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  • Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Lesson 324. The title of today's lesson

  • is the difference between costly and expensive. Yeah. This is another one that

  • sometimes comes up. Students may say well, what's the difference between costly and

  • expensive ? Because they both seem to refer to a high price. So let's take a

  • look at the note. So we can distinguish about them. All right. Let's look at the

  • definition of expensive first. Expensive is a high price, especially more than you

  • think it's worth or a price that is considerably above the average price of

  • something of this particular quality or this particular standard. So you've

  • probably seen it cheaper other places and for that reason your opinion

  • considers this one to be more expensive. So you don't think it's worth it because

  • maybe other places may sell it at a lower price. So therefore you think it is

  • expensive. Let's continue here. We tend to use expensive for everyday items,

  • services, etc. that we commonly buy. Yeah. So , so as opposed to when we get to the

  • word costly. Costly if when we use it in regard to being a high price, it usually

  • is for things that are almost always a high price. So that there's a difference

  • right there. All right. Let's continue. Look at the note here. Costly has a couple of

  • uses and meanings. All right. So this is another one of costly meanings. First it

  • is used for something that includes loss or something you must give up. Now this

  • is one where it's different from expensive. So in this case you'll

  • probably only use costly and not expensive. So let's give an example here.

  • That was a costly mistake, meaning this mistake probably ended up making you

  • lose money or you lost something else that was probably important to you . Maybe,

  • maybe a guy he maybe cheated on his wife and maybe it ended up

  • costing him his marriage. So it was a costly mistake. So sometimes it's not

  • always specifically even in money but you didn't lose something. You lost

  • something that was important. In this case you could use costly or the second

  • one here. It turned out to be a costly tweet. Ye.

  • We've seen this happen to several famous people now. The company fired her over

  • what she said. So maybe she said something in the tweet that you know,

  • caused a controversy or some some sort of statement. That a lot of people didn't

  • like and maybe she ended up losing her job over this. So she didn't, she didn't

  • specifically pay money for this. She wasn't buying it but it did indeed cause

  • a loss. She lost her job. Okay. Or he lost her job or he lost his job. Either way.

  • All right. Now let's let's continue here. The second meaning of costly is more

  • similar to expensive. It does mean something costs a lot. So here's where

  • there could be a little more confusion, but it is not necessarily overpriced. Just like I said before. We tend to use things for costly that always cost a lot

  • of money or more than fair value. It may actually be fair value for what it is,

  • but you think that you know, when you're saying it's costly it's a high price

  • probably more than you can afford to pay. Probably, so it usually implies that it

  • is a high price because of the quality or rarity of some things. So in this

  • sense you might think that you know, well it's the high price but you know just

  • that's just the way it is with this particular item or service. Okay. Let's

  • continue. All right. So we give one example in this you know, precious stones,

  • You know things like diamonds or rubies or sapphires. Precious stones are

  • beautiful but unfortunately, they are also costly. Costly in this sense meaning

  • yeah the price is just too high. They are far beyond my budget. So it's , it's not

  • like you you think this , this particular one that's being sold here ...maybe some

  • somewhere else it's cheaper. You just think it's it's always too expensive

  • when you're saying it this way.Okay could there be a possibility where you

  • think both. Where you think that , that it's higher than the normal price and

  • that it is high. Yeah. So there is a little crossover sometimes. But here again. The

  • focus is on that. It's just always a high price and then maybe you know, because of

  • that. It makes it hard for you to be willing to spend your money on that. All

  • right. Let's continue. All right. Now here is where a student could make a mistake here.

  • If they said it is too costly to have your wedding in Hawaii. All right well

  • maybe you know somebody has this dream but you know they're not thinking about

  • it you know, like if you invite all the other guests. All the other guests, they

  • might not be willing to spend money to go to Hawaii . It may cost them a real lot. So in

  • this case, you should just simply say it is too expensive to have your wedding in

  • Hawaii. Yeah. It would just cost too much money. Okay. Let's look at the next one

  • here. That item costs double the price at this store. It is too costly. No. You know,

  • with the X again that's wrong. So with the check. You should say it's too

  • expensive. This is good. This is again probably just an everyday item. A common

  • item and you just think that this store is overpriced their prices are too high

  • you can get it somewhere else. In that case you should just be using expensive

  • and not costly. Okay and I guess we have a last example down here. If you make the

  • price too costly for customers you know, this is probably a business talking. To

  • costly for customers. They will be unwilling to to pay it or to pay the

  • price. So in this case you should say if you make the price too expensive. Yes in

  • this sense. So if you make the price too high. it's above. Yes. Basically.

  • That they can't afford to pay that. So in that sense you should probably use

  • expensive here and not costly. Yeah. Again you're just probably talking about a

  • common item maybe other people who get similar types of items maybe not the

  • same exact one, but when you're looking at this quality and you know the

  • workmanship of this item, it probably doesn't deserve that higher price. So

  • therefore you should use that it's too expensive. Okay. Anyone I hope you got it.

  • I hope now you got a better understanding of when you should use

  • costly and when you should use expensive. Okay I hope it was informative. Thank you

  • for your time. Bye-bye.

Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Lesson 324. The title of today's lesson

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