Today I want to talk about a particular group of English adjectives.  These adjectives start with the prefix, "a-".  This prefix comes from Middle English.  It attaches to verbs and nouns and it changes them into adjectives.  An example would be "sleep" and "asleep." 

Find a transcript at:  https://www.difficultenglishexplained.com/blog/adjectives-that-start-with-a

Difficult English Explained

Adjectives that start with a-

LAYLA: Thanks for meeting with me during your lunch hour. I 
appreciate it.
MONICA: No problem. I’m happy to help. What’s going on?
LAYLA: Oh you know, the usual. Should I take this new job? Or do I 
stick with my current one?
MONICA: Well, I think it’s time for a change, don’t you? They pay you late 
and you are unhappy.
LAYLA: Do you really think so?
MONICA: I know so. And I’ve been listening to you complain for over a 
year now. Trust me. Take the job. What do you have to lose?



LANGUAGE NOTES
• In formal conversation, giving advice is often suggested through modals: ought to/ 
should / could / If I were you. In informal conversations people tend to use words such 
as I think that/ I feel that/ in my opinion.
• Listen for the emphasis on I know so and Trust me. These common phrases can be 
used to convey both positive and negative emotions. “I know so” conveys a deep belief 
or certainty. “To know” shows more certainty than “to think.”
• Notice the use of command forms: Take the job. /Trust me./ Go for it! The command 
form can be used to gently persuade someone

English Conversation practice (30-day challenge)

Day 30 (final) : Giving advice

ANGELICA: Doesn’t the bride look beautiful in that wedding dress?
MARIA: Yes. She looks amazing. And the groom is so romantic. 
I just heard the story of how they got engaged! He 
proposed to her during a candlelight dinner in London. 
Did you know that was where they went to school?
ANGELICA: Oh? Wonderful. And the honeymoon! What a great 
idea! Most people just go to the beach for a week 
after they tie the knot. But they plan on heading to 
California and cruising the coast on their motorcycle.
MARIA: Really! What a fantastic idea. This is by far the best 
wedding I’ve ever been to



LANGUAGE NOTES
• Doesn’t …? When you have a negative question, the expected answer is “yes.” As 
such, it expresses the exact opposite of what is being conveyed (i.e., the bride DOES 
look absolutely beautiful).
• Listen to the stress on honeymoon. There are three syllables in “honeymoon,” with the 
stress on the first syllable [HO-ney-moon]. This content word is culturally important, so 
it’s emphasized: It means a trip or vacation taken by a newly married couple.
• Tie the knot is an informal way of saying “get married.”
• Can you find and explain the two usages of just in this dialogue? “Just” is an adverb 
that can be used in two different ways:
 a) To indicate a very recent past (I just heard the story). When used to convey 
time, “just” is commonly used with a simple past verb because the action is 
complete. Sometimes it can also be used with the present perfect (He’s just 
finished writing a book).
 b) To indicate contrast or emphasis (Most people just go to the beach). In that 
case, “just” can be replaced by “simply” and emphasize the word it relates to 
(a verb, adjective or other adverb) by denoting contrast. Compare the following 
sentences: “They just got married yesterday” (adverb of time). “The wedding 
reception was just wonderful” (adverb of emphasis).

Day 29: Weddings

RYAN: I’m so happy this week of midterm exams is finished.
TYLER: Same here. I’m looking forward to relaxing in the mountains 
this weekend. I’ve planned a little hike in the woods. 
And I’m gonna take a canoe trip down the river if the 
weather cooperates.
RYAN: Oh, fun! I’m going to Michigan. I’m taking my camera 
because fall is coming fast. The leaves are already turning 
all shades of red and orange. It will be awesome.
TYLER: Next time you go there, I’ll join you. I’ve heard Michigan is a 
great place to go canoeing


LANGUAGE NOTES
• Midterm Students at universities in the United States often take exams midsemester, 
around October or March of every year. These exams are called midterms. Exams at the 
end of the semester are called finals or final exams and are usually in May.
• Gonna is a colloquial form of “I’m going to.” Other similar constructions include 
“wanna” [want to] or “hafta” [have to]. These are examples of transcriptions of spoken 
English and should not be used in a formal context. Some of these examples are now 
seen in text messages as a means of shortening sentences.
• Awesome: is a colloquial way of saying “excellent,” “cool,” “great.” Last night’s rock 
concert was awesome

Day 28: Hobby

JAKE: Where should we take a vacation this year? Let’s 
decide soon.
MELISSA: Well, I’d like to go somewhere warm. How about
the beach? Or we could rent a cabin on the lake.
JAKE: You want to go to the beach, again? I want to ski 
this winter. How about a compromise? What about 
traveling to the Alps in Europe next April? We can 
find a ski resort on a lake.
MELISSA: Oh, we’ve never been to Europe before! But I don’t 
know if it will be sunny and warm then. I need to 
do some research first. That will help me make up
my mind.



LANGUAGE NOTES
• Decide is a useful verb to express choice. The idiom “to make up my mind” also 
means “to decide”: “There are so many choices in this menu. It’s going to take awhile 
to make up my mind/decide.” You can finish this sentence with either the idiom or the 
verb “decide.”
• How about This phrase presents an alternative. This phrase can be followed by a 
subject plus a conjugated verb or by a noun: How about we go swimming? / How about 
a movie tonight?
• Many verbs express opinions: to think / to believe / to suppose / to assume, etc. They 
are not all synonymous. For example, “to suppose” and “to assume” express that the 
speaker has a preconceived idea: He came back late from work, so I assumed that traffic 
was bad. /I suppose that may not have been the case, and that he might just have had a 
lot of work.

