Learn the English Phrases "to double-check" and "a reality check"

In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English verb to double-check.

When you double-check something, it means you check it and then you check it again.

If you don't know what it means to check something, it means to make sure

it's there or to make sure it's in a certain place.

Here's a great example.

When you pack to go on a trip, you put everything in a suitcase,

and then when you're done packing, it's good to double-check.

It's good to open the suitcase again and make sure that your toothbrush

and your deodorant and your underwear is all in the suitcase.

I don't know why I used that example, but you should make sure you bring all that stuff.

So to double-check means to check again.

It means to make sure that everything is where it needs to be

before you go on a trip or before you do something else.

The other phrase I wanted to teach you today is the phrase a reality check.

Now a reality check is when something happens and it makes you realize

that maybe things are a certain way and you thought they were a different way.

I better think of a good example.

Think of a sports team that thinks they are the best.

Maybe at the beginning of the season, your favorite sports team thinks they are

the best and then they play a team that's really weak and they lose.

That would be a reality check for them.

It would make them realize that even though they thought they were the best, they're not.

It's definitely a reality check.

So whenever something happens that reminds you of reality,

that is something we would call a reality check.

So to review, when you double-check something, it means you check again.

I often, when I go on a long trip,

I will check the oil in the van and then just to be sure, I'll check again.

So I'll double-check the next day to make sure the oil in the van isn't low.

And usually I'll make sure it's gassed up as well.

And a reality check is whenever something happens

that makes you realize again, that

not everything is the way you think it is.

But hey, let's look at a comment from a previous video.

This comment is from

Aleksey.

Hi, Bob. Thank you. Finally, it happened today.

I did not make a single mistake while transcribing the first part of the lesson.

The trickiest sentence was at the 52 second mark.

My students were so much work today because, you know, it doesn't look grammatically correct.

And this pause...

because I paused when I said that...

so I have a hunch you wanted to say something different about your students that day.

And my response? You are correct about the pause.

I changed what I was going to say mid-sentence because I was going to say something

a bit more harsh.

I was going to say something mean about my students.

Congratulations on getting things right and for noticing my speech pattern change.

Very advanced.

Yeah. Good work, Aleksey.

That's awesome.

Yeah. You know, as I make these videos,

I talk, and sometimes

as I'm talking, I have to think about what I'm going to say.

And sometimes I have to change what I'm going to say while I'm talking.

You just experienced that right there.

I don't have a script.

When I make these videos, I just come outside, I teach the two phrases,

and then for the last bit I just talk.

And so yeah, I'm not reading anything.

I don't have it scripted.

I just come up with it on the fly - off the top of my head.

There's another phrase for you.

But hey, anyways, we are walking

in a typical Canadian subdivision.

These are houses that are actually much nicer

than what Jen and I could afford.

We're in a little bit of a pricier part of town.

I think these houses are quite big.

Let me show you this one.

I think this is where, I'm just going to guess,

but this is where doctors and dentists and lawyers live, I think.

But I'll give you a little view and then I'll wrap this video up.

So there you go.

A little bit of a view of some of the nicer places in town.

See in a couple of days with another lesson. Bye!