Hi there, this is Harry.
Welcome back to Advanced English Lessons with Harry, where we try to help you to get a better understanding of the English language.
So this is an advanced English lesson.
It's about vocabulary, and it's vocabulary that we can use when things go bad.
So alternative words to use.
So when things take a turn for the worse, then you need to know how you can express it.
Okay so let me go and give you an example or indeed situations when you can use them.
So the first is a step backwards.
Well if we have to take a backward step or a step a step backwards it means that things are not going quite as well as they should.
So if you're planning to do some additional education and you complete the documents for the university and they tell you well look before you can actually do this course you need to do an introduction course first of all so that's going to take you six or nine months that's the rule of the university so you're going to have to do that first and he said well that's a little bit of a backward step it's going to set me back by an extra year so you might consider that to be a backward step or a step backwards but you don't really know or indeed if somebody somebody is in their job.
They're looking to get promoted, but nothing happens.
And then out of the blue, the company announced that they are merging with another company.
So they're going to be taken over.
Unfortunately, when a merger happens, somebody loses out.
So what happens, you get called in by your boss to say your department is going to merge with another department and And they're going to be X number of managers ahead of you.
So that promotion you wanted is not going to happen for some time.
So you see this merger as a step backwards for you.
It's a backward step.
It's not you moving forward. Perhaps the company is moving forward. But for you, it's something entirely different.
And you might have to consider your position.
Okay, so a step backwards.
To go to the dogs. Very, very informal idiomatic expression.
expression when things go to the dogs well we might as well just give up yeah this country has gone to the dogs it's a very common expression when people are a little bit dissatisfied or more than a bit dissatisfied with the performance of their government or ah they can't do anything they can't get anything right so this country has gone to the dogs so it's a real expression of frustration when you you really think there's nothing left to do but pack your bags pack your boxes and head to another country yeah but guess what as we say the grass is always greener on the other side and you'll probably
find whichever country you go to other people are sitting in their kitchens and sitting in their offices saying ah this government this country it's gone to the dogs yeah okay so gone to the dogs means yeah you might as well throw it to the dogs and let them pull it apart it's not going to improve gone to the dogs and for those of you and your friends or family who want one -to -one lessons well you know what to do just get in touch www .englishlesson via skype .com and you can apply for a free trial lesson and we'd be very happy to hear from you and very happy to help you and then to add insult to
injury well when things get worse we can use this expression and to add insult to injury so usually it's an expression used by people who are are a bit unhappy with what happened and then after that something else happens.
So if we talk about the boss who calls you in and tells you that you haven't got that promotion, that somebody else is getting it or there's a freeze on the promotions, you might use the expression and then to add insult to injury he told me that I wasn't even going to get a salary increase.
So the first bit of bad news was the fact that you weren't going to get the promotion.
The second bit of bad news which added insult to injury was the fact that you were told you weren't going to get a salary increase.
So a double blow, a real hammer blow.
So to add insult to injury.
And again, you can use it in lots of other situations.
Your friends forgot about your birthday.
And to add insult to injury, they didn't even invite me to go with them for the weekend when they were all heading off fishing or doing something else.
They didn't think that you'd be interested, so they didn't ask you.
So to add insult to injury, the double blow.
First problem, and then the second problem, to add insult to injury.
OK, and the next word, to go from bad to worse.
So here's the expression when things are bad and then they get even worse.
So we use that expression, to go from bad to worse.
So lots of situations when you can use this expression.
For example, the weather.
So the winter starts off cold and wet.
but then as you get into the next few months you get snow, heavy frost, strong winds and yeah the weather has gone from bad to worse so I've never known a winter like it.
It started off wet and windy but before we knew it getting into December it had gone from bad to worse.
We couldn't drive the car because we were snowed in a couple of days.
The roads are in really bad condition.
It It was difficult for the people gritting the roads to keep up with the level of the snowfall.
So we can use that expression.
Things have gone from bad to worse.
And again, as we spoke previously about economic situations, well, then the economy can go from bad to worse.
We get a slowdown in the economy.
We get an increase in inflation.
And to make matters worse, then we get increase in the price of fuel and gas and all sorts of aspects like that.
So yes, we can gradually or generally say that the economy has gone from bad to worse, from bad to worse.
To be all downhill.
Well, when you're going downhill, if you ski, you know how quickly it happens.
You go from the top to the bottom in no time at all.
So when things go downhill, we usually say they go from bad to worse.
When it's downhill, it's like a snowball effect.
Very hard to stop. okay so somebody might say oh my career has gone downhill ever since we got that new manager he just doesn't like me no matter what I do he's complaining I haven't had a promotion I've had no salary increase no bonus my career is not even standing still it's just going downhill and going downhill rapidly so you're really a little browned off you're really a bit annoyed and frustrated it you're not quite sure how you're going to deal with it but yeah things can go downhill so when things start going bad they can go downhill very quickly the football team and as you know by now
I really love my football but if a team has a run of bad luck they're losing games the players got injured the manager is losing a bit of faith in the team and the team losing a bit of faith in the manager, then things can go from bad to worse very quickly or downhill.
So this season has been a disaster.
We've gone from bad to worse.
It's downhill from here.
I don't think we'll actually get anywhere and we'll be very, very lucky to escape relegation.
