https://youtube.com/channel/UCwA7Aepp7nRUJNa8roQ-6Bw If you TRY, you can do anything! It's always been my belief that you cannot put information in other people's heads. If you find a way to show them something, they can use their own intelligence to learn. This is my approach to teaching, trying to be both informative while allowing the students to find their own way of learning. I've spent the last 30 years teaching in various capacities. I've taught martial arts to kids and developed a curriculum that was geared specifically to enhance their development. I spent several years working with children suffering from autism and Asperger's -- trying to help them learn to deal with the world around them and to learn from their environment. Finally, it was while helping a child that I was asked to work at the Toronto School Board. While I was there, I helped out with kids who were learning English, and my love of teaching ESL began. TV & Film Podsync generator (support us at https://github.com/mxpv/podsync) en-us Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:51:44 +0000 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:15:09 +0000 https://yt3.ggpht.com/lThIdbFCrFiEf3C_Xh8jJVyEohivnd_DuqZi7Fss9UjMDfxlWaC2erUJtmlbJNM61UFbVlst=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj https://youtube.com/channel/UCwA7Aepp7nRUJNa8roQ-6Bw ENGLISH with James · engVid ENGLISH with James · engVid no DsFT8exiG5o https://youtube.com/watch?v=DsFT8exiG5o You already know the words how, why, where, and when – but are you really using them effectively? In this lesson, I show you how these four simple interrogative adverbs create context, clarity, and stronger communication in English. Many English learners (and even native speakers) assume that basic question words are “easy,” but when you understand how they function structurally, your speaking and writing immediately improve. By the end of this lesson, you won’t just recognize these words – you’ll understand how to use them strategically in conversations, business communication, and everyday English. If you want to sound more precise, more thoughtful, and more advanced in English, this lesson will help you get there. Test yourself with the quiz: https://www.engvid.com/use-how-why-where-when-properly-in-english/ Learn how to use the interrogative pronouns (WHO, WHOM, WHOSE, WHAT, WHICH): https://youtu.be/6b8GeYWWxkc Learn more about using questions in active listening: https://youtu.be/A3AFME4IP-I In this lesson: 0:00 Enhance your communication with interrogatives 0:50 where 2:07 when 4:49 why 6:13 how 7:49 Bonus Tip #1 9:17 Bonus Tip #2 10:50 Test Yourself Transcript: Hey. You look like a question mark, which leads me to today's video. I'm going to teach you something that you already know, and I'm betting you're thinking, "Well, if I know it, why am I watching?" You're going to stick around and find out within the next 20 minutes. I'm going to teach you four words - how, why, where, and when. I'm going to try to teach you how to understand, how to structurally use it, to better use it in your conversations, anything you write in business meetings and whatnot, okay? Because yes, you use them, but understanding the context - and that's why we talk about context, that's a big word - to create greater understanding and communication will double your English. So, let's go to the board and get it done, shall we? All right. So, I already told you what the words are, and I'm sure if you know that, you already know which ones I was talking about. Yeah? So, "place" is going to be what? Let's see. What's... What place would it be? We've got "place" here, "to", and I'm going to say, "What would 'place' be?" "Place" is "to". I'm going to go here, and it's going to be "where". Okay? Where something takes place - and I've got to be honest, I've had conversations with people where they don't think context is important, they just tell you something, "I had a little place to sleep", because you just don't care, or you're just confused because you just don't understand. So, yes, I'm explaining words you know, but "where" is important. Where something takes place, whether it be in your dining room at home-okay?-or somewhere at work, or in a field of combat, you know, "I was talking to my friend the other day about sausages." Yeah, yeah, yeah. "Well, we were fighting the gorillas in the jungle." Whoa. Gorillas in the jungle? What the...? Context matters. Where it happens matters. Okay? So, these are one of the elements you want to put in a conversation or something you're writing to give greater understanding to the person you're speaking to or communicating with. I'm going to hammer that home, so even though you know this, you're going to start thinking structurally where to put it. Okay? So, "where" matters. Now, what's another thing that matters? And when we talk about context, these are the first two words that you should be introducing in a speech or something written. And if you haven't figured it out, I'll tell you, because we're going to look at time-okay?-and time is "when". So, you're probably hearing a monsoon go behind me, yeah, so context here is I'm going to rush this video so I can stay alive because, you know, where I am, in the middle of a monsoon, and when? It's happening now. Jokes, but yeah, a bit stormy. So, we talked about "where" and "when". Time is important. For example, I told you we were in the jungle fighting when we talked about sausages, but when was that? Is that now? Was that yesterday? Or will that be in the future? Okay? Giving time gives a certain sense of urgency to the communication, or it can make you relaxed, because when something takes place is almost as important as when, and these two things have to go together for clear communication to other people. In fact, in the concept of active listening or giving or responding, one of the things they say is when you talk to someone, you want to talk about - you want to communicate especially bad news, you want to say when it happened. Exactly. Yesterday, when you spoke to me. Where it happened. When you spoke to me in the office. These are the first two I've just hit right here, and that's why I'm saying, "Oh yeah, well I know this one", but do you use it properly? […] Tue, 24 Feb 2026 04:21:44 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Stop Confusing People: Use Question Words Properly in English 15:41 no 1 D6nvyilkTF0 https://youtube.com/watch?v=D6nvyilkTF0 Most people only write when they have to. But if you’re trying to learn something, especially a language, writing will make your learning faster, richer, and more efficient. Writing plays a powerful role in how we think, learn, and remember. In this video, I’ll show you why and how to become an active writer. You’ll then learn how rewriting helps rewire your brain beyond surface-level understanding. Finally, I will share practical ways to use writing as a language learner, including journaling, rewriting with new vocabulary, and using writing to think about your own thinking. I also discuss why relying too heavily on AI tools can weaken this process instead of strengthening it. Every time you use ChatGPT or Gemini to write FOR you, your brain gets weaker. I’m sure you’ve already noticed that yourself. Please don’t sabotage yourself by using these tools for that purpose. https://www.engvid.com/want-to-learn-you-must-write/ Watch the whole *English Is Not What You Think* series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1MxVBsQo85qLby7rrLVVLNlWMLYoLjJZ In this lesson: 0:00 Writing is not what you think 1:57 Passive Writing vs. Active Writing 6:14 Can I get ChatGPT to write for me? 7:35 Writing shows your progress & mistakes 8:38 Writing lets you take your time 9:38 Follow the 10% rule. 11:19 Writing helps you organize your thoughts 12:42 Tip #1 13:20 Tip #2 14:03 Tip #3 15:08 Nata Juice Transcript: Hey, E, you're talking about writing. James from engVid. This is part of a four-part series I'm doing on communication, reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and this one is on writing, which is, funny enough, it's the least percentage that you do in communication. Let's face facts, you don't walk around writing everything down, right? I picked up this book because horror. I used to teach an English class where I had to do a lot of writing, and having to read what people would write was a horror show, right? Let's go to the board so you won't have someone making comments about you like this, right? So, as I said, E, we're doing writing, and we can see that it's only 10 to 15% of our communication. However, it's a very versatile and important part, and it shows, you might say, the evolution of people, because, well, our ancestors, I mean, way back when they were in caves, they used to draw, so that was sort of, writing. They would do pictures to give messages. So, something has been with us forever, but we weren't born with it. When we did it, we were able to communicate, to store information, and that's why we have planes, trains, and television, because as you write it down, you can give it to someone. Because before that, and you can still see in the world today, people who don't have a rich and deep language system that is written are living the same way we would have 10,000 years ago, because there's only so much information one person can pass to another, the importance of writing cannot be overlooked. You've got to look at it, because that's why you're watching me today, because somebody wrote something down about cameras, about television, electricity, and we can communicate this way. I don't need to be in your house, we can communicate. So, writing's important, and it's going to be even more important on your language journey to help you get faster to where you want to go. So, let's go to the board. Okay, so most people are passive writers. Yes, I know writing is an activity, right, versus reading. People also think that's passive, it's wrong. But they write because they have to, right? That's why it's 10%. They write because I've got to write an email to my boss, or I've got to text somebody, and that's as far as it really goes. They're not really into the writing process or what it can do for you, so they find it troublesome. I know if you're like me, nobody likes writing essays. Although writing the essay helps to get you to clarify your ideas and learn, people are like, "Oh, I've got to write an essay. I'd rather do a test where I don't have to write 10 or 15 pages or 100." But that writing is so important, and we'll come to it when I come to the board for something else, but for most people, writing is a passive activity. You have to do it, so you just kind of do it to get it done. When you start understanding the importance of writing, you're going to know that when you write, you rewire your brain, because as you write, the important thing about writing is not writing, it's the rewriting. It's the looking at something you put on paper, looking at it again, and then rewriting it, because each time you rewrite it, you restructure it, you change it. After a while, the brain has to change, because the way you see it is changed, you change. We have a wonderful thing between our ears, and writing is a great way to change it. Writing is a, let's just say, an advanced activity that humans do that helped us, I wanted to say enabled, similar, helped us to get where we are, right? […] Tue, 03 Feb 2026 04:56:24 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid You Have to Write Every Day. ChatGPT Won’t Save You. 18:04 no 2 GeXp4sfYoiQ https://youtube.com/watch?v=GeXp4sfYoiQ Discover the four habits intelligent people use to learn languages faster: active listening, solitude, chaos, and challenge. Learn how to adopt these habits and accelerate your English learning voyage. Learning a language isn’t just about words and grammar — it’s about how you think. I break down four habits used by intelligent people and show how they directly improve language learning: listening more than speaking, studying alone to digest ideas, using social interaction to test understanding, embracing chaos to force adaptation, and setting challenges that push real growth. I also explain why accent improvement comes from listening, how confusion actually builds intelligence, and why sticking with language learning already puts you ahead of most people. If you want to learn English in a smarter, more confident way, this lesson will change how you see the process. https://www.engvid.com/the-4-habits-of-intelligent-language-learners Watch more of my videos about how to learn English: https://youtu.be/-YTBQH_bPD8 https://youtu.be/COLuxY70LtI In this lesson: 0:00 Introduction 0:32 1. Listening 3:31 2. Solitude 7:02 3. Chaos 9:52 4. Challenge 13:32 Listening in real life 14:23 Solitude in real life 15:47 Chaos in real life 17:14 Challenge yourself in real life Transcript: There you go. You look brilliant, my friend. And so do you, my friend. Why am I doing this lesson today? Because these are the four habits of intelligent people. And you might say, "What does this have to do with language learning?" Well, funny enough, the best language learners use these four habits. And I'm going to go over them today with you, and also give you some hints on how you can actually enhance your learning or make your learning better, faster, deeper, and more fun by following these four habits. Ready? Let's go to the board. So, the first one it says here is you have to do active listening because it's about listening. And right now, some of you are going, "That's so obvious." And of course it is. Because when you learn a language, I know there's reading, but most of it is done verbally, which is someone speaks, someone listens. And you'll notice here I have you have to learn to do active listening. Right? And active listening is not just being passive. A lot of people think that when they learn languages, they want to speak, not realizing that when they learn their first language, you learned it by listening. Remember, you didn't come out of your mommy saying, "Mama, dad, a car. I want some money." No, you just listened for, like, six months. And then eventually you said, "Ma, ma, da, da." And you would repeat. And they would go, "Yay." And then you would know you did it correctly. So, active listening, which is paying attention, participating, not just sitting there looking, but trying to take the information in. Right? This is an important part of being an intelligent person, but also an important part of language learning. You will learn more from listening than any other way. Okay? You'll also notice it says here "to learn", and this I changed because they just said intelligent people listen actively. They participate more... They speak less in conversation, and they listen more, and that's why they can get more information from people. Now, what I say here is not only do you have to do that to get your vocabulary. Okay? But we learn syntax, where and when, how grammar is structured, how the words should go together. Accent reduction. How many students have I heard that said, "My accent is terrible, blah, blah, blah." And I went, "Just listen." And the joke is this, a lot of the times that they listen, and I say, "Now, make fun of me." And they'll go, "Make fun of me." They'll go, "Okay, man. This is what you sound like." I go, "That's perfect English." You don't have to go to some special course. Just use the things between your... You know, on the sides of your ears, your head, and you hear the sounds properly and perfectly. And if you mimic, you will reproduce those sounds. And that's active listening, not passive. Right? Listening to the tone. I want to say intonation, but they listen to the tone, listen to the breaks. And from that active listening-right?