Do You Have 2 Hours? You Can Speak English FLUENTLY!

In this 2 hour English lesson,  you're going to learn all the  

vocabulary that you need to get your  English to that advanced C1 level.

This lesson will begin at the  A1 beginner level and progress  

up to that C1 advance and even that C2 level.

Welcome back to JForrest English.

Of course, I'm Jennifer.

Now let's get started.

Let's start with phrasal verbs.

They are so important to help you  understand native and to sound natural.

So first, in this lesson, you'll learn the most  important phrasal verbs to run out of something.

This is when you use all of something  and therefore have none left.

We commonly use this with  food items, for example, milk.

We ran out of milk.

This means you have no milk  left because you used it all.

Now notice ran.

That's the past simple of the verb run.

The conjugations are run, ran, run.

You could also say we've run out of  milk in the present perfect because  

it's a past action with a  connection to the present.

In a business context, you might  say we're running out of time.

So here notice in the present continuous, we're  running out of and then the something is time.

It means you're in the process  of having no time left.

So if the meeting ends at 11:00 and right now  it's 10:50, you can say we're running out of time.

We need to end the meeting in 10 minutes.

You can also use this with ideas.

We're running out of ideas or patience.

I'm running out of patience,  

which means I'm in the process of  having no patience left to bring up.

This means to raise a topic  for conversation or to raise a.

Child.

For example, he brought up an  interesting point at the meeting,  

which means he raised an interesting point.

He shared an interesting point.

He brought up an interesting point at the meeting.

Here, brought is the past symbol of bring.

Now remember, this also means to raise a child.

When you raise a child, it  means you care for and nurture,  

nurture a child from the time that child  is an infant until that child is an adult.

That is, to raise a child.

For example, she's bringing  up three children on her own,  

so this means she's raising three children on  her own to look after someone or something.

This means to care for someone or  something for a period of time.

So generally we don't use this.

If you're caring for someone  or something permanently,  

like when you bring up a child, you're  caring for that child permanently.

But if you're looking after a child,  

it sounds like you're doing it  temporarily for a period of time.

For example, my son's 16, so he looks after  his younger brothers while I'm at work.

So my son who is 16, cares  for his younger brothers,  

but he's not bringing them up because  he's not doing that permanently.

He's caring for them for a period  of time, the time while I'm at work,  

so maybe 2 hours a day between after  school and when I get home from work.

My oldest child, who's 16, cares for my  younger children, his younger brothers.

We also use this with things to care for things.

For example, can you look after  my plans while I'm on vacation?

If someone asks you to look after something  for a period of time while they're on  

vacation or while they're traveling,  they're asking you to care for it.

So that's a lot of responsibility for you.

You better not kill my plants to take off.

This means to remove something commonly from your  

body or to leave in the sense of  removing something from your body.

When someone comes to your house, you might say  please take off your shoes before coming in.

So you want to keep your floors nice and clean.

So you ask them to take off their shoes, to remove  their shoes Now in the sense of to leave, leave.

We commonly use this with flights.

For example, my flight was supposed to  take off at noon, but it was delayed.

So if my flight's delayed,  

it means it's now taking off later  than scheduled, later than expected.

And when your flight takes off,  that's when your flight leaves,  

it leaves the ground, it leaves the airport.

So you can use this one every single  time you're traveling and daily to  

talk about removing something  from your body to turn on.

I'm sure you know this one, but just to make sure,  

this means to activate a  device, to turn on a device.

This is something that I ask Siri to do daily.

And you might ask Siri or Alexa or  whoever your personal assistant is,  

Hey, Siri, turn on the lights.

Or you might say, can you  turn on the air conditioning?

It's really.

Hot in here.

So think of all the different devices  you have in your home, in your office,  

and even on you everywhere you go, and  you can use turn on to mean activate.

And if turn on means to activate,  well, then what's the opposite?

What's the phrasal verb  for to deactivate a device?

Of course it's turn off.

Turn off a device, deactivate a device again,  

something you can ask your  personal assistant to do.

Hey Siri, turn off the music.

And this is also something that parents have to  remind their children to do quite frequently.

For example, make sure you turn  off the lights before you leave.

Get up.

This is 1 you can of course use every  single day because when you get up it  

means you wake up in the morning.

For example, I get up at 5:50  AM every day except Sundays.

On Sundays I get up at 7:00 AM.

So I sleep in on Sundays and oh, I enjoy.

That What about you?

What?

Time.

Do you get up?

Share that in the comments.

We also use get out to mean to rise  from a lying or sitting position.

So let's say you work in an office that  has some really comfortable couches and  

you might just be relaxing and lying on the couch.

But then your coworker says quick, get up,  Rob's coming and Rob is your boss and you  

don't want your boss to see you just  lying on this couch when you should.

Be at your desk working right.

So in this context, it doesn't mean  that you were sleeping on the couch.

It simply means you were in a  lying or even a sitting position.

So we talked about how takeoff is used  to remove something from your body.

So if you're hot, you can take off your sweater.

But what if you're cold?

What's the phrasal verb to  add something to your body?

Do you know it's to put on?

To put on is to wear clothing or accessories so  you can think of them as adding them to your body.

To put on also means to apply something  like makeup or sunscreen to put on.

For example, you could say to a friend it's  chilly out, you should put on a sweater.

Chili means a little cold.

So maybe your friend is going out in  AT shirt but you say it's chili out,  

you should put on a sweater to give up.

Hopefully a phrasal verb that isn't  in your vocabulary to give up because  

this is used when you stop trying to do something.

For example, don't give up just  because you made a few mistakes.

That's part of the learning process.

I'm sure some days you feel  like giving up learning English,  

which would mean stop learning  English, but don't give up.

However, there are some things you  should give up, like a bad habit.

And give up is also used  when you stop a bad habit.

For example, you should give up smoking,  

which means you should stop  smoking permanently stop smoking.

So you should quit smoking.

You should give up smoking permanently.

Stop smoking with smoking.

But you shouldn't give up learning  English just because you make a  

mistake or just because it's taking  a little longer than you expected.

Don't give up to look for when you  look for someone or something you  

simply try to find to locate someone or something.

For example, I looked for you at  the conference but it was busy.

This means I try to find someone, a  friend, a Co worker, someone I know.

I try to find someone at a conference.

I looked for her or him, but I didn't find that  

person because there were too  many people at the conference.

The conference was busy.

Of course, we use this with everyday  objects like our keys, our phone,  

our purse, even something simple like a pen.

Can you help me look for my keys?

This is another way of saying,  can you help me find my keys?

