26 Advanced English Vocabulary A-Z

Vanessa: Hi.

I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com.

Dan: And I'm Dan.

Vanessa: Are you ready to improve your vocabulary A to Z?

Dan: I am.

Vanessa: Let's do it.

In today's special vocabulary lesson, I'm here with my husband, Dan, and we're going

to be talking about one important vocabulary word for each letter of the alphabet, A to

Z, 26 new words.

All of these words have a theme.

Dan: Yes, you can use them to describe your English-learning journey.

Vanessa: Yes, but you can also use them in other situations.

So, for each of these words, I'm going to give an example that you can use to talk about

your English journey, and Dan's going to give an example about something else, another topic.

Dan: Something personal.

Vanessa: Yeah, we don't know yet.

Dan: But not too personal.

Vanessa: We'll see.

Feel free to check out the description for a timestamp for each of these words, so that

you can go back and study them later.

I hope that you'll be able to really remember them by reviewing them again and again.

Are you ready to get started?

Dan: Yes.

Vanessa: Let's go.

A, apprehension: A fearful expectation of something.

I feel some apprehension when I speak English with a native English speaker or in front

of other people in a crowd.

What about you?

When do you feel apprehensive?

Dan: Well, I used to feel apprehensive giving speeches, but now I've gotten over that a

little bit.

But when I was in college, I wrote on the calendar D-Day.

This day is coming, and it's going to be terrible, and I was so scared.

I was so apprehensive, but now, I've gotten over it.

Vanessa: Yeah, I remember that speech.

You actually did a great job.

So, your nervousness really didn't lead to a bad conclusion.

Dan: Maybe it even helped me.

Vanessa: Yeah, you felt apprehensive.

All right, let's go to the next one.

B, bittersweet: A good feeling with a bit of sadness.

When I studied abroad in Texas, it was bittersweet to leave my host family because I had some

really great memories with them, but I was also looking forward to see my family back

home.

What about you?

Are you going to feel bittersweet anytime soon?

Dan: Actually, we will feel bittersweet because we are leaving this house and moving to a

new house.

So, it's bitter because we have a lot of good memories here and that's sad, but it's sweet

because we're going to a new house.

It's bittersweet.

Vanessa: Yes.

C, complacent: Comfortable with no desire to change or improve.

I don't want to be complacent about my English level.

I always want to be improving.

What about you?

What do you do when you feel complacent?

Dan: Well, I usually try something new, and this word, it actually sounds like it could

be positive, but really it's a negative thing.

You're comfortable, and you should change.

When I feel complacent, I try something new like when I was not exercising in the past,

I decided to play hockey.

So, I joined a league, and I played hockey on a team, and I got lots of exercise.

Vanessa: Yeah, you didn't want it to be too complacent.

Dan: D, diligent: Being committed to a task.

I know that I need to be diligent if I want to remember all of these vocabulary words.

I should study them every day.

Do you know anyone who's diligent?

Vanessa: Yes, I do.

Dan: Vanessa is very diligent.

Every single day, she works on the fearless fluency club, the YouTube channel.

She's always learning new things in English.

She is diligent.

Vanessa: Thank you.

E, expend: To use up money or energy.

Sometimes, I expend all my energy worrying about making a mistake, and then I don't actually

speak.

What about you?

How do you feel at the end of the day?

Dan: Well, lately, I certainly feel expended at the end of the day because we have a toddler,

so he's running around all day.

We're chasing him all day, and when he goes to sleep at night, we feel expended.

We're done.

We have to lie down.

Vanessa: We have expended all our energy taking care of him, and we just want to relax.

F, feasible: To be possible.

Is it feasible to be a fluent English speaker?

Yes, it is.

Is it feasible for you to be an NHL player?

Dan: No, it is not.

It is not feasible for me to play in the NHL because I haven't practiced enough to play

professional hockey.

I'm just an amateur.

Vanessa: G, gist: The main idea.

