TRINITY ISE III

C1 CEFR

Adjectives
From the lush green gardens to the grey city streets

Sjoors Provoost 2008 http://www.flickr.com/photos/provoost/2245209568

alex-s 2008 http://www.flickr.com/photos/alex-s/2430475962/

TRINITY ISE III

C1 CEFR

1. Try to describe the pictures above.

2. Have you ever been to Mexico City?

If so, what did you think of it?

If not, what do you know about it?

3. Read the article once. What does the writer suggest that tourists do and visit? What is the
principal aim of this article? Is it successful in its aim?
The capital of Mexico, very old, the world's largest city, the financial, political and cultural center of Mexico, the
nightlife capital of Mexico, one of the worlds great cities, huge, one of the world's most difficult cities to drive in, filled
with exciting things to see and do, sinking, an energetic metropolis or just an incredible place to visit.
Mexico City is definitely all of the above and much, much more. This is truly one of the most interesting and diverse
cities in the world. Mexico City holds many pleasant surprises for those who choose to vacation here. Travelers to
Mexico often overlook this city because most of the country's tourism promotion is directed toward Mexican beach
resorts.
Mexico City is the capital and largest city of the nation of Mexico. The 'Distrito Federal' is also commonly just
referred to as the 'D.F.'. It is one of the largest cities in the world and is classed as a megalopolis as it encompasses
one large city that has slowly engulfed other, smaller ones.
It is located in the Valley of Mexico, a large valley in the high plateaus at the center of Mexico, about 2,240 m above
sea-level, surrounded on most sides by volcanoes towering at 4,000 to 5,500 m above sea-level. Mexico City is also
among the five most populated metropolitan areas in the world together with
Tokyo, New York City, Seoul and So Paulo.
Mexico City should be on your 'Must Visit' list if you are a fan of world-class
museums, archeological treasures, international cuisine, incredible shopping
experiences, stately mansions, colonial neighborhoods, dazzling nightlife,
inviting plazas and gardens or great city parks.
Don't let the sheer size of Mexico City scare you, most tourists will most likely
confine their visits to three or four well defined areas of the city and maybe
some easy side trips. Depending on where you stay, many attractions will be
just a short distance away and those that are not so close can be reached fairly easily. Organized tours, taxis, city
buses or the modern subway system (during off peak hours) should be considered over attempting to drive in this
city. The traffic here is legendary, and for very good reason. For side trips to the nearby colonial towns orarcheological
sites a rental car is fine, as the highways and toll roads surrounding the capital offer pleasant driving conditions.
Mexico City, now the center of, business, culture and government for the country, was once the center of the entire
Aztec empire. The current Zcalo, or town square, is built on the same spot where once stood Montezuma's palace.
Many of the old mansions and public buildings in the area were built hundreds of years ago using the stones from
the Aztec temples that were destroyed by the Spaniards. The Zcalo is Latin America's largest main square at over

