ANNE and SARAH are tasting wines. The WINEMAKER, TIM, is explaining the different varieties.
TIM These are our whites. Why don’t you try the Chardonnay first? It’s our best-selling wine.
SARAH Lovely.
ANNE Good fruit. Perhaps a little immature.
TIM Yes, it’s made from some of our youngest vines. It’s our most popular white at the moment. Try this Riesling.
ANNE Hmmm.
SARAH It’s very pale isn’t it?
TIM A lot of our customers are finding it very attractive.
ANNE It’s a bit too dry for our market. I think we’ll leave that one. But I like the Chardonnay. I think we can sell that.
TIM Excellent.
SARAH Let’s try the reds.
TIM Our reds are as good as any you’ll find around here.
ANNE What have we got here?
TIM This is our cabernet sauvignon. It’s very popular.
ANNE Mmmm. A bit too much fruit at this stage. I understand it wasn’t a good year for cabernet in this district.
TIM You know your wines, Miss Lee.
ANNE I try to be prepared. What’s your best red?
TIM This one. Our shiraz, and we think it’s world class.
SARAH It’s a lovely colour, deepest red.
ANNE What vintage is this?
TIM It’s three years old now. It’ll drink well for years yet, but you can drink it right now too.
ANNE And what’s the price?
TIM Well, it’s our most expensive wine at fifty dollars retail.
ANNE I’ll think about it. It’s certainly got potential, but there are a lot of wines around in this class these days. You’ve got a lot of competition Tim!
TIM That’s for sure. But we can work out a special price for you, if you’re interested.
ANNE I’m definitely interested. This is very good. Sarah knows our requirements and pricing position, I’m sure you can work out something with her.
It is polite to say perhaps when giving an opinion or making suggestions.
Listen to the difference. It’s time to go. Perhaps it’s time to go.
You’re wrong about that. Perhaps you’re wrong about that.
ANNE Good fruit. Perhaps a little immature. she means the wine is not ready to drink
When we give an opinion and want people to agree we sayisn’t it? It’s hot, isn’t it?
It’s funny, isn’t it?
SARAH It’s very pale isn’t it? she means the wine is pale in colour
Be careful. You only use isn’t it when the subject is it.
Instead of saying isn’t it with other subjects we say: He’s funny isn’t he? You’re late, aren’t you? They run fast, don’t they?
Isn’t it is short for 'is it not?' which is the same as saying 'don’t you think?'. This is a good movie, isn’t it?
This is a good movie, don’t you think?
We often say I think when we are giving our opinion. I think the food here is excellent. I think it’s a boring movie.
ANNE I think we’ll leave that one. a polite way of saying she will not buy it
But I like the Chardonnay.
I think we can sell that.
2. USING THE WORD TOO
Another word we often use when giving opinions is too. It’s too cold.
We use it for saying that something is more than we want. The train is too crowded.
This tea is too sweet.
We often use too after much (much too) to mean 'even more than'. The train is much too crowded.
This tea is much too sweet.
ANNE It’s a bit too dry for our market. the wine is not sweet
We use too before much (too much) to talk about amounts that can’t be counted. This tea has too much sugar in it.
There’s too much noise.
ANNE A bit too much fruit at this stage the wine tastes too much like fruit juice
For things that can be counted we use many. There are too many people on the train.
Notice that it’s spelled with two os - too
It has more than one o.
We also use too spelled like this to mean 'as well' It has another meaning too.
I want to come too.
TIM
It’ll drink well for years yet, but you can drink it right now too. it will taste good for many years and also tastes good now as well
The number 2 is spelled two
All other uses of to are spelled to. We’d like you to try the quiz.
3. SUPERLATIVES
We use adjectives in a different way to compare more than two things.
When we compare two things we add 'er' or say 'more' before the adjective. This is big.
This is bigger.
One way to compare more than two things is to add 'est' to the adjective.
This is a big animal. This is a bigger animal This is the biggest animal.
ANNE
It's a lovely colour, deepest red a very dark red
TIM
Yes, it's made from some of our youngest vines
Words that have one main sound or syllable have the est ending. small (one syllable) smallest
When a word has more than two main sounds or syllables, we don’t add an est sound to form the superlative.
Beautiful has three syllables. Beau-ti-ful
The superlative of beautiful is the most beautiful. She is the most beautiful woman in the class.
TIM
Well, it's our most expensive wine at fifty dollars retail.
TIM
It's our most popular white at the moment. white wine
There are two common superlatives that are different.
The superlative of good is best. This is the best wine.
The superlative of bad is worst. This is the worst wine.
ANNE
What's your best red? red wine
Notice that we usually use the before superlatives. This is the biggest animal.
She is the most beautiful woman in the class.
Or we use a possessive (your, our, their, its, my, someone’s or something’s) That is your biggest problem. Sam’s largest pet is his dog.
ANNE What's your best red?
TIM Yes, it's made from some of our youngest vines.
TIM
Well, it's our most expensive wine at fifty dollars retail.
TIM
It's our most popular whiteat the moment white wine
4. AS GOOD AS
We use the expression as good as to say that things are the same as each other or that
they are equally good.
My house is as good as yours.
(my house is equal to yours)
TIM Our reds are as good as any you’ll find around here. our red wines are equal to any in the area
We use as before and after adjectives to say that things are the same. I’m asbig as he is.
She’s assmart as you are.
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