BOX SET: English In A Minute 17 – TEN English lessons in 10 minutes!

Let's learn some common uses of the word  ‘present’. Firstly, ‘present’ as a noun  

is another word to mean ‘gift’. 'What's the best  present you've ever received?' 'Present' can also be  

used as a noun to mean now, this very minute -  often with 'the': 'the present'. 'Stop talking about  

the future and start living in the present.'  We also use 'present' as an adjective to mean  

in a particular place. 'I was present for all seven  classes.' This word can also be used as a verb but  

listen to the difference in pronunciation:  present. ‘Present’ can mean show something  

to someone. It's quite formal - you can present  research or information in a meeting. 'I presented  

the results of the survey to the rest of the team.'  Finally, ‘present’ can also be used as a verb to  

mean ‘introduce someone to others.’ 'I'd like to  present my friend Nick.'

The first thing to know about ‘wow’ is that it's quite informal and we use it mostly when speaking, so our intonation  

is quite important. The most common use of ‘wow’  is as an exclamation to express surprise. 'Wow  

you've shaved your beard off.’ The surprise can  be a neutral surprise but it's often a pleasant  

surprise. 'Did you make that cake for me? Wow.' We  also use 'wow' to show wonder or amazement. 'Wow,  

the Moon is so big tonight!' Notice that wow can go  at the beginning or at the end of a sentence when  

used as an exclamation, but it can also be used  as a regular verb meaning to make other people  

feel admiration or excitement or wonder. 'She's  an amazing pianist - she wows audiences every  

time she plays.' Has anything wowed you recently?  Let's learn ‘available’. It's an adjective so we  

Let's learn ‘available’. It's an adjective so we usually use it with the form of the verb ‘to be’. For things, it's simple - it means that you can  

get something, or you can buy it. So, 'the best  fruit is available in summer' - that's when you  

can get it. 'We've got a car park that's available  for everyone to use.' 'I'm sorry the next video game  

isn't available yet. You'll have to wait!' When  we use it with people, the idea is similar, and  

it means that someone can do something and there's  nothing stopping them. 'I'm afraid there's no one  

available to help we're all busy.' 'I think we need  a meeting. When are you available? When can you do  

it?' 'Their best player isn't available for the  match. She hurt her leg, and she can't play.'  

'Available' means that something can be bought or  used, or that someone can help you. Sure, there  

are other videos available, but we'll always be  available to help you with your English.

Here are some common uses of 'with'. We use 'with' to say  that two or more people or things are together.  

'I ate my lunch with Phil.' 'My dog loves to be  with other dogs.' We also use 'with' to say that  

someone is using an object to do something. 'She  cut the paper with scissors.' 'With' can also be  

used to describe the way a person does something.  'She stood there with an angry face and shouted.'  

Another way we use 'with' is to describe when  something contains another thing. 'She filled  

the glass with water.' In a restaurant, when  ordering food, we can use 'with' to mean 'and'. 

'I'd like to order the salad with a chocolate  cake for dessert.' 'Please may I have the pizza  

with chips?' Finally, we can use 'with' to mean  a thing or person has or includes something. 'I  

live in a house with a brown door.' 'He's the  teacher with a beard.'

How much experience do you have with the word 'experience'? As a countable noun, 'experience' can be  

used to talk about something that happens to us  that affects how we feel. 'Meeting my favourite  

actor was one of the best experiences of my life.'  It can also mean the way something happens to us,  

which again affects how we feel. 'Please complete  this short survey about your experience today.'  

When it's an uncountable noun, 'experience'  means the knowledge or skill we get from doing  

something. 'I don't have any experience of working  with children so I probably shouldn't be a nanny.'  

If we experience something, as a transitive verb,  it happens to us, or we feel it. 'We experienced  

long delays on our journey home, but we hope this  lesson was a positive experience for you.  

Let's look at 'bear'. Now, the noun is easy - it's just  one of these. Literally, it can mean to support  

weight, but figuratively we use it to mean to  put up with or to tolerate. 'I can't bear this  

cold weather. It's too much for me.' 'I can't  bear this job. It's too hard.' 'I can't bear to  

wait any longer. I'm going home.' Another literal  meaning is to carry something, but we more often  

use it in the expression ‘to bear in mind’, which  means to think about or remember. ‘Bear in mind  

these prices will go up.’ ‘What you need to bear  in mind is that practice will help you.’ ‘Bear  

in mind this isn't finished yet.’ So, the verb  ‘bear’ literally means to support hold or carry,  

but bear in mind we often use it in idioms. 'It's  tough, but you'll just have to grin and bear it.'  

Here are four ways to use the verb 'appreciate'.  Firstly, 'appreciate' can be used to show that you  

value someone or something and think that they're  important or special. After 'appreciate', we use the  

person's name or the thing you value. 'I appreciate  Luciana. She's amazing.' You can also use 'appreciate'  

to show that you're thankful for someone's  actions. 'I really appreciate you organising  

the party.' 'I appreciated your help. I needed it.'  'Appreciate' can be used to say that something has  

increased in financial value or price. 'The value  of my investment appreciated by 20% over the  

last five years.' Finally, we can also use 'appreciate'  to mean that we understand the situation fully  

and realise how important it is. 'I don't think  you appreciate how serious the situation is.'  

'Through' can mean lots of things and be used in  lots of different contexts. Let's look at some  

common uses. Meaning number one: 'through' can mean  from one side or end of something to the other.  

This is about place or physical space. 'We pushed  through the crowd to get to the front.' Meaning  

number two: 'through' can mean from the beginning to  the end of a period. This is about time. 'We sang and  

danced through the whole concert.' Meaning number  three: 'through' can be similar in meaning to 'using'.  

'We were lucky to get last minute tickets through  a friend.' Meaning number four: 'through' can also  

mean finished or completed. 'We were exhausted but  happy when the concert was through.' And we too are through with this lesson.   

An account is a record. It can be about recording money. So, the arrangement  

that you have with a bank to look after your  money is an account, and the arrangement that  

a business might have with a client can also  be called an account. 'I opened a new account  

for my savings.' 'This is our biggest account.  It contributes 10% of our revenue.' An account  

can also be a bit like a story, a description  or an explanation of something that happened.  

'According to his account, it wasn't his fault.' These  meanings give us a couple of common expressions. 'To  

take something into account' means to consider it, and 'to account for something' means to explain why  

it happened. 'We need to take into account that  he's lied to us before.' 'That would account for  

the problems with his story.' Just remember that  an account can be a record an explanation or  

something to help you make a decision. Take all  those meanings into account and you'll learn it easily. 

I'm going to teach you some meanings of  the word 'access'. As a verb, it means to be able  

to enter somewhere like a building, often with  permission. 'You need a key to access the library.'  

It can also be used for getting information or  data, often from a digital place. 'You can only  

access the files from a work computer. As a noun,  we use 'access' to mean a particular way to get  

into a place. 'For wheelchair access to the school,  there's a ramp.' 'Access' can also mean having contact  

with a person, often if they are very busy and  important. 'Very few people have direct access  

to the Prime Minister.' We hope you didn't  find it too difficult to access this video.