TRINITY ISE III

C1 CEFR

13 acres. Despite it's size, the zcalo tends to get crowded in the evenings and on weekends.Monuments, parks,
fountains and great tree lined avenues are everywhere you are likely to visit within the city.
Skyscrapers sit beside splendid examples of colonial architecture, archeological sites share space with modern day
structures and freeways lead to charming neighborhoods of colonial buildings and peaceful plazas. Museums are
around just about every corner and the rich heritage of Mexico's colonial past is evident almost everywhere.
There are many places, within Mexico City, to escape the fast pace of the city and where you will feel like you are in
a different world within a few minutes time. Paseo de la Reforma, the city's main thoroughfare, will give you an
immediate idea of why Mexico City has been referred to as the 'Manhattan' of Latin America. This elegant
boulevard is lined with dozens of magnificent monuments including the much-photographed Independence
Monument, which has become the unofficial trademark of Mexico City. Sharing the precious space along Paseo de la
Reforma are modern high-rise office buildings, embassies, luxury hotels, colonial mansions, more monuments and
shaded pedestrian promenades.
Chapultepec Park is an enormous green area in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of this fast paced city. This
park is the city's largest, covering over 2000 acres, and it contains enough of the city's attractions, including three of
the most important museums, that a short vacation could easily be devoted just to the attractions within the park.
Alameda Park, near the zcalo and Palace of Fine Arts, has been around since 1541, making it the city's oldest park.
The park has also been an Aztec market and was also the site of burnings, hangings and executions in the old days.
With it's walking paths, numerous fountains and a Moorish kiosk, this park is full of, old style, traditional charm. This
refreshing oasis is a great place to rest or relax and enjoy some green space for a while, if you are walking near the
historic center. There are also a couple of monuments here that are, themselves, worthy of a visit. On weekends
there are often salsa or rock bands playing, an excellent Sunday puppet theatre for the kids is often active around
noon. Many interesting colonial style buildings and museums surround this park.
The neighborhoods, or colonias, of Centro Histrico, Zona Rosa, Polanco, Roma, Condesa and Lomas de Chapultepec
are all fairly close to each other and also to Paseo de la Reforma. These are the principal areas in the central part of
the city that are most popular with tourists. In the southern part of the city the suburbs of San Angel and Coyoacan
along with the Floating gardens of Xochimilco are places you should definitely visit during your stay.
Mexico City is a great vacation destination for the entire family. There is something interesting and entertaining for
everyone.
For those seeking a taste of authentic Mexican culture there is more than enough to keep you occupied for the
entire length of your vacation. A vacation here, combined with a couple of short side trips should be just enough to
make you wonder when you are going to return and why you haven't visited before.

4. Read the article again and underline the adjectives that are used to describe the city or
aspects of the city. Then, group them into three categories:
a) adjectives that give a positive sensation e.g. energetic
b) adjectives that give a negative sensation, e.g. crowded
c) adjectives that are neutral (descriptive adjectives), e.g. archaeological.
What kind of adjectives are used the most? How does this affect the impact of the article?

TRINITY ISE III

C1 CEFR

5. You are going to write a guidebook article of around 500 words about your favourite
holiday destination. Use different paragraphs to deal with:
a. the destinations different characteristics
a. the different areas or districts
b. different activities a visitor might enjoy.
Make notes and look up vocabulary for each paragraph before you start writing. Include the
following information:
Why is this your favourite destination?
What surprised and interested you the most about this destination?
How easy is travelling to the country and travelling around within the
country?
What are the scenery/buildings/landscape like?
What, if anything, did you dislike about the destination?
Did you find anything shocking or frightening, and why?
How does the countrys social and political structure affect a visitors
experience there?
Would you travel again to this destination in the future?
Try to make the text enjoyable by using positive adjectives.

6. Look at the positive adjectives from the article, listed below. Write down as many
opposites as you can think of for each adjective. Two examples have been done for
you. Remember that there is often no true opposite, but that you can find words to express
contrasting feelings or impressions, e.g. green/grey: the elegant green gardens; the shabby, grey city
streets.
Positive

Negative opposite

great
exciting
energetic
incredible
most interesting

most boring

TRINITY ISE III

C1 CEFR

Positive

Negative opposite

diverse
pleasant
world-class
stately
dazzling
inviting

uninviting

legendary
stunning
modern
pleasant
tree-lined
splendid
charming
rich
elegant
magnificent
much-photographed
luxurious
shaded
enormous
green
largest
most important
fast-paced

7. Now try to change the negative adjectives into positive ones.

TRINITY ISE III

C1 CEFR

Positive

Negative opposite

huge
most difficult
crowded
fast-paced

8. The paragraph on the next page describes Middlesbrough, a city in the north east of England.
Read it and highlight the adjectives. Which are opposites for the ones above?

