Lesson Summary
Do you know these Advanced English words? Let's test your English Vocabulary skills; help you to IMPROVE your Vocab & sound smarter in English! Share your results and practise in the comments below!
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Video Transcript
Section 1
Hey there I'm Emma from mmmEnglish! I hope that you and your loved ones are holding up okay at the moment. These are some really tough times that we're living through but I hope that through the frustration and the sadness, you've been able to stay positive and keep busy at home.
Today I want to share a lesson with you that will test what you know and challenge you to explore some new English words and push your vocabulary further. And thank you for staying home and saving lives. I'm thrilled that you're here to learn with me. Let's get started!
So like I said, this vocabulary challenge is going to help you to use more sophisticated English words. You'll need to go digging through your mind a little, you know, to find the English words that you already know and if you're not sure about some of the words that I'm talking about in this lesson, well, it's a really great opportunity to increase or to build your vocabulary.
Here's how it's gonna work. I'm going to read out a sentence and you'll see it go up over there. There's going to be a word or maybe a couple of words that are underlined and this is what I want you to focus on. I want you to search through your mind for an alternative word, a more advanced English word that's gonna help you to express the same idea but in a more intelligent way. Now I'm gonna give you three seconds to think of it but if you need a little longer that's totally okay, just use the pause button. Just get ready to press it, you know, keep your finger ready if you need a little bit more time use it.
If you can't think of it, don't worry, I'm gonna give you a clue. I'm gonna add the first three letters to the word to try and jog your memory or to help you remember what that word is. Then after another three seconds, I'm going to add that word in there and read the whole sentence through for you. Sometimes there might be more than one possible answer but it's really about trying to find the best possible word or phrase for that sentence.
Now if you can, make some notes as we go along to help you practise and I mean really practise. I know that you've got some extra time at the moment so seriously don't feel ashamed or embarrassed about not knowing a word. Take that word, write it in your own sentence, add it to the comments below so that I can check that you're using it correctly and it becomes part of your vocabulary. If you do that, you increase your chances of remembering it a lot. If you do that, you increase your chances of remembering it significantly. So keep a notebook beside you, write down any questions you have or any example sentences you want me to check because as always, I'll be down in the comments below giving guidance and explanations if you need it okay?
So let's get started!
1. John brought up this issue during our last meeting.
John raised this issue during our last meeting.
2. The company made a big announcement.
Lots of options here. We're starting easy.
The company made a significant/major/important announcement.
3. After a long and difficult night walking through the darkness, in the end they arrived home.
After a long and difficult night walking through the darkness, eventually they arrived home.
4. We've decided to make longer your contract.
We've decided to extend your contract.
5. The number of patients became larger.
The number of patients increased.
6. The new grants build up opportunities for young people to study abroad.
The new grants create opportunities for young people to study abroad.
7. We've hired a new graphic designer and she's really, really good.
Again there's a few different options you can use here.
We've hired a new graphic designer and she's sensational/awesome/fantastic/unbelievable.
8. Before you make your decision, make sure you know about the rules.
Before you make your decision, make sure you are familiar with the rules.
9. We think that the decision will be made tomorrow.
We expect that the decision will be made tomorrow.
Or we anticipate that the decision will be made tomorrow.
10. Most people think that I live in Melbourne.
Most people assume that I live in Melbourne but they're wrong!
11. The nurse told her it was not okay to visit patients after hours.
The nurse told her it was unacceptable/not acceptable to visit patients after hours.
12. After the department store was caught breaking the law, it took years to get consumer confidence back.
After the department store was caught breaking the law, it took years to restore consumer confidence.
13. The company used new technology to make production better.
The company used new technology to enhance production.
14. Starting an at-home yoga practice can be good for retirees.
Starting an at-home yoga practice can benefit retirees.
15. She was confused by the customs restrictions when she arrived in Australia.
She was bewildered by the customs restrictions when she arrived in Australia.
16. It's important that families hold on to cultural traditions and language.
It's important that families retain cultural traditions and language.
17. I think that state funded education offers many good things for society.
I think that state funded education offers many benefits for society.
18. If we had acted sooner, we could have stopped the spread of the virus.
If we had acted sooner, we could have prevented the spread of the virus.
This is a conditional sentence, right? Did you see my lesson on conditionals a couple of weeks ago? If you did, you'll definitely recognise that structure. And the link to that lesson is up here if you want to check it out later.
19. Many of our ideas have changed over time.
Many of our ideas have evolved over time.
20. We have a team of ten staff who work together on different projects.
To work together… what's a better way of saying that?
We have a team of ten staff who collaborate on different projects.
