English Vocabulary in Use: Advanced Book with Answers and Enhanced eBook Vocabulary Reference and Practice 3rd Edition

thingy about that yesterday.
Quantifiers
Some quantifiers are common in informal speaking but are rare in formal writing. For example, the 
following expressions mean 
a lot of
:
bags of a load of loads of a mass of masses of dozens of tons of umpteen
I can help you – I’ve got 
bags of time.
They can afford to go on expensive holidays as they’ve got 
loads of money.
I’ve tried phoning her 
umpteen times but she never seems to answer her mobile.
These expressions mean a little or some: 
a bit of, a scrap of.
I’ve got 
a bit of a headache.
You’ve been sitting there all day but you haven’t done 
a scrap of work.
Being indirect and less threatening
Here are some expressions which we can use in speech to make what we are saying sound less 
threatening and potentially offensive to the person we are talking to.
It’s 
not the most practical/sensible/intelligent/appropriate thing you’ve ever done. 
[it’s impractical / 
not very sensible / rather unintelligent / inappropriate]
It’s not the most practical idea – and 
I mean that in the nicest possible way.
No offence intended, but I think you’ve misunderstood the basic problem.
If you don’t mind me/my saying so, I think that you could have handled that better.
I gather you feel upset by the recent changes in the office. 
[I’ve heard it from someone]
Incidentally, have you paid your money for the club outing yet? 
[often used to introduce a new subject 
into the conversation in an indirect way]
What a load of idiots – 
present company excepted, of course. 
[not including you or me]
The staff here, 
myself included, have not been working quite as hard as we should.
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