This video presents an advanced English lesson using scenes from the Apple TV series "severance" as a creative context to explore high-level vocabulary and formal expressions. The lesson centers around the show's unique premise, where employees separate their work and personal memories through a surgical procedure, emphasizing the concept of work-life balance taken to a literal extreme.

Viewers can expect an engaging breakdown of key scenes without spoilers, where the instructor demonstrates natural spoken English, highlights nuances between formality and casual tone, and explains expressions such as "get ahead of yourself," "right as rain," and "will do." The lesson further analyzes how language is used to express politeness, transition topics, and communicate under stressful and disorienting circumstances, all while illustrating common phonetic features of American English.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. severance [ˈsɛvərəns] - (noun) - The action of ending a connection or relationship; in the show, it refers to the surgical disconnection of work and personal memories. - Synonyms: (separation, division, detachment)

I have, of my own free accord, elected to undergo the procedure colloquially known as severance.

2. colloquially [kəˈloʊkwiəli] - (adverb) - In an informal or conversational manner; commonly used by ordinary people. - Synonyms: (informally, conversationally, casually)

...the procedure colloquially known as severance.

3. disoriented [dɪsˈɔːriˌɛntɪd] - (adjective) - Confused and not able to understand where you are or what is happening. - Synonyms: (confused, bewildered, perplexed)

I can sense that the questions made you feel afraid or disoriented.

4. comprehensive [ˌkɑːmprɪˈhɛnsɪv] - (adjective) - Including all or nearly all elements or aspects; thorough and complete. - Synonyms: (all-inclusive, thorough, exhaustive)

I am aware that this alteration is comprehensive and irreversible.

5. irreversible [ˌɪrɪˈvɜrsəbəl] - (adjective) - Impossible to change back or return to a previous condition. - Synonyms: (permanent, unchangeable, irrevocable)

I am aware that this alteration is comprehensive and irreversible.

6. consent [kənˈsɛnt] - (noun / verb) - Permission for something to happen or agreement to do something. - Synonyms: (permission, approval, assent)

I give consent for my perceptual chronologies to be surgically split...

7. henceforth [ˌhɛnsˈfɔːrθ] - (adverb) - From this time on or from now on. - Synonyms: (from now on, hereafter, subsequently)

I acknowledge that henceforth my access to my memories will be spatially dictated.

8. spatially [ˈspeɪʃəli] - (adverb) - Relating to, occupying, or having the character of space. - Synonyms: (locationally, geographically, positionally)

...my access to my memories will be spatially dictated.

9. dictated [dɪkˈteɪtɪd] - verb (past participle) - Determined or controlled by; to prescribe or lay down authoritatively. - Synonyms: (commanded, determined, governed)

...my access to my memories will be spatially dictated.

10. recollections [ˌrɛkəˈlɛkʃənz] - noun (plural) - Memories or the act of remembering something. - Synonyms: (memories, remembrances, reminiscences)

I will be unable to access outside recollections whilst on Lumen's severed basement floor...

Learn English with SEVERANCE — Award-Winning TV Series

My name is Helly R. I'm making this video roughly two hours before it will be shown to me. I have, of my own free accord, elected to undergo the procedure colloquially known as severance. Aw, yeah. By the end of today's fun English lesson, you're going to learn a ton of formal advanced expressions with Apple TV's hit new series, severance. So this series takes the concept of work life balance to the extreme. Work life balance is how we manage our time and energy between our work responsibilities and the rest of our life in a way that reduces stress and allows for well being, rest and enjoyment of both. So in the show, the characters literally have the parts of their brain dedicated to work and their personal life severed or cut and divided. When they're at work, they have no idea about their personal life, and when they get back home, they have no idea about what happened at work. And just in case you're new to the show, we've chosen a couple of scenes that will help you to get to know it, but without any spoilers.

