200 Important English Expressions: English vocabulary lesson

Vanessa : Get ready to level  

up your vocabulary because you are about to learn  200 important English expressions for daily life. 

Hi, I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com  and like always, I have created a free PDF  

worksheet for you with all 200 of today's  expressions. This PDF is over 20 pages long  

and it is free for you, including all of the  expressions, definitions, sample sentences,  

and at the bottom of the worksheet you can  answer Vanessa's challenge question so that  

you never forget what you've learned. You  can click on the link in the description  

to download this free PDF worksheet today. All right, let's get started with our first  

category, which are 50 important nature  expressions. Let's go outside to learn  

that lesson. All right, let's get started with  our first category of nature expressions. The  

first category is big features of nature. The forest. The trees in the forest were  

so tall that I couldn't see the sky. Jungle. On our trip to Costa Rica,  

we went on some hikes in the jungle. Fjord. When our kids get older, I would love to  

take them on a trip to see the fjords of Norway. Canyon. I've never visited the Grand Canyon,  

but I've heard it's huge. River, stream, creek. We have a creek in our local  

park and my kids love to splash around in it. Lake. Over the summer, we like to go  

to the lake and paddleboard. Ocean. The ocean is so large  

that we haven't even explored all of it yet. Mountains. I love living in the mountains  

and going to the mountains, going on  vacation to visit other mountains too. 

The beach. When you go to the beach, make  sure your pronunciation is clear for this,  

beach. When you go to the beach, make  sure you bring a towel and sunscreen. 

Desert. Something I want to experience is riding a  camel across the desert. Have you ever done this? 

Our second category are words  to describe beautiful nature. 

Breathtaking. The view from the top  of the mountain was breathtaking. 

Refreshing. When I need to take a break  from work, I go outside to get some fresh  

air because it's so refreshing. Flourish. I love to see how some  

wildlife flourishes after a wildfire. Evergreen. I love to take a hike in an  

evergreen forest because it's great  to see the greenness in the winter. 

Verdant. The valley looked so verdant  in the spring. How refreshing after  

a cold, bleak, winter. Crisp. After a hot summer,  

a crisp dry fall is a refreshing thing.  Wow. We're using the word refreshing a lot. 

Pristine. I love to go camping in the middle of  the woods because it's so pristine. There's no  

litter, but unfortunately there's a mountain top  near me that has recently been blocked for camping  

because so many people were camping there that the  nature turned from being pristine to being full  

of litter and trash and it wasn't good for the  environment. So this area is not pristine anymore,  

but hopefully it will be regenerated soon. Lush. The jungle in Costa Rica was so lush  

that you couldn't see much ahead of you  because the leaves were so thick and lush. 

Majestic. The view of the ocean from  the top of the mountains was majestic. 

Sweeping. From where I stand on the top of the  mountain, I have a sweeping view of the valley. 

Our next category of nature words are  words to describe problems with nature. 

Environmental issues. I'm concerned  about environmental issues like  

climate change and pollution. Flood. In the spring, sometimes  

there's heavy rains that lead to flooding. Drought. The farmers lost almost all of their  

crops because there was a drought.  It didn't rain for over two months. 

Pollution. To cut back on pollution, we  try to walk or ride our bikes as much  

as possible. What about you? Do you have  any ways that you try to reduce pollution? 

Endangered and extinct. Many animals are  endangered and will become extinct if we  

don't do something to try to save them. Habitat loss. Tigers and elephants are  

two animals that are affected by habitat loss. Loss of biodiversity. Overfishing and pollution  

are two big factors when it comes to  a loss of biodiversity in the oceans. 

Invasive. Feral hogs are invasive in  the US and cause a lot of destruction. 

Erosion. Cutting down trees can lead to erosion  because the roots hold the soil in place. 

Wildfires. A recent wildfire in Canada  was so large that we could see the  

smoke from where I live in the south of the US. Our next category are verbs to describe nature. 

To plant. My family loves planting trees and  we try to plant at least one tree each year. 

