UBI 3 Unit 2 - Weird English

🧠 THE WEIRD RULES OF ENGLISH

English is full of contradictions, exceptions and sounds that don’t match the spelling. You’ve already seen how even native speakers struggle to explain their own language — now it’s time to dig deeper into why English makes no sense and learn to play with its rules instead of fighting them!

🎬 1) Why English Is So Hard BBC Learning English

Let’s start with a short video that explains why English spelling and pronunciation feel so irregular. Watch carefully and find the answers in the examples and history the video gives.

1. Which historical event brought a lot of French words into English?
2. What invention helped to “freeze” many spellings before pronunciation changed?
3. What period of sound change does the video name to explain today’s odd spellings of vowels?
4. Give three different pronunciations of the letters ough with example words from the video.
5. Why is the word colonel pronounced /ˈkɜːnəl/ (“kernel”)?
6. Which language families or languages are mentioned as sources of English words?
7. Why does debt have a silent b?
8. What happened to the sounds in words like knight (the k and gh)?
9. What overall message does the video give learners about English inconsistency?

✅ Answer Key

• The Norman Conquest (1066) brought a massive wave of French into English.
• The printing press (introduced in England in the late 1400s) standardized many spellings.
• The Great Vowel Shift, a major change in vowel pronunciation from roughly the 1400s to 1700s.
• rough /rʌf/, though /ðoʊ/, through /θruː/ (also cough /kɒf/, bough /baʊ/, thought /θɔːt/).
• Its spelling came via French/Italian historical forms, but the pronunciation followed a different path; the written l was kept while speech became “kernel”.
• Germanic/Old English and Norse (Vikings), plus French and Latin are all mentioned.
• The silent b was added to reflect Latin debitum; the pronunciation never used the b.
• Those letters were used to represent real sounds (e.g., the k in kff and a fricative for gh) that later disappeared.
• English is inconsistent because of its history; don’t blame yourself—learn the patterns and enjoy the quirks.

💬 Speaking: Say five ough words out loud (e.g., rough, though, through, cough, bough). Which one is hardest for you? Why?

📘 Mini Dictionary — less common words & tricky pronunciations

• snuck /snʌk/ – past of sneak (AmE informal).
• unstandardized /ˌʌnˈstændərdaɪzd/ – not made consistent by a standard.
• encounter /ɪnˈkaʊntər/ – to meet or experience unexpectedly.
• dough /doʊ/ – bread/cake mixture; spelling with silent gh.
• vestiges /ˈvɛstɪdʒɪz/ – small remaining parts of something that once existed.
• scholars /ˈskɒlərz/ (BrE), /ˈskɑːlərz/ (AmE) – academic researchers.
• colonel /ˈkɜːrnəl/ – military rank; spelling-pronunciation mismatch.
• queue /kjuː/ – a line of people; four silent letters at the end.
• yacht /jɒt/ (BrE), /jɑːt/ (AmE) – a large boat for pleasure.
• choir /ˈkwaɪər/ – group of singers; unusual spelling for /kw/ sound.
• subtle /ˈsʌtəl/ – delicate; silent b.
• island /ˈaɪlənd/ – land surrounded by water; silent s from historical spelling.
• indict /ɪnˈdaɪt/ – to formally accuse; silent c and t pronounced /t/.
• victuals /ˈvɪtəlz/ – food supplies; highly irregular spelling-to-sound mapping.
• epitome /ɪˈpɪtəmi/ – a perfect example of something.
• paradigm /ˈpærədaɪm/ – a model or pattern; silent g.
• rendezvous /ˈrɒndeɪvuː/ (BrE), /ˈrɑːndeɪvuː/ (AmE) – meeting at an agreed time/place (from French).
• debris /ˈdeɪbriː/ – scattered remains; final s silent (from French).
• wrought /rɔːt/ – archaic past of work; appears in fixed phrases (e.g., wrought iron).
• bough /baʊ/ – main tree branch; one of the many ough sounds.
• tough /tʌf/ – strong/difficult; contrasting ough sound to though/through.
• though /ðoʊ/ – contrastive conjunction; gh silent again.
• through /θruː/ – moving in one side and out the other; yet another ough value.
• thorough /ˈθʌroʊ/ (AmE), /ˈθʌrə/ (BrE) – complete; dialectal vowel differences.
• cough /kɒf/ (BrE), /kɔːf/ (AmE) – force air from lungs; yet another ough pronunciation.
• drought /draʊt/ – long period without rain; silent gh, diphthong /aʊ/.
• gauge /ɡeɪdʒ/ – measure; au → /eɪ/, ge → /dʒ/.
• segue /ˈsɛɡweɪ/ – move smoothly to another topic/track (from Italian).
• ballet /bæˈleɪ/ – dance form; final t silent (French origin).
• awry /əˈraɪ/ – not in the intended position; stress shift surprises many learners.
• etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ (BrE), /ˌɛtɪˈmɑːlədʒi/ (AmE) – study of word origins.
• orthography /ɔːˈθɒɡrəfi/ (BrE), /ɔːrˈθɑːɡrəfi/ (AmE) – correct spelling conventions of a language.
• phoneme /ˈfoʊniːm/ – the smallest unit of sound that distinguishes meaning.
• grapheme /ˈɡræfiːm/ – the written symbol(s) representing a phoneme.

