Transcribe your podcast
[00:00:00]

This is an all English podcast, episode 1479, knock some sense into Lindsay about overusing this English phrase.

[00:00:12]

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast downloaded more than 150 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts. Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York Radio Girl coming to you from Colorado and New York City U. S a and to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to all ears. English dot com forward slash subscribe.

[00:00:56]

Today, one of our loyal listeners points out a phrase that Lindsay uses all of the time. What is it? Listen in today to find out what it is and what it means.

[00:01:09]

Hey, Lindsay, how are you? Hey, Michelle, I'm feeling great. I'm so excited for the webcast tonight. Oh, my gosh, are you excited?

[00:01:16]

I am excited because I like getting to talk with all of you. And I think that our listeners are going to have a lot of fun with it because it's totally different from anything we've ever done before. We always have. You know what I like to people on maybe every once in a while with guests, we'll have like three people on, but it's very rare.

[00:01:34]

So, guys, this Web class is going to be key for you getting to really improve your listening skills and knowing, you know, jumping in and, you know, lots of things when you are in a group, because that's that's really how you get to the next level in English, right?

[00:01:51]

LINDSAY Totally.

[00:01:52]

And guys, the spots are filling up because a lot of people want to join this class. So make sure you go and sign up. It is tonight. OK, so go to all the English dot com, slash coffee to sign up and it's going to be a great time. Make sure you come on time, OK, for sure.

[00:02:09]

All right. Well, I'll see you soon then, Lindsay, for that one. See you tonight. All right.

[00:02:15]

OK, so, Lindsay, you know what's so what's funny is we were just talking about, you know, transcripts and things like that and how sometimes we can learn a lot about ourselves and the way we speak because we sometimes will look over the transcripts. I know that I do that for keywords and things like that. So sometimes I'll pick up on something that I say a lot or that you say a lot. And it's interesting because I bet our listeners pick up on this as well.

[00:02:41]

And that's what this question is about today, Lindsay, because there's something that you say, I quote by our listener all the time.

[00:02:51]

All the time.

[00:02:52]

This is so funny. It's so great. Yeah, it's so funny. A lot of our listeners, they listen every single time we publish and they know our language better than we do.

[00:03:00]

Even, you know, in a sense. In a sense.

[00:03:02]

I said you did it. You can't stop yourself.

[00:03:07]

Guys, that is what today's episode is about. I actually did not plan that, by the way, to say that there is. Oh, my gosh. All right. Well, could you read the listener question? Let's switch it up today. I'm going to read it. I'm going to read it because it's all about, you know, this is like crazy. And this was this listener had asked another question. So this is a second question.

[00:03:32]

OK, well, they say I heard Lindsay say in a sense, like all the time, I love her. They bought that, that's all.

[00:03:40]

And I know what it means in just a superficial level.

[00:03:43]

And I'm sure there's a lot of other ways to use the word sense. Can you educate us more on that?

[00:03:49]

Ha ha. Thank you. And I just I love it, you know, feeling like, you know. All right. Crazy. I'm sorry. I hope I pronounce your name right.

[00:03:58]

You know, this personality in this message. Yeah. Like a doll. It's kind of like fun loving and like I just love like like all the time.

[00:04:07]

I just love that. So, yeah, I love it.

[00:04:10]

Did you do realize that you say that all the time? To be honest, no. I know there are some other things I say all the time. Like I love it. I say that all the time. I know on the show.

[00:04:19]

And then I, I think we all, we both go through phases where there are certain things we say more often than others. I like certain years, like maybe in twenty fifteen. There were certain things I was saying all the time that I dropped for whatever reason. But yeah, in a sense it is something I say all the time. It's not a bad thing to say, but I let's get into it what it means and to help our listener here.

[00:04:40]

OK, for sure. Yeah. So I mean like I said, I think from the transcripts I would realize that more. But you know, I think it's not, it is a good thing to say. So I don't think that this is meant as like how could you say that, Lindsay? It's a good thing to say. Yeah. So guy so. Yeah. Lindsay But that that's definitely in your vocab.

[00:04:59]

So in a sense I think of it as in a way. OK, right. Or like kind of a bit more generally. Right. Lindsay Yeah. Totally, totally.

[00:05:10]

Those would be good synonyms trying to think if there's anything else, but I think that covers it. Michelle, that's a good summary. Yeah.

[00:05:16]

No. Yeah. So that's what in a sense is. So let's do some examples. Yeah. The first one is in a sense, I agree with you, but there are many aspects which I think you need to rethink.