Day 27: Giving your opinion

CONNIE: Oh! What a beautiful cat. What do you think?
GARY: I think I’d rather get a dog. Dogs are more loyal than cats.
CONNIE: Yes, but they’re so much work! Would you be willing to walk 
it every single day? And clean up after it?
GARY: Hmm. Good point. What about a bird? Or a fish?
CONNIE: We’d have to invest a lot of money in a cage or a fish tank. 
And I don’t really know how to take care of a bird or a fish!
GARY: Well, we’re obviously not ready to get a pet yet.
CONNIE: Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go grab some coffee and talk 
about it.


LANGUAGE NOTES
• Oh! What a beautiful cat “Oh!” is used to show surprise or excitement. “What a …” is 
an expression that means “I think this is a very …” “What a(n) …” is followed by an 
adjective, which is usually emphasized. Notice the emphasis on “beautiful” here.
• Dogs are more loyal than cats. Two things are being compared here (dogs and 
cats). Notice the structure of the sentences: (noun/s) plus “is/are more” plus 
(adjective) plus “than” plus (noun/s). The nouns and the adjective are content words 
here, so they are all emphasized.
• Every single day Notice that each word here is stressed. The speaker wants to make 
a point, so she emphasizes each word equally. “Every single day” is a lot!
• Good point here means “I agree with you.”
• Take care of This phrase is used with animals, people and things. It can mean 
“watch a child while her parents are away,” “feed and house someone or 
something,” or “make sure things work properly.” (I always take care of my baby 
brother./ I take care of my bird by feeding it and cleaning its cage./ I need to take 
care of the broken sink.)
• Yeah, you’re right. Notice the pronunciation of this expression — the words all 
blend together here. This casual expression is used to agree with someone that you 
know well.

Day 26: At the pet store

JULIE: I just bought a ticket to New York City. I’m so 
excited to see the city!
SOPHIE: Good for you! Traveling is so much fun. I love 
discovering new places and new people. When 
are you leaving?
JULIE: Next week. I’m taking the red eye. It was cheaper. 
Hopefully, I’ll be able to sleep on the plane.
SOPHIE: I wish I could go with you! New York City is a magical 
place. You will have so much fun.
JULIE: I hope so. I’m going to visit my brother who lives 
there. I will stay for a week and then take the train 
down to Washington, D.C.
SOPHIE: That sounds like a great vacation. I’m looking 
forward to a week at the beach for my summer 
vacation. I just want to relax.


LANGUAGE NOTES
• Ticket can refer to many different types of transportation (metro, bus, train, plane, etc.). 
In general, you can guess the means of transportation by the context.
• When discussing airplane travel, a red eye is a flight that leaves at night to arrive early 
the next morning. This is in reference to how red your eyes become when you don’t get 
a full night’s sleep

Day 25: Taking vacations

SHANNON: What a fantastic performance! Thank you for inviting 
me to the musical.
ELENA: You are welcome. I’m happy you enjoyed the show. 
The choreography of the dancers was incredible. It 
reminds me of when I used to dance.
SHANNON: I know! You were such a talented ballerina. Do you 
miss dancing?
ELENA: Oh, that’s very kind of you, Shannon. I do miss it 
sometimes. But I will always be a fan of the arts. That’s 
why I love going to musicals because it’s the perfect 
combination of song, dance and theater.
SHANNON: Absolutely! I’m glad you are still an art fan too. Thank 
you for the invitation. It’s always a pleasure to attend 
an arts event with you and learn something new


LANGUAGE NOTES
• You are welcome. Elena replies “You are welcome” in this dialogue. She could also say, 
“Don’t mention it,” which is an example of downgrading. Downgrading a compliment 
varies with culture. When in doubt, just say “You are welcome.”
• When getting a compliment to someone (for example: “You were such a talented
ballerina”), you can either accept the compliment (“That’s very kind of you”) or 
downplay the compliment (“Oh, I wasn’t that good”).
• Giving compliments in English often includes using superlatives (“the most …,” “the 
best …”). This is the best musical playing on Broadway! / What’s the most entertaining 
movie you’ve seen? However, compliments can also be given by using the construction 
“I’m a fan of …”: I’m a fan of the arts. / I’m a big fan of theater. / I’m a huge fan of this 
band. Notice the use of adjectives

Day 24: At the theater

PHIL: What time is that soccer game on? I thought it started 
at noon.
JACK: We must have had the wrong time. Oh, well … soccer’s not my 
favorite sport anyway. I much prefer basketball.
PHIL: Oh, really? I thought your favorite sport was tennis! I’m a big
fan of basketball, too.
JACK: How about a game sometime?
PHIL: Sure thing! Why don’t we go shoot some hoops now since the 
soccer game isn’t on?
JACK: Excellent idea. Let’s go.



LANGUAGE NOTES
• What time is that soccer game on? means “When does the soccer game start?” 
“What time” plus something plus “on” is a common expression used to ask about the 
start time of a TV show or a movie.
• I much prefer basketball here means “I like basketball a lot more than soccer.” Notice 
how “much” is stressed to show that the speaker really likes basketball.
• Oh, really? Notice the rising intonation on “really.” This shows that the speaker is 
surprised. He thought that Jack liked tennis the best.
• I’m a big fan of basketball is a way of saying “I like basketball very much” (“to be a 
fan of” is a casual expression used to describe something you really like).
• How about a game here means “Let’s play a basketball game.”
• Sure thing! This is a casual expression used to mean “OK.”
• Shoot some hoops means to play an informal game of basketball. This is a casual 
expression used between friends