I'd like to understand everything in English TV shows and movies, but right now I'm struggling

to understand the gist of what they're saying.

It's really tough.

What about for you?

What happened before we filmed this lesson?

Dan: Well, Vanessa described this video to me, and she showed me a script, and she started

going over everything, and I said, "It's okay.

I get the gist."

So, I know the main idea, I get it, and I can do it now.

Vanessa: Yes, and you're doing great.

Dan: Thank you.

Vanessa: H, hiatus: A gap or break in an event.

I studied English in high school, and after that, I took a long hiatus for 30 years.

Dan: Wow.

Vanessa: What about for you?

What's something that goes on hiatus?

Dan: A lot of times TV shows will go on hiatus, so they'll shoot a season.

There'll be season one, and you're waiting for season two, but they're on hiatus, so

you have to wait.

I remember the show, Rick and Morty.

There was season one that...

This is not popular with her, but I like Rick and Morty.

There was season one, and then they went on hiatus, and Everybody was waiting for season

two, and it finally came out.

Vanessa: Maybe a couple months later.

Dan: Mm-hmm (affirmative), it was longer than...

I think it was like a year or two.

Vanessa: Oh, okay.

That's a long hiatus.

I, insatiable: Can't be satisfied.

I have an insatiable desire to learn English.

My desire to learn English is insatiable.

Dan: Yes, and meanwhile, I have an insatiable desire to eat Pizza.

I love pizza, so bring me pizza, please.

Vanessa: J, jaded: Cynical or worn out due to past experience.

I feel so jaded about English classes.

I've joined so many of them, and nothing's worked for me.

What about you?

Do you feel jaded about anything?

Dan: Yes, I often feel jaded about politics because every single year, you see somebody

running, and they say the same thing, and you just get tired of it.

Nowadays, too, you have a social media, so you're reading people's posts, and this side's

angry, and that side's angry.

Nothing gets solved.

I'm very jaded about it.

Vanessa: You're cynical because you've got this past experience built up, so you feel

jaded about politics.

Maybe you feel the same way too, or maybe you don't.

K, knack: Something that's easy for you.

I thought I didn't have a knack for languages, but with Vanessa, it's easy.

What about you?

Do you have a knack for anything?

Dan: Some people might say, "I have a knack for playing the piano."

I can hear a song, usually something easy, maybe a Beatles song, and then I can spend

a few hours and learn it on the piano.

I'll just teach myself.

Vanessa: Yeah, sometimes it even takes a couple minutes.

Dan: Yeah, if it's Mary Had a Little Lamb.

So, I have a knack for playing the piano.

Vanessa: L, lull: A short period of calm or a break.

I started watching English lessons on YouTube.

But then when I went on vacation, there was a lull in my English learning.

What about for you?

Was there ever a lull in your life?

Dan: Oh yeah, there have been lulls in my life.

For example, every Christmas, there is a lull in my healthy eating.

There is just too much good food around, and my mom, she puts out chocolate.

So, I walk through the door, and I just grab a piece of chocolate when I enter the house,

so I'm not eating healthily during Christmas.

There's a lull in my healthy eating.

Vanessa: M, modest: Humble.

He says that his English isn't good, but he's just being modest.

It's actually pretty great.

Dan: Yeah, we actually knew a guy who was the opposite of modest.

He would say things like, "When I was at the gym the other day, I looked at my muscles,

and I saw the sweat on my arm, and my arms looked really great."

Vanessa: That's not modest.

Dan: Yeah, he wasn't very modest, but it was funny.

Vanessa: N, nuance: A subtle difference in meaning.

Sometimes phrasal verbs have slight nuances that are important to know.

For example, find out or figure out.

If you want to learn more about these two phrasal verbs, you can check out my video

about it up here.

What about for you?

Was there ever a time when you needed to learn some nuances?

Dan: Yes.

When you travel to a different country, you'll probably find some cultural nuances.

So, something in their culture is just a little bit different, and you don't notice it right

away.

When we lived in South Korea, there were a lot of cultural nuances.