In the first scene of the series, Helly wakes up locked in a strange conference room and suffering from memory loss. Let's see how she comes to her senses or starts thinking clearly again after a period of confusion. Who are you? Hello. I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself. Hi there. You on the table. I wonder if you'd mind taking a brief survey. Who is that? Five questions now. I know you're sleepy, but I just bet it'll make you feel right as rain. Who's speaking? I'd be just thrilled to chat once we've run the survey. Shall we begin with question one? I'm not taking your survey. Open the door. Hey, let me help. Okay, great. Off we go. Now to start. Who are you? That's the first question. First name will do. I don't. It's okay if you can't answer the question. Feel free to say unknown. What is this? Okay, unknown. Question 2. In which US state or territory were you born? Wait, which state or territory, please? I don't know. Unknown question 3. Please name any US state or territory that comes to mind. I don't know. Delaware. What is this? Delaware. Question four. What is Mr. Egan's favorite breakfast? I don't. That one makes no sense. Right. Unknown question 5. And as a reminder, this is the final question to the best of your memory. What is or was the color of your mother's eyes? What the hell did you do to me? That's a perfect score. Thank you for taking the welcome survey. I can sense that the questions made you feel afraid or disoriented. Well, the good news is you're at an orientation. You see, you have been hired to a position on the severed floor of Lumen Industries. The what floor? I understand you're confused about the severance procedure. Before we hop on that, let's chat about something I bet you have heard of. The work life balance.

Okay, so we hear Mark Scout's voice speaking to Heli via the intercom. After his first question, he decides to start over. I'm sorry. I got ahead of myself. Hi there, you on the table. I wonder if you'd mind taking a brief survey. So to get ahead of yourself means saying something too soon. For example, imagine you are at a party and start a conversation with someone, but a few minutes later, you realize you forgot to introduce yourself. You might say, sorry, I got ahead of myself. My name is. He starts with hello to greet Helly, which sounds a bit formal. Then to make things feel more relaxed, he switches to hi there. A much more casual, friendly way to say hello. Hi there, you on the table. I wonder if you'd mind taking a brief survey. So he's politely asking Heli to take a brief or short survey. Basically, a list of questions he needs to go through. The phrase I wonder if you'd mind is a polite way to make a request. Who is that? Five questions. Now, I know you're sleepy, but I just bet it'll make you feel right as rain. Right as rain means perfectly okay. Mark is trying to convince Heli that taking the survey will help her feel better. Who's speaking? I'd be just thrilled to chat once we've run the survey. What do you think he means when he says he'd be thrilled here? Scared, excited, apprehensive. Great. He's saying he would feel excited and would really look forward to chatting. It's stronger than just happy. It shows real enthusiasm. Shall we begin with question one? Shall we begin Is the same as saying, let's start, and you'll often hear, shall we? At the beginning Of a question in polite or formal situations. Shall we dance? For example, is a classic romantic line. Shall we dance? Okay. Okay. Shall we begin? Are you ready? Now, have you noticed how Mark used the word just twice? Let's give it a listen again. Now, I know you're sleepy, but I just bet it'll make you feel right as rain. Who's speaking? I'd be just thrilled to chat once we've run the survey. Now, it's a small word, but it adds warmth to a sentence. Native speakers use it all the time to sound more natural and friendly. In this context, it means really? I really bet I'd be really thrilled. Hard as he tries to sound friendly. Helly is locked in a creepy room. So her reaction the next part is easy to understand. I'm not taking your survey. Open the door. Hey, let me out. Let me out. Sounds like let me out. That's because the t sound in let is a stop t. We do not pronounce it fully. The same happens to the t sound in out. We prepare to say the sound t, but then we stop the flow of air and all we get is a very short pause at the end of the word. Listen again and try to repeat.

So memory loss like heli's might be a thing of science fiction, but all of us struggle to remember things sometimes, right? I know in my own language, learning remembering new words and expressions has been one of my biggest challenges. But what's made the difference for me is using the right apps. Apps that use spaced repetition software, an innovative technology that reminds you of information right when you're about to forget it. Luckily for you, this is a feature that we included on our reallife English app. And right now, you can go over there and learn with this lesson with severance, so that you remember all of the new expressions from today's lesson forever. Just imagine effortlessly using expressions like right as rain. Come to your senses or get ahead of yourself next time you speak in English. So try it for free right now by clicking the link down description below on your phone, which will take you directly to this lesson with severance. Or search for reallife English in the Apple app store or Google Play store. Now let's see how Helly does on the survey.

