"Day After Day" and Other Useful Expressions: English Vocabulary with JenniferESL

Hi everyone! It's Jennifer here with another English lesson.

Are you a creature of habit? Do you do things the same way every day?

We’ll find out as I quiz you about your habits.

And as you think about my questions and answer them, you’ll have the chance to study some easily confused expressions with the word “day.”

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Are you ready to study some useful expressions? Let’s get started.

Okay. First question, do you get up the same way every day? I mean, what’s the first thing that you do? And how quickly do you actually get up?

For me, I first stretch my fingers and my wrists, and then I reach for my phone.

I check the weather. I also send my first Tweet on Twitter.

And after I stand up, I stretch my whole body. My neck, my arms, and so on. So…yes, I’m a creature of habit when it comes to getting up in the morning.

If you get up the same way every day, give yourself a point. One point.

Keep track of your points because we’re going to share our scores at the end. All right?

I asked you about how you get up every day. Be careful when you write “every day.”

Many people make the mistake of writing it only as one word, but there is a difference.

If you’re using the adverb to answer the question "how often?" then it’s actually two words. For example, I get up at the same time every day.

If you’re using the adjective to mean "daily" or "common," then it is one word. For example, an every day routine, and everyday habit, an everyday occurrence.

Second question. How often do you study English? Every day? Every other day? Every few days?

Note the frequency that each phrase implies. "Every day" means 7 days a week.

"Every other day" means you skip a day in between, for example, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

"Every few days" means maybe a couple times a week, but nothing regular.

So, give yourself two points if you study English every day. You get one point if you study English every other day.

And no points if you study sporadically, meaning maybe often, but not regularly.

On to our third question. Do you have a favorite beverage that you drink every day? And do you drink it only once or do you drink it throughout the day?

I drink hot tea constantly. If my tea starts to get cold, I add some hot water and I continue to sip on it. So I have tea throughout the day.

“Throughout the day” is similar to “all day long.”

But “all day long” can suggest no stopping, no breaks.

For example, some people like baseball caps, and they wear their baseball caps all day long. They never take it off.

Give yourself a point if you drink a favorite beverage throughout the day.

You can also give yourself a point if you wear a favorite garment, like a hat or a scarf, all day long.

I also want you to give yourself a point if you check your email and social media accounts not just once or twice, but throughout the day, every day.

Fourth question. Do you have a goal at the present? Something besides learning English.

I’m still working on some challenging piano pieces. I haven’t mastered them yet, but I’m making progress day by day.

When we make a consistent effort to achieve something, we can expect to make progress day by day, meaning little by little.

You can use "day by day" to talk about things that happen steadily and gradually.

So give yourself a point if you’re making progress toward your goal day by day.

Fifth question. Which statement best describes the way you feel about food?

Well, they say that variety in our diet is good, but I bet we all have some favorite foods.

The question is how much does your diet change from day to day?

If you eat the same things every day, give yourself a point.

If you try to have a good amount of variety in your diet from one day to the next, no points.

So “day after day” means that something happens with frequently, and that’s a bad thing.

We use “day after day” to talk about an action or an event that happens repeatedly and it annoys us.

For example, a mother might complain:

“From day to day” is the same thing as “from one day to the next.”

Both can be use used to talk about everyday things.We use "from day to day" and "from one day to the next" to talk about how much or how little change there is in a situation.

Study these examples.

Last question. Does your work routine change from day to day? Or do you do the same tasks day in, day out?

“Day in, day out” means pretty much the same thing as “day after day.”

Both refer to situations that happen every day, and we're annoyed by these things, or we’re just tired of how repetitive the situation is.

Note that you'll hear "day in, day out" and the variation "day in and day out."

If you have the routine at work day in, day out, give yourself a point. No points if things change for you from one day to the next.

Okay. Time to see who among us has the strongest habits…good or bad. If you have 7-9 points, you’re likely a creature of habit.

According to this quiz, I have 6 points. So I definitely have my habits, but not in every aspect of my life.

Tell me your score in the comments. You can also choose ONE expression and create an example. I’ll offer corrections as time allows.

Let's end with a review. Recall the expressions.

How did you do?

That's all for now. If you found this lesson useful, please like this video.

As always, thanks for watching and happy studies!