20 "To" Phrases That Can Use Verb+ing

11,281 views ・ 2024-12-13

English with Alex


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

00:07
Oh, hey, everyone.
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I think I might be addicted to taking selfies, so I apologize about that.
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Hey, everyone.
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I'm Alex.
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Thanks for clicking, and thank you for learning English with engvid.com.
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That's E-N-G-V-I-D dot com.
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If you are watching this video and you are enjoying it, make sure you subscribe to my
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channel on YouTube, click like, and turn on
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the notifications so you never miss a video.
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Now, in today's lesson, we are going to talk
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about a grammar topic that many people have
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questions about once they reach the upper intermediate or advanced level of English,
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and that is, "Alex, when can I add 'ing' after 'to'?
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I know it's possible."
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Okay?
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So, yes.
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In this video, I will teach you 20 phrases
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that use "to" plus verb "ing", or where it's
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possible to use "to" plus the verb "ing".
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Now, before we begin, an important question to ask when you are wondering, "Can I use
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verb 'ing' after 'to'?"
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Well, you have to ask yourself, "Wait, is this a particle, or is it a preposition?"
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Now, a particle is, as an example number one, "I want to leave."
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As you know, if you are watching this video,
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some verbs in English can be followed by a
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gerund, which is verb "ing".
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Some verbs can be followed by a "to" infinitive, which is "to" plus the verb.
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So, in this case, "I want to leave", "to" is functioning as, grammatically, what is
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known as a particle.
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Now, a particle is just a junk word that we
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throw in, but is necessary in order to continue
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and complete a grammatical form.
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So, "I want to leave", for example, in this case.
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Now, for a preposition, one of the rules about
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prepositions is they are always followed by
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objects.
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Right?
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So, a preposition needs an object.
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"I live in Canada", for example.
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"I spent the day with Martha."
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Or "lung cancer is linked to smoking."
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Right?
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So, here, remember gerunds are verbal nouns,
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so they function as nouns, which means they
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can function as objects.
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Okay?
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So, here we have an example where you are using verb "ing" after "to".
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How?
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"Lung cancer is linked to", so you have a
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phrase, "to be linked to something", you have
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to be linked to something.
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A gerund is a something.
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Okay?
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So, now, so far, so good, I hope.
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You can always rewind the video, listen to me explain this again, or first make sure
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you understand about the basics of gerunds and infinitives.
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And now, let's continue with learning and
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practicing the phrases that you can use with
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"to" plus verb "ing".
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I apologize for the pause.
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My brain went in a different direction for a moment.
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Now, one of the phrases that you can use is "adapt to".
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So, for example, "I'm adapting to using AI."
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Here, you can see I'm using a verb in the continuous form.
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I am adapting.
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Adapting to what?
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I am adapting to using AI.
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I am making the adaptation in the...
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I'm in progress.
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I'm in process of doing this now.
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This is actually true for me.
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Maybe it's true for you.
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You're adapting to using AI as it becomes a bigger part of our lives.
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Next, we have "adjust to".
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So, she is adjusting to...
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What is she adjusting to?
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Something.
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She's adjusting to wearing high heels.
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Now, of course, you can say she's adjusting to high heels, right?
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To wearing them.
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But, yes, another phrase with "adjust to".
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This is a preposition in this case.
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Next, we have "add to".
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"Spending time alone only added to feeling depressed."
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Here, we can actually use a possessive gerund, if you would like.
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Added to his feeling depressed, or her
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feeling depressed, or your feeling depressed.
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Something like that.
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So, "added to feeling depressed".
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Next, we have "contribute to".
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So, "contribute to", similar to "add to".
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It plays a role in something.
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So, credit cards, if you have a credit card,
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credit cards contribute to overspending.
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To spending too much money.
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So, if you have a credit card, you are more likely to close your eyes and say, "Yep, I
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will pay for this.
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I will buy this."
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Because you are not thinking about the money
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that is necessary to purchase that product.
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Next, you can "be close to something", close to doing something.
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So, for example, okay, we are close to finishing.
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We are close to being done in this case.
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So far, so good?
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Not bad?
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Right?
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Okay, so I hope you're seeing.