🔇 2) Silent Letters in English Lesson & Practice

In English, many letters are written but not pronounced. This lesson follows the video “Silent Letter Rules (Beginner → Advanced)” and summarizes the rules in writing so you can review at home. Lets start by reading aloud this short text. Notice the bold words...

🕯️ Reading — The Night of the Silent Letters

It was a dark night, quiet and calm. The old castle stood on the hill, half hidden in the fog.
Inside, Sir William the knight wrote a long note to his daughter. He wanted to climb the tower before dawn to see the light returning over the town.
The gnome by the window whispered, “Don’t forget your sword.” William smiled. “I never doubt my thumb will hold it strong.”
He tied his lambskin gloves, walked past the tomb of his ancestors, and crossed the narrow aisle.
Outside, the wind blew through the whistling woods. “What a tough language this is,” he murmured. “So many letters, so few sounds.”
At the top of the tower, he looked at the rising sun and said softly, “Silent or not, these words are mine. And they still speak.”

There's something going on with the bold words, isn't there? Watch this video, and learn the rules. Then read again and check if your pronunciation has improved.

🔇SILENT LETTERS Worksheet:

Let’s learn the rules of silent letters together! Take your worksheet and complete it while we go through the lesson.

🔇SILENT LETTER RULES
Here you have the silent letter rules stated in the video.
Click to dropdown the list and practice with the video👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻:

Rule 1) Silent A (near another vowel)

Rule: A can be silent before or after another vowel.

• cocoa 
• head

1. Underline the silent letter in: cocoa, head.
2. Write 2 more words with silent A: _______________, _______________

✅ Answer Key (1)

• a in both words.
• Any two of: bread, dead, head, lead (metal), instead, ready, steady, meadow, heaven, feather.

📘 Mini Dictionary

• cocoa – chocolate powder / hot drink
• head – the top part of the body

Rule 2) Silent B (before T / after M)

Rule: B is silent in BT (at the end) and after M.

• doubt, debt, subtle
• thumb, lamb, climb, bomb, tomb

1. Underline the silent letters: doubt, debt, subtle, thumb, lamb, climb, bomb, tomb.
2. Write 2 more words with silent B: bt→ _______________, mb→ _______________

✅ Answer Key (2)

• b is silent in all the listed words.
• bt→ some derivatives like doubtful, doubtless, subtlety.
• mb→ any of: comb, climb, lamb, limb, tomb, bomb, dumb, numb, thumb, womb, crumb.

📘 Mini Dictionary

• doubt/debt/subtle – not sure/money you owe/not obvious
• thumb/lamb/climb/bomb/tomb – finger/young sheep/go up/explosive/grave

Rule 3) Silent C (after S)

Rule: C is silent after S.

