Getting it right with adjectives and adverbs

The World Cup quarter-final game between Belgium and Japan could have fooled many. Japan exhibited some footballing brilliance and threatened to upstage favourites Belgium. But it was not to be because of the tenacity and patience of their opponent. Belgium’s comeback was so spectacular a colleague used that game as the yardstick to aver Belgium would make mincemeat of France. It did not happen as France scraped through by the skin of their teeth.

And in the other semi-final game between England and Croatia, without dancing around the subject, the better team won. There was jubilation and disappointment in equal measure on both occasions.