-we learn language, we learn syntax, how we should say what we should say, we reduce the accent naturally, and we pick up new words, new vocabulary. Because almost every time you hear someone speak, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced student, or a native speaker, someone, if you're speaking to someone of interest, is going to give you new vocabulary that you can learn from, and thus continue the conversation, because when you say, "Well, what does that mean?" they will talk more active listening. Okay? The next one we're going to do is this. Now, I had the wrong book because Superman has a fortress of solitude, Batman does not. He has a cave. But still, he stays by himself. And you might say, "Why is solitude so important?" [….] Wed, 07 Jan 2026 04:26:46 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Smart People Learn Languages Differently. And You Can Too. 19:21 no 3 y89OLiozqNY https://youtube.com/watch?v=y89OLiozqNY Does reading feel useless for you? I’ll show you how to fix that. Learn the difference between *active* and *passive reading* and discover practical techniques that help you remember more, understand faster, and actually learn from what you read. I explain why simply recognising words is not learning, and how encoding information makes it stick in your memory. You’ll learn how to immerse yourself in a text, forget what you think you already know, and start thinking the way the author thinks. I also cover practical habits like writing in books, asking your own questions, using *KWL* before reading, and choosing both fiction and non-fiction to develop emotional and logical understanding. These techniques turn reading into one of the most powerful tools you have for learning English (or anything else) faster. https://www.engvid.com/learn-faster-by-reading-actively/ The next video in this series: https://youtu.be/D6nvyilkTF0 Watch the whole series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1MxVBsQo85qLby7rrLVVLNlWMLYoLjJZ In this lesson: 0:00 Reading is not what you think 0:56 Passive Reading vs. Active Reading 3:08 Reading is decoding. 4:59 Use the KWL method. 7:13 Mark up your books! 8:47 Reading gives you time to think. 10:24 Play soccer with a book. 13:30 Tip #1 14:09 Tip #2 15:32 Tip #3 16:31 Synoptic Reading Transcript: Hey. Hi, E. Reading. Hi. James from engVid. I'm doing a four-part series on speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and it's... The series is basically "It's Not What You Think". In other words, I'm going to go behind and show you what's really happening when you're doing these things, and how, if you understand this, you can enhance your language learning and communication skills. Okay? So, let's go to the board and see what E has for us. So, he said reading is 15-20%. This is true. We spend most of our time speaking or listening, but you might be surprised by how much time we spend reading. And if you stop and think about it, you're reading almost all the time. You're on the subway, there are signs, you turn on your television, you read what the weather is, so it's more than you think, and it has an important impact on your ability to learn. All right? Because you can make yourself learn faster by reading. Let's go to the board and figure out how that works. All right? So, most people, when they read, they just look at words. You know? You see them reading, and they do this. And as long as most of the words are words they've seen before, they thought, "I've read the page." But you can ask them five minutes later, "What did you read?" and they'll honestly go, "I don't remember", and they shouldn't. They looked at the words as they would look at a picture. They looked at it, I see the picture, but when I put this away, I can't remember if the baby was crying and his eyes went to the left or right, I just know there's a baby. I'm getting the basic idea and losing a lot of information. And that's how a lot of people read, and that's why a lot of them say that reading is useless, it's no good, blah, blah, blah, and they don't understand why someone can read a book and change their entire life, they can read the same book and get nothing from it. All right? I want to help you change that right now. And what we're going to do that is teach you to go from passive reading to active reading. When we actively read, we immerse ourselves. For some of you, you might go, "What is immerse?" It's like going into a pool, right? Unless you're Jesus from 2,000 years ago, when you go in the pool, you don't walk on water. Right? You jump, you go in the water. And the deeper you go, the more, you know... Sorry. The more restriction, the harder it is to swim, but the more fun it is to swim. Right? So, when we actively read, we immerse ourselves. We get into it. If it's fiction, you try and get into the minds of the characters. If it's factual, you try to understand what the idea the person is trying to get to you. And by doing that and forgetting yourself, you start thinking like the author, and when you do that, you understand how they understand. And that's powerful. All right? Now, here's a little note that I put underneath this, because some people, when they read... Hell, even when they do conversation, we've got one on that. Right? And they already know. And if you already know something, you can't learn something, because you already know. So, when you immerse yourself, you have to forget yourself and what you know in order to let new information come to you, because you might see it in a different way. And that leads to growth. Learning. Right? So, reading is decoding. What is decoding? Well, in nature, because we are from nature, we were never designed for this. What do you mean we weren't? We can read. No, you weren't designed for this. 10,000 years ago, people weren't walking by trees, and it said "tree", and you go "tree", it said "tree". […] Thu, 18 Dec 2025 04:57:59 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Learn Faster by Reading ACTIVELY 18:30 no 4 LYjuv6LqAsY https://youtube.com/watch?v=LYjuv6LqAsY Repeated words reveal sentence patterns. He, she, I all + 'like' + ice cream. Discover syntax through rhythm, not memorization. #LearnGrammar #Syntax #Vocabulary #EnglishTips Sun, 07 Dec 2025 14:00:40 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Learn Grammar and Syntax Effortlessly 0:27 no 5 YERAQaIQuMc https://youtube.com/watch?v=YERAQaIQuMc Discover how to set boundaries kindly by expressing your feelings and setting clear limits. Learn to resolve issues while respecting everyone involved. #Boundaries #Respect #Communication #SelfCare Fri, 05 Dec 2025 15:01:16 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Set Boundaries Kindly: Respect Yourself & Others 1:07 no 6 K3Wjli_n8KA https://youtube.com/watch?v=K3Wjli_n8KA Listen properly to learn pattern recognition. Learning English (or anything) will be easier. Hear it, see it, know it. #LanguageLearning #EnglishTips #PatternRecognition #ListenAndLearn #LanguageSkills #LearningHacks Tue, 02 Dec 2025 07:17:45 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Unlock Language Learning: Master Active Listening Now! #shorts 0:42 no 7 RgjUjpAyB2M https://youtube.com/watch?v=RgjUjpAyB2M Turn your ears into your most powerful tool for English fluency. Many English learners focus entirely on speaking, but research shows we spend up to 50% of our communication time listening. If you can’t listen effectively, you can’t learn patterns, grammar, or vocabulary naturally. In this class, part of my 4-part core skills series, I break down the science and art of listening in English. You will learn the difference between passive hearing and active listening. I also cover the three specific types of listening – Task, Relational, and Critical –and how to switch between them to improve your relationships and comprehension. Finally, I explain the “Juggling Theory” of conversation to help you manage information flow like a pro. https://www.engvid.com/listen-better-learn-faster-practical-listening-skills/ Watch the next video in this series: https://youtu.be/y89OLiozqNY Watch the full course: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1MxVBsQo85qLby7rrLVVLNlWMLYoLjJZ In this lesson: 0:00 Listening is not what you think! 1:26 Passive Listening vs. Active Listening 4:37 Listening is part art and part science. 5:37 We are born listeners. 6:46 Listening is pattern recognition. 9:01 Types of Listening 12:52 Listening is a two-way interaction 17:35 Tip #1 19:13 Tip #2 21:19 Tip #3 Transcript: Hey, E, what are you listening to? Hi. James from engVid. This is a special video, part of a four-part series we have on the four core things you need to learn in order to learn language. Okay? This one's on listening, and we're going to go to the board and talk to E and see what he's listening to. That's an ear, by the way. Okay, so, listening. It seems that listening takes up to 40-50% of our day, so in our communication journey through a day, we will spend 40-50% listening. That might surprise some of you because you go, "I talk all the time." Actually you don't. You have to... You do talk, but you talk to different people, and they need to talk. If you talk all the time, you'd be the only one. So we spend half our time actually in listening, and a little less time in speaking because we do have more than one person we talk to. But this does tell us how important listening is to the learning process. I find it interesting because many students, they're more interested initially in speaking because it makes you feel good when you can speak and people understand you, but they tend to forget that when we all started out as children, we started listening, not speaking. And that's why we're going to take the time on this lesson to make sure you get a deep understanding to blow up your ability to listen and therefore learn. All right? Let's go to the board. All right. So, most people think they're incred... Okay. And I'm talking about in their original language, so I speak English, you might speak Japanese, you might speak French, you might speak Haitian, whatever you speak. Almost everybody thinks they're really good at listening, and they don't think they need any training on it because they have two ears, so it's obvious. Right? That's what I call "passive listening". You think you can hear because you have ears. Notice I didn't say "listen", I put "hear", because you're right, you can hear. If I go... You can hear that. That's not listening. Listening involves focus. Okay? That focus means engage or put your brain into the situation and pay attention. This is why there's so much miscommunication, not even in language learners, people speaking the same language don't understand each other because they actually don't listen. This lesson is to help you not only increase your language learning ability, but to make your everyday listening skills better, which will in turn, of course, make your language skills better. Right? Worth the time, especially when you're going to spend 50% of your life listening to other people. Okay, so if "passive" is just because I have ears, I can hear, what is "active"? Well, "active", look at this, you understand what someone means. When you hear them, you can hear the words that they're saying, but it doesn't mean you actually understand what they mean. You only... Because we usually listen to ourselves a lot, we understand what we think they mean. And that's where you get what we call "miscommunication". Right? And it's hard to have something called "empathy", and empathy is an ability to feel what someone else feels. Right? And to understand the pain they have, and to go, "Oh my gosh, I got it. Oh yeah, I could understand why you would feel that way." You can't do that if you can't actually understand what they're saying. Right? Now, the other thing about active listening, which is great, is you make people feel heard. Notice how both of these things have nothing to do with you. Hmm? Yeah, I know, you're the star of your show, but we're listening because we want to create relationships. […] Mon, 24 Nov 2025 04:56:20 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid The Secret to English Fluency? It's Not Speaking. 22:39 no 8 4swiQ_2vVOk https://youtube.com/watch?v=4swiQ_2vVOk Curious why we say things like “over the top” or “scot-free”? In this lesson I dig into the odd and memorable histories behind seven English idioms and explain how those stories give each phrase its meaning. You’ll learn when to call something “over the top”, what “scot-free” originally meant (and what it means now), why a “baker’s dozen” exists, how honeymoons began (it involved getting drunk), and when to warn someone not to “beat around the bush” – all with quick example sentences you can use immediately. If you love language stories and want to sound natural in English (without guessing), this lesson is for you. https://www.engvid.com/7-common-english-idioms-origins/ More of my lessons about idioms: 5 idioms with unexpected histories https://youtu.be/WhiTdXpLK9M 8 slang phrases in English https://youtu.be/jnJHFaIPjgs In this lesson: 0:00 7 Idioms 0:37 over the top (OTT) 1:58 scot-free 3:21 chip on their shoulder 4:39 baker's dozen 6:13 honeymoon 8:58 beating around the bush 10:24 lunatic Transcript: Hey, you're all bent out of shape. Hi. James from engVid. "E" is in the form of the number 7, because we have 7 cool English idioms to learn today. And I used "bent out of shape". You might not know what that means, but if the shape is straight, it's bent. But usually idioms come with a history, and are sometimes not clear to someone who doesn't know the language. In this case, English. And my job today is to teach you 7 cool English idioms, and I'll give you a little bit of history for a bonus. Let's go to the board. All right, so the first one, you're going to see "top". Now, I used to have a British girlfriend, or a Canadian, but her father was Scottish, and he used to love to say, "That's OTT, James." And I go, "OTT", and he would say, "Over the top", sometimes known as OTT. And what does that mean? All right, you've got "top", it's over it. It means when something is excessive, or more than enough, or more than needed or necessary. Okay? You are going to the dentist, and he's going to look at your teeth, and he takes out a big, big sword to clean it. You're like, "That's excessive. That's over the top." Just a little floss. It's good. A bad example is the best one that comes to mind. This came from World War I, actually, because soldiers used to go in something called a trench. It's like a big hole, and they would be in the hole, and then they would have to get out of the hole and run across this land, and it was called No Man's Land for a reason, because when they would run, the other guys would go, "G-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g", and shoot them. So, when they would say, "Time to go over the top", the soldiers would be like, "This is a bit excessive, a bit much. We're going to get shot." Right? So, when you tell someone it's "OTT" or "over the top", you're saying it's too much. Cool? It's the first one. See, it's cool. I told you right away. What about this one? Everybody loves tax-free. Well, I've got a little something to tell you. This one is going to be called "Scot-free", and some of you might say, "Scot-free? Is that a name? It's, like... It seems, like, Scottish. Right? And free?" This is from Old English, from medieval times. Medieval times is, like, you know, when the king and queen 400 years ago, maybe 16th century, right? The British used to tax people, and the tax... A word for "tax" was called "scot". Okay? Now, if you didn't have to pay the taxes or you got away from paying the taxes, it was called "scot-free", and people would try to get scot-free. Now, in the modern time, we took that same idea, and what we say today when we say "scot-free", it's not about being tax-free, it means when you've done something bad-okay?