You know the world of English is a fun and exciting place to be,
especially today because I'm back with another Full English lesson, coming to you from the birthplace of…
Eric Clapton, Kate Winslet, David Beckham, Richard Branson, and of course the English language,
which is the thing we all have in common: a passionate love of this lovely thing called
English. So without any more dawdling or annoying hold ups, let’s get on with today's Full English lesson...
right...
now!
Can you see what I have in my hand? It’s a hook.
This might look like a simple object but is has many uses, both inside and outside the house. It
is useful for hanging things, either from a wall or ceiling. The word ‘hook’ can
be used in many ways too. As a noun it names a piece of metal or plastic that is curved
at one end. It is an object used for hanging things from. Hooks come in many different
shapes and sizes. You can also use a hook to catch a fish. You put a hook on the end of
a fishing line. An object for hanging clothes on is also called a hook. One more these come
in many different shapes and sizes. A hook can also describe an eye-catching thing. Something
that is used to get attention from people is a hook. For example - ‘A sales hook’.
A short swinging punch is also a ‘hook’. As a verb the word ‘hook’ can mean the
action of attaching two or more hooks together. You can hook one thing to another. You can
hook onto something. “He managed to hook his leg onto the branch to prevent himself
from falling.” A person, who has become over-reliant on something, is hooked. To hook
someone on a thing, so as to get them addicted. The person who is addicted is ‘hooked’.
“My brother became hooked on drugs during his teen years.’’ To lure someone towards
something, such as an image, a person, or a song is hook. The thing in question is attractive.
It hooks you. You can ‘hook-up’ with someone. To meet a person with a view to starting a
relationship is ‘hook-up’. To connect electrical equipment together with wires is
‘hook-up’. “He came over last night to hook-up my hi-fi speakers’’. To catch
something with a hook is to ‘hook something’. “I hope we will hook ourselves a nice big
fish.’’ To bend something into a hook shape is to ‘hook’. ‘’He hooked his
thumbs under his belt.” The phrase ‘off the hook’ means to be no longer a suspect
or to become blameless and out of trouble. “His wife’s statement got him off the hook.''
There is also ‘by hook or by crook’ which means to succeed, no matter
what happens or whatever it takes. “I will make this business grow, by hook or by crook.”
To tell a person to go away, you can say…
''sling your hook''.
It is hard to fully appreciate the power of language, it gives us the chance to express so many things.
When we look at something, our eyes see it and our brain tells us what we are looking at. However all of
this is a silent process and there is no way of letting someone else know what it is we
are observing or later telling them what it was we were looking at. Spoken language gives
us not only the power to communicate our thoughts but also to describe the things we see around
us. There are some basic rules when it comes to describing something. We need to clearly
express what it is we saw or what we are looking at. To do this we need to tell the other person
about the characteristics or obvious parts of the thing we are looking at, or what we
had observed. We need to tell them the size, the colour, the shape, and if relevant, what
it is made from. These are not fixed rules and they do not all have to be said, although
the more information you can give will make the description much clearer for the listener.
It is possible to describe anything and even the most basic or dull objects can be described.
A good way to improve your English is to get used to describing objects around you.
Take a look around the place where you are sitting now. There must be many things nearby that you can describe
The good thing about this exercise is that you can do it on your own
or with others in a group. You can even play a great game together. Write down the names
of some everyday objects onto small pieces of paper and then fold them up. Ask one member
from your group to pick out a piece of paper and look at what is written on it.
Now that person must describe the object to the rest of the group without saying what it is.
You must use as many words as possible to describe the object without giving away what the actual object is.
This game is a great exercise for building up your word power and provides good confidence
building as well. Describing things is a great way of expanding your word power and it is
also a cool way to get used to speaking English in front of a group of people.
The world in which we live is a wonderful and vibrant place and being able to express what you see around
you in English will give you a great new skill and most important of all,
it will make you more confident with your English speaking.
It’s now time to take a look at another buzzword.
A buzzword is a word or phrase that is used often during a certain period, or is generally popular.
Today’s buzzword is…
‘Embargo’. The word ‘embargo’ can be used as a noun
and as a verb. As a noun ‘embargo’ means: to block something from being imported
from another country. An import ban can be described as an embargo.
“The weapons embargo begins at MIDNIGHT."
A dispute between two nations might result in an embargo. An official ban on all activity is an embargo.
“There is an embargo on taking photographs in the courtroom”.
Historically an embargo names the state of ships being unable to enter or leave a country's port.
We sometimes include an embargo with the word sanction. One country might sanction
an embargo on another, as punishment. An embargo aimed at a country often involves much needed
commodities, the most common being oil and gas. The word ‘sanction’ can also mean
a threat to block or cut off trade. As a verb the word ‘embargo’ is the action of placing
the block. A nation will ‘ban’, ‘bar’, ‘limit’, ‘prohibit’, ‘restrict’, stop.
It's a fact of life that we all have to work. It is how we earn our bread and butter.
it is a means to an end. We must do it to survive. There are many ways of expressing regular work.
It is a job. It’s an occupation. It is your profession. It is your livelihood.
It’s what you do for a living. The word profession also helps to name the type of job you do.
“What is your profession?” “I’m a sales assistant.”
We can also ask…
“What do you do for a living?” “I work as a sales assistant in a shop.”
We can ask who a person works for. This often relates to a big company or public sector service.
“I work at Google.” “I work for the fire department.”
You can work full-time or part-time. The average hours worked each week here in the UK is around 40 hours.
However, some people work very long hours. Hospital employees might work very long shifts.
Some workers might have to be on the job, around the clock. The amount of work a person is
willing to do varies. A hard working person might be willing to work long hours,
While some people might avoid work at any cost. They are ‘work-shy’.
A work-shy person might be described as a ‘layabout’ ‘slacker’ ‘bone-idle’ ‘lazy’.
"Why don't you go out and get a job, you’re just a bone-idle lazy layabout!”
Negative slang terms for regular work include - ‘daily grind’ ‘9 to 5’ ‘rat race’ ‘daily slog'
An interesting job can be rewarding, while a dull or uninteresting job might be
described as ‘tedious’ ‘laborious’ ‘unrewarding’. To work hard you must
"Slog your guts out’ ‘keep your nose to the grindstone’ ‘sweat’ ‘give your all’.
Having a job is a necessity. It is what brings in the livelihood, the income,
your source of revenue, your earnings. It is a fact of life that we all have to work.
It is how we earn our bread and butter. It is a means to an end. We must do it to survive.
Well it looks as if my work here is done for another lesson. I hope you have enjoyed it and don’t
forget to subscribe to my channel and turn on the notifications, so you’ll never miss
another lesson, be it live or recorded. This is Misterduncan in the birthplace of English,
that is of course England saying thank you for watching me, teaching you and of course…
ta ta for now.