Speak Like A Native: 101 Words To Talk About Your Daily Life!

Welcome to this English vocabulary master class.

Today you're going to learn 101 words that you  

can use in your daily speech  to sound fluent and natural.

Welcome back to JForrest English.

Of course, I'm Jennifer.

Now let's get started.

The best way to expand your vocabulary is to  learn full phrases instead of individual words.

So first, in this master class,  

you'll learn 12 great things that  you can say in daily conversations.

Number one, do you wanna grab a coffee after work?

Do you know this phrase?

This is a casual way to  invite someone to socialize.

So I said, do you want to grab coffee after work?

You could say this to your coworker because  you're inviting your coworker to socialize.

Or maybe you texted this to your friend.

You're both working and you're  going to socialize after work.

Now in this case, grab means  have a coffee or get a coffee.

It's the same meaning and you can use this  with coffee, tea, lunch, dinner, or a bite.

A bite means a meal, but careful because  you cannot say, do you want to grab a movie?

Do you want to grab a walk?

Do you want to grab a football game?

You can't say these things, but you can  use this expression with any food or drink.

So you can say let's grab a coffee this weekend.

You can use whatever time reference you want.

We should grab a coffee this week.

We need to grab coffee soon.

When are you free to grab coffee?

So many alternative ways to say this.

Do you want to grab dinner sometime?

You want to grab breakfast?

You want to grab a coffee?

Don't worry about taking notes because I  summarize everything in a free lesson PDF.

You can find the link in the  description #2 You bet, you bet.

I use this expression every.

Day, and now you can too.

This is a casual way to affirm something.

It's the same as saying definitely or absolutely.

So let's say your friend texts you and  says let's grab a coffee this weekend.

You can reply back to affirm this  request or invitation and say, you bet.

You bet.

Your friends or your sister or  your girlfriend wife might say,  

do you want to go shopping this weekend again?

To affirm that casually, like a native speaker,  you can say you bet or Are you ready to go?

Now you're affirming that  yes, you are ready to go.

So you can simply say you bet, you bet,  I'm ready to go, but just say you bet.

So I can ask you, Are you ready  to move on to the next expression?

If you are, then say you bet,  you bet, Jennifer, you bet.

I'm ready to move on.

But you can just say you bet.

Put that in the comments.

Sure, you bet, You bet.

You bet.

Now let's move on #3 Keep me posted.

Have you heard this one?

Maybe you've heard Keep me updated.

Posted means updated.

It's the same thing.

This is a casual way to ask someone  to share information or news with you.

But when it's available,  so as it becomes available.

So let's say you're talking to your  friend or family member and they  

say tomorrow I'm meeting with Zacs  teacher to discuss his poor grades.

And Zach is this person's young son.

Maybe he's 8 years old now.

To say to this person that you want  her to share information with you  

as it's happening, you can  simply say keep me posted.

Keep me posted.

This means after the meeting  tell me what happened.

Keep me posted.

Maybe your friend says I might not be able to grab  coffee this weekend because my in laws are coming.

So you can reply back and say keep me posted.

This means let me know if you can or can't  come when that information is available.

Keep me posted, keep me posted, keep me  posted, keep me posted #4 I'd better get going.

Have you heard this one?

This is a casual way to  say that you need to leave.

So you may say, oh wow, it's  already 845 I'd better get going.

I'd better leave the kids go to bed at 9:00 PM.

Now notice here I'd this is a contraction of  

I had better so make sure you  get that I'd repeat after me.

I'd I'd I'd better I'd better get going.

And of course get going means leave.

You can use this as a suggestion  to the person you're with.

We'd better get going if we don't  want to be stuck in traffic.

Or again, look at the time.

This is an expression.

Look at the time.

This is when you want to  remark on what time it is.

Look at the time I.

Better get going, I better get going.

Well, I better get going, I better get  going #5 When do you want to head out?

Do you know what this means?

Head out.

This is a casual way to ask  when someone wants to leave.

So head out.

This is a phrasal verb.

The main verb is head, and the preposition is out.

And this phrasal verb means leave.

You could say I'd better head out.

Remember I had better, I'd better,  but you can use I'd better head out.

Or you can say when do you want to get going?

Get going means leave.

So get going means leave,  and head out means leave.

You can mix and match them.

Head now.

So you're heading out number  six, I'm short on time.

This is something you can say every day  because we're usually short on time.

This is a casual way to say you don't have  a lot of time to be short on something.

In this case, time means you have a  limited or small amount of something.

You could say I'd better  head out our last expression,  

I'd better head out or I'd better  get going because I'm short on time.

Time is 1 common noun that you  can use with this expression.

You can also say I'm short on  money, I'm short on patience.

It means you have a limited amount of not a lot  of or in a business context, I'm short on ideas.

I'm a little short on cash.

It's a long story, I'm short  on time #7 I love this one.

I'm here if you need me.

This is a casual way to offer help or support.

So remember your friend that was  meeting with her son's teacher,  

her son Zach to discuss his poor grades  And remember you said, what did you say?

You said keep me posted, share information about  that meeting as it happens, as it's available.

So your friend replies back to  you and shares that information.

And she says his teachers said he should have  a private tutor to help him improve his grades.

Now you want to show support to your friend  because this is a difficult thing for her.

So you can say I'm here if you need  me, I'm here if you need anything.

I'm here if there's anything I can do.

I'm here to help in any way I can.

So again, there's always multiple  ways to say one thing in English.

Start with one, learn the structure, and then see  how you can change it as you get more comfortable.

You don't have to use all of them.

I'm here if you need me.

I'm here if you need me.

OK #8 I'm all ears.

This is a casual way to let someone know you're  listening closely or paying full attention.

So what about you right now?

Are you all ears?

Are you listening very closely to this lesson?

I hope you are put you bad  to put you bad if you are.

Now you just said to your  friend, I'm here if you need me.

Maybe you could add on and say if you want to  grab coffee and chat about your son, I'm all ears.

So you're.

Offering support to your friend by letting her  know that you are going to pay full attention.

Listen closely, I'm all ears.

Or you could say to your brother or your  wife, I'm heading out in 10 minutes.

But until then, I'm all ears.

So I'm going to give you my full  attention, but only for 10 minutes.

So again, if you're paying  full attention to this lesson,  

to all these amazing expressions, also  put all ears, all ears in the comments.

I'm all ears, I'm all here  #9 can we take a rain chunk?

Have you heard this before?

A rain chunk.

This is a casual way to both decline an invitation  but also to express interest in doing it later.

So you could say to your friend or Co worker,  I'd love to grab a bite tonight but I have a big.

Meeting tomorrow, can we take a rain check?

So you're letting your friend or Co worker  know not tonight but hopefully in the future.

But this is a very general expression because  you don't have a specific plan to meet again,  

so you would have to arrange the specifics.