Can you help me locate my keys?

Because I don't know.

Where they are.

Can you help me look for my keys?

Now that you're more comfortable  with these phrasal verbs,  

how about we do that exact same quiz again?

Here are the questions.

Hit pause, take as much time as you need, and  when you're ready, hit play to see the answers.

Here are.

The answers.

Review them as long as you need and  when you're ready, hit play to continue.

Are you enjoying this lesson?

If you are, then I want to tell you  about the Finally 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 vocabulary with natural  expressions and learn advanced grammar easily.

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.

Let's keep going.

And you're going to learn 10 more  phrasal verbs at the more advanced level.

And I'm going to quiz you to make this  lesson a little more advanced in this video.

So first you're going to test your knowledge to  see how well you know these 10 phrasal verbs.

And after I'll explain every  phrasal verb in detail.

Let's get started.

Question one.

She's not.

She's just really good at basketball.

Now, I'll only give you 3 seconds to  answer the question, so hit pause,  

take as much time as you need,  and when you're ready, hit play.

She's not showing off.

Question two.

It's hard to meditate when my kids  keep when my kids keep barging in.

Question 3.

We've been friends for 20 years.

I'm not going to let this, I'm not  going to let this come between us.

Question 4.

It's amazing how fast the company, after  the pandemic, the company bounced back.

Question 5.

I need to call the garage.

My car's been all week.

My car's been acting up.

Question 6.

His speech didn't.

The urgency of the situation,  his speech didn't get across.

Question 7.

Just can close any deal we can.

We can count on her.

Question 8.

I can't give you the day off tomorrow,  

but I can by letting you leave  early, I can make it up to you.

Question 9 they said the price is too high but  give them a week they'll they'll come around.

Question 10.

My boss always makes me stay late.

I don't know why I I put up with it.

How'd you do with the quiz?

Share your score in the comments below.

And don't worry if it was difficult,  because now I'm going to explain every  

phrasal verb in detail #1 to come  around to an opinion or an idea.

And this means to change your opinion  or to see a new point of view.

Now notice the sentence structure.

Because we have two prepositions around and  two, and then after two we need something.

We need a noun, an opinion, or an idea.

For example, I came around to the new job  after I heard about the benefits package.

So remember, this means you changed your opinion.

So previously you didn't want the new job,  

but now you've come around to it,  so you've changed your opinion.

Now you want the new job because you  heard about the benefits package.

We commonly use this without the preposition to  

and without specifying the something when  the something has already been mentioned.

For example, at first I didn't want to move  to Boston, but I came around after I visited.

So notice I didn't say I came around to something  because the something had already been mentioned.

So I came around to the idea after I visited  #2 to get across a point or a message.

And this is when you clearly and effectively  communicate a point or a message.

For example, make sure you get across  that the project is over budget.

So if you're having a meeting with  a client and your boss has this very  

particular message or idea, the  project is over budget and your  

boss wants you to communicate  that in a clear, effective way.

Your boss wants to make sure you get that across.

Now we also use this when you're talking,  

you're talking, you're talking and the  ideas aren't really coming out very well.

And after a while you stop and you  say what I'm trying to get across is.

And then you state your point.

What I'm trying to get across is the  project is over budget #3 to show off.

This is when you deliberately display your skills  or abilities in a way to impress other people.

Now, this is frequently used in the negative.

Don't show off.

Don't show off.

But there's definitely a time and  a place when you want to show off.

For example, when you're going to a  job interview, you shouldn't be modest.

You should show off your skills and abilities.

You should talk about all your  awards, your accomplishments,  

your degrees, the compliments you've received.

You want to show off all of your  experience to the interviewer.

So an interview is the perfect time to show off.

Also, if you're going for your IELTS exam,  

you don't want to be modest with your  knowledge of the English language.

You want to show off your abilities by using a  range of grammatical structures and a range of  

phrasal verbs and idioms and expressions you want  to show off to the interviewer #4 to count on.

Now, this is exactly the same  as to rely on or to depend on.

So you have three different phrasal verbs,  all with on that mean the exact same thing.

And this is, of course,  

when you trust someone or something to  complete a specific task or objective.

For example, I can always  count on Selma to stay late.

So you can trust Selma to complete the specific  task or objective, which is to stay late.

And remember, you could replace  this with rely on I can always  

rely on Selma or depend on I  can always depend on Selma.

Now we frequently use this in a question response.

For example, can I count on you?

Can I count on you to close the deal?

And then you can reply back and say absolutely,  you can count on me #5 to come between now.

This is when something disturbs a relationship.

And that relationship can be  a professional relationship,  

a social relationship,  romantic, family relationship.

It can be any kind of relationship.

For example, Jacob and Marcus were best  friends until Sylvie came between them.

So that's the image you could have.

They were close, Jacob and Marcus, but then  Sylvie came between them and now they're divided.

Sylvie disturbed their relationship.

Now, it's very common for a girl  

or a guy to come between a relationship,  but it doesn't have to be a person.

It could be that Jacob and Marcus were very  close, but the promotion came between them,  

the new job came between them,  their family came between them,  

their politics came between them,  their religion came between them.

It could be anything came between them.

Money is a good one as well that  comes between people in relationships.

And remember you can use this  in any type of relationship.

Number six to put up with something  or someone and notice this is a 2  

preposition phrasal verb put up with, put up with.

And we use this to say that you tolerate bad  behavior or unwanted behavior to put up with.

For example, I don't know how  you put up with your boss.

I don't know how you tolerate your boss.

Now, of course, we can be more specific  and specify the action that the boss does.

I don't know how you put up with your  boss's constant criticism, for example,  

or your boss's distasteful jokes, for example.

I don't know how you tolerate it.

Now we commonly use this to say, I'm not  going to put up with and then the behavior.

I'm not going to put up with your constant  criticism any longer #7 to bounce back now.

To bounce back.

This is when you recover or recuperate.

Now, you can use this when you recover from  a negative situation in a business context,  

like for example, a bad sales quarter  or a bad product launch, for example.

But it can also be when you recover  or recuperate from an illness.

So you can use it in both those situations.

For example, in a workplace  situation, you could say,  

I don't know how we'll bounce  back from our loss in Q2.

So I don't know how we'll recover.

And then you could have a  discussion how can we bounce back?

Does anyone have any ideas on how we can bounce  

back now in terms of recovering  or recuperating from an illness?

You could say it took me a while  to bounce back after my surgery,  

so it took me a while to  recover, recuperate #8 to act up.

This means to behave badly or strangely.

This is very commonly used with  parents describing the actions of  

their young children or even their older children.

