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  • Don't shoot yourself in the foot!

  • Set yourself up for success!

  • I'm Emma from mmmEnglish and this video is for English learners, specifically, those who want to speak in English more,

  • who want to perform better in English conversations.

  • Even if you're not interested in the three ways to be a successful English speaker,

  • you will definitely learn about this interesting idiom and how to use it at the end of this video.

  • The first way that English learners shoot themselves in the foot is when they say that they'll do something but then they don't.

  • They don't follow through.

  • Maybe you think, "Emma, that's no big deal."

  • But it is.

  • You're adding to this huge, potentially overwhelming pile of things that you have not done, that you haven't ticked off.

  • And all of these little things are sitting there, they're waiting for you to take action.

  • I know from personal experience that that huge pile of things creates guilt, it creates shame, it creates a whole lot of negative self-talk.

  • See Emma,you never follow through.

  • How will you succeed if you can't even complete a course that you got for free?

  • To put this into context, think about learning English online.

  • There is so much material out there that you can access.

  • You can practise with online websites, you can download free worksheets, you can watch YouTube videos, you can sign up for free courses and challenges.

  • You can even pay for courses.

  • There is no shortage of information.

  • In fact, everything that you need to learn grammar and vocabulary already exists online and a lot of it is completely free to access.

  • So how come you're not fluent yet?

  • The problem is that most students run around grabbing all of these free resources and stashing them away somewhere so that next week they can start.

  • But they're not staying focused, they're not getting it done and even more importantly, not putting those learnings into practice which is actually the hard part.

  • You can collect as many resources as you like but unless you do something with them, complete the workbook, finish the course and even better,

  • use what you were studying in real conversations so that you can make mistakes and you can get stuck and find your way out of trouble,

  • and try out all these new phrases and expressions that you've been memorising.

  • Without all of that, what's the point?

  • Another way to shoot yourself in the foot: set yourself a huge, really general goal.

  • If you do that, you will never notice your progress.

  • You will never feel success.

  • What is your goal?

  • To speak English better?

  • If this is your goal, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

  • Goals need clear time frames, measurable outcomes and they need to be achievable.

  • For example, speaking with someone in English once a week throughout October, November and December.

  • This is a fantastic, achievable, measurable goal.

  • You can tick this off your list of things to do, right?

  • It doesn't matter if this conversation is for ten minutes or if it's for an hour but to make sure this happens every week,

  • you need to spend a little bit of time planning your English speaking practice, making sure it happens.

  • So if you're lucky enough to be attending regular English classes,

  • you might be thinking,"I don't need to plan and organise anything, I'm just going to show up to my class."

  • But you might still be shooting yourself in the foot.

  • Do you come to class with questions about your homework?

  • Do you raise your hand and ask questions during the class?

  • And most importantly, how are you putting what you learn in those classes into practice, into speaking practice?

  • And if you're not going to regular English classes then where and how and when are you going to practise your speaking skills?

  • You especially need to spend some time planning this ahead of time so that you don't shoot yourself in the foot.

  • Number three, comparing yourself to others.

  • If you compare yourself to someone who has more time,

  • has more money than you,

  • has a quiet place to study from when you don't,

  • who doesn't have kids when you do,

  • someone who has the support of their manager at work when you don't

  • or someone who has a supportive group of friends who encourage them to speak in English.

  • If you're comparing yourself to others, you are shooting yourself in the foot.

  • Now if you do or you don't have these things,

  • it doesn't mean that you can't reach the same place as someone else.

  • Absolutely you can!

  • But you will probably need to take a slightly different path to get there.

  • You need to spend time planning your journey, marking out the path that you need to take to get there.

  • And you of course, need to be taking each of those steps.

  • Okay, okay, so what does "shoot yourself in the foot" actually mean?

  • Can you guess after I was using it to talk about all of those different situations?

  • Can you guess the meaning from the context?

  • Pause for a minute if you want to get your thoughts in order and think about your answer to this question and maybe write it down in the comments below.

  • To shoot oneself in the foot means to make a situation worse for oneself without meaning to, without intending to.

  • In the examples that I gave you earlier in the video, what was the situation that I'm referring to?

  • You wanting to improve your English especially your spoken English.

  • When I use this idiom to talk about that situation, I'm suggesting that you are making your situation of wanting to speak more in English worse by not following through,

  • not having specific goals, or by comparing yourself to others.

  • So if any of these things sound like you or something that you sometimes or always do, I hope that you've taken this video in the right way.

  • It might seem a little like tough love, I know, but I hope that you know that my message to you today comes from a place of love, it comes from my heart.

  • I do not want you to shoot yourself in the foot.

  • By the way, you can't shoot anyone else in the foot.

  • When you use this idiom, the subject can only make the situation worse for themselves.

  • We shot ourselves in the foot by bringing the dog on our road trip. Now we can't get into any of the national parks.

  • Mary really shot herself in the foot when she lost her licence! Now she can't work.

  • The Prime Minister shot himself in the foot by saying that healthcare was not going to be prioritised in this year's budget.

  • Can you think of a time when you shot yourself in the foot?

  • Tell me down in the comments, I'm keen to hear these stories.

  • And then, come along and join me in the next lesson!

Don't shoot yourself in the foot!

Subtitles and vocabulary

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A2 foot shoot idiom emma situation comparing

3 ways English learners shoot themselves in the foot!