To grow. Every year we try to take a picture with  a tree in our yard so that we can see how the tree  

has grown and how our family has grown, too. To rot. Mushrooms like to grow  

on logs that are rotting. To hibernate. Usually bears  

hibernate in the winter, but where I live, the  bears don't completely hibernate. They wander  

around and try to dig in your trash, eat the  berries on the bushes. They don't completely  

hibernate, so you have to watch out. To flower. Notice that this is a verb,  

this is a flower, but what does a flower do?  It flowers. The tulips flower in the spring. 

To pollinate. Birds, bees, and other  insects help to pollinate the flowers. 

To forage. Where I live, we have to be really  careful with our trash because raccoons and  

bears like to forage in the trash and  it's not good for wildlife to do this. 

To regenerate. If you cut  off a section of some plants,  

it can regenerate into a completely new plant. To babble. I like the sound of a babbling  

stream. Listen to this. Just a little note.  The verb to babble is also the word that we  

use for babies before they learn to speak.  So you might say the baby is babbling when  

it says, bab bab. It's not language, but  they're trying to speak. So maybe for you,  

if you're having a hard time speaking in English,  you might say, I feel like I'm just babbling. It  

doesn't make sense, but hopefully after this  lesson, you won't need to babble about nature  

in English because you'll have the vocabulary you  need. All right, let's go to the next expression. 

To blow in the breeze. We recently put  up some windchimes on our deck because  

they sound great blowing in the breeze. Our final category of nature, words are  

words to describe small features in nature. Petal. Notice that in American English,  

this T changes to a D sound. Petal. Petal. In  the US, we have a wedding tradition where a small  

child called a flower girl scatters petals down  the isle before the bride walks down the isle. 

A stem. Roses are beautiful, but watch  out for the stem because they have thorns. 

The trunk. The trunk of the tree was so  large that I couldn't wrap my arms around it. 

Bark. This is not talking about the sound that a  dog makes. Woof woof, bark bark. This is talking  

about the side of a tree. You can usually tell  the type of tree by its bark. Is it rough?  

Is it smooth? What's the texture of the bark? Branch. My kids love to climb trees and sometimes  

they make it to the tippy-top of the branches. Leaves and needles. In the fall, leaves turn red,  

yellow, and orange but usually needles stay green. Acorns, pinecones. We went out into the woods  

to collect some acorns and  pinecones for an art project. 

Blades of grass. My son likes to look at  bugs crawling through the blades of grass. 

Moss. I love walking on moss with bare  feet because it's so soft and comforting. 

Boulders, rocks, stones, and pebbles. My kids  love collecting rocks because they come in all  

sorts of fun shapes and colors and it's amazing.  They've come from the center of the earth and been  

around for a long time. They're pretty cool. Thanks for joining me outside. Let's go back  

inside and learn 50 important expressions for  the classroom. Whether you are a teacher or  

a student, this lesson is for you. All right, are you ready to start  

studying for the test? Let's get started with  our first category of classroom words, which  

are 10 items that you'll find in a classroom. The first one is of course, a desk. Every student  

has their own desk in the classroom. Notice  the grammar of this. I said every student,  

which is singular, and then I said has their own  desk. I used that plural there. You can say every  

student has his or her own desk, but in spoken  English, we just use that plural word there.  

Every student has their own desk. This is very  common in spoken English, so you can use it too. 

A chair. I was so embarrassed when I fell  out of my chair in the middle of class. 

A notebook. I forgot my notebook. Can I borrow  some paper for class? Just a little note that  

in the US a notebook is always paper. I know in  some countries they call a laptop a notebook,  

but in the US especially in the classroom,  we call that just a notebook with paper. 

A pen or pencil. I like using a pen, but usually  teachers like you to use a pencil for tests. 

A chalkboard, a blackboard, a whiteboard, or a  smartboard. The students were so excited when  

we upgraded from a whiteboard to a smartboard.  There were so many fun things that we could do  

with it. Just to let you know, a blackboard  and a chalkboard are used interchangeably in  

the US. They're both things that are used  with chalk, and you can use either word. 

A paperclip. I made sure to put a paperclip  on my report because there were 10 pages.  

You can also use this as a verb. Make  sure you paperclip your report together. 