My son keeps acting up behaving badly.

But we can also use this with devices and objects.

For example, my computer keeps acting up.

Behaving strangely, my computer keeps acting up.

I hope it doesn't break #9  to make it up to someone.

This is quite a long 1, so pay attention to this  sentence structure to make it up to someone.

Now, we use this when you try  to compensate for a wrongdoing.

For example, let's say it's your best friend's  birthday and you can't go for whatever reason.

So this is the wrongdoing, not going  to your best friend's birthday party.

Now, if you want to compensate  for that wrongdoing, you could  

say I'm so sorry I can't make your birthday party.

I promise I'll make it up to you.

I'll make it up to you by taking  you out for a nice dinner.

I'll make it up to you by  going to the movies with you.

I'll make it up to you by buying  you a really nice present.

So those are the ways you're going to compensate.

Now you might be wondering, what is  this it the make it up to someone.

We use it with it because what you're  trying to compensate for has already  

been explained so you don't have to say it again.

Now you can use this in a business context.

Let's say you went over budget on a client's  project, and you might say to your team,  

how are we going to make it up to the client?

How are we going to compensate for our wrongdoing?

The wrongdoing is you went over budget.

And then maybe someone would  suggest we can make it up to  

them by offering a discount or offering a  free product, offering an extra service.

So those are how you're going to  compensate for the wrongdoing,  

to make it up to someone #10 to barge in.

When you barge in, you enter a  place, a location unexpectedly,  

and you interrupt whatever's taking place.

For example, I was in my office working and  this kid just barged in and handed me his CV.

But later I hired.

Him So by saying the kid barged in, it  implies that he didn't have an appointment.

He wasn't expected.

He just barged in unexpectedly and he  interrupted whatever I was working on.

But in this case, it was  successful because he got the job.

Now that you understand these  phrasal verbs a lot better,  

let's do that exact same quiz  from the very beginning again.

Here are the questions for the quiz.

You need to complete each sentence  using the correct phrasal verb.

So go ahead and hit pause  now and complete the quiz.

Here are the correct answers.

Go ahead and hit pause and see how well you did.

Now that you're getting comfortable  with phrasal verbs, let's move on.

And you'll learn 21 words that will  impress everyone when you use them.

I'm impressed.

I'm impressed.

Good for you.

Number one, 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 challenging your vocabulary.

You're going to add 15 advanced  words to your vocabulary #1 to  

urge the sentence structure is  to urge someone to do something.

Urge.

Is a verb.

And it means to strongly advise or  persuade someone to do something.

For example, the lawyer  urged him to take the deal.

So the lawyer strongly advised him.

The lawyer tried to persuade him to take the deal.

The lawyer urged him to take  the deal #2 admit, admit.

This is a preposition.

There's an alternative spelling  which is a missed and missed.

So you're adding a on the end.

They mean exactly the same thing.

Amid is more popular and  common in American English.

So that's the one I urge you  to use now as a preposition.

This means in the middle of or surrounded by.

So let me give you an example sentence.

Tesla launched its new car  and mid a lot of publicity.

So we have the launch of the new car.

Now remember amid means in the  middle of or surrounded by.

So you can almost imagine  here's their launch of the  

new car and then surrounded around  that launch is all this publicity.

Publicity is just media attention.

So that's when we use admit Tesla launched their  new car and mid a lot of publicity #3 to roam.

To roam.

This is a great one.

You can add this to your daily  vocabulary because to roam this  

means to move about or travel without a  clear direction of where you're going.

But you do that on purpose.

You can think of it as an activity.

So when would you want to  move around or move about  

without a clear direction of where you're going?

Well, probably when you're on vacation  or when you're exploring a new area,  

even of your own city.

So you might find a new area  and then you just roam around.

You go on this street and then you see  something interesting and you go there  

and then you see a store and then you go there.

You don't have a clear direction of  where you're going #4 to encompass.

This means that you include a lot of  different types of things for this one.

Think of when you go to a conference, there  are many different types of things, right?

There are different speakers,  there are different topics.

There are different people in the audience.

There's different entertainment.

So all of these are different things.

Now the verb to encompass just means to include.

So we could say the conference encompassed many  different speakers, entertainment, audience  

members, presentations, topics, and you can go  on and list the different categories of things.

The conference encompassed many  different things #5 mired, mired.

Look at the spelling.

Now listen to my pronunciation.

My, my, mired, mired.

That's the pronunciation.

We use this when someone or something like a  company is involved in a difficult situation.

It must be a difficult situation.

For example, the new company was mired  in controversy, Was mired in controversy.

They were involved in that situation.

And notice I use the word controversy,  which is negative number six, meticulously.

Oh, that's a fun word to say, isn't it?

A little bit of a challenge for  you #6 meticulously, meticulously.

This is an adjective.

And as an adjective, it means in a way  that shows great attention to detail.

For example, the entire project  was meticulously planned.

Remember, adjectives are always optional.

So I could say the entire conference was planned.

So now I want to give more  information about how it was planned.

And I want to say with a  lot of attention to detail,  

the entire conference was meticulously planned.

So this is a positive adjective.

If somebody used it on you, you would  take that as a compliment #7 exacerbate.

Oh, another tricky one for pronunciation.

Exacerbate, exacerbate.

This is when you make something  that's already bad even worse.

We could say this attack will exacerbate the  

already tense relationship  between the two communities.

So remember it's a bad situation.

That's why I used already tense relationship.

That is not a positive relationship.

So it's already bad.

But then when you exacerbate,  it means you make it even worse.

This attack will exacerbate their relationship  #8 to call for this is a phrasal verb,  

and you call for something to happen, and this  is simply when you demand that something happens.

For example, the union called for his resignation.

The union called for the union demanded.

The union called for his resignation #9.

Swift.

Swift.

This is an adjective.

It's a fun adjective because  it simply means quickly.

For example, the police took  swift action against the rioters.

Swift action.

So they acted very quickly.

Swift action #10 to.

A Road A Rd.

This is when you slowly  reduce or destroy something.

You probably know this from a  scientific perspective because erosion,  

or when rocks erode, is when  rocks naturally become smaller,  

smaller and smaller and smaller  because they gradually reduce.

Well, the meaning is the exact same, but  instead of a rock, I want you to imagine trust.

Trust between two people in a business  relationship or a personal relationship as well.

And I could say these budget cuts  could erode the public's trust.

So we have the public's trust just  like a rock, and it's eroding.

It's getting smaller and  smaller and smaller and smaller.

The trust is gradually decreasing.

And the reason why is because of the  actions of the person, the budget cuts.