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    林宜悉 posted on 2023/10/22
Video vocabulary

Keywords

stick

US /stɪk/

UK /stɪk/

  • verb
  • To adhere or fasten something to a surface.
  • To endure or persevere through a difficult situation.
  • (Informal) To tolerate or endure someone or something unpleasant.
  • To push a sharp or pointed object into something
  • To join together using glue or paste
  • To continue with something despite difficulties; persist.
  • To pierce or puncture with a pointed object.
  • To extend outwards; protrude.
  • To remain attached or fixed to a surface or object.
  • To remain in one place or position for a long time
  • noun
  • Long thin piece of wood from a tree
context

US /ˈkɑnˌtɛkst/

UK /ˈkɒntekst/

  • noun
  • Set of facts surrounding a person or event
  • The parts of something written or spoken that immediately precede and follow a word or passage and clarify its meaning.
  • The circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.
tough

US /tʌf/

UK /tʌf/

  • adjective
  • (Of food) difficult to chew or bite through
  • Very difficult to do or deal with
  • Difficult; requiring considerable effort or endurance.
  • (of food) difficult to cut or chew.
  • Having strict standards
  • (Of meat) difficult to cut or chew.
  • Being firm and not easily bent or broken
  • Being strong physically or mentally
  • Being difficult to persuade
  • Unpleasant or unfortunate.
  • Capable of violence
  • other
  • To endure a period of hardship or difficulty.
  • noun
  • A rough and aggressive person.
  • other
  • To make (someone) physically or emotionally stronger.
overwhelming

US /ˌovɚˈhwɛlmɪŋ, -ˈwɛl-/

UK /ˌəʊvəˈwelmɪŋ/

  • adjective
  • So great as to be impossible to resist or overcome.
  • Impossible to resist
  • Very great or very strong; so powerful that you cannot resist or decide how to react
  • So strong as to be difficult to resist or overcome.
  • Very great or very strong; so powerful that you cannot resist it or decide how to react.
  • Covering completely
  • Having too much to handle (e.g. work)
  • Very great or very strong; so powerful that you cannot resist it or decide how to react.
  • Very great or very strong; so powerful that you cannot resist or decide how to react
  • Difficult to deal with; very large or greater than usual
  • other
  • To cover someone or something completely; to submerge.
  • Present participle of overwhelm; completely defeating someone or something.
  • To defeat someone or something by using a lot of force
  • To have a strong emotional effect on somebody
  • Present participle of overwhelm; affecting someone very strongly.
  • To cover or submerge completely.
  • To cover somebody/something completely
  • verb
  • To defeat something or someone completely
  • Present participle of overwhelm: to affect (someone) very strongly.
  • To affect someone emotionally in a strong way
  • Present continuous of overwhelm; strongly affecting
  • To cause to have too much to handle (e.g. work)
  • To affect someone very strongly.
access

US /ˈæksɛs/

UK /'ækses/

  • noun
  • The ability or right to enter, use, or look at something.
  • Way to enter a place, e.g. a station or stadium
  • The means or opportunity to approach or enter a place.
  • A means of approaching or entering a place.
  • The right or opportunity to use or look at something.
  • verb
  • To obtain or retrieve (computer data or a file).
  • (Of a computer) to find and use (data).
  • To be able to use or have permission to use
  • To obtain or retrieve (data or information) from a computer or other device.
  • other
  • The action or way of approaching, entering, or using.
  • The means or opportunity to approach or enter a place.
  • The opportunity or right to use something or to see someone.
  • other
  • To obtain or retrieve (data or information, typically held in a computer).
material

US /məˈtɪriəl/

UK /məˈtɪəriəl/

  • noun
  • Cloth; fabric
  • Supplies or data needed to do a certain thing
  • Substance from which a thing is made of
  • Supplies needed for a task or activity.
  • other
  • Fabric or cloth.
  • Information or data used for a particular purpose.
  • A substance from which something is made or can be made.
  • adjective
  • Relevant; (of evidence) important or significant
  • Belonging to the world of physical things
  • Relating to physical matter or substance.
situation

US /ˌsɪtʃuˈeʃən/

UK /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃn/

  • noun
  • Place, position or area that something is in
  • An unexpected problem or difficulty
slightly

US /ˈslaɪtli/

UK /ˈslaɪtli/

  • adverb
  • Only a little
practice

US /ˈpræktɪs/

UK /'præktɪs/

  • other
  • To carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly.
  • To carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly.
  • To perform an activity or exercise a skill repeatedly in order to improve or maintain proficiency.
  • To perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency.
  • To do something repeatedly so as to become skilled at it.
  • noun
  • A customary way of doing something.
  • A usual or customary action or proceeding.
  • A doctor's or lawyer's business.
  • Repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it.
  • The customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing of something.
  • The office and place for legal or medical work
  • Doing something many times to become better at it
  • other
  • A customary way of doing something.
  • The business or work of a professional person, such as a doctor or lawyer.
  • other
  • The customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing something.
  • Repeated exercise of an activity or skill in order to improve or maintain proficiency.
  • Repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it.
  • Repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it.
  • other
  • Work at or be engaged in (a profession).
  • verb
  • To perform an activity or exercise a skill repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency.
  • To work as a doctor or lawyer
  • To live according to the teachings of a religion
  • To do something many times to improve a skill
progress

US /ˈprɑɡˌrɛs, -rəs, ˈproˌɡrɛs/

UK /'prəʊɡres/

  • noun
  • Act of moving forward
  • verb
  • To move forward or toward a place or goal
  • other
  • To move forward or onward; advance.
  • To advance or develop towards a better state.
  • To make progress; develop or improve.
  • other
  • Advancement or development towards an improved or more advanced condition.
  • The process of improving or developing something over a period of time.
  • Advancement or improvement in development, skills, or knowledge.
  • Forward or onward movement towards a destination.
  • other
  • To cause to advance or develop.