ESL Podcast 766 - Describing Shapes and Sizes

to decorate - to make something more attractive, interesting or beautiful, especially by adding pieces or changing the color

Sofia wants to decorate her room so that everything is pink.

conservative - very safe and traditional, meeting other people's expectations and not taking risks

Tracy wore a very conservative blouse and skirt to the interview.

to make the most of (something) - to do something in order to get the maximum benefit or greatest impact

They're trying to make the most out of the rising wheat prices by waiting a few more weeks to sell their wheat.

oval - a shape that is an elongated circle, like a photograph of an egg;

This round table can be expanded into an oval when we have guests over to our house for dinner.

gigantic - huge; very large; enormous

Aack! Did you see that gigantic spider?

rectangular - in the shape of a rectangle, with four 90°angles and four straight sides, with two shorter sides of the same length and two longer sides of the same length;

Why are television screens rectangular instead of square?

puny - very small and unimportant, without any power or impact; tiny

There were more guests than we had expected, so we had to serve puny portions to have enough for everyone.

triangular - in the shape of a triangle, with three straight sides;

Tents used to be triangular and very simple, but now they can be round or even have multiple rooms.

to complement - to match; to look good next to something else; to work well with something else

Bradley's analytical skills complement Vladimir's programming skills.

functional - able to be used for some purpose; having some use; serving a purpose

The office would be more functional if the photocopy machine were closer to the employees' workspaces.

narrow - thin; without very much width or depth

Ryan wouldn't like this narrow trail around the mountain, because he's scared of heights and he would be worried about falling.

odd - unusual; strange; not common

They painted their house an odd shade of green, and none of their neighbors like it.

to make a statement - to express oneself and receive attention by doing something unusual, especially related to fashion, appearance, or behavior

The bride made a statement by wearing a bright red dress on her wedding day.

humongous - huge; very large; enormous; gigantic

The first computers were humongous compared to today's laptops.

circle - a round shape where every point on the line is the same distance away from a center point; O

The teacher asked the students to sit in a circle so that everyone could see each other.

cushion - pillow; a soft object made of fabric and filled with feathers or a similar soft thing, used to support one's body while sitting, leaning, or lying down

These wooden chairs would be more comfortable with cushions on the seats.

form - the way something is designed; the shape and appearance of something

The airport is built in the form of a capital H.

to differ - to be different from someone or something else, especially to have a different opinion; to be unlike someone or something else

This necklace differs from that one in the size of the diamonds.