The budget cuts could erode the  public's trust #11 to highlight.

This is when you want to attract  attention to something specific  

or you want to emphasize something specific.

For example, the report highlighted  the need for increased safety measures.

So the report was written in a way that it  took your attention to something specific.

It emphasized specific information and that  

specific information is we  need more safety measures.

The report highlighted the need for  increased safety measures #12 to expose.

This is when you make public  something bad or something wrong.

So there's something wrong.

And most the time people don't want  that information public, right?

So when you take that wrongdoing that someone  wants to keep secret and you make it public,  

you expose, you expose that person, or you expose  the action, the bad action that that person took.

For example, the report  exposed government corruption.

So there's government corruption.

Of course, the government does not want  the public to know about it, right?

So when that information is  made public, it's exposed.

The report exposed government  corruption #13 fundamental.

This is when something is more important.

Than anything else fundamental.

For example, it's one of the fundamental  differences between men and women.

So there are many differences between  men and women, obviously, but remember,  

fundamental is more important than anything else.

Now notice how I didn't reveal  that fundamental difference.

I just use it's so you can decide what is the  fundamental difference between men and women.

If you want, you can try to  put that in the comments below.

It's the fundamental difference  between men and women.

What could it be #14 to deploy  and you deploy resources.

Resources could be people in the  form of their efforts and the work,  

their contribution, or it could be money.

It could be supplies, things like that.

And you deploy resources.

What does this mean?

When you deploy resources, it  means you simply use the resources,  

but you use them in an efficient way.

Or at least that's the plan.

For example, the government is meeting to discuss  how to deploy the funds, so they don't know how  

they're going to use those resources in the  best way, and that's why they're meeting.

They're meeting to discuss how to deploy.

The funds?

And finally #15 to pitch,  you pitch an idea or a plan.

And this simply means you share an idea or  a plan in a way that's meant to persuade,  

persuade someone to do something  specific or to buy something.

For example, we pitch them our strategy  for how to deploy the resources.

So we have a plan, an idea,  and we shared it with you,  

but we did it in a way that we want you to say  yes, we want you to accept our plan, that is.

To pitch.

We're doing an amazing job.

Let's keep going and you'll learn 15 more  advanced words you can use every day.

Expression number 11's take on something.

This is simply another way to ask  someone for their opinion or ideas.

So if you're in a meeting, it's very  common to say what's your take on that?

What's your take on that?

And then that being whatever you're discussing,  maybe a new idea, a new project, a new plan.

And to reply, you could  say, well, my take on it is.

And then you simply state  your opinion or your idea.

We also sometimes will state our opinion or idea.

For example, I think we should  delay the project and then we add.

That's my take on it.

That's my take on it #2 to be in a position to.

This is an expression that simply means  to be able to or to be capable of.

So you might say we're not in a  position to take on any new clients.

At least that's my take on it.

Or you might ask, is the company  in a position to take on more debt?

Is the company able to number  3 to be on the right track?

I love this expression because it means you're  making good progress on something specific.

For example, you might say, we haven't solved  the problem yet, but we're on the right track,  

so the problem still exists, but  you're headed towards the solution.

You're making good progress,  you're on the right track,  

so if you keep doing what you're  doing, you'll solve the problem.

#4 to stem from this is an excellent  business or academic expression,  

and this means to be caused by or to come from.

So you might read in an article a lot  of health problems stem from poor diet.

So the health problems are  caused by stem from a poor diet.

Said another way, you could say a  poor diet causes health problems,  

but remember we're switching them because we're  using stem from, caused by #5 to be a given.

A given.

This is something that is well known  as an established fact or truth.

So I might share my fact or truth.

If you want to be a confident English  speaker, you have to practice speaking.

That's a given.

It's just another way of saying that's a fact.

At least that's my take on it.

And said another way, I can say it's a given to  be a given that it's a given that if you want to  

be a confident speaker, you need to practice  speaking number six to take X into account.

X is something, a noun, and that simply means  to account for or to consider something.

For example, when you're planning a vacation,  you need to take exchange rates into account.

The exchange rate, the time zone difference,  the customs, the culture into account.

Number 7, this is a good one to  grapple with, to grapple with.

This is another way of saying to deal  or cope with a difficult situation.

So let's take a difficult situation.

Social isolation during the  pandemic that's been very difficult.

Many people are grappling with, they're dealing  with, they're coping with the situation.

Many people are grappling with isolation during  the pandemic #8 to be short on something.

This simply means you don't  have enough of something.

For example, I'm short on time this week,  

or I can't go on that vacation  because I'm short on cash.

I don't have enough #9 to be up in the air.

We use this expression to talk about  a plan or an issue that's unsettled  

or unresolved or uncertain up in the air.

For example, my summer plans are up in the air.

They're uncertain.

I haven't planned them yet.

Or I might say the future of  that business is up in the air.

It's uncertain #10 to bring someone up to speed.

When you bring someone up to speed, you  share the latest information with them.

So let's say your colleague was on vacation  and they get back and they could ask you,  

hey, can you bring me up to speed?

Can you share the latest information?

Can you bring me up to speed on the Jones project?

So you could talk about a specific  situation or just in general.

Can you bring me up to speed  #11 This is a great one.

A deal breaker.

A deal breaker is.

Something that causes.

You to abandon a plan or a  commitment or a relationship.

For example, I might be looking for a new  job and I see one that looks really great,  

but then I get to the salary and it's way too low.

That's a deal breaker that  causes me to abandon that plan.

The plan?

To.

Apply for that job.

The salary is a deal breaker.

We also use this a lot in relationships.

You might say she lied to me.

That's a deal breaker.

So you're going to end the relationship,  you're going to abandon it because she lied,  

and that's a deal breaker #12A do over.

A do over is another attempt to do something  when your previous attempt was unsuccessful.

So let's say you go to a job  interview and it went terribly.

You did really poorly.

You could say I wish I could have a do over.

I wish I could do the interview again.

But unfortunately most of the  time we don't get do overs.

But you might be in a situation where you're  

in a class and the professor gave you a  test and everybody did poorly on the test.

So the professor might give  the students a do over.

The professor gives the students  a chance to do the test again,  

because everyone did really  poorly #13 to come in handy.

When something comes in handy, it's very useful.

So this is a +1.

So let's say you're considering adding a new  feature to a product you provide or a service.

And you might say, oh, this new  feature will really come in handy.

It will come in handy.

It will be.

Useful.

#14 to be a breeze.

We describe something as a  breeze when it's really easy.

For example, learning English is a breeze, right?

