Visual Vocabulary - To Play the Devil's Advocate - Speak English Fluently and Naturally
27,213 views ・ 2016-11-11
Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
00:00
Welcome to Visual Vocabulary, the new animated
series from EnglishAnyone.com that helps you
0
680
5469
00:06
learn useful English expressions the same
way native speakers do so you can master them
1
6149
5051
00:11
quickly, AND start using them confidently
in your conversations today!
2
11200
5300
00:16
Today’s expression is “to play the devil’s
advocate.”
3
16500
5490
00:21
This is an advanced expression meaning to
give a counterargument, usually just to help
4
21990
4990
00:26
people think more clearly.
5
26980
2160
00:29
It’s often easy to think an idea is great,
so you pretend to “play,” or become, “the
6
29140
6730
00:35
devil’s advocate” by arguing against the
idea to test that idea’s strength.
7
35870
5800
00:41
You’re advocating the opposite position
that the devil might take.
8
41670
5900
00:47
to play the devil’s advocate
9
47570
2579
00:50
to play the devil’s advocate
10
50149
1801
00:51
“To play the devil’s advocate” is a
phrase you can use in both professional and
11
51950
5310
00:57
casual situations:
12
57260
1709
00:58
A: This sounds like a good plan, but let me
play the devil’s advocate for a moment.
13
58969
5340
01:04
Won’t this hurt sales?
14
64309
1511
01:05
B: Actually, you’re right.
15
65820
2380
01:08
Maybe we should consider something else.
16
68200
3029
01:11
A: Not to play the devil’s advocate, but
shouldn’t we ask Mom before borrowing the
17
71229
4871
01:16
car?
18
76100
1000
01:17
B: It’s OK.
19
77100
1300
01:18
She already knows we’re going to use it.
20
78400
3160
01:21
A: If I may play the devil’s advocate, going
to the party might not be a good idea because
21
81560
5600
01:27
you might meet your ex-girlfriend.
22
87160
1410
01:28
B: That’s a good point!
23
88570
2570
01:31
Let’s get pizza instead.
24
91140
2479
01:33
A: If someone had played the devil’s advocate,
your team might not have made the wrong choice.
25
93619
6281
01:39
B: You live and learn!
26
99900
2450
01:42
Well, that’s the end of this lesson.
27
102350
3070
01:45
But if you want to keep learning more great
phrases, take our free English fluency test
28
105420
4390
01:49
by clicking on the link in this video!
29
109810
3360
01:53
This quick, simple test will show you exactly
what to focus on so you can finally become
30
113170
4490
01:57
a successful, confident English speaker 2,
3 or even 10 times faster!
31
117660
6130
02:03
Click on the link in this video to take your
free test now, and get personalized advice
32
123790
4570
02:08
that will help you see immediate improvement
in your spoken English.
33
128360
4469
02:12
Have a fantastic day, be sure to click that
like button, and we’ll see you in the next
34
132829
4780
02:17
lesson!
35
137609
380
New videos
Original video on YouTube.com
About this website
This site will introduce you to YouTube videos that are useful for learning English. You will see English lessons taught by top-notch teachers from around the world. Double-click on the English subtitles displayed on each video page to play the video from there. The subtitles scroll in sync with the video playback. If you have any comments or requests, please contact us using this contact form.