Words for giving too many compliments:
- flattering - giving compliments to put someone in a good mood. This is not negative.
- being insincere - saying nice things but not meaning them. For instance:
A: "I've had such a horrible day!"
B: "Oh, that's a shame. Can you baby-sit for me tonight? I'm busy."
Person B is being insincere when she says "Oh, that's a shame."
- ass-kissing - Literally, it means someone kissing someone's bottom. It means giving too many compliments to your boss, and being very nice to them, so that the boss will help them or like them more. This is done to get a promotion, or a raise, For example, laughing at the boss' jokes when they aren't funny, getting the boss coffee or gifts, agreeing with everything the boss says...
- brown-nosing - This is quite rude! Literally, it means kissing someone's bottom so much that their nose gets dirty. It means the same as ass-kissing, but it is more extreme. If a person says "(Sally) is brown-nosing the boss." - this means that he/she does not like what Sally is doing, and is insulting Sally.
Here are some examples of acceptable compliments. Some are about the ability to do a job, and others are about appearance. But be careful - it's strange to give a lot of compliments at once, except perhaps when you're in a bar and see an attractive man or woman you want to make friends with!
The video is taken from the British Council's LearnEnglish site. Follow the link to find tasks to help you with the vocabulary, and the transcript is provided if you're not sure about some of the words.
The LearnEnglish site ( http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/ ) provides resources for students and teachers, from podcasts to grammar exercises. It has resources for elementary students to advanced learners. The website is free to use!
For more videos by the British Council, go to: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/listen-and-watch
And here's a final compliment: you're such nice readers!
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