Dead

Neil: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak - I’m Neil and this is Feifei. Feifei? Feifei!

Feifei: Huh? Oh sorry, Neil! I had a really late-night last night so I’m dead tired today!

Neil:
You’re dead tired, Feifei? Are you dying? That’s awful! What have you got? Is it contagious?

Feifei: Oh, Neil, don’t be silly! I’m not sick or contagious or dying! I’m just really tired!

Neil: That’s a relief! But, you said you were ‘dead’ tired. But you’re not dying?

Feifei: Oh really, Neil - I think you’re more tired than I am! I said ‘dead’ tired because I’m really tired.

Neil: So we can use ‘dead’ to mean ‘really’ or ‘very’?

Feifei:
That’s right - if you want to emphasise an adjective, you can use dead to make it stronger.

Neil: Well that’s dead confusing - perhaps we should take a look at some examples.

Examples: Is it lunch time yet? I’m dead hungry!

The man sat next to me on the train this morning kept falling asleep on my shoulder - it was dead annoying!

I was dead happy when I passed my driving test!

Feifei:
This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English and we’re talking about a different use of the word ‘dead’. Normally it means the opposite of the adjective ‘alive’ but native English-speakers, particularly people in the north of England, often use it before an adjective to emphasise what they are saying. Could you tell us a time when you were dead happy, Neil?

Neil: Well, when I woke up this morning and found I had another hour until my alarm went off! I was dead thrilled!

Feifei Not quite, Neil! You were dead happy, but not dead thrilled! You can’t use ‘dead’ with extreme adjectives.

Neil: Oh OK, so you can say ‘dead cold’ but not ‘dead freezing’ Or ‘dead good’ but not ‘dead fantastic’.

Feifei: That was a dead good explanation, Neil! I see you have woken up a bit now, but I’m still dead tired.

Neil: Well how about you make us both a coffee while I finish the programme - it’s your turn to make the coffees!

Feifei:

Err, no, Neil - I always make the coffee! I’ll go make a coffee for me, not you, while you finish the programme!

Neil:

Uh oh. I’d best go and make the coffees - she’s dead sensitive when she hasn’t had enough sleep! Well, bye everyone, see you next time!