal expression which means

'approximately' or 'roughly' .

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4. He’s a workaholic. He always works late … .

a. and that all sort of thing

b. and all that sort of thing

c. and of all that sort thing

d. all of that sort and thing

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b. and all that sort of thing - Correct – this is the correct word order.

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5. I’m ... angry because you left all this … in the sink.

a. sort / stuff

b. roughly / things

c. sort of / thing

d. kind of / stuff

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d. kind of / stuff - Correct – ‘kind of’ before adjectives, ‘stuff’ after ‘this’.

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6. She’s got … hair and she’s … 1.5m tall.

a. more or less red / ish

b. blondish / sort of

c. reddish / about

d. about blonde / roughly

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c. reddish / about - Correct – notice the doubling of the final letter of red.

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Lexical phrasesA lexical phrase is a group of words which forms a

grammatical unit of some kind and which exhibits a degree of ‘inflexibility’. As to the last feature, some lexical phrases are totally 'frozen' (unchangeable) while others are rather variable:

Invariable phrases: by and large, as well, let alone, so be it

There are a few small things that I don't like about my job, but by and large it's very enjoyable.

Somewhat variable phrases: Don’t rock the boat, She’s rocking the boat…[rock the boat = ‘disturb the institutional status quo’]

Don't rock the boat until the negotiations are finished.

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Fillers

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Fillers

Linguistic devices used to fill a momentary hesitation ocassioned by the real demands of

real-time processing pressure.

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