In this mini episode, you will learn the expression “more or less.”
Episode 382 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the expression “more or less.” Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hello, everyone. My name is Ateros. I’m from Brazil, and you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 382 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I am going to teach you a common and useful phrase. The phrase is “more or less.” More or less. That’s m-o-r-e, o-r, l-e-s-s. More or less.
What does it mean when we say, “More or less”? When do we use this phrase?
The phrase “more or less” means “approximately.” In other words, it means “not exactly.”
Think about how English speakers use words like about and around to mean “not exactly, close to this, close to this number, or close to this amount.” This is how we use “more or less.” When we use this phrase, we are saying that some amount or some number is not exactly this, but it is close to this. It might be a little bit more than this number or amount, or it might be a little bit less than this number or amount. Maybe we don’t know the exact amount, or maybe it’s just not important in this situation.
Maybe this sounds a little bit confusing. I don’t think it really is. Let me give you two examples of situations where somebody might use “more or less.”
Let’s say that your friend is going on a trip. Your friend will be going to the airport tomorrow and taking a long plane ride. Your friend is going to go halfway around the world. And you ask your friend, “How long is this flight?” And your friend says, “The flight is ten hours, more or less.” The flight is ten hours, more or less. In other words, the flight is about ten hours. It is approximately ten hours. Not exactly ten hours. Maybe it’s a little bit more than that. Maybe it’s a little bit less. Maybe your friend doesn’t know the exact number. Or maybe he thinks it’s just not important for this situation. He knows that you’re not asking for an exact number. He knows that you are looking for an approximate number, not an exact number.
Here’s another similar situation:
Let’s say that your friend has started jogging. Your friend has started jogging every day to get some exercise. And one day, after he has gone jogging and come back home, your friend sends you a text, and he says, “I just went jogging for a very long distance.” And you text back and say, “How far did you jog?” And your friend answers, “I jogged five miles, more or less.” Five miles, more or less. In other words, not exactly five miles. It was about five miles. Around five miles. Close to five miles. Approximately five miles.
That is how we use “more or less.”
One last thing I should tell you about this expression is the way it is often pronounced.
Because the end of the word more sounds just like the word or, you will often hear people kind of squeeze those words together. Instead of saying “more or less,” they might say something that sounds closer to “morerless.” Morerless. Morerless. Do you see how the two words, more and or, kind of got squeezed together a little bit? Morerless.
I think that is how we often pronounce this phrase.
That is “more or less,” a very common and useful expression that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 382 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Ateros recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode. And until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!