It's really easy.

Maybe, maybe not.

Depends on what your take on it is.

Or I could say using Google Docs is a breeze.

It's really easy.

And then I could add using Google  Docs is a breeze compared to Ms.

Word.

So in that case I'm saying that  Google Docs is easier than Ms.

Word.

And finally #15 to be spot on.

When someone is spot on, they're  100% accurate or correct.

For example, I could say the weather  forecast this weekend was spot on.

The meteorologist said it was going to rain  

on Saturday at 2:00 and it  rained on Saturday at 2:00.

He said it was going to be sunny and 25  on Sunday, and that's exactly what it was.

The forecast was spot on, and now you have  50 new advanced expressions to sound fluent.

Are you ready for your quiz?

Feel free to go back, review  the video again if you need.

But if you're ready, let's complete your quiz.

So here's how the quiz is going to work.

You're going to see a sentence and you have to  

decide which which expression  best completes the sentence.

I'll only give you a few seconds, so hit  pause and take as much time as you need.

So let's do this one together.

Which option is it, AB or C?

And the answer is a bring someone up to speed.

Now notice how I also completed the sentence.

You can do that as well for additional practice  to make sure you get the grammar correct.

So those are the instructions.

Now let's continue on with the next question.

No.

So was that quiz a breeze?

Let us know your score in the comments below.

Now that you've already expanded your  vocabulary, let's do something different.

We're going to read a news article  together and you're going to learn 42.

English phrases Let me read the headline.

Netherlands phone ban announced  to stop school disruptions.

A ban?

What does this mean?

When you ban something, it means that  it is no longer available or allowed.

No longer available or allowed.

Here the word.

Ban is not the verb of the sentence.

It's being used as the subject, the phone ban.

So it's a noun.

The verb in the sentence is a noun in the past.

Simple A noun.

So you can use ban as a noun or as a verb.

As a verb you could say the  Netherlands banned phones  

in schools, so this is the verb in the past.

Simple.

I could also say this article is  about the Netherlands phone ban.

So here ban is being used as a noun.

Now you may notice also that I said the  Netherlands, the Netherlands phone ban.

The Netherlands as a country is an  exception and it takes an article.

Countries in general don't take articles,  

but there are certain exceptions, the United  States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands.

So keep that in mind, but make  sure you don't put it on most  

countries because they don't take articles.

Let's continue Devices, including mobile phones,  

are set to be banned from classrooms  to stop them from disrupting learning.

Are set to be banned when something is set.

To.

And then you have the infinitive.

It means that it is about to.

For example, the party is set  and then we have our infinitive.

So our verb to be the party is set to start.

Now maybe this is in the past,  so you would change this.

The party was set to start at  7:00 PM, but it started at 8:00.

So this was.

The set time and then this is the actual time, so  set to be banned, to be banned because the mobile  

phones are receiving the ban, they're not the ones  doing the action, they're receiving the action.

So we commonly use that for a verb ban as well.

To be banned, you might say.

My.

Sugar.

Was banned in my house to be banned.

Sugar was banned in my house.

Now, using an active sentence, you could say my  mom, my dad, my parents banned sugar in our house.

Which could be a.

Common thing that's banned  Devices, including mobile phones,  

are set to be banned from classrooms  to stop them from disrupting learning.

When something disrupts something,  

it prevents it from operating or  performing as usual or as expected.

So I'll put that here for you to prevent  something from continuing as usual or as expected.

And that's what what the phones are doing in the  classroom and that's why they've been banned.

To be banned, they've been banned.

I've summarized all the notes from this lesson  and you can download the free Lessonpedia.

Simply look in the description  for the link to download it.

Let's continue the initiative.

So the initiative is the Netherlands  plan to ban mobile phones.

The initiative is being introduced  in collaboration with schools and  

is to take effect at the start of next year.

So to take effect, this is  just when it will start.

So you can say the initiative will  start at the start of next year.

In this case, start means  the beginning of next year.

I don't know if they mean calendar year or  school year, because those are different,  

but to take effect simply means  to to start being operational.

So another common expression  is to come into effect,  

to come into effect, and this is to  become operational or to become law.

Because we use this a lot with policies or rules,  

you could say that the  regulation will come into effect.

So when it comes into effect and is  operational, it is in fact the law.

So you'll see this a lot with.

With.

Government, our new policy, our new tax change  comes into effect on August 1st and then they  

can list a specific date or they might say  comes into effect soon in the new year.

It doesn't have to be a specific date  come into effect or take effect when  

it will officially start or become operational.

There will be some exceptions.

Now, if there is an exception,  

it means that certain people or  certain times won't follow the policy.

So the policy that phones are banned  applies to everyone except the people who.

Are.

Exceptions, so it doesn't apply to them.

So this is when a rule or policy doesn't apply.

So they'll identify the exceptions there are,  

including for students with  medical needs or a disability.

So those are two of the.

Exceptions and then for classes focused on  digital skills, so this could be another one.

You likely use the conjunction except a lot.

For example, I study English  every day except Sunday.

So you're listing the day that doesn't apply.

Sunday doesn't apply to.

This.

Using the word exception you  could say I say the English  

Everyday Sunday is my only exception exception.

So here you're just.

Using it in a different way, a shorter  way, but they mean the exact same thing.

Let's continue the ban.

So here they're using it as our noun.

Noun.

The ban is not legally enforceable,  so you can't enforce it.

Make someone follow that legally,  but may become so in the future.

So become so means it may become legally  enforceable, but right now it's not.

Let's continue.

Even though mobile phones are  almost intertwined with our lives,  

Let's take a look here at Intertwined.

Intertwined means that something is closely  connected and difficult to separate.

We do have.

More of a literal definition of this.

You probably have a drawer in your house  where there are just lots of random cords.

So if this white cord is  difficult to separate from  

this black cord, you can say they're intertwined.

They're connected and difficult to separate.

Right now they're not intertwined.

But then if I mix them all.

Together.

They can become intertwined so.

This is more of a literal.

Meaning, and we do use it, especially  in this situation, which does seem to  

happen to me, but we also have more of  a figurative meaning, you might say.

Our lives are intertwined, so maybe  this is you and your best friend,  

or you and your significant other.

Or.

You and a colleague even, and  you are so close together.

You have all of these areas that you  share and it's difficult to separate  

your life from your best friend's  life because they're so intertwined.

So we do use this a lot with  very close relationships as well.

Our lives are intertwined.

Even though mobile phones are almost intertwined,  

with our lives so closely connected,  they're difficult to separate.

Could you imagine separating your  day-to-day life from your mobile?

