days. We're learning 105 words from the academic  word list, so these are words you'll need to know  

if you're preparing for the IELTS or TOEFL exam.  But also if you read or watch the news in English  

or have conversations in English. These are  intermediate words and we're going to study  

them in real situations so your understanding  will go beyond just memorizing a definition.  

So grab your friends, have them  join you in this challenge,  

and let's do this! As always, if you like  this video, or you learned something new,  

please like and subscribe with notifications.  I'd love to have you as my student.

During these 30 days, we're learning 105  words together. I do have a download for you,  

a list of all the words with definitions and  sample sentences, as well as quizzes to make  

sure you're really getting and remembering these  words. You can get that download by following  

this link or the link in the video description.  Today, we're learning four new words and we're  

looking at the different ways these words are  used in various real situations. For each word,  

you'll get the definition, we'll go over the  pronunciation, you'll get to see it up close  

and in slow motion, and then we'll also go  to Youglish for five examples from real life. 

Our first word is COMMISSION.  

This is a three syllable word with middle syllable stress. 

You don't really need to put a vowel in the first  or last syllable. com-- com-- comi-- sion, sion.  

Commission. It's a noun, a group of people who've  been given the official job of finding information  

or controlling something. She served on the city's  water commission. It also means money paid to an  

employee for selling something. This job will  give a base salary, plus commission for each sale  

you make. As a verb, it means to order or request  something to be made or done. The travel magazine  

commissioned a story on the world's best beaches.  Let's look again up close and in slow motion. 

And now we'll go to Youglish to see  five examples of this word in context. 

My salary might change in the way that I get  a lower base salary, but a higher commission. 

This woman leads outdoor camping adventures  for groups. She has a guaranteed base salary  

or minimum salary, then in addition to that, she  makes extra money, a commission, for each person  

that goes on this adventure. For example, maybe  she receives another fifty dollars per person.

My salary might change in the way that I get  a lower base salary, but a higher commission. 

Here's another example. Serving on that commission  

was a transformative experience for me. Serving or working on a commission. This means  

that working with a group of people on specific  projects was a powerful thing that changed  

something about the way that he thinks or feels. Serving on that commission was a transformative  

experience for me. Let's see another example. 

We filed a successful complaint with  the main human rights commission. 

A human rights commission is a group of people  that hears and helps resolve problems that  

have to do with freedom of opinion, the  right to work, and education, and so on.  

For example, if a person feels that they aren't  being treated equally because of the color of  

their skin, they can file a complaint or  report to the human rights commission.  

This group will help this person's voice be heard  in a legal way, and work towards fair treatment. 

We filed a successful complaint with  the main human rights commission. 

Let's look at another example. It doesn't have to be, you know, joining a  

huge commission or something that's big and showy. Commissions are typically groups of people that  

are working on specialized problems and  they're public. This means their work and  

decisions are not secret or hidden. If  you join a commission, that's something  

that people in public spaces are going to  know about, which could feel big and showy. 

It doesn't have to be, you know, joining a huge  commission or something that's big and showy. 

Our last example. So the story was uh, this was  

commissioned by, and for National Geographic. This guy is saying that the magazine,  

National Geographic, paid money to a writer to  travel the Australian outback all by herself for  

a period of time, then write an interesting  piece about it to publish in the magazine. 

So the story was uh, this was commissioned  by, and for National Geographic. 

Our next word is CREDIT.

As a noun, this word has several meanings. It can mean borrowed money that  

has to be paid back in the future. For example,  in the past, stores allowed their customers to buy  

food and other things on credit. It also means a  record of how well you've paid bills in the past.  

She always pays her bills on time so  she has good credit. It can also mean  

an amount of money added to an account. We'll  put credit back on your card for the return.  

And finally, it can also mean praise or special  attention for doing something. Bill got credit  

for inventing the telephone, though many other  inventors were working on the project. As a verb,  

it means to add an amount of money to a total.  Your payment of $38.50 has been credited to your  

account, which brings the total you owe down to  $25. Let's look again up close and in slow motion. 

And now we'll go to Youglish to see  five examples of this word in context. 

Your credit cards are maxed out. Maxed out. Every credit card has a  

maximum limit that you can use it for. If your  card has a max limit of five thousand dollars,  

and you use it to reserve five thousand dollars of  airline tickets, you won't be able to buy anything  

else with that card until you pay the credit card  company back that five thousand, plus interest,  

depending on how long it takes you to pay them  back. You've maxed out what you can buy on credit. 

Your credit cards are maxed out. Here's another example. 

But to his credit, he was so funny. To his credit. Something good or positive  

about someone. He probably just mentioned  a negative quality about another guy,  

maybe this guy was always a few minutes  late to work, but he was funny, so his  

boss didn't mind too much. This thing,  this positive quality was to his credit. 

But to his credit he was so funny. Let's see another example. 

I can take credit for the  failures, not for the success. 

This is a very humble thing to say. Instead of  saying yes, this thing turned out amazingly well  

and it's all because of me. He's taking  responsibility for the mistakes along the  

road to success. It's a way to honor the other  people who helped you, or worked with you. When  

someone says congratulations, you might reply,  I can't take full credit or something like that. 

I can take credit for the  failures, not for the success. 

Let's look at another example. Finch, Moody's, and S&P have now given the state  

its highest credit rating in over 40 years. There are a few companies in the US that can look  

at all of your purchase loan and credit history  and give you a score called a credit rating.  