-but you don't get in any trouble. No trouble. You get away with it. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. We now say, "You got off scot-free." So, sometimes people go to, you know, see a judge, and the judge goes, "Okay, you killed 10 people and ate 7 of them, but there's no video evidence because we don't have cell phones." So you can go, "You got off scot-free." Okay? Number three, "chips". If you're from England, it's called "crisps". Now, in the 18th century in America, young boys, or 18th, 19th century young boys would take a chip. Now, a chip would be a wood chip. Okay? So not chips or crisps, but a little piece of wood. And when they wanted to fight, they'd put that chip on their shoulder, and they'd walk around like this, and they would say, "I dare you to knock it off, because if you knock it off my shoulder, we're going to have a fight." And they would walk around all day going, "You want to fight? Knock off the chip." Over time, we don't walk around with chips on our shoulders, but when we say somebody has a - sorry - a chip on their shoulder, we're saying they're looking for trouble, they want to fight. […] Wed, 05 Nov 2025 08:38:51 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid 7 Common English Idioms (and Their Origins) — Over the Top, Scot-Free & More 14:00 no 9 A3AFME4IP-I https://youtube.com/watch?v=A3AFME4IP-I Want faster progress in speaking English? Learn how asking the right questions helps you listen better, learn more, and create stronger connections with others. Most people try to speak more, but I’ll show you why asking better questions is the smarter strategy: Discover the mindset and practical question types that get people talking and help you learn English naturally. Questions activate your brain, create trust, and slow down speech so you can process language more clearly. You’ll see why humility matters when you ask, how to use clarification and follow-ups to deepen understanding, and how simple frameworks like KWL help you plan conversations that teach you new language. This is for intermediate and advanced learners who want to turn everyday chats into real practice and build stronger social and professional relationships in English. https://www.engvid.com/speak-less-ask-more-use-questions-to-improve-your-english/ Watch the next lesson in this course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgjUjpAyB2M&list=PL1MxVBsQo85qLby7rrLVVLNlWMLYoLjJZ&index=2 In this lesson: 0:00 Introduction 1:21 Change passive speaking to active questions 2:57 Questions build relationships 7:21 Why ask questions? 9:02 Engage your brain 10:33 Be humble 11:57 Clarify 13:10 Empower 14:45 Tip #1 15:15 Tip #2 15:58 Invest in loss Transcript: Hey, James from engVid. This video is going to be a little different than my normal videos. It's part of a four-part series in which we're going to look at communication in its totality, or in its big form. Okay? And we're going to show how speaking, reading, writing, and listening work together, so make sure you watch the other ones; they go together. And right now, I'm going to go to the board and start with our first lesson. Speaking. Speaking. Ah, speaking. And look, Mr. E is here to tell you that speaking is an important part of language. We say "acquisition" to get language, because in order to communicate, you need to speak and to listen. Right? They go together. Mr. E is telling you that speaking takes up 25-30% of language usage in a day, so you spend 25-30% of your day speaking more than, you know, 10% for, I believe, writing, 10-15%, but we'll get to that. In this lesson, we're going to talk about the most important part of what I think you want to do when speaking in order to learn the most in language. Okay? And it's not speaking; it's actually questions. You want to learn to ask questions in order to improve your speaking and your communication ability. And let's go to the board to find out why. Well, most people want to speak because they want airtime. They think if they're not speaking, they're not being taken seriously or they're not important, and it's the person who's speaking who has all the power. Yes and no. Some people are just stupid, and they talk for the sake of stupid. You don't want to be that one. When you want to speak, you want to learn something or inform people. Okay? And the best way to do that is to start by questions. When we talk about... This is what we... Yeah, here, when I say "passive". For some people, speaking is your mouth is open, but no one's home. They're talking and they've got lots to say. It may not be informed, it may not be well thought out, it may not even be clear, and it's confusing for people, but they feel good because they're speaking. I want to change that, and that's kind of passive; it's just my mouth is open, I speak. I wanted to make it active, and the act of using questions is what makes it active. Right? Because when you use questions, we have... We ask open-ended questions. What does that mean? We don't say... Ask questions where it says "yes" or "no". We ask a question where the person has to speak more, or we say "elaborate", and as they do that, they give us more information so we can communicate more effectively with them. Right? We use questions to clarify, like, what do you mean, connect. Did this happen to you? This happened to me. Right? Show respect. Well, what does that mean to you? Right? And empathy and reflect, to think about it. So, by asking questions, we can have all of this, which is different than just speaking for the sake of speaking. All right? I want to talk about a book, why I chose speaking as the cornerstone for, you know, questions for the cornerstone of speaking, as opposed to just saying you can talk about this and that. I've got videos teaching you how to do small talk, how to ask questions and that, but I think it's important you have to understand the importance of questions so that you can utilize them to learn language, not just for better communication, which is what it's about. That's why you're learning a language, to communicate. But we want to do this so that we can actually get more out of our conversations and closer relations. Why is it important? […] Thu, 16 Oct 2025 03:56:57 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Speak Less, Ask More: Use Questions to Improve Your English 17:18 no 10 6b8GeYWWxkc https://youtube.com/watch?v=6b8GeYWWxkc Learn when to use “who”, “whom”, “whose”, “which”, and “what” with clear rules, examples, and quick tricks for asking better questions in English. In this lesson I break down the five main interrogative pronouns – who, whom, whose, which and what – and show simple rules and natural examples so you stop guessing and start asking questions correctly. I explain the difference between subject and object (so you’ll know when to use “who” or “whom”), how to ask about possession with “whose”, and the fast ways to decide between “which” and “what” in conversation and writing. You’ll also learn about using words like “whoever” and “whatever”. And finally, we’ll practice together with a little test. https://www.engvid.com/5-english-interrogative-pronouns-who-whom-whose-which-what/ Watch more of my grammar lessons: Advanced Prepositions of Time: THROUGHOUT, AHEAD OF, AT AROUND, OUT OF… https://youtu.be/R1pzn5dS4_o How To use Subordinating Conjunctions for Better English https://youtu.be/Sre8LBYJP4g In this lesson: 0:00 The 5 Main Interrogative Pronouns in English 1:28 What is a noun? 3:57 Are animals things? 6:02 When to use interrogative pronouns 8:25 who 9:30 whom 10:37 whose 12:32 which 14:06 what 17:07 whoever, whomever, whatever... 18:42 Quiz 23:08 Homework Transcript: Whoa, that looks bad, James from EngVid. He looks like he's broken. Hey, what happened to you? Which fool did this to you? Who was it? Now, right there, I've started the lesson already. I want to introduce to you interrogative pronouns. These are words that we use to replace nouns in speech when we want to ask a question. Now, if you're an advanced student and you're about to run off, don't. Hold on a second. I'm going to try and give you a little bit more so it'll be good for you. And if you've learned English on your own, as in self-study, this should be good for you. And if you're a beginner, buckle up, put your seatbelt on. Might be a little tough, but we're going to get there. Now, why this particular lesson? Because I'm going to start with something very basic about what a noun is, and I'm going to move to how we shift from nouns to ask questions about nouns, and specifically about things we don't know. Right? So, there's three words I want to teach you, and it might be a little confusing part, but I'll make sure it's clear because there's going to be a second part to this that'll give you more information about interrogatives. An interrogative is a question form. Okay? And today we're going to deal with the pronouns, and we're going to deal with the three top pronouns. Okay? And their variations. Give me a second. I'm going to go to the board. So, what is a noun? A noun is typically three basic things. It is a person, a place, or a thing. And you noticed I did a Venn diagram to show how eventually all three things, if you have all three, they're nouns. Now, what's a person? It's a human, like you and me. Right? Okay, well, you're human, I'm a freak. But it's a human, and that could be a man, a woman, a boy, and a girl. You'll notice I have animals up here, and I'm going to come back to that. All right? Because depending on where you live in the world, I don't think you think man, woman, dog as human. And you're right, but there's an exception. The next thing we're going to look at for what is a noun is a place. A place can be at location, anywhere. It can be a country. What country do you live in? Right? It could be a house. That's a place, or a school. And Mars. Some people want to go there. Anyway. And then the thing, and a thing is when we can't talk about... Because we live in the real world. Right? And in the real world, we see people, talk to them, "Hey, how you doing?" We go to places. But then there's this other thing, and I just used the word "thing", where it's not a person, not a place, but an object. And sometimes it can be a rock or other things, so we just kind of go, "Thing". And these could be balls, you know, like soccer balls, if you play soccer. Yeah? You like playing soccer? They could be animals. You know, bears, tigers, cats, dogs. Or they could be ideas, like democracy, economics, philosophy. These are mental. These are in your head. They're not things you can actually touch, but they are things. And we throw many things under "things" because if they're not people or places, it's sort of like you go, "Think!" But we say these are things in the world. Okay. There's your basic lesson, so if you've never done English grammar, this is one of the things you have to learn. You know, what are nouns? Because we use them to identify, to give structure to sentences, which will be another lesson. Okay? […] Sat, 27 Sep 2025 03:58:59 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid WHO, WHOM, or WHOSE? WHICH or WHAT? 🤔 24:16 no 11 mItKBwTEenw https://youtube.com/watch?v=mItKBwTEenw Do you know the difference between saying “sorry”, “excuse me”, “I regret”, and “I apologize”? Many English learners get these phrases wrong. In this lesson, I’ll teach you different ways to apologize in different context, so you can use the right one at the right time – in the right way! We’ll talk about how to say “sorry” in English for small mistakes, how to use “excuse me” for polite interruptions or to get attention, when to use “I apologize” in formal situations, and cover other useful phrases like “I regret”, “that was my fault”, and “my bad”. I’ll also share my secret 4-step formula for a real apology! https://www.engvid.com/say-sorry-the-right-way Learn everyday conversational English: Have Better Conversations: The S. E. A. Small Talk Method https://youtu.be/QjYZ1tTsvTA 5 questions to make you the most interesting person in the room https://youtu.be/hOXNssFPEnM In this lesson: 0:00 Introduction 0:41 "Sorry" 2:25 "Excuse me" 4:40 "I apologize" 6:41 Other apology phrases 10:54 How to give a real apology Transcript: Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, oh, oh, sorry about that. Excuse me for a second, E. Listen, guys, I got to apologize. I just made a mistake and bumped into E. Today's lesson is on saying "sorry", or "I apologize", or "I"... Excuse me? Today I'm going to teach you the difference between each of these words, and when to use them, and how to use them properly. And as a bonus, I'll teach you a couple of other ones. So let's go to the board and find out what the big deal about "sorry" is. As you can see, E is saying "sorry", "excuse me", and "I apologize", but should we always say them? Not necessarily. "Sorry" is a general word, so let's go over here. When we look at... Where am I? I'm sorry. "Sorry" is informal, that's why you hear it all the time. I'm sorry. Sorry? What was that? Sorry? It's informal. It's informal. So that means it can be used a lot of times in many different ways, because it's general. It's a general way to apologize, you hear it a lot. And inappropriately... "Inappropriate" means the wrong way, because people say "I'm sorry" when they really should say "Excuse me". Huh? Well, it's a catch-all, you can use it anywhere, but for example, if I'm about to interrupt you, "Sorry" is a bit strong, "Excuse me" would be better. But you can use it almost any time and you'll be okay, okay? That's why we like that. That's why you hear Canadians always say "I'm sorry", "Excuse me", "Thank you, we're so polite", right? Now, the other good thing about "Sorry" is because it's informal and it's general, it has a place where it can go from minor to major. And you might say, "What the heck does minor to major mean?" See, look, informal t-shirt, it's kind of cool. Minor to major, minor is like little, like minor league. Well, you can say "I'm sorry" for something very small, like if I bump into you, "Oops, sorry", right? But at the same time, you can actually say something like "I'm sorry for hitting your car", and you might go "Well, those are big things", that's why you can use "Sorry" from minor to major things, and that's what makes it general and makes it, you know, a very good word to use. However, many people overuse it, so we talk about "Sorry" being informal, general, and minor to major, but sometimes it's a little heavy, a little too much, right? That's when we use "Excuse me". "Excuse me" is for things like when you know you're about to do something, but you haven't done it. You haven't done it. Imagine with "Sorry" you bump into someone, okay? You say "Sorry" because you've done something wrong, right? It's minor to major. But "Excuse me" is before you bump into them, you might say "Excuse me", and we call that a polite interruption, right? Because something is going on and you are interrupting or breaking into it, right? Okay? You know, you go "Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?" You're not going to say "Sorry, is anyone sitting there?" You're not sorry. You say "Excuse me" if people are there to interrupt them. Another thing is you can use "Excuse me" to get someone's attention. "Excuse me, is there anybody working here? Excuse me, can you help me for a second?" You're not going to say "Sorry, can you help me?" "What are you sorry for? What did you do?" Nothing yet. Nothing yet. So, if you want to get my attention or anyone's attention, okay, say "Excuse me, excuse me for a second." Now, also, "Excuse me" is for repeat, and you say "Repeat? I don't understand." Well, if someone's speaking to you and they're looking at you and you didn't hear it because maybe something - you're like - excuse me? What did you say? Okay? I'm asking you to repeat it because I wasn't