Positive and Negative Language for Reviews

Positive and negative language for reviews

Write + for positive and – for negative next to the two expressions in each section below. There is always one of each. Note that some words below don’t fit in the section they are in (e.g. are not really about availability), but are there to contrast with the one it is with.

Looking at both sides

benefit

drawback

 

cons

pros

 

Availability

USP/ (unique) selling point

sold out

 

Comparisons to others/ Market share/ Popularity

cutting edge

uncompetitive

 

market leader

resting on its laurels

 

award-winning

overrated

 

unique

weird

 

odd

quirky

 

distinctive

strange

 

unmatched

unoriginal

 

famous

notorious

 

outstanding

stands out like a sore thumb

 

Content

original

unrealistic

 

action-packed

dense

 

fun

trivial

 

Cost

priceless

worthless

 

a bargain

bargain bin

 

a steal

a rip off

 

reasonable

tacky

 

overpriced

underappreciated

 

Design/ Attractiveness/ Appearance

bland

subtle

 

easy on the eye

an eyesore

 

Difficulty/ Ease of use/ Effort needed

complicated/ overwhelming

sophisticated

 

easy to use

simplistic

 

childish/ juvenile

comprehensible

 

a grind

pushes you

 

can’t make head or tail of it

intriguing

 

tough going

unputdownable

 

Features/ Functions

feature-packed

fiddly

 

lacking

stripped down

 

trying to be everything to every man

versatile

 

adaptable

changeable

 

multifunction

neither one thing nor the other/ neither fish nor fowl

 

History/ Future

a classic

(very much) of its time

 

dated

up-to-date

 

needs updating

regularly updated

 

a fad

up-to-the-minute

 

flash in the pan

instant hit

 

minority interest

slow burner

 

Marketing (claims)

hyped

renowned

 

a let down

lives up to…

 

masterpiece

“masterpiece”

 

genius

so-called genius

 

Motivation (to carry on)

consistent

monotonous/ repetitive

 

engrossing

gross

 

irritating

stimulating

 

annoying

captivating/ gripping

 

Portability/ Size

a brick

pocket-sized

 

Reliability

breaks down

breaks the mould

 

faultless

faulty

 

predictable

reliable

 

impeccable

imprecise

 

delightful

fragile

 

Suitability/ Usefulness

indispensable

unsuitable

 

Time

addictive

time consuming

 

killing time

time flies

 

impressive

shocking

 

General/ Others

astonishing

dreadful

 

amusing

unintentionally amusing

 

terrible

terrific

 

appealing

appealing to the lowest common denominator

 

Recommendations

I heartedly recommend…

I was disheartened by…

 

I couldn’t recommend… more.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend…

 

If you like…, then you’ll love…

… is strictly for fans of…

 

I wouldn’t be in any hurry to…

Rush out and…

 

Don’t miss…

Give… a miss.

 

… is sure to disappoint if you expect…

You won’t be disappointed if you…

 

You shouldn’t… or you’ll regret it.

You won’t regret…

 

Don’t bother with…

Don’t look any further, just…

 

Brainstorming stage

First of all without looking above, try to write positive and negative words that could be used to explain each thing below in reviews, e.g. in a review of a language learning app. Many words not above are also possible.

Looking at both sides

 

 

 

 

Availability

 

 

 

 

Comparisons to others/ Market share/ Popularity

 

 

 

 

Content

 

 

 

 

Cost

 

 

 

 

Design/ Attractiveness/ Appearance

 

 

 

 

Difficulty/ Ease of use/ Effort needed

 

 

 

 

Features/ Functions

 

 

 

 

History/ Future

 

 

 

 

Marketing (claims)

 

 

 

 

Motivation (to carry on)

 

 

 

 

Portability/ Size

 

 

 

 

Reliability

 

 

 

 

Suitability/ Usefulness

 

 

 

 

Time

 

 

 

 

General/ Others

 

 

 

 

Recommendations

 

 

 

 

Use the mixed answers to help with the brainstorming task above.

• (very much) of its time
• “masterpiece”
• … is strictly for fans of…
• … is sure to disappoint if you expect…
• a bargain
• a brick
• a classic
• a fad
• a grind
• a let down
• a rip off of…
• a steal
• action-packed
• adaptable
• addictive
• amusing
• an eyesore
• annoying
• appealing
• appealing to the lowest common denominator
• astonishing
• award-winning
• bargain bin
• benefit
• bland
• breaks down
• breaks the mould
• can’t make head or tail of it
• captivating/ gripping
• changeable
• childish/ juvenile
• complicated/ overwhelming
• comprehensible
• cons
• consistent
• cutting edge
• dated
• delicate/ fragile
• delightful
• dense
• distinctive
• Don’t bother with…
• Don’t look any further, just…
• Don’t miss…
• drawback
• dreadful
• easy on the eye
• easy to use
• engrossing
• famous
• faultless
• faulty
• feature-packed
• fiddly
• flash in the pan
• fun
• genius
• Give… a miss.
• gross
• hyped
• I couldn’t recommend… more.
• I heartedly recommend…
• I was disheartened by…
• I wouldn’t be in any hurry to…
• I wouldn’t necessarily recommend…
• If you like…, then you’ll love…
• impeccable
• imprecise
• impressive
• indispensable
• instant hit
• intriguing
• irritating
• killing time
• lacking
• lives up to…
• market leader
• masterpiece
• minority interest
• monotonous/ repetitive
• multifunction
• needs updating
• neither one thing nor the other/ neither fish nor fowl
• notorious
• odd
• original
• outstanding
• overpriced
• overrated
• pocket-sized
• predictable
• priceless
• pros
• pushes you
• quirky
• reasonable
• regularly updated
• reliable
• renowned
• resting on its laurels
• Rush out and…
• selling point
• shocking
• simplistic
• slow burner
• so-called genius
• sold out
• sophisticated
• stands out like a sore thumb
• stimulating
• strange
• stripped down
• subtle
• tacky
• terrible
• terrific
• time consuming
• time flies
• tough going
• trivial
• trying to be everything to every man
• uncompetitive
• underappreciated
• unintentionally amusing
• unique
• unmatched
• unoriginal
• unputdownable
• unrealistic
• unsuitable
• up-to-date
• up-to-the-minute
• versatile
• weird
• worthless
• You shouldn’t… or you’ll regret it.
• You won’t be disappointed if you…
• You won’t regret…

 Use the paired ones above to help. Note that some are not in the right sections.

Positive and negative language for reviews brainstorming game

Work in pairs. Choose one thing that could be reviewed such as one of the things below. Choose which of you will be positive about it and who will be negative about it. Take turns saying positive and negative things until you both run out of ideas, listening carefully to your partner to make sure their sentences make sense and that you don’t contradict each other. Then choose other things to review and do the same, each time changing who is positive and who says negative things. You can copy what your partner said earlier if you like, as long as it also matches the new topic.

Possible things to review

• A restaurant
• A movie
• A TV series
• A play/ A musical/ An opera
• A concert/ A gig
• A book
• A computer game/ A video game
• An amusement park ride
• An art exhibition
• A building/ Some architecture
• A fashion show/ A clothes shop

Play the same game, but this time both taking the same side and continuing the same positive description of something or the same negative description of something (not both). Continue until someone repeats or runs out of ideas, then do the same for other kinds of review above.