BOX SET: English In A Minute 6 – TEN English lessons in 10 minutes!

'while' can have. As a conjunction,  'while' can mean at the same time as.  

While we were sleeping, it snowed. We can swap the  two clauses around, but notice the comma goes away.  

It snowed while we were sleeping. 'While' can have  the same meaning as 'but'. One of the twins is shy  

while the other is outgoing. And 'while', or 'whilst' in  more formal contexts, can also be used in the same  

way as 'although'. While I know that sugar is bad for  me, I can never say no to dessert. As a noun, 'while'  

can mean a length of time, and in the expression  'worth your while', it can mean worth the time and  

effort used. So, finally, even though we only had a  short while together, we hope this lesson was worth your while.

Hi, I'm Phil, and I'm going to tell  you a little secret about British people, and  

it's that we're not great at saying 'no'. So, if you  want to say 'no' like a Brit, remember not to be too  

direct. We don't actually like saying 'no'. So, start  by saying how bad it is or apologise. 'Unfortunately...'  

'I'm afraid...' 'Sorry, but...' OK. So, now they know you  don't want to do it, tell them why you have to do  

this terrible thing. 'Unfortunately, I'm not able  to come tonight'. 'I'm afraid that's not possible'.  

'Sorry, but I don't think that's a good  idea'. OK. Now the bad stuff's out of the  

way, suggest an alternative. 'Unfortunately, I'm  not able to come tonight. Let's try next week.'  

'I'm afraid that's not possible, but I've got  another idea.' So, just remember not too direct,  

apologise, say why, and suggest an alternative. Hi,  it's Georgina from BBC Learning English. Today, we  

look at five ways of using 'run'. The most common way  of using 'run' is to move your legs faster than a  

walk. 'Run' can be used when we need to go somewhere  unexpectedly for a short time. Oh no, there's no  

milk. I'll have to run to the shop later. Another way  to use 'run' is to talk about a regular transport  

service. The trains normally run every hour until  quite late. You can use 'run' to show that someone  

is the boss of a project. My cousin runs a clothes  shop. Lastly, we use 'run' when we have to leave in a  

hurry. Hurry up, you're late for the meeting! Oh no!  I've got to run! Bye for now. Never before, probably,  

has inversion been explained so quickly or so simply,  so, pay attention, because that's what we're doing.  

Inversion is something we do in English for  emphasis, formality or style. I will never dance.  

This sentence follows normal word order. Subject + auxiliary verb + adverb + verb. 'Never' is a negative or  

limiting adverb. Other examples are 'rarely', 'hardly'  and 'not often'. First, move the negative adverb  

to the beginning of the sentence. Then, invert or  swap the order of the subject and auxiliary verb.  

Never will I dance. If your sentence is affirmative  and doesn't have an auxiliary verb, for example, the  

present or past simple, then add one. Rarely do I  wake up on time. Remember, it's for emphasis, so only  

do it for a good reason. Hi guys, this is Kee from  BBC Learning English. Today, I'm going to tell you  

the differences between 'mustn't' and 'don't have to'.  Now, 'must' and 'have to' are similar in meaning - they are  

both used to describe obligations. However, their  negative forms are completely different in meaning.  

We still use 'mustn't' to talk about obligations, for  example: In the house, I mustn't wear shoes, you know,  

to keep the house clean. But 'don't have to' does  not describe obligations. So, the choice is yours.  

For example, if your teacher said, you don't have to  do your homework, well, then choice is yours. You can  

say 'alright I won't'. Welcome to BBC Learning English. I'm  Sam, and today I'm happy, in fact I'm very happy. I'm  

really happy. Thrilled. I'm really thrilled. I'm  absolutely thrilled. My happiness keeps getting  

bigger and bigger. I started with the word 'happy'. 'Happy' is a gradable adjective so I can be happy, here.  

Quite happy - here. Very or really happy - here. What's  another way to say very or really happy? 'Thrilled'.  

'Thrilled' is not a gradable adjective - it's an  extreme adjective. It's already up here. So, can we  

make it stronger? Yes, you can use 'really'. I'm really  thrilled, or 'absolutely'. I'm absolutely thrilled. But  

you can't use 'very'. Welcome back to English in a  Minute from BBC Learning English. I'm James, and  

today we're going to talk about the difference  between 'in the end' and 'at the end'. We're going to  

go to the beach at the end of the month. In this  example, we're talking about a specific moment in  

time. The final moment of the month. 'In the end, we  decided not to go to the beach.' Whereas 'at the end'  

is about the final moments, 'in the end' is about  the time leading up to the final moments. Let me  

explain the example in more detail. Hey there, shall  we go to the beach? I'm not sure I might be busy.  

Did you two go to the beach? No, in the end, we  couldn't go. Sam and I considered going to the  

beach, but eventually we decided not to go. If at  the end of the video you don't quite understand,  

watch it again. In the end you might just find it  useful. Bye everyone. Hi guys, Dan for BBC Learning  

English here. This time we're looking at the  difference between 'prevent' and 'avoid'. 'Prevent'  

basically means stop. If you prevent something,  you stop it from happening, often before it starts.  

You can prevent something, prevent something from  happening or prevent someone from doing something,  

for example: 'The arrival of the police prevented  crime' or 'losing my passport prevented me from  

flying' or 'I prevented her from slapping me'.  Now, 'avoid' basically means 'miss'. If you  

avoid something, you try to make it miss  you, for example: 'I avoided meeting my ex'  

or 'I avoided the slap easily'. Hi, I'm Phil from  BBC Learning English. Today, I'm going to tell you  

how to use the words 'fun' and 'funny'. They're both  words we use to talk about happy things, but they  

don't mean the same thing. So, we use 'fun' to talk  about things we enjoy. So, I think going out with  

friends is fun, watching football is fun, practicing English is fun. It is, isn't it? Now, the main use  

of 'funny' is something that makes you laugh. Jokes  make you laugh, comedy films make you laugh, people  

make you laugh. So, if it makes you happy, it's  fun and if it makes you laugh, it's funny. Now,  

add a comment - tell us what you think is fun and  what you think is funny. Welcome to BBC Learning  

English. I'm Sam, and today we are going to look  at 'both', 'either' and 'neither' together. In all three  

cases, we are talking about two things. In this  case, let's talk about tea and coffee. We use  

'both' to talk about two out of two things, for  example, both tea and coffee contain caffeine. We  

use neither to talk about zero out of two things.  Neither tea nor coffee contains alcohol. And we  

use 'either' to talk about one out of two things,  for example: In the morning, I drink either tea or  

coffee. Not both, just one. Which do you drink in the  morning? Either coffee or tea, or both, or neither?