A cubby or a locker. I forgot my notebook in  my locker. Can I go get it? Usually the word  

cubby is used for elementary school children, so  younger children, and the locker is used for older  

children. At least that's how it goes in the US. Tape. I tore my homework, so I had to use some  

tape to tape it back together. Notice  how I used this both as a noun. I need  

some tape and as a verb to tape it back together. Highlighters. I use colorful highlighters to help  

me remember what I'm studying. This is also a word  that you can use as a noun or a verb. I'm using a  

highlighter or I like to highlight my notes. Scissors. I need to cut the paper. Can you  

pass me some scissors? Notice that  the C is silent. Scissors. Scissors. 

Our next 10 classroom expressions are  expressions that the teacher will say. Hi,  

my name's Ms. Vanessa, and today we are going to  be learning about math. Thankfully, I'm not a math  

teacher. If I walked into your classroom as your  math teacher, you should probably be afraid. Math  

is not my strong suit. But here in the US this  is a common thing to say. Hi, I'm Ms. Vanessa.  

It's becoming more and more popular to just use Ms  with a woman teacher because M-I-S-S means you are  

not married, Miss Vanessa and Mrs. Vanessa means  that you are married, but people are now liking  

to not share if they're married or not, that  makes sense, so they want to just use the form,  

Ms. It sounds the same as M-I-S-S, but it's  spelled M-S. Ms. Vanessa and some schools  

will use a last name as well. They might say  Ms Prothy or Ms. Vanessa. I think it's becoming  

increasingly more popular to say Ms. with a first  name of the teacher, at least here in the US. 

We can't get started until everyone is in  their own seat and quiet, laying down the law. 

Open your book to page 10 or  open your workbooks to page 10. 

We're going to split up into groups for this  project or we're going to split up into groups for  

this exercise. Sometimes the word exercise is used  in the classroom, but it doesn't mean physical  

exercise. It's just a project or an activity. Keep your eyes on your own test or no discussing  

answers. This is something a teacher might  say to prevent cheating or to remind you  

keep your eyes on your own test. Don't look  at other people's tests as you're taking it. 

And every student's favorite thing that a teacher  says, today we're going to have a pop quiz,  

so I hope you did your homework. Nothing  strikes fear into a student's heart more  

than the phrase pop quiz. The word pop  means surprise quiz. Today we're going  

to have a pop quiz. Oh, a terrible feeling. You will have 15 minutes to finish this quiz,  

no talking, and turn your paper face down  when you're finished this phrasal verb face  

down means simply turn your paper over. That  way no one is tempted to look at your answers.  

Turn your paper face down when you're finished. Here in the US, teachers like students to come up  

with their own answers and not just memorize  something from the book. At least that's the  

ideal situation. So when a teacher asks a question  and a student just reads the answer from the book,  

the teacher might say, wait, tell me in your own  words. In your own words means just create your  

own answer. Don't read it directly from the  book. Tell me in your own words, and this is  

also a great idea for learning English as well. If  someone asks you What's your favorite movie? Well,  

you could read the back of the movie or read  a description online, but it's better practice  

to just tell them in your own words, to create  those sentences yourself and test your skills. 

All right, time's up, pencils down. This is what  a teacher will say at the end of a test or a quiz.  

Time's up. That means time is finished and pencils  down, you're all done with the test, I hope. 

And at the end of the day, the teacher  will say, that's all for today. Don't  

forget to do your homework tonight. Bye. Our next category of important phrases for the  

classroom are 10 phrases that a student might say. Ms. Vanessa, I don't have my pencil. Teachers hear  

this all the time, or Ms. Vanessa, I don't have my  book. Ms. Vanessa, I don't have my homework. Well,  

how the teacher responds is always up to that  teacher. For me, when I was a classroom teacher,  

I always kept a jar of pencils that any student  could use. Ideally, they would return them at  

the end of the class period. That didn't  always happen, but it's common for students  

to forget things during the day in the class. Ms. Vanessa, my dog ate my homework. This is  

the most stereotypical excuse for forgetting  your homework. Maybe your dog really did eat  

your homework, but this is something that you  will absolutely hear in movies and TV shows,  

and if you're in the classroom, you might  even hear a student so bold enough to say  

this excuse. Ms. Vanessa, my dog ate my homework. Ms. Vanessa, I don't understand. Or Ms. Vanessa,  

I don't get it. This phrase I don't get it is  a little more informal and potentially rude. If  

you say, Ms. Vanessa, I don't get it with this  kind of attitude, like I don't really care. Oh,  

I'm annoyed. But if you say this in a polite  way, Ms. Vanessa, I don't get it. Can you  

explain it again? That's perfectly fine.  You can tell the difference in my attitude. 

