1 00:00:04,639 --> 00:00:09,240 Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from New York City. 2 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:14,839 And here's your English teacher, Michael. All right, thank you Johns. 3 00:00:14,919 --> 00:00:22,519 Thanks everyone. This is Happy English Podcast, Episode four seventy two. Three 4 00:00:22,519 --> 00:00:28,960 Phrases with better. I'm sure that you guys know the word better is the 5 00:00:29,039 --> 00:00:37,119 comparative form of good. You know good better best. Well, we have 6 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:42,439 a number of different phrases in English that use the word better. So for 7 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:49,039 today's English lesson, let's check him out. Here's one quick thing before we 8 00:00:49,119 --> 00:00:53,439 get started. And no, I'm not trying to sell something here. If 9 00:00:53,439 --> 00:00:59,119 you like this podcast, I'm sure you will love my YouTube channel. Two. 10 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,560 Yes, that's right, I have a YouTube channel too, And right 11 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:08,560 now my YouTube channel has a little less than seven thousand subscribers, but I'm 12 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:15,000 really hoping to reach fifty thousand subscribers this year. Can you help me and 13 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:21,280 subscribe to my YouTube channel. All you need to do is go to YouTube 14 00:01:21,519 --> 00:01:26,200 and look for Happy English and why. Thank you so much for your support. 15 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:32,799 Now on to today's lesson. First of all, we use the phrase 16 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:38,519 had better. Had better is generally used in English to give a warning. 17 00:01:38,239 --> 00:01:42,319 Let me give you an example. If it's a cold day, and you 18 00:01:42,439 --> 00:01:49,480 have just taken a shower before you go outside, you had better dry your 19 00:01:49,519 --> 00:01:55,359 hair. You had better dry your hair before you go outside, because if 20 00:01:55,400 --> 00:02:00,959 you don't, you might catch a cold. So had better is used to 21 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:07,040 give someone a warning. If you don't do that thing, something bad might 22 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:12,400 happen. Here are some other examples. The doctor told Joe that his health 23 00:02:12,479 --> 00:02:17,120 is at risk, he had better stop smoking. You have an important exam 24 00:02:17,159 --> 00:02:22,280 tomorrow, you had better study for it if you want to get a good 25 00:02:22,319 --> 00:02:28,759 grade. Here is one more important point about had better. Sometimes I hear 26 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:36,199 people say you had better followed by the preposition too, like you had better 27 00:02:36,319 --> 00:02:42,960 to study for the exam, But using two is actually not correct. You 28 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:47,199 had better study for the exam. I think the confusion here comes from the 29 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:53,879 fact that we do use the phrase it's better to, and that's our next 30 00:02:53,960 --> 00:03:00,199 point. We use the phrase it's better to when we want to get give 31 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:07,439 someone a suggestion. The grammar is it's better to, followed by a base 32 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:13,360 verb. For example, if you want to travel from Times Square to the 33 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:17,639 World Trade Center during rush hour, it's better to take a subway than a 34 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:24,080 bus. It's better to take a subway. This means taking a subway is 35 00:03:24,199 --> 00:03:30,319 better than taking the bus. Here are some other examples. The oyster bar 36 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:35,680 serves steak as well as seafood, but since it's the oyster bar, I 37 00:03:35,719 --> 00:03:39,639 think it's better to order fish. The weather forecast said we're going to have 38 00:03:39,759 --> 00:03:45,960 snow tomorrow, so I think it's better to stay home and work from home 39 00:03:46,319 --> 00:03:50,800 than it is to drive to the office. In a similar way, we 40 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:57,639 use the phrase be better off to give someone a suggestion. The grammar is 41 00:03:58,719 --> 00:04:05,120 would be better off, followed by an ing verb. For example, if 42 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:10,759 you want to travel from Times Square to the World Trade Center during rush hour, 43 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:15,800 you would be better off taking a subway than a bus. You would 44 00:04:15,879 --> 00:04:20,240 be better off taking a subway than the bus. This also means that taking 45 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:26,040 a subway is better than taking a bus. Here are some other examples. 46 00:04:26,639 --> 00:04:30,439 This is a seafood restaurant, and even though they have steaks on the menu, 47 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:35,839 I think you're better off ordering fish. Since it's going to snow tomorrow, 48 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:40,959 I think I'm better off working from home than trying to drive to the 49 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:46,759 office. Well that's our English lesson for today. If you want to read 50 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,079 the examples in this lesson, or get word for word transcripts of the Happy 51 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:57,079 English podcast, just visit Myhappy English dot com and check lesson four seventy two 52 00:04:57,759 --> 00:05:02,079 and by the way, podcast transfer grips up until this lesson will be available 53 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:09,480 in just a couple of weeks. Thanks for your patience and thanks for studying, 54 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:17,160 and I'll see you next time at Happy Ideas. This podcast was brought 55 00:05:17,199 --> 00:05:23,680 to you by Happy English. Please visit Myhappy English dot com. Show your 56 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:28,319 support more Happy English by leading as a reviewer. Get English, Get Happy, 57 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:38,639 Happy English.