Will that be difficult  because it's so intertwined?

They do not belong in the classroom.

What do you think?

Do you agree with this statement?

Share your opinion Do you agree that mobile  phones don't belong in the classroom?

What do you think?

Yes, I agree.

No, I don't agree and you can share the  reason why, said the education minister.

Students must be able to concentrate  their their being in the classroom.

When you see there, you always have to  look back at the last location because  

in this case there represents a location over  there and the last location is the classroom.

Students must be able to concentrate there in the  

classroom and be given every  opportunity to learn well.

I see a lot of mistakes with this  sentence structure and it is pretty basic,  

I'll be honest, but I still  see a lot of mistakes with it.

The sentence structure is  to be able to do something.

So here you have your verb to be.

You can conjugate your verb according to the  

subject and the time reference able  does not change, it's always able.

And then you have your infinitive.

So you could say we weren't  able to locate the file.

We.

Weren't because this is my verb to be which  is conjugated with my subject and the time  

reference which is the past simple and  I turned it into the negative as well.

We were not able to locate the file.

Now I am able to come to the party.

I'm able to so my subject, my verb able doesn't  change and then the infinitive very common,  

very basic sentence structure here,  but I still see mistakes with this.

So take some time and practice this.

Students must be able to concentrate.

Now must is a modal verb.

So notice after a modal verb,  we don't use the infinitive.

You have modal verb plus your base verb,  which is just the the verb without to  

students must be able to concentrate there  and be given every opportunity to learn well.

We know from scientific research  that mobile phones disrupt this  

and then we already learned disrupt  here disrupt is being used as a verb.

They disrupt this.

This is their ability to  concentrate and learn well.

Previous we looked at disrupt as a verb as well,  

but it was in the ING form  because it followed a preposition.

From is a preposition after prepositions.

You have your gerund verb with  ING, and here we simply have it  

as our present simple conjugated with  mobile phones, which is our subject.

They, they disrupt this, they disrupt this.

Various studies have found  limiting children's screen  

time is linked to improved  cognition and concentration.

OK, so limiting children's screen time,  this is the action and this is linked to.

Is linked to.

You can think of this is  linked to to show connection.

So we have one thing limiting children's  screen time, and then we have another thing,  

improved cognition and concentration.

If something is linked to something, it means  they're connected because this is a link.

You can think of a chain link in a fence.

They're connected.

So that's to be linked.

To so their.

Verb.

Here our expression is to be  linked to to be linked to.

Now, we generally use this expression when  

you want to show that one thing  has an effect on another thing.

So there's a cause and effect relationship.

So again, our one thing  exercising, our next thing.

Reduced.

Heart attacks and I want to show  there's a cause and effect relationship.

Exercising causes the effect  of reduced heart attacks.

Exercising has been linked to reduced heart  attacks, so here's the expression to be linked to.

So my verb is in the present perfect, and  then I have my infinitive to be linked to.

Let's continue.

Other tech, including tablets and  smartwatches, are also included in the ban.

The government said it would be  up to individual schools to agree  

the exact rules with teachers, parents and pupils.

This sounds a little weird to me  because we don't use agree and then  

directly whatever you're agreeing to  notice because you agree to something.

So I think it's just there is missing  a preposition here, individual schools  

to agree to the exact rules because you agree  to something, you don't just agree something.

I agreed stay late.

This sounds weird.

It does not sound correct.

I agreed stay late.

I agreed to stay late.

Now it sounds great.

This means you accepted your boss said can you  stay late and you said, yes, I can stay late.

I agreed to stay late.

So that's why we need this preposition here  to agree to the exact rules with teachers.

Now notice the government said it would be  

up to to be up to and then we  have a someone or a something.

The individual schools, well, it represents the  teachers and the administrators at the school.

So technically it is a someone when something is.

Up.

To someone it means they have  the ability to make the decision.

It's their decision to make.

So a friend could say, do you want  to have pizza or pasta tonight?

And then you can say it's  up to you, it's up to you.

You're saying you decide.

It's your responsibility.

I'm giving you responsibility  to make the decision.

It's up to you.

You can decide if we're having pizza or pasta.

It's up to you.

So the government said it would be up  to the individual schools to agree to  

the exact rules with teachers, parents and pupils.

So the schools have to decide on the rules,  

including whether they wanted  to completely ban devices from.

Schools.

OK, so schools have the flexibility to decide?

The announcement follows a similar  decision by Finland last week.

If something follows something,  it means it comes next.

Just like if this is Sally and this is Larry,  you could say Larry is following Sally.

He's coming next.

So something follows something, it comes next.

I'll write that for you.

So this means that Finland announced  before the Netherlands announced,  

because the announcement by the Netherlands  followed Finland's announcement.

So first Finland announced and then  the Netherlands announced the ban.

Other countries, including England and  France, have also proposed banning.

When you propose something,  it means you suggest it.

So they haven't decided, they're considering it.

So when you propose something,  you suggest it for consideration.

To suggest something, something  for decision or consideration.

They have also proposed banning  mobile phones to improve learning.

So propose you may be more familiar  with this word from a proposal.

When someone proposes to someone, they say will  you marry me because you're suggesting marriage?

But.

It's the other person who gets to  consider your proposal and then decide.

So we use that Will you marry me?

This is will you marry me?

This is the words used when someone  proposes the traditional words.

You can say other things, but this  is the traditional way to propose.

When someone proposes and what are they proposing?

They're proposing merit.

You don't need to say that.

You don't need to say, oh wow,  Sally proposed marriage to Tom.

Well, generally the guy proposes, but why not?

A girl can propose to, but I'll  say it the more traditional way.

Oh wow, Tom proposed to Sally  and you proposed to someone.

Did you hear that, Tom?

Proposed to.

Sally, so you propose marriage, but you don't  need to say that it's implied to someone.

And how did Tom do that?

He said, Sally, I love you, will you marry me?

And then hopefully he gave her a ring and  some flowers and some other special items.

And then Sally will say yes or  no, or I have to think about it.

And we'll consider that proposal, that proposal.

And that is the end of our lesson.

So what I'll do is I'll go to the top  and I will read it from start to finish.

And this time you can focus on my pronunciation.

Netherlands phone ban announced to  stop school disruptions Devices,  

including mobile phones are said  to be banned from classrooms to  

stop them from disrupting learning,  the Dutch government has announced.

The initiative is being introduced  in collaboration with schools and  

is to take effect at the start of next year.

There will be some exceptions, including for  students with medical needs or a disability,  

and for classes focused on digital skills.

The ban is not legally enforceable  but may become so in the future.