Your friend could say my in laws are  going to keep me busy this weekend.

Can we take a rain check?

Because remember previously you made plans with  your friend, but then her in laws are coming.

So now she wants to take a rain check.

She wants to decline the invitation you currently  have but say we'll do it again in the future.

Thank you.

Can we take a rain check?

We take a rain check.

All right #10 let's play it by ear.

This is an expression I use a lot  because I love playing things by ear.

This is a casual way to suggest being  flexible and deciding as things happen.

So if you play something by ear, it  means you decide as you go along.

Remember your friend said I  need to take a rain check?

Maybe she could add on and say  I should be free next weekend.

I'll keep you posted.

I'll share that information  as it becomes available.

You can reply back and say no  worries, let's just play it by ear.

So you're letting your friend  know that you'll go for coffee.

You'll grab coffee whenever it  makes sense for both of you.

You're being flexible.

You don't need a specific time.

You're just going to play it by ear.

Or if you're going out for a family dinner,  someone might say, should we make a reservation?

But then you can say, let's play  it by ear and see how we feel.

Because if you make a reservation,  

you have to be there at a specific time and  you have to go to that specific restaurant.

But maybe you want to be more flexible.

You want to play it by ear.

You're right.

Let's play it by ear.

Let's play that one by ear.

OK, let's play this one by ear #11 hang in there.

This is a casual way to encourage someone  to persist through a tough situation.

Hang in there is the same as saying  keep strong, keep going, don't give up.

This expression became very popular because of  

this poster with a cat hanging from a  rope and the caption is hang in there.

This poster is seen in office  buildings around the world most likely,  

maybe even in your country and in people's homes.

It's a very popular poster.

So the expression is very popular as well.

Maybe your friend sends you a text and  says my in laws are driving me crazy.

Do you know that expression are driving me crazy?

They are producing a lot of  negativity or negative emotion in me.

They're driving me crazy.

But then you can reply back and say hang in there,  

be strong, get through this  situation, hang in there.

They're leaving in 2 days.

But you could add on I'm here if you need  me, or you could add on if you need to vent.

I'm all ears.

Do you know what to vent means?

When you vent, it means you talk  freely about your negative emotions.

So you're giving your friend permission to just  lay on all the negative emotions for a period of  

time just to get it out of her system.

That means to vent.

Hang in there, Andre, Hang in there, number 12.

Take care.

I'm sure you know this one, but I  want you to feel confident using it.

This is a casual way to say goodbye  and it adds on a caring tone.

This is used with friends, coworkers.

It's used when you leave a restaurant  or a shopping mall or anywhere.

It's extremely common.

So you can say have a great night, take care.

It was great catching up, take care.

So just know this can be  combined with other farewells.

Have a great night, see you soon.

And then at the end, you can add  on take care, take care, take care.

Are you enjoying this lesson?

If you are, then I want to tell you  about the finely fluent Academy.

This is my premium training program where  we study native English speakers from TV,  

the movies, YouTube, and the news.

So you can improve your listening  skills of fast English, expand your  

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Plus, you'll have me as your personal coach.

You can look in the description  for the link to learn more,  

or you can go to my website and  click on Finally Fluent Academy.

Now let's continue with our lesson.

Now you'll learn 21 words that you  can use every day to impress natives.

First you'll learn the word, but then you'll see a  

real world example so you understand how  that word is used in context #1 dazzling.

Dazzling.

That's a fun word to say.

Repeat after me.

Dazzling.

This is an adjective that means brilliant  and impressive, leaving a lasting impression.

I could say you look absolutely  dazzling in that outfit and notice  

how I added absolutely to make it even stronger.

Or I could say she started her  presentation with a dazzling smile.

So what do you think of my smile?

Is it dazzling?

If it is, then put dazzling put.

Dazzling in the comments.

Because.

Putting it in the comments.

Will help you remember it.

Put dazzling in the comments #2 caveat.

Repeat after me.

Caveat.

This is a noun and it's a  warning or cautionary statement.

These words will impress native  speakers, but there's one caveat.

There's one warning.

You need to pronounce them correctly.

So repeat after me caveat.

Or you could say he agreed to be interviewed  with the caveat that he could review the article.

Don't worry about taking notes because I  summarize everything in a free lesson PDF.

You can find the link in the  description #3 Alleviate.

Repeat after me.

Alleviate.

This is a verb that means to make something  negative, like a pain or a problem, less severe.

For example, taking a walk can alleviate stress.

It can make it less severe or  practicing your speech beforehand,  

maybe for a job interview or a presentation,  can alleviate your public speaking anxiety.

It can make it less severe.

So make sure you practice #4  a fun one to say conundrum.

Repeat after me conundrum.

Conundrum.

This is a noun and it's a confusing  and difficult problem or question.

He faced a conundrum.

So notice that verb is face.

You face a conundrum.

He faced a conundrum about  which job offer to accept.

So maybe he has this job offer, but then  he calls you as his friend and he says,  

it's my dream job, but if I accept it, I'll  have to move overseas away from my family.

And then you can reply back and  say, well, that's a conundrum,  

That's a difficult problem  you're facing #5 frivolous.

Also fun to say frivolous.

Repeat after me.

Frivolous.

This is an adjective that means not  having any serious purpose or value.

We commonly use this with money.

He spends all his money on frivolous items,  on items that have no purpose or value.

Or you could say they argued  over something frivolous,  

something meaningless, no purpose, no value.

Hopefully you're thinking  this lesson isn't frivolous,  

which means it does have purpose  and it does provide you value.

So this lesson isn't frivolous.

Would you agree?

Put that's right.

Put that's right, that's right in the comments.

Number six, perplex.

Repeat after me.

Perplex.

This is a verb that means to confuse and worry  someone by being difficult to understand or solve.

For example, the patient's  symptoms perplexed the doctors.

The doctors found the symptoms difficult.

Understand and then solve.

So it caused some worry or confusion.

Or you could say I was perplexed by  these words, the words in this lesson.

Notice that passive structure.

I was perplexed by these words, but  Jennifer helped me understand them.

Hopefully you agree with that #7 nostalgia.

Repeat after me nostalgia.

This is a noun and it's a feeling of pleasure but  

also slight sadness when you think  about things that happened in the past.

Some people feel nostalgia because nostalgia  is a noun, so you can feel nostalgia.

Some people feel nostalgia for their  school days, so thinking about their  

school days in the past, it brings some  pleasure, but a little bit of sadness.

Can you relate to that?

Or you could say hearing that song  again filled him with nostalgia.

You can be filled with this noun.

Nostalgia number 80.

This is a good one.

Ominous.

Repeat after me.

Ominous.

This is an adjective, and it means giving  

the impression that something bad  or unpleasant is going to happen.

We commonly use this with the weather.

You could look up and say  the dark clouds are ominous.

So what's the bad thing that's going to happen?