• muscle, scent, scissors

1. Underline the silent letter: muscle, scent, scissors.
2. Write 2 more words with silent sc: _______________, _______________

✅ Answer Key (3)

• c is silent in all three.
• Any two of: scene, crescent, scythe, scenario, science.

📘 Mini Dictionary

• muscle – body tissue
• scent – smell
• scissors – cutting tool

Rule 4) Silent D (before/after N)

Rule: D can be silent next to N.

• Wednesday, handsome, handkerchief.

1. Underline the silent letter: Wednesday, handsome, handkerchief .
2. Write 2 more words with silent D: dn→ _______________, nd→ _______________

✅ Answer Key (4)

• d is silent/very weak in all three (natural speech).
• dn→ (there's no more)
• nd→ sandwich, grandma (reduced), handrail (reduced).

📘 Mini Dictionary

• Wednesday – day between Tuesday and Thursday
• handsome – good-looking
• handkerchief– a small piece of cloth

Rule 5) Silent final E

Rule: Final e is usually silent.

• love, humble, giraffe

1. Underline the silent letter: love, humble, giraffe.
2. Write 2 more words with silent final E: _______________, _______________

✅ Answer Key (5)

• Final e in all three.
• Any two of: give, live, have, love, solve, serve, choose.

📘 Mini Dictionary

• love – strong liking
• humble – modest
• giraffe – very tall animal

Rule 6) Silent G (before H / before N)

Rule: G has no separate sound before H and is silent before N.

• daughter, though, night
• gnome, foreign, campaign

1. Underline the silent letter in: daughter, though, night.
2. Write 2 more words with silent g: gh → _______________, gn → _______________

✅ Answer Key (6)

• gh is silent in all three.
• gh→ light, high, sigh, through.
• gn→ sign, design, assign, resign.

📘 Mini Dictionary

• daughter/though/night – girl child/however/dark time
• gnome/foreign/campaign – garden statue/from another country/planned actions

Rule 7) Silent H (initial; after X; after G; after R; after W)

Rule: H is silent in several positions.

• Initial: honest, hour, heir
• After X: exhausting, exhibition, exhilarate (but exhale says /h/)
• After G: ghost, ghastly, ghetto
• After R: rhyme, rhinoceros
• After W: whale, wheel, whirlpool

1. Underline the silent h in: honest, hour, heir; exhausting, exhibition, exhilarate.
2. Write more words with silent h: h-→ _______________, xh→ _______________, gh→ _______________, rh→ _______________, wh→ _______________

✅ Answer Key (7)

• Silent h as shown; exhale keeps /h/.
• h-→ honour (AmE honor), herb (AmE), heiress, honestly.
• xh→ exhaustion, exhumation.
• gh→ ghoul, ghee, spaghetti
• rh→ rhetoric, rheumatism, rhinestone, rhythm
• wh→ whale, wheel, whirlpool

📘 Mini Dictionary

• honest/hour/heir – truthful/60 minutes/person who inherits
• exhausting/exhibition/exhilarate – very tiring/public show/make very happy

Rule 8) Silent K (before N)

Rule: K is silent before N at the start.

• knife, knight, know, knee, knowledge

1. Underline the silent letter: knife, knight, know, knee, knowledge.
2. Write 2 more words with silent KN: _______________, _______________

✅ Answer Key (8)

• k is silent in all.
• Any two of: knew, kneel, knob, knock, knot, knuckle, knit, knead.

📘 Mini Dictionary

• knife– cutting tool
• knight– medieval soldier
• know– be aware of something
• knee– leg joint
• knowledge – information

Rule 9) Silent L (before D, F, K; before M)

Rule: L is silent in LD, LF, LK, and sometimes before M.

