- If you would like to sound smarter and be smarter
then this lesson is for you, because I'm going to tell you
ten nouns to help you do just that.
- Welcome to today's lesson, which is a vocabulary lesson.
Many of you out there have said you would like to learn
more advanced vocabulary words
and that's what these ten nouns are.
They're not only gonna help you sound smarter,
but they're going to help you more accurately express
your thoughts, opinions, and ideas.
They also happen to be ten of my favorite nouns.
So, as I go over these nouns, I'm gonna give you
the pronunciation, tell you the meaning, as well as
talk to you about how they're used in context.
So, let's just get this show on the road.
The first noun is this one, right here:
"quid pro quo," and it is three words,
each word is only one syllable, and if you're saying
it together, the stress is kinda on that first word
And what this means is, it is something that is given,
or even taken in return for something else.
So it's kind of like you're doing a favor for someone
in exchange for something else, and that would be
Often, we hear this when talking about politics.
Somebody gives a politician money, and then that politician
does something in return for them, and they would
- I need some quid pro quo from you.
I tell you things, you tell me things.
- Maybe you're negotiating with somebody, and you're like
"you know, I'm gonna need a little quid pro quo,
if I do whatever favor it is for you."
If you want us to donate to your campaign,
The next noun, which is one of my favorites, is "catch-22."
This is two words, it's a compound noun.
The word catch is just one syllable,
and then 22 is three syllables,
and the stress is on that final syllable.
Catch-22.
The word comes from a famous book by Joseph Heller,
which is titled "Catch-22," and the meaning of a catch-22,
see if you can follow me, is, it is, a problem
that cannot be solved because the solution to the problem
is inherent in the problem itself.
"what the heck are you talking about?"
And it's often referred to situations where, again,
you can't solve the problem, because
the solution is within the problem itself,
and it's just like this circular loop.
So, this is a great noun to describe this type of situation,
and, again, it's just like a stand-alone statement.
- And when you are tough, they resent you,
and when you are cool, they walk all over you.
- Catch-22.
- Well, it's a catch-22, because
if you said then it would be spoken.
- Part of their parole is that
they're required to have a job.
The catch-22 of it is not that many
people are that excited to hire a felon.
- We don't really use this noun with any adjectives,
it's just really that stand-alone statement,
and you would describe something,
Next is "epitome," and this noun has four syllables,
and the stress is on that second syllable.
This is a word that, when you see it,
many times people may mispronounce it because
the third syllable has that schwa,
and the last syllable is that long e.
And what it means is a person or thing that is
typical of a class or a group as a whole.
Something that possesses, to the highest degree,
what this whole group is all about.
And, therefore, we say that something
is the epitome of something else.
Kind of giving an example, saying that this thing
best represents this whole group.
It's the epitome of something.
Interactive English is the epitome
of English-teaching excellence.
And if you agree with that statement,
then go ahead and hit that like button down below.
It's kind of like a quid pro quo,
I teach you new nouns, you hit that like button,
Another great noun is dichotomy.
This word has four syllables, and the
stress is on that second syllable.
And that third syllable has that schwa, that uh sound.
What it means is the division or contrast between
two things that are represented as being
opposed or entirely different.
So, let me give you a couple examples of a dichotomy.
You could have science and religion.
Two things that you can compare,
and they're kind of opposed to each other in some ways.
Also, city life and country life.
Completely different, but we can still compare them.
And, when using this noun, you
say the two things that you're comparing.
- The tired dichotomy of jock, artist.
- Often we use it with the preposition between.
You talk about the dichotomy between two things.
For example, we could say: we're studying the dichotomy
between economic development and environmental protection.
This word has three syllables,
and the stress is on that first syllable.
That "m" "y" "r" sounds like a "meer."
And a myriad is a very great, or,
indefinitely great, number of things.
Often is can be used as a synonym for various.
You talk about a myriad of something.
There's a lot of variety, there's
a great number of these things.
There is a myriad of trees in the forest.
This word has two syllables, and
the stress is on that first syllable.
And what it means is the belief
That, you're kind of, that there's a belief,
and it's showing that that belief is true.
- [Narrator] I never gave these stories much credence.
- He's a criminal and a terrorist,
people aren't gonna give him credence.
- And, though we give them no credence at all, Larry.
- And often you may find this noun with the verb "give."
Something gives a belief credence.
It makes it seem a little more true.
For example, the email they discovered gave
credence to his unethical behavior.
This word has two syllables, and
the stress is on that second syllable.
The reason I say this is because its meaning is
a vague feeling of physical discomfort,
or uneasiness as an early sign of an illness.
So, if somebody is just starting to feel ill,
then it's very possible that they might experience malaise.
I experiences bad headaches and malaise
before deciding to go to the doctor.
The next noun is "sycophant," and
this noun has three syllables,
and the stress is on that first syllable.
The spelling may throw people off to the pronunciation,
but that "s" "y" "c" is just pronounced "sic."
And the meaning of a sycophant is
a person that tries to gain attention
by flattering wealthy or influential people.
So, this is not a good noun, you
don't want somebody to call you a sycophant,
because it basically means you're
sucking up to somebody else for no real reason,
it's pathetic, yeah, it's not good.
Some sycophants in the media refuse to
acknowledge the political corruption.
Another great noun, which is another one of my favorites,
is a "dilettante," and this word has three syllables,
and there's kinda like a stress on
The reason I say it's one of my favorites is because
I guess, you know, I could be considered a dilettante.
Many of us could be considered dilettantes, because
its meaning is a person that cultivates and interest
in something without really learning in-depth information.
And, I think this just happens with people all the time.
We become interested in a topic,
and we learn a little bit about it,
so that we can converse with our friends,
and have discussions, but we have difficulty really
debating this topic with facts and information,
because we just don't know enough.
- They will remain dilettantes
in war, and tourists in Vietnam.
- Your knowledge is a mile wide and an inch deep.
- But if somebody calls you a dilettante,
then it's probably not in a good sense,
because they're probably referring to you saying that,
"well, you're a person that you think you know a lot,
You wanna think she knows a lot about health and nutrition,
but she's really a dilettante.
Has two syllables, and the stress is on the first syllable.
And, when talking about the zenith, you are talking about
the top, the peak, the highest point, or state,
of something, or someone's condition.
So, if you are at the top, the highest point,
It basically implies that you're not going to go any higher,
so, it's like saying you've reached the top,
you're not gonna go any higher,
and things are just going to start going downhill from here.
His athletic career has reached its zenith.
So, I hope some of these nouns were new for you,
and now that you've learned them,
you can go out and practice using them,
so that you can improve your overall English fluency.
But, if you really want to improve your English fluency,
I highly recommend you check out our secret lesson.
I've linked it in the description below.
It's so secret, we're gonna email it to you.
If you enjoyed this lesson, hit that like button.
You know, that quid pro quo we have going on?