Adjectives
Intermediate to higher level (B1-C1)

We have a lot of words in English to say that something is different or not normal in some way.

‘unusual‘ can mean different but not necessarily negative
e.g.
An unusual taste
An unusual person
An unusual thing to do

‘strange‘, ‘odd‘ and ‘peculiar‘ are adjectives that are often used when there is some surprise and usually some negativity
e.g.
A strange smell
A strange comment
An odd reaction
An odd situation to be in
What a very peculiar thing to say!
It’s a peculiar sculpture

‘weird‘ is more negative (the vowel is pronounced like the sound in ‘beard’)
e.g.
How weird!
What a weird thing to say!
He’s really weird

Let’s look at these adjectives in a conversation:

A. How was the party last night?
B. I left early.
A. Why was that?
B. Well, there were some very odd people there and the atmosphere was strange.
A. Yes, Frank has a lot of rather strange friends
B. You can say that! One girl was singing to herself for ages. Very weird. And there was a really peculiar smell in the kitchen. I didn’t want to stay for very long.
A. I don’t blame you!