All of the words that Hugo mentions are common in English. In fact, it’s quite normal for speakers of English to use all of them every day. They all have similar meanings to the word ordinary, but understanding the subtle differences between them is not simple.

If you read the paragraph above carefully, you might start to see the answer to Hugo’s question. In the programme, Yang Li invites four special guests to help explain the matter more fully.

After you listen, identify what the correct word is for each of the sentences below. If you want to check whether you are right, take a look at the programme script.

Coco Chanel’s dress was very _______ but it wasn’t ordinary.



It is _______ and _______ to fall in love when you are a teenager, but it is never _______ or _______!



_______ people usually aren’t rich or famous.



Marie didn’t feel she was mad, she felt she was quite _______.

If you have a question for our team, send it to us at questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk and we might answer it on this programme.

Glossary 詞匯

subtle 微妙的

script 文字稿