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Video Transcript:
Welcome to day 19. We’re moving ahead in our 30-Day English Vocabulary Challenge. One video a day, every day, for 30 days. We’re learning 105 words from the academic word list words that will help you have sophisticated English conversations, words you need to know if you’re preparing for the IELTS or TOEFL exam. I’ve been watching the posts you’ve been making about this challenge, it’s incredible, inspiring. Make up a sentence to a word you learn and post it on social. Don’t forget to like and subscribe and don’t forget to download the study guide that goes with this 30 day challenge. You can do that by clicking here or the link in the video description. Learn the words, ace the quizzes, you’ve got this!
The first word today is ACQUISITION. Acquisition. As a noun, it means the act of getting something, or the act of obtaining money or possessions, or the learning or development of a skill or quality. I specialize in second language acquisition. That is learning, developing the ability to communicate in another language other than your mother tongue. Let’s look again up close and in slow motion. Pay attention to how much the lips have to round for that W sound.
And now we’ll go to Youglish for five examples.
No, it was uh, it was an acquisition several years ago.
An acquisition, not a donation. They paid money to get it.
No, it was uh, it was an acquisition several years ago.
Here’s another example.
I doubt we’ll get to a point where the American public will want to limit the acquisition of vehicles in that way.
Limit the acquisition of vehicles. That is limit the number of cars or vehicles that a family or person can get, can buy.
I doubt we’ll get to a point where the American public will want to limit the acquisition of vehicles in that way.
Here’s another example.
There were broader opportunities for acquisition to property uh, to, to everyone else.
Acquisition of property. Buying property.
There were broader opportunities for acquisition to property uh, to, to everyone else.
Another example.
We work with, you know, a part of the data team that manages our acquisition efforts.
Acquisition efforts. They use data and work with the data team to decide what to acquire, like when a company buys another company.
We work with, you know, a part of the data team that manages our acquisition efforts.
Our last example.
The Whatsapp acquisition at 19 billion makes it worth more than the following companies.
When Whatsapp was bought by Facebook. The Whatsapp acquisition.
The Whatsapp acquisition at 19 billion makes it worth more than the following companies.
Our next word is OBTAINED. Obtained. That T is a true T because it starts a stressed syllable. Obtained. We learned the noun form of acquisition, but there’s also a verb, acquire, to buy, or obtain something, to learn or develop a new skill, that’s similar to this verb. Obtained. It means to gain or get something, usually by effort. The information may be difficult to obtain. Let’s watch again up close and in slow motion.
And now we’ll go to Youglish for five examples.
After pace, I obtained my CPA license.
Obtained a CPA license. Certified Public Accountant. Definitely it takes effort to get that license. You have to have a degree, then pass tests and have relevant experience.
After pace, I obtained my CPA license.
Here’s another example.
And as a result, I obtained a lot of knowledge about food.
Obtained a lot of knowledge. Probably through a lot of experience, not something you can just get like that, but something that takes some effort and time to get to.
And as a result, I obtained a lot of knowledge about food.
Here’s another example.
So this is data that I’ve obtained through a lawsuit against the University Of California.
Obtained through a lawsuit. This person did not just go to the University Of California to get it, he had to sue the university, bring a lawsuit against them to get it. That’s a lot of effort. Data is another word from the academic word list that we studied in 2020. It’s usually pronounced data, here, he uses an alternate pronunciation, data.
So this is data that I’ve obtained through a lawsuit against the University Of California.
Another example.
The son said these were obtained illegally.
Obtained illegally. If it was illegal, it probably took some effort to get them.
The son said these were obtained illegally.
Our last example.
And so this is just one of the images that we obtained.
That they obtained. That they got. This is a woman who does cancer research. It probably took a lot of effort, knowledge, maybe expensive equipment to get this image. Remember, obtain implies effort. It was not easy to get. Acquire, on the other hand, means you probably had to spend money to get something. Let’s look at this sentence one more time.
And so this is just one of the images that we obtained.
Our last word today is CONSUMER. Consumer. That first syllable has a schwa, it should be said very quickly as if there’s no vowel. Con— con– consumer, it’s a noun, a person who buys goods and services. Some consumers are still not comfortable making purchases on the internet. Let’s look again up close and in slow motion. And now we’ll go to Youglish for five examples.
It’s the consumer who’s using the technology.
The consumer, the person who made the purchase, bought the technology, that’s using the technology.
It’s the consumer who’s using the technology.
Here’s another example.
I mean, as a consumer, how could you possibly make a decision across? There are hundreds and thousands of offerings these days, of anything.
As the person buying something, how can you choose what to buy when there are so many options?
I mean, as a consumer, how could you possibly make a decision across? There are hundreds and thousands of offerings these days, of anything.
Here’s another example.
You know Apple is a consumer electronics company essentially.
Consumer electronics company. That means they make electronics for consumers, people like you and me, not for companies, but for everyday people.
You know Apple is a consumer electronics company essentially.
Another example.
The seafood industry can track the seafood from the boat to the plate to make sure that the consumer can then find out where their seafood came from.
Oh that’s nice. If you buy fish, you can find out where it came from.
The seafood industry can track the seafood from the boat to the plate to make sure that the consumer can then find out where their seafood came from.
Our last example.
I got to experience one of the coolest autonomous vehicles at the consumer electronics show which happens every year in Vegas in January.
Consumer electronics show. A show, an expo for all kinds of electronics for people, as opposed to electronics one might need for a company or a business.
I got to experience one of the coolest autonomous vehicles at the consumer electronics show which happens every year in Vegas in January.
Seeing all the real-life examples can really help you understand how to use these words, can’t it? I have a challenge for you now. Make up a sentence with one of these words. Make a short video of your sentence, and post it to social media. Tag me and use the hashtag #rachelsenglish30daychallenge
Don’t be shy. You can do this. I love seeing what you’ve posted so far. Our next video comes out tomorrow, at 10 AM Philadelphia time. Come on back to learn three more vocabulary words. In the meantime, keep your studies going with this video, and check out my online courses at Rachel’s English Academy. You’ll become a more confident English speaker. And please do remember to subscribe. I love being your English teacher. That’s it and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
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