A severe storm.

Or you could say he had an  ominous feeling about the meeting.

Something bad is going to happen.

Maybe the client won't sign the contract, or  he won't get the answer he wanted #9 acquiesce.

Repeat after me.

Acquiesce.

Acquiesce.

This is a verb, and it means to agree passively.

So to agree, but you don't really want to.

You don't want to initially, but  you eventually say, OK, I acquiesce.

For example, I wanted to go to Hawaii,  but my husband wanted to go to Iceland.

I acquiesced.

So my question for you, my smart  student, is where did I go on vacation?

Did I go to Hawaii or Iceland?

Put your answer in the comments.

Hawaii or Iceland, Put it in  the comments #10 consensus.

Repeat after me.

Consensus.

This is a noun and it means  general agreement among a group.

Remember, to have general agreement,  you don't need 100%, you need 505155.

That would be the minimum  amount for a general consensus.

For example, we couldn't reach a consensus.

So the verb you use is to reach a consensus.

We couldn't reach a consensus  on where to go for vacation.

Hawaii or Iceland, we couldn't reach a consensus.

Or you could say there is a consensus  that the proposal needs revisions.

So this means that the majority of people agree  that the proposal needs revisions #11 itinerary.

I'm always surprised when my students,  

even my advanced students, don't know  this word because it's so commonly used.

Repeat after me.

Itinerary.

This is a noun, and it's a detailed  plan or route for an event or vacation.

For example, have you planned  your itinerary for Iceland?

Because remember, I acquiesced, so I agreed with  

my husband who wanted to go to Iceland  even though I wanted to go to Hawaii.

Did you understand that?

Did you get that?

So have you planned your  itinerary for Iceland yet?

So the itinerary would tell you what activities  you're doing on each day of that trip.

Or you could say we have a very busy  itinerary, all the things you have planned.

Now don't confuse us with  the next word #12 agenda.

Repeat after me agenda.

Most students know this, but don't  confuse it with an itinerary because  

an agenda is a list of items  to be discussed at a meeting.

So you can ask what's the agenda for the  meeting or what's the first item on the agenda?

Or In emails, it's very common to send or  receive an e-mail that says, please find,  

attach the agenda for today's conference call #13  lucrative, lucrative, repeat after me lucrative.

This is an adjective and it means producing  a great deal of profit or financial success.

We use this specifically with money.

You could say photography isn't lucrative.

It doesn't produce a great deal of  financial success, but it's my passion.

Or you could say there was a general consensus.

Most people agree there was a general consensus  that the partnership would be lucrative,  

would result in money, financial success.

So that's a great one to have in  your vocabulary #14 contingency.

Do you know this one?

Contingency.

Repeat after me.

Contingency.

This is a noun, and it's a future  event or circumstance which is  

possible but cannot be predicted with certainty.

So it's possible but not guaranteed.

Here's how this word is most commonly used.

We need a contingency plan  in case of an emergency.

So this is a plan about a potential  circumstance that's possible but not guaranteed.

And the plan, the contingency plan, will tell  you what to do in the event of an emergency.

Or you could say we must prepare for  all possible contingencies #15 tangible.

Repeat after me.

Tangible.

This is a noun, and it means real.

Something you can touch, show, or even experience.

For example, the project  resulted in tangible benefits.

I can show you the benefits on a chart.

You can touch the benefits such as money,  

or you have an experience such as doing  something because of those benefits.

It's tangible.

Or you might say we need tangible  evidence to support our claims.

You need evidence that people  can touch, see, or experience.

It must be tangible.

This is commonly used with  assets because there are  

tangible assets such as machinery and buildings.

You can touch them, you can look at them.

They're real #16 incentive.

Repeat after me.

Incentive.

This is a noun, and it's a thing that motivates  or encourages someone to do something.

So, for example, I need to give you and all  of my students an incentive to subscribe.

I need to encourage you to subscribe  by providing something of value.

So the fact that I upload videos every  single day is your incentive to subscribe.

So make sure you subscribe like this video.

And of course, subscribe if you haven't already.

I have other incentives for you.

Once you subscribe #17 Metrics  repeat after me Metrics.

Metrics.

This is a noun, and it's  a standard of measurement.

For example, the size of your vocabulary  is one of the metrics of fluency,  

the number of words you know, which  is why I'm teaching you 21 words.

So you can improve this metric, this  measure of performance for your fluency.

As you know, on your IELTS or other language  exams, they judge you on different areas.

Those are the different metrics.

Or if you want to improve your fluency,  

a good question to ask is what  are the key metrics of fluency?

And that will tell you what areas to focus on.

Number 18, redundant.

Repeat after me.

Redundant.

Redundant.

This is a noun and it means not  or no longer needed or useful.

For example, some tasks have  become redundant due to automation.

AI, Chachi, BT, or you could say  typewriters are now redundant.

They're no longer used, although they were once  the only device that people had to write with.

So can you think of something in today's  modern world that is now redundant?

My example was a typewriter.

Share your own example in the comments below.

Just for fun #19 streamline.

Streamline.

Repeat after me.

Streamline.

This is a verb, and it means to make  something faster, easier, or better.

For example, online learning  has streamlined education.

It's made it faster, easier, better.

Would you agree with that?

Or you might ask in a meeting, how  can we streamline our operations?

How can we make our operations  faster, better, easier #20 glaring?

Repeat after me.

Glaring.

This is an adjective, and it's when something  bad is extremely obvious, it's glaring.

For example, we can't hire her.

She made glaring spelling mistakes in her CV.

So when you look at the CV, the  spelling mistakes are extremely obvious.

They're glaring so that CV  is going in the garbage.

Or you could say there was a glaring  contradiction in his statement.

The contradiction was extremely obvious.

Now do you know what a contradiction is?

This is word 21 contradiction.

Repeat after me contradiction.

And this is a combination of words.

That is nonsense because some of the words  suggest the opposite of some of the others.

That's a confusing definition,  but listen to this simple example.

She's an honest politician.

Now some people might reply back  and say an honest politician.

Isn't that a contradiction?

Because when you hear the word honest, an image  of a politician is not what most people think of.

So some people might say that the combination of  words, an honest politician, is a contradiction.

Here's an everyday example.

You said you hate the heat,  but you want to go to Hawaii.

Isn't that a contradiction?

Because Hawaii is very hot, but you just said  you hate the heat, so that's a contradiction.

Now let's keep going and learn words and contacts.

We'll read a news article together  and you'll learn over 50 phrases.

First, I'll read the headline.

Combat brain fatigue with these top expert tips.

We're talking about brain fatigue.

When your brain feels like this,  notice the pronunciation here.

Fatigue EEG fatigue Repeat after me Fatigue.

Fatigue means extreme tiredness.

Notice it's a noun.

Combat brain fatigue.

It's a something.

Tiredness is a something.

