Hi. I'm Rebecca from engVid. In this lesson, you will learn the
exact meanings of twelve advanced adjectives in English.
Now, even though there are twelve, these are actually six
pairs of adjectives, and they're often confused because they
either sound the same or they look the same, and so they can
be confusing for those reasons. Okay? Now, here, we're just
going to look at these twelve. Even though these are important,
and these are advanced, and a wonderful way to upgrade your
vocabulary — but if you're really interested in correcting
these kind of errors in vocabulary, grammar,
pronunciation, or anything else — then please do check out my
course: "Correct Your English Errors in Ten Minutes a Day". I
will leave a link to that in the lesson description. And, there,
we actually correct more than 120 different errors,
step-by-step, in grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and
all kinds of areas. Okay? So, check that after the lesson.
Okay? So, now, let's get started with today's lesson. So, what
we'll be doing is we will be focusing on three different
areas. First of all, yes, like I said, the meaning: Which word
should we be using for that particular sentence? Second,
we'll be looking at different ways in which we can use each of
these words. So, that's called "collocations". So, make sure
that you stay after this board for our second board, where you
will learn exactly how to use these in many different
situations. Okay? So, you'll really master this vocabulary;
you won't just tell the difference — you will know how
to use it in many different situations, and with different
expressions. All right? And along the way, we'll also check
the pronunciation. Okay? All right. So, let's get started.
Number one: "Many people are concerned about the economic
situation" or "about the economical situation". All
right? So, what is the correct word here? Now, you could do
this in a few ways. If you like — I'm standing to the side — and
you could pause the video, and you could go through them all,
mark down which one you think is the correct answer, and then
join me after that; or you can stay with me, and we'll do it
together. All right? So, let's go through the first one again:
"Many people are concerned about the economic" or "economical
situation". Which is the correct word to use in that context:
"economic" or "economical"? Okay? So, the correct one is
"economic". All right? "the economic situation". So,
"economic" has to do with the economy; with money, business,
trade. I'm going to explain each of the correct answers, and the
other ones also. The others are also correct words; they just
have a different meaning. Going to explain each of them in
detail, so you understand exactly; but first, let's
understand in general. Okay? So, when we say: "the economic
situation" — "economic" relates to the economy; and "economical"
relates to something else, which we will look at, which has to do
with how you save money. All right?
Next, let's go to number two: "Be careful. The storm is
imminent" or "eminent". What's the right word there? Which one
do we want? "The storm is imminent" or "The storm is
eminent"? So, here, this is wrong; and this is correct.
Okay? So, what does that mean? In case... perhaps you know
these words — okay? — perhaps you've heard them before, and
you might get confused; or perhaps you've never heard of
some of these — and that's okay, too. It's an opportunity to
learn them. So, when we say that something is "imminent", it
means it's about to happen. Okay? It's usually talking about
something a little bit negative or a little bit dangerous. All
right? So, it's the storm. Okay? The storm, the hurricane, the
tornado is imminent; it's about to happen, so be careful. All
right? That's the correct word here. "Eminent" has a completely
different meaning. It means famous, well-known; and we'll
Number three: "Could you please connect me to the personal
department" or "to the personnel department"? So, what's the
correct word there: "the personal department" or "the
personnel department"? Okay. So, here, this is kind of in a
business context, right? Perhaps somebody's looking for a job,
and they want to speak to which department? Do you know? All
right? So, the correct answer is: "personnel". Okay? "the
personnel department". So, "personnel" has to do with
staff, with HR, human resources, manpower, workforce. Okay?
That's the word you're looking for. And see the pronunciation?
"Personnel". All right? We'll go over the pronunciation as well,
later. This: "personal" means something private, something
individual; has a completely different meaning. Okay? And,
again, when we see the expressions with which we can
use each of these words, you'll understand exactly how to use
each one, and you'll feel... you'll be able to use them.
First of all, use them, in case you're not using them already;
and second, use them correctly, in the right context. Okay?
Number four. Are you ready? "The rain was continuous, with no
break for six hours" or "The rain was continual, with no
break for six hours". This is a really advanced word. Okay?
