When we
cannot or don’t want to be precise about a number, size, distance, time, etc.
We use
certain expression to show what we are saying is not an exact number, time,
etc.
A. Approximately
Approximately
|
Examples
|
Somewhere in the region of
|
I spend somewhere in the region of
$50 a month on train fares.
|
Roughly
|
It is roughly 25 km from home
to here.
|
-odd
|
There were about fifty-odd people
at the party.
|
Give or take
|
It takes me an hour to get to work, give
or take 10 minutes.
|
Or so
|
I am going to visit my sister in a
week or so.
|
-ish
|
After class I get home about
8.30ish.
|
Around
|
I go to bed around 11 p.m.
|
We can use around and about wit age,
time, or number.
She is
about/around 30.
I will see
you about/around 9 p.m.
I have got
about/around eight pairs of shoes.
We can use -odd after age or number but
not after time.
He is
50-odd.
We need
40-odd chairs.
I will write
at ten-odd.
We usually use – odd with number that
can be divided by 10.
We can use -ish with age, time, and
some adjectives.
She is
fiftyish, not fifty twoish.
See you
about eightish.
She is
tallish.
He has got
reddish hair.
We can say
loads of or a load of.
I have got
loads of / a load of work to this evening.
B. A
large amount
A large
amount
|
Examples
|
Tons of (informal)
|
I have got tons of work to do.
|
Loads of (informal)
|
Loads
of my friends have bikes.
|
The vast majority of
|
The
vast majority of people in my country
rent their homes.
|
A great deal of
|
A
great deal of my time is spent answering emails.
|
A huge amount of
|
Some people I know spend a huge amount of money
on clothes.
|