I need to cram for this test if I'm going to get  a good grade. The verb to cram is used a lot by  

students and it means to study a lot, usually the  night before, maybe a day in advance, possibly,  

but it means you need to push all of that  information into your brain. You need to cram  

the information into your brain. You can also use  this verb in a physical way. If you're packing for  

a big trip and you have too many clothes to fit  in your suitcase, you might say, I need to cram  

all of my clothes into this small suitcase.  That's the physical way we can use this verb. 

Unfortunately, I said this next one in college  a lot. I haven't studied for the test tomorrow,  

so I'm going to pull an all-nighter. Can you  guess what this means? To pull an all-nighter  

means to stay up all night studying. It's  really never a good idea, but it happens. 

You might ask your classmates, Hey,  can I borrow your notes? I was sick  

yesterday. And if your classmate is nice,  they might let you borrow their notes. 

Psst. You know Sam, he's a real teacher's pet.  Ms. Vanessa is always picking him to write on the  

whiteboard. This phrase a teacher's pet seems like  a nice thing. It's the teacher's favorite student,  

but in reality it's usually a term that other  students use to make fun of someone. You're such a  

teacher's pet. Usually it's not a good thing, but  in reality, what's so wrong with being one that a  

teacher likes? Well, students just don't like it. Ms. Vanessa, are there extra credit points? Ms.  

Vanessa, are there bonus points? If  you're not doing so well in a class,  

you might ask that question. Ms. Vanessa, I'm totally lost.  

If you are so confused, you have no idea  what's going on, it's a great phrase to use. 

And our final phrase that students say in the  classroom is one that unfortunately I used with  

many of my poor teachers. Teacher, when are we  going to use this? If you've ever sat in a math  

trigonometry class, just cramming information  into your brain and feeling so overwhelmed and  

frustrated because you just didn't get it, that  was me. You might ask your teacher this, excuse  

me, when am I going to ever use this? And the idea  is, when am I going to use this after school? In  

the real world, in my job? A lot of people don't  use trigonometry in their job. Some people do,  

but a lot of people don't. So students often feel  frustrated if they can't see a link between what  

they're learning in the classroom and what  they're going to be using in the real world. 

So that's something that I try to do here  on my YouTube channel. A lot of you learned  

English phrases in the classroom that just weren't  relevant, that were just not really used in real  

life. So here on my YouTube channel, I'm trying to  teach you what people really use in the real world  

because that is what you're going to use when  you speak with people at your job when you travel  

or just friends that you make around your city. The next 10 classroom expressions are questions  

that a teacher might ask, and then we'll talk  about some questions that a student might ask. 

A teacher might ask, can anyone tell me? Or who  can tell me? And she's asking the classroom to  

give her some feedback and answer the question  to see if they have that knowledge. Can anyone  

tell me what is the best way to learn English? Any questions? This is a great question by a  

teacher because it's important that they give  students the time to ask questions as well. 

When students are all taking turns doing  something, the teacher might forget who  

has had a turn and who hasn't had a turn. So the  teacher will ask this question, who hasn't gone  

yet? Who hasn't gone yet? I know we're using  the word go here. Who hasn't gone? We're using  

that in the past, but really the question is,  who hasn't had a turn yet? But the most common  

way to say it is this. Who hasn't gone yet? The next question a teacher or a student might  

ask this, whose turn is it? If you forget whose  turn it is, could ask this. Whose turn is it? 

Let's go on to some questions that  students specifically ask. Ms. Vanessa,  

what page are we on? Sometimes this makes a  teacher roll their eyes. Weren't you paying  

attention? But it's a common question. Ms. Vanessa, can you repeat the question? 

