Positive and Negative Language for Reviews
A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
Positive connotations and negative connotations in reviews of restaurants, etc, review.
Lesson Plan Content:
Positive and negative language for reviews
Write + for positive and – for negative next to the two expressions in each section below. There is always one of each. Note that some words below don’t fit in the section they are in (e.g. are not really about availability), but are there to contrast with the one it is with.
Looking at both sides
benefit
drawback
cons
pros
Availability
USP/ (unique) selling point
sold out
Comparisons to others/ Market share/ Popularity
cutting edge
uncompetitive
market leader
resting on its laurels
award-winning
overrated
unique
weird
odd
quirky
distinctive
strange
unmatched
unoriginal
famous
notorious
outstanding
stands out like a sore thumb
Content
original
unrealistic
action-packed
dense
fun
trivial
Cost
priceless
worthless
a bargain
bargain bin
a steal
a rip off
reasonable
tacky
overpriced
underappreciated
Design/ Attractiveness/ Appearance
bland
subtle
easy on the eye
an eyesore
Difficulty/ Ease of use/ Effort needed
complicated/ overwhelming
sophisticated
easy to use
simplistic
childish/ juvenile
comprehensible
a grind
pushes you
can’t make head or tail of it
intriguing
tough going
unputdownable
Features/ Functions
feature-packed
fiddly
lacking
stripped down
trying to be everything to every man
versatile
adaptable
changeable
multifunction
neither one thing nor the other/ neither fish nor fowl
History/ Future
a classic
(very much) of its time
dated
up-to-date
needs updating
regularly updated
a fad
up-to-the-minute
flash in the pan
instant hit
minority interest
slow burner
Marketing (claims)
hyped
renowned
a let down
lives up to…
masterpiece
“masterpiece”
genius
so-called genius
Motivation (to carry on)
consistent
monotonous/ repetitive
engrossing
gross
irritating
stimulating
annoying
captivating/ gripping
Portability/ Size
a brick
pocket-sized
Reliability
breaks down
breaks the mould
faultless
faulty
predictable
reliable
impeccable
imprecise
delightful
fragile
Suitability/ Usefulness
indispensable
unsuitable
Time
addictive
time consuming
killing time
time flies
impressive
shocking
General/ Others
astonishing
dreadful
amusing
unintentionally amusing
terrible
terrific
appealing
appealing to the lowest common denominator
Recommendations
I heartedly recommend…
I was disheartened by…
I couldn’t recommend… more.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend…
If you like…, then you’ll love…
… is strictly for fans of…
I wouldn’t be in any hurry to…
Rush out and…
Don’t miss…
Give… a miss.
… is sure to disappoint if you expect…
You won’t be disappointed if you…
You shouldn’t… or you’ll regret it.
You won’t regret…
Don’t bother with…
Don’t look any further, just…
Brainstorming stage
First of all without looking above, try to write positive and negative words that could be used to explain each thing below in reviews, e.g. in a review of a language learning app. Many words not above are also possible.
Looking at both sides
Availability
Comparisons to others/ Market share/ Popularity
Content
Cost
Design/ Attractiveness/ Appearance
Difficulty/ Ease of use/ Effort needed
Features/ Functions
History/ Future
Marketing (claims)
Motivation (to carry on)
Portability/ Size
Reliability
Suitability/ Usefulness
Time
General/ Others
Recommendations
Use the mixed answers to help with the brainstorming task above.
- (very much) of its time
- “masterpiece”
- … is strictly for fans of…
- … is sure to disappoint if you expect…
- a bargain
- a brick
- a classic
- a fad
- a grind
- a let down
- a rip off of…
- a steal
- action-packed
- adaptable
- addictive
- amusing
- an eyesore
- annoying
- appealing
- appealing to the lowest common denominator
- astonishing
- award-winning
- bargain bin
- benefit
- bland
- breaks down
- breaks the mould
- can’t make head or tail of it
- captivating/ gripping
- changeable
- childish/ juvenile
- complicated/ overwhelming
- comprehensible
- cons
- consistent
- cutting edge
- dated
- delicate/ fragile
- delightful
- dense
- distinctive
- Don’t bother with…
- Don’t look any further, just…
- Don’t miss…
- drawback
- dreadful
- easy on the eye
- easy to use
- engrossing
- famous
- faultless
- faulty
- feature-packed
- fiddly
- flash in the pan
- fun
- genius
- Give… a miss.
- gross
- hyped
- I couldn’t recommend… more.
- I heartedly recommend…
- I was disheartened by…
- I wouldn’t be in any hurry to…
- I wouldn’t necessarily recommend…
- If you like…, then you’ll love…
- impeccable
- imprecise
- impressive
- indispensable
- instant hit
- intriguing
- irritating
- killing time
- lacking
- lives up to…
- market leader
- masterpiece
- minority interest
- monotonous/ repetitive
- multifunction
- needs updating
- neither one thing nor the other/ neither fish nor fowl
- notorious
- odd
- original
- outstanding
- overpriced
- overrated
- pocket-sized
- predictable
- priceless
- pros
- pushes you
- quirky
- reasonable
- regularly updated
- reliable
- renowned
- resting on its laurels
- Rush out and…
- selling point
- shocking
- simplistic
- slow burner
- so-called genius
- sold out
- sophisticated
- stands out like a sore thumb
- stimulating
- strange
- stripped down
- subtle
- tacky
- terrible
- terrific
- time consuming
- time flies
- tough going
- trivial
- trying to be everything to every man
- uncompetitive
- underappreciated
- unintentionally amusing
- unique
- unmatched
- unoriginal
- unputdownable
- unrealistic
- unsuitable
- up-to-date
- up-to-the-minute
- versatile
- weird
- worthless
- You shouldn’t… or you’ll regret it.
- You won’t be disappointed if you…
- You won’t regret…
Use the paired ones above to help. Note that some are not in the right sections.
Positive and negative language for reviews brainstorming game
Work in pairs. Choose one thing that could be reviewed such as one of the things below. Choose which of you will be positive about it and who will be negative about it. Take turns saying positive and negative things until you both run out of ideas, listening carefully to your partner to make sure their sentences make sense and that you don’t contradict each other. Then choose other things to review and do the same, each time changing who is positive and who says negative things. You can copy what your partner said earlier if you like, as long as it also matches the new topic.
Possible things to review
- A restaurant
- A movie
- A TV series
- A play/ A musical/ An opera
- A concert/ A gig
- A book
- A computer game/ A video game
- An amusement park ride
- An art exhibition
- A building/ Some architecture
- A fashion show/ A clothes shop
Play the same game, but this time both taking the same side and continuing the same positive description of something or the same negative description of something (not both). Continue until someone repeats or runs out of ideas, then do the same for other kinds of review above.
Terms of Use
Lesson plans & worksheets can be used by teachers without any fee in the classroom; however, please ensure you keep all copyright information and references to UsingEnglish.com in place.
You will need Adobe Reader to view these files.