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We have "adapt to", "adjust to", "add to", "contribute to".
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Next, we have "dedicate to".
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You can be dedicated to something as well.
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So, for example, he is dedicated to improving the city's infrastructure.
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So, this is someone with a government position,
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probably the municipal government, the local
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government.
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So, he is dedicated to improving the city's infrastructure.
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So far, so good.
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Alright. Okay.
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Next, we have "commit to".
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I have committed myself to practicing daily.
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So, you can commit yourself, a person can commit themselves to doing something.
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So, have you committed yourself to practicing English on a regular basis?
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It's a good question to ask.
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Okay.
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Next, "lead to".
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So, if something leads to something else, it means that step one happens, then step
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two happens, and oh, there's a cause and effect.
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Right?
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So, for example, his policies led to increasing the cost of energy.
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So, the energy costs went up for people, the
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cost of electricity specifically, after, you
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or after his policies became law.
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So, his policies led to increasing the cost of energy.
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Next, we have "admit to".
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So, when you admit to something, this means you say that you did something.
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You were the person responsible for something.
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For example, she admitted to stealing the diamonds.
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This is a very dramatic example, but she says,
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okay, fine, I stole the diamonds, I took them,
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it was me.
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So, she admitted to stealing the diamonds.
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She admitted to theft, basically.
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And what I said there, she admitted to theft, which means, like, stealing.
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Of course, in all of these cases, you can
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follow to with something that is not a gerund.
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As long as it's a noun or a noun phrase, a
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thing, it has to be some thing, for example.
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And remember, verb-ing, gerunds is a thing.
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All right, "be addicted to".
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So, at the beginning of this video, I was taking selfies, and I can say...
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I said, I think I am addicted to taking selfies.
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Here, we have another example of "to be
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addicted to" with something with your phone.
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So, these days, many people are addicted to scrolling on their phones.
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So, to scroll is to, like, go down or up, wherever you're going.
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Usually up, this way.
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Yeah, we go this way on our phones, usually, because you want to go down.
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Too much information.
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You know what I mean.
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So, many people are addicted to scrolling on their phones.
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Are you addicted to scrolling on your phone?
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Hmm, that's a good question.
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Now, are you addicted to learning English and learning English with me, specifically?
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If so, let's continue with more phrases.
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Come on.
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So, the next three phrases are related.
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The first one is "be accustomed to".
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When you are accustomed to something, this
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means you have a habit of it, you're comfortable
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with it, you're familiar with it.
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It's not new or strange or awkward for you.
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So, for example, they are accustomed to eating dinner at 7.
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This is their custom.
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This is what they are used to.
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That's another one.
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We'll talk about that in a sec.
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This is their habit.
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So, they are accustomed to eating dinner at 7.
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What time are you accustomed to eating dinner?
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Me, I'm an early, early dinner person.
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Now, if you are in, well, many places of the world,
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you would think my dinner time is ridiculously early.
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I eat dinner around 4.30.
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Yeah, 4.30 is my dinner time because the kids
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come home from school, they're hungry, and
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dinner is ready, so why not?
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We eat at 4.30.
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Sometimes around 7 we have a little
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something extra, but yeah, dinner's at 4.30.
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I know places in the world dinner's at 9,
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but I am accustomed to eating dinner at 4.30.
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How about you?
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Another way to say to be accustomed to something is to be used to something.
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So, she's not used to living in a tropical climate.
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She is not accustomed to it.
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She's not comfortable with it.
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It's new for her.
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It's a little strange for her.
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She will get used to it over time.
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So, yes, so she is not used to living in a tropical climate.
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This is the same as to be accustomed to, but it's a little more casual.
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I have many videos where I talk about be used
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to, and used to, and get used to, so you can
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check out my be used to, get used to, and
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used to video if you want to, like, test your
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knowledge of them.
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Next, we have get used to.
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So, whereas be used to and be accustomed to talk about the state of being familiar with
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something, get used to talks about the process
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of becoming familiar with something, becoming
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comfortable.
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So, for example, we are getting used to hearing train sirens in the morning.
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So, those train sirens, so if you wake up in the morning and you live...
