Soon and Early - Confusing English Words

source: Twominute English     2013年9月15日
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0:00 Welcome to twominenglish.com. Teaching you English through two-minute lessons.
0:06 In this lesson, we will learn how to use ‘soon’ and ‘early’ in different contexts.
0:17 Hello, everybody! Today we’ll see how to use ‘soon’ and ‘early’. They both refer to moments in time.
0:25 Do we use them in the same way?
0:28 No. The word ‘soon’ refers to the near future.
0:32 When your mother says she will call you soon, it means that a short period of time will pass before she calls you.
0:38 I see. Sometimes, people say ‘as soon as possible’. What does that mean?
0:45 It means that something has to happen promptly, without hesitation.
0:51 Can we say that ‘soon’ means something will happen after a minute or a specific period of time?
0:58 No. Remember that time is relative.
1:02 Ok. So, if I say I’ll have dinner soon, it’s different than if I say that someone will have a baby soon.
1:12 Right! Having dinner soon could be 15 or 30 minutes. Having a baby soon could be one or two weeks, maybe a month.
1:21 And how do we use ‘early’?
1:24 Well, ‘early’ means something will happen near the beginning of a series, period of time, or course of events.
1:32 Oh, I get it. My family usually travels to the South early in the winter.
1:39 Right. And it can also mean ‘before the expected or usual time’. My class begins at 8am, I arrive at 7:45am. That means I arrive early.
1:51 Let’s take a look at some examples.
2:00 Hello. Dr. Norbert’s office. This is Denise.
2:04 Good morning, Denise. My name is Megan Roth, and I’m Dr. Norbert’s patient. I’d like to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
2:13 Let me see…Megan Roth, here you are. How does Tuesday sound?
2:19 Perfect! Can I schedule for early in the morning?
2:23 Well, the earliest free time we have is 10am.
2:26 Ok…if I arrive early and someone cancels, can the doctor see me earlier than 10?
2:33 Yes. If you are here waiting and we have a no-show or cancellation, the doctor will see you earlier.
2:46 Hi, Megan. Mr. Curtis wants to see you as soon as you finish the weekly financial report.
2:53 Good morning, Denise. I’m still working on it, but it’ll be ready soon.
2:57 Do you know how soon? He seemed nervous.
3:00 About 30 minutes…
3:03 I think that’ll be Ok.
3:06 If you help me, we can finish sooner.
3:09 No problem. What do you need? I’ll give you a hand.
3:16 I’d like to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
3:24 Can I schedule for early in the morning?
3:31 My family usually travels to the South early in the winter.
3:42 I’m still working on it, but it’ll be ready soon.
3:50 Do you know how soon?

# Relevant grammar videos: adverbs of place & time