Ms. Vanessa, when is the test and possibly  the most common question of all time? 

Ms. Vanessa, will this be on the test? Nothing  makes a teacher more angry because of course  

the teacher wants the students to enjoy  learning all the information and to readily  

soak it in. But really what the students  want to know is, do I need to learn this?  

Do I need to memorize this? Or is this just  something extra? Will this be on the test? 

When there's a group project, one student might  ask another student this question, do you want to  

work together? Do you want to work together? As we know, students are always forgetting  

something, so it's best to ask your classmates  before you ask your teacher. You might ask  

your classmates, can I borrow a pencil? Can I  borrow a book? Can I borrow some paper please? 

And our final 10 phrases that are used in the  classroom are phrases that are used for feedback.  

So a teacher will say this to students to give  them some feedback, positive or negative feedback,  

or to give some encouragement to students. On a math test, you might see the teacher  

write or say this, show your work. What does  this mean? This means that you can't just write  

the answer. You need to show how you got to  that answer. You need to write out all of the  

processes that you used to get to that answer.  Show your work. This also helps the teacher know  

that you're not cheating. You're not just  looking at Vanessa's paper. Don't look at  

my paper. It probably has the wrong math answer,  but when you show your work, it tells the teacher  

that you know how to do that problem. A similar phrase that you might see on  

a test or you might hear the teacher say is  explain your answer. This works for math,  

but this also works for other subjects as well. If you get something wrong and the teacher doesn't  

want to just say, no, that's wrong, the teacher  will probably say, almost, try again. This is a  

really polite thing to say. I often say this to my  kids actually, because sometimes they're close or  

it's not exactly correct, but it's not a serious  thing, so I'm not going to say, no, that's wrong.  

Instead, you can just say, almost try again. A similar expression is you're on the right  

track. A teacher will say this to a student who  isn't exactly giving the perfect answer, but  

it's close to the correct answer and they want to  encourage the student to keep exploring that idea  

further. You're on the right track. Keep going. A kind teacher might also say, keep practicing.  

You almost got it. You almost got it. If you  take out the word almost, it means you have the  

correct answer. You got it. But oftentimes  students don't have the correct answer the  

first time. So a teacher might say this, keep  practicing, keep trying. You almost got it.  

You're so close. So to take that expression and  use it in the positive way, a teacher might say,  

you got it. Keep going. You got it. You are doing  great. You have the correct answer. Keep working. 

If the teacher wants to give a little hint or  some feedback about a future test to students,  

the teacher might say, here are some things  that you'll want to focus on before the next  

test. They might even say wink, wink,  or nudge nudge, or just to let you know,  

here are some things that you might want to  focus on before the next test. They're not  

saying these things will be on the test. They're  using a more indirect expression. These are  

the things that you might want to focus on. The next question could be used by students  

or teachers, it's what about? Here, we're using  it to suggest something. So a student might use  

this in response to a teacher. Let's say that  teacher, Ms. Vanessa, asked the class, class,  

do you know why there are waves in the ocean? This  was actually a question that my kids were talking  

about in the car a couple days ago. It's very  familiar to me right now. The teacher asked, why  

are there waves in the ocean? Well, the students  might not be extremely certain of their answers,  

so they could use this great question, what about  wind? What about the moon? What about? Here,  

they're suggesting an answer even though they  don't know the exact correct answer, they don't  

feel certain of it. They can use this question. And a teacher can also use this question by giving  

suggestions to students. So let's say students  are answering the question, why are there waves  

in the ocean? And they throw out some ideas and  the teacher wants to also throw out some ideas to  

see what the students think about it. They might  say, what about whales? What about sharks? Maybe  

they're making the waves due to their big size.  I'm not sure, but here this is the teacher giving  

suggestions or the students giving suggestions.  Do you know what the correct answer is? Why are  

there waves? Well, the answer is wind. Very  cool. You should look it up. There's some very  

interesting videos about why there are waves. The next phrase a teacher might say to give  

encouragement to a student is, I can tell you've  been working hard on this. I can tell you've  

been working hard on this. This doesn't mean it's  perfect or this is the best in the entire class.  