paying attention. So it's a way of saying sorry, but I haven't done anything really wrong, so I don't want to say "Sorry", it's just "Excuse me, can you repeat that again?" […] Fri, 12 Sep 2025 03:23:27 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Say Sorry the Right Way: How to Make a Real Apology 16:11 no 12 HRQHIdUmvQw https://youtube.com/watch?v=HRQHIdUmvQw I recommend three life-changing books and give you a simple system to turn them into your own personal curriculum. I’ve shared WHY reading helps you improve all four skills – now let me show you HOW. First, find your big “why” with Jonathan Livingston Seagull, then master small, consistent habits with The Kaizen Way, and finally execute your plan in focused sprints using The 12-Week Year. I’ll walk you through exactly how to apply each approach so you can read smarter, learn faster, and actually reach your goals. Watch now and start building your ultimate learning plan! More importantly, you can go and read other books and use them in a similar way to make a system that’s perfect for you. https://www.engvid.com/3-book-formula-success/ Make sure you've also seen my "Read More & Learn Faster" video: https://youtu.be/W6Z94ffQx3s Another book with important lessons about learning: https://youtu.be/-YTBQH_bPD8 In this lesson: 0:00 Introduction 1:46 Jonathan Livingston Seagull 9:39 The Kaizen Way 19:49 The 12 Week Year 29:05 Outro Transcript: Do-do-do-do-do. Hey, remember that last video we did, Read More and Learn Faster? It's doing pretty well, so I thought I'd follow it up with some books that I want to recommend to you guys. Hi. James from engVid. I have three books that I want to recommend to you. In the last video that I did, I said why you should read, how it helps with speaking, listening, writing, and of course, reading. In this video, what I want to do is show you how you can not just use what I said, but use books in a system to help you learn better. I picked these three books, and I'm showing you a way that you can use them, work with them, in order to improve your learning. Yeah? So, let's go to the board. I'm going to read some quotes and some passages from the books, right? Tell you about the authors, and then tell you about the approach that they have, and how we can, at the end of this, take these different approaches to make a system for learning, sort of like you have your own school curriculum. And by curriculum, I mean way that we're going to learn, what you will learn, and how you will use it to get a result. And the result in this case is learning how to learn. Okay? If you're ready, let's go to the board. Oh, I can't wait. All right, so, you'll notice I have what's called a Venn Diagram. A Venn Diagram is intersecting circles, and what they say is here, here, and here, where they all come together, the intersection, is where the final result will be, what they all have in common. In this case, it's E's Reads. So, E, pick these first three books for you. I think he's got something for you. So, let's start with the first one. The first book is Jonathan Livingston Seagull. This book, it's been out for a while. It came out in the 1960s... Well, it was written in the 1960s, published in 1970 by this gentleman, Richard Bach. Okay? It's a book that asks you, and says you need to see a bigger vision of yourself. What he says is that we don't see who our true selves are, and we have a little vision, and we stay small. But if we can expand that vision to see who we truly are, we are capable of the most incredible things. Okay? This is your "why", and he said you need a big enough "why" to get you off of your chair, off of your couch, out of your house to do something, to change. Yeah? So, this was done in the... Written in the 1960s, published in 1970. It's about freedom. Right? It's self-discovery, pushing your boundaries, and it's become the greatest version of yourself. So, whatever you see in the mirror, imagine if you could be that superhero or that super athlete. Right? You could be... I don't know. I don't watch soccer, really, so I'm not going to make up any names. You know, I remember Pele, so you could be Pele. Uh-oh, I'm dating myself. Okay. Anyway, he also says that you can be a rebel with a cause, and you want to say... What does that mean, rebel with a cause? Well, as he's saying you could become the best version of yourself, to rebel or be a rebel, which is the noun, "rebel" is to go against, you will go against what society is saying you should be, and you need to be an outcast. That means someone outside in order to have the freedom to develop yourself, because in society we play small and we don't get to see how great we can be. Okay? So, in this book, he doesn't use humans. He uses seagulls, and what's brilliant is half of the book is pictures of seagulls. Seriously. But it's really cool because the pictures do have meaning. […] Tue, 05 Aug 2025 03:43:35 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid From Vision to Action: My 3-Book Formula for Success 30:21 no 13 W6Z94ffQx3s https://youtube.com/watch?v=W6Z94ffQx3s Did you know READING can speed up your LEARNING? In this lesson, you’ll learn how to improve your English speaking, listening, and writing skills – all through reading! I’ll explain the techniques of smooth pursuit, subvocalization, and sustained reading. You’ll learn exactly how reading helps you recognize, hear, and understand words faster. Watch and become a smarter English learner today! https://www.engvid.com/improve-your-english-faster-by-reading/ Next, check out more of my videos about learning English faster! From Vision to Action: My 3-Book Formula for Success https://youtu.be/HRQHIdUmvQw 3 Mental Methods to Learn English Faster https://youtu.be/-YTBQH_bPD8 In this lesson: 0:00 Improve your English by READING! 0:48 Saccades 2:51 Smooth pursuit 4:39 Subvocalization 6:26 Sustained 13:29 A special reading trick TRANSCRIPT: Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo Hey, E. What's the topic for today? Ah... Ladies and Gentlemen, today I will be presenting to you a secret not known by many people called reading. And you're going to say "What is the secret?" Well, this is the key to help you learn language faster. Surprising, because most people think: well I should talk more, get more talking practice, and I need to get vocabulary, and I need to listen better. And I need to learn how to write! And I'm going to show you today, with the help of magical E -- he's looking surprised because he doesn't want to be involved -- don't know why, you have a book! How this is going to help you with this, this, and this. Let's go to the board. The first word I'm going to teach you is a word not many people know, but you have to understand: this is an important factor of how our eyes work. So I'm going to use some language that might be really high. I'll explain it. And just be patient. You're going to learn a lot... about you, and improve your language skills at the same time. Saccades. "Saccades" is what I'm going to say. It could be "saccades". This is what we call the way the eye moves. You see, when we look at things in nature, and this is important, because reading isn't natural. There are no books in nature. There are birds, and trees, and cars. Our eyes were designed to look, look, look, look, look, look, look. It kept us alive, because if I just kept looking ahead, a tiger could come and eat me. So, my eyes would look, look, look, look, look, but I would see everything. Now, a saccade is kind of a fixation. Our eyes jump, and a fixation means to stay in one place, but our eyes jump around. Now, if you think about a book, a book has lines, and if you jump around, that makes it very difficult to see. So, we're going to, with our understanding now what a saccade is, we're going to learn to train that to help you with reading. You know, okay, well, how does this help with language? Hey, grasshopper, one step at a time. Now, reading is interesting. You might have noticed I mentioned vocabulary, and many students say to me, "Oh, I need vocabulary." Here you go, vocabulary on the go. There is one little trick that makes all of this work, so I'm going to mention it now and at the end. You must pick material for this to work that you know at least 85% of the vocabulary. So, don't pick up a book on physics if you don't read physics; this will not be helpful. So, saccades are how our eyes move. A little uncontrolled, they jump around. And you may have noticed this when you're reading, sometimes you're reading and you go, "Oh, where was I?" Because your eye has jumped. So, the first trick I'm going to teach you, see, this is three S's, and if you want to know what the three S's are, smooth pursuit, sub-vocalization, and sustained. And I will explain each one for you now. Well, smooth pursuit is this. Yeah, some of you are going, "What are you doing?" But you followed my finger, didn't you? You notice my finger did not do this; it went like this. Well, if we can control the saccades, we can control how we read, and it makes it much easier for us to learn. Why am I starting with this for language learning? Well, you're not going to read the book, and most people don't read, to be honest, because it takes too long. And now you understand if your eyes are jumping around, that makes it worse, especially if it's not your language. We're going to use the idea of smooth pursuit, which is using our finger or a pencil to move across a line to help us focus. That focus will actually turn our brains on so we can learn more. So, the first secret I'm going to give you is use your finger for smooth pursuit to move along the line to keep you focused, so you can keep the ideas in your head. That's number one. And in doing this, because you stay on the line, it will help with vocabulary, because in many English sentences we do... We use synonyms. We'll use one word and a little later use a different word to keep your interest, so you're actually picking up on vocabulary. […] Mon, 05 May 2025 03:24:49 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Improve Your English FASTER by Reading (It really works!) 18:07 no 14 Sre8LBYJP4g https://youtube.com/watch?v=Sre8LBYJP4g Do you feel stuck in English? Do you want to communicate at a higher level? In this English grammar lesson, I’ll show you how to level up from simple to complex sentences. You’ll learn about dependent and independent clauses. You’ll understand how to use subordinating conjunctions—words like “because,” “although,” “while,” “before,” “after,” “unless,” and “since”. These new words and structures can transform simple ideas into complex, meaningful sentences. Add extra information to your sentences, clarify relationships, and give your speech depth. Join me and learn to speak and write in a more advanced way, for greater academic and professional success. https://www.engvid.com/how-to-use-subordinating-conjunctions-for-better-english/ More of my English grammar videos: Learn English Prepositions: BY, UNTIL, TILL... https://youtu.be/jYyC-HDdNb8 English Grammar: Correlative Conjunctions https://youtu.be/XYYUXskbX_c In this lesson: 0:00 How to use subordinate conjunctions in complex sentences 4:11 cause/reason 5:22 condition 6:14 contrast 8:16 comparison 9:41 purpose 10:37 time TRANSCRIPT: Hey, E, you having a problem with complex sentences? You don't know what they're for? You don't know what they are? Hi. James from engVid. This lesson is about subordinate conjunctions in complex sentences. I know that's a big mouthful, but if you're an intermediate student to an advanced student, you need to know this. When we first learn English, or when you first learn English - me too, I guess, yeah - you learn the simplest sentence ever, which is S-V-O, subject, verb, object. I like ice cream. He plays soccer. It's a simple idea, one idea, and it's the basic... The basis of the language, yeah? But once you get bigger, you don't say "I like ice cream", "I play soccer". You say more than that. "I like ice cream because it tastes good", or "When I get home, I'll have some ice cream". What? Morse words? Well, yes. Because we have complex brains - complex sentence - we have complex sentences, which means it's a sentence that has an idea and something that helps give you more information about that idea. So, we go from the subject, verb, object - very simple things, right? Yeah? And then we say "And here's some more information about that thing we're talking about", which does two things. It gives us information that we want to have, and it makes the sentences much more interesting. As I said, "I like soccer", and "I eat ice cream", and "I live here", and "I go to school". I want to shoot myself, okay? But "I enjoy eating soccer while I'm watching something on the television", and I... Also, "Whoa, what happened?" Same thing. Now it's interesting. So, we want to think of a complex sentence which is a basic idea, you know, basic sentence, subject, verb, object, and we add information to it. Okay? And today's lesson we're going to go through... Well, this is E's idea. He's got a concept. A concept is an abstract or a general idea, and E's playing a game here to help you remember all of the ways that we use subordinating conjunctions to make complex sentences. These are special words that tell us which part of the sentence is adding information to the basic sentence. Are you ready? Let's go to the board. All right, so we're going to use one of my favourite people in the whole world as an example on this one, Bitsy. Hi, Bitsy. Okay, so concept. Concept, as I said, is a general idea, so we're going to say, "Well, what is the concept? What is the general idea?" Well, some of you have played this game, and my friend I work with went, "You know, most of these people don't speak English, so they don't play this game", and walked out of the room. It was embarrassing. He has a point, so hopefully you've heard of it. It's a girl... Girl. It's a game called Scrabble. We have this game, you know, in English-speaking countries where we take these pieces of wood with letters on them, and we mix them around and we make up words. When we make up the word, it's a real word, and you can get points and win the game. In this case, we're using the Scrabble pieces to help you with this concept, and the concept is subordinating conjunctions. And let's get started. "Con" in Latin means "with" or "together". Okay? "Sept" is our idea we're putting together, and the first, and we have C4 because there are four things we want to talk about. I'll just label them so you know which are the four, so we've got 1, 2, 3, and 4. The four Cs will start with a reason or a cause. Next, we use these words to show what we call the dependent clause. Remember I told you "SVO" is the basic part of the sentence? We would say that's the independent clause. "I like ice cream" is a single idea, and we work from that and we can add. […] Tue, 18 Mar 2025 03:57:25 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid How to Use Subordinating Conjunctions for Better English 14:32 no 15 QjYZ1tTsvTA https://youtube.com/watch?v=QjYZ1tTsvTA Want to improve your small talk and have better conversations in English? In this lesson, I’ll teach you the S.E.A. Method—a simple, three-step formula that makes small talk easy, natural, and engaging. Learn how to tell short, emotion-filled stories that grab attention and make people want to keep talking to you. Whether you’re shy, learning English, or just want to improve your social skills, this lesson will help! Watch now and start using this method in your everyday conversations. https://www.engvid.com/have-better-conversations-sea-small-talk/ Next, check out more of my videos about small talk: 3 Keys to Small Talk https://youtu.be/gbfV0b8Tn0A Conversation Skills: 5 questions to make you the most interesting person in the room https://youtu.be/hOXNssFPEnM My full playlist of videos