They wouldn't speak as directly to you.

They would be a little more subtle.

They would say things indirectly, and you had to figure out exactly what it meant.

Vanessa: Yeah, so it was important for us to be sensitive and aware of these cultural

nuances, so that we could get along with other people and understand each other.

O, obsolete: No longer used, rare.

Vanessa teaches me real conversational English, things that are not obsolete, things that

are really used in real life.

What's something that's obsolete in your life?

Dan: Well, I used to have an iPod, and I would listen to that thing every single day, but

now it's obsolete.

Apple doesn't even make an iPod anymore.

They make iPhones.

So, just a dedicated music player is obsolete.

Vanessa: Sure.

I want to let you know that I got this idea to go through the alphabet with English vocabulary

from Jacob, from EnglishTVLive.com.

He has a podcast, and on different episodes, he's talking about five vocabulary words for

each letter of the alphabet.

So, it's much more intensive than what we're doing today, five words, and he interviewed

me for the letter, O.

We talked about obsolete, oblivious, ominous, omit, opportunistic, these five words.

So, if you'd like to check out Jacob's podcast, and especially the episode that we made together

about the letter O, check out the link in the description so that you can learn more

English.

P, pragmatic: Practical, useful.

I try to be pragmatic about what I study in English.

Is it useful?

Is it important?

What about you?

Are you generally a pragmatic spender when it comes to money?

Dan: Yeah.

When it comes to money, I think I'm generally pragmatic, but I am less pragmatic than Vanessa.

She only buys things she needs, but I'll look around, and I'll get the nicer things in life.

I'll spend a little bit more money, but not too much.

Vanessa: Sure, I think you appreciate beauty in a way that maybe I don't always appreciate.

Dan: Sure.

Vanessa: So, I'm very pragmatic sure, and you're generally pretty pragmatic when it

comes to spending.

Dan: I'm pretty pragmatic.

Vanessa: Q, quench: To satisfy a thirst or desire.

My desire to learn English is unquenchable.

I will never be complacent.

Dan: Yes, and we typically use this word for your thirst, right?

On a hot summer day, a cold beer will really quench your thirst.

Vanessa: R, rash: Acting without much thought.

When my boss told me that I needed to give a presentation in English, I immediately quit

my job.

Okay, I admit that was a little rash.

Dan: Just a little rash, yeah.

Some people said that we made a rash decision when we got married at 22 years old, which

is a little bit young in this country, maybe a little bit.

Yeah, some people thought it was rash, but we knew we were right for each other, and

we'd been dating five years, so we knew it wasn't rash.

Vanessa: S, sheer: Complete only.

It was sheer luck that I found Vanessa's YouTube channel because it has helped my life so much.

I hope that's true for you.

Dan: Hey, it was also sheer luck for me to meet Vanessa because I lived eight hours away

from Vanessa, but we went to the same college, and on the first day we just happened to sit

next to each other.

It was sheer luck.

Vanessa: Yes, and if you'd like to know about how to use the word "happened to" that Dan

just used, you can click on this card up here and learn more about it.

T, tentative: Without confidence, hesitant.

I feel tentative when I need to speak English, but Vanessa's lessons have helped me so much.

What about you?

Do you know anyone who is tentative in life?

Dan: I don't know about any one, but I know a cat who is very tentative.

We have a cat; her name is Luna, and she is small, and she is very tentative.

So, if you walk up to her, you could have pet her five times that day.

Every time, she'll be like, "Huh, who's touching me?"

She's very tentative.

Vanessa: Yes.

U, urge: To encourage or persuade.

I urge you to use English every day.

It will help you so much.

Dan: Yes, when I was young, my parents urged me to go to bed early, but I didn't really

go to bed early.

I watched some TV, or I was really into Legos.

I built more Legos, so my parents' urging didn't work that well.

Vanessa: V, vital: Urgently necessary.

It's vital to learn English with material that you enjoy.

If you learn with something that's boring, you're probably going to quit, and then you're

not going to reach your goal.

