Speakout Advanced p 119. Keys and Vocabulary

Ex 3A
KEY

1 much, far, considerably, slightly, infinitely, a bit, a lot, marginally, miles, not, way, a good deal, decidedly, significantly, barely any, loads
marginally: /ˈmɑːdʒɪnəli/ very slightly; not very much. E.g. They now cost marginally more than they did last year. He's in a new job but he's only marginally better off.
miles: very much; far. E.g. I'm feeling miles better today, thanks. I'm miles behind with my work. She's taller than you by a mile.
way: by a large amount. E.g. This skirt is way (= a lot) too short. 
decidedly: definitely and in an obvious way. E.g. Amy was looking decidedly worried. 




2 just, nothing like, nowhere near, not, every bit.
every bit as good, bad, etc. (as somebody/something) just as good, bad, etc; equally good, bad, etc. E.g. Rome is every bit as beautiful as Paris. He's every bit as clever as she is.



Ex 3B
KEY
1 small difference: 
slightly, a bit, marginally, barely any

big difference: 
much, far, nothing like, considerably, infinitely, a lot, nowhere near, miles, a good deal, decidedly, significantly, way, loads 

no difference: just, every bit 

(not can be a small or a big difference.)
 
2 formal: 
considerably, infinitely, marginally, every bit, a good deal, decidedly, significantly.
 
informal: 
much, just, far, nothing like, slightly, a bit, a lot, nowhere near, miles, way, barely any, loads 
(way and loads are very informal and only used in spoken English)

not is neutral


Ex 3C
KEY

l b) 



2 a)


p 147
Ex1
KEY

1 like 



2 a 



3 barely (or hardly) 



4 deal
 


5 every 



6 faster 



7 the 



8 near


Ex 2
KEY

1 just gets better and better 



2 nowhere near as famous as 



3 is every bit as remarkable 



4 little more than a year 
on the brink of : if you are on the brink of something, you are almost in a very new, dangerous or exciting situation. E.g. on the brink of collapse/ war/ death/ disaster.

stardom:  the state of being famous as an actor, a singer, etc. E.g. He thanked all those who had helped him on the road to stardom (= during the time he was trying to become famous).


5 would be far greater than 



6 come a good deal closer 



7 nothing like as flamboyant as his hero 
flamboyant: different, confident and exciting in a way that attracts attention. Sp. llamativo, ostentoso, extravagante. E.g. a flamboyant gesture/ style/ personality. He was flamboyant and temperamental on and off the stage.


8 considerably more money than

Ex 5B
KEY

the more the merrier (saying) the more people or things there are, the better the situation will be or the more fun people will have. E.g. ‘Can I bring a friend to your party?’ ‘Sure—the more the merrier!’ 
 
the sooner the better: very soon; as soon as possible. E.g. ‘When shall I tell him?’ ‘The sooner the better.’ 

The bigger they come / are, the harder they fall the more powerful and successful people are, the more they suffer when they experience defeat and disaster. When prominent people fail, their failure is more dramatic. E.g. After the newspapers reported that the mayor cheated on his wife, he lost the election and he can't get any kind of job. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Jackson used to be very wealthy, but he lost every cent in the stock market crash. The bigger they come, the harder they fall.