about how to have great conversations: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1MxVBsQo85qo3qUIS4W1us13EnDt8nVA In this lesson: 0:00 Use the S.E.A. method for better small talk 3:02 1. Simple 4:49 2. Emotion 6:16 3. Action 8:28 Examples 13:57 Conclusion TRANSCRIPT: Hey, look. E on the sea. He's a seaman. He's got a little boat. I think he's in the American Navy. He's got his little cap on. Why is he on the sea? Well, today is a specific method working on small talk. You might be thinking, "What is small talk? Why is it important? I need to do big conversations and big presentations, and I need to make friends, and I want to get a partner. All of these involve big talk or a lot of talk, serious talk." I got to tell you a little secret, and the secret is this. Anything that goes big starts out from something small. Small talk is the talk that you have with someone that gets them interested in you to want to have more conversations. Now, if you're an introvert and you speak English, this is something we need to work on as native speakers, but if you're also a language learner learning English, small talk is your way to get into these larger conversations because someone who's really good at small talk invites bigger, better conversations because the people think you're capable of them. Okay? Now, E, we got the SEA method, right? S-E-A method, and there's three steps for this which leads to an easy conversation for you, good conversation starter, or how to go from one conversation, small one, to a larger one. Excuse me. What I want to address is how we're going to use our small talk. There's many different ways of getting to small talk, asking questions about something someone's wearing and other things. Today I want to really focus in on stories. Why stories? Because stories, humankind, mankind, people have for thousands of years sat around fires, you know, you can imagine there's a fire, the cold's going up and the people sitting there, it's dark at night, and they hear "Woo-hoo", the wolves, so they're in a circle, huddled, you know, holding together, and then someone would tell a story. "A long time ago when the great moon came down, and our fathers", and it brought the people together. So, stories create connection, bringing different people together. The other thing about stories, when we tell stories, we can take the everyday, and I meant it this way, the everyday means regular day, not every day, Monday, Tuesday, but your regular day, and we can make it extraordinary. Because in a story, you take an everyday event, and we take a regular person and we make them special. Now, when you do that in small talk, you make the person you're speaking to feel special. Now, how are we going to do that? Well, we have three steps, and as you can see, we're missing them, but I'm going to fill them in and explain them to you so you will be able to start making your own stories and making the everyday extraordinary with small talk. You ready? Let's begin. The first one you see here is "S", right? It's an acronym... "C" is an acronym for three words. The first one is "S", and after it says simple one-sentence story. Well, if you have a simple one-sentence story, it's going to be short. And how short is it? One sentence. We don't want to make it too long. Why? You're learning about language. You're already having a hard time, you're nervous using this language, talking to people, so if you have a big story in your head and you make mistakes and you're getting it wrong, what's going to happen is you get more nervous and you might forget parts of the story and you're going to lose the person's interest. So, why don't we make a story very, very short? In marketing and advertising, they call this type of thing a "elevator pitch", and if you're wondering what an elevator pitch is, you know when an elevator moves at a certain speed going up or going down, and they would say you should be able to tell your story between the floors. […] Thu, 27 Feb 2025 04:45:50 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Have Better Conversations: The S.E.A. Small Talk Method 15:55 no 16 p1DwCT5F9PI https://youtube.com/watch?v=p1DwCT5F9PI Do you have sympathy for someone or empathy? Did the medicine have an affect on you, or an effect? Did the world leader infer that he was going to attack or imply it? Don’t worry, even many native English speakers get these wrong! In this class, I’ll explain three of the most commonly misused word pairs in English and show you simple tricks to remember the correct meanings and usage. Stop making these mistakes, sound more confident, and have fun with the language. Perfect for intermediate and advanced English learners who want to polish up their vocabulary! Watch now and never misuse these words again. https://www.engvid.com/affect-effect-infer-imply-sympathy-empathy/ More of my vocabulary lessons: Improve Your Vocabulary: 8 Words for Intermediate English Learners https://youtu.be/Aa7f_NdYNqs 7 Ways to Master Vocabulary https://youtu.be/r9BQLR-08Ic In this lesson: 0:00 3 Pairs of Confusing Words 1:20 "affect" or "effect"? 3:49 "sympathy" or "empathy"? 10:37 "imply" or "infer"? TRANSCRIPT: Hey, that or this? First of all, it's "this" or "that". Hi. James from engVid. He's doing a common mistake called a "malapropism". What? Malapropism? Don't worry. I don't know what it means either. It means... Really? It means word confusion. It's when we use the wrong word in a different situation. In this case-right?-so you don't need to know the big word "malapropism", just know that you're using a word that you think means this, but it may not. And that could be for a variety of reasons. It can be because it's a homophone, which means it sounds the same, but when you write it down, they look different. Or it can actually have a different meaning, even though they kind of look the same. Right? So, today I have chosen six words, and we're calling them pairs because usually the person will make the mistake thinking one word means the other. But I'm going to try and show you in a way that you won't make that mistake. Okay? And to make this lesson fun, because learning English is hard, and you're here to work, but there's no reason you can't have a little fun, I'm going to throw in a fun fact for you to help you remember these things. Are you ready? Let's go to the board. You might notice the first one says "action verb", something is changing or making a difference, versus "Batman v Superman". We know who won that one, right? Versus "what you get in the end". This is a commonly confused pair of words, with even native speakers making this mistake, because they sound very similar, it's a slight difference in pronunciation, but how you're supposed to use them is very different. Okay? And the first difference we can see is one is a verb and one is a noun. Okay? And I'm going to put it here and I'm going to help you with it, because it's going to start with "a", and this is "effect". When you use this word, you want to show a difference or a change. So, if someone's using "medicine", for instance, you would say "How is the medicine affecting them? What change is happening because they're taking the medicine?" And I've done "a" and "a" so you can remember, think of a verb and think of an action, that's what's happening when you get an effect. Now, what about the other word that people confuse it? Ah, they almost look so much the same, that's the problem, and that's "effect". When we talk about the effect of something, we talk about the end result. What was the end? So, we say "How is the medicine affecting Victoria?" And you can say "The effect was she lost her foot." That's the end. Do-do-dum-dum-psh. Another nice ending, but that's the effect, and we can remember that by looking at the letter "e" for "effect". So, if you want to talk about the end result of something, use "effect", which is a noun, but when you want to talk about the action of something, how it's changing, use "affect" with the "a". All right. I already know some of you guys out there, you keyboard warriors, "James, there's time so 'effect' can be a verb, too, and you're forgetting 'affect' as a noun, which is a psychological..." I don't care. I talk... I'm talking about how we normally use it, and I just told you I know. Okay? Okay. But that's not for this lesson. I'm talking about, basically, how it's used and misused. And as long as we can remember, I think ending for "effect" and "affect" with "action", you're going to beat most native speakers. Cool? All right. All right. The next one I'm going to talk about is this one. "The subject can see the pain in the other person and feel sorry for them", versus... I feel like I'm in a Tyson fight. I wouldn't be in a Tyson fight if he... He out. He didn't even fight. He's leaving. He doesn't want to die. Sorry. Serious. Okay. Okay. The next one is "to experience the emotions of another person". […] Mon, 03 Feb 2025 22:46:35 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid AFFECT or EFFECT? Infer or Imply? Sympathy or Empathy? 15:21 no 17 -YTBQH_bPD8 https://youtube.com/watch?v=-YTBQH_bPD8 Want to learn English more effectively? Today we’re exploring “The Expectation Effect” by David Robson and discovering three powerful mental techniques that can transform your English learning journey. You’ll learn how to create empowering study rituals, use mental rehearsal to accelerate your progress, and build unstoppable willpower for language learning. Perfect for students who feel stuck in their English studies or want to break through to the next level. Learn how top performers like Serena Williams use these same techniques to achieve excellence, and how you can apply them to master English, and master it faster. https://www.engvid.com/the-expectation-effect-3-mental-methods-to-learn-english-faster/ More of my videos about improving your learning skills: How to stay motivated to learn https://youtu.be/LzhvbQhO6uk 5 ways meditation will help you learn https://youtu.be/5OzqpVBGnLY In this lesson: 0:00 3 Rules for Learning More Effectively 1:49 Ritual: Rinse & Repeat 6:44 Rehearsal: Mental Practice 10:50 Reinforce: Willpower & Focus TRANSCRIPT: The Expection... "Expection"? "Expectation Effect". Oh, hi. James from engVid. Oh, yeah. We're doing a new segment. It's a book review. These are books that I want to give you that are going to help you learn better, so you become effective and efficient at learning. The first book I would like to show you is this one, "The Expectation Effect" by a guy named David Robertson. Okay? So, this book is going to teach us a... Change our mindset so we can learn well, because after all, we all don't have a lot of time, and if you're going to spend it learning English, you want to make sure you get the most out of your time. Right? So, I'm going to go over the three main ideas that I thought were important that will help you speed up your learning, but also make it an enjoyable process, because after all, I know you're here to work hard, but you don't want to feel like it's hard work. And once you use these techniques, we'll use them to help us learn English, so by learning English you'll know they work, but you'll also be able to use them for other things that you want to study. Anyway, enough talk. Let's go to the board. I have three words, but before I go there, I want to show you this thing, "The Expectation Effect". That's the book. All right? And I said it's by David Robertson... Robson. And you'll notice that Mr. E seems to be eating his tail. This is an old, old symbol. I like it because I like to think of it as eternal renewal, and what that means is you're forever making yourself better. So, it's a cycle that goes up and up, and that's what we really want when we learn skills, that each skill we learn makes us better and better people; in this case, better and better learners. In my opinion, from what I took from the book, there are three main ideas that they try and start with, and the first one I want to talk about is Serena Williams. Now, if you watch tennis, you'll know she's been a champion for a long time, and I can't remember exactly, but I believe before she starts a match, she bounces the ball once, two, three, four, and then she hits. Well, she does that for almost every single match, and there's a guy named Rafael Nadal, he takes a cold shower before he does his matches. Every match. Now, when you do something... I want to say the word "precursor", I know it's a long word, but you do something before you do something else. So in doing it, like when you go in the shower, you take off your clothes. When you do that, you know, okay, now I'm going to go in the shower. And you do that every time before you start it, we can say it's a ritual. Some people have a ritual of they get up in the morning, they go to the washroom, and pee-pee. Some people get out of bed and go right downstairs and get a special coffee and make coffee. Delicious. Some people say a prayer. I don't know what your ritual is to start your day, but you know that when you're not able to do it, it makes the day harder. Why am I telling you this? Well, a lot of times when you start studying English, you actually just sit down, open the books, and then you go, "Oh god, I've got to study, it's so hard." If you think about the rituals I talked about, you do them to wake you up and get you ready. Now, in the book, The Expectation Effect, he talks about people who have rituals and they know that these rituals are specifically to help them do something, play sports, study, which is what we're doing, you know, or prepare for our hard speech. The ritual helps to get them energized and ready to go. It actually activates their brain to get your brain, what we call "primed", being ready to do its best work. I would like you to think about what ritual you can do. When I do this, I'm going to say "rinse" and "repeat". […] Wed, 15 Jan 2025 01:41:59 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid The Expectation Effect: 3 Mental Methods to Learn English Faster 21:40 no 18 WhiTdXpLK9M https://youtube.com/watch?v=WhiTdXpLK9M Learn the real meanings and origins of 5 common English idioms, like “blood is thicker than water” and “curiosity killed the cat.” Learn how the idioms and their meanings have changed over time and how you can use these surprising facts to start engaging conversations. Perfect for intermediate and advanced learners who want to sound smarter in English. Watch, learn, and impress your friends with these fascinating idiom facts! Then take the quiz: https://www.engvid.com/advanced-english-5-idioms-with-unexpected-histories/ More of my videos that will help you have better conversations: Conversation skills: 5 questions to make you the most interesting person in the room https://youtu.be/hOXNssFPEnM 3 keys to small talk https://youtu.be/gbfV0b8Tn0A In this lesson: 0:00 5 Idioms that mean the OPPOSITE of what they used to! 1:42 "Blood is thicker than water." 5:24 "a few bad apples" 7:08 "Jack of all trades, master of none" 9:47 "Great minds think alike." 