Optimistic English! Talking positively about 2018 | Vocabulary and Collocations

Video Transcript
Section 1
Hello! I’m Emma from mmmEnglish! Well it’s a brand new year. 2018 has just started – just a few hours ago. If there’s one thing that you can be certain of, at the beginning of a new year, it’s that anything is possible.

You have 12 full months ahead of you to reach your goals and to turn your dreams into a reality. Whether those dreams are about English, about travel, starting a family, work, going to university, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of optimism and positive energy to get ready to take action this year.

I hope that you’re sharing your goals with your friends and family, it’s a really great way to make sure they happen, by talking about them, by setting expectations. I’m sure that you’re sharing good thoughts and positive energy with your family and friends, encouraging them to improve or to try something different. I know because that’s the kind of person you are.

So in this lesson, I’m going to share some common English expressions that will help you to talk positively about the coming year. So get ready to share some smiles my friends, this is going to be a great lesson!

First up there are some pretty fabulous adjectives that you could be using.

Fabulous obviously, which means extremely good.
Incredible, which is also used to say something is extremely good.
Amazing, used to say that something is really enjoyable.
And spectacular, which is used to say that something is extremely impressive.
Or exceptional, which is used to say that something is extremely good or impressive but in an unusual or a unique way.

Now notice which syllable is stressed in these words, almost all of them are stressed on the second syllable.

Fabulous is the only exception but this is especially important when you want to emphasise the meaning of a word and to make it stronger. You push down on the stressed syllable, push down harder on it. Try it with me.

Fabulous. Incredible. Amazing. Spectacular. Exceptional.

You’re going to have a spectacular year.
This is going to be an incredible year.
You had an exceptional year, last year and this one will be even better!

Something that I do a lot is I add adverbs to sentences just like this, to really show how enthusiastic I am and how positive my message is. So I might say wildly or absolutely or incredibly with my adjectives and my noun.

I want to have a wildly successful year. 
I hope it will be an incredibly fulfilling year for you!

Now this is unnecessary but if you’re feeling extremely positive and excited, you can imitate my expression.

Another great tip is to use adverbs to show that you’re really sure of something.

It’s definitely going to be an exciting year.
It’s certainly going to be interesting!

Here are some other common expressions that will help you to spread positive thoughts at this time of year.

It’s shaping up to be a (adjective) year

It’s shaping up to be a good year. You can insert any adjective here.

It’s shaping up to be a busy year. 
It’s shaping up to be an exciting year. 

The phrasal verb ‘shape up’ is often used to suggest that something is developing in a certain way, it seems likely.

It’s shaping up to be a scorching week, this week. A hot week.

So here, shaping up tells us that the last couple of days have been warm and the weather is predicted to get even hotter.

It’s shaping up to be a scorching week.

This year is going to be your best yet

This is a really positive expression that’s used to say that of all of the years so far in your life, this one will be the best. This year is going to be your best year yet!

I’ve got a good feeling about this year…

If you’ve got a good feeling about something, it means that you’re positive and you’re optimistic about what’s to come.

I’ve got a good feeling that this year is going to be as exciting as the last.

(To) set/put your mind to something

Now this means that you’re determined to do or to have something, okay? You can do it if you set your mind to it.

You can become healthier if you set your mind to it!
She’ll get the promotion if she sets her mind to it. If she focuses on it.

Now once a friend or a colleague explains their plans or their dreams for the year ahead then you can wish them good luck by saying:

All the best!
Fingers crossed.

This is a way of saying that you hope that everything goes well for them.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you. 

Another expression that is quite informal, quite colloquial, is to say “Exciting times ahead” or “I’ll be cheering for you.” You’ll be showing your support and encouraging that person, hoping that they reach their goals.

I’ll be cheering for you this year, absolutely. 

But do you know what? Sometimes things aren’t always excellent. They could be difficult or boring or painful. So you might need to say something reassuring like, this year will be better than last year.

You’re on the right path, which means you’re heading in the right direction.
All of your hard work will pay off in the end.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Or stick at it, keep at it, just keep going, you’ll get there there in the end.

Well, how many of those expressions did you know? You’ve got some new ones to practise this week anyway. I hope that you’re feeling excited and determined as this year begins. What are your biggest goals for 2018? I’d love to hear about them in the comments! I hope that I can help you to keep improving your English this year.

Make sure that you subscribe to my channel by clicking the red button down there.

And then try to practise your English pronunciation and expression with me in that lesson right there. Or you can check out that video which has been selected, especially for you.

All the best for a wildly successful, incredibly, fulfilling, exciting 2018. Bye for now!