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Maybe you moved to a place near a train station,
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you have to become comfortable with hearing
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trains and hearing the train sirens in the morning.
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Next, we have be opposed to.
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So, if you are opposed to something, you oppose it.
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You are against it, basically.
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You do not support it.
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So, for example, he is opposed to hunting.
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So, maybe all hunting.
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He thinks animals should not be victims of gun violence.
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That's a more dramatic way to put it, but maybe he is opposed to hunting.
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If you hunt, if you don't hunt, it's none of my business.
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Do whatever you wish to do, as long as it's legal.
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There you go.
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Sometimes, even when it's not, I didn't say that.
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Okay, object to, so yes, be opposed to or to object to something.
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These are a little bit related.
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If you object to something, you definitely
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don't support it, and you say, "No, I object
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to this.
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I have the opposite position of this.
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I strongly disagree with this."
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So, for example, the workers' union objected to eliminating overtime.
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So, the company said, "We are eliminating overtime.
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There will be no more overtime.
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The union in the company, the workers' union,
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objected to this idea, this proposal, or this
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plan, perhaps.
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So, they objected to eliminating overtime.
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Next, we have relate to.
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So, relate, relationship, right?
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When you think about relating to something or someone, there's a relationship.
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So, you're talking about something, and you're talking about hiking, right?
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Just the act of hiking, and going on trips around the mountains, and around the hills,
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and then suddenly your friend changes the
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topic and starts talking about something else,
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and you say, "Wait, wait, wait.
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How does this relate to hiking?"
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You can also use the term "connect to" in this case.
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How does this connect to hiking or relate to hiking?
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"We were just talking about hiking."
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Okay, but you changed the subject.
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Why?
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Next, respond to, so what is your response to something?
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So, for example, "How should schools respond to bullying?"
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So, here, of course you could say "respond to bullies", like the people themselves, or
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the act itself, right?
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"How should schools respond to bullying?"
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All right.
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Next, we have "listen to".
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Of course, you can listen to music, you can listen to your friends, you can listen to
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an argument.
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But if you are listening to an argument, maybe
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you would say this, like, "Ugh, I can't stand
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listening to yelling, people speaking in loud voices.
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Like, I can't stand listening to this."
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Right?
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Okay.
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"Get back to", so if you get back to something, you return to it.
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So, here, let's get back to discussing the
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project, like, "Hey, can we return to discussing
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the project?
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I don't want to talk about what you had for lunch."
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Right?
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And I want to go back, you can also say "go back to", see, more than 20 phrases.
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You always get bonus material with me.
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Let's get back to discussing the project, so let's return to it.
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"Look forward to", I've talked about, I don't
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know the number of times I have written "look
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forward to" in over 300 videos that I have made.
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And I would guess it's about 10, maybe, maybe more.
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I don't know.
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Anyway, "to look forward to" is to anticipate
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something with pleasure, to be excited about
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something in the future, so "look forward",
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"forward" is the direction, and you look forward
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to in the future, I am looking forward to reading your comments after this video.
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That's it.
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That's the lesson.
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That's the lesson, everybody.
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So, just a reminder, you can use verb "ing" after "to", typically if the "to" acts as
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a preposition.
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After a preposition, you need an object, you need a thing.
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Basically, in all of these cases, if you can
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add the word "pizza" at the end of it, and
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even if it doesn't make, like, logical sense,
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but it makes grammatical sense, you can add
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verb "ing".
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So, they're accustomed to pizza, right?
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She's not used to pizza.
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So, if you add the word "pizza", it's an object,
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you can say, "Oh, okay", even if it doesn't
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logically make sense.
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Grammatically, if the word "pizza" makes sense, you can use verb "ing" as well.
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So, think about verb "ing" as pizza.
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That's the lesson I'm giving you today.
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That's it.
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All right, to test your understanding of the
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phrases we have studied in this lesson, check
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out the quiz on www.engvid.com.
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That's www.engvid.com.
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You can always just check out the link that's
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attached to the description of the video for
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that quiz link if you are watching this on YouTube or on other areas of the internet,
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wherever we are in 10 years or 20 years.
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That's it.
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All right, everybody.
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So, thank you for clicking, good luck, and keep practicing.
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