12:37 "Curiosity killed the cat." 15:07 Review TRANSCRIPT: [Humming] E! What's confusing you? Oh, hi. James from engVid. Listen. E. wants to do this lesson with you, and it's kind of interesting. Because a lot of times, you'll do idioms. People will teach you idioms, right. But he has an idea where we can use idioms as conversation starters. Now how would we do this? Because everybody knows the idioms, right? "It's raining like cats and dogs." How do you start a conversation like that? You can't, really. If it's raining, they're going to go, "Duh, yeah, it's raining." But what happens if we gave you five idioms that people probably don't know the total idiom? Because it's been changed through time. And with that change through time, sometimes it means the exact opposite of what they're using it for. And that is a cool conversation starter. You have a depth of knowledge that you can share with someone else. So I'm going to give you the first one when we go to the board. Now, I'm going to give you the idiom as it's supposed to be, okay? But then I'm going to write what people say, so you can see the difference between what is said and what it used to be, and then we can quickly discuss why it might be the opposite or it has greater information that's given, and you'll see people go, "Hmm. I never knew that." And that makes you look smart. And that's what we want. Not that you're smart. That people take interest in you because you can bring something new to them. So let's go to the board, shall we? Okay, so here is some blood. I know, not pretty, but some blood, and there's some water causing ripples. So we got blood and water. Why am I showing that? Well, in Western society, specifically North American and, you know, English society, or, you know, England, the island, the British Isles, they love to say this particular idiom. However, this was the original. "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the room, the room, the womb." A womb is like a room, but not really. Okay, so a lot of complicated language here. So you might be like, "What the heck?" Well, when you have a covenant, it's sort of people coming together and making a vow or a promise to each other to be like brothers. Right? So you say, "You are like my brother, and I'm your brother. We will work together." It's a covenant. It's the agreement we make with each other. We are not related. Right? So we make an agreement with each other to work as family. Okay? But this is something you find and you choose. This is the important part. Right? Now, when you look at "water of the womb", I've gained a bit of weight, so just leave me alone. Okay? I'm not going on Ozempic, whatever. The womb is when a woman is pregnant, she has a big belly. Okay? Well, you're inside of that. And when you're inside the womb, you share your mother's water, because it's water. So what this is saying, "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb", is kind of true, because blood is... got more stuff in it than water. But the idea is the friends that you make... the friends that you make and the people you call that you decide to be your family actually have a stronger connection for you and are better than the water of the womb than family you have. So it's not just your mother. But they're saying if you have family that you were born into, and you have family that you have created, decided to create through people from work or friends that you have met, those bonds are stronger and they should be stronger, because you decided to make them. When you were born into a family, you were just born into it. But when you make a decision, you've consciously thought about it, so they probably share more of your values. Yeah? Cool? Well, here's the funny thing. [Clears throat] The saying today is this. "Blood is thicker than water". Now, we know blood is thicker than water, but they've changed it to mean that family […] Fri, 27 Dec 2024 04:58:42 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Advanced English: 5 Idioms with Unexpected Histories 16:32 no 19 cr7cBkGgW8M https://youtube.com/watch?v=cr7cBkGgW8M Listening + Vocabulary = Comprehension. Listen to a short detective story featuring 7 advanced English words like “ambiguous”, “albeit”, and “inevitable.” First, listen to the story and try to follow along. Then, learn the meanings of these challenging words with practical examples. Next, you’ll listen to the story again to see how your comprehension has improved. Finally, do a quiz to really test yourself. Perfect for intermediate and advanced learners who want to level up their English skills! Grab your pen and paper, and let’s start the journey to mastering advanced vocabulary. https://www.engvid.com/learn-7-advanced-english-words-through-storytelling/ More of my "Listening, Vocabulary, Comprehension" videos: 7 Advanced Words - "pragmatic", "eloquent", "ubiquitous" & more https://youtu.be/uuoxvt81rjA 8 English Expressions https://youtu.be/LnAUN66IQgw In this lesson: 0:00 Listening, Vocabulary, Comprehension: 7 Advanced Words 1:38 Listening Comprehension 2:30 Learn the vocabulary 3:24 ambiguous 4:37 albeit 6:07 unconventional 8:04 conjecture 9:46 profound 12:10 implication 15:57 inevitable 18:18 Listening Comprehension 19:10 Quiz TRANSCRIPT: Hey, how's it going? You like my Batman cuffs? Sweetheart. Hey. Hi. James from EngVid. What's... What's going on here? Why is the board empty? Oh. Guys, you're in for a treat. This lesson is what we call an LVC lesson. What's going to happen in this lesson is you notice there's nothing on the board right now, but soon we'll have the board filled with information to help you. LVC stands for "listening", "vocabulary", and "comprehension". What's going to occur here is I'm going to read you a story, I'm going to click my fingers, and then we're going to take seven words of vocabulary that you probably don't know, teach you what they mean, listen one more time to make sure you've got comprehension with these new words to understand the story you're being told, and then we'll have a very quick quiz to check that comprehension. It's a complete lesson, you'll enjoy it, so I'm going to ask you right now to please grab a pen and paper because you're going to want to take notes on this one. You might have to listen to it a couple times, but I promise you from the ones we've done before, a lot of people go from "I didn't understand" to "I 100% understand the story" and have a greater appreciation for vocabulary and the words we're teaching. So, get your pen, get your paper, get comfortable, and get ready for the story. Meanwhile, at the police headquarters, the captain was getting more and more angry, trying to understand the ambiguous text message left by Detective E, who was at the crime scene. E was a good detective, albeit a little unconventional for being a cop. This made the other cops make assumptions about the quality of his work. But Detective E had the profound ability to make the right decisions which would have great implications on finding and arresting criminals. It was inevitable that Detective E and the captain were going to get into a big argument about how Detective E worked on this case. The captain thought out loud. Okay, so now you've heard the story, I know you're probably really confused. And your confusion is understandable because to understand something, whether you're reading it, or as if you're reading it, or you're listening to it, you need to understand at least 90% of the words, I'd say 80 to 90, to comprehend or understand what's being said. Once you get past the 80%, you know, 70, 60, you basically don't understand what's going on. It's a shame, but I'm going to help correct that by teaching you the seven words I picked on purpose to make it difficult for you so that you can understand the story when we read it again and when we do the quiz. Are you ready? Let's go to the board. Now, I have some examples here I'm reading from because it is a hard story for you and for me. Let's go for the first word. So, the first word you heard was "ambiguous". The simple meaning of "ambiguous" is something is not clear. Right? So it's not easy to understand, it's not clear. Other words people will use for "not clear" are "vague" and "unclear", "unclear". Why is this word important to go from intermediate to advanced? Well, it helps you recognize that you could have more than one meaning in a word. When something's ambiguous, it could mean this or it could mean that. It's not clear so you can't say, "Oh, it's absolutely five." It could be five or six. For example, when I say... Well, let me give you a really good example. "Marty's ambiguous response made me think there was more going on." So, instead of saying, "Hey, I'm going to come to the party for sure", they say, "It sounds like a good idea." Well, is that yes or no? That's ambiguous, you haven't said it. […] Tue, 10 Dec 2024 03:00:11 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Listening, Vocabulary, Comprehension: Learn Advanced Words with a Story 24:34 no 20 Fwp_YfBBxb0 https://youtube.com/watch?v=Fwp_YfBBxb0 How do you feel? “Happy?” “Bored?” How about using words that are more precise and expressive? You’ll be sharing more of who you are when you speak, and you’ll sound smarter, too! In this vocabulary class, you’ll learn 11 words you can use to describe how you feel more accurately. We’ll talk about words like “delighted”, “ecstatic”, “grateful”, “content”, “frustrated”, “fed up”, “depressed”, and more. Learn these words and try to make sure to use them yourself when it makes sense. Express yourself with a rainbow of words! https://www.engvid.com/expand-your-vocabulary-say-more-than-happy-sad/ Keep expanding your vocabulary with these videos: Improve Your Vocabulary: Stop Saying "Bad" https://youtu.be/dM_1lc32SsI Improve Your Vocabulary: Stop Saying "Sorry" https://youtu.be/Vf0on6KQP2Y In this lesson: 0:00 11 words to use instead of "happy" & "sad" 0:56 content 2:07 grateful 3:18 delighted 5:17 ecstatic 7:59 discontent 9:11 fed up & sick and tired 9:36 frustrated 11:00 depressed 12:43 confused & mixed up TRANSCRIPT: If I was the richest man in Babylon, if I was the richest man in... Hi. James from engVid, reading a book about being the richest person. I have feelings about that; I'm sure you do. Some of you will say, "I'm happy. I would be very happy. I'd be extremely happy." Hmm. Well, that's kind of limited. Some people also say "sad" or "tired" or "bored", and I want to give you a rainbow of words to use to express how you feel, because learning a language is great, but being able to express yourself is even better. So I want to do a lesson today, or Ian and I want to, on how you feel, and I'm going to try to introduce to you other words that can help you express your emotions so people can really know you. Cool? And besides, you'll sound smarter, too. Let's go to the board. The first one we're looking at is "peaceful" and "satisfied". You probably don't know this word, but it's a word you've seen many times for different reasons, and it means, you know, you're generally happy. Everything's kind of going okay for you. Now, this word is "content". You've probably seen it before, like "contents of the bottle", "content this and that", but it just means you're content because if you were a bottle, everything is okay. Imagine a bottle of Coke, if you shake it, it explodes. Right? The contents, what's inside comes out, explodes. But if you keep it just nice and, oh, calm, the contents stay stable, nice, little bubbles floating up. It's very pretty to look at. That's you when you're content, sitting at home, watching a soccer game with a beer, or a Coke and a piece of pizza with your favourite friend, content. But let's move it up a notch. You're content, which is great, but you know what makes me feel better? When someone does something nice for me. Right? Or you do something nice for someone else. You get a feeling, a different feeling than content, because it makes you a little bit happier because you're not just happy because you're happy, you're happy because another person has come into your life, or you've gone into their life, and you've given them something to make them happy. When that happens, you get to be grateful. It's like saying "thank you", but in your heart you feel the thank you. So you're grateful if someone makes a meal for you and you're sick. You're sick, you've got to take care of yourself, your mother makes some soup for you, or your dad makes some bread for you and brings it to you, you're like, "Oh, thank you, I needed it so badly. You did it for me." And that is a step above being content, because content is just happy with yourself. Now you're happy because someone has done something for you. Isn't that cool? Right? Grateful. And if you look at our picture, I almost forgot, this is the good side. There's always a bad side. Okay. So... Okay. Now, what could be better than being grateful and, you know, being content? Do you remember I said when you're content it's about you or I, right? And I got too excited and I put an extra "I" in there. Okay? It's not always about me and I. Right? But let's move down to number three. Something has happened that gives you great pleasure. Right? What would that be? Well, when you feel good, it's kind of funny, you feel light. Right? You feel light. You feel like there's no weight on your shoulders, everything feels good. You feel like you could just fly away, it feels so good. Right? So, I like this word because "delighted". And you can use it in so many ways. If your friend comes over to your house or says, you know, "I'm coming to Toronto, I want to visit you", you say, "I would be delighted, that would make me feel so good, it would make my heart just sing and raise up" […] Sat, 16 Nov 2024 04:08:48 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Expand Your Vocabulary: Say More Than “HAPPY” & “SAD” 15:33 no 21 COLuxY70LtI https://youtube.com/watch?v=COLuxY70LtI Are you feeling stuck in English? Watch and learn how to improve your English faster. Understand how three common mistakes – fear, overthinking, and inconsistent practice – can slow down your progress. I’ll teach you how to focus on learning, aim for communication, and set realistic goals through regular practice. Make a breakthrough now by applying these effective learning techniques. You can do it! https://www.engvid.com/3-common-problems-in-learning-english-how-to-solve-them/ More of my videos about how to get better at learning English: How to stay motivated to learn https://youtu.be/LzhvbQhO6uk 4 ways to learn English faster and better https://youtu.be/yQZhvkOeMhY In this lesson: 0:00 3 mistakes keeping you from learning success 0:35 1. Fear of mistakes 1:09 2. Over-thinking grammar 2:34 3. Lack of consistent practice 3:36 Mistakes are part of learning 5:31 Focus on communication 7:32 Set realistic goals 9:09 Review Wed, 19 Jun 2024 16:43:35 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid 3 Common Problems in Learning English (+ how to solve them) 11:42 no 22 Aa7f_NdYNqs https://youtube.com/watch?v=Aa7f_NdYNqs Want to take your English to a higher level? Join me now to go from basic and general to precise English! You’ll learn eight words to express complex ideas such as making better, getting used to, in addition, as a result, from a contrasting viewpoint, and more. The words we'll talk about include 'enhance', 'convey', and 'furthermore'. Speak and write more effectively in personal, professional, and academic contexts with this more advanced vocabulary! Then, take the quiz here: https://www.engvid.com/improve-your-vocabulary-8-words-for-intermediate-english-learners/ Check out these videos for more useful vocabulary! Listening, Vocabulary, Comprehension: 7 Advanced Words https://youtu.be/uuoxvt81rjA Improve Your Vocabulary: Stop Saying "I Know" https://youtu.be/FXjvpR02uNg In this lesson: 0:00 8 Intermediate English Vocabulary Words 1:22 enhance 2:10 contribute 2:53 adapt 3:40 efficient 4:24 convey 5:18 furthermore 6:04 consequently 6:46 conversely 7:20 Conclusion Fri, 24 May 2024 00:12:29 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Improve Your Vocabulary: 8 Words for Intermediate English Learners 8:09 no 23 eJF-sXujcVg https://youtube.com/watch?v=eJF-sXujcVg “I worked” or “I have worked”? “I went” or “I have gone”? What’s the difference? If you confuse the simple past and present perfect tenses, watch this lesson. You’ll learn how to use both tenses (the structure) and when to use them (the usage). You’ll understand which tense to use in terms of time, action, and signal words. Most importantly, you’ll upgrade your English by mastering these two important and commonly confused English tenses. Take the quiz on this lesson: https://www.engvid.com/simple-past-or-present-perfect-when-how-to-use-them/ More of my English grammar videos: 10 Types of Nouns https://youtu.be/dI8il9qmzzc How to use ALSO, TOO, AS WELL https://youtu.be/e4TmgzoRRr0 In this lesson: 0:00 Introduction 0:48 How to form the Simple Past 2:02 How to form the Present Perfect 5:10 What is the time frame? 