words from the academic word list, words that will  help you have sophisticated English conversations,  

words you need to know if you're preparing for  the IELTS or TOEFL exams. I've been watching the  

posts you've been making about this challenge,  it's incredible, inspiring. Make up a sentence  

to a word you learned, and post it on social.  Don't forget to like and subscribe, and don't  

forget to download the study guide that goes with  this 30-day challenge. You can do that by clicking  

here or the link in the video description. Learn  the words, ace the quizzes, you've got this!  

Our first word today is SIMILAR.  

Similar. A three syllable word with first syllable  stress. Sim— ih-- lar. Similar. It's an adjective,  

meaning almost the same as someone or  something else. Our cats are similar in color.  

Pretty straightforward. But let's go to Youglish  for five real life examples after you watch up  

close and in slow motion.

Here's our first example. 

So it's really interesting  to see how similar these are. 

How similar they are. How  close to the same they are. 

So it's really interesting  to see how similar these are. 

Here's another example. But you might end up being drawn to each other  

or do you become more similar as you are together? Are you drawn to someone because you're similar,  

you're almost the same, or do you become  more similar because you're together? 

But you might end up being drawn to each other or  do you become more similar as you are together? 

Here's another example. So I think we share a little bit of similar DNA. 

Similar DNA. DNA that's close to being the same. So I think we share a little bit of similar DNA. 

Another example. Remarkably, all over the world,  

cultures have really similar stories,  similar mythologies about butterflies. 

Around the world, the stories of butterflies  from different cultures are close to the same. 

Remarkably, all over the world,  cultures have really similar stories,  

similar mythologies about butterflies. Our last example. 

But working along similar lines. Along similar lines. This is an idiom that means  

almost the same, comparable. Your vacation  sounds great, I'm interested in one along  

similar lines for my family trip this summer.  In other words, I'd like to do a vacation like  

the one you did with your family. But working along similar lines. 

Our next word is VARIABLE. Variable. In the first  syllable, the stressed syllable, we have the  

EH as in bed followed by schwa R. So those  sounds will change the EH vowel, it's not pure.  

Veh-- variable. It's not veh--  but veh-- eh-- vare, vare--  

a little bit more closed down. Variable.  Variable. It's an adjective, it means able or  

likely to change. It has a variable climate.  As a noun, it means something that changes or  

that can be changed. Unemployment is an economic  variable. Let's watch up close and in slow motion. 

And now we'll go to Youglish for five examples. I think that's the critical variable. 

The critical variable. The thing that changes  that matters the most in this situation. 

I think that's the critical variable. Here's another example. 

It is your physical activity  which is the most variable  

between people and the hardest to measure. The most variable, the most likely to change  

or be different. When looking at people, this  is a lot harder to measure than something like  

age, education, income level, and so on. It is your physical activity which is the  

most variable between people  and the hardest to measure. 

Here's another example. While, you know, primary  

education is now free in the US, it's  a tremendously variable quality right. 

Tremendously variable quality. The quality can be  very different, very changed from one situation to  

another. In one school, the educational quality  might be top notch, while in another school,  

in the same city, the quality is poor. While, you know, primary education is now free  

in the US, it's a tremendously  variable quality right. 

Another example. What's variable is when and how  

long a student actually has to work on something. What's variable, what changes, is when a student  

works on something and for  how long in this situation. 

What's variable is when and how long a  student actually has to work on something. 

Our last example. Think about, okay, fixed versus variable. 

Fixed versus variable. Comparing two  opposites here. Something that's fixed  

doesn't change, something that's  variable is able and likely to change. 

Think about, okay, fixed versus variable. Our last word today is SECTION.

A two syllable word with first syllable  stress. This one does have the pure  

EH vowel in the first syllable. Eh—section. It's  a noun, one of the parts that forms something.  

The section of this road is closed. But it can  also be a verb, to divide something into parts.  

Section the chicken and marinate the parts.  Let's see this up close and in slow motion. 

And now we'll go to Youglish for five examples. And there's a pretty big section of that  

pie chart, about 40 percent. A pretty big section of that  

pie chart. A big part. A pie chart is a way of  showing amounts of things, comparing percentages,  

how big a part is a section compared to  the other parts, and compared to the whole. 

And there's a pretty big section of  that pie chart, about 40 percent. 

Here's another example. I've also found in Italy, there's a lot of,  

you know, expensive fancy grocery  stores that have a deli section. 

A deli section. That is the part  of the store with a deli counter,  

where you can buy prepared foods or  slices of meat and cheese for sandwiches,  

for example, this would be different  than say the frozen foods section. 

I've also found in Italy, there's  a lot of, you know, expensive fancy  

grocery stores that have a deli section. Another example. 

Last section I'll move to um, the, the questions. The last section, the last part of this talk.  

His talk was divided into sections or  categories, what he was talking about,  

different topics. After the last section,  he'll be done and he'll take questions. 

Last section I'll move to um, the, the questions. Another example. 

Totally changing the health  section of the magazine. 

The health section. The part of the magazine  that covers issues related to health. Newspapers  

also have sections. When we get our paper  every Sunday, David and I divide out the  

sections. We each take a few to read and then  we trade them when we're done. Business Sunday,  

the book review, and so on. Totally changing the health section  

of the magazine. Our last example. 

The way that I'm going to section this  hair is I'm going to take my comb. 

Section this hair. There, it's the verb.  Divide the hair into different parts. 

The way that I'm going to section this  hair is I'm going to take my comb.

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 short video of your sentence,

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