POWER or STRENGTH? 💪🏼 Confusing English Vocabulary

96,658 views ・ 2018-03-08

mmmEnglish


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

00:05
Hello I'm Emma from mmmEnglish!
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In this lesson, I'm going to talk about
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two very similar English words.
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Power and strength.
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They're both bold, strong, serious words
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and very similar in their meaning.
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But if you use these words incorrectly,
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it will start to sound unnatural or just a bit weird.
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So that's why we're going to spend a little time today
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talking about the differences between them.
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Now we're more familiar with these words
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when it comes to fitness, right?
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Power relates to energy and an ability to do something,
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whereas strength relates to muscles
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and also an ability to do something.
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It's really easy to see physical power and strength
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in athletes, right? You can see it.
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But they both have a more intangible,
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less visible meaning too.
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And that's where these words often
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get confused by English learners.
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So the word power refers to the ability of somebody
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or something to change or affect something.
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So physically, a sprinter, who's someone who
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runs really fast over short distances,
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they need power to change
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their speed and position quickly.
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But it can refer to mechanical situations as well,
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where a machine does something.
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Or it can refer to social or political situations
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where a person or a group does something
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and this is often related to the ability to influence
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or control people or a situation.
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Now, power can also refer to your internal ability
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to change a situation.
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You have the power to change your life
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if you really want to.
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Now the word strength has a few different meanings
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but most relevant here is that it refers to a
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person's physical or mental ability to do something.
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Obviously, it relates to physical strength,
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the strength of muscles to lift weights for example.
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But also mental strength, so the strength of your mind
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to believe in yourself, to persevere,
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to overcome problems and doubts.
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Now, elite athletes are strong physically and mentally
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because they must believe that they are the best,
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to be able to perform at their best.
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When describing people's ability to do something,
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power usually refers to control over yourself,
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control over others or control over a situation.
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So in some ways, this can be a negative expression of
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dominance or something that must be fought for
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or taken away from others.
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Where strength is positive and often
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it comes from within,
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within a person or within a group.
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Generally, strength is a more positive and pure way
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of expressing an ability to do something.
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Both the words power and strength are nouns
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but just as common, are their adjective forms,
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powerful and strong,
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which, when used, tend to sound a little more informal.
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She's a strong and determined woman.
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This is the most powerful and proactive
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government since the 1950s.
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Strength can also mean an advantage or
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a positive part about you.
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In a job interview, you might get asked this question,
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"What are your strengths?"
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For me, that's the dreaded question!
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I hate having to talk about my strengths.
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But what are the good features or characteristics
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that you have? That you'll be able to use
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to help you do your job well.
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One of her biggest strengths
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is her determination to succeed.
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Keep in mind that strength has a direct opposite.
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Weakness.
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We need to identify the weaknesses in our team.
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But power does not have a direct opposite.
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We would just say lack of power
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or describe someone as powerless,
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unable to change a situation.
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The community were powerless
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to stop the resort development.
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Well, that's it!
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If you enjoyed this lesson,
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there are plenty more coming, just like it.
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So make sure you subscribe to my channel
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just down there.
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And make sure that you're getting all of my new lessons
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but you can just keep watching right now.
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Here are a couple of other lessons from my collection.
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Thanks for watching and I'll see you next week.
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Bye for now!
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