Do you know the project “Humans of New York”?

13M subs on IG, does exactly what it’s called: tells the stories of NYC residents. In a kind way, exploring the different angles of NYC life.

Inspired by it, we started thinking about “Humans of @englishforimpact”

Why? Cause we’re learning to communicate and get our message across. We want this channel to be the springboard of human talent.

We’re honored to get the ball rolling with Irina Kan, the author of @chasingwine

Let’s give ❤️ to Irina? How many can we give? We know you can be generous!

🪴 Want to share your story here? DM @ybeymlina “humans of english for impact” and links to your projects

LITTLE vs. FEW ☺️ What's right?

In our Monday's video, the Candidate used "little" incorrectly. Strictly speaking, he'd fail a test at school, even though this usage of "little" is common among Americans

Candidate: HR often has problem with my PTO days
Interviewer: For taking too many?
Candidate: For taking... too... little

So WTF's wrong?

"Little" and "few" are both about small amounts, but they work with different types of things.

Use "little" with uncountable nouns, eg., water, time, money, or sugar.
🔠 For example:
"I have little time before my meeting"
"There's little milk left in the fridge"

Use "few" with countable nouns, eg. books, people, or cookies.
🔠 For example:
"Few people showed up to the party"
"I have few friends in this city"

Here's a quick trick: if you can put a number in front of the noun (eg., "3 books" or "5 apples"), use "few." If you can't count it that way (eg., you wouldn't say "3 waters" or "5 advices"), use "little."
In the video, "PTO days" are countable. That's why the Candidate should have said "too few PTO days," not "too little PTO days"

🐷 One more thing. Both words have a slightly negative feel, like there's not enough of something. If you want to be more positive, you can say "A little" or "A few" instead:
"I have a little money" (not much, but some)
"I have a few friends here" (not many friends, but some - more optimistic)

🪴 Share with a nerdy friend. (S)he will like it. And maybe will give you an encyclopedia for your next B-day. Give it a chance.

How to get $200 from "Air BnB" if you're not happy 💷 Full ESCALATION guide

If you follow the admin, @ybeymlina, on LinkedIn, you know that on October, the 3d, she faced an extreme flooding in an Air BnB apartment. What happened next:

1. Zero (0) support from the host or "Air BnB"
2. Yulia's request for a compensation
3. $3.69 in compensation from "Air BnB"
4. Escalation letter: a 7 step framework, 5 impact phrases. Fully disclosed in the PDF guide below
5. Cash-in: $200

[Access the PDF guide] Google drive 🔗

FULL video walk-through is scheduled for Saturday, October, 15th on our YouTube channel englishforimpact

🪴 Share with a friend who likes traveling. Stay empowered with @englishforimpact

TGIF time! A.k.a. "Thank God It's Friday"

TGIF Context and Tone
🫧Very casual and conversational, not appropriate for formal writing
🫧Common in workplace small talk and social media
🫧Often said with enthusiasm or a sense of relief after a long week

Common Responses
When someone says “TGIF!” to you, natural responses are:

1) “I know, right?”
2) “You said it!”
3) “Finally!”
4) “Tell me about it”
5) “Any plans for the weekend?”

Which side in the picture do you belong today?
👈 Left side
👉 Right side
💷 Waiting for that bank transfer from a Nigerian prince

🚽 The word of the day is "datarrhea." When "data" and "diarrhea" meet, their love child is "datarrhea."

Please feel free to incorporate* this crappy word into your corporate vernacular*

Transcript
The corporate word of the day is "datarrhea." This is the absolutely debilitating condition* of having nothing but shitty data to work with.

Oh gosh, you are clenching those numbers* close. You do not want to release that data because you just know that everyone is going to smell that it stinks*.

Let me use it in a sentence. "At the all-hands yesterday, the leadership team had a major case of datarrhea." I mean, they were up there, no joke, trying to measure engagement by the number of free pizza slices eaten. Are you kidding me?

Yeah. No.

*Glossary [see the sentence examples in the transcript]
🫧Vernacular - plain, everyday language
🫧To incorporate - to include and make a part of
🫧Debilitating condition - very bad condition, makes you unable to function
🫧To clench numbers - do mathematical work with a lot of data
🫧It stinks - it smells badly

🌼Bonus word: the opposite of "diarrhea" is "constipation"

IG reference hrmanifesto

Your turn
🔣 I work with the quantitative (eg., numbers, data, graphs)
🔠 I work with the qualitative (eg., words, images, relationships)
🕘 I stay away from work

Inside the Mind of a Procrastinator 🤯 11 phrases to speak about procrastination

S2S speaking plan for this week is based on “Inside the mind of a procrastinator” - a TED talk (60M views!) about procrastination by Tim Urban, who runs the blog “Wait But Why”. He shares his personal struggle with procrastination, starting with a story about writing his 90-page Harvard paper in just 72 hours after putting it off for an entire year.