[00:05:26]

Yeah, I think this phrase kind of points to like like seeing a nuance in something.

[00:05:33]

Right. There's a nuance like in a way I agree. But in another way I don't. In a sense I agree. It's like pointing out nuances and layers, that sort of thing. Yeah, right.

[00:05:43]

Right, right. Because it's not always oh, I agree or I disagree, like, you know, like these layers. So that allows you this freedom to say, yeah, like there are parts I agree with, but yeah, I don't agree with everything.

[00:05:56]

So that's a really good way to use this little expression.

[00:05:59]

Yeah. And I know you guys at your high level of English speaking, you want to be able to speak in nuance, right? You don't want to have to be black and white all the time.

[00:06:07]

So this is a good way to do. Let's give our listeners a few more examples, what is this next one here, know what this is? Lindsay is I was planning this episode and I had just seen that you said this when I was looking at the transcript.

[00:06:20]

Oh, that's so funny. So I just.

[00:06:23]

Do you mind if we use something from the. No, let's do it. Let's do it. So there's a little bit of coding here. So do you want me to read or do you want to. OK, you can read it, Michelle. All right.

[00:06:33]

So it was. Yeah, they call it the useless degree. Right. So this is from Episode 14, 08, guys. They call it the useless degree. Right. I feel like psych majors are kind of poked fun at a lot of times in our cultures because, you know, I mean, psychology is like isn't like immediately obviously applicable. But but it's everywhere. So in a sense, it is applicable. I've just always found psychology fascinating.

[00:06:56]

Yeah, sorry.

[00:06:57]

I'm like trying to speak like, you know, that's so funny.

[00:07:02]

It's weird to hear your own words spoken back to you. It's very weird. So there I said in a sense, because I guess I'm showing the two sides of psychology, right?

[00:07:14]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly.

[00:07:17]

So, yeah, it in a sense you are doing what we talked about in the first one. You were saying like in a way. In some way. At some level. At some level.

[00:07:25]

Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I totally. I love that. Thank you for pulling that example out of our transcripts. And guys, if you don't know, we do have transcripts for all the episodes, almost all of the episodes. So if you want to sign up and get them by email, go to all is English dot com slash subscribe. That's the place to get those. All right. Then you can pick out all our little idiosyncrasies when it comes to language.

[00:07:48]

Yeah, that's very cool.

[00:07:50]

All right. There's one more about pizza. OK, Lindsay, can you read this one? Wishful thinking here, what I said. Right. Well, what we're saying pizza can be healthy in a sense, but you have to make it with a lot of veggies and not eat too much. Right. So I'm seeing how pizza could be really bad for you. And I had pizza last night with veggies on it. I yeah. Or you could try to make it a little healthier.

[00:08:13]

So in a sense it could be a little bit healthy, but it's still not that healthy, right, Michelle?

[00:08:18]

Yeah. I mean, have you ever had to have like the cauliflower crust? No, I've never tried that.

[00:08:24]

Does that even is that good?

[00:08:26]

So I have had it you know, I tried it, you know, from the grocery store where you just like, stick it in the oven and that it's just kind of like a cracker.

[00:08:34]

It's not so it's not so great.

[00:08:35]

But once I tried it at takeout place, OK, and like that was one of the major things that they did. And I am telling you, it was amazing. So I just tried it, you know, not out of oh, I'm trying I'm on a diet or anything. Just just out of curiosity, because I like to try new things. So I was like, let me see, because I saw a picture of it. It looked so good and it went so.

[00:08:58]

Yeah, I think it's hit or miss with those subsidies sometimes like cauliflower rice. I think that's the thing. No, not good. Not good.

[00:09:05]

I know I don't like that either. I don't like that either.

[00:09:09]

So yeah, sometimes you just got to eat the real thing.

[00:09:12]

Eat the real thing. If you can have pizza, just have pizza. I'm sure that our listeners from Italy would say that too.

[00:09:19]

Definitely. So, yeah. This in a sense, it's a really good way to kind of compare things or to make analogies, lots of different things.

[00:09:27]

I mean, why do you think you use this expression a lot like and you said you haven't noticed it, but it's really interesting.

[00:09:35]

First of all, I also want to say about our listener, this is super high level to catchable to count as someone speaking. Habits like that is a very impressive.

[00:09:44]

Yeah, very impressive. And we want more of these types of questions because we want to know you guys are listening closely. Right. So make sure you send your questions to Lindsay at all ears, English dot com. But why do I use it, Michelle?

