You are awesome :) Synonyms

📘 Why Teach Synonyms of “Awesome”?

Many ESL students rely on “awesome” to express positivity or excitement. While it’s common in informal speech, it’s not always appropriate in every context. Teaching synonyms helps students:

  • Vary their vocabulary

  • Match tone and formality to the situation

  • Improve their writing and speaking precision

CLICK HERE for my “English Language Songs” and Worksheets

🧑‍🏫 How to Teach Synonyms of “Awesome”

1. Start With Context

Explain that “awesome” can mean:

  • Great/excellent: That movie was awesome!

  • Impressive: The view from the mountain was awesome.

  • Inspiring admiration or fear (less common): The storm was awesome in its power.

Highlight that it’s informal in most uses today, especially in American English.

2. Introduce Synonyms by Category

Break synonyms into categories depending on meaning or use. For example:

Informal (like “awesome” in speech):

  • Cool

  • Great

  • Amazing

  • Fabulous

  • Epic

More formal or precise alternatives:

  • Impressive

  • Outstanding

  • Remarkable

  • Breathtaking

  • Spectacular

  • Marvelous

✅ Teach the register (formal/informal), intensity, and usage of each synonym.

3. Use Examples & Practice

Provide example sentences and ask students to replace “awesome” with a more specific synonym.

Example:

“Your presentation was awesome!” → “Your presentation was outstanding!”

✅ Tip: Use sentence completion, matching, or fill-in-the-blanks to practice.

4. Teach Collocations and Nuances

Some synonyms pair better with certain nouns:

  • Breathtaking view

  • Outstanding performance

  • Cool idea

  • Epic adventure

Encourage learners to notice these common pairings.

5. Speaking and Writing Practice

  • Ask students to describe a favorite movie, trip, or event using at least 3 synonyms of “awesome.”

  • Do a “synonym swap” where students rewrite short paragraphs replacing “awesome” with more specific words.

  • Play a speaking game where they draw a card with a synonym and must use it in a sentence.

🧑‍🏫 Teacher Tips

  • Make a word wall or synonym chart in class

  • Encourage students to keep a “vocabulary variety” journal

  • Emphasize that using a range of words makes them sound more fluent and expressive

CLICK HERE for my “English Language Songs” and Worksheets

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

image from http://lovingenglish.org

You are awesome! See how many of these awesome synonyms you can use to describe yourself, your family and friends.

Awesome synonyms – outstanding, astounding, staggering, incredible, astonishing, awe- inspiring, superb, wonderful, incredible, tremendous, splendid, spectacular, stunning, sublime, breathtaking, grand, badass, amazing, phenomenal, resplendent

CLICK HERE for my “English Language Songs” and Worksheets

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Lesson Plan, Worksheet & Synonym Card Set: Synonyms for “Awesome”

📅 LESSON PLAN: Synonyms for “Awesome”

Level: Intermediate ESL
Time: 45–60 minutes
Focus: Vocabulary development, register awareness, speaking, writing

Objectives

  • Learn a variety of synonyms for “awesome” and their usage

  • Understand formal vs. informal word choices

  • Practice using synonyms accurately in different contexts

Materials

  • Worksheet (below)

  • Synonym flashcards (included)

  • Whiteboard/projector

  • Optional: synonym word wall or visuals

Warm-Up (5 mins)

  • Ask: “What do you say when something is really good or exciting?”

  • Write student responses and circle “awesome.”

  • Ask: “Can we say something else instead of ‘awesome’?”

Presentation (10 mins)

  • Show 8 common synonyms for “awesome”

  • Teach meaning, register (formal/informal), and common collocations:

    • Amazing (informal)

    • Outstanding (formal)

    • Fabulous (informal)

    • Incredible (neutral)

    • Epic (informal/slang)

    • Impressive (formal/neutral)

    • Spectacular (formal)

    • Cool (very informal)

Guided Practice (15 mins)

  • Students complete matching and fill-in-the-blank tasks (see worksheet)

  • Pair work: Students choose two synonyms and create short dialogues

Speaking Practice (10 mins)

  • In pairs, students describe a favorite movie, vacation, or event using 3–4 synonyms

  • Class listens and identifies the synonyms used

Wrap-Up (5 mins)

  • Review synonyms using a mini quiz or synonym swap game

  • Homework: Write a paragraph about a personal experience using at least 4 synonyms

🗋 WORKSHEET: Synonyms for “Awesome”

Part A: Match the Synonym to the Definition

  1. Amazing

  2. Impressive

  3. Fabulous

  4. Epic

  5. Outstanding

  6. Cool

  7. Spectacular

  8. Incredible

A. Extremely exciting or large in scale
B. Extremely good; wonderful
C. Very enjoyable or trendy (slang)
D. Unusual and excellent
E. Very good or better than others
F. Surprising and wonderful
G. Visually beautiful and dramatic
H. Makes people admire it

Write the correct letters:

  1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___ 4. ___ 5. ___ 6. ___ 7. ___ 8. ___

Part B: Fill in the Blank

Use a synonym for “awesome” to complete each sentence:

  1. That fireworks show was absolutely ____________________!

  2. Your science project was ____________________. You should be proud.

  3. We had an ____________________ time at the music festival!

  4. This new phone is so ____________________ — I love the camera!

  5. She looked ____________________ in her wedding dress.

  6. The final scene of the movie was so ____________________.

Part C: Create Your Own

Write 3 sentences about something you love (a place, movie, event, food, etc.). Use a different synonym for “awesome” in each sentence.

🎨 SYNONYM CARD SET

Use as printable cards or a digital slideshow. Each card includes:

Card 1
Word: Amazing
Register: Informal
Example: That magic trick was amazing!
Image idea: A magician performing

Card 2
Word: Outstanding
Register: Formal
Example: She gave an outstanding presentation.
Image idea: Award or trophy

Card 3
Word: Fabulous
Register: Informal
Example: You look fabulous tonight!
Image idea: Fashion or party setting

Card 4
Word: Epic
Register: Informal/Slang
Example: Our road trip was epic!
Image idea: Road or mountains

Card 5
Word: Impressive
Register: Neutral/Formal
Example: His resume is very impressive.
Image idea: Business meeting or diploma

Card 6
Word: Cool
Register: Very Informal
Example: That video game is so cool!
Image idea: Gaming controller or emoji face

Card 7
Word: Spectacular
Register: Formal
Example: The sunset over the beach was spectacular.
Image idea: Colorful sunset

Card 8
Word: Incredible
Register: Neutral
Example: The story she told was incredible.
Image idea: A person telling a story

Tip: Display synonyms on a classroom word wall and add to them over time.

CLICK HERE for my “English Language Songs” and Worksheets