There might be some English speakers who also make mistakes
with that particular one. So, do you know: What's the difference?
They sound almost the same, they look almost the same, but there
is a very important difference. So, the correct answer is...
have you chosen? Okay? The correct answer is: "continuous".
Okay? So, "continuous" means that something kept happening;
something continued with no break. Okay? Without stopping.
And "continual" means that something kept happening,
something continued, but there were breaks in the middle. All
right? We'll look at more examples of that on the next
board. Okay. Number five: "That peace deal changed everything.
It was historic", or "It was historical". Which is the right
answer here? So, the correct answer is: "historic". Okay? In
this context, we want to say... because look what it said here:
"That peace deal changed everything. It was historic."
So, "historic" is used to talk about something that happened
either in the past; it could also be in the present, or maybe
even in the future — okay? — but it's something important in
history. Something important. Like here, we said: it changed
everything, so it was obviously a very important peace deal. And
"historical" also has to do with history, but it just means that
it was something that happened in history; in the past. Okay?
It was historical. But this is something important that
happened in history. All right? And, again, we'll look at more
examples so you understand very clearly the difference, and you
don't make this mistake. Okay?
Next, number six: Someone says: "Don't be childish" or "Don't be
childlike". What's the difference? In this case, it's
really important because these are actually opposites. Okay?
This is something positive. Or, sorry. It's the other way
around. "Don't be childish" — this is negative; and this is
something positive. So, when we... the answer here: "Don't be
childish". Okay? So, "childish" is like a child, but in a
negative way. Okay? As we know — we all love children — sometimes
they can be... they can have some negative qualities, right?
They can be stubborn, and they say they want what they want,
and that's being "childish". Okay? And it's in the negative
side of kind of being a child; what goes with being a child.
And "childlike" is actually the positive, wonderful, lovely
qualities of being a child, like being innocent, and trusting,
and so on. All right? So, here, this person is saying: "Don't be
childish." Okay? So, here, that was the correct answer. So,
first, just repeat after me. Ready? Let's repeat the words
first. "Economic", "economical". Good. "Imminent", "eminent".
Okay? Don't worry; we're gonna review the vocabulary and the
meanings, too, but let's just get used to the pronunciation.
"Personal", "personnel". Good. "Continuous", "continual". Good.
Say it aloud. If you're alone somewhere, if you're in a place
where you can speak aloud — always say it aloud; not just in
your mind, especially for pronunciation. "Historic",
"historical". Good. And "childish", "childlike". Okay?
So, perhaps you've understood that well, but let's make sure
you understand them very well, and see the collocations and
expressions in which we can use these advanced adjectives.
Now, let's look at how we can use these words in expressions
or collocations. All right? Let's get started. The first
one: "economic". So, first of all, what does "economic" refer
to? It refers to money, or trade, or industry. All right?
We're talking about the economy. So, here, we could say:
"economic problems", "economic issues", "the economic
situation", "there's an economic crisis". You might also hear
people referring to "an economic slowdown" — that's when the
economy slows down. Okay? Or "an economic collapse" — when it
totally falls. Okay? When something "collapses", it falls;
it's usually... in this case, a very negative thing to happen.
Okay? You want economy to be strong; you don't want it to
fall or collapse. Okay? So, we could use it in that expression.
They also talk about "economic growth". "Growth" is the noun
for "to grow"; or "economic development", which is the noun
of "develop". All right? So, these are some ways in which you
can use that term. Now, let's look at the other one:
"economical". So, "economical" means that it's cheaper to buy
that one; it has better... you get better value for your money.
You can save money, time, resources. When you can do that,
we use the word "economical". All right? So, for example, you
could have an economic... it's "an economical option". Okay?