If you want to borrow a large amount of money  to buy a house or a car, the lender or bank  

will first look at that number, your credit score. Finch, Moody's, and S&P have now given the state  

its highest credit rating in over 40 years. Our last example. 

I, I think I'm gonna have to  credit you now for an idea. 

Here, 'credit you' means to point to you as  the source. When my four-year-old decided to  

stop taking afternoon naps, my husband suggested  that we let him listen to audiobooks in his room  

for an hour instead, and it worked. We did get  that hour of space to ourselves that we needed.  

It was a great idea and I credit David  for it. It was his idea, not mine. 

I, I think I'm gonna have to  credit you now for an idea. 

Our next word is INVESTMENT.  

This word has a T between two other consonants,  so it might be dropped. Investment, or it might  

be a true T, investment. But more commonly,  it will be dropped. Investment. It's a noun,  

and it means the act of using money to earn  more money. Also, it means spending money, time,  

energy, and so on, with the idea that it will  increase something in value or usefulness. Buying  

our house was a great investment. I'm investing  the time to do extra Math games with my daughter  

because I want her to be confident at Math.  Let's look up close and in slow motion. 

And now we'll go to Youglish to see  five examples of this word in context. 

My investment is in their success and that's it. Who's invested in your success?  

These are the people who've spent time helping  you get the knowledge and skills that you need.  

They've helped pay for classes, or tuition, or  other training, or maybe they've given you support  

in non-financial ways, like helping you study,  or taking care of your kids so you could work.  

They've invested in you because they  want to see good results in your life. 

My investment is in their success and that's it. Here's another example. 

We're making a rather large  investment in the technology for this. 

He's saying that his company or partners  are giving lots of money to the people who  

are designing the technology. They give money  to help start something new, and later, these  

investors hope to see the technology succeed and  get all of their invested money back, plus more. 

We're making a rather large  investment in the technology for this. 

Let's see another example. They are mothers who are  

living in communities where the schools are  failing, where there's a lack of investment. 

What does it take for students in a school  to be successful? Of course, good teachers,  

good resources, like books, computers, materials,  classrooms, and how do schools get these things?  

Money. Government, or private money is  needed to help a school get the things  

it needs for students. She's saying that no  investment leads to underperforming schools. 

They are mothers who are living in  communities where the schools are failing,  

where there's a lack of investment. Let's look at another example. 

We doubled down on our  investment in renewable energy. 

Doubled down means to try twice as hard, or  with two times as much effort for something.  

Obama reports that the US increased  its spending on renewable energy like  

solar or wind power. It doubled down. We doubled down on our investment in  

renewable energy. Our last example. 

So I think a lot of it is being  funded by investment money. 

Investment money helps businesses grow. If you  receive investment money, you can use it to pay  

for things like employees, or to set up your  business. But with it, you take the promise  

you'll pay it back, plus interest. So I think a lot of it is being  

funded by investment money. Our last word today is PURCHASE.  

A two syllable word with first syllable stress.  We've got the UR vowel there like in bird  

and it mixes, it blends with the R,  they're really just one sound. Pp--urr--  

Pur— purchase. It's a verb, it means to  buy property, goods, etc., you can purchase  

souvenirs at the gift shop. As a noun,  it means the act of buying something. My  

most expensive purchase this year was my car.  Let's watch again up close and in slow motion. 

And now we'll go to Youglish to see  five examples of this word in context. 

Every time he made a wine  purchase, Lussier thought  

about the parties he would host for his friends. Use a noun before 'purchase' to describe exactly  

what you spent money on: a car purchase, a  home purchase, a vacation property purchase.  

this structure, is a fancy  way to say I bought something. 

Every time he made a wine purchase,  Lussier thought about the parties he  

would host for his friends. Here's another example. 

Farmable soil, if you go to purchase  it, costs four dollars a pound. 

He's talking about the cost of soil or  dirt that can be used to grow plants. 

Farmable soil, if you go to purchase  it, costs four dollars a pound. 

Let's see another example. One of the things I'm looking  

at now is what types of equipment do I purchase? This speaker is in charge of a health and wellness  

program at UC Berkeley. He's thinking about  what kind of gym equipment he needs to buy. 

One of the things I'm looking at now is  what types of equipment do I purchase? 

Let's look at another example. They have our credit cards,  

they have our location, they  have our purchase history. 

Google, Facebook, and other companies are always  collecting information, about how we use our  

computers and phones, things that we search for,  and things that we buy, or our purchase history. 

They have our credit cards, they have our  location, they have our purchase history. 

Our last example. Real estate is obviously a major purchase. 

Real estate. Land and the buildings on it.  Buying a piece of real estate, like a house,  

is a big decision, a major purchase. Real estate is obviously a major purchase. 

Seeing their real-life examples can really help  you understand how to use these words, can't it?  

I have a challenge for you now. Make  up a sentence with one of these words,  

make a video of yourself saying it,

and post it to social media, tag me, and use  the hashtag #rachelsenglish30daychallenge

Don't be shy, you can do this. Our next video  comes out tomorrow at 10AM Philadelphia time,  

come back to learn four more vocabulary words.  In the meantime, keep your studies going with  

this video, and check out my online courses at  Rachel's English Academy. You'll become a more  

confident English speaker. And please do remember  to subscribe. I love being your teacher.  

That's it and thanks so much  for using Rachel's English.