How to Improve Your English Speaking Skills Ask Alisha
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I’m going to use the Force to make you watch
this whole video.
Hi, everybody. Welcome back to Ask Alisha.
The weekly series where you ask me questions
and I answer them, maybe.
You can send your questions to me at EnglishClass101.com/ask-alisha.
First question from Harley Paso.
Paso?
I’m very sorry.
Harley asks, “What is the use of ‘get’
plus adverb or preposition?”
For example, “I get down.”
This is a question about phrasal verbs with
“get.”
We can use a lot of different things after
the word “get.”
In your example, “to get down,” we use
it when dancing.
For example, like, “I want to get down this
weekend.”
It’s sort of an old-fashioned expression though,
“to get down.”
We can use a lot of different words after
the verb “get,” though.
For example, “get into,” to get into something
means to become interested in something.
You might hear, “to get at,” like, “get
at me” or “get at your professor,” to
get at means to reach out to or to communicate
with but it’s a very casual expression.
You can say, “get after,” like, “I need
to get after my homework,” for example.
It means to chase after or try to do something.
Also, “to get in,” like, “to get into
a club,” “to get into a restaurant,”
“to get into a party,” the nuance is that
something is challenging but you can gain
access to that thing, like, “I got into
the party last night but I wasn’t on the list.”
There are a lot of different uses of the word
“get.”
I can’t talk about all of them in this video
because there are so many.
So, if you’re curious about the various phrasal
verbs that we can use with the word “get,”
check out a dictionary.
That’s a really good place to start.
Next question!
Next question comes from Long An.
Long An asks, “What is the difference between
simple past tense and past continuous tense
or past progressive tense?”
Simple past tense, we use for actions that
started and ended in the past.
So, the beginning of the action and the end
of the action happened in the past.
So, for example, the sentence, “I ate breakfast.”
is a simple past tense statement.
“I ate breakfast.”
“Ate” is a simple past tense.
The past continuous tense, however, or the
past progressive tense is something we used
to talk about an action that was continuing
at a specific point in time in the past.
If I want to use the past progressive tense,
I can say, “I was eating breakfast.”
Using that continuous tense, using that progressive
tense implies I want to explain something
else that happened at that time or maybe I
want to add some more information.
So, for example, “I was eating breakfast
at 8 o’clock this morning.”
or, “I was eating breakfast when the phone
rang.” or, “I was eating breakfast and
watching TV at the same time.”
“I was eating breakfast while studying today.”
By using the past progressive, I am explaining
that an action was continuing at a specific
point in time, as in the example, “I was
eating breakfast at 8 o’clock.”
Or, I can use past progressive to show one
action was happening at the same time as another
action in the past.
If I use just the simple past tense, I’m just
saying a simple fact, in other words.
This action happened, “I ate breakfast at
8 o’clock.”
If I want to emphasize the continuous nature
of the action for some reason like, “I was
eating breakfast at 8 o’clock.”
I can use the past progressive tense.
In that case, it might be in response to a
question like, “What were you doing at 8
o’clock this morning?”
So, if someone wants to ask maybe what you
were doing at a specific point in time, like
someone is suspicious of you, like, “What
were you doing last night?”
You can say, “Oh, I was having dinner with
my friends last night.”
But, past tense, simple past tense is something
we use for actions which start and finish
in the past.
But, progressive, the progressive tense in
past can be used to emphasize the continuing
nature of that situation or that action.
Next question!
Next question comes from Yassin.
Yassin?
I’m very sorry.
“What’s the difference between ‘on time’
and ‘in time’?
Is it, ‘You arrived just on time?’ or,
‘You arrived just in time?’”
We use “on time” to refer to doing something
at the correct time, doing something at a
scheduled time.
So, for example, “I need to get to work
on time.”
meaning at the correct time.
Or, “Did you make it to your appointment
on time?”
“In time,” however, is used when we want
to kind of give a nuance of rushing or hurrying
for something.
“I need to leave my house now to get to
the airport in time for my flight.”
“I need to study for my test now if I want
to be in time for the party later.”
“You should probably leave now if you want
to be in time for the movie.”
“In time for something else,” so, I want
to do action A to make my schedule meet this
other condition, this other thing I would
like to do with this other thing I need to
do.
“In time for” has the nuance of a deadline.
We can use this expression in like a panic,
like, “Oh, my gosh!
I’m not going to make it in time.”
like, to submit a paper.
“I’m not going to make it in time.”
“In time” means like before the deadline.
Whereas, “on time,” has the meaning of
completing an action or completing something
at a scheduled time.
Next question!
The next question comes from Gearson Silva.
“Hi.
What is the difference between ‘shade’
and ‘shadow’?”
Oh, great!
This is a great question.
Both of these words can be used to refer to
a place that is darker than its surroundings
because there’s an object that is blocking
the light.
We can say, “There’s shade over there.”
or, “There’s a shadow over there.”
