Hi there. My name is Emma, and today's video is about the word "about". So before I begin,
well it's also -- sorry --, it's about "about", "about to", and "not about to". So we're going
to look at what "about" means, what "about to" means, and what "not about to" means;
they have different meanings. But before I begin talking about the grammar
and what these expressions mean, I just want to say that you'll notice I have a Canadian
pronunciation of "about". Okay? So, if you ever hear an American make a joke about a
Canadian, one of the jokes they often make is about the way Canadians say "about". For
me, I don't actually hear the difference between how Americans say "about" and how Canadians
say "about", but any time I go to the States, as soon as I say this word they go, "You're
a Canadian." So just so you're aware: I have a Canadian pronunciation of the word "about".
So let's get started. First I'm going to talk about the word "about", then "about to", and
then "not about to". Okay, so "about". Now, there are many different meanings of the word
"about", I'm just going to go through two of the most common. So these are not all the
meanings, there are a lot of meanings. This is just... these are just the two most common.
So I have an example sentence here: "It's about five miles to town." So this means it's
close to five miles to town; it's around five miles to town. I'm not saying exactly, it's
five miles. I don't know, maybe it's 5.2 miles, maybe it's 4.9 miles, but it's around five
miles. I could say, "It's about three o'clock." I don't mean it's exactly three o'clock. Maybe
it's 2:59, maybe it's 3:05; it's close to that time. Okay? So that's the first meaning
that we use very often when we want to say: "It's not exactly, but it's close to."
The second meaning is when we want to say what the subject is, we want to know what
the subject of something is. So you might ask somebody: "What's Titanic about?" So this
is: -"What is the subject of the movie?" -"Well, it's about two people who fall in love on
a sinking ship." Another example of the same idea with subject
-- I love this question --, "What are you thinking about?" So I have a friend who always
asks her husband this question. She looks at him and she says, "What are you thinking
about?" And he's probably not thinking about anything I'm pretty sure or maybe work, and
he always says to her, "Nothing. Nothing, I'm, I don't know. I'm thinking, I don't know,
sports?" So my friend always asks this question hoping that he will say something very deep,
maybe something romantic, maybe something sweet. But usually, I'm pretty sure he's not
really thinking about much. So these are probably the two most common usages of "about". So
again, "close to" and you want to know the subject.
So now let's look at "about to". Okay, so now I'm about to talk to you about "about
to". So "Be + about + to", this has its own unique meaning. So "be" is a verb, then you
need "about", and don't forget this little preposition, this is important: "to". What
does this mean? It means you're going to do something soon; you're very close to doing
"I" -- you have your subject -- "am" -- which is the "I" form of "be" --, "I'm about to
eat dinner. Can I call you when I finish?" So this means: "I haven't started dinner yet,
but I'm going to eat dinner soon. Can I call you when I finish eating dinner?" Okay? So
My second example: "The movie is about to begin." So here we
have "is" which is the third form of "be", "about", and "to". So we have "Be about to
+ a verb". "Be about to sleep.", "I'm about to sleep.", "I can't do my homework, I'm about
to sleep.", "I'm about to go to class.", "I don't have time to talk because I'm about
to go to class." Meaning: "I'm going to class soon." Okay? So that's "about to".
Now, "Be not about to" actually has a different meaning. Okay? So although it's similar, you
still have your "to", the only difference is this is in a negative; the meaning is different.
"Be about to" has to do with determination. So, what do I mean by this? Well, here is
an example: I might say, "I am not about to stop studying English because I failed a class."
So this is a strong way to say... We don't write this, this is something we say in speech
when we talk. You're showing the person you have determination. In this case: "I'm not
about to stop studying English because I failed a class", you're showing you're not going
I might say, maybe I have a friend, maybe they want to wear a pink wig and clown makeup
in public. Okay? Kind of weird. I might say to them: "Listen, I'm not about to let you
go into public and embarrass yourself. I'm not about to let you wear that clown wig and
mask because you'll embarrass yourself." Okay? Another thing I might say: "I'm not about
to... I'm not about to move to Hawaii just because someone tells me Hawaii has nice weather."
So I'm showing strong determination. So it's a strong disagreement, I'm not about to do something.
All right, so let's do a quiz to see if you can remember the difference between "about",
"about to", and "not about to". Okay, so I have five sentences here, and together, I
want us to fill in the blanks with either "about", "be about to", or "be not about to".
Okay?
So let's do the first one together. "Shiv is _______ six feet tall." Do you think
this is "about", "be about to", or "not about to"? If you said "about", you are correct.
Meaning he is close to six feet tall, maybe he's 5'12, maybe he's 5'11; he's close to
Number two: "I'm _______ get on the train." "I'm about
get on the train.", "I'm about to get on the train.", or "I'm not about to get on the train."?
Well this one you could actually have two answers. You could say: "I'm about to get
on the train." Meaning soon, you will get on the train. You could also say: "I'm not
about to get on that train." Maybe you have a problem with the train, maybe you've seen
a scary movie about a train and you're really scared and so you want to say with determination:
"I'm not getting, I'm not about to get on that train." Maybe you see someone you know
that you don't like. So you could actually use "I'm about to" or "I'm not about to",
depending on if you want to say "I'm determined not to go on the train." or in this case:
"I'm going on the train soon." Okay, so both would be correct.
Number three: "Your father is _______ let you date Antonio."
Do you think this is "about", "about to", or "not about to"?
to let you date Antonio." So, I would say "not about to" because it sounds like maybe
fathers are protective of their daughters; they're worried about who their daughters
date so they're determined to prevent this man's daughter from dating Antonio. Okay?
But, on the other hand, maybe you have a very nice father who's not strict at all. Maybe
he decided he hated Antonio, and then he changed his mind, so maybe you could also say: "Your
father is about to let you date Antonio." But it's a little strange.
Number four: "What is Terminator _______?" "About", "about
to", "not about to"? "What is Terminator about?"
So here, we're looking for the subject. What's
the subject of Terminator? What's the movie about? Well, it's about a man who travels
back in time. It's a good movie.
Okay, number five: "I just heard Aziza and Ayesha talking _______
Nadira." So: "I just heard Aziza and Ayesha talking _______ Nadira." What do you think
it is: "about", "about to", or "not about to"?
"Talking about". So this isn't nice,
Nadira is the subject. Well, they could be saying nice things about Nadira, they could
be talking about Nadira in a very nice way, she, you know, saying she's a great person
but maybe they're not talking nicely about her. Okay?
So this video is about to finish. We have about maybe 10 seconds left. So before it
ends, I just wanted to say thank you for watching, and come visit us at our website: www.engvid.com
where you can try out our test to see how well you do with the difference between "about",
"about to", and "not about to". So until next time, take care.