Listen up

Today, I have a two-word phrase for you. The two words are in the third paragraph. But before that, read paragraph one, then paragraph two. They will help you understand. So, here we go.

1. 

In this picture, you can see white rice, black pepper and brown sugar. But how much rice is there? How much pepper and sugar? Is there a lot, some, or a little? When we use the word much, it usually means amount.

2. 

Now look at these flowers. The flowers are pretty, and the colours are pretty, too. In other words, the flowers are beautiful, and the colours are also beautiful.

3. 

I took this picture at my local supermarket. As I was leaving, there were two men standing here and working. They were putting out more red and green drinks boxes and egg trays for people to buy. One man said to the other one, “Are we finished yet?”, and the other man said, “pretty much”. 

And that’s today’s two-word phrase. In this phrase, pretty doesn’t mean beautiful. When we say pretty much, it means the same as nearly or almost. It’s a phrase from everyday spoken English. For example, if someone asks you if you’re ready to go, you could say pretty much. It means you’re nearly ready. Or if the question is, “Did you get everything on the shopping list?”, you could say, “pretty much, but they didn’t have any eggs”.

So if you get the chance, why not try to use this phrase? You can use it in pretty much any situation.