Let's review these two sentences and  see if you can identify the difference.

I feel fatigue after studying English.

I feel fatigued after studying English.

You may notice that the pronunciation  is almost identical because this D  

in fatigued is extremely soft and you  don't really hear it at a natural pace.

But what is the difference in  grammar or meaning between these two?

The meaning is basically  identical, but fatigue here.

This is a noun.

You can feel something.

I feel happiness when I look at  a beautiful sunrise, for example.

Now I feel fatigued, This is an adjective.

I feel happy when I look at a beautiful sunrise.

So the meaning is the same,  but the grammar is different.

This is a noun and this is the adjective form.

And you can feel for both of them and notice  that pronunciation is almost identical.

So what about you?

Do you feel fatigue the noun or do you feel  fatigued the adjective after studying English?

If you do, put.

That's me.

That's me in the comments, and know that as  we'll learn in this article, it's very common.

So don't feel bad if you say that's me.

I certainly feel fatigued after  I do a lot of mental work.

Now notice how they say  combat, Combat, brain fatigue.

You could also say fight brain  fatigue, or battle or combat.

Notice all three of these have the same  visual image of fighting brain fatigue.

So you have 3 alternatives in your vocabulary.

Don't worry about taking notes.

I summarize everything in a free lesson PDF.

You can find the link in the description.

Now let's start the article and  learn how Put your thinking cap on.

Have you heard this before?

Put your thinking cap on.

This is an idiom and it means get ready  to think hard or think creatively.

So if you're discussing a problem at  work or at home, someone could say,  

let's put our thinking caps on  because it's one's thinking cap.

So if you have more than one,  you would add an S to cap.

Let's put our thinking caps on and figure  out how to reduce the budget, for example.

That's the problem you want to solve.

So at the beginning of this lesson, I  could say to you, put your thinking cap on.

You're going to learn a lot of new vocabulary,  

so get ready to think hard and don't worry if  you feel fatigued by the end of this lesson.

As a result.

Put your thinking cap on.

People often hear, so this is a common  expression is what they're saying.

After all, that's what our brain is for.

Your brain is for thinking.

That's the purpose and what many are paid to do.

You are paid to think at your job.

That's what you're paid to do.

You're paid to think, but a new study finds that  people see a downside to such mental expenditures.

Thinking can be a pain do you know what  a downside is put your thinking cap on.

A downside is a negative  aspect, it's a disadvantage.

So we talk about the downsides, the  disadvantages, and the opposite is.

The.

Upside.

Or there can be plural, the  upsides, the advantages.

The.

Positive aspects.

So you could say there are many  upsides to learning English, but.

There.

I just noticed I have a typo  here, but there are downsides too.

I was thinking of writing.

There can be downsides too, but there.

Are downsides too.

So this means there are many  positive aspects to learning English,  

but there can be some negative aspects,  for example how much time it takes.

Or.

How much mental expenditure there  is, those can be the downsides.

So you can put in the comments the upside  to learning English is and then you can do  

the same thing with the downside is and then you  can share a point in the comments to practices.

It's very common.

Use the upside or the downside.

Remember it can be singular, just talking  about one, or you can make it plural.

The upsides and downsides, the choice  is yours, so put that in the comments.

An upside and a downside.

Let's look at mental expenditure because I use  

this in my example as well  as one of the downsides.

Expenditures financially are things you  spend money on your monthly expenditures.

So if it's a mental expenditure,  it means you're spending.

But what are you spending?

You're not spending money.

You're spending your mental  effort or your mental energy.

So mental expenditures is the  amount of effort or energy required.

Let's look at this next part.

Thinking can be a pain, a pain  to describe something as a pain.

It can be painful, meaning physical.

I have all pain.

Oh, I have a pain.

This means my neck hurts.

This area is painful, so it's physical.

But we also use this to describe something as  frustrating or annoying, and we use this a lot.

For example, maybe you agree  driving during rush hour is a pain.

It's annoying, it's frustrating, so  it causes mental or emotional pain.

Driving during rush hour is a pain.

You can put that's right or that's right instead  of that's me put that's right in the comments.

If you agree that this is a pain.

So just remember, grammatically it's.

To.

Be and then you need this article a pain.

So something that that's why  we have this gerund verb.

Something is your verb to be a pain.

Again, if you agree that this is a pain, but  that's right, that's right in the comments.

Such work isn't actual pain,  of course, because remember  

we talked about something can be painful  physically or just frustrating, annoying.

So the physical, the mental expenditure, such  work, the mental expenditure isn't actual pain.

Of course, your brain has no nerve ending.

So your brain does not feel pain.

I didn't know that.

Did you know that?

So a pain in the brain is not  like having a pain in the neck.

And that's the exact example I gave before a pain.

And it's interesting because this  full expression is the idiom.

So you could say driving during  rush hour is a pain in the neck  

is the full expression to say that  something is frustrating or annoying.

But native speakers generally just leave  out in the neck and just say a pain.

So I expanded that with the full expression, but  it's in brackets to show you that it's optional.

And honestly, it's more common to just say a pain.

But the mental effort, Remember before  we described this as mental expenditure?

The mental effort it takes to think hard can be so  

upsetting that some people will  choose physical pain instead.

So here the article ended on instead, because  the alternative was already mentioned.

Think hard.

That's the alternative.

So choose physical pain instead.

But just remember, if you write out the full  alternative, you have to say instead of.

The preposition choice is of, and then your  verb needs to be an ING instead of thinking.

Or I could add instead of thinking hard,  

but you don't have to because  that alternative is clearly known.

But I just want you to remember what  preposition and the grammar that you need.

A 2020 study asked people  if they would prefer to do a  

difficult memory task, remembering if  a card reappeared after a distraction.

This is the difficult memory task.

A distraction is something that causes  you to change your focus or attention.

Right now you're focusing  on this lesson, hopefully,  

but then if you heard a noise in the other  room, you might want to go see what happened.

You leave this lesson.

So that noise was a distraction.

It caused you to change your  focus or your attention.

We use this a lot in the verb form to be  distracted, to be distracted, distracted.

Notice that's the passive form.

So you have your verb to be  that needs to be conjugated  

and then distracted is always in the Ed form.

You could say, sorry, I was distracted,  sorry I didn't hear you, I was distracted.

And then you could add on, I  was distracted by the noise.

So if your friend is telling you  a story and then you realize you  

weren't actually focusing on your friend, you  were focusing on the noise in the other room.

So your friend and says So what do you think?

And then you say sorry I was distracted.

Can you say that again or experience searing pain.

So remember the choice was would you  prefer to do a difficult memory task  

or experience searing pain from a  heat device held against the skin.

Notice how my tone changed when I read that?

Because the adjective a searing pain,  that sounds like an extreme pain.

So if you burn your finger, if you do it just  like that, it probably wouldn't be searing.