Never, ever visit Middlesbrough. This sprawling, grey industrial city in north east England has
nothing to offer either the tourist or the resident. The charmless streets are crammed with budget
shops selling worthless rubbish at discount prices to the down-at-heel, depressed residents who
inhabit the run-down slums of this grim, northern town. At night, obese drunkards meet in the
wind-whipped, rain-drenched town square, less a square than the void left by a disorganised
muddle of hideous modern concrete blocks of haphazard sizes, while empty discothques play
monotonous out-of-date music. The ugly, shaven-headed, doorman stares into the night with lifeless
eyes. The bars, too, are extremely uninviting. On Thursday nights, awful guitar bands of insignificant
small-town nobodies strike crashing, repetitive chords to an uncoordinated drum beat, while
apathetic leather-jacketed locals drink colourless beer and stand around, unimpressed. There are
no parks or green spaces in this urban labyrinth of shabby guest houses, faded hotels, and noisy,
dangerous traffic. The little-known Transporter Bridge is probably the citys only landmark, and is a
disappointment to even the most enthusiastic sightseer, an antiquated hulk blocking out the sunless
sky. It is of local interest only, an insignificant rusty reminder of the citys industrial past, a fewminutes distraction from the humdrum routine of this tedious, poor, parochial town.

TRINITY ISE III

C1 CEFR

9. Now think about the worst place you have ever been to. If necessary, invent a terrible place
from your imagination. Describe it as colourfully as possible.

Teachers notes
4.


a (+) the largest, great, exciting, energetic, incredible, most interesting, diverse, pleasant,
world-class, stately, dazzling, inviting, stunning, modern, splendid, charming, peaceful, rich, elegant,
magnificent, much-photographed, precious, luxury, shaded, enormous, most important, refreshing,
green, worthy, excellent, most popular, authentic, entertaining.

b (-)huge, most difficult, sheer, easy, crowded, legendary, fast paced.

c (=) old, financial, political, cultural, archeological, international, colonial, well-defined,
revolving, public, Aztec, different, unofficial, high-rise, pedestrian, old style, traditional, historic,
principal, central.
6. Suggested answers:

Positive

Negative opposite

great

little, small, minor, modest, bad

exciting

boring, lame, dull

energetic

unenergetic, inert, lifeless

incredible

uninspiring, tawdry

most interesting

most boring, unremarkable, conventional

diverse

uniform, monotonous, tedious

pleasant

unpleasant, disagreeable, irksome

world-class

worst, minor

stately

modest, wretched, stark

dazzling

dull, dark, dim

inviting

off-putting, unappealing, unattractive

legendary

unknown, anonymous

stunning

ordinary, trivial, usual

modern

out of date, old-fashioned

TRINITY ISE III

C1 CEFR

Positive

Negative opposite

tree-lined

treeless

splendid

modest, awful, plain

charming

repulsive, hideous, charmless

rich

poor, plain, austere,

elegant

gauche, inelegant, graceless

magnificent

uninspiring, tawdry, dreary

much-photographed

little-photographed, unpopular, unperceived

luxurious

poor, austere, spartan

shaded

sunny, bright, shadeless

enormous

tiny, minuscule, diminutive

green

grey, black

largest

smallest, modest

most important

most irrelevant, most trivial, most

inessential

7. Suggested answers:

Positive

tiny, handy
easiest, simplest, most uncomplicated

Negative opposite

huge
most difficult

empty, clear

crowded

slow-paced, quiet, peaceful

fast-paced

8. sprawling, grey, industrial, charmless, crammed, budget, worthless, down-at-heel, depressed, rundown, grim, obese, wind-whipped, rain-drenched, disorganised, hideous, modern, haphazard, empty
monotonous, out-of-date, ugly, shaven-headed, lifeless, uninviting, awful guitar, insignificant, smalltown, crashing, repetitive, uncoordinated, apathetic, leather-jacketed, colourless, unimpressed,
green, urban, shabby, faded, noisy, dangerous, little-known, most enthusiastic, antiquated, sunless,
local, insignificant, rusty, industrial, few-minute, humdrum, tedious, poor, parochial.