Okay, great. Off we go. Now to start. Who are you? That's the first question. First name will do. Off we go is another phrase that means let's begin. But if shall we begin? Sounded formal, this one is a more casual way to say it. It also means let's go. When you're about to head somewhere off. We first name will do. In this context, will do means is enough. For example, if someone is helping you cook and ask how much sugar to add to the recipe, you could say, half a cup will do. I don't. It's okay. If you can't answer the question, feel free to say unknown. We natives use the expression feel free all the time to give permission or to encourage someone to do something without pressure. For example, if you have plans, you might tell another friend, feel free to join us. Mark could have simply said answer unknown. When you don't know the answer. But feel free to say unknown sounds more like an invitation rather than a command, making it feel less formal. Anyway, when it's over, feel free to share your thoughts. What you liked, what you loved, but also the negative. What is this? Okay, unknown. The T sound in what sounded like a D sound. We call it a flap T. What is this? This usually happens in American English when we have a T sound between two vowels turning into a D sound. Listen again and repeat. What is this? What is this? Question 2. In which US state or territory were you born? Wait. Which state or territory, please? I don't know. A common reduction for the phrase I don't know is I don't know. The final T sound is dropped, which happens a lot with the NT letter combination. Please name any US State or territory. First thing comes to mind when we say something comes to mind, we mean it's the first thing we think of. Usually. Spontaneous quick thinking. What do you love about cars? I. I mean, I guess. I guess just, you know, just every. Everything. Everything. Sure. But what comes to mind specifically? I'm curious. Question four. What is Mr. Egan's favorite breakfast? I don't. That one makes no sense. Right? Unknown. Question five. And as a reminder, this is the final question to the best of your memory. What is or was the color of your mother's eyes? When someone says to the best of your memory, they're asking you to give the best answer you can. You could hear this in all sorts of formal settings. For example, a doctor might ask you, to the best of your memory, when was the last time you had these symptoms? In all his requests, Mark sounds formal but polite. He's doing it by the book. Another great phrase to learn. It means following the rules or instructions exactly. Doing things in the official way. Thank you for taking the welcome survey. I can sense that the questions made you feel afraid or disoriented. Well, the good news is you're at an orientation. When someone says, I can Sense. They mean they can feel or notice something even if it's not said out loud. Here, Mark feels that Helly is scared based on how she's reacting. The next two words I'm going to explain are related and they are important to understand because Mark is making a play on words joke here. These are disoriented and orientation. Now, when you're disoriented, it means you feel lost and confused. This happens when you don't know what's going on or can't understand the situation clearly. Well, the good news is you're at an orientation. An orientation is an official training program for new hires or fresh students. So he's trying to add some humor to the uncomfortable situation by saying that the orientation will help her feel less disoriented. I understand you're confused about the severance procedure. Before we hop on that, let's chat about something I bet you have heard of the work life balance before we hop on that. It's just an informal way to say before we start talking about that. It's a way of transitioning from one topic to another. Literally, it would be to jump on, like in this example. Hop on. What? Hop on. Hold on. Oh God. So Helly does not feel too convinced about her new job. So, returning to the clip that we open the lesson with, we see Heli watching a video that she created for herself earlier, actually explaining that she is there working of her own free will. Let's watch.

