100 Mistakes #10 - Sensible, Sensitive and Sympathetic

Here we have three adjectives which are frequently misunderstood and confused. They look a lot like words in other languages (French, Spanish...) but they don't have the same meanings.

The first problem lies in the word 'sense', which relates to our 6 senses: our ability to hear, see, touch, smell, taste and... er... detect electromagnetic fields. 'Sense' is also used to mean our ability to think and react to other people's feelings.

Sensible = with good sense, rational.

• That's a sensible decision.
• She'll be fine in India, she's a sensible girl.

Sensitive = reacting to a small stimulus, aware of others' feelings, emotional.

• I can't use soap because my skin is very sensitive.
• She's really sensitive to my feelings. If I've had a bad day, she really listens.
• Be careful when you talk to John about his report. He takes his work very seriously and can be sensitive to criticism.

Notice that 'sensitive' in the second example is a very positive characteristic, while in the third, it is a potential problem.


'Sympathetic', on the other hand, looks like 'simpático' or 'sympathique' but it doesn't mean the same.

Sympathetic = listening and empathizing with someone, understanding - not usually a permanent characteristic.

• When I explained that I had gone to the wrong building, they were very sympathetic.
• I don't really need a solution, just a sympathetic ear, someone who will listen.

Nice, friendly, likeable, lovely = simpático, sympathique = what you thought 'sympathetic' meant.

• What did you think of my friends? They seemed really nice.
• The hotel owner was really friendly and he told us where to find the best fish.
• He's a very likeable chap, isn't he!
• The woman at the shop was so lovely; she gave me two extra chocolates!

Now over to you:

Which of these is sensible, sensitive, sympathetic... or just nice?

I explained that someone had stolen my wallet but they weren't very ________.

My neighbour brought me a leg of ham this morning: he said he was given two for Christmas and could never eat both of them. How ________!

She told me she was ________ but she never noticed when I was upset.

I'm going to call them now and see if they know what's going on.
I think that's very ________.

100 Mistakes #8 - 'fun' or 'funny'?

I went climbing at the weekend and it was funny!

It wasn't 'funny' because funny things make you laugh, and climbing doesn't usually make you laugh.

Yes, but I laughed with my friends.

No, sorry, it still wasn't funny.

Funny = comical or humorous.

Jokes are sometimes funny. People falling over can be funny. Dramatic chipmunk is funny. But going climbing with your friends is not funny.

What was it then?

It was 'fun', or 'a lot of fun'.

Now I'm confused. Is 'fun' a noun or an adjective?

Well, 'fun' started out as a noun, and it's slowly becoming an adjective as well. So that means it can sometimes feel or sound strange when it's used as an adjective.

'It was fun' and 'it was a lot of fun' both sound fine.

But 'It was really fun' doesn't sound right, especially if you compare it to a 'proper' adjective: 'it was really enjoyable'.

And 'This year was funner than last year' doesn't work at all.
The comparative form of one-syllable adjectives is formed by adding 'er' but with 'fun' we have to use 'more' to make it sound ok: 'This year was more fun than last year.'

So it's on its way to becoming an adjective but it hasn't made it all of the way yet.

Note also that 'funny' things are usually 'fun' too, so going to see your favourite comedian will be both funny and fun. On the other hand, 'fun' things are not necessarily 'funny': doing a bungee jump might be your idea of fun but no one thinks it's funny. 

Now, let's go back to 'funny' because I haven't told you the whole story. In addition to 'funny - ha ha', we also have 'funny - strange'.

So when you say "Gary's a funny guy" there are two possible meanings.

1. Gary makes me laugh.
2. Gary is strange.

It's usually obvious which one people mean, because their intonation will sound cheerful for the first and more subdued for the second. But sometimes we need to check which one they meant:

Gary's a funny guy.

Do you mean 'funny - ha ha' or 'funny - strange'?

I mean 'funny - ha ha'.

Note that we always use the same expression  'funny - ha ha'. We never say  'funny - ha ha ha'. That would sound funny (funny - strange.)

Also note that things that are very strange sometimes make us laugh:

Look at that man climbing out of the window! Where's he going? He's... he's not wearing anything... ha ha ha ha ha...

Interactive Lesson - Advertising

Task 1

Which of these forms of advertising do you think has the strongest influence on you?

     flyers         TV ads         outdoor poster campaigns

     magazine/newspaper ads         sports sponsorship


What are the pros and cons of each of these forms of advertising in terms of their effectiveness?


Task 2

You are now going to watch a series of TV adverts that have been very popular in the UK. For each advert, carry out an analysis considering the following points:

1. What is being advertised?
2. How is it creative? (Imagine that the advert was your idea. Think about how you would defend your creative decisions.)
3. Is there a concept that the audience has to 'get'? (i.e. Is there a connection that you have to make to understand the advert properly?)
4. Why do you think this advert was particularly popular with British audiences?
5. Is there anything that could be changed to improve the advert?

     Video 1: Compare the what?
     Video 2: The Cog
     Video 3: The Surfer
     Video 4: The Drummer
     Video 5: Flash Mob

Now that you have seen and discussed all of the adverts, which is the most...?

     ...humorous?
     ...creative?
     ...innovative?
     ...confusing?
     ...appealing?


Task 3

Choose one of the following positions and think of how you can justify
and elaborate on it.

Student A / Group A
Advertising is a waste of money and is an eyesore. It turns us all into self-obsessed consumers, filling our lives with things we don't really need, making the rich richer, and disengaging us from society's real challenges.

Student B / Group B
Advertising provides an opportunity for creative people to show off their talent. The fact that the public is kept informed about and engaged with the latest products helps to drive innovation and improve our lives.

Debate your position with your partner or the other group.

100 Mistakes #7 - 'Responsible' is an adjective

'Responsible' is an adjective, like 'impossible', 'probable', 'flexible', 'likeable', 'horrible'... or any other word that ends in 'ible' or 'able'.

It is impossible to use 'responsible' as a noun in English.

Who is the responsable for authorizing policy decisions?
Who is responsible for authorizing policy decisions?

Notice that in the correct English sentence, there is no 'the' because 'the' comes before nouns, and 'responsible' is not a noun.

In Spanish and French, 'responsable', can be used as a noun. Note the difference in spelling too!

I am the responsible of the Human Resources department.
I am in charge of the Human Resources department.

'In charge of' explains that you are the person who is ultimately responsible for something. Notice that it is always 'responsible for' and never 'responsible of'.

I'd like to speak to the responsible for complaints.
I'd like to speak to the person responsible for dealing with complaints.

"person responsible" = person who is responsible
(We have not suddenly changed the rules for the position of adjectives!)

If you really need to use a noun, you could try 'manager' or 'representative':

I'm applying for the position of Responsable of Sales in Central and Eastern Europe.
I'm applying for the position of Sales Manager for Central and Eastern Europe.

Are you the responsible from the Berlin office?
Are you the representative from the Berlin office?

So the next time you catch yourself saying "the responsible", kick yourself hard in the shins for being so irresponsible.