[00:09:55]

I think it's because I tend to see, like I see both sides of things a lot like when I introduce the topic, kind of like what we said about pizza or about psychology, I can see how psychology is the degree that everyone thinks is useless and kind of silly.

[00:10:10]

But then now that I'm in the business world, right. And we do a lot of marketing, there's a lot of psychology involved with marketing and business.

[00:10:17]

So I guess I can't I have to reconcile the two and I have to present both. So I need that term. I need that chunk. Right, right. Right. Exactly.

[00:10:29]

Our next free live Web class is going to be different from any other all four members of the all English team will be hosting it. And we'll show you how to fully understand when you listen to groups of multiple speakers who speak quickly so that you don't become embarrassed and have to step back and avoid avoid the group. So go and grab your spot at all in English dot com forward, slash coffee, all ears, English dot com forward slash CEO fee.

[00:10:59]

Grab your spot before spots fill up. See you there.

[00:11:07]

OK, good, Lindsay, that's useful. Yeah, I think I feel like then certain things you say because we speak so frequently, I feel like certain things you say, like end up rubbing off and becoming a part of my vocabulary.

[00:11:19]

Like the other episode we were talking, I was saying the word zippy. And I realize that sometimes I say that sometimes or like a buttoned up like that's another one that like I've heard you say a lot that I've kind of adopted into my own language. So maybe I say a now, too. I don't know.

[00:11:33]

Well, we do talk a lot, Michel. We do talk a lot. That is true. So anyway, guys, we are going to talk about sense also in a couple of other expressions because our listener was asking about this word sent.

[00:11:44]

So there are a lot you know, we can you know, we're going to give you a few today and see how much we have time for.

[00:11:50]

But let's do the first one. Lindsay, what's the first one? OK, so listen to the difference, guys, because it's different than than the one we just we just spoke about. Right. This one is in the sense that. So it's different from in a sense. OK, so I want to make sure you guys don't get confused. Right. Think about it. Imagine it, write it down if you can. The two the two phrases, they're different.

[00:12:11]

Right, Michel?

[00:12:12]

Right. Right, right. So this one is it's very similar, but it's but it's not the same.

[00:12:18]

So, again, in a sense, it's like in a way. But I say in the sense.

[00:12:22]

Right. It's like in the way the specific way.

[00:12:25]

So let's do an example.

[00:12:27]

So playing tennis is like playing basketball in the sense that they are games played with a ball and something to hit that ball. Right.

[00:12:37]

So it's different. I mean, you couldn't interchange in a sense with that.

[00:12:42]

It's just a different function of the language, right? Michel, it's kind of a different function, right.

[00:12:47]

I could reworded I could say something like playing tennis is like playing baseball in a sense.

[00:12:52]

Right. But you're saying something different. Right. Right. Right, exactly.

[00:12:56]

So they are they are a little bit different, definitely. Like Lindsey said, different function. But this is useful as well. This one is getting a little bit more specific. That one is that I feel like that one thing in a sense is being a little bit more broad, whereas saying in the sense is being more specific.

[00:13:11]

It's kind of this is kind of like a linking word to introduce the fact that you're going to explain something. Right. How is playing tennis like playing baseball? Here's how it is. It's because they're games that are played with a ball, OK, in the sense that they're games that are played with the ball. OK, so just. Yeah.

[00:13:29]

So that's that's a good one to have two. Exactly. Lindsey what's the next one.

[00:13:35]

Makes sense. All right. I say this a lot in emails. Yes you do.

[00:13:41]

You always say, does that make sense, you know. Yes, that's right.

[00:13:47]

That's right. I didn't even think of that until now. Yeah. So what does that mean? Do you understand that? Is it clear? Is there something else I should explain or you could just shorten it and just say makes that like I guess at the end of an email you could say, does that make sense? Or you could just shorten it and say, makes sense and makes sense. Right.

[00:14:07]

So, guys, this is this is another episode for another day, how we drop those aspects of grammar, right, Michel? Yeah.

[00:14:13]

And I feel like we could go in this whole like, does that make sense or. That makes sense a lot more. But yeah, basically it's like saying, is that clear? Like so I could say something like, I understand the first paragraph, but the second one doesn't make sense. Yeah.

[00:14:29]

Oh, it just makes me think of back in pre covid days, I went out for like a bar crawl and one of our friends that was with us on the bar crawl as he drank more and more, he kept saying, like, we we spoke about politics a lot.

[00:14:43]

And he kept on offering explanations and he kept saying, does that make sense? Does that make sense? And he said it so many times, it drove me nuts.