So, it's vital to find something that you enjoy.

Hopefully, like this lesson.

Dan: Yes, and I've learned over the years that it's vital to get at least seven hours

of sleep.

So, it turns out my parents were right in urging me to sleep, because you need sleep.

It's vital.

Vanessa: W, wane: To lessen or decrease.

If your interest in English starts to wane, it's time to find some new material to rekindle

your interest, so that you don't become complacent.

Dan: Yes, and sometimes, if you have a boring class, your attention may start to wane.

I used to have a very boring history teacher in high school, and I just couldn't pay attention.

My attention was waning as the hour went by.

Vanessa: X, extrovert: Someone who's outgoing.

I'm not an extrovert, so I need a lot of courage to talk with other people.

What about you?

Are you an extrovert?

Dan: Yeah, I think some people think I'm an extrovert, and I think that's generally true,

but I actually value my alone time a lot.

Sometimes, Vanessa will say, "Hey, come to this party," and I'll be like, "Oh no, I don't

really want to."

Vanessa: You need some alone, quiet time, which is understandable.

If you want to learn more words to describe people, you can check out this video I made

up here.

It's a personality test, so you can see which answer fits you and learn some wonderful descriptive

words like extrovert to describe the people in your life.

Y, yap: To talk noisily.

I saw them yapping away in English, and I wanted to do the same, but I didn't have the

courage to speak up.

Dan: Yes, and somebody in your family might be a big yapper, but usually, I think of this

with a dog, right?

The dog is yapping outside.

Stop that yapping.

Vanessa: This could be a negative word if you say that to someone, "Stop yapping it."

If you say that to a human.

Dan: Oh, I think it's a negative, yeah.

Vanessa: But if you say that with a joking tone, "Oh, they're just yapping away," then

it could just be a little bit more of a joke.

Z, zealous: Excited, fanatic.

Never doubt that I'm zealous about English.

Do you know anyone who is zealous?

Dan: Yeah, I know a few people who are a little overzealous about politics, so you're just

going over to their house, and you just want to have a nice chat, but then they turn the

conversation to politics, and now they have to talk about it, and they want you to change

your mind, and you're just like, "Dude, I want to have a beer with you."

Vanessa: So maybe they're a little bit pushy.

You can be overly zealous, or you can just be zealous.

Thanks so much for joining me, Dan, for this vocabulary video.

Dan: You're welcome.

It was fun.

Vanessa: I'm glad that it was fun.

I hope it was fun for you all too, and now I have a question for you.

I want to know which one of these words was new for you, and if your friend asked you,

"What can I do to improve my English?"

What would you urge them to do?

Dan: Yes, do you have an insatiable desire to learn English?

Vanessa: If you were complacent before, I hope you are zealous about English now.

Dan: Yes.

Vanessa: Thanks so much for learning English with us, and we'll see you again next Friday

for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel.

Dan: Bye.

Vanessa: Bye.

Are you ready to get started?

Yeah.

Dan: A. It's for apprehension.

Just make sure you don't get hypertension.

Who's Dan?

Don't be silly.

Vanessa: A fearful expectation of something, and now there's a giant truck driving by.

Dan: I'm apprehensive about this truck.

Vanessa: Bittersweet, a good feeling with a bit of sadness.

Dan: I'm making faces because they won't see it anyways.

Vanessa: Do you know anyone who's diligent?

Dan: I am not diligent.

Vanessa: Do you think a man who wears a pineapple shirt is the most diligent man you've ever

seen?

Dan: I'm diligently wearing pineapple shirts every day.

I have expended my resources.

That's my example.

Vanessa: Dan is a robot.

Dan: I am crashing.

Vanessa: I'd like to understand...

Dan: [Makes silly noises] Vanessa: The next step is to download my free

ebook, 5 Steps To Becoming A Confident English Speaker.

You'll learn what you need to do to speak confidently and fluently.

Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more free lessons.

Thanks so much.

Bye.