9:28 Is the action completed? 13:24 Signal Words 17:57 Review Tue, 30 Apr 2024 16:24:18 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid SIMPLE PAST or PRESENT PERFECT? When + how to use them! 20:28 no 24 XwHZjVxTL74 https://youtube.com/watch?v=XwHZjVxTL74 Learning a language is like building a house. You need a strong base, plan, and strategy. In this class, I’ll show you the three main steps to learning English in a simple, smart way. You’ll learn how to start with vocabulary; move on to grammar; and then improve your English through active listening, asking questions, and speaking with others. Watch now to learn English with greater success, right from the start! https://www.engvid.com/3-keys-to-learning-english/ Next, watch more of my videos about how to learn English: How to stay motivated to learn https://youtu.be/LzhvbQhO6uk 7 ways to master vocabulary https://youtu.be/r9BQLR-08Ic In this lesson: 0:00 3 subjects beginners should study 0:59 The 3 Little Pigs/Chickens 2:08 1. Foundation = Vocabulary 4:10 2. Blueprint = Grammar 6:55 3. Build = Speaking & Listening 8:47 Review Thu, 11 Apr 2024 03:14:28 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid 3 Keys to Learning English 10:33 no 25 LzhvbQhO6uk https://youtube.com/watch?v=LzhvbQhO6uk How can you stay motivated while improving your English? In this lesson, I’ll show you four practical ways to keep your energy high and your stress low. We’ll talk about the power of goals and emotions. You’ll explore why you’re learning English and what fears are slowing you down. I’ll also explain how to use the positive and negative techniques to energize yourself physically and motivate yourself mentally to achieve real results. https://www.engvid.com/how-to-stay-motivated-to-learn/ If this video helped you, check out my earlier lessons: How to relax & stop feeling embarrassed when you speak https://youtu.be/klYxnqQiIJI 5 ways to improve your focus & memory https://youtu.be/K6-Sd7H0IGg In this lesson: 0:00 4 ways to motivate yourself 1:28 1. Goals 3:18 2. Emotions 5:27 3. Carrot & Stick 8:43 4. Energy + Motion Sat, 06 Jan 2024 04:54:14 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid How to stay motivated to learn 12:22 no 26 yvU79R194l0 https://youtube.com/watch?v=yvU79R194l0 Learn English and finance in one important lesson! You’ll understand the meaning of terms such as assets, liabilities, diversification, liquidity, dividends, risk tolerance, inflation, and ROI. We’ll also look at stocks, shares, bonds, interest, and real estate, as well as conservative, moderate, and aggressive investors. This advanced vocabulary lesson is essential for anyone who wants to understand money, as well as professional accountants, economists, and finance specialists. Test your skills with the quiz: https://www.engvid.com/english-for-finance-7-key-terms/ More money & business vocabulary: 11 MONEY phrasal verbs https://youtu.be/ml7vkowQtNg 7 common phrasal verbs for business https://youtu.be/pJhCJl4CDs8 In this lesson: 0:00 Learn investment vocabulary in English 1:09 Investment Types: Real Estate, Bonds, Stock/Shares 2:50 risk tolerance 7:07 assets & liabilities 8:42 diversification 10:54 liquidity 12:38 dividends 15:57 R.O.I. & The Rule of 72 18:41 inflation 21:34 QUIZ Fri, 15 Dec 2023 04:54:04 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid English for Finance: 7 Key Terms 28:30 no 27 Zl9xlZuH48A https://youtube.com/watch?v=Zl9xlZuH48A Just because your English isn’t perfect, it doesn’t mean people can treat you badly. Watch and learn how to stand up for yourself in difficult situations. I’ll show you what to say, what to do, and how to use 5 different levels of communication to protect yourself. You’ll learn about kindness, boundaries, humor, eye contact, and more. This lesson can help to keep you safe, respected, and confident in personal, social, and professional situations. https://www.engvid.com/how-to-defend-yourself-in-english/ More videos like this: RESPECT - How to give it, how to get it https://youtu.be/aBe0A226ky0 Improve Your Vocabulary - Stop saying SORRY https://youtu.be/Vf0on6KQP2Y In this lesson: 0:00 Defend yourself... in English 2:10 1. Respect: Boundaries & Kindness 4:02 2. The Unexpected: Humour 5:40 3. Responsibility 7:44 4. Darwin Award 9:38 5. Last Resort 12:20 Review Wed, 22 Nov 2023 04:54:36 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid How to Defend Yourself in English 15:56 no 28 uuoxvt81rjA https://youtube.com/watch?v=uuoxvt81rjA Upgrade your English easily and naturally by listening to a story! Understand and learn to use 7 advanced words. Find out if you’re pragmatic, eloquent, or tenacious. Know what it means to make a compromise, hear a cacophony, or face a conundrum. And what is the word ubiquitous, anyway? Enjoy saying more with less by watching this combined vocabulary, listening, and comprehension lesson. Then take the quiz at https://www.engvid.com/listening-vocabulary-comprehension-7-advanced-words/ More Listening, Vocabulary, Comprehension videos: 8 English Expressions https://youtu.be/LnAUN66IQgw Words Used in Business https://youtu.be/-r0FstXoNhk In this lesson: 0:00 Learn 7 Advanced Words 1:47 LISTENING 1 2:54 VOCABULARY 3:45 pragmatic 4:18 eloquent 4:56 ubiquitous 6:07 cacophony 7:17 tenacious 8:14 conundrum 9:01 compromise 10:30 LISTENING 2 11:29 TEST Tue, 31 Oct 2023 03:54:53 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Listening, Vocabulary, Comprehension: 7 Advanced Words 16:51 no 29 aBe0A226ky0 https://youtube.com/watch?v=aBe0A226ky0 Do you want to build stronger relationships in your professional and personal life? In this special lesson, I’ll show you how to earn respect for yourself by giving respect to others. You’ll learn how to remember names, shake hands, look at others, ask questions, listen politely, and end a conversation. I’ll share my best strategies to make people feel important, relaxed, excited, close, heard, and curious. I’ll also give you my SECRET to creating strong bonds, so people remember you and look forward to seeing you again! https://www.engvid.com/respect-how-to-give-it-how-to-get-it/ Keep improving your communication skills with these videos! Conversation Skills: 5 questons to ask people you meet https://youtu.be/hOXNssFPEnM How to Defend Yourself in English https://youtu.be/Zl9xlZuH48A 00:00 Conversation Skills: 6 steps to create respect 01:04 1. How to remember their name 03:32 2. Shake hands 05:49 3. Look into their eyes 07:36 4. Ask questions 10:34 5. Shhh... 13:49 6. Stop 16:46 LISTEN! Thu, 07 Sep 2023 03:59:31 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid RESPECT – How to give it, how to get it 21:47 no 30 hOXNssFPEnM https://youtube.com/watch?v=hOXNssFPEnM Not sure what to say when talking with someone new? Use these questions to come across as more interesting, and to quickly build a deeper and more meaningful connection with the people you interact with. With the questions I’ll go over with you in this video, you will skip the generic small talk and get people to open up and show the parts of themselves that are unique and that make them excited. We’ll use secrets and imagination to create a bond – maybe a bond that’ll last a lifetime. https://www.engvid.com/conversation-skills-5-questions-most-interesting-person-in-the-room Watch my ✨NEW✨ video about asking questions to improve your English: https://youtu.be/A3AFME4IP-I 0:00 Conversation Skills: 5 Questions to Ask 1:16 1. What's your superpower? 2:45 2. What's your secret passion or obsession? 6:34 3. What did you want to be as an adult when you were a kid? 7:08 3b. What aspects of that dream are in your life now? 8:20 4. Which actor would you want to play you in a movie? 8:59 4b. What kind of movie would it be? 10:31 5. What's the best piece of advice you have been given? 11:46 5b. Who gave it to you? 12:34 5c. How has it impacted your life? 13:31 Conclusion Fri, 04 Aug 2023 03:59:12 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Conversation Skills: 5 questions to make you the most interesting person in the room 14:24 no 31 pJhCJl4CDs8 https://youtube.com/watch?v=pJhCJl4CDs8 Learn English phrasal verbs that you can use in the office, in meetings, and in other professional situations. In this class, I’ll teach you how to use seven very common business English phrasal verbs. You will learn how to use: kick off, brush up on, turn down, fall through, bank on, ask around, and zero in on. We’ll do practice together to make sure you understand everything. Then it’s up to you to start using these in your conversations. Test your understanding with the quiz: https://www.engvid.com/7-common-phrasal-verbs-for-business More of my videos about phrasal verbs: Friendly & social phrasal verbs in English https://youtu.be/FnlC_Yrk7sE 8 phrasal verb opposites in English https://youtu.be/03VD4PvnwiA In this lesson: 00:00 Business Phrasal Verbs 00:32 kick off 01:29 brush up on 02:36 turn down 04:03 fall through 04:57 bank on 05:57 ask around 06:59 zero in on 08:18 – Test – 13:21 What's the difference between idioms & phrasal verbs? 16:34 – Homework – Tue, 04 Jul 2023 04:41:44 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid 7 Common PHRASAL VERBS for Business 18:37 no 32 R1pzn5dS4_o https://youtube.com/watch?v=R1pzn5dS4_o Ready to conquer time prepositions and take your English skills to the next level? Join James in this engaging tutorial designed to help you effortlessly understand and use time prepositions. No more confusion with phrases like “through,” “throughout,” or “ahead of”! James will guide you step-by-step, revealing simple tricks to nail prepositions like “at around”, “ahead of”, “out of”, “within”, and more. By the end of this lesson, you’ll be a pro at accurately expressing time. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your English fluency with James! Click now and get started! https://www.engvid.com/advanced-prepositions-of-time/ Next, check out these lessons! Learn English Prepositions: BY, UNTIL, TILL, ’TIL… https://youtu.be/jYyC-HDdNb8 12 Expressions of TIME in English https://youtu.be/ebzXpXkf9zY In this video: 00:00 Advanced Prepositions of Time 01:04 through & throughout 02:06 out of 03:00 at around & at about 05:05 during 06:23 ahead of 06:58 within 07:54 between 09:56 – Test – 14:30 by the time 15:42 on the dot 16:12 just in time 16:59 – Homework – Tue, 06 Jun 2023 03:33:30 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Advanced Prepositions of Time: “throughout”, “ahead of”, “at around”, “out of”… 19:25 no 33 zR8JV9bieGk https://youtube.com/watch?v=zR8JV9bieGk Do you want to talk about food in more interesting ways? Are you tired of using the same words over and over again? Then this vocabulary lesson is perfect for you! I will teach you how to make your food descriptions more exciting and vivid. You’ll learn words like gooey, greasy, creamy, crunchy, crisp, moist, tender, and more. Ever had a cookie that falls apart easily? It was crumbly. Don’t worry, I will explain all these adjectives and give you examples, so you can understand them easily. Whether you love cooking, enjoy eating, or simply want to learn more English words, this video is for you! https://www.engvid.com/english-vocabulary-10-adjectives-for-describing-food/ Next, check out these videos: HEALTHY FOOD vocabulary https://youtu.be/bPPenS5d9NE Use these adjectives instead of VERY! https://youtu.be/PCoyTwltu5g 00:00 Improve Your Vocabulary: Food Texture 01:24 gooey 01:57 greasy 03:02 crunchy 03:33 crumbly 04:28 creamy 05:30 moist 06:30 crisp 08:17 – Test – 11:53 chewy 12:56 sticky 13:34 tender 14:39 – Homework – Fri, 19 May 2023 18:57:14 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Expand Your English Vocabulary: 10 Adjectives for Describing Food 17:05 no 34 5HrydrfNPVc https://youtube.com/watch?v=5HrydrfNPVc Were you chuffed or miffed when your posh mate got pissed? Do you think my jacket looks naff? Fancy a snog? In this video, you’ll learn some British English slang, and find out what words have similar meanings in North American English. By the way, I was born in England. Now sod off! https://www.engvid.com/british-english-slang-what-does-it-mean/ More of my videos about English slang: 8 Common Slang Phrases in English https://youtu.be/jnJHFaIPjgs English Vocabulary: Using names as nouns, verbs, adjectives... https://youtu.be/9jIna0huHmU In this lesson: 00:00 British Slang: What does it mean? 01:55 bloke = guy/dude 02:13 mate = friend 02:33 bird = girl 03:25 fit = good-looking 04:30 chuffed = pleased 04:55 pissed = drunk 05:40 miffed = upset 06:39 bollocks = test... 07:24 posh = fancy 08:03 naff = tacky 09:09 – Test – 12:30 snog = messy kissing 13:10 CENSORED BY YOUTUBE 13:34 sod off = get lost 14:19 – Homework – Tue, 18 Apr 2023 03:59:20 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid British English Slang: What does it mean??? 15:49 no 35 dM_1lc32SsI https://youtube.com/watch?v=dM_1lc32SsI You don’t need to use the same word over and over. Improve your vocabulary and you’ll sound more intelligent – it’s as simple as that. Instead of just calling everything you don’t like “bad”, try using more precise words instead. For example, you might replace “bad” with “tacky” or “dowdy”. You will sound more nat11:16 PM 2023-03-20ural and intelligent, and your words will also paint a clearer picture for the people you’re speaking with. Since we use words to think, you’ll even paint a clearer picture for yourself by using more exact vocabulary. In this class, I’ll teach you many words you can use instead of just “bad”, and I’ll also show you the opposite words you can use to discuss positive characteristics. Using these adjectives on the speaking section of IELTS and TOEFL exams will impress your examiner and improve your score. Remember: variety is the spice of life! https://www.engvid.com/stop-saying-bad/ If you liked this video, check out these lessons: Say More Than "HAPPY" & "SAD" https://youtu.be/Fwp_YfBBxb0 Stop saying "I KNOW" https://youtu.be/FXjvpR02uNg In this lesson: 00:00 Stop saying "bad": Vocabulary to use instead 01:46 dowdy 02:22 snazzy 02:33 cheesy 03:25 elegant 03:41 dusty 04:32 successful & affluent 04:45 nasty 05:05 pleasant 05:21 gross 05:43 lovely 06:01 corny 06:39 sophisticated 07:03 tacky 08:28 tasteful 09:30 – Quiz – 12:53 sketchy 13:09 dodgy 13:35 grotty 14:24 – Homework – 15:29 – Quote of the day – Tue, 21 Mar 2023 05:34:26 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Improve Your Vocabulary: Stop Saying BAD! 16:25 no 36 r9BQLR-08Ic https://youtube.com/watch?v=r9BQLR-08Ic Use these 7 methods to build your vocabulary. These techniques will guarantee that you encounter new words, learn them, remember them, and use them! Before you know it, you’ll have a rich vocabulary – and with it, a richer, more vibrant experience of life. https://www.engvid.com/7-ways-to-master-vocabulary More of my videos about how to learn English: Learn 10x more vocabulary with Word Webs! https://youtu.be/e_aA-Hc74Ag Remember anything with the Memory Palace method https://youtu.be/PfHNo9HlC8c In this lesson: 00:00 – 7 ways to master vocabulary – 00:26 Why build your vocabulary? 