[00:14:50]

Oh, no. Yeah. You don't want to use it too much. No. Maybe that's what I'm doing to our listener there with this.

[00:14:58]

But it just got really, really irritating. So we want to be careful. We don't get in these loops.

[00:15:04]

Right. Of saying the same thing in an evening or a conversation. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. Good point, Lindsay. The next one is come to your senses, come to one sentence, one that says, oh, what does that mean?

[00:15:19]

This is basically to be logic, logical or regular, like let's say you were acting in an odd or a rude or an unusual way.

[00:15:28]

Or I think of like if you lost consciousness. Right. Like if like I've passed out from giving blood before. Oh, me too.

[00:15:38]

Yeah. Yeah. OK. Oh yeah. I might say like oh like after I came to or sometimes came to, to.

[00:15:46]

Oh I don't know, maybe you don't come to your senses.

[00:15:49]

I don't think you know I actually didn't know that come to or came to is a shortened version of come to your senses.

[00:15:55]

But it could be but I'm actually not sure if it is. But maybe it is. Yeah. We don't know. We don't know. Well you could also be like come to consciousness or.

[00:16:04]

Right right now I'm. Not sure if you use it for that, specifically with the sensors, but I feel like I've heard that before. Yeah, me too. Well, we'll just stick with come to your senses, right, for this episode. So come to your senses to become, like you said, Michelle, to become logical, to realize something like you're being ridiculous. And then you come to your senses, you say, oh, yeah, I was being silly.

[00:16:25]

Right. Right.

[00:16:26]

So what's an example of OK, so for example, he wanted to book a ten thousand dollar vacation, but he came to his senses after I showed him our bank account.

[00:16:38]

Yeah. He realized something. He realized that's not such a good idea. The next one makes me think of a scary movie from the 90s.

[00:16:49]

Yes. This is Sixth Sense. Right. So this is yeah. This was a movie with Bruce Willis and the 90s, I guess. And it was very scary.

[00:16:59]

And it has such an ending. Yeah.

[00:17:02]

Yeah. I don't don't a very good movie. I don't remember the ending, but I remember being. You don't remember. OK, we'll have to talk it out. But there there's some famous quotes, right. Like that. Well, I see dead people. Yeah I.

[00:17:14]

So guys, check out The Sixth Sense, that movie. OK, one more Michelle. Yes, exactly. And then the last one is knock some sense into. Right. So that's basically to make someone who's being logical or wrong understand.

[00:17:28]

So something like this one. Yeah. Can you knock some sense into my cousin? She doesn't seem to get it that it's not that it isn't easy to bake 12 cakes in one day.

[00:17:39]

You have a very ambitious cousin, Michelle. Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh, it's got a knock some sense into. I love that. Knock some sense into it. Sounds very fun and casual and metaphorical in a sense. Oh my God. I said it again. You did it.

[00:17:53]

OK, I'm going to have to stop saying that phrase. I'm going to have to stop. Thank you to our listener for letting me know.

[00:17:59]

Michelle, what's the takeaway for today? Guys, the takeaway is this word sense is super dynamic. And if you're Lindsay, you love this word.

[00:18:07]

So, yeah, I do. Yeah.

[00:18:10]

I mean, it's it's used in many different ways. We could do so many follow ups because I see this all the time.

[00:18:18]

I hear this word all the time.

[00:18:19]

So in a sense and also the other ones that we talk very useful, I love that our listener decided to ask this question because it showed that this is this listener is at a very high level actually realizing patterns of our speech.

[00:18:34]

You can do it to me, too. I won't be offended. Yeah, I'm sure there is. Like I know I say, like a lot of that that one's tough, but yeah, definitely let us know if you hear something that we say in our conversations.

[00:18:48]

Yeah. You want to learn more about the right way to learn.

[00:18:52]

Yeah. Really good way to learn. And guys, remember, it's not too late if you're listening to this when it comes out. The webcast is happening tonight, seven o'clock New York time. And it's also happening on Saturday. Right, Michel? I think the time is going to be eight o'clock New York time. Yeah. So guys go and sign up all in English, dot com, slash coffee, get in there. There will be no recording.

[00:19:13]

So if you miss it, you miss it. So don't miss it. No, there you go.

[00:19:17]

There you go. There you go. Michel, thanks for hanging out today. I'll see you tonight.

[00:19:21]

Thank you. Bye bye.

[00:19:29]

Thanks for listening to all ears English. If you are taking ILT this year, get your estimated band score with our two minute quiz. Go to all ears English dot com slash my score and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit. Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.