“It's good stuff. Organic, no artificial flavors or preservatives... and it's pretty tasty!”

English Lesson: It's good stuff. Organic, no artificial flavors or preservatives... and it's pretty tasty!

You're eating a snack at work that you bought from a health food store. It's a snack bar that you often buy because you like it. A coworker asks what you're eating, so you recommend it.

It's good stuff. Organic, no artificial flavors or preservatives... and it's pretty tasty!

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pretty (adjective)

You use "pretty" before an adjective to show how much of that quality something has.

"Pretty ___" is somewhere between "kind of " and "really". It basically means "a little more than you expected". For example:

This soup is actually pretty good.

I think I have a pretty good shot at getting the job.

That song is pretty catchy.

(something) is good stuff

This is a phrase which has become more popular in the last several years. We talk about food, drinks, or ingredients which are high-quality by saying that they are "good stuff":

A: Have you had some of this?

B: Yeah. It's good stuff, huh?

organic (food)

Organic food is made without unnatural chemicals such as:

  • pesticides (chemicals that kill insects or animals)
  • herbicides (chemicals that kill weeds)
  • chemical fertilizers (which make plants grow more quickly)
  • antibiotics (medicines which kill bacteria

In some countries, food that is labeled "organic" must be inspected and pass certain tests to prove that unnatural chemicals were not used.

artificial flavors (and/or) preservatives

"Artificial" means "not natural". "Preservatives" are chemicals which are put in food to keep it from going bad quickly. So "artificial flavors and preservatives" are chemicals which are put in food to make it taste different or last longer.

You mostly find this phrase on food commercials and packaging. Foods which are made naturally will often advertise "No artificial flavors or preservatives!"

(something) is tasty

If something tastes good, you can say that it is "tasty".

However, "tasty" is not as good as other words like "delicious". So you might have a conversation like this if someone cooks for you and they're very sensitive about their cooking skill:

A: How was it?

B: It was tasty.

A: So you didn't like it?

B: No! I liked it! I said it was tasty, didn't I?