But if you hold your finger on a heat source,  

then that would result in a  searing pain, an extreme pain.

Before we move on, notice they said  prefer to do a difficult memory task.

Verbs of preference often use the  gerund, but some of them are flexible.

Prefer is one of those verbs  so you can say prefer doing.

Or prefer.

To do in this case they use prefer to  do remember a difficult memory task or  

experience searing extreme intense pain  from a heat device held against the skin.

Which would you prefer #1 the difficult  memory task or #2 the searing pane?

Put one or two put your choice in the comments.

One or two put it in the comments.

When the pain was minor,  most people chose the heat.

To me this is a slight contradiction because the  definition of searing pain is extreme or intense,  

so it isn't minor because a  minor pain isn't a searing pain.

To be honest, when the pain was  minor, more people chose the heat,  

but that number dropped as the pain increased.

So as it moved closer to being a searing pain,  more people chose the difficult memory task.

However, 28% of the participants still  chose physical pain over mental strain.

So mental strain.

Strain represents the expenditure,  the effort or the energy.

Strain is also a noun and it has the same  meaning as fatigue, extreme tiredness.

Personally, I hear the word  strain being used most with eyes.

A lot of people talk about eyes strain,  especially from staring at a screen all day.

So you might say my eyes become strained.

Strained.

So this is the adjective Ed  strained and then this is your verb.

My eyes become strained at the end of  the day after staring at a computer.

Or you could ask, do you know  how I can combat eye strain?

So just as they talked about combat brain fatigue,  

fight against or battle brain fatigue, you can  use combat eye strain or battle eye strain.

You could say eye fatigue, but I hear the  word strain used specifically with your eyes.

Is that a problem you have from  staring at a computer all day?

So mental strain, mental fatigue,  even when the pain was most intense.

So the pain was searing and  that was 28% of participants.

How can this be?

How could 28% of people choose a  searing pain over a mental task?

After all, many do puzzles, play chess,  

or challenge their brains in all  sorts of ways during their spare time.

Notice these verbs?

You do puzzles, but you play chess.

So in English, you just have to memorize  what verb goes with certain activities.

Sometimes the choice is between do or  make, but in this case we have do or play.

And of course, spare time is 1's leisure time,  

the time they have when they're not  working, they're not doing chores at home.

They get to relax and perhaps  play chess or do a puzzle.

Yet even in those scenarios, the scenarios where  

people are doing puzzles or playing chess  or challenging their brains in other ways.

So those are the scenarios.

Even in those scenarios, studies in the review  found people complained about the mental effort.

So if you complain about something,  

it means you express your negative  feelings or opinions about it.

I could say some students complained.

So complain is a verb.

In this case, it's in the past simple  form because it's a completed pass action.

Some students complained that  this lesson was too long.

So you can use the verb complain plus a clause.

A clause is a subject.

This lesson a verb was and  then the rest of the sentence.

A clause is a stand alone sentence.

So if I take this lesson was too long,  that is correct as a sentence on its own.

So you can use complain that and then  a clause, or you can complain about.

But if you use about, you need a something.

Some students complained about this lesson.

Now this is the actual complaint.

Now notice all complaint.

This is the noun form.

So if I saw this, this is a complaint.

It's a noun.

This lesson was too long.

And then there's some sort  of negative emoji because  

you're not satisfied or happy when you complain.

And of course, it's your right to complain  as a consumer, as a student, as a viewer.

But I certainly hope you don't have  any complaints using it as the noun.

I hope you don't have any  complaints about this lesson.

But if you do, please share them  because I will learn from them.

Let's continue to combat brain fatigue  so we understand why it's a problem.

So now we're learning about the solution.

Remember, you know this verb from before to  combat, to battle, to fight brain fatigue.

Now notice how this sentence starts  with the infinitive 2 plus base verb.

But this is short form for in order to in order  

to native speakers just drop the in  order and just use the infinitive.

But if you see this, you know it represents  in order to in order to combat brain fatigue.

And then following you will have a clause as well.

Now you know what a clause is.

It's a complete sentence with the subject a  verb and the rest of the sentence the object.

You can schedule regular breaks.

So this is.

How you are going to combat brain  fatigue It may seem like you are  

interrupting your mental flow by getting  up in the middle of a task, but a break,  

especially a physical one such as a walk outside,  refreshes and boosts brain power, experts say.

Now, of course, all break is a period  of rest from an activity or work.

After I record this video,  I am going to take a break.

I'll probably make a cup of  tea and then come back to work.

So if.

Quick.

5 minute break to prevent eye strain,  to combat eye strain and mental fatigue.

So notice that verb you  take all break, meaning one.

But you can take breaks, which means multiple.

But the verb we use is to take to take a break.

Now to interrupt.

You might know this is similar to a distraction.

You are interrupted by a distraction, the.

Verb to.

Interrupt is when you stop something,  usually for a short period of time.

So you're working and then a  break interrupts your mental flow.

It stops your mental flow for a period of time.

We commonly use the verb to interrupt when  someone is speaking and then someone else speaks,  

but then it causes this person to stop speaking.

This is done.

In a rude way, but it can  also be done in a helpful way.

A speaker could be giving a presentation,  but then the moderator could say sorry to  

interrupt but we're almost out of  time, please finish your speech.

So that's commonly done in formal speeches.

Debates.

Or even in a meeting where you're following  a strict agenda and you have to move on.

But it's also done in a rude way.

You shouldn't interrupt your teacher  when she's teaching, for example.

But a break?

We know what that means,  especially a physical one.

So my example was to get a cup of tea.

That's not.

Physical a physical.

One would be such as a walk  outside, so that's physical.

Of course, it refreshes and boosts brain power.

Experts say let's practice this.

When I take a break, notice this  is in the present simple because  

when represents whenever, whenever I take a break.

When I take a break, I always, always is  a keyword for the present simple as well.

So your activity will be in the present simple.

I shared mine.

When I take a break, I always get a cup of tea.

I could also say I always.

Make a cup of tea or have a cup of tea.

What about you?

What do you do when you take a break?

Put this sentence in the comments or  just share your activity to practice  

this expression so you're  more likely to remember it.

Finally.

So another way to combat brain fatigue.

This was one way take regular breaks, and  another way cut your brain some slack.

Oh, do you know what this means?

This is an idiom to cut one some slack.

So remember for idioms you have  to remember the exact word.

So you must use some slack and one  you can replace with whoever the  

something or someone is in this case  your brain to cut one some slack.

Remember that cut is an irregular verb.

All forms are cut the past  and the past participle.

Now this means be lenient.

So be more understanding, be less  critical and less judgmental.

So just understand that your  brain gets tired and that's OK.

Cut your brain some slack  rather than beating yourself up.

OK, so to physically beat someone  up is to to hurt them physically,  

but to beat yourself up is to  be very critical of yourself.

