Chapter 1: What does 'Can't Help It' mean in the context of connection?
This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2557. Can't help it, how imperfection leads to connection.
welcome to the all ears english podcast downloaded more than 200 million times are you feeling stuck with your english we'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection not perfection with your american hosts lindsay mcmahon the english adventurer and michelle kaplan the new york radio girl coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA.
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What are your weaknesses? Dessert? Shopping? When you share these, you open yourself up to more connection because you show you are not perfect.
Chapter 2: How can sharing weaknesses enhance connection?
Today get the essential vocabulary to do it. You speak English, but do you really trust it? Do you really trust yourself when you speak English? Can you respond quickly without overthinking? Can you express complex ideas without getting stuck mid-sentence? Does your personality come through when you speak English? Or do you feel like a less interesting version of yourself when you speak English?
If you struggle with this, it's time for an upgrade. The All Ears English B2C1 Bundle helps you move beyond hesitation and speak with real confidence and flow. This week only, you can save up to $200, but the offer ends on Sunday, February 1st at midnight.
Chapter 3: What are common scenarios where we say 'I can't help it'?
Go to allearsenglish.com slash b2c1. That's allearsenglish.com slash b2c1. Hey, Lindsay. How are you? I'm feeling good today, Michelle.
How are you?
I'm good. I'm good. Yeah. Happy to be recording.
Yeah. Michelle, I do have a question because I know I have a sweet tooth. Okay. Well, so what about you, Michelle? Do you have dessert after every meal? No, not every meal. Just sometimes. What about you? Oh, really? Yeah.
Chapter 4: How does self-control relate to speaking English?
I can't help eating something sweet after meals. I just feel like I need it. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like lately I've been having a lot of sweets. It's like, you know, it's we're right now we're recording this right before Christmas. So there's just, there's sweets everywhere.
I had chocolate everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. It's really, yeah. Bite here, a bite there. And before you know it, you've had three donuts. That's true. So today we're going to talk about how to say you are unable to stop yourself from doing something. This is going to be really fun. So this key way is I can't help X.
Yes. Yes. And of course, we have to give a nod to, well, Elvis had a song. Yes. I think the title of the song was I Can't Help Falling in Love with You, right?
Chapter 5: What are some examples of using 'I can't help' in conversation?
I Can't Help Falling in Love. Yep. Yeah, that's a beautiful song. You can't sing it on the show, but you can look it up on YouTube and you'll find it. Did you see the movie about Elvis, the recent one that came out? I never did. Was it good? It was good. Yeah. It gives you a lot of historical background. I mean, he's such an important figure in our musical history.
Yeah.
I would watch it if you get a chance.
Okay, yeah, that's good to know. All right, so I can't help something. This means you can't avoid it. You can't stop it. It almost feels like it's a little out of your control, even if it is in your control, but you kind of surrender to it, right?
Yeah, it's a very common chunk, a very common phrase that our listeners need to know here, right? They're going to hear it a lot, right?
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Chapter 6: How do imperfections create deeper connections?
Or sometimes you might just hear people say, I can't help it, right? I can't help it. Like in this little, we're going to do a little mini role play, Lindsay. So yeah.
Okay. Okay.
All right. Michelle, you bought another bag. I can't help it. I'm a shopaholic. Not true. Is this true about you? No, not true. Not true. Not true. Not true. Um, this wouldn't be a bad affliction, right? To be a shopaholic. I think not good. Yes, exactly.
Chapter 7: What are the differences between 'I can't help' and 'I can't resist'?
Exactly. So, um, but again, I just said, I can't help it. It's basically saying I, there's nothing I can do. This is who I am, right?
It's about self-control, right? This, this phrase, I have no control. I have no self-control. I have to buy the bags when I see them. Yes, exactly. Exactly.
Or you could also use it like this. I love boba so much. Whenever I see a store, I have to get one. I can't help it.
Yes, I love it. Do you have any specific kind of food, Michelle, that is just your weakness? Like when you see it, you have to go into the shop and get it. You just can't help it.
I mean, French fries are a weakness of mine. What else can't I help?
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Chapter 8: How can revealing vulnerabilities make us more relatable?
There are these cookies in this store that's not far from where I live. Oh, they're delicious. It's their holiday season special, their December special, and it's like a chocolate peppermint cookie. Oh, yum. Yeah.
So what about you? Well, I think so for me, it's not so much that I'll go into a store and buy it. It's more like if I'm at an event and there's and there's sweets out if there's brownies or cookies, I will definitely have one almost all the time. Yeah.
I can't help it. Yeah, I can't help it. I can't help it. Yeah. So, you know, we also use it with that grammatical structure I touched on earlier. Can't help verb plus ing. So you wouldn't use this with an infinitive. You're using it verb ing. So again, like Elvis can't help falling in love with you. So here are some examples of that. Lindsay, you want to do the first one?
Yeah. Yeah, I can't help laughing every time I see my friend make a funny face. So again, self-control. Like there are times when you just can't not laugh, right?
Have you ever, yeah, when you get the giggles, have you ever been in an inappropriate situation?
Oh, yeah, for sure. We've talked about this on the show before. Yeah, it happens sometimes. It hasn't happened to me in a little while, but... There are notable times, especially in school when I was a kid, and you're just like, it's bad, right? It is really bad at that time.
And then you can't help it. You can't help laughing. Or here's another one. I can't help worrying about my work problems at home.
that's not good that's not good yeah so what is something i'm trying to think of other things we can't help so i mean i guess i have some healthy habits too like i i feel like if i go through a day and i haven't really done anything active like even gone for a nice walk like i don't feel good so i can't help not moving every day i guess well for me it's i can't help going to sleep late
That's my, you know, I've talked about that a lot on the show. I mean, I'm a night owl. And even when I think, oh, like, sure, tonight is going to be the night. And even sometimes if I try and go to sleep earlier than I can sleep. So, yeah, I can't help it.
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