Welcome to the English we speak with me, Neil and me Faye

In this episode we're going to look at a word that's all about excitement.

It's Zing.

Zing!

People might not have heard this one. How do we use it?

So Zing is something special that some things have that's hard to describe,

but makes them more interesting or exciting.

I can also tell you something that doesn't have any Zing.

That's my lunch. It's just a plain cheese sandwich.

What you need for that is some chilies. That will give you a bit of Zing.

Chilies. Hmm, that might be a bit too much Zing. Now, Zing isn't just about food, is it?

No, it could even be about the way you feel. I was feeling a bit down yesterday, but then I booked a holiday, and that's given me a bit of zing. I feel so much better now I've got something to look forward to.

It's good to feel a bit of Zing. Can you make it a bit more

exciting? We're going to bring you a show that's full of Zing. It's going to be spectacular.

Since the goal, the game's gone a bit flat. There's no Zing.

You're listening to the English we speak from BBC Learning English and we're learning the word Zing which is about excitement, energy or interest.

It may originally have been on a matopoeia, which is a word that sounds like what it describes.

Zing might have been the sound of something moving fast with a lot of energy.

In informal language we use on a matter peer a lot.

For example if something is a bit weak and needs more energy, we can say it needs a bit more

ummf. In this example, oomf is force or energy. Zing might be a bit more exciting, but they are similar.

If you want a bit more Zing in your English, join us for the next episode.

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