Useful English Word or Phrase to Boost Your English: -ish

What does it mean?

This is an informal suffix added to adjectives, times, or ages to mean 'approximately,' 'sort of,' or 'around that time/age.' It softens the word and makes the statement less specific.

Is it positive or negative?

It is neutral, functioning only to make the information less precise.

When do you use it?

You use it constantly in casual English when you don't want to commit to an exact time, date, colour, or amount.

Examples

Example 1 (Time): "What time is the meeting- About 2:00ish."

Example 2 (Colour/Quality): "That house looks very blueish from here."

Example 3 (Age/Amount): "How old is your brother- Thirtyish."

Question for you

Do you find it more challenging to learn informal words like shades or grammatical tools like the suffix -ish?

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