🎧 Play the 9min podcast to get a fresh insight on procrastination and learn to use 11 phrases

11 phrases used in the podcast
1. To run the blog - To manage and regularly create content for a blog; to be in charge of a blog.
Sarah runs a popular food blog where she posts new recipes every Tuesday and Thursday.

2. To put it off - To delay doing something; to postpone a task until later.
I need to visit the dentist, but I keep putting it off because I'm nervous.

3. Instant gratification - Getting pleasure or satisfaction immediately, right now, without waiting.
Scrolling through social media gives us instant gratification, but studying requires patience.

4. Guilt-filled - Full of guilty feelings; feeling bad about something you did or didn't do.
After eating the entire cake, Maria had a guilt-filled evening on the couch.

5. Leisure activities - Fun things you do in your free time for enjoyment and relaxation.
Dad’s favorite leisure activities include fishing, reading mystery novels, and playing chess.

6. Deadlines approach - When the final date to complete something is getting closer and closer.
As deadlines approach, the office becomes quieter and everyone focuses on their work.

7. To loom - To appear as a threat or worry in the near future; to seem large and frightening ahead.
The final exam loomed over him like a dark cloud for the entire month.

8. To pursue creative dreams - To actively work toward achieving your artistic or imaginative goals.
After years in banking, she quit her job to pursue creative dreams of becoming a painter.

9. Frantic all-nighters - Staying awake all night in a rushed, stressed, and desperate way to finish work.
His college years were marked by frantic all-nighters fueled by coffee and panic.

10. Spectators in their own lives - Watching your life happen without actively participating; not taking control of your own life.
Many people become spectators in their own lives, letting opportunities pass by without taking action.

11. To chase dreams - To actively try to achieve your goals and aspirations; to go after what you want.
He moved to Los Angeles to chase dreams of becoming a Hollywood screenwriter.

Resources
🫧A sneak peek into S2S's full speaking plan for this week
🫧Englishforimpact's YouTube podcast with weekly uploads: new topics, new phrases, new insights

Can talks like this one really help fight procrastination? I don't know. We'll discuss this tomorrow with you, readers, after some vocabulary work

🪴 Want to join us tomorrow, Wednesday 6-7PM, MSC time, to discuss this topic, use 11 phrases, and meet driven people? Text Wednesday to @ybeymlina to sign up for free

Remember last week we shared “Humans of New York”?

13M subs on IG, does exactly what it’s called: tells the stories of NYC residents. In a kind way, exploring the different angles of NYC life.

Inspired by it, we started thinking about “Humans of @englishforimpact”

Why? Cause we’re learning to communicate and get our message across. We want this channel to be the springboard of human talent.

We’re honored to keep the ball rolling with Sergey Teslenko, the author of @wspmlife. Watch to see what it’s about. Better yet, check it out for yourself, if you speak Russian

Let’s give ❤️ to Sergey! How many can we give? Can you be generous today? ;)

🪴 Want to share your story here? DM @ybeymlina “humans of english for impact” and links to your projects/socials

3 challenging to pronounce B2/C1 level phrases

Yesterday, at 6PM Moscow time, the most dedicated readers took 1 power step to confident English speech. They met with @ybeymlina via Zoom to discuss the topic "Inside the mind of a procrastinator," based on Tim Urban's TED talk.

3 phrases appeared challenging to pronounce during yesterday's discussion. Here they are, fully clarified, for you to master them

🫧To pursue creative dreams: /tə pərˈsu kriˈeɪtɪv drimz/
> To actively work toward achieving your artistic or imaginative goals.
> After years in banking, she quit her job to pursue creative dreams of becoming a painter.

🫧Guilt-filled: /ˈgɪlt fɪld/
> Full of guilty feelings; feeling bad about something you did or didn't do.
> After eating the entire cake, Maria had a guilt-filled evening on the couch.

🫧Frantic all-nighters: /ˈfræntɪk ɔl ˈnaɪtɚz/
> Staying awake all night in a rushed, stressed, and desperate way to finish work.
> His college years were marked by frantic all-nighters fueled by coffee and panic.

🎧 Play the video to listen, repeat, and nail the pronunciation. Feeling ambitious? Drop a voice message saying these words out loud!

🪴