C1 Vocabulary: ADVANCED English VERBS to Influence and Impress Others

Hi there, this is Harry, and welcome back  to my English lessons, where I try to give  

you a better understanding of English.  The grammar, vocabulary, expressions,  

everything that you need. So what are we  going to talk to you about today? Well,  

I thought we'd talk about verbs and  verbs relating to persuading. So  

when we want to persuade somebody, it's  about getting them to change their mind,  

getting them to do something that you want them  to do, even though they want to do something else.

Generally, getting them to have a a shift in their  particular opinion. So let me go through them,  

explain them, and give you an example.  Brainwash. Well, this is a word we hear  

in all sorts of movies, whether it's about the  the demons or the dead or somebody has to be  

brain washed and the idea of somebody pouring lots  of water into your head to get your brain clean.

So that might be the literal meaning  of it. But when we brainwash somebody,  

we get them to think the way we want them  to think. So when we used to watch these  

movies of the 1960s or 70s, and if you  fell into the wrong hands of the enemy,  

they would try to brainwash you  so you'd go around like a robot.

Okay, so to be brainwashed, thinking what  you want to do. So when we are brainwashed,  

we might just use it in a little  bit of a joke. You say, yeah,  

those people have you brainwashed. You  think like the company. You do like the  

company. That's why I like to work for  myself. I hate to work for a company.

Because if you work for a company for a few  years, they brainwash you. You think only about  

their way of thinking. You do things the way  they want to do it. You become a company man,  

so you shouldn't allow yourself to be brainwashed.  So brainwashed. Getting somebody to change their  

mind or to think the way you want them  to think next to bring somebody around.

When we bring them around, we mean  to bring them around to your way of  

thinking. So you do that by a  bit of prolonged negotiation,  

a bit of prolonged persuasion. You begin to drop  in little hints or give them little pointers or  

little ideas. And eventually what will happen is  they will come around to your way of thinking.

I yeah, actually, the more I think of  it, I think you're right. I think that's  

the best way to do it. So presto. Bingo,  you've succeeded. You've got them around  

to your way of thinking. So to bring somebody  around means to work on them slowly and gradually,  

until eventually they think the way you want  them to think, or they agree with your idea,  

your plan, whatever it might be next to butter  somebody up. Literally, take a knife, get the  

butter when you're buttering a piece of bread and  I have my bread, I like to put plenty of butter  

on it. And often people say, would you like some  bread with that butter that put so much butter on  

it? So when you butter somebody up, you are trying  to persuade them to do what you want them to do.

But you're using a lot of nice words and  you're you're using persuasion in that way,  

and you are trying to get them to feel  good about themselves and say, oh, come on,  

you know, you're really good at this and there's  nobody can do it better than you. So come on,  

give it a go. And this. Oh yes. And  people love to have their egos polished.

So if you polish somebody's ego enough, then  they probably will do what you want them to do,  

and they will be persuaded and they will change  their mind. Yeah. Okay. So to butter somebody up  

means to find out something that will make  them feel good, to put them in a good mood  

so that when you do ask them for something, or  you do suggest that they they change something,  

then they're more likely to agree  with you than to disagree with you.

So you butter them up to make  them feel good about themselves,  

To fob somebody off. When when we fob somebody  off, it means we don't want to meet them.  

We try to avoid them. We to try to avoid a  contact. And if we do have contact with them,  

we make some excuses that we don't want to talk  to them or when we're not going to help them.

Okay. So, yeah, yeah, yeah.  Look, I'll call you back later,  

okay? I'm busy at the moment. Perhaps we'll  catch up in the next couple of days of. Well,  

why don't you just send me an email about  what you're suggesting and I'll have a look  

at it. So all excuse says why you don't want  to talk to that person at that particular time.

So you fob them off with some excuse. Look, I'm  not really in the mood today. I've got to get  

this presentation finished. And now what?  Why don't we just touch base in a couple  

of days? And you really hope that by then,  in a couple of days, that they've forgotten  

what they wanted. But if they're persistent,  you'll just fobbed them off a little bit more.

So to fob somebody off means to give  them some excuses or make some excuses,  

hoping that they will go away, hoping  that they won't continue to annoy you  

and that eventually they'll just give up  and they'll go in and I somebody has to  

cajole. Somebody cajole means you talk  nicely to them, and you use a lot of  

flattery to get your way or to persuade them  to do things the way you want them to do it.

Okay. So you keep saying things like, I'll come  on, you know, you're good at this. You know,  

there's nobody else can do it. You know,  they really liked to hear from you. Yeah,  

yeah, yeah, I really know you want to do it.  I'll help you. I'll. I'll prepare everything.  

But I just need you to do this. Yeah. So you  work on the person bit by bit and eventually.

Yeah, they agree to do what you want them to do.  Daughters. My daughter was really good at this.  

When she was younger. She would cajole you a  command. And, you know, you'd love to have a  

pet around the house. It would be cute,  a little kitten, forgetting that cos  

little kittens tended to be big cats and  said, oh, come on, I'll look after it.

I'll feed it in the morning, I'll empty  the litter tray. Lots of flattery. And  

then eventually you are persuaded and you change  your mind. Is it okay? Come on, let's get a kitten  

and that. Cos once you say that, that's.  It's. You've given in, you've surrendered.  

And they or your daughter in, in my case has  persuaded you to do what they want you to do.

