Speaker 1: Unless you have something else to do right now, you
should listen to this whole podcast episode. And as long
as you're listening, why not take notes in case you
want to use the phrases from this lesson in your
daily English.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast coming to you from
New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
This is Happy English Podcast Episode eight eighty seven. How
to use unless, as long as and in case. Thanks
for tuning in and welcome back to the Happy English Podcast. Now,
today's topic actually comes from what question. In one of
my classes, my student was planning an event and she said,
we're going to go hiking unless it rains, and that
led to a great question. How is unless different from
if so? That's what I want to dig into today.
These three little phrases, unless, as long as, and in
case all help us talk about situations that might happen,
but they each have a different nuance and getting them
right can make your English sound more natural. Let's start
with unless, unless means if not. Unless is kind of
the opposite of if so. If I say, let's go
hiking unless it rains. What I really mean is let's
go hiking if it doesn't rain. Again, unless mean if not,
that's it. Like the other day my neighbor said he
was planning on painting his garage door unless it started raining.
Here's another one, I'll go to the mall tomorrow unless
the boss makes me work late. So using unless is
a great way to talk about something that will happen
unless there's a specific reason it won't, like I'll be
there by three o'clock unless there's traffic. And by the way,
we also use unless in sentences that already sound negative,
like we can't start the meeting unless the boss is here.
That's totally normal in English, even though can't is negative,
and unless kind of means if not using them together
isn't a double negative, it just means if some condition
is not met, the other thing won't happen, Like you
won't get into that club unless you're twenty one, or
you won't get an eight hundred on the tok unless
you study a little every day. Again, these all mean
that if the condition isn't met, the thing won't happen.
So yeah, even with a negative verb, unless fits in perfectly.
Now here's something to watch out for. Sometimes I hear
people say unless if like unless if it rains, but
we don't use unless and if like that. In English,
it's just unless it rains nice and clean. All right.
Next up, let's talk about as long as as long
as means only if or provided that you're saying this
thing can happen, but only under this condition. Like the
other day, my friend said, you can borrow my car
as long as you fill up the gas tank afterwards.
That's the condition. If I fill up the tank, I
can use the car. Or I told my niece you
could go out with your friends as long as you're
home by ten. That's the rule. No home by ten,
no going out. And here's a fun one. A few
months ago, I had lunch with a student who said, Michael,
I want to keep practicing English every day as long
as I don't get burned out. Totally natural use. He's saying,
I'll keep going, but only if I can handle it.
We use as long as a lot when we're planning
something or negotiating with someone, Like when I invited my
buddy ed to the karaoke bar. He was like, sure,
I'll go to karaoke with you as long as I
don't have to sing. We use that all the time.
This phrase helps you set a condition in a friendly,
casual way. Now let's move on to the third one,
and this one is different in case. We use in
case to talk about doing something because something else might happen.
In case is all about preparing for a possibility. Like
before I left the house this morning, I grabbed my
umbrella in case it rains, not because it's raining now,
but because it might rain. Same thing if I say
I brought snacks in case I get hungry later. I'm
not hungry now, but it could happen, so I'm ready.
This is where in case is different from if if
I say I'll take an umbrella if it rains, that
means I'll decide about taking my umbrella later when it
starts raining. I'll take an umbrella if it rains. But
I'll take an umbrella in case it rains means I'm
taking it now to prepare for rain. There's a subtle
difference in the meeting that you need to be careful about.
Here's another example. A friend of mine was hosting a
party and she told me I brought extra drinks in
case more people show up. She didn't know how many
guests would come, but she was ready. That's in case.
And here's one more. Leave the porch light on in
case I get home after dark. That's what I texted
my sister when I visited her last year. Again, I'm
not saying I will get home after dark, but just
in case. It's all about being prepared. Okay, let's do
a quick review on means. If not, I'll go for
a walk unless it rains, as long as means only
if you can go out as long as you're home
by ten. And in case means because something might happen,
bring a jacket in case it gets cold. So here's
your challenge. Think about your plans for the next few days.
Are you going anywhere doing anything? Try making one sentence
with each of these expressions, like I'll join the online
class unless my internet goes out, or I'll cook dinner
as long as you do the dishes, and I'll leave
early in case there's traffic. Try that and make your
English just a little more natural this week. And hey,
if you want to practice the English from this and
all of my podcasts with me and a group of
other awesome English learners. Come check out my podcast Learner's
Study Group. We meet once a week and go over
the language from these podcasts lessons together. It's a great
way to build confidence and improve your speaking. Just check
the link below where you are listening to this podcast
right now, or visit Myhappy English dot com and choose
podcast episode eight eighty seven for more info. Hey, thanks
for listening, and remember, learning another language is not easy,
but it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you
on your journey.
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Happy English, sus