Time Is of the Essence & Other Phrases with BE OF

Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English  with Jennifer. Do you ever wish you  

had more time in the day? I do. So many  things seem to be of great importance,  

but I need to remind myself to prioritize.  Some things are more important than others.  

I also need to be aware of deadlines. With  certain matters, time is of the essence.  

Those matters demand my immediate attention,  so I can't put them off till later.

"Time is of the essence." This is something you'll  hear when someone wants to remind you that timing  

is key. Action must be taken before a certain  point in time. When, for example? You get a job  

offer. You need to respond. If you need time to  think about it, you should at least acknowledge  

the offer, express your thanks, and then request  a day or two to come to a decision. But time  

is of the essence. You can't take a week or two or  a whole month. They'll choose another candidate.

Or at a hospital. If immediate surgery  is needed, time is of the essence. The  

hospital needs to get the patient's consent (their  agreement) or consent from the patient's family.  

Then the surgery can move forward. Waiting  is not an option. Time is of the essence.

"Of the essence" and "of importance" are two  examples of prepositional phrases with "of"  

that can follow the linking verb  "be." These phrases function very  

much like adjectives although they use nouns.  If something seems to be of great importance,  

it's very important. "Time is of the essence"  means time is essential. Time is important.

Such structures aren't used  that much in informal English,  

but you will hear them in spoken  English. You also see them when you read.

Let's look at different ways  we use "be of (something)."  

Certain nouns are preferred in this structure.  Let's make common phrases part of your vocabulary.

We've already looked at the saying "time is of  the essence," which means time is important.  

And time is of the essence. Either way,  

time is of the essence. Different  priorities can be used as the subject  

before the linking verb "be." Clarity is of the  essence, meaning it's important to be clear.

Accuracy is of the essence, which  means it's important to be accurate.  

Discretion is of the essence, which means it's  important to be discreet. When you're discreet,  

you're very careful not to attract a lot  of attention that would embarrass someone.

Look how I use the noun  "importance" in this structure.  

Discretion is of importance.  Discretion is of great importance.  

Discretion is of the utmost importance. I can use  adjectives to increase the degree of importance.

"Utmost" makes the phrase sound even more  formal. "Of the utmost importance." In general,  

it's more conversational to use the adjective  "important," but in more formal situations,  

you can use this "be of" structure. It  goes without saying that discretion is  

of the utmost importance. This is of great  scientific importance, Captain. Here are other  

nouns related to importance or usefulness.  The examples are generally formal in nature.

Of great significance. the prime minister's  presence here today is of great significance.

Of relevance. Environmental policies  are of relevance now more than ever.

Of great value. Your work is  of great value to the company.

Of consequence. Their refusal is  

only of consequence if others  choose to follow their example.

Of use. Those resources will  be of use to the community.

Of interest or of great interest. The survey  results may be of interest to our marketing team.

Also, I write songs. Might be of interest  to you. Negative forms can suggest a lack  

of importance or lack of usefulness. Their  feelings are of little consequence to him,  

meaning they're not important to him.

The report is outdated and is of no use  to us, meaning it's not useful in any way.

It's really of no interest to anybody.  Let's pause for a moment and consider  

some of your examples. Can you answer my  questions? Put your answers in the comments.

One. Whose artistic works are of great value?

Two. Which pieces of technology are no  longer of any use to us in this century?

Three. What would you say is of the  utmost importance in language instruction?

Four. Can you name a subject that fascinates  many, but is of no interest to you personally?

You heard examples with the noun "use," as in "of  use to the community" or "of no use to anyone."  

Something can be useful to one person, but not  to another. Similarly, help can be accepted  

or refused. Consider these ways a person in a  position of service can offer help to another.

If i can be of any help, let me know.

If we can be of any assistance, please call again.  

If I can be of any help, please don't hesitate  to ask. Just happy to be of service. There are  

a couple more nouns in this "be of" structure that  are a bit more common in conversation. The first:  

of the opinion. You know, of course, that  you can say "in my opinion" or "I think"  

or "I believe that." Well, here's another  alternative: I'm of the opinion that.  

For example, I'm of the opinion that you don't  have to live in an English-speaking country  

in order to gain proficiency in English. Thanks to  the internet, there are many resources available.

I'm of the same opinion. You can use "be of the  opinion" in formal and informal conversations.  

Of course, there are always  ways to sound more informal.  

Instead of saying, "I'm of the same opinion,"  you can say, "I'm with you." There's a formal  

expression of agreement: we're of the same mind.  But more casually, you can say, "We agree."

Another phrase is "be of a certain descent."  For example, be of Asian descent. In the U.S.,  

many of us are a mix of nationalities. Our  parents, grandparents, and other ancestors  

came from different countries. To explain  our family origins, we can talk about  

being of a certain descent. For example,  I'm American, but I'm of Asian descent,  

thanks to my father. More specifically, I'm of  Filipino descent. And on my mother's side, I'm of  

Eastern European descent. My great-grandparents  came from Poland, Serbia, and Hungary.

Here's another practice task you can share in  the comments. Choose a celebrity and tell me  

about their family origins. For example, Lady  Gaga is of Italian descent. Right? I think so,  

at least partly. Then tell me your opinion of  that celebrity. I'm of the opinion that Lady  

Gaga is very talented, and she should sing more  jazz ballads because she has a very soulful voice.

Okay. We'll end here. I surely hope  that the lesson was of some use to you.  

Remember to like and share the video. As  always, thanks for watching and happy studies!

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