In that sentence, they are used the same.
However, “shadow” refers to the dark shape
only.
So, a person can cast a shadow.
We use “cast,” the verb, “cast,” with
a shadow.
“I cast a shadow when I stand in the sun.”
for example.
“Shade,” however, as a noun, refers to
or has the nuance of a kind of shelter.
So, shelter provided by some other object.
“Shelter from the light,” “shelter from
the sun,” so, we would say, “Stand in
the shade.”
because “shade” has the nuance of shelter.
We would not say, “Stand in the shadow.”
“Shadow” does not carry the nuance of
shelter in the way that shade does.
Interestingly enough, though, shade and shadow
are both used as verbs, as well.
“To shadow something,” means to follow
something closely.
“To shadow someone at work,” means to
follow someone at work and try to understand
their job, for example.
“Shade” is used as a verb to mean to create
shelter from light.
For example, “The canopy shaded us from
the sun.”
“Shade” also has some interesting uses.
You might hear the slang phrase, “to throw
shade.”
“Throwing shade” is a really interesting
slang expression that we use which means to
communicate disrespect or to communicate contempt,
bad feelings for something.
When you’re speaking generally, in most cases,
when you want to talk about a dark cool area,
we should say, “shade,” “Stand in the
shade.”
When you want to talk only about the dark
area, that dark object, use “shadow.”
Next question!
Actually, two questions from Danny.
Hi, Danny.
Danny’s first question is, “You talked about
“lit” as slang.”
Yes, I talked about “lit” in Episode 2.
So, 1, Episode 2 of “Ask Alisha.”
“Can you please talk about the verb “light”
and using it an active and passive?”
Sure.
“Light” means to start a fire.
So, “to light a fire,” “to light a candle.”
Some examples of active and passive voice
with this verb then.
“Why don’t we light some candles for dinner
tonight.”
“All the candles in the restaurant were
lit.”
“On our camping trip, my neighbors lit a
fire and we brought hamburgers to make.”
“A fire was lit in the campsite while we
were gone.”
“I was going to light a fire but I fell
asleep.”
So, “to light” means “to start a fire.”
He lit the house on fire.
We can say, “to light blah, blah, blah on
fire.”
So, there are a few different examples of
using the verb “light” in active and in
passive, past tense, future tense, as well.
So, I hope that that’s helpful.
Danny’s second question, “Can you talk about
ride and its uses?
Like, ‘Take someone for a ride.’
‘Can I take a ride?’”
“Ride” is another verb that has a lot
of different uses.
You use the example, “to take someone for
a ride” means, “to drive together with
someone.”
“To go for a ride” has the nuance of doing
something just for fun.
It’s just for fun.
“I want to take a ride to a location.”
“I want to take a ride to the mountains
this weekend.”
or, “take a to the beach,” but “to take
someone for a ride” means, “to invite
someone to drive somewhere with you in a car.”
That’s one way to use “ride.”
You can also say, “Give me a ride.”
“Can you give me a ride?”
So, this is a request expression.
I don’t have a car, my friend has a car, I
want my friend to take me in their car to
a location.
I can say, “Can you give me a ride to the
movie theater?”
“Can you give me a ride to the lake?”
“Give me a ride” is a request.
So, “give me a ride in your car.”
So, there are a lot of uses of “ride.”
If you want to see all of them or if you want
to see more of them, I recommend checking
a dictionary, there are quite a few and I
can’t talk about them all in this video.
So, please check a dictionary.
Next question!
Okay, next question is from Fem.
“What does ‘you’re too good to be true’
mean?
Is it good or not?”
Maybe you’ve heard this in a famous song.
“You’re too good to be true, can’t take
my eyes off of you.”
In that case, it’s a good meaning.
A different way to say this expression is,
“You are so good.
You are so amazing that I can’t believe you’re
real.”
So, in other words, something must be wrong
there must be some problem with you, it’s
not possible for you to be real because you
are so good, you are so great.
So, “you’re too good to be true,” it’s
like, “Wow, I’m amazed by you.”
So, it’s a good expression.
If, however, maybe in a more uncommon situation,
someone said like, “This guy is too good
to be true.”
like maybe reviewing a job application, for
example.
“This girl, she’s too good to be true.”
If it’s said in that way, maybe there’s something
suspicious about that person.
“This doesn’t seem right.
There’s just too much good information here.
There must be some problem with this person.”
Depending on the intonation, it can portray
either a very positive meaning or a very suspicious
meaning.
In most cases, however, it’s a positive meaning.
So, if you heard this in a song, for example,
it’s probably a very positive, kind of romantically
nuanced phrase.
Thanks very much for that question, Fem.
Nice one.
Next question!
Rabia Arshad?
I’m very sorry.
“What’s the difference between ‘can’
and ‘may’?
I saw this on the dining like a champ cheat
sheet and noticed these words were used for
requests.
What’s the difference?”