• could, would, should
• half, calf
• walk, talk, chalk
• calm, palm, almond

1. Underline the silent letter: could, would, should; half, calf; walk, talk, chalk; calm, palm, almond.
2. Write 2 more words with silent L: ld→ _______________, lf→ _______________, lk→ _______________, lm→ _______________

✅ Answer Key (9)

• Silent l in all.
• ld→ Those are the only ones. 
• lf→ halves, calves (their plurals) 
• lk→ yolk, folk, stalk.
• lm→ salmon, psalm, balm.

📘 Mini Dictionary

• could/would/should – modal verbs

• half – one of two equal parts of something.

• calf – a young cow.

• walk – to move on foot.

• talk – to speak.

• chalk – a soft white stick for writing.

• calm – relaxed and quiet.

• palm – the inside part of your hand.

• almond – a type of nut.

Rule 10) Silent N (after M)

Rule: N is silent after M.

• autumn, hymn, solemn

1. Underline the silent letter: autumn, hymn, solemn.
2. Write 2 more words with silent MN: _______________, _______________

✅ Answer Key (10)

• Final n is silent.
• Any two of: column, condemn, damn.

📘 Mini Dictionary

• autumn – season
• hymn – religious song
• solemn – serious

Rule 11) Silent P (before N, S; sometimes before T)

Rule: P is silent before N and S; also in a few words before T.

• pneumatic, pneumonia
• psychology, psychic, psychiatry, Psalm
• receipt, pterodactyl

1. Underline the silent letter: pneumatic, pneumonia; psychology, psychic, psychiatry, Psalm; receipt, Pterodactyl.
2. Write 2 more words with silent P: pn-→_____________, ps-→_____________, pt→_____________

✅ Answer Key (11)

• Silent p as shown.
• pn-→ pnictide (y otras palabras de química).
• ps-→ psyche, pseudonym.
• pt→ ptarmigan, pteranodon (palabras poco comunes).

📘 Mini Dictionary

• pneumatic – air-pressure
• pneumonia – lung disease
• psychology – study of the mind and behavior.
• psychiatry – medical treatment of mental illnesses.
• psychic – connected with the mind or supernatural senses.
• psalm – sacred song

Rule 12) Silent (or merged) T (with CH; after S)

Rule: In T+CH, it’s one sound /tʃ/ (no separate /t/). After S, t is silent in many words.

• watch, catch, stretch (no separate /t/)
• castle, Christmas, listen

1. Underline the silent letter: watch, catch, stretch; castle, Christmas, listen.
2. Write 2 more words with silent T: tch→ _______________, st→ _______________

✅ Answer Key (12)

• Silent t and merged tch.
• tch→ match, hatch, kitchen, pitcher, butcher
• st→ whistle, listen, fasten, soften, thistle.

📘 Mini Dictionary

• watch – look at
• catch – take & hold
• stretch – make longer
• castle – fortress
• Christmas – holiday
• listen – pay attention to sound

Rule 13) Silent U (with other vowels / after G or B)

Rule: U is silent in words like guide, guess, guard, building.

• guide, guess, guard, building

1. Underline the silent letter: guide, guess, guard, building.
2. Write 2 more words with silent u: u(+v)→ ____________, gu→ ____________, bu→ ____________

✅ Answer Key (13)

• Silent/merged u as shown.
• u(+v)→ guitar, guilt, guilty, guide, guise.
• gu→ guest, guard, plague.
• bu→ built, boutique, biscuit.

📘 Mini Dictionary

• guide – show the way
• guess – try to answer
• guard – protect
• building – house

Rule 14) Silent W (before R; in answer/sword)

Rule: W is silent before R and in some SW words.

• write, wrong, wreck
• answer, sword

1. Underline the silent letter: write, wrong, wreck; answer, sword.
2. Write 2 more words with silent W: rw→ _______________, sw→ _______________

✅ Answer Key (14)

• Silent w in all listed words.
• rw→ wrote, written, wrist, wrench, wrap, wreath, wriggle.
• sw→ answerable, swordsman, swordfish.

📘 Mini Dictionary

• write – put words
• wrong – not correct 
• wreck – destroy
• answer – reply
• sword – long weapon

Rule 15) Silent GH (or sounds like /f/)

Rule: GH is often silent or sounds like /f/.

