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Big and Small
Use big and small to talk about the general size of something.
Elephants are big.
Mice are small.
Note: With clothing and food, we use large, not big:
I ordered a big coffee with milk.
I ordered a large coffee with milk.
“This shirt is too small for me.”
“What size is it?”
“Medium.”
“OK, I’ll get you a large.“
Huge / Tiny
Huge = Very big Tiny = Very small
Their new house is huge! I think it has 50 rooms.
“Do you want any cake?”
“Just a tiny piece. I’m on a diet.”
Long / Short
Use long and short to talk about length (horizontal distance). You can also use long and short with time, books, words/sentences, hair, and legs:
The line to buy tickets for the concert is very long. There are hundreds of people waiting.
The movie is really long – about three hours.
That book is quite long – it has about 500 pages.
Academic writing often uses very long sentences.
She has short blonde hair and gorgeous long legs.
Note: There are two ways to talk about distance – far or a long way.
The beach is far from my house.
The beach is a long way from my house.
The beach is long from my house.
Tall / Short
Use tall and short to talk about height (vertical distance) – especially with people, but sometimes also with buildings and trees.
My brother is really tall.
New York City has a lot of tall buildings.
There are many tall trees in the Amazon rain forest.
QUIZ: Big, small, long, short, tall, large
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Congratulations - you have completed QUIZ: Big, small, long, short, tall, large.
You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%.
Your performance has been rated as %%RATING%%
Your answers are highlighted below.
Question 1
Can I get a hamburger, french fries, and a _________ Coke?
A
long
B
large
C
big
Question 2
It's a ______ article; it only took me five minutes to read.
A
long
B
tiny
C
short
Question 3
I haven't seen Jack for a _______ time - it must be twenty years!
A
huge
B
big
C
long
Question 4
We just bought a _______ television for our living room.
A
big
B
long
C
tall
Question 5
I'm planning to take a _______ vacation this winter.
A
tall
B
long
C
big
Question 6
Sorry, but your son is too ______ to ride this roller coaster.
A
short
B
tiny
C
long
Question 7
The movie theater is a _______ way from here. You'll have to drive.
A
huge
B
far
C
long
Question 8
I'm five feet three inches ______.
A
tall
B
long
C
big
Question 9
My apartment is so _________ that I don't have room for all my stuff.
A
short
B
big
C
small
Question 10
My mother has ________ curly brown hair.
A
small
B
tiny
C
short
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