So students do this all the time.

My English is terrible.

My accent is so thick, my grammar is horrible.

They beat themselves up.

They're very critical of  themselves, of their English skills.

So that's an example of beating yourself up.

But in this context, to beat  yourself up, it would be,  

I've only been working for  two hours, why am I tired?

I shouldn't take a break yet.

It's only been two hours.

So that would be very being very critical of  

yourself in terms of your  mental fatigue and strain.

So cut your brain some slack.

Be lenient understanding rather than notice.

This is a.

Gerund expression.

So you need the verb in ING after rather than  So rather than plus gerund, rather than beating  

yourself up, rather than being very critical of  yourself because you're irritated or flustered by  

a complicated mental task, recognize that  those feelings are part of being human.

And the lesson you should remember is you should  also cut yourself some slack with your English.

You don't need to beat yourself up.

Remember that.

Now let's look at this last word,  flustered, because I really like this word.

It's fun to say flustered, flustered.

When you're flustered.

In this case, it's to be flustered.

So flustered is your adjective.

When you're flustered, it means  that you're upset, you're annoyed,  

you're frustrated, but because you're  either confused or you're stressed.

This happens to me.

I get flustered in airports, very large airports.

I find them very confusing or stressful.

I don't know where I am, I don't know where I  need to be, I don't know what the procedure is.

So I get upset but frustrated, annoyed.

I get flustered in airports now.

This is the passive form.

You could also say airports fluster me.

So this is the active.

Form airport Something to fluster someone?

Airports fluster me.

What about you?

Is there something that flusters you?

So you could say blank flusters me.

Now notice I have airports because it's plural.

It would be they so that's why I have fluster.

But if you have one item, you could  say, what could I say for one item?

Maybe math.

Math flusters me.

So this is one item.

So I add that as because it's it, it flusters me.

They airports fluster me.

So for you, thinking of the English  language, you might say phrasal verbs  

fluster me, or idioms fluster me,  or English grammar flusters me.

But the lesson here is cut your brain  some slack, cut yourself some slack.

Don't beat yourself up.

That's normal and that's part of being human.

I like this lesson at the  end of this news article.

So that's the end of the article.

What I'll do now is I'll read it from  start to finish, and this time I want  

you to focus on my pronunciation  and shadow my pronunciation as well.

Combat brain fatigue with these top expert tips.

Put your thinking cap on.

People often hear.

After all, that's what our brain is  paid for and what many are paid to do.

But a new study finds that people see  a downside of such mental expenditures.

Thinking can be a pain.

Such work isn't actual pain, of course.

Your brain has no nerve endings, so a pain in  the brain is not like having a pain in the neck.

But the mental effort it takes to think hard can  

be so upsetting that some people  will choose physical pain instead.

A2020 study asked people if they would  prefer to do a difficult memory task,  

remembering if a card reappeared after a  distraction, or experience searing pain  

from a heat device when held against the skin.

When the pain was minor,  more people chose the heat.

But that number dropped as the pain increased.

However, 28% of the participants still  chose physical pain over mental strain,  

even when the pain was most intense.

How can this be?

After all, many do puzzles, play Chaz,  

or challenge their brains in all  sorts of ways during their spare time.

Yet even in those scenarios, studies in the review  found people complained about the mental effort.

To combat brain fatigue.

You can schedule regular breaks.

It may seem like you are interrupting  your mental flow by getting up in the  

middle of a task, but a break, especially  a physical one such as a walk outside,  

refreshes and boosts brain power, experts say.

Finally, cut your brain some slack.

Rather than beating yourself up because  you're irritated or flustered by a  

complicated mental task, recognize that  those feelings are part of being human.

Now.

I'm sure there.

Are words you use every day  like easy, big, nice, smart?

Well, let's add some more advanced alternatives  

to these simple words to help  you elevate your vocabulary.

First of all, just know there is  nothing wrong with using simple words.

You can and should use these  words in your daily speech.

The goal of this lesson is  just to give you alternatives.

Learning these alternatives  will also help you improve  

your comprehension when natives use these words.

Now let's start with a word  that I'm guilty of overusing.

And just remember that native speakers are  guilty of overusing these words as well.

Our first word, our vacation was amazing.

I'm sure you know the word  amazing and you might think,  

well this is a replacement to a common word.

It's a replacement to good, very good or great.

And that's true.

But this replacement word  amazing has become overused.

And I say I'm guilty of it because there are 30 or  

more common alternatives,  so why just use the same?

Word over and over again  when 30 or more alternatives.

Exist so let's review the most common  The concert was simply incredible.

So here the alternative word is incredible.

Incredible.

Now you can modify this to make it sound  stronger and say simply incredible.

My English progress in just  one month is astonishing.

Astonishing now hopefully that's something you  are thinking right now and hopefully my lessons  

play a role in helping you get astonishing  results, amazing results, astonishing results.

If you think so, then put that's right, that's  right, put that's right in the comments.

We also use Amazing to describe scenery  or buildings or situations even.

For example, the sunset was  breathtaking to use a replacement to.

Amazing.

Now don't worry about taking notes because  I summarize everything in a free lesson PDF.

You can find the link in the description.

We're bringing incredible talent and tools.

The story of the Lake Penyer drilling  accident is an astonishing record.

It was initially constructed in 1436,  

but the astonishing front facade wasn't  completed until the 19th century.

Our next common word?

The restaurant was nice.

Nice.

This is a positive adjective.

It's a feeling of general satisfaction.

Of course you can use it to describe  people, things or experiences.

For example, you can say what a  pleasant day, what a pleasant day.

So this is something you can use every single day.

Or you can say the receptionist  at the hotel was lovely.

Instead of describing him  or her as nice was lovely.

Now that is a person.

You can also describe an  experience or a specific object.

Our stay at the hotel was delightful, delightful.

We had an enjoyable time at the park.

It's been a night.

It's been a pleasant surprise to  be involved in this kind of thing.

And this really does have a lovely sauce to  it, even though we put cream cheese in it now.

Sleeping is delightful.

Here's a common word you probably use every day.

The exam was easy.

Easy you can say.

I studied for weeks.

So the exam was a piece of cake.

I find that most students know  this idiom to be a piece of cake.

The exam was a piece of cake or  hopefully you're thinking right now,  

Jennifer makes learning English easy peasy.

So you just add the word peasy here.

Easy peasy.

It sounds very fun, very  casual, very light hearted.

So if you agree that Jennifer  makes learning English easy peasy,  

put that's right, but that's  right in the comments.

Or you could say you make speaking  in public look effortless.

Look easy, look effortless.

Now you could say the instructions were  easy to follow or easy to understand.

So you can replace easy to follow with the  instructions were straightforward and or clear.

So you can use both or you can just use one.

If it would work, we know it would work.

Piece of cake.

I think most people would get behind it.