• Silent GH → daughter, though, night
• /f/ → cough, laugh

1. Underline the silent letter: daughter, though, night. cough, laugh
2. Write 2 more words: silent GH → _______________, /f/→ _______________

✅ Answer Key (15)

• The GH is silent in daughter/though/night (underline gh). In cough/laugh, gh = /f/ (not silent).
• silent GH → light, high, sigh, through, thought, might, bright
• /f/→ enough, tough, rough.

💬 Speaking & Reading Aloud 1:
Read these word chains aloud (slow → natural speed):
walk → talk → chalk
answer → write → wrong
though → through → tough → cough
Record yourself on your phone and repeat twice.

💬 Speaking & Reading Aloud 2:
Now, lets read again the text we began the unit with and try to improve the pronunciation of the words with silent letters:

🕯️ Reading — The Night of the Silent Letters

It was a dark night, quiet and calm. The old castle stood on the hill, half hidden in the fog.
Inside, Sir William the knight wrote a long note to his daughter. He wanted to climb the tower before dawn to see the light returning over the town.
The gnome by the window whispered, “Don’t forget your sword.” William smiled. “I never doubt my thumb will hold it strong.”
He tied his lambskin gloves, walked past the tomb of his ancestors, and crossed the narrow aisle.
Outside, the wind blew through the whistling woods. “What a tough language this is,” he murmured. “So many letters, so few sounds.”
At the top of the tower, he looked at the rising sun and said softly, “Silent or not, these words are mine. And they still speak.”

✅ Answer Key

• Words with silent letters (from the text): night (gh), calm (l), castle (t), knight (k, gh), daughter (gh), climb (b), light (gh), gnome (g), sword (w), doubt (b), thumb (b), lambskin (b), tomb (b), aisle (s), whistling (h), comb (b).
• Groups: k → knight; gh → night, daughter, light; b → climb, thumb, lambskin, doubt, tomb, comb; t → castle; g → gnome; w → sword; l → calm; s → aisle; h → whistling.
• Interpretation: He accepts English as it is — even with silent letters — and “owns” the language he uses.

Mini Dictionary

• knight – medieval soldier
• tomb – grave; place for the dead
• gnome – small magical creature/statue
• aisle – passage between seats/pews
• doubt – uncertainty; be unsure

🎭 Bonus: If Silent Vowels Spoke Comedy

Now that you’ve met the silent letters, enjoy this playful sketch where a comedian imagines what English would sound like if silent vowels spoke out loud. It’s exaggerated on purpose — a fun ear-training cooldown!

🎨 3) Order of Adjectives (OSASCOMP)

You already know that adjectives in English go before the noun (a red car, a big house) and that they don’t change for plural nouns — we say one big car and two big cars. Easy, right?

But what happens when we want to use two or more adjectives to describe something? In Spanish, we can say them in almost any order, but in English there is a preferred sequence that makes sentences sound natural.

There isn’t only one rule (even native speakers sometimes disagree), but the most accepted and practical one is called OSASCOMP:

OSASCOMP stands for:

💡 Think of it as a “recipe order”: each adjective has its place — if you mix them, it sounds strange to English ears. We usually use just two or three adjectives together; otherwise, the sentence gets too long.

Let’s look at the order:
Opinion→Size→Age→Shape→Colour→Origin→Material→Purpose+Noun

🧩 Examples:
• A beautiful big old white historical building 🏛️
• A delicious huge round Italian pizza 🍕
• A cheap small new rectangular black Chinese phone 📱
• A beautiful long new white Mexican wedding dress 👗

📘 Boost your vocabulary: Adjectives in OSASCOMP Order
Use these adjectives to describe things more precisely. Read them aloud and try to make your own examples!
Click to dropdown some examples of each category👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻:

Examples of adjectives in each OSASCOMP category:

Opinion:

• stunning – extremely impressive or attractive
• awful – very bad or unpleasant
• charming – very pleasant or delightful
• boring – not interesting or exciting
• fascinating – extremely interesting and captivating