It's a more economical option to buy, for example, the larger
size cereal than the smaller box of cereal. Okay? Because,
usually, it's a little bit cheaper overall. Right? Or it
might be a more economical option to buy a used book,
rather than a new book sometimes. All right? So that's
the idea of "economical". You could also find that it's an
"economical solution" to buy a certain kind of car where you
better... get better gas mileage. Or it might be a... an
"economical solution" for some people to buy a house outside
the city where it's a little bit cheaper, and you get better
value for your money, than to buy a house in the city. All
right? So, that's the difference between "economic" — to do with
the industry, and money, and the economy — and "economical",
which means you get a better deal for something, for your
Now, the next two: "imminent" and "eminent". So, we said that
"imminent" means that something is going to happen very soon,
and usually it's something quite negative. All right? Or
dangerous even. So, we talk about things, like "an imminent
hurricane", or "imminent danger". "Somebody's in imminent
danger. You need to get out of there. The house might
collapse", something like that. Okay? Or "an imminent attack" —
somebody... people are going to attack. So, again: "Be careful.
The attack is imminent" or "an imminent attack". Or "an
imminent disaster", when there are lots and lots of things that
have gone wrong. For example, after a very bad hurricane,
certain areas that are very badly destroyed could be
referred to as "a disaster". Okay? So, "imminent" means that
it's about to happen very soon. The next one: "eminent" —
completely different; no connection at all — it means
that... it's used to refer to usually people who are famous,
admired; respected very, very much. So, really, you could use
it for any kind of professional or person. For example, "an
eminent scientist", or "an eminent historian", "an eminent
artist", or "writer", or "poet". Okay? Anybody, really, in any
kind of profession, who is well-known, and well-respected,
and admired is called "eminent". All right? Good.
Let's go to the next two: "personal" and "personnel". So,
"personal", it has to do with... with me. It's private. It's to
do with the individual. Okay? Anything that has to do with one
individual, that person privately, is "personal". And
the other one is "personnel" — we'll get to that. So, we could
refer to: "That's my personal information", or "my personal
data", or "data". Okay? Or: "That's my personal opinion;
it's what I think." Or: "That's his personal opinion." Doesn't
have to be only about me; it just has to be about one person.
So, "That's his personal opinion". "That's her personal
view". Her view; her opinion, again, on... on a situation, or
something like that. Or: "He's moving to another city for
personal reasons." Okay? For his own reasons, or: "She collected
her personal belongings." They often use this term: "personal
belongings". They... sometimes they make this announcement on a
plane, before you get off: "Ladies and gentlemen, make sure
you take all your personal belongings with you before you
get off the plane." So, "belongings" is just a fancy
word that means all your things. Okay? That's all. Everything;
all the things that belong to you. All right? Those are your
"belongings". So, that was "personal". Next, we come to
"personnel". So, "personnel" refers to the people who work in
a company, or an organization, or an association, or anything
like that. Okay? So, we sometimes call it "the personnel
department". Very often, that "personnel department" is
actually referred to as "HR/human resources". Right? Or
and it's... "personnel" has to do with the staff, the
workforce, the employees who are there, the workers who are
there. Okay? And you could say: "the personnel department". You
could say: "a pers-..." use this to refer to the "personnel
director", or the "personnel manager". Right? "Could I please
speak to the personnel director?" The person in charge
of staff, and stir-... in charge of hiring, training, things like
that — that's the "personnel department". Okay? So, these are
our first six adjectives. All right?
So, now, we have: "continuous" and "continual". So,
"continuous", as we mentioned earlier, is when something keeps
happening or repeats, but there are no breaks; it's
"continuous". Okay? This one is "continual". So, it keeps
happening, but there are breaks. All right? So, if I were to draw
it for you, I would say: "continuous" is like this, and
the "continual" one will be like this. Okay? So, it keeps
happening, but here with breaks; and here without any breaks. So,
we could refer, for example, to "continuous work". All right?
Somebody "worked continuously" for six hours, with no break, or
eight hours. All right? Or there was "continuous noise" — that
means the noise kept happening. All right? There was no stopping
in the mid-... in the middle. Or you could also have "continual
work", which is with breaks. Okay? Or "continual noise",
where there was a lot of noise, but there were some breaks in
between. For example, if somebody was building a
bookshelf upstairs — your neighbour — so maybe they're not
going to keep hammering every minute, but from time to time it
would happen. Okay? That is "continual". Or "continual
complaints" — okay? — from customers; they don't happen all
the time, but they happen every now and then. Okay? Or
"continual traffic". If you look outside, you see "continual
traffic" — there is traffic, then it stops, then there's
traffic again. Okay? That is "continual". In fact, a nice way
to remember the difference between these two words is to
think of... for "continuous", think of like the flow of a
river. Okay? The flow of a river; a river keeps flowing.