It's effortless.

We just do it without really thinking about it.

Seems pretty straightforward now.

What's the opposite of easy?

The exam was hard.

You can say I didn't study,  so the exam was challenging.

The exam was difficult.

Or you could say we thought  the hike was going to be a  

piece of cake or easy peasy, but it was strenuous.

Strenuous.

It was arduous, arduous.

Both strenuous and arduous mean  requiring much effort or energy,  

so they're generally used with physical tasks.

You can also say I had a tough day  instead of saying I had a hard day.

The cosmetics were challenging.

It's going to be difficult to  get them to pay because of this,  

couples avoid tough conversations  about money before getting married.

How about this easy word?

The traffic downtown is always bad instead of bad.

You can say the traffic this morning was dreadful.

Dreadful.

Or I had a terrible headache last night.

Instead of bad headache.

The food on the plane was appalling.

Appalling.

This is more severe than bad.

It means very bad.

So often these alternatives can replace  very or so plus the common adjective.

You know, they're just so earnest and dreadful.

I asked my son, who is by the far terrible.

Terrible, terrible athlete.

Gets it from his dad.

I wouldn't crave it, but it's not terrible.

How about this common one?

She's a happy person.

I think this describes me overall.

Instead, you can say she's a joyful person.

She's a cheerful person.

You can say he was elated.

Elated.

After hearing the good news, she felt ecstatic.

Ecstatic.

When she got the job.

It was so good and I brought the joyful grains.

I know that others felt devastated  or elated, but I didn't care.

I was jumping up for joy.

I was ecstatic, I was happy.

Our next common word.

That was a smart question instead of smart.

You can say that was a clever question.

That was a brilliant question.

Brilliant sounds like very smart.

Or you can say he's extremely intelligent.

He's extremely bright.

You don't have to use the modifier.

Extremely is just an option.

Just like you could say he's  extremely smart or just he's smart.

He gave an astute, astute, he gave  an astute analysis of the market.

That is an excellent word to use in a  more professional or academic environment.

You can say his ingenious, ingenious.

His ingenious method solved the issue quickly.

There are more clever ways to  prove bounds on the cop number.

Yeah, I think that that's very  actually a very astute observation.

Well, local officials came  up with a brilliant plan.

Here's a common one that native speakers overuse.

The documentary was interesting.

Interesting instead of interesting.

You can say the history of  ancient Egypt is fascinating.

Fascinating.

Or the speaker gave an intriguing,  intriguing presentation.

His captivating performance  held the audience's attention.

Captivating.

These are great alternatives because  interesting can sometimes mean negative,  

but the three alternatives I gave you  are always used in a positive way.

But I just think it's a fascinating idea.

I think it's so captivating to see this couple  in this really intense night of their lives.

I find the definition of  compassion is a fascinating 1,  

and it's not one that I hear people talk about.

Our next common word.

Thanks for the beautiful flowers.

Again, there is nothing  wrong with saying beautiful,  

but there are so many beautiful alternatives.

Like the word gorgeous.

Her garden is gorgeous.

The colors of the leaves in  fall are stunning, stunning.

Or the flower vase is exquisite.

Exquisite.

Now notice I said vase.

Both pronunciations vase which rhymes with  face, and vase which has an aw but AZ sound.

Both are used in American English,  which is interesting because vase  

is the American pronunciation and  Vaz is the British pronunciation,  

and generally in American English we  don't adopt British pronunciation.

But for this specific word, vase or Vaz,  both are commonly used in North America.

They're a kind, loving men looking  for a gorgeous woman like you.

Deep sea corals actually come in a  stunning array of brilliant color.

Cajal was in awe of its exquisite detail,  both as a scientist and an artist.

Our next common word.

I have an important meeting this afternoon.

How many times do you describe  something as important?

I know I sure use it a lot.

Instead, you can say the meeting is crucial.

Crucial or this is a significant  significant opportunity for our company.

You can say it's vital, vital or it's essential  essential to get enough rest before the exam.

But their influence is crucial in  the development of their children.

Now the site is a work in progress,  

but it's significant progress because it's  designed with the users who matter most.

Having these vital money talks before  getting married will prepare you to  

have them during marriage from a  place of honesty and understanding.

Our next common word.

The movie was funny instead of funny.

You can say the comedian is hilarious.

Hilarious.

This sounds like very funny  or her reaction was humorous.

Her reaction was comical.

Instead of saying you're very funny,  you can say you're very witty.

Witty.

Keep in mind though, that this  means funny in a clever way.

So it does have a slightly  different meaning from funny,  

but it's a great alternative  to know made-up nonsense.

Gibberish is frequently hilarious.

He's very keen on his his  work is is very humorous.

Anyway, he was a very witty, very wise man.

How about this common word?

I made-up a big mistake rejecting the job offer.

You can say it was a substantial,  substantial mistake, but we can fix it.

Or this is an enormous, enormous.

That sounds like very big, enormous project.

You can use enormous to describe objects.

You can also use massive.

Elephants are massive.

Elephants are massive.

Elephants are enormous.

We've come to a very substantial  phase one deal patient.

All these things are areas where  we've made an enormous investment  

and there have been significant payouts.

These are massive machines.

And what's the opposite of big?

It was a small mistake.

A small mistake.

Let's review some common alternatives.

Don't be mad.

It's a tiny mistake.

We can fix it.

Tiny is very small.

So if you want to minimize the importance of  a mistake, you can say it was a tiny mistake.

Here's a great one.

I made some minor changes to the report.

Minor changes.

Or you could describe an object and  say only compact cars can park here.

It's an alternative to saying small cars,  

only compact cars can park  here with money or resources.

You can say we invested a  modest, a modest amount of money.

Soil is mostly made of little tiny rocks.

It's texture depends on the size of those rocks.

In between all these minor changes, wash  your hands, wear a mask, get a vaccine.

You know the drill.

So although the findings were pretty modest,  The Who thinks this one's worth a shot.

Here's one that might apply to you.

Many students are scared of  speaking English in public.

You can say she became terrified.

Terrified.

That sounds like very scared.

She became terrified when she found out she had to  

give a presentation or the  noise frightened the kids.

Frightened instead of scared.

Now to say extremely scared,  you can use the word petrified.

I'm petrified of spiders.

We are terrified of being wrong.

What, are you frightened of  Ever losing my engagement ring?

He was.

I was absolutely petrified of this man.

Let's review this common word.

It was brave of you to agree to give the  presentation in front of 2000 people.

Even though you were.

Petrified.

It was brave of you.

You can say she made the  bold decision to move abroad.

It's brave, it's bold.

She made the bold decision or it was courageous.

It takes a lot of courage.

It was courageous of you to quit your job.

For the first time in my life, I  understood how courageous she is.

So we were so proud of him because  he was so courageous, so visionary.

Now, that's a pretty bold statement.

