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Unit 3: English In A Minute
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Session 78

Welcome to English In A Minute. Give us a minute and we'll give you a hot tip about English vocabulary... there's so much to learn! And all taught by your favourite BBC Learning English staff!

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    Activity 1
  1. Activity 1

Activity 1

How to use 'critical'

Beth teaches different ways to use 'critical'.

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Beth

Critical can be used to describe saying something is bad or not as good as it should be. It can be quite formal.

He was critical of the training session. He said it was boring.
Many employees were unhappy with his critical comments.

Critical can also be used to mean you think something is very important, particularly to the way things might happen in the future.

Your financial support is critical to the success of the project.
Will you take the job? It's a critical decision.

Finally, critical can mean something is extremely serious or dangerous.

After the crash, the driver was in a critical condition.

If learning English is critical to your future, watch our other videos!

 

critical

Critical means you say something is bad or not as good as it should be.

  • She was quite critical of my work but I appreciate her feedback. 

Critical can also mean you think something is very important, especially for the future. 

  • Think carefully about what you do next. It's a critical move. 
  • This is a critical time in my life. I'm leaving home and moving to a new country. 

Critical means something is extremely serious or dangerous.

  • He has critical injuries. I don't know if he'll survive. 

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