Size:

• massive – very big and heavy
• tiny – extremely small
• enormous – huge in size or amount
• narrow – not wide
• spacious – having a lot of space

Age:

• ancient – very old and from a long time ago
• brand-new – completely new, never used
• vintage – old but high quality and valuable
• modern – from the present time, not old-fashioned
• teenage – related to someone aged between 13 and 19

Shape:

• oval – shaped like an egg
• square – with four equal sides and corners
• spiral – curving around a central point
• irregular – not even or symmetrical in shape
• curved – smoothly bending, not straight

Colour:

• crimson – deep, strong red colour
• turquoise – greenish-blue colour
• beige – light brown, like sand
• silver – shiny grey like metal
• emerald – bright green colour like a gemstone

Origin:

• Brazilian – from Brazil
• Nordic – from northern Europe (Sweden, Norway, etc.)
• Middle-Eastern – from the region around Arabia and the Mediterranean
• Scottish – from Scotland
• Japanese – from Japan

Material:

• velvet – soft thick fabric with a smooth surface
• marble – hard stone used for sculptures and floors
• linen – light natural fabric made from flax
• ceramic – made from baked clay or pottery
• copper – reddish-brown metal

Purpose:

• camping – used for sleeping outdoors
• cooking – used for preparing food
• training – designed for learning or practice
• writing – made for producing text
• decorative – made to look attractive

🧠 Practice 1: Build the Sentence

Put the adjectives in the correct OSASCOMP order. Example: (French / old / red / leather / beautiful / small / suitcase) → a beautiful small old red French leather suitcase

1. (wooden / small / round / lovely / brown / Spanish / table)
2. (modern / American / large / interesting / city)
3. (new / Chinese / black / rectangular / cheap / small / phone)
4. (Swedish / blonde / young / pretty / girl)
5. (wedding / long / new / white / beautiful / Mexican / dress)

✅ Answer Key (Practice 1)

• a lovely small round brown Spanish wooden table
• an interesting large modern American city
• a cheap small new rectangular black Chinese phone
• a pretty young blonde Swedish girl
• a beautiful long new white Mexican wedding dress

✏️ Practice 2: Complete the Sentences

Fill in the gaps using the adjectives in brackets in the correct order.

You can open the full worksheet here👈🏻  

✅ Answer Key

• Sentences:
  • a) My father gave me a small (Size) round (Shape) silver (Material) coin.
  • b) New York is a large (Size) modern (Age) American (Origin) city.
  • c) There is a nice (Opinion) antique (Age) German (Origin) cup at the museum.
  • d) Mary has a new (Age) black (Colour) wooden (Material) pen.
  • e) That’s an interesting (Opinion) old (Age) Indian (Origin) rug.
  • f) When I go camping, I always sleep in a comfortable (Opinion) new (Age) black (Colour) sleeping (Purpose) bag.
  • g) There are several ancient (Age) white (Colour) stone (Material) buildings in my town.
  • h) Boys enjoy taking pictures of the huge (Size) colourful (Colour) tropical (Origin) birds.
  • i) Those funny (Opinion) little (Size) old (Age) men are playing nice music.
  • j) I bought an amazing (Opinion) heart-shaped (Shape) red (Colour) leather (Material) sofa at Ikea.
  • k) There are nice slim (Size) new (Age) Spanish (Origin) denim (Material) pants at Zara.

💡 Tip for Spanish speakers:
Don’t say *a red beautiful car* 🚫 → Say *a beautiful red car* ✅.
The order helps your English sound natural, like a native speaker’s rhythm!

💻 Here you can find some more tips from "BBC Learning".

