Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer. Do you ever wish you
had more time in the day? I do. So many things seem to be of great importance,
but I need to remind myself to prioritize. Some things are more important than others.
I also need to be aware of deadlines. With certain matters, time is of the essence.
Those matters demand my immediate attention, so I can't put them off till later.
"Time is of the essence." This is something you'll hear when someone wants to remind you that timing
is key. Action must be taken before a certain point in time. When, for example? You get a job
offer. You need to respond. If you need time to think about it, you should at least acknowledge
the offer, express your thanks, and then request a day or two to come to a decision. But time
is of the essence. You can't take a week or two or a whole month. They'll choose another candidate.
Or at a hospital. If immediate surgery is needed, time is of the essence. The
hospital needs to get the patient's consent (their agreement) or consent from the patient's family.
Then the surgery can move forward. Waiting is not an option. Time is of the essence.
"Of the essence" and "of importance" are two examples of prepositional phrases with "of"
that can follow the linking verb "be." These phrases function very
much like adjectives although they use nouns. If something seems to be of great importance,
it's very important. "Time is of the essence" means time is essential. Time is important.
Such structures aren't used that much in informal English,
but you will hear them in spoken English. You also see them when you read.
Let's look at different ways we use "be of (something)."
Certain nouns are preferred in this structure. Let's make common phrases part of your vocabulary.
We've already looked at the saying "time is of the essence," which means time is important.
And time is of the essence. Either way,
time is of the essence. Different priorities can be used as the subject
before the linking verb "be." Clarity is of the essence, meaning it's important to be clear.
Accuracy is of the essence, which means it's important to be accurate.
Discretion is of the essence, which means it's important to be discreet. When you're discreet,
you're very careful not to attract a lot of attention that would embarrass someone.
Look how I use the noun "importance" in this structure.
Discretion is of importance. Discretion is of great importance.
Discretion is of the utmost importance. I can use adjectives to increase the degree of importance.
"Utmost" makes the phrase sound even more formal. "Of the utmost importance." In general,
it's more conversational to use the adjective "important," but in more formal situations,
you can use this "be of" structure. It goes without saying that discretion is
of the utmost importance. This is of great scientific importance, Captain. Here are other
nouns related to importance or usefulness. The examples are generally formal in nature.
Of great significance. the prime minister's presence here today is of great significance.
Of relevance. Environmental policies are of relevance now more than ever.
Of great value. Your work is of great value to the company.
Of consequence. Their refusal is
only of consequence if others choose to follow their example.
Of use. Those resources will be of use to the community.
Of interest or of great interest. The survey results may be of interest to our marketing team.
Also, I write songs. Might be of interest to you. Negative forms can suggest a lack
of importance or lack of usefulness. Their feelings are of little consequence to him,
meaning they're not important to him.
The report is outdated and is of no use to us, meaning it's not useful in any way.
It's really of no interest to anybody. Let's pause for a moment and consider
some of your examples. Can you answer my questions? Put your answers in the comments.
One. Whose artistic works are of great value?
Two. Which pieces of technology are no longer of any use to us in this century?
Three. What would you say is of the utmost importance in language instruction?
Four. Can you name a subject that fascinates many, but is of no interest to you personally?
You heard examples with the noun "use," as in "of use to the community" or "of no use to anyone."
Something can be useful to one person, but not to another. Similarly, help can be accepted
or refused. Consider these ways a person in a position of service can offer help to another.
If i can be of any help, let me know.
If we can be of any assistance, please call again.
If I can be of any help, please don't hesitate to ask. Just happy to be of service. There are
a couple more nouns in this "be of" structure that are a bit more common in conversation. The first:
of the opinion. You know, of course, that you can say "in my opinion" or "I think"
or "I believe that." Well, here's another alternative: I'm of the opinion that.
For example, I'm of the opinion that you don't have to live in an English-speaking country
in order to gain proficiency in English. Thanks to the internet, there are many resources available.
I'm of the same opinion. You can use "be of the opinion" in formal and informal conversations.
Of course, there are always ways to sound more informal.
Instead of saying, "I'm of the same opinion," you can say, "I'm with you." There's a formal
expression of agreement: we're of the same mind. But more casually, you can say, "We agree."
Another phrase is "be of a certain descent." For example, be of Asian descent. In the U.S.,
many of us are a mix of nationalities. Our parents, grandparents, and other ancestors
came from different countries. To explain our family origins, we can talk about
being of a certain descent. For example, I'm American, but I'm of Asian descent,
thanks to my father. More specifically, I'm of Filipino descent. And on my mother's side, I'm of
Eastern European descent. My great-grandparents came from Poland, Serbia, and Hungary.
Here's another practice task you can share in the comments. Choose a celebrity and tell me
about their family origins. For example, Lady Gaga is of Italian descent. Right? I think so,
at least partly. Then tell me your opinion of that celebrity. I'm of the opinion that Lady
Gaga is very talented, and she should sing more jazz ballads because she has a very soulful voice.
Okay. We'll end here. I surely hope that the lesson was of some use to you.
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