01:22 1. Use a dictionary & thesaurus 02:57 2. Play word games 03:55 3. Subscribe to word of the day 05:21 4. Make flash cards 06:27 5. READ! 08:38 6. Have conversations 10:10 7. Watch EngVid lessons 11:08 – 5 keys to having strong vocabulary – 15:49 – Homework – 17:08 – Quotes of the Day – Thu, 09 Mar 2023 04:44:49 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid 7 Ways to Master Vocabulary 20:13 no 37 MfSJ6HbXMlw https://youtube.com/watch?v=MfSJ6HbXMlw Boost your interview confidence and get the job you’re after! Learn how to answer the 5 hardest interview questions and leave a lasting impression on your potential employer. With my tips and real-life examples, you’ll be equipped to DESTROY any job interview. Job interviews are stressful – you have one chance to stand out and secure your dream job. I can’t help you be better at your job, but if you are good at what you do, these tips may help show your potential employer that they should give you a chance. https://www.engvid.com/5-hardest-job-interview-questions/ Check out more of my lessons about workplace English! How to answer 5 of the most common job interview questions https://youtu.be/YXYx7366YcQ How to solve 5 common workplace problems https://youtu.be/IUnEoJ1NdMw In this lesson: 00:00 The 5 Hardest Job Interview Questions 01:10 Why do you want to change jobs? 04:41 What is your weakness? 07:47 How do you deal with conflict? 11:28 Why should we hire you? 14:12 Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 19:52 How would your colleagues describe you? 22:57 Tell us about a mistake you made. Tue, 14 Feb 2023 05:34:24 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid How to Answer the 5 HARDEST Job Interview Questions 27:34 no 38 uLqdmB0-J9M https://youtube.com/watch?v=uLqdmB0-J9M Learn all the vocabulary you need to talk about having a baby and being pregnant. I will teach you medical vocabulary, slang phrases, and important verbs that all have to do with getting and being pregnant. You’ll learn how to talk about different ways people get pregnant, what happens during pregnancy, and on to the time when the baby finally is born. I got an ultrasound and all I saw inside me was Mr. E. Take the quiz to test your understanding: https://www.engvid.com/learn-english-vocabulary-pregnancy-baby/ More vocabulary for real life: Wedding & Marriage Vocabulary in English https://youtu.be/WAe-8xoiDEk Learn Real English: Getting sick and buying medicine https://youtu.be/tcVNEK0U78U Thu, 26 Jan 2023 04:56:13 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Learn English Vocabulary: Pregnancy & having a baby 22:20 no 39 IUnEoJ1NdMw https://youtube.com/watch?v=IUnEoJ1NdMw Knowing exactly what to say will help you get out of problems at work that almost everyone has at one time or another. In this video, I’ll show you how you can respond confidently, yet still professionally, when you encounter certain very common problems at work. We’ll talk about what you can say when your employer is giving you too much work, when a colleague is acting as if they’re your boss, when a long conversation isn’t going anywhere, and more. Next time you have one of these issues at work, try using one of my suggested responses and let me know in the comments how it goes. https://www.engvid.com/how-to-solve-5-common-workplace-problems/ More of my workplace English videos: How to answer 5 of the most common JOB INTERVIEW questions https://youtu.be/YXYx7366YcQ How to be more professional at work: 5 phrases to use https://youtu.be/4vjryGkgeYE In this lesson: 00:00 How to deal with 5 common workplace problems 01:48 What to do when your employer is adding to your work 03:25 How to stop someone from acting like they are your boss 05:14 How to stop someone from interrupting you... again and again 08:09 How to get to the point in a long conversation 11:34 – Review – 13:55 Repeat the last few words someone says 16:17 – Homework – Thu, 12 Jan 2023 04:45:32 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid How To Solve 5 Common Workplace Problems 19:28 no 40 pH-hcwwqRs8 https://youtube.com/watch?v=pH-hcwwqRs8 Is it “a lot” or “alot”? Or maybe “allot”? Today we’re talking about compound words in English. These words sound the same or very similar when we say them, but in writing we need to know which to use. Autocorrect won’t help you here – it will often choose the wrong word for you! In some cases, these compound words are different accepted spellings of the same word. Sometimes, though, they’re words with different meanings. And sometimes, one version is just wrong! Learn these once and for all so you don’t have to search for the answer every time you want to write an email. Then test your knowledge with the quiz: https://www.engvid.com/compound-word-mistakes/ Next, learn about more common English mistakes with these videos: One-Minute English: Confusing Words https://youtu.be/j5BwUE880G8 Learn English: "Make" or "Do"? https://youtu.be/lvKA9rH_WlU In this lesson: 00:00 5 Compound Word Mistakes in English 01:01 "a while" or "awhile"? 02:21 "all right" or "alright"? 04:22 "everyday" or "every day"? 06:03 "altogether" or "all together"? 07:18 "alot", "a lot", or "allot"? 09:18 – Quiz – 12:44 "some time" or "sometime"? 14:08 – Homework – Fri, 09 Dec 2022 05:21:45 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Compound Word Mistakes: ALRIGHT or ALL RIGHT? AWHILE or A WHILE? EVERYDAY or EVERY DAY? 15:23 no 41 klYxnqQiIJI https://youtube.com/watch?v=klYxnqQiIJI No one likes to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable in front of people. There are good reasons for having these strong feelings when we have to talk with people or when we try to use a new language we haven’t mastered yet. But in this video, I’ll show you that some of these feelings might not be serving us so well anymore. I’ll show you how you can use relaxation techniques to reduce the feelings of embarrassment and strengthen your confidence and performance. https://www.engvid.com/relax-and-stop-feeling-embarrassed-when-you-speak/ Check out more of my videos about learning skills! 5 Ways Meditation Will Help You Learn https://youtu.be/5OzqpVBGnLY Learning a language? Don't let these 3 ideas hold you back https://youtu.be/nvtwawl4MKg In this lesson: 00:00 Introduction 00:47 Breathing exercise 04:43 Master embarrassment 08:21 Is your ego helping you or hurting you? 09:50 Risk & Reward 10:32 Why relaxation is important 15:28 Relaxation exercise 17:57 Homework 18:58 Get comfortable with embarrassment Mon, 14 Nov 2022 04:58:35 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid RELAX and stop feeling embarrassed when you speak 22:12 no 42 YXYx7366YcQ https://youtube.com/watch?v=YXYx7366YcQ Be prepared and get the job. In this video, I’ll show you five of the most common questions you’re likely to be asked in a job interview in North America, and I’ll give you my suggestions on how you can answer. It’s not a matter of memorizing my answers, though. You need to think for yourself and see how to answer these questions the best way for yourself, so that you present yourself in the best light to your future employer. Preparation is key. Take the first step by watching this video. https://www.engvid.com/5-most-common-job-interview-questions Next, check out my video on the 5 HARDEST interview questions: https://youtu.be/MfSJ6HbXMlw In this lesson: 00:00 5 Common Job Interview Questions – and how to answer them 01:20 1. Tell me about yourself 04:02 2. How did you hear about the job/company? 06:28 3. What are your salary expectations? 08:15 4. Independent or team worker? 09:58 5. Why didn't you work during...? 14:41 elevator pitch 15:44 salary range 16:40 job offer 17:02 salary expectations 18:30 – Homework – 21:04 – Quote of the day – Sat, 22 Oct 2022 02:19:55 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid How to answer 5 of the most common job interview questions 22:04 no 43 Vf0on6KQP2Y https://youtube.com/watch?v=Vf0on6KQP2Y “Sorry” is a useful word, but it’s not the right word for every situation. It loses its power when used too much and in the wrong situations. In this video, I’ll give you more precise and powerful words to use in situations you’ll face in life. We’ll cover words and expressions including “whoops”, “my bad”, “sorry about that”, “pardon me”, and “excuse me”, as well as ones you can use in more serious situations such as “I want to apologize”, “please forgive me”, and more. https://www.engvid.com/improve-your-vocabulary-stop-saying-sorry/ More Improve Your Vocabulary videos: Improve Your Vocabulary: Stop saying OKAY! https://youtu.be/GuIPxcXwF30 Improve Your Vocabulary: Stop saying I KNOW! https://youtu.be/FXjvpR02uNg In this lesson: 00:00 ~ Introduction – 01:13 Why you should stop using "sorry" so much 02:20 – Light Mistakes – 02:31 whoops 03:08 my bad 03:50 sorry about that 04:25 – Excuse Yourself – 04:42 excuse me 06:57 pardon me 08:43 – Serious Mistakes – 09:21 I want to apologize 09:51 please forgive me 12:23 I didn't mean to offend 19:32 – How to say sorry when someone dies – 20:12 my condolences 20:30 I'm sorry to hear about ____'s passing 20:54 I'm sorry for your loss 21:27 – How to give a real apology – 22:29 – Homework – Tue, 04 Oct 2022 01:41:36 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Improve your Vocabulary: Stop saying SORRY! 25:28 no 44 jYyC-HDdNb8 https://youtube.com/watch?v=jYyC-HDdNb8 “Until” or “by”? Which do you use? What about “till” and “’til”? What about “up ’til”? Let me show you when to use each of these words in English. “By” and “until” are both prepositions of time, but they are used in different ways. Watch this lesson and test yourself with the examples in the second half of the lesson. By the time you’re done, you’ll have no more confusion. https://www.engvid.com/learn-english-prepositions-by-until-till-til/ Learn even more English prepositions! Advanced Prepositions of Time: "throughout', "ahead of", "at around", "out of"… https://youtu.be/R1pzn5dS4_o English Grammar: The prepositions ON, AT, IN, BY... https://youtu.be/sN5H7YTo_IQ In this lesson: 00:00 "By" or "Until"? 01:25 "until" 01:40 "till" 02:02 "up 'til" 02:47 "by" 03:32 "by the time" 04:17 "by" & "until": Example Sentences 07:16 – Quiz – 12:30 "up until now", "till now", "up to this point in time" 13:12 "by", "bye", "buy" 14:12 – Homework – Thu, 15 Sep 2022 02:57:03 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Learn English Prepositions: BY, UNTIL, TILL, ’TIL… 16:16 no 45 5OzqpVBGnLY https://youtube.com/watch?v=5OzqpVBGnLY I will show you how to start meditating right now. You don’t need to buy anything; you don’t need to pay for a class. Just commit five minutes of your time and start! It’s simple, and it will help you become a better learner. In this video, I’ll talk about five ways that meditating helps you learn better and more efficiently. Whether you’re in university or learning a language or something else, increasing your ability to focus and remember will benefit you. https://www.engvid.com/5-ways-meditation-will-help-you-learn/ Watch more of my videos on how to improve your learning skills! Steps to Learning English: Where should you start? https://youtu.be/hC4V1HiQ7to Become a Better Learner: 5 things you can do to improve focus & memory https://youtu.be/K6-Sd7H0IGg Thu, 25 Aug 2022 03:57:14 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid 5 ways meditation will help you learn 11:34 no 46 4vjryGkgeYE https://youtube.com/watch?v=4vjryGkgeYE Learn 5 easy phrases that you can start using at work to appear more professional. These phrases are especially useful when speaking to your superiors at work. Not only will you come across as more professional by changing your everyday language slightly, you will give the impression of being more assertive and confident, without crossing over into being rude or aggressive. Today’s lesson will cover “on the same page”, “I need your help”, “I believe”, “My perspective is”, “touch base”, and more. Start trying these out at work and let me know if you notice a difference in how colleagues respond to you. Take the quiz on this lesson here: https://www.engvid.com/how-to-be-more-professional-at-work-5-phrases/ More of my English work expressions videos: How to solve 5 common workplace problems https://youtu.be/IUnEoJ1NdMw How to answer 5 of the most common job interview questions https://youtu.be/YXYx7366YcQ Tue, 02 Aug 2022 03:54:09 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid How to be more professional at work: 5 phrases to use 21:29 no 47 GuIPxcXwF30 https://youtube.com/watch?v=GuIPxcXwF30 Pay attention to how many times the average native English speaker says “okay” in normal conversation. TOO MANY TIMES! “Okay” is a good word to use in some situations, but there are a lot of times when you can say something better: stronger, more accurate, and with more emotion. In this vocabulary lesson, I’ll show you how “okay” is used in English, and when and how to replace it with more descriptive words and phrases. We will also cover some situations where non-native English speakers and learners often use “okay” in a way that is confusing or misleading to native speakers. We’ll also talk about the difference between “okay” and “OK”. There’s lots to cover, so let’s get started, okay? https://www.engvid.com/improve-your-vocabulary-stop-saying-okay/ More videos in this series: Stop saying SORRY! https://youtu.be/Vf0on6KQP2Y Stop saying VERY! https://youtu.be/PCoyTwltu5g Stop saying I KNOW! https://youtu.be/FXjvpR02uNg Stop saying NICE and BEAUTIFUL! https://youtu.be/-C4nJaluO5g In this video: 00:00 Why you should stop using "okay" so much 01:52 "Okay" or "OK"? 02:18 Why is "okay" used so much? 04:23 "Okay" lacks strong commitment 05:01 "Okay" lacks emotion 06:17 "Okay" doesn't demonstrate you want authentic permission 06:59 "Okay" doesn't give authentic permission 07:23 "Okay" creates unnecesary concern 08:02 When it's good to respond "I'm okay" 09:48 ~ QUIZ ~ 13:02 "That is not okay." 13:34 "Okaaaaaaay" 14:36 "Okay, okay." 14:43 quick okay 15:15 ~ HOMEWORK ~ Fri, 01 Jul 2022 03:58:56 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Improve your Vocabulary: Stop saying OKAY! 17:22 no 48 K6-Sd7H0IGg https://youtube.com/watch?v=K6-Sd7H0IGg Do you feel frustrated when trying to learn something new? Is it difficult for you to focus, or to remember what you’re trying to learn? In today’s video, I’ll talk about 5 changes you can make to your lifestyle that will give you clear and definite improvements to memory and your ability to concentrate. You’ll find that you can learn more efficiently in every way if you implement one or more of these changes. We’ll talk about sugar and water intake, sleep, exercise, and meditation. If you try any of these seriously, leave a comment and let me know what changes you noticed in your ability to learn. https://www.engvid.com/5-things-to-improve-focus-memory/ Watch all of my videos about how to learn English here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1MxVBsQo85qbTHKgEgpCh7ytX9uyIsYY In this video: 00:00 5 ways to make your learning more efficient 01:15 Initial test 02:36 1. Food 05:10 2. Water 06:52 3. Exercise 08:39 4. Sleep 11:41 5. Meditation 13:07 Breathing technique 15:13 Retest 16:12 Homework Tue, 07 Jun 2022 02:31:50 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid Become a Better Learner: 5 things you can do to improve focus & memory 17:27 no 49 gbfV0b8Tn0A https://youtube.com/watch?v=gbfV0b8Tn0A Once you know how to make effective small talk, you will be able to make new friends and form connections with strangers in many everyday situations. As an English learner, you might think that it’s difficult enough to speak English with people you know or work with. But I’ll show you how using small talk and having conversations with people you don’t already know can improve your English even further. If you don’t know how to make small talk, follow my advice in this video. I’ll give you three keys you can use to speak to new people and form meaningful connections with them. https://www.engvid.com/3-keys-to-small-talk/ Learn more conversational English with me! The S.E.A. Small Talk Method https://youtu.be/QjYZ1tTsvTA How to start an interesting conversation https://youtu.be/rTJcpSWtVKI Thu, 12 May 2022 03:58:05 +0000 ENGLISH with James · engVid 3 Keys to Small Talk: Meet new people and build relationships 21:59 no 50