Bob's Short English Lessons Learn the English Phrases I CAN'T HELP MYSELF and HELP YOURSELF!
Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases I CAN'T HELP MYSELF and HELP YOURSELF!
In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase I can't help myself. This is a phrase that we say when we can't resist doing something, when we just have to do something. Sometimes at work, people will bring yummy snacks to school. Maybe they'll bring cupcakes or some kind of cake or muffins or cookies, and they'll put them in the staff room, and then I just, I can't help myself. I have to take one and I have to eat it. I can't resist sweets sometimes. Usually what I try to do is not go in the room where someone has put yummy treats, because I can't help myself. I can't resist them. I usually take them and I eat them, usually one or two, sometimes three. If they're there all day, sometimes four. It's really bad, isn't it, but I can't help myself.
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The other phrase I wanted to teach you today is the phrase help yourself. When you say to someone, "Help yourself," you mean that they can have something, and we use this a lot with food. In my previous example, if someone brings food to the school and puts it in the staff room, they might put a little note on the board in the staff room that says "Help yourself. I made some cookies last night. If you want one, just help yourself." This means that you can simply take a cookie if you want one.
So to review, when I see snacks, I can't help myself and I usually eat one or two or three. Usually not four. Well, sometimes four, but I try not to, but I can't help myself. So when you say that you can't help yourself, it means you can't resist doing something. And then if you say to someone, "Help yourself," we almost always use this with food. You can use it with other things as well, but it's most commonly heard when someone puts food out somewhere and says to people, "Hey, if you want some, help yourself." It means that you are permitted to take some food, if you want to have some.
But hey, let's look at a comment from a previous video. Let me get it out of my pocket here. This comment is from Gaurav, and Gaurav says, "Hello, teacher. Can you teach me how to play hockey, please, eh?" And Roland responds and says, "Or create a lesson about excuses for bad hockey playing," and my response is this. "I haven't played hockey for many years. I still usually skate two or three times a year, but I haven't picked up a stick or put on hockey equipment for decades. I'm pretty sure I could still play, though, if I tried, but I would certainly be sore the next day."
So thank you, Gaurav, for that comment. No, I have not played hockey for a very long time. Sorry, I have to get through the leaves here. It's like I'm in the jungle. When I was younger, when I lived in Quebec City, what I really enjoyed was they had outdoor hockey rinks. So I would go to the outdoor hockey rink, usually during the day, and I would skate a little bit. I worked in a restaurant. I had a night shift job, and so during the day I would skate and practice my hockey, and then with my friends here in Ontario, Canada, as well. By the way, I lived in Quebec for about nine or 10 months. That's what I was talking about. With my friends was around here, we used to play hockey quite a bit, but things have changed, though.