My name is Helly R. I'm making this video roughly two hours before it will be shown to me. I have, of my own free accord, elected to undergo the procedure colloquially known as severance. I give consent for my perceptual chronologies to be surgically split, separating my memories between my work life and my personal life. I acknowledge that henceforth my access to my memories will be spatially dictated. I will be unable to access outside recollections whilst on lumens severed basement floor, nor retain work memories upon my ascent. I am aware that this alteration is comprehensive and irreversible. I make these statements freely. My name is Helly R. I'm making this video roughly two hours before it will be shown to me. Roughly two hours means about two hours. We use the word roughly when we're estimating. You can use it to talk about time. Roughly two weeks, people, roughly 50 women, measurements roughly two cups, etc. Now this next sentence is packed with advanced expressions. Listen to it again. I have, of my own free accord, elected to undergo the procedure colloquially known as severance of my own free. Free accord is an idiom that means voluntarily without being pressured. It's a very formal way to say I chose this myself. The word elect in this context means exactly to choose or to make a decision. Elected to undergo the procedure colloquially known as severance. When she's talking about a procedure, she means the surgery during which her memories were split. To undergo a procedure means to go through an operation. Tell me about Agent Keen. She was undergoing a procedure called RM Therapy. Braxton was searching for a memory. This procedure is colloquially known as severance. Now, colloquial is an informal or casual name for it that regular people would use. I give consent for my perceptual chronologies to be surgically split, separating my memories between my work life and my personal life. What do you think it means if you give consent, give permission, prohibit something, enjoy something. To give consent is to agree to something important. So Heli agreed to have her memory separated or surgically split. To split is to divide something. I acknowledge that henceforth my access to my memories will be spatially dictated. henceforth is a formal word meaning from now on. So starting from now, her memories will be spatially dictated. What does that mean? For those who haven't seen the show, this might be a little bit confusing, so let me give you some context. Now, I acknowledge that henceforth, my access to my memories will be spatially dictated. The term spatially refers to location. In this case, the physical space you're in. So when Heli or any employee from the severance floor arrives at work every day, their personal memories are blocked as they travel down in the elevator. Once they step into the office, they have no memory of their personal life. The same thing happens when they leave work. As soon as they exit the elevator, they forget what they did all day in the office. So when she says spatially dictated, it means that her memories are controlled by her location. She only has access to certain memories depending on whether she's in the office or outside of it. I will be unable to access outside recollections whilst on Lumen's severed basement floor, nor retain work memories upon my ascent. This is basically a formal way to say what I've just explained. Let's break down the vocabulary she used. recollections are your memories. To retain memories means to keep them. Ascent is most commonly used to describe climbing or going up something like a mountain. In this show, ascent literally refers to going up the elevator, and the opposite would be descent. So over the next month, before the final ascent, you're going to make three partial acclimatizing ascents, returning here to base camp after. After each one, I am aware that this alteration is comprehensive and irreversible. comprehensive means complete, covering everything. And irreversible means once it's done, there's no going back. It's a permanent change. Let's see this word in other contexts. I read to her and she remembers. Not always, but remembers. Dementia is irreversible. It's degenerative. Guidance, get a correction ready. Negative flight. It's not drift. They've adjusted course. What the hell? Guidance, work out how long they can stay on this course before it's irreversible.

Great job today, guys. Now is for the fun part. You're going to test yourself by watching all the scenes again without subtitles to see how well you understand. After we've learned all of the expressions and connected speech, and to give you a little bit of an extra challenge, we. We've added some quiz questions. All right, let's do this. Who are you? Hello. I'm sorry. I got ahead of myself. Hi there. You on the table. I wonder if you'd mind taking a brief survey. Who is that? Five questions. Now, I know you're sleepy, but I just bet it'll make you feel right as rain. What does right as rain mean? Confused and lost? Completely fine or feeling better? Very sick or unwell? Who's speaking? I'd be just thrilled to chat once we've run the survey. Shall we begin with question one? I'm not taking your survey. Open the door. Hey, let me help you. Okay, Great. Off we go. Now to start. Who are you? That's the first question. First name will do. When Mark says first name will do in the show, what does will do mean? First, she should say her name. He will write down her first name. First name is enough. I don't. It's okay. If you can't answer the question, feel free to say unknown. What is this? Okay, unknown. Question 2. In which US state or territory were you born? Wait. Which state or territory, please? I don't know. Unknown. Question 3. Please name any US state or territory first that comes to mind. I don't know. Delaware. What is this, D.E. question four. What is Mr. Egan's favorite breakfast? I don't. That one makes no sense. Right. Unknown question 5. And as a reminder, this is the final question to the best of your memory. What is or was the color of your mother's eyes? What the hell did you do to me? That's a perfect score. Thank you for taking the welcome survey. I can sense that the questions made you feel afraid or disoriented. When you are disoriented, you feel lost and confused. Miss the orientation. Are not happy with your situation. Well, the good news is you're at an orientation. You see, you have been hired to a position on the severed floor of Lumen Industries. The what floor? I understand your confused about the severance procedure. Before we hop on that, let's chat about something I bet you have heard of. The work life balance. My name is Helly R. I'm making this video roughly two hours before it will be shown to me. I have, of my own free accord, elected to undergo the procedure colloquially known as severance. When you make a decision voluntarily, without being pressured, you do it on your own accord, of your own accord, according to your own. I have, of my own free accord, elected to undergo the procedure colloquially known as severance. I give consent for my perceptual chronologies to be surgically split, separating my memories between my work life and my personal life. I acknowledge that henceforth my access to my memories will be spatially dictated. I will be unable to access outside recollections whilst on Lumen's severed basement floor, nor retain work memories upon my ascent. What does ascent refer to in the show? The process of staying at work. Going down to the basement level. Going up in the elevator. I am aware that this alteration is comprehensive and irreversible. I make these statements freely.

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