The importance of color in our lives cannot be overestimated because without such concepts it is simply impossible to describe the world around us in all its diversity. In all languages of the world they are used to describe nature, animate and inanimate objects, the appearance of people, even sometimes personal qualities.
Let's get acquainted with the names of colours in English and some interesting details of their use.
Interestingly, the very idea of dividing the entire perceived light spectrum (rainbow) belongs to an Englishman - the great Newton, who proposed to divide the rainbow into 7 segments (colours) and even named these colours.
It is this division that formed the foundation, although there are more than seven basic colours. This category usually includes colours corresponding to the following rules:
The basic colours in Russian include 12 colours, while the British distinguishes eleven, namely, all the colours of the rainbow but without blue, which in English is denoted by the word "azure", but it is very rarely used in speech and in writing, and therefore does not belong to the basic colours (i.e. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple) and White, Grey, Black, Pink, Brown are on top of that.
A detailed description of an object/entity/phenomenon requires a finer colour division, and there are many words for this in English. In particular, blue, which in Russian is considered basic, is usually described by the phrase Light /Bright blue, and the current modern extension can be considered the color denim, or Denim blue.
Among others, useful for creating three-dimensional images and vivid paintings are Body colour, Lilac, Raspberry, Vinous; even more artistic are Amber and Pearl, Snow, Coral. There is also our "sea wave color" in English, which is also expressed in three words (Light sea green).
In addition, English has an extended toolkit for specifying colour shades – just use an accompanying word dark/light/bright with the main colour.
Those who want to diversify their vocabulary can use numerous synonyms for these words, namely dim or shocking, glossy, deep (very dark), for soft shades - pastel, mat or pale, for vibrant - virulent.
Learning such nuances of education of naming colours in English is usually possible only with full immersion in a language environment, for example, when studying at the British school CIS International School (call and find out at what age and under what conditions students are admitted to this prestigious educational institution). Teaching by native teachers and constant communication in English allows young Russians to become fully bilingual, not to mention getting a Cambridge certificate along with a high school diploma.
We interviewed CIS graduates about their plans to graduate from Cambridge International School.
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Is knowing a language without grammar possible? For sure, but only to a certain level. This is, for example, how toddlers speak their native language. They can indicate their wishes and problems or ask questions, often twisting words and sentences so sweetly. But it is impossible to have a full command of a language tool without knowing its grammar rules.
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