Right? It doesn't usually stop. However, traffic — the flow of
traffic is "continual"; the traffic comes up to a point, it
stops, it continues again. "Traffic" simply means all the
cars and trucks on the road. Okay? So, the flow of a river is
"continuous"; the flow of traffic is "continual". All
Now, let's look at these important words: "historic" and
"historical". Okay? A lot of people confuse these, so let's
understand, again. "Historic" is talking about something
important in history, and "historical" is just talking
about something that happened in history; not necessarily
important at all, it's just part of the past. This can actually
be part of the past, or the present, or even the future.
Okay? "It's going to be historic", we could say. "It's
going to be important". Or "It is important". It's historic
now, or it was historic. So, we could talk about a "historic
day", when something happened; a "historic occasion" or "event"
when something happened, a "historic agreement", or a
"historic opportunity or chance to do something". All right? And
on this side, you can... since we're just talking about
something that's connected with the past, but not necessarily
important: It's "historical data", "historical documents".
"Historical novels". Many people write... like to write or read
historical novels that are based on something... a time in the
past. Okay? Or you could look at "historical photos". Okay? Maybe
they're photos from the past; they're not necessarily
specifically important or significant, but they're from
the past, so they're "historical". Or when we talk
about stock prices — the prices of stocks that might go up or
down — we talk about the "historical stock prices". What
happened in the past to a particular stock or share in a
company? Or even exchange rates. Right? The value of the dollar.
What is the historical data behind the exchange rates? All
right? So, that's how you might see "historical" being used or
The last two: "childish" and "childlike". All right? So,
again, we said "childish" is the... refers to the negative
qualities that a child may have, and "childlike" refers to the
positive qualities that a child... that a person could
have. Now, often, when we use "childlike", we are actually
talking about people who are not children; we're talking about
older people. Okay? Adults, teenagers; not really children,
but we're saying that these people who are no longer
children have a positive quality of a child, for example; or
these people who are grown up have some negative qualities of
a child. So, we could talk about "childish behaviour", "childish
actions", or "childish"... "having a childish attitude
towards something". "Childish", again, the negative qualities —
might be being immature, being selfish, wanting something
immediately, having no patience, things like that. Okay? And
"childlike" are the... "childlike" refers to the
positive qualities that a child has, and therefore that adults
can have; a kind of curiosity, wanting to know about: "Why is
this like this? And why is this like that?" Okay? Children have
that quality, and some adults continue to have those qualities
as they grow up. Or a "childlike love" for something. I remember
that my grandmother used to love ice cream. Okay? So, she had a
"childlike love" for ice cream, and anytime there was any ice
cream, she wanted it. Okay? Or a "childlike joy or delight" in
something. Or you could also have a "childlike trust or
faith" in people, in certain situations, and so on. Okay?
So, those are the last six that we have. So, the ways that you
can use them is to think of some examples of your own, write some
sentences of your own, think of your own life or people that you
know. Are there people you know who are "childish" or
"childlike"? Is there a...? What...? Think of a "historic
occasion" that you know about; think about something that's
"continuous" or "continual". Or some of the other words we
looked at: "economic", "economical" — extremely
important, especially in the professional world, and
especially if you're an economist, but even if you're
just talking about what's going on in the world. Right? You
really want to know the difference between these
commonly-confused adjectives. All right? But take them into
your vocabulary, include them, because they are higher-level,
advanced vocabulary words, so it's good to know them and to be
able to use them in your speaking and in your writing.
And as I said, these are just twelve that we did today, but if
you want to correct your English further, please do check the
link to my course. All right? The "Correct Your English Errors
in Ten Minutes a Day", and there we'll talk... we'll tackle
grammar problems, we'll correct vocabulary issues, collocations,
pronunciation, lots of different areas. Okay? So, check that in
the link, if you're interested. All right? Thanks very much for