Learn the English Phrases TOO LITTLE TOO LATE and BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

In this English lesson,

I wanted to help you learn the English phrase

too little too late.

When we say that somebody does something

and that it's too little too late,

it means that they're not doing enough,

and they're starting to do it later than they should have.

Many people in Ontario, Canada right now

believe that the current lockdown that we're in

is too little too late.

That means that they don't think

the government has closed enough things,

and they don't think that the lockdown started early enough.

There's many things in life

where people believe that it is too little too late.

So not enough is being done,

and the time when that has been started

is too late in people's opinions.

So I think it's fine,

but some people think it's too little too late.

The other phrase I wanted to teach you today

is the phrase better late than never.

Now, I did teach this phrase a couple of years ago

but I thought it was worse...

It was worse.

I thought it was worth reviewing.

Better late than never applies to this video in particular.

Sometimes it's better to do something late

than to not do it at all.

You'll probably notice that this English lesson

is a few hours late.

It's actually early Monday morning right now.

I usually do these the day before,

and they come out in the night when I'm sleeping,

but I thought it's better late than never.

I thought I should get up, get outside,

and do this English lesson,

so you at least have a Monday English lesson to watch.

So definitely this is a situation

where it's better late than never.

It's better to do it than to not do it at all.

So let's review.

When you say too little too late,

you're referring to someone or some organization

that does something,

and what they're doing isn't enough, in your opinion,

and you also think they're doing it later

than they should have.

And when you say better late than never,

you're basically saying

sometimes it's better to do something

than to not do it at all.

Sometimes when people show up somewhere late, they'll say,

"Well, I'm here, but better late than never."

Basically what they mean,

"It's better that I came instead of just staying home

and not coming at all."

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

This comment is from Reder.

I'm hoping I'm pronouncing your name correct.

I'm hoping I'm pronouncing your name correctly.

And Reder says this.

"I'm wondering why the way you pronounce Niagara

is so different from online English dictionaries."

And my response was this.

"I have a bit of a regional accent.

People in my area, (cat meowing)

when speaking quickly..."

(cat meowing) Hello, cat. (laughs)

"Say it that way.

It is the same with Toronto.

When we say it quickly, we forget a few letters."

So I have, thanks Reder, by the way, for that comment.

I have a Southern Ontario accent,

probably an Ontario accent.

That's the province I live in,

and it comes out a lot when I say the names of local areas.

So a lot of you are familiar with Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls is close to my house,

but when I speak quickly and when I speak normally,

I say Nagra Falls.

I hardly...

I hardly.

I hardly pronounce the N-I-A.

It sounds more like an A, Nagra Falls.

So I go to Niagara Falls a lot.

When people visit me from far away,

I take them to see Niagara Falls.

And then the same with Toronto.

If I say it slowly, and clearly I would say Toronto,

Toronto, Ontario.

Toronto, Toronto.

You hear how it eventually just becomes Trono?

I've been to Toronto a few times.

Toronto is about two hours from my house.

I've been there...

I usually go once a year, actually.

I haven't been this year because of COVID,

but I usually go to Toronto once a year.

So Toronto becomes Toronto, like Trono.

So it sounds kind of funny,

the Trono Maple Leafs, the Trono Raptors. (laughs)

I guess that's just my regional accent,

but I think it's a pretty big region.

Most of Ontario speaks the way I speak.

Anyway, see you in a couple days

with another short English lesson.