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  • Hi everybody, welcome back to Ask Alisha, the weekly series where you ask me questions

  • and I answer them.

  • Maybe!

  • First question this week is actually two questions.

  • I got two of the same question I want to answer.

  • First! Question from Expedito Xavier: Hi Alisha,

  • I would like to know the difference between "toward," "forward," and "backward."

  • Thanks.

  • Also, from Marcelo dos Santos Oliveira.

  • Hi!

  • How do I use the words "toward" and "forward"?

  • Okay, let's discuss.

  • First, "toward" means "in the direction of something."

  • So, this can mean any direction.

  • Just in the direction of something.

  • Examples!

  • The car moved toward the highway.

  • We headed toward the restaurant.

  • I'm moving toward the park.

  • Then, the word "forward" means "moving in a direction" in front of you."

  • So this can mean physically moving with your body, or it can mean like a concept or an

  • experience.

  • Examples!

  • I took one step forward.

  • The project is moving forward smoothly.

  • We're going forward with this idea.

  • So then "backward" is the opposite of "forward."

  • It means "moving in a direction behind you."

  • So again, this can mean physically with your body, or it can mean conceptually, like with

  • an idea or a project.

  • He took three steps backward.

  • The project moved backward because of the mistake.

  • Our boat is moving backward!

  • So, I hope that that helps you.

  • Toward is kind of any direction; in the direction of something.

  • Forward is movement in front of you.

  • Backward is movement behind you.

  • So I hope that helps you a little bit.

  • Next question!

  • Comes from, uh, Aline!

  • Hi, Aline.

  • Aline says, "hi Alisha," what is the difference between "everybody," "somebody," and "everyone,"

  • and when can I use them?

  • Okay!

  • Uh, "everyone" and "everybody" are the same.

  • We use them the same way.

  • I would say that "everybody" is probably a little more casual and maybe more commonly

  • used than "everyone."

  • Somebody, however, refers to a person who is related to a discussion or to a situation

  • in some way.

  • So, examples of this: Can somebody help me cook dinner?

  • Did somebody pick up my phone?

  • Somebody stole my bag!

  • So, in each of these example sentences,"somebody" refers to a person who can hear the speaker,

  • or who is closely related to the situation.

  • Everyone and "everybody" are just...everyone!

  • Like, there's no relation to the situation, necessarily.

  • So I hope that that helps.

  • Next question!

  • Comes from Wrandreypson Moreira Dos Santos.

  • Hi.

  • Uh, what is the difference between "may" and "can"?

  • Yeah, common question.

  • Please check the 10 minute and 50 second mark of this video.

  • I talked about "may" and "can" and the differences and some examples in this video.

  • So please check this out.

  • I hope it helps.

  • Next question.

  • Comes from Tan Teshin!

  • Hi Tan!

  • What's the difference between "difficult" and "hard"?

  • Okay, "difficult" and "hard," yeah.

  • If you're talking about the level of challenge of something, they have the same meaning.

  • The only difference between these two words is that "difficult" sounds much more formal

  • than "hard."

  • Most native speakers, especially American English speakers, use "hard" to talk about

  • a level of challenge.

  • Like "this is really hard," or "oh my gosh, that looks so hard," or "I don't know, this

  • seems really hard."

  • Instead of "difficult."

  • Difficult is used in more formal situations.

  • Next question!

  • Next question comes from Dewi!

  • Hi!

  • Dewi says, I frequently hear "whatever it takes," but I don't know what it means.

  • Please explain it.

  • Sure.

  • So, this is often used in expressions like "I'll do whatever it takes to get the job."

  • It means "I will do everything I possibly can to get the job."

  • So this can mean good things or bad things.

  • It means anything and everything.

  • The person will do their best in order to achieve some goal.

  • Examples!

  • I'll do whatever it takes to get into that university.

  • We'll do whatever it takes to win the contest.

  • So this is a very determined phrase.

  • So it's something that's like...you're really, really going to try hard to do something,

  • and you want to express that.

  • So you'll do anything in order to achieve some goal.

  • Hope that helps.

  • Those are all the questions that I want to answer this week.

  • Thank you so much as always for sending your questions to me.

  • Remember, you can send them at EnglishClass101.com/ask-alisha.

  • If you liked the video, don't forget to give us a thumbs up, subscribe to the channel,

  • and check us out at EnglishClass101.com for some other good study resources.

  • Thanks very much for watching this episode of Ask Alisha, and I will see you again next week!

  • Bye bye!

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