365-Day English Study Plan
STUDY WITH ME
Be my Homie: Join this channel to get access to perks
Daily English Vocabulary Email: Take your vocabulary to the next level with these daily vocabulary lessons in your email inbox
English With Tiffani App: Improve your English with my English App
Free English Newsletter: Receive English tips via email
Daily English Lessons Membership: Stop being stuck and finally go from the intermediate to the advanced English level with these daily English lessons
Speak English Like A Native Membership: Join this community and start speaking English more naturally
English Books & Resources: These resources will help you improve your vocabulary, sentence structures, interview skills, and much more.
V-E-I-PV-SP-AC-R
VOCABULARY 🎵
1. Ambivalent
Definition: Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone; being uncertain or unable to choose between two contrasting views.
- Example 1: I’m feeling ambivalent about accepting the job offer – the salary is excellent, but the commute would be exhausting.
- Example 2: Her ambivalent attitude toward marriage stems from witnessing both successful and failed relationships in her family.
- Example 3: The critics were ambivalent about the new film, praising its cinematography while criticizing its plot holes.
2. Affluent
Definition: Having a great deal of money or wealth; prosperous or rich.
- Example 1: The affluent neighborhood was lined with sprawling mansions and luxury vehicles in every driveway.
- Example 2: Despite being affluent, he lives modestly and donates a significant portion of his income to charity.
- Example 3: The rise in affluent millennials has changed marketing strategies for luxury brands worldwide.
3. Audacious
Definition: Showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks; showing a lack of respect or being impudent.
- Example 1: Her audacious plan to climb Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen impressed even the most experienced mountaineers.
- Example 2: The startup’s audacious claim that they could solve the energy crisis raised both eyebrows and millions in venture capital.
- Example 3: I was shocked by his audacious behavior when he interrupted the CEO’s presentation to challenge her statistics.
EXPRESSIONS 🎵
1. Add fuel to the fire
Definition: To make an argument, problem, or bad situation worse; to further incite an already tense situation.
- Example 1: His sarcastic comment only added fuel to the fire during the heated debate between the colleagues.
- Example 2: Please don’t add fuel to the fire by bringing up their past mistakes when they’re already upset.
- Example 3: The newspaper’s controversial headline added fuel to the fire of the ongoing political crisis.
2. Against the clock
Definition: Racing to meet a deadline; trying to accomplish something in a limited amount of time.
- Example 1: The surgical team worked against the clock to save the patient’s life after the serious accident.
- Example 2: We’re working against the clock to finish this project before the client meeting tomorrow morning.
- Example 3: The detective was against the clock as crucial evidence would be compromised if not collected within 24 hours.
3. At the drop of a hat
Definition: Without any hesitation; instantly or immediately; on the slightest signal or provocation.
- Example 1: My grandmother would bake cookies for us at the drop of a hat whenever we visited her.
- Example 2: Don’t make promises to help at the drop of a hat if you know you’re already overcommitted.
- Example 3: True friends will come to your aid at the drop of a hat when you really need them.
IDIOMS 🎵
1. All ears
Definition: Listening attentively; very interested in hearing what someone has to say.
- Example 1: If you have any suggestions about how we can improve our customer service, I’m all ears.
- Example 2: During the emergency meeting, employees were all ears, anxious to learn about their future job security.
- Example 3: When the renowned scientist began explaining his groundbreaking theory, the entire audience was all ears.
2. Apple of one’s eye
Definition: A person or thing that is cherished above all others; someone’s favorite or most beloved.
- Example 1: Their youngest daughter has always been the apple of her father’s eye, receiving special attention and affection.
- Example 2: That vintage Corvette is the apple of his eye – he spends every weekend polishing and maintaining it.
- Example 3: The talented young pianist was the apple of her teacher’s eye, showing remarkable progress with each lesson.
3. Ace up one’s sleeve
Definition: A hidden advantage or resource kept in reserve until needed; a secret plan or trump card.
- Example 1: The company had an ace up its sleeve – a revolutionary new product that would transform the industry.
- Example 2: The defense attorney revealed her ace up her sleeve when she presented the surprise witness who completely changed the case.