So it's all downhill.
Deteriorate. Well, it's a very formal word and you have to be careful here with the pronunciation.
Deteriorate. Deteriorate.
So when things deteriorate, they do take a turn for the worse.
But it's gradual. OK, so it's not just a once off thing.
For example, if you have a home and you haven't painted or decorated it for some time, then if it's been a lot of rain or bad bad weather, then the brickwork or the wooden surrounds, they can deteriorate quite quickly.
So you get water ingress.
And when you get water in between cracks, then you get problems with damp.
So when you don't maintain the home and you don't have some upkeep and some renovations, then the condition of the house will deteriorate very quickly.
So this is a good way in which you you can use the word, the deterioration of the home, the condition of the home, both outside and inside.
So, to deteriorate.
Or indeed, when we talk about somebody's health, if somebody has had an operation and everything was going okay in recovery, but then suddenly they get an infection in the hospital, then their health can deteriorate really, really quickly.
So, So we have to be really quick and the doctor has to be told and they have to get various injections.
But the report from the doctor will say, oh, well, he was recovering.
But unfortunately, things have begun to deteriorate.
So the next 24 hours are critical in relation to survival.
So to deteriorate means health to go from bad to worse, to take a turn for the worse.
Decline. This is a little bit more formal.
when we say things are in decline, it means they are getting worse or they are turning bad.
So for example the economy, when it's turning bad and people are seeing really high inflation in their own economies, gas prices going up, petrol prices increasing, food prices increasing.
So the economy is in decline, it's getting bad or it's going from bad to worse.
So things have been in decline for several months so since the turn of the year each of the economic reports that we read shows the indicators are very clear that we are in decline yeah the economy is in decline economic activity is in decline growth is in decline so it's a an expression that we use very very seriously and significantly when we're talking about economy.
So when things go bad, then yes, they're in decline.
Regress. Well, this is quite a formal word. Progress is moving forward. Regress is going backwards.
So if we regress in some ways, we just don't improve.
We are taking backwards steps.
yeah so somebody's let's say behavior in the classroom has regressed so perhaps the teacher had reasons to talk to you about the performance or lack of performance of the children in school something has happened so she tells you that that young Billy or Johnny or Mary is not doing as well as the other people and indeed their behavior has really been bad for the last few weeks and she was is waiting to have the parent teachers meeting to tell you about it and then she says well indeed in the last week the performance has regressed again other kids did really well in the midterm test but Billy
or Mary or John didn't do so well in fact they've gone backwards their performance their behavior their attitude all of these have regressed so the teacher might want to know what's happening at home or what's happening with Billy or Mary is there something that they need to discuss.
Okay. So they may be feeling worried or nervous or anxious and they're afraid of making mistakes.
So their performance has regressed.
It's gone backwards.
Okay. Disintegrate.
Well, when things disintegrate, they usually fall apart.
So if there's a big explosion, a gas explosion in a building, the whole building will disintegrate or just collapse and fall to to pieces.
Or if you drop a piece of china, very thin porcelain or something on the hard ground, it will literally disintegrate, will just fall to pieces.
So when things go from bad to worse and they disintegrate, it means they just really fall apart.
Relationships can disintegrate.
So people start off on really, really good terms. They've great ideas about the future.
But gradually the relationship gets into a little bit of difficulty no communication not really on the same page on the same wavelength as we say and bit by bit the relationship disintegrates okay so they stop talking they stop going out they stop trying to find out what the problem is they ignore each other and then finally somebody leaves or they just decide that's it we've had enough so So the whole relationship breaks up.
So we can use the word disintegrates.
Okay, so when something disintegrates, it falls apart.
Boom, like a big explosion.
Nothing left. Nothing can be found to disintegrate.
Worsen. Well, worsen is just a way to describe how things get worse.
Okay, so the medical condition has worsened overnight.
overnight the weather conditions have worsened over the last few nights the prognosis for the recovery of the the economy or the business have worsened so it's when things are bad are they anticipate them to get worse okay so we can say they have worsened or they will worsen in the next few days or they will get worse before they get better all of those Those types of phrases can be used when things are going bad, turning bad or going from bad to worse.
We can say they will worsen, they have worsened, things will continue to worsen.
So you can use it in all of those situations that I've given you as an example.
Okay, so they're all expressions, 10 expressions and examples of how you can use them where you can substitute something for going bad or when things take a turn for the worse.
Okay. As I say, you know the drill by now.
I'm going to go back through them and hopefully you then get an opportunity to practice them, to try out a few of them, see can you introduce them into your conversations.
And if you need any help, I'm always here.
Okay. So here they go.
A step Step backwards or backwards step, step backwards.
To be all downhill, all downhill from here.
Decline, to be in decline.
Deteriorate, remember the pronunciation, deteriorate.
To go from bad to worse, to go from bad to worse.
Regress, quite formal, regress.
So the opposite of progress, regress.
Disintegrate, disintegrate.
worsen. Things have gone to the dogs.
This country has gone to the dogs.
And then finally, add an insult to injury.
Okay, so if you need more examples, come back to me at www .englishlessonviaskype .com.
Very, very happy to hear from you and very, very happy to help you further.
As always, I appreciate you watching.
This is Harry saying goodbye and join me for your next lesson.
