en
  • Become tutor
  • Find tutor

In this article, we will talk about the different usage of the word “green” as an adjective, as slang and formal, informal usage, and some example to illustrate where we can practically place it in a sentence.

1. Green as an adjective. It is a color, e.g.:

A green car (it could be a dark or light color)

2. Green still as an adjective. We can use it for describing an area like covered with grass, trees, bushes, etc., e.g.:

This is a greenfield that we are looking at.

3. Green still as an adjective. We can use it for fruits and plants which are not yet ready to be eaten or very young. e.g:

The apples are still green, or the bananas are still green. (They are not ripe yet).

4. Now, we are going to discuss green, where it comes only before a Noun, connected with the environment or its protection. E.g:

Green issues such as the greenhouse effect and global warming.

5. Green as profit the environment as little as possible. E.g:

It is better to consume greener cleaning products.

6. Green as slang means young and lacking experience, synonym: be a noob, be amateur, inexperienced, unprofessional. E.g:

I was pretty green in my job, but as the years passed by, I have learned how to handle the tasks in my profession.

Or another example:

You are so green to do this job. You're unqualified that's why we are not hiring you.

7. Green as an illness when we want to express that someone is sick. E.g:

Jack looks a bit green today. (looks pale green)

Now lets look at some examples from the corpus to see if you can tell the difference:

Finally, this leads me into green disciplining.
A government committee is considering a proposal for a green energy policy.
I looked into the mirror, my green eyes looking back out at me, showing no emotion, no excitement at all.
Then he reached under the counter for his slim green ledgers.
Flesh varies from green to orange and is juicy and refreshing.

Tip: last but not least, we have other words we use as slang like blue, which means sad or depressed. E.g:

I’m feeling blue today.

EnglishIdioms & expressions