- Example 3: I always keep an ace up my sleeve during negotiations by researching my competitors thoroughly beforehand.
PHRASAL VERBS 🎵
1. Act up
Definition: To misbehave or malfunction; to not work properly; to cause trouble or problems.
- Example 1: My car has been acting up lately—it makes a strange noise whenever I accelerate on the highway.
- Example 2: The children started acting up during the long ceremony, fidgeting and whispering to each other.
- Example 3: His arthritis tends to act up more during cold, damp weather, causing significant discomfort.
2. Add up to
Definition: To amount to a particular total; to make sense logically; to have a particular significance or result.
- Example 1: All these small expenses add up to a significant amount by the end of the month.
- Example 2: The evidence doesn’t add up to a convincing case—there are too many inconsistencies in the witness testimonies.
- Example 3: Her dedication and extra hours of practice added up to an outstanding performance at the championship.
3. Account for
Definition: To explain or give a reason for something; to constitute a specified part or proportion of something; to take into consideration.
- Example 1: The manager asked him to account for his absence during the critical team meeting yesterday.
- Example 2: Online sales now account for nearly 40% of the company’s total revenue, showing a significant shift in consumer behavior.
- Example 3: The research team failed to account for several environmental factors, which compromised the validity of their findings.
SENTENCE PATTERNS 🎵
After [action], + [person/people] + [second action]
Definition: A sentence pattern that shows a sequence of events, with the first action (introduced by “after”) completed before the second action begins.
- Example 1: After we finished the marathon, we celebrated with a feast at our favorite restaurant.
- Example 2: After the storm passed, residents emerged to assess the damage to their properties.
- Example 3: After she mastered the basics of coding, Julia developed her first mobile application.
AMERICAN CULTURE 🎵
American Football
Definition: A distinctly American team sport that evolved from rugby in the late 19th century and has become the most popular spectator sport in the United States.
- Example 1: The Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League, has evolved into an unofficial American holiday, complete with parties, special food traditions, and highly anticipated commercial advertisements.
- Example 2: American football at the high school and college levels serves as a cultural institution in many communities, fostering local pride, traditions, and rivalries.
- Example 3: The strategic complexity and physical nature of American football reflect cultural values of teamwork, specialized roles, tactical planning, and physical toughness.
REVIEW 🎵
“A Letter of Ambition”
Alex stood at the edge of the university campus, heart racing. Today was the first day of his audacious plan to study abroad in America. Despite being affluent back home, here he was just another international student with broken English and dreams too big for his vocabulary.
“I’m all ears,” said his orientation guide, Olivia, noticing his confused expression as she explained the campus map. “First time in the States?”
Alex nodded. “Everything is happening so fast. I feel like I’m working against the clock to understand everything.”
“Don’t worry. After orientation week, things will settle down,” Olivia reassured him.
In his first linguistics class, Professor Williams introduced himself as a former American football coach who found his true calling in teaching English. “Language learning isn’t linear,” he explained. “Some days your pronunciation will act up, other days your grammar will flow perfectly.”
Alex quickly became the apple of Professor Williams’ eye with his determination. Despite struggling, he raised his hand at the drop of a hat whenever participation was encouraged.
His roommate, Tyler, however, only added fuel to the fire of Alex’s insecurities. “Your accent is too thick,” he commented one evening. “How will you ever lead class discussions?”
Feeling ambivalent about his decision to study abroad, Alex considered dropping out. But he had an ace up his sleeve – his passion for storytelling transcended language barriers.
For his midterm presentation, Alex prepared a multimedia story about his hometown. When technical difficulties struck, he improvised, using expressions like “add up to” and “account for” naturally as he painted pictures with words instead.
By semester’s end, Professor Williams asked Alex to share his language journey with incoming international students.
“I was terrified of speaking,” Alex admitted to the crowd. “But I realized that fluency doesn’t mean perfection. All those small conversations, mistakes, and recoveries add up to progress. Language is living – it grows with you.”
As applause filled the room, Alex smiled. His journey through the letter “A” had been just the beginning, but already he’d discovered that language acquisition wasn’t just about memorizing words – it was about having the courage to use them, even imperfectly.