It just means for you, I know that you put a lot  of effort into this, and that's what I want. I  

want you to put a lot of effort into it because  that's the only way you're going to improve. I  

can tell you put a lot of hard work into this,  or I can tell you've been working hard on this. 

And our final phrase that you'll hear in  the classroom is one that we all want to  

hear. You passed with flying colors. This is  a beautiful idiom. That means you got a 100%,  

you had perfect answers for every single one  you passed with flying colors. Congratulations. 

Next, let's go on to 50 important questions and  answers for daily life. This is an essential  

part of conversation, so listen carefully.  All right, our first category are greetings.

Speaker 2: How's your day going?

Vanessa : Pretty good. How about yours?

Speaker 2: You've been doing okay?

Vanessa : It's been  

kind of a hard week, but it's getting better.

Speaker 2: How have you been?

Vanessa : I've been good.  

I haven't seen you for so long. How have you been?

Speaker 2: What's new with you?

Vanessa : Oh, we just  

had our third baby. My family is so excited.

Speaker 2: What's new in your world?

Vanessa : Well, we have a  

newborn, so everything's new, but we're  getting adjusted to our new routine.

Speaker 2: What's been going on?

Vanessa : Well, our boys are excited about going back  

to school. I'm excited about growing the business.  It's just been a busy time, but so far so good.

Speaker 2: How's it going?

Vanessa : It's going. It's been a hard  

week. I hope that I'll get to relax this weekend. Just a little note, if you're having a hard week,  

you can just respond to this  question by saying it's going.

Speaker 2: It's going.

Vanessa : It's going.

Speaker 2: What's up?

Vanessa : Not a lot.  

Just enjoying these last days of fall  before winter gets here. What about you?

Speaker 2: How's everything or how's everything going?

Vanessa : Pretty good. We've had a busy summer,  

but I think we're all ready to get started with  the school year and just see what this year holds.

Speaker 2: Hey, you doing all right?

Vanessa : Yeah, I'm okay.  

I just need to take a nap and eat something. Just a little note. This question is a great  

one to ask when you think someone's not looking  so well, maybe they're feeling a little sick,  

a little tired, you can ask this question  just to kind of check up on them.

Speaker 2: Yeah, especially if you're a friend.

Vanessa : Yes.

Speaker 2: Wouldn't necessarily  

say like a co-worker you don't know that.

Vanessa : Yeah. This is good for someone you care about.

Speaker 2: You doing all right?

Vanessa : All right, our  

next category are 10 questions to ask about plans.

Speaker 2: What are you up to today or what you up to today?

Vanessa : Well, I kind of  

have a busy day. I need to do some work in the  morning, do some housework in the afternoon,  

and then finish all of this before  I pick up my kids from school.

Speaker 2: Do you want to hang out later?

Vanessa : Yeah, if I can  

get all of my work finished by  this afternoon, I'd love to.

Speaker 2: You doing anything fun this weekend?

Vanessa : Yeah, we're going to  

get together with some family that's  coming to visit from out of town.

Speaker 2: You got anything fun planned?

Vanessa : Yeah, this  

weekend we're going to have a big  surprise birthday for my best friend.

Speaker 2: Want to grab lunch later?

Vanessa : Actually,  

I was about to make a big salad with  vegetables from the garden. Want to join me?

Speaker 2: Where are you headed?

Vanessa : I was going to  

go drop some books off at the library and then  head to the farmer's market. Want to join me?

Speaker 2: What you got going on this weekend?

Vanessa : Well, we're going to  

go on a big family hike because it's  supposed to be great weather all weekend.

Speaker 2: What are your plans for dinner?

Vanessa : I don't really have any. Do you?

Speaker 2: Are you going to be around later?

Vanessa : Yeah. Give me  

a call around two o'clock and I can talk. Just a little note. This is a great question  

to ask when you don't have time to have  a conversation now, but you really want  

to tell someone something, so you're just  asking about their availability for later.

Speaker 2: Have you decided where you're going on vacation?

Vanessa : Yeah, I think we're  

going to take a big road trip to visit some  friends and then we'll go to the lake together. 