“Can” and “may” for requests, in modern
English, modern American English are used
the same.
If I use them in a statement, “can” refers
to ability, “may” refers to permission.
Please just be careful.
“Can” and “may” are only used in the
same way to make requests in modern American
English.
Next question is from Taylor.
Oh, hi, again, Taylor.
“Are ‘Where are you from?’ and ‘Where
were you born?’ the same?”
Ah, great question!
“Where are you from?”
“Where were you born?”
No, not necessarily.
Not necessarily.
“Where were you born?” is only the place
where you were physically brought into the
world.
Maybe, your hometown, the place you identify
as your hometown is different from the place
where you were born.
Maybe you were born in Spain but you grew
up in the USA.
Your family moved after that.
So, you could say, “I was born in Spain
but I grew up in New York City.”
If someone asks you, “Where are you from?”
It might be a good idea to say, “I was born
in blah, blah, blah, but I was raised in blah,
blah, blah.” in a different place if the
two places are different.
Next question!
Next question is from Hassan.
Hassan says, “How do we use ‘gotta’
in the negative form?”
So, we did a live stream about “have to”
and “got to” and “need to” on the
YouTube channel and on Facebook a while ago.
“Gotta” is a contraction, a very casual
contraction of “got” and “to.”
It’s not a real word.
“Gotta” is just the sound that we make
when we say “got to” very quickly.
Like, “I gotta go to school today.”
or, “I’ve gotta finish my homework.” or,
“I gotta get to sleep.
I’m so tired.”
In American English, we do not use “gotta”
in the negative.
Instead, we use “have to” or “need to.”
“I don’t have to go to work tomorrow.”
“I don’t need to go to work tomorrow.”
“I don’t need to go to sleep right now.”
But, American English does not use “gotta”
in the negative form.
Next question!
The next question is from Sadaham.
“I need to improve my spoken English and
my vocabulary.
How do I do that?”
I think there’s a tool on the website where
you can record your voice speaking English
and compare it to a native speaker saying
the same thing.
So, I think that’s a that’s a feature on the
website.
So, check that out.
If you haven’t been, it’s in EnglishClass101.com.
There should be a recording function there
where you can record your voice and compare
it to a native speaker and keep practicing
that until your voice and your pronunciation
matches the native speaker’s pronunciation.
So, you’ll see like little waveforms there
even on the recording page.
So, you can try to match your voice to a native
speaker.
So, of course, practicing with native speakers,
where possible.
Repeating, so creating your own speech is
important too.
Practicing with recording tools, voice recording
tools.
When you record yourself, you suddenly hear
so many problems in your speech.
So, recording yourself can be another good
tool.
But in terms of building your vocabulary:
first, I need to define a goal.
What do I want to talk about?
If I want to talk about food, I should look
for materials in my target language talking
about food and I should study those.
So, think about what it is that you want to
do and try to be specific.
Try to narrow your goal down to, “What are
the words that I need to do?” and try focusing
there.
And then, maybe, you can widen the focus to
other interests here and there too.
But, start, maybe, with the things that are
going to help you communicate the things that
you really want to say.
So, always think about your goals, “What
do I want to learn how to say?”
Next question from Ricardo Villaroe.
Oh, hey, Ricardo!
Welcome back!
“Is it correct to learn several languages
at the same time?”
Ooh, “Is it correct?”
I can’t answer that whether it’s correct or
not.
So, I’ve heard that if you want to try, for
whatever your reason is, if you want to try
to study more than one language at the same
time, it’s better to try to choose languages
that are quite different so that there’s less
chance of you making mistakes or getting confused
in your studies.
The other thing that I think I would say is
if you’re studying more than one language
at the same time, your progress might be a
bit slower than if you studied just one language.
Yeah, “Is it correct?”
I don’t know.
I can’t answer that.
That’s up to you to decide.
So, those are all the questions that I want
to talk about this week.
Thank you so much for submitting so many interesting
questions.
I really appreciate it.
If you haven’t submitted a question yet, you
can check it out, the submission page is at
EnglishClass101.com/ask-alisha.
So, check that out, send me your questions.
If you like the video, please make sure to
give it a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel
too and check us out at EnglishClass101.com
for some other stuff.
We talked about a few things today that you
can find on the website so definitely check
that out.
So, thanks very much for watching this episode
of Ask Alisha.
I will see you again next Saturday.
Bye-bye.
Bonus vocabulary word for today: spoiler.
Spoiler.
A spoiler is secret information, key information,
about your media, your book, your movie, your
TV show.
If you see the phrase “spoiler alert”
somewhere, it means the next piece of text,
the next information, the next thing in the
video is going to be secret information about
the story.
So, if you have not seen the movie, if you
have not seen the TV show or you have not
seen the book, you might find information
you don’t want to read yet.
So, spoiler means something that will spoil
or something that will ruin the story for you.
So, no spoilers about “Star Wars” until
we’ve seen it.
Use the Force to study English.