Even though mobile phones are  almost intertwined with our lives,  

they do not belong in the classroom,  said the education minister.

Students must be able to concentrate there  and be given every opportunity to learn well.

We know from scientific research  that mobile phones disrupt this.

Various studies have found limiting children's  

screen time is linked to improve  cognition and concentration.

Other tech, including tablets and smartwatches,  are also included in the Dutch ban.

The government said it would be up to individual  schools to agree the exact rules with teachers,  

parents and pupils, including whether they  wanted to completely ban devices from schools.

The announcement follows a similar  decision by Finland last week.

Other countries, including England and France,  

have also proposed banning mobile  phones to improve learning.

Now let's keep going and  you'll read a more advanced  

news article and you'll learn 40 English phrases.

Our headline The young  workers dressing to stand out.

As you can see, her outfit really stands out.

Imagine there are all these other workers  and they're wearing a plain white shirt  

and black pants and she is wearing this  very bright, colorful and vintage outfit.

She would stand out.

The phrasal verb stand out.

This means to be noticeable,  to be noticeable in a group.

So you have a group of different objects and  one of them is more noticeable than the others.

That object stands out.

And it could stand out because of its size,  

it's bigger than the others or smaller  its colour or other reasons as well.

So to stand out, to be very  noticeable and especially  

compared to other things or even people.

So she stands out because of her  outfit, her outfit, what she's wearing.

Let's continue on.

Traditional thinking has generally been  to dress to fit into the workplace.

Here's another phrasal verb to fit in.

So the phrasal verb is to fit in,  but when you specify the noun,  

in this case the workplace, then we  add into to fit into the workplace.

So I'll highlight all of this.

So the phrasal verb to fit in is when you have  a feeling that you belong or are accepted.

When you're a new employee, you  might not feel like you fit in.

Or if you're new to a neighborhood or  a sports team or any group of people,  

a new school, that's a great example,  You might not feel like you fit in.

You might not feel like  you belong or are accepted.

And unfortunately, a lot of my students don't feel  like they fit in because of their English skills.

So of course to not fit in isn't a good feeling.

You want to feel like you belong and are accepted.

You want to feel like you fit in.

So to fit into the workplace, a feeling  of belonging or being accepted by a group.

So they're saying traditionally you would wear  the same clothes that your Co workers wear.

So you fit in, you have this sense of belonging.

But this person here is doing something different.

She's dressing to stand  out, to be more noticeable,  

which could have the impact  that she doesn't fit in.

Let's find out.

But in the pandemic era, these  rules are going by the wayside.

When something goes by the wayside, it means it's  it's gone, it's no longer followed, it's outdated.

And in this case, they're talking about a rule.

So by saying the rule has gone by the way wayside,  it means nobody is following that rule anymore.

So here's the definition here.

Now, of course, in our modern era of  technology, we could say that landlines,  

phones that are connected in your house,  landline lines have gone by the wayside.

No one really uses them anymore, right?

So in this case, you can use it.

When you use something, you stop using it or  you stop following a certain rule or practice.

Monica Saleh.

That's the woman here who dresses to stand out.

Monica Saleh doesn't wear your average  business casual clothing at the office.

Instead, the 31 year old software marketing  manager has become well known for her love  

of rare vintage fashion at a large tech  firm where she works in Indianapolis, US.

OK, vintage, vintage clothing is clothing  from older decades or older generations,  

so from the 50s or 60s or 70s.

So not from this modern time is from  a past time or a past generation.

And we can see an example of  vintage clothing here, so.

This.

Pattern.

This color combination was very popular  in, I don't know, maybe the 60s or the 70s.

And this shirt was made in the 60s or 70s.

And this represents vintage.

And they also had this adjective here rare.

So a rare, of course, means  not common, difficult to find.

So it's not easy to find clothing that was  made from the 60s or 70s, vintage clothing.

You have to go to very special stores.

So not common, not common, not easy to find.

Now let's take a look at her job title.

She's a software marketing manager.

Now, a lot of times I hear  mistakes when students say  

their job title because they don't use an article.

You have to use an article.

I'm a software manager.

I'm an accountant, so N if you have a vowel  sound and then ah if you have a consonant sound.

Don't forget that article.

It sounds very beginner English and you might not  fit in and you would stand out in a negative way.

You would stand out because it's obvious that  English isn't your first language if you make  

such a basic mistake like forgetting to  put an article in front of your job title.

So don't make that mistake.

And if you do want to stand out in the  workplace, be noticeable for your good qualities.

Then I want you to download this free  speaking guide where I share 6 tips on  

how to speak English frequently and confidently.

This is absolutely free.

It's available on my website, so you can just look  

in the description for the link  to download it absolutely free.

And you can also find the link to download all the  notes from the lesson in the description below.

Let's continue on her outfits.

So an outfit is a complete set of.

Of.

Clothing that you wear, so it includes  your shirt, your pants, your shoes.

So it's everything that you're  wearing is considered your outfit.

So not just your shirt.

You can only see my shirt now, but  it would be my shirt and my pants.

And even if I had shoes or a purse, all of  that together would be considered an outfit.

So her outfit, the total of  all the clothes she's wearing.

So in her case, the outfit would  include her shirt, her pants,  

You can't really see it, but it looks like  she has some colorful socks, her shoes.

And let's say she was wearing a belt as  well, That would be part of her outfit.

Her outfits are a far cry from the  average plain T-shirt and jeans.

If something is a far cry  from something else, it means  

it's very different from very  different from very different from.

So it's saying that her colleagues just wear,  

you know, you're plain white,  Gray or blue T-shirt and jeans.

That's your casual business attire, your outfit.

But she wears something very different.

So her outfits, what she wears, the total of what  she wears is very different from other outfit.

It's a far cry from now.

One thing that my students find  is that studying English is a  

far cry from using English in the real world.

So they get comfortable studying  English in the classroom.

But then they get out there, they go to  a party with native English speakers,  

or they go to a meeting or a networking  event or just to work and being in the  

real world and using your English,  communicating with native speakers  

is a far cry from communicating  with your teacher in the classroom.

And that's why a lot of students feel like they  don't fit in and they stand out in a negative way.

They stand out because their accent is too strong  or they use very unnatural expressions, right?

So this is how you can use this  expression of far cry from.

Her outfits are a far cry from the average plain  T-shirt and jeans she sees among her colleagues.

And she says her bold style has become  a great talking point with them.

When something is a talking point  is just a a conversational topic.

It's something you talk about.

That's all that means.

So her outfits are a talking point.