All right, let's go to our next category,  

which are the top 10 questions to  talk about your interests or hobbies.

Speaker 2: What do you like to do in your free time?

Vanessa : Well, I like  

to make jewelry out of recycled  things and sell them at craft shows.

Speaker 2: How long have you done that?

Vanessa : I just started in the last few years.

Speaker 2: What got you into that?

Vanessa : Well, I like  

being creative and I like trying  to reduce waste where I can.

Speaker 2: You want to try?

Vanessa : Well, I don't  

have much time right now, but maybe tomorrow.

Speaker 2: What are you into?

Vanessa : Well, I love being outdoors  

and in nature, so I'm into hiking, gardening.  Really anything that involves being outside.

Speaker 2: What's that like?

Vanessa : Well, to go hiking,  

especially in the rain or inclement  weather, you have to be pretty tough,  

but it feels fun and you feel courageous.  I think it's personally pretty exciting.

Speaker 2: How'd you learn that?

Vanessa : Well, I learned a  

lot about gardening online by watching YouTube  videos, but it's also through trial and error.

Speaker 2: Have you seen the latest Batman movie?

Vanessa : I haven't seen it,  

but I've heard it's pretty good.

Speaker 2: Have you read the book Atomic Habits?

Vanessa : No, I haven't. Have you?

Speaker 2: I think I want to learn piano. Can you teach me?

Vanessa : Sure. I love teaching people. 

All right, let's go to our next category,  

which are the top 10 questions  that you'll ask around the house.

Speaker 2: Can you help me with something?

Vanessa : Sure. Give me a second and I'll be right there.

Speaker 2: Have you seen my jacket?

Vanessa : Yeah, I think it's on the chair.

Speaker 2: Did you check the closet?

Vanessa : Yeah, I did check  

the closet, but I didn't see my shoes in there.

Speaker 2: Can you pass me the salt and pepper?

Vanessa : Sure. Here you go.

Speaker 2: Did you check the mail today?

Vanessa : I did. Our package didn't come yet.

Speaker 2: Have you fed the cats yet?

Vanessa : Actually, I  

watched while the boys did  it. They did a great job.

Speaker 2: Is it time for dinner?

Vanessa : Well, it's a little  

early for dinner, but I'm hungry. Let's eat.

Speaker 2: Would you rather  

fold laundry or put away the dishes  because both have to be done.

Vanessa : Well, I'd  

rather fold the laundry if  you put away the dishes.

Speaker 2: Do I have to?

Vanessa : I know, I don't like doing chores either,  

but they have to be done. This is a really  common question that children will often ask in  

this whining tone. Do I have to? When they don't  want to do a chore, but they know it's required.

Speaker 2: Will you hit the light?

Vanessa : Yeah, in just  

a sec. I want to finish reading this page. 

This is a great question that you can  ask for turning on or turning off the  

light. Will you hit the light? All right. Here's our final  

category with the top 10 questions and  answers to use about your job or work.

Speaker 2: How's the project going?

Vanessa : It's going  

pretty well. I like working with my team and  I think we're going to finish by the deadline.

Speaker 2: Are you working on anything fun?

Vanessa : Well, there's nothing  

too exciting right now, but we're about  to start a big new project next week.

Speaker 2: What do you do or what are you studying?

Vanessa : I'm a teacher or I'm studying to become a teacher.

Speaker 2: What's your dream job?

Vanessa : Well, I don't  

really have a dream job, but a lot of  things that I like involve working with  

people, so maybe my dream job is  working with people in some way.

Speaker 2: I'm looking for a job. Is your company hiring?

Vanessa : I'm not sure, but I'll ask around.

Speaker 2: What kind of work experience do you have?

Vanessa : Well, I really love  

working with technology and computers, so that's  what I've been doing for the last five years.

Speaker 2: What's your favorite part about your job?

Vanessa : Well, I really like  

working with people, so it really makes me happy  when I see them grow and develop and progress.

Speaker 2: What's your least favorite part of your job?

Vanessa : Well, sometimes I don't really like  

the business parts of running a business. Taxes,  payroll, spreadsheets, all that stuff, bleh.