Wheedle. Strange word to wheedle, to wheedle.  And we use the expression to wheedle something  

out of somebody. So it's like getting a little  fork or a screwdriver and eventually getting  

what you want. It's in there somewhere.  I'll get it. So when we wheedle something  

out to somebody, we keep asking them the  questions. Well, what was that about?

What happened there or what did he say  next and what's planned? Or do you know  

what's going to happen next week? So they keep  looking for more information. And bit by bit,  

you eventually give them as much information  as you have or all the information that they  

are interested in, and they've succeeded in  wheedling or getting the information out of you.

So it's like pulling the intestines out of  something, you know, just bit by bit, bit by  

bit. Eventually they've got everything, okay, so  they wheedle something out of you slowly. Yeah,  

no pain involved, but eventually they get all of  the story. It's like mother's. Mothers are really  

good at wheedling stories. They come home  and they see son or daughter in a bad mood.

And you want to talk about it? No no no  no no. But eventually mom puts her arm  

around them or she said, well, come on,  you can talk to me. And was it something  

at school? So eventually the whole story  comes out and mum has mums do have been  

very successful in wheedling the  information out of the daughter.

Hustle and be careful here  with the pronunciation hustle,  

hustle, hustle. Okay? To hustle means to keep  pushing, to keep at somebody, or try as hard  

as you can to get the answer that you want.  So when we hustle, we want to get somebody  

to change their mind about something. Come on,  come on. Look, you know you'd like to buy this.

It's a really, really good deal. You're not  going to get a better deal anywhere else. I mean,  

this car, okay? I've had it for a couple of years.  Never had any problems with it. So this is about  

hustling and getting somebody to persuade  themselves that they really want to buy the car,  

to hustle, to keep pushing and pressing and  hoping and working away until the person.

Yeah, signs the dotted line, gets the car  keys, goes home a happy man to hustle, talk  

somebody into something. Well, we've all tried,  sometimes successfully, sometimes unsuccessfully,  

to talk somebody into doing something. It might be  that holiday of a lifetime. You know you want to  

do it. You've never taken enough time off work.  Those people. Oh, yeah. Lots and lots of days.

So why don't we just go off, have that  second honeymoon that you promised me?  

You remember that? You told me that years  ago we'd have a second honeymoon? Well,  

here's the chance. Yeah. So you tried to talk  your husband into taking you on that second  

honeymoon? Okay. If you really want to do it,  let's go. It's about time we did something for us.

So to talk somebody into something. Next  to urge. Well, we all have an urge to do  

something. So in that way, we use it as a  noun and urge. But to urge somebody is to  

push and push strongly. I really urge  you, if you wanted to use the verb,  

I really urge you to consider this seriously. So  someone is really going to take a look at this.

Can I urge you, please, to give this careful  consideration? We won't get many better chances,  

so it's something that we really have to look  at. So it could be telling the boss about some  

change in the plans. It can be telling  your kids to do some more study. I look,  

I really would urge you for the last few months  of the term to do an extra little bit of work.

It'll really pay off. I mean, there's no  point cramming all the study in for the  

last two weeks. Spread it out. Over the next few  months. You'll feel much better. I really would  

encourage you. I really would urge you to listen  to me. You don't listen to me enough. And finally,  

to rope somebody in. That sounds quite a  strange expression to rope somebody in.

If you've ever watched the cowboy, the old cowboy  movies, they used to have a rope for capturing  

horses or cows, so they would last you. So they  would throw the rope, boom, put it around the cat,  

the cow of the horse's neck, pull it, and then  gradually pull the horse or the cow into them  

and, and wrap the rope rope around them, and then  brand the horse or the cow with the branding iron.

Yeah, so very painful by the look of it. So  that's literally to rope somebody in. So when  

you rope somebody in, it's the same idea.  You've got something you want to talk to  

them about. You give them the idea. Right.  And then you rope them in gradually. Well,  

you know, this would be a good  idea. And you know, it makes sense.

And you know, it's going to save time gradually.  A little bit of this and a little bit of that. And  

they come around to your way of thinking. So your  rope, somebody in example. So you know, a member  

of the local football team or you're a member of  the local rugby team, whatever the sport happens  

to be, and they're always doing fundraising  events because they need to get some extra money.

And of course, they like to find volunteers to  raise money, volunteers to do a bit of painting,  

volunteers to train the young kids. Okay, so  you've had your time playing football or rugby,  

and now it's time to give a little bit back and  perhaps to share some of your spare time with  

the kids. So you get roped into training the  kids on a Saturday morning or Sunday morning.

You get roped into taking the kids to the  games away from home. So bit by bit. So you  

get roped or persuaded into doing something.  Okay, so they're all verbs and expressions  

related to persuading, getting somebody to  do what you want them to do. So let them let  

me give them to you one more time. Brainwash.  Bring somebody around to your way of thinking.

Butter somebody up. So use lots of  flattery. Fob somebody off. Reason  

to get rid of them with some excuse. You  cajole somebody again to use flattery to  

get them to do something because you tell  them they're the best in the world. Cajole  

to wheedle something out of somebody to find  out information bit by bit. Hustle to hustle.

Talk somebody into something. Urge somebody  to do something. And finally rope somebody  

into doing what you want them to do.  Okay. Excellent. So all of those verbs  

related to persuading. Try a few of them.  See. Can you introduce them into your,  

English. Try not to use them all of course,  but to try and use a few. Write about them.

And if you have any problems, you know where I am.  You can contact me any time. Thanks for listening.