📚 Reading — The Antique Shop

The shop was small but full of wonders. In the corner stood a beautiful old round wooden clock, ticking softly. Near the window, a strange little blue porcelain cat stared at the street. On a dusty shelf, there was a lovely large black leather suitcase that looked as if it had travelled the world. Mrs Green, the owner, wore a charming long silk scarf and shiny glasses. “Looking for something special, dear?” “Maybe that elegant French silver lamp,” Emma said, pointing to the table. “Ah, yes — from Paris, early 1900s. A delicate antique decorative piece, one of my favourites.” Emma touched the tiny golden picture frame, the ancient brown wooden chair, the lovely soft wool blanket. Everything in the shop seemed to tell a story. “How can one room hold so much history?” she whispered. “Because,” Mrs Green said, “beauty needs company.”

🧠 Activities

1. Underline all adjective groups (two or more adjectives before a noun).
2. Label each adjective with OSASCOMP: Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material, Purpose.
3. Write one sentence using three adjectives in the correct order.
4. What effect does the adjective order create in the story?

✅ Answer Key

• Groups found:
  • beautiful (Opinion) old (Age) round (Shape) wooden (Material) clock
  • strange (Opinion) little (Size) blue (Colour) porcelain (Material) cat
  • lovely (Opinion) large (Size) black (Colour) leather (Material) suitcase
  • charming (Opinion) long (Size/Dimension) silk (Material) scarf
  • elegant (Opinion) French (Origin) silver (Colour/Material) lamp
  • delicate (Opinion/Quality) antique (Age) decorative (Purpose) piece
  • tiny (Size) golden (Colour) picture frame
  • ancient (Age) brown (Colour) wooden (Material) chair
  • lovely (Opinion) soft (Opinion/Quality) wool (Material) blanket
• Effect: natural rhythm; details feel organized and “right” to English ears.

Mini Dictionary

• antique – very old and valuable
• porcelain – fine white ceramic
• suitcase – case for travelling
• scarf – cloth worn around the neck
• decorative – made to look attractive

🧠 Games

OSASCOMP KAHOOT 1 OSASCOMP KAHOOT 2 OSASCOMP Arrange in the correct order

🎯 Final Quiz (Video Challenge)

Now test yourself with this fun interactive quiz! Listen carefully and try to guess the correct adjective order before the answer appears.

😂 Extra – Lady Gaga’s “Legendary List”

In this iconic interview clip, Lady Gaga tries to describe the director Ryan Murphy… and ends up producing one of the most famous adjective chains on the internet. It’s funny, exaggerated, dramatic – and a great reminder that native speakers often pile up opinion adjectives when they feel passionate.

📝 What’s happening here?

Lady Gaga fires a long list of words to express admiration:
talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference…

Most of these are opinion adjectives. But she is not trying to build a formal description like:
a beautiful old Italian leather jacket (OSASCOMP structure).

Instead, she is speaking freely, emotionally, and without a noun at the end. This is normal in natural English: when we praise somebody, we sometimes list many descriptive words without worrying about grammar order.

Her speech is a great example of how English can be expressive and playful — and how opinion adjectives can appear one after another when emotions run high.

📘 Mini Dictionary – Lady Gaga’s adjectives

• rattle off – to say many things very quickly without pausing or thinking much
• talented – having strong natural ability or skill
• brilliant – extremely impressive, intelligent, or excellent
• incredible – extraordinary; very difficult to believe because it is so good
• amazing – very surprising or impressive in a positive way
• show-stopping – so spectacular that it attracts all the attention
• spectacular – visually impressive or dramatic
• never the same – completely different from anything else; impossible to repeat
• totally unique – absolutely one of a kind; unlike anything else
• completely not ever been done before – something entirely original; never done in the past
• unafraid to reference or not reference – confident about including or not including influences; freely creative

🎯 And that’s a wrap for Unit 2!

You can now face a knight, visit an island, and stay calm — even when English keeps its letters quiet. 🤫 You’ve also learned how to describe a lovely small round wooden Italian table without breaking the OSASCOMP order. Quite impressive! 👏

It’s been a packed unit, full of tricky spellings, silent letters, and rules that finally make sense. Now it’s time to rest, disconnect, and enjoy the Christmas break — you’ve earned it. 🎄✨

We’ll continue with Unit 3 after the holidays. See you in January! 🎅🎁