Unit 3: English In A Minute
Give us a minute and we'll teach you English
Session 2
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!
Wayiitiwwan marii boqonnaa kana keessaa
Wayitii marii qabxii 2
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- 0 / 3Activity 1
Activity 1
Different uses of 'wow'
Do you have a minute to spare to learn some English? Do you know some common ways to use 'wow'? Sam's going to wow you with this lesson. Give us 60 seconds and we'll give you the English!
Vidiyoo daawwadhuuti shaakala kana xumuri
Sam
The first thing to know about wow is that it’s quite informal and we use it mostly when speaking, so our intonation is quite important.
The most common use of wow is as an exclamation to express surprise.
Wow! You’ve shaved your beard off!
The surprise can be a neutral surprise, but it's often a pleasant surprise.
Did you make that cake? For me? Wow!
We also use wow to show wonder or amazement.
Wow! The Moon is so big tonight.
Notice that wow can go at the beginning or at the end of the sentence when used as an exclamation, but it can also use it as a regular verb meaning to make other people feel admiration or excitement or wonder.
She’s an amazing pianist. She wows audiences every time she plays.
Has anything wowed you recently?
Wow
Wow is quite informal, and we use it mostly when speaking. The most common use of wow is as an exclamation to express surprise.
- Wow! You’ve shaved your beard off!
- You looking amazing in that suit! Wow!
Wow can often be a neutral, but pleasane surprise. Intonation is important to express that it is neutral.
- Did you make that cake? For me? Wow!
- Did you text me to remind me to set my alarm? Wow! Thanks.
Wow can also be used to show wonder or amazement.
- Wow! The Moon is so big tonight.
- I love the way the light bounces off of the ocean. Wow!
wow can go at the beginning or at the end of the sentence when used as an exclamation.
- Wow! That's such a special gift.
- I love your new car. Wow!
Wow can be verb which means to make other people feel admiration or excitement or wonder.
- She’s an amazing pianist. She wows audiences every time she plays.
- He wowed the room with his amazing presentation about gorillas.
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To do
Try our quiz to see how well you've learned today's language.
English In A Minute Quiz
3 Questions
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Gargaarsa
Activity
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karaarra buusu
Think about how 'wow' is normally used.Question 1 of 3
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Activity
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Think about word order of 'wow'.Question 2 of 3
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Activity
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What does 'to wow' mean?Question 3 of 3
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