Writing about the quality of a film, book, restaurant, event,
project, etc.
Most of the times students are made to provide feedback on
a film they´ve watched, a book they´ve read, an event –
such as a festival or a concert – they´ve attended, or about
a new project at work. Their opinions should be normally
based on the quality of such things, so here are some
useful expressions they can utilise:
Expressions with “par”:
“Par” comes from golf and refers to the number of strokes a
good golfer is expected to take for a particular hole or for
the whole course. If we transfer this usage to other areas,
we find expressions such as:
Above par (better than average)
Example: We went to a restaurant called Harvin the other
day that was above par: exquisite food, excellent customer
service, and very good value for money.
Below par (worse than average)
Example: Although the movie was quite entertaining, the
acting was a little below par because some actors forgot
their lines and some others overacted.
Par for the course (what it´s normal in any given
circumstance)
Example: The English course in your language school was
par for the course because it matched up the claims of your
publicity. However, I would make some improvements
reducing the number of students per class and increasing
the lesson hours for speaking.
Other useful expressions to talk about the quality of a book,
movie, restaurant etc., are the following. Match the
expressions (1-4) with their definitions below (the answers
are at the end).
1. Live up to someone´s expectations
2. Nothing to write home about
3. well-rounded (adj.) or ticking all the boxes
4. Giving one´s thumps up
a. To show that something is excellent
b. Not very good or appealing
c. to satisfy all of the apparent requirements for success
d. be as good as anticipated
ANSWERS
1d 2b 3c 4a
EXAMPLES
The food at that restaurant is nothing to write home about.
The film didn´t live up to my expectations because its pace was slower and the
protagonists overacted.
I give my thumps up to the new series about drugs that is on Netflix.
The vegetarian restaurant I visited last weekend ticks all the boxes: the food was
excellent and the service satisfactory.
MORE PHRASES FOR OPINION:
a book to be read again and again
the [] will catch your attention and not let go
a great book and a fast read
a long and meaningful meditation on
a story with a great premise
appeals to the literati
reading the book was a pleasure
leaves the reader with a sense of []
the book lives up to every promise
the book has great pace and depth
RICH WITH HUMANITY
the book reads like a murder mystery
she captures the essentials of the human soul
the book will transport you to []
the characters were well-developed and []
1. the novel's strengths lie in [] and []
2. the pace was brisk and the [] was vividly rendered
will richly reward the attention of any []
1. you will love it from beginning to end
2. you won't be able to put the book down
And some extra phrases:
think the world of
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical.
think the world of (someone or something)
To have an extremely high opinion of someone or something; to be very fond of
or greatly admire someone or something.
Examples:
I thought the world of my dad growing up.
Would you mind if I got an autograph? My son thinks the world of your writing.
think little of (someone or something)
To have little or no regard or concern for someone or something.
Your boss seems to think very little of you, judging by the way she speaks about
you behind your back.
These corporations think little of the rights and desires that you, the consumer,
might have—all that matters to them is the bottom line.
See also: little, of, think