The one thing you talk about  every day is your daily routine.

Now you'll learn how to talk about  this with advanced C1 vocabulary.

Let's talk about Mark's daily routine.

Say hello to Mark.

Mark is a manager.

He's married and he has two young kids.

Let me tell you about Mark's daily routine  at an advanced C1 level, and after I'll  

explain all the advanced vocabulary and  grammar that you can add to your speech.

The alarm rings at 6:30 AM, signaling  the beginning of Mark's day.

With precision, he orchestrates  the morning routine, ensuring  

his two energetic children are dressed and fed.

As the aroma of coffee fills the air, Mark  reviews his schedule, preparing for the day ahead.

Notice how this daily routine started in  a very advanced way, almost a poetic way.

The alarm rings at 6:30 AM.

Most students would simply say I wake up at 6:30  AM or in this case Mark wakes up at 6:30 AM.

But this is very beginner and boring.

The alarm rings at 6:30 AM.

That sounds so advanced.

Why don't you try that?

You can say my alarm instead of the alarm.

You can make it possessive.

My alarm rings present simple  conjugated with my alarm.

It my alarm rings at.

Put that in the comments and  share what time your alarm rings,  

which is an alternative to saying  I wake up at my alarm rings at.

As for me, my alarm rings at 5:30 AM  signaling the beginning of Mark's day.

Notice here we have signaling in the ING form.

This is a present participle.

It adds description by showing the  result of the action with precision.

Precision means that there  was a high level of accuracy.

This is an advanced.

Now you can also say with ease, with ease because  

you want to talk about your daily  routine as being easy with ease.

He orchestrates the morning routine again.

Notice the vocabulary is that.

More advanced C1 level to orchestrate  means to organize a range or coordinate  

and notice those verb conjugations  because we're in the present simple  

and is being conjugated with  the subject he, ** *** is.

You need to add that as with precision,  he orchestrates the morning routine,  

ensuring Notice here another present participle.

Again it describes the action ensuring  his two energetic children are dressed  

and fed as the aroma of coffee fills the air.

Notice here aroma is a more advanced  way of saying the smell of coffee.

The aroma of coffee.

Mark Review use his schedule, preparing another  present participle, preparing for his day ahead.

Let's move on.

At the office, Mark transitions into his  managerial role leading a diverse team.

His day is filled with back-to-back  Zoom meetings and presentations.

Mark excels in conveying intricate  ideas during meetings and negotiations.

At the office, Mark transitions  into something his managerial role.

Maybe you could say after tending to my children,  

I have to transition into my marketing  role or whatever your next role is.

At the office, Mark transitions into his  managerial role, leading a diverse team.

Again, the present participle.

It describes the action his day is filled with.

To be filled with something,  this means to contain a lot of.

Now, although contain is a more advanced  vocabulary term than filled with, adding  

phrasal verbs, idioms, and expressions is a great  way to sound more advanced to sound more see one.

So to be filled with sounds more advanced than  

saying contains and back-to-back  Zoom meetings and presentations.

This means that as one meeting ends,  another one immediately begins back-to-back.

Mark excels in explaining intricate ideas.

This is AC1 or C2 sentence.

A more beginner sentence would be saying Mark  is very good at communicating complex ideas.

But notice that grammar difference?

To excel in something or doing  something or to be good at.

So you need a different preposition.

Let's move on.

As the work day concludes, Mark races against the  

clock to attend his children's  extracurricular activities.

Soccer practice, music lessons  and art classes become integral  

parts of their routine in the  car rides between activities.

Mark cherishes the moments of connection  with his children As the work day concludes.

Concludes is a more advanced way  of saying as the work day ends.

As the work day concludes,  mark races against the clock.

This is an expression to race against the clock.

This is when you have to work quickly to complete  all your tasks within a limited amount of time.

To race against the clock, soccer practice,  

music lessons, and art classes become  integral parts of their daily routine.

Integral means essential or necessary.

It's a more advanced term.

Let's look at this sentence.

In the car ride between activities, Mark cherishes  the moments of connection with his children.

This is a complex sentence.

The first part is a dependent clause,  which means it is not a complete sentence,  

but if you add it to an independent  clause, then it becomes a complex sentence.

Using complex sentences is an integral part  of sounding more advanced, fluent and see one.

Let's move on.

Following dinner, the family reunites in  collective activities, whether it's a board.

Game a movie night.

Or a stroll in the neighborhood.

Mark, though weary from the demands of the day,  revels in the simple pleasures of familial bonds.

Following dinner.

This is a more way of saying after dinner  the family reunites in collective activities.

This is very advanced and again almost poetic.

A more B1 everyday way of saying this would  be the family spends quality time together.

One of the activities is a  stroll in the neighborhood.

A stroll is a leisurely walk.

So if there is a word stroll that  means something else to walk leisurely,  

it sounds more advanced to use the one  word that communicates that idea, a stroll.

A leisurely walk.

Now, grammatically, you  can use to go for a stroll.

Following dinner, we went for  a lovely stroll in the park.

The verb is go, so it's conjugated  in the past simple went.

You can also take a stroll following dinner.

We took the past simple of take.

Following dinner we took a  lovely stroll in the park.

Both are common and equally used.

Let's learn about how Mark ends his daily  routine as the clock inches towards bedtime.

Mark carves out a brief period for personal  reflection by reading, meditating or journaling.

As he slips into his comfortable bed,  

he savers the tranquility that descends upon  his home as the clock inches towards bedtime.

This is very advanced.

It sounds poetic as bedtime approaches, clearly  sounds more intermediate, more basic than As  

the clock inches towards bedtime, Mark carves  out a brief period for personal reflection by,  

by, and then you have your activities by  reading, by meditating, or by journaling.

You could say I start my day by  and then whatever the activity is,  

I start my day by working out for 30 minutes.

I end my day.

I conclude my day to sound more advanced.

I conclude my day by meditating for 15 minutes.

It's an integral part of my daily routine  as he slips into his comfortable bed.

To slip into is a more advanced,  poetic way of saying to get into.

I get into bed at 10:00.

I slip into my warm and comfortable bed  as the clock inches towards 10:00 PM.

That sounds very advanced and poetic.

He savers, he really enjoys.

He savers the tranquility, the peace and quiet.

He savers the tranquility that descends upon his  home, descends, that enters, that fills his home.

AB One student might simply say  he enjoys the quiet in his home.

Now let's look at this whole sentence together,  

which is a complex sentence and I want  you to notice the as he and then the  

other part of the sentence, he as he,  X, he, YX and Y being the activities.

As I prepare my breakfast, I  review my back-to-back meetings.

As I is the dependent clause,  which means it's incomplete.

You have to connect it to an independent clause.

I review my back-to-back meetings.

That would be the independent clause.

So this is a complex sentence.

A great way to sound more advanced.

Amazing job.

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