It's something when she sees her  colleagues, they say, oh wow.

Where?

Did you get that shirt?

Tell me more about it.

What generation is it from?

Who designed it?

That's how it's a talking point.

So here's a quote so this because  we have these quotation marks here,  

it means that this woman, what's her name again?

Monica, this woman Monica  is now saying these words.

So she said having that  opportunity to breakdown walls.

When you breakdown walls, it  just means to eliminate them.

So it's a metaphorical wall.

It's saying here I am and here my colleague  is, and there's a wall between us.

So we don't communicate easily.

But if we eliminate that wall,  if we breakdown that wall,  

then now I can hi, I can easily  communicate with my colleague.

Having that opportunity to breakdown walls with  

people across different teams  by talking about my outfits.

This is how she breaks down the walls.

So how she initiates conversation with her  

colleagues about her outfits  is pretty awesome, she says.

The company I work for is pretty  large, and ever since I've been here,  

my notoriety has been extended  through my fashion and what I wear.

Being around people who might not  know as much about these designers  

and catching their eye has  always been an icebreaker.

So an icebreaker is a way to  initiate a conversation with someone.

So if you're at a party or a networking  event or even a meeting and there are a  

lot of new people and you've never met  those people, you want an icebreaker.

You want a way to initiate  a conversation with someone.

So at a party, an icebreaker  could be a simple question.

Oh, so how do you know Jane?

If it's Jane's party and you could go up  to each person and that's your icebreaker.

That's how you initiate conversation.

How do you know Jane?

How long have you known Jane?

And you can talk about the host  because both of you know Jane.

So an icebreaker is a way to initiate, which is  

a way of same start to initiate  conversation for the first time.

So after you initiate that conversation,  then the icebreaker is complete.

All right, let's move on.

Sally is not the only person pushing back  against traditional office wear conventions.

OK?

When you push back against  something, it means you resist it.

You say I don't agree with that.

I don't want to do that.

So you resist something to resist something.

So let's say your office has a new policy that  says everyone must wear a suit and a tie to work.

But before you wore jeans and AT shirt.

So a lot of people could be  upset about the change and  

they could push back against because  against is part of the expression.

You push back against something, which  means you say, no, I don't want to do that.

I don't agree with that.

I don't think that's a good idea.

That's how you push back against something.

So she's pushing back against your  traditional T-shirt and jeans by  

wearing this very vintage rare clothing that  makes her stand out, be very noticeable.

So she's not the only person pushing  back against traditional office wear  

conventions with many showing off  their unconventional office attire.

Attire is another word for outfit.

So you could say office attire or office outfits.

Notice here if you have outfit,  

you need it with an S there because  there's more than one their outfits.

But a tire does not take a possess of plural form.

Sorry.

So you just keep it without the  S there a tire is inappropriate,  

but you would have to say their  outfits are inappropriate.

Remember, you have to conjugate your  verb with whatever the subject is.

So here their attire, but because  it's singular, it represents it.

It is inappropriate.

Their outfits because it's plural,  it's they, they are inappropriate.

OK, but it means the exact same thing,  it's just a different word for it.

And remember, an outfit is the totality  of your clothing, of what you're wearing.

So many are showing off.

When you show off, it means that you  just make it known to other people.

So to show off their attire on social media,  Well, how would you show off your attire?

You would take a picture of it and you  would post it on social media with a  

headline and a hashtag in an attempt to  have it seen by a large number of people.

So that's how you would show  it off, it being your attire.

Some workers, especially younger ones,  are swapping out mundane white shirt,  

black trouser combos with lux loungewear sets.

All right, lots.

To review here, so first let's.

Talk about our adjectives.

We have mundane.

This is very ordinary, not interesting.

Could be a little bit boring, right?

Because if it's very ordinary,  very ordinary, not interesting.

So that really probably represents boring.

So a white shirt, black  trousers, that's pretty mundane.

Everybody wears that.

So it's a little bit boring.

It doesn't stand out, but you probably  fit in pretty easily wearing that.

OK, so that's mundane.

Now, Combos is short for combination.

Combination, so you can shorten it to combo.

You see this a lot in fast food restaurants.

McDonald's, you could have a  burger with fries and a drink.

That's a combo.

It's a combination of three  different items into one meal.

A combo.

OK, And then lux is short form for luxury.

But in this case, we're using it as an adjective.

So what do we need?

Luxurious Notice the pronunciation.

Luxurious.

Luxurious.

So this as you can see, we  have our Lux and we just take.

The short form.

It's not the most common to be honest.

I would personally say luxurious or luxury.

I wouldn't shorten it to lux  but that's what they did here.

OK now our phrasal verb to swap out.

Now you swap out one thing for another thing,  

which means you just replace  one thing for another thing.

So first I had my mundane white T-shirt,  

but I swapped it out for this  flower shirt so I stand out.

OK, so you replace one thing with another thing.

Are swapping out.

Replace, I'll just say replace A with B.

So white T-shirt is A and then these  luxurious loungewear sets, that's B.

So you swap it out and that's  the end of the article.

So perhaps if you want to stand out at work,  you can consider wearing vintage clothing.

That's the moral of the story here.

So now what I'll do is I'll read  the article from start to finish,  

and this time you can focus on my pronunciation,  the young workers dressing to stand out.

Traditional thinking has generally been  to dress to fit into the workplace,  

but in the pandemic era, these rules are  going by the wayside for some employees.

Monica Saleh doesn't wear your average  business casual clothing at the office.

Instead, the 31 year old software marketing  manager has become well known for her love  

of rare vintage fashion at the large tech  firm where she works in Indianapolis, US.

Her outfits are a far cry from the average plain  T-shirt and jeans she sees among her colleagues,  

and she says her bold style has become  a great talking point with them.

Having that opportunity to break  down walls with people across  

different teams by talking about my  outfits is pretty awesome, she says.

The company I work for is pretty  large and ever since I've been here,  

my notoriety has been extended  through my fashion and what I wear.

Being around people who might not  know as much about these designers  

and catching their eye has  always been an icebreaker.

Sally is not the only person pushing back  against traditional office wear conventions,  

with many showing off their unconventional  office attire on social and media.

Some workers, especially younger ones,  

are swapping out mundane white shirt and  black trouser combos for lux loungewear sets.

Amazing job.

Do you want me to make another master class?

If you do, put master class master  class, put master class in the comments.

And of course, make sure you like this lesson,  

share it with your friends and subscribe so  you're notified every time I post a new lesson.

And you can get this free speaking  guide where I share 6 tips on how  

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You can click here to download it or  look for the link in the description.

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