Speaker 2: Would you rather  

do manual labor or have a desk job?

Vanessa : Well, manual labor  

can be really tough, especially in inclement  weather, so I guess I would rather have a desk  

job as long as I got to have long stretches of  time where I could go outside and get fresh air.

Speaker 2: How long have you worked in education?

Vanessa : Well, technically  

I've worked in education for the last 15 years,  but I've been doing this job teaching online for  

the last 10 years. I can't believe it. Great work learning those questions and  

answers. Let's move on to a fun final 50  expressions. 50 phrasal verbs with one mug.  

What is this? Well, let's watch to find out. All right, are you ready to learn 50 phrasal  

verbs with this simple mug? Let's do it. I pick up the mug to take a drink. 

When I'm done, I put down the mug on the coaster. I fill up the mug with hot tea. 

I set down the mug on the table. Oh, be careful. Don't knock over the mug. 

It's almost time to break out my holiday  mugs. Santa and Christmas presents. 

I haven't used this mug for a while,  so I need to brush off the dust. 

What's in here? I need to  wipe out the mug with a towel. 

Unfortunately, this mug is dirtier than I thought,  so I need to really clean it out before I use it. 

I'm cleaning off the outside  of this mug with a towel. 

When I'm done, I'll wipe it off  and it will be as good as new. 

I pour in some hot tea. I stir in some milk. 

I mix in some milk. I stir up my tea. 

I drizzle in some honey to my tea. I sprinkle some sugar into my tea. 

I wipe up the ring on the  table that was left by my mug. 

The mug heats up my hands on a cold winter day. 

I put the mug on the coaster to  let it cool down before I drink it. 

I blow on my tea to help it cool off before  I drink it. I don't want to burn my tongue. 

I messed up my tea and I added  salt instead of sugar. Gross. 

I hand over Dan's favorite mug so that  he can use it for coffee. Here you go. 

I hang on to the handle of the mug. I tell my kids to hold on with two hands  

so that they don't drop the mug. I can't believe you want to give  

away my favorite mug. The color on the back of  

this mug is starting to wear off after years of  use. It's looking a little more pink than red. 

Oh, I have to keep the mug away from the edge  of the table so that it doesn't fall off. 

I lift up the mug gently to take a sip. Try not to slam down your mug,  

or it's going to make a big mess. When we moved, I wrapped up each  

of my mugs so that they didn't break. One time when I was talking, my mug tipped  

over and spilled tea all over the table. I add in a new mug to my collection. 

I clean up the mug collection  so that it's nice and neat. 

I have so many mugs that I need to stack them up. Where is it? Aha. I'm going to pick out this mug  

today. I pour out the cold tea  that I forgot about yesterday. 

Something hard is stuck at the bottom  of my mug, so I need to scrape it out. 

We've run out of clean mugs,  so I need to wash this one. 

If we don't wash the mugs after we use  them, they just pile up on the counter. 

I rinse off the soap from inside  my mug and I rinse out my mug. 

I turn over the mug to let it dry. And  before I put it away, I dry it off. 

I put my mug away in the cabinet after I wash it. Uh-oh, I accidentally knocked the mug off the  

counter. Oh no. The handle broke off my  mug. I guess the only thing I can do is  

sweep up the pieces. Now all I can do is  dump out the pieces in the trash and now  

after all that hard work, I'm going to curl  up on the couch with a nice hot cup of tea. 

Congratulations on learning these 200 important  daily life English expressions. Don't forget to  

download the free PDF worksheet, which includes  all 200 of these expressions, definitions,  

sample sentences, Vanessa's challenge question  at the bottom of the worksheet. This is all  

free for you to download. Over 20 pages of free  English worksheet for you. You can click on the  

link in the description to download that free PDF  worksheet today. And thank you so much for letting  

English with me. I'll see you again next Friday  for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel. Bye. 

But wait, do you want more? I recommend  watching this video next. Yes. 200 more  

English expressions in only 30 minutes. How is it  possible? You will learn important expressions,  

like how to talk about eating breakfast  extremely quickly. What is a common  

expression for this? Well, you'll have to watch  that video to find out and I'll see you there.