21. To be honest, I don't want to make the problem worse.
To be honest, I don't want to exacerbate the problem.
22. I've read through your report. It's great, but I want to change the introduction.
I've read through your report. It's great but I want to modify the introduction.
That softens it a little bit, doesn't it sound as negative.
23. It's one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the city.
It's one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in the city.
Now a little note here about superlative adjectives because both of these are superlative forms, right? Most one and two syllable adjectives add -est when we make them a superlative like biggest, hungriest, wealthiest. And adjectives with three syllables or more, they're made into the superlative form with ‘most'. Most intelligent, most anticipated, most affluent, right?
These are general rules, there are definitely some adjectives that break these rules but they're good guides to run with.
24. I don't have an interesting job, the work I do is usually quite boring.
I don't have an interesting job, the work I do is usually quite mundane.
It's quite mundane or it's very mundane.
25. I don't have time to explain more about this right now.
I don't have time to elaborate on this right now.
Notice that the preposition changed there too. This is a good example of a collocation. We don't say that we elaborate about something right? We use ‘on' with elaborate. So we always elaborate on something. Keep that in mind.
Awesome work! Well done for sticking with me all the way up until this point. So I'm curious now, how many of those words were completely new for you? Did you learn some new ones or did you know a few of them already?
I know that some of us have a little more time on our hands than we're used to, right? So I think that you can afford to spend a little bit of time writing in English to help cement those new advanced words in your mind so that you can start using more sophisticated language when you write and when you speak in English.
As I said, if you have doubts or questions about anything you've learned in this lesson, ask me in the comments below. Thank you so much for spending some time with me today, learning with me, staying home and saving lives.
I'm thrilled that you're here to learn with me. And there are so many mmmEnglish YouTube lessons here to keep you busy. There are whole playlists about grammar, about vocabulary, pronunciation, lots of imitation lessons to keep you busy. Here are a couple that you can get started with right now and keep improving your English while you're at home.
Stay safe, take care and keep flattening that curve, my friends. We're all in this together!
mmmEnglish Video Lessons are a series of video lessons created to build confidence in English learners and focus on English in daily life. Download them and watch them anywhere! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to be the first to get my new videos, and come and say hi on my Facebook page!!
Hi . Do you offer tefl course online?
No I don't sorry! I currently offer the courses here: mmmenglish.com/studywithme and also teach online in this community for women: theladiesproject.com
Thank you so much!!! I was so thrilled when I found your videos on YouTube. They are fantastic!
Thank you Sandy! So glad to have you here!
Some of them were knew, it takes all life to master english♂️
Thanks Emma, I am writting you from Spain. I am studiyng 4 th course of English and your lessons are so helpfull for me.
Now I am with Scwha sound and your wonderful explanations are a funny way to learning in this days of confinement.
So glad to hear that, Sonia! Thank you for stopping by my website and leaving a comment. Take care and stay safe!
This video is very useful to me , really I found your lessons are amazing so I'm following each day , also the way of your teaching is the best I think,I appreciate your wonderful explanation,it's very clearly and understanding , thank you for the beautiful sound .
Thank you sooo much for the lesson! I guessed practically all words but some, for instance, ‘mundane' or ‘exacerbate' were unfamiliar.
PS What was the smoothie made of?
Thanks
i like it. I much learn from this.
Kindly sent me such types of lessons so that I improve my English.
Thanks
Zahoor Ahmad
This is an awesome lesson Emma. Please make some andavanced lessons like this! It's so useful for me who try to get an andanced degree in enlish!
I also write down some new sentences.
Later I'll try to find out more..
Your homework wasn't good enough. I expect from you a better result
I expect-anticipate from you a better rusult.
Your project you made for our company is Awesome
fantastic!
I believe that your ideas will make better-expand our sales.
I can't fix the table! I am confused-bewildered by these instructions!
We need to hold onto-retain our principals as we grow
I did not know the meaning of many words but now I got the actual meaning with uses. Thank you Ma'am….here I'm trying to form into sentences please check it out….
1)He brought up his voice against corruption.
He raised his voice against corruption.
2) We are fighting with Covid-19, in the end we will be the winner.
We are fighting with Covid-19 eventually, we will be the winner.
3) We anticipate that they will come together.
70% are unfamiliar words. Please deliver lessons on second conditional topic. Praying God will save us.
Hi Emma, thank you for this new fantastic lesson that help me spending time increasing my vocabulary with new words I an not familiar with and not thinking about the sad time we are living. I'm a doctor and I live in the north of Italy. I hope to see the curve flattening soon!
In the first sentence I chose “focused” instead of “brought up”: is this wrong?
