Language tip of the week: enthusiastic

In this weekly post, we bring more useful content from the Macmillan Dictionary to English language learners. In this series of language tips to accompany the Real Vocabulary theme we look at how you can expand your vocabulary in English by using different words and expressions instead of core vocabulary items.

This set of language tips will explore different ways to talk about emotions. This week’s tip looks at adjectives that mean enthusiastic:

Enthusiastic volunteers have already started work on the site. ♦ Business leaders gave the proposal an enthusiastic welcome. ♦ For a while we were enthusiastic about the idea.
keen very interested in an activity that you enjoy doing and want to do well:
Many of our players are very young and keen. ♦ She’s always been a keen gardener. ♦ The kids are very keen on swimming.
mad keen extremely keen:
I was mad keen on horses when I was younger.
Keen is used mainly in British English. Mad keen is informal.
eager very keen to do something:
He is so eager to learn that he stays late every evening. ♦ The girls were bored and eager for new experiences.
raring to do something excited about something and eager to start doing it:
Everything’s ready and we’re raring to go. ♦ She’s training hard and raring to run in the marathon.