Stay safe and take care.
You could say ‘John focused on this issue during our last meeting', but that has a different meaning to ‘John raised/brought up this issue during our last meeting.'
Thank you for doing your part in flattening the curve, Guido. Take care!
Thank your Emma its important that students retain to this lesson, bewildered and exacerbate are my new words ZAMBIA is fine stay blessed.
Thank you Emma its important that students retain to this lesson, bewildered and exacerbate are my new words, ZAMBIA is fine stay blessed.
pray my God for blessing you
I am 70 years old, maybe I'm the most old student that you have ever been had. I'm following your lessons for a few months, they are very interesting and help me improve my poor English language. You are very nice and cutting edge. Thanks for your work, in the future when I'll have more time (at the moment I'm very busy for my photography exibition), I hope to enroll in one of your courses.
I am sure that we will win this battle too and we will go back to live our usual life, maybe even better !!!
Thanks a lot again for your precious and useful company.
So lovely to see someone of your age watching my lessons, Francesco! Thank you for doing your part in staying home and saving lives – I'm glad you have something to keep you busy during these strange times!
This is really good Emma. I know the other words for the underline words or phrase but I can’t remember them. I was able to remember it because you gave us the first letters. Thank you for making us busy. This helps us divert our minds and not focus on the negative.
Very good. I am in Brazil learning. Thanks
thank you so much Emma, great class!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it, Pedro!
It was a great lesson…I think such method is innovative and can improve my English tasks.More I will have this kind of lessons more I feel confident.
I learned more a lots of new words Emma, Thank you for providing me the weekend lessons
Always a pleasure 🙂
See you in the next lesson!
Thank you for your lesson. I learned a couple of new words this morning. Keep going on.
Fabulous to hear, Katrin!
Thank you very much my teacher
Excellent way of practising vocab. although….I tend not to come across them when speaking even though I knew most of them already…how can I avoid this happening?
I get some new words from this video and inspiration to learn more new words. Your way of learning is amazing. Don’t forget me for the next video.
There were quite few words new to me which includes mundane, bewildered, and Anticipate. Eventually this lesson was quite useful for me. Thank you Emma stay safe my precious teacher ❤️
Dear Emma,
The sentence no. 18 (If we had acted sooner, we could have stopped the spread of the virus.) on your display has a comma at the wrong place. Could you correct that little mistake?
Yours, Ljubisa
This video is very useful to me , really I found your lessons are amazing so I'm following each day , also the way of your teaching is the best I think,I appreciate your wonderful explanation,it's very clearly and understanding , thank you for the beautiful sound .
Dear Emma, this sensational lesson is a significant but welcome challenge for me. I’m familiar with many of the words. Some words I can learn now and some of them I have to repeat. It shows me that people of my age never have finished learning. I look forward to getting more lessons of this kind. Thank you very much
I'm so glad you enjoyed this lesson, Toni! Which words had you stumped?
The words exacerbate, most affluent, mundane and elaborate have stumped me. Now I have to keep them in my mind
I am very happy with learn english from you.Because you want to lean carefully.
Thank you very much….
Hi Emma.
I'm Marco from Ecuador.
Taking advantage of the time I stay home these days, I decided to review o practice my ” intermediate English”, which I havent' practice for ages! Altough I am familiar with American accents, your Australian accent is quite nice; I like it a lot! Furthermore, the way you teach is very lively and attractive, it encouraged me to write a comment in this site.
Thank you so much for all the efforts you make to post your great lesson.
I' will keep on learning with you.
Best regards.
Marco.
Helpful
Hi Emma, I´m from Argentina. I want to thank you a lot. Your lessons are trully helpfull for me to improve my english language. Regards
Wonderful to hear, María!
Hi Emma… brilliant lesson as usual!
I must confess that I did better with the clues.
One really new word for me “in English”, because in my native language I know it, is “Mundane”. In Portuguese is “Mundano”.
Is it possible to use the word “monotonous” in this context? Thanks a lot for your attention.
thumbs up
I fall in love with your lessons.They are amazing
Dear Emma,
I have 2 problems. First, I don't know how I can remember the new words. Second, I want to improve my English speaking. Would you please help me?
I have some lessons that you may find helpful, Mahnaz!
https://www.mmmenglish.com/2017/07/24/10-tips-to-build-your-vocabulary/
https://www.mmmenglish.com/2020/04/30/3-things-awesome-english-speakers-do/
https://www.mmmenglish.com/2020/02/28/everyday-habits-to-improve-your-english/
https://www.mmmenglish.com/2019/12/27/4-steps-to-become-fluent-in-english/