How NOT to pay a compliment in English (back & left-handed compliments)

[@drsyr1975]

Both of them are just great teachers. Amazing !

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much ask me. :-)

[@lostwizard]

I find that with backhanded compliments, often the best thing to do is simply ignore the backhanded part completely, especially if it comes in writing without any other cues like tone of voice or body language. Many times, the person giving the backhanded compliment is trying to be funny (and failing hard), trying to get a rise out of you, or even misspoke or didn't realize it might be considered insulting. That applies to native English speakers as much as ESL folks. Still, that doesn't take the sting out of them so if someone is doing it regularly, it's probably worth calling them on it.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

This is really solid and wise advice. Thank you for these thoughts, William.

[@Thirdhana]

I've just stumbled upon your videos and Vicki reminded me of a teacher I had. She also had that big smile and was a very warm and carring person (age and haircut are simmilar too). We called her grandma. Now I can't stop smiling and watching videos one after another (although I alredy know of thigs you're talking about) :)

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thirdhana. We are so pleased Vicki reminds you of your teacher. And we're very glad you're enjoying our videos. Thank you so much for watching.

[@messi0123]

Is that a backhanded compliment I spot? Hahaha

[@moredlopesberdat7539]

Funny english class with etiquette drops.A couple that know all in front of the cams. The best idea of youtube in years. Thank you for give to us a drop of your knowledge.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much for the kind words Mored. So glad you like the videos. :-)

[@englishwithbatayneh5908]

In the american counterpart for the word backhanded compliment which is left handed, we notice the use of left hand in negative way . This usage of left hand as inferior to right hand is common in english . For example , sinister was an old english word which just meant left hand now it used to mean evil. Dexterious is a word that meant right handed. Nowadays someone who can write in both hands we call him ambidexterious literally right handed in both hands.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Another great comment! Thanks so much for sharing this. :-)

[@zedreck7152]

Both of you are amazing. Been waiting for this video all week! Can’t wait for the next one.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much for your support ZedReck. :-)

[@garrettpayne8200]

I'm already fluent in English (I have been all my life, I was born in America), but I still watch these videos because they are very interesting.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Well welcome Olive. Native speaker or not we're delighted to have you with us. :-)

[@nikolovaveronika]

same,but I'm Macedonian,i also speak English since in born

[@biglechuga8438]

Same here!

[@dayannuwantha1351]

Linkswarife.com/1bnC

[@steffis4480]

Oh my! ♥ I have been waiting the whoe evening for your new video and staying awake was totally worth it! 😂 I'm glad that Germans and Americans seem to have a similar perspective as well as "unwritten rules" relating compliments. That's why I was giggling the whole time watching your "DEFINITLE NOT LIKE THIS!"-examples 😋 And wow! The linguistic research on gender differences you were talking about sounds pretty interesting! 😯 Good question how one should reply to a left-/back-handed compliment. o__o I think I would ask directly how I may take it and then - do what Jay recommended and think about looking for new friends 😂 Luckily my friends are always open and honest ♥ I would love to listen to your thoughts on how to reply to an honest compliment. o///o It's a hard question for many people in every language I think! Thank you so much for sharing Vicki and Jay! What a great video! ♥

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks for staying up Steffi and for all the kind words and great thoughts. We had fun thinking up backhanded compliments and plenty of giggle when we were shooting them. I'd like to do a video on compliment responses because I think it could be jolly useful and luckily there a lot of linguistic research to guide me .... next year. :-)

[@steffis4480]

I'm looking forward to this video! 😍 I also did a bit of Google research for myself since watching your video. It's interesting not just to learn more about gender related differences, but also looking at cultural differences. Since you have been living in Japan for a long time, I think you know what I mean when I say: Japan is not like any other country especially when it comes to politeness 😂😅

[@iamlokeshmahawar]

Watching you teach English has always been great fun!!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

That's great to hear. Thanks Lokesh.

[@zohrabmi5767]

Before listening You I was in a good mood. But just after having watched Your video, it improved my mood , and i got better mood

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hey, that's great to hear Zohrab. Thank you so much!

[@TheComputerGuy96]

I've heard of the slang term "to neg" or "negging". I believe it has the same meaning as making a left-handed compliment.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Oh great thought TheComputerGuy. Yes, I think negging is similar, because it's about undermining someone's confidence.

[@mschanandlerbong4003]

Hey Jay and Vicki! Thank you! I didn't watch it yet but I know I will like it 😀

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Ha! I hope you will when you get round to watching it. Thanks Furkan.

[@wijangkumoro1024]

Hi Vicky, hi Jay... It's such a great video. Thank you for your sharing In daily life we not only give good compliment, but also it's good for us to give advice/left-handed compliment. It's not because we are rude, but in order to our friend/she/he can make it better. We really waiting for your backhanded compliment video lesson Jay/vicky. Thank you

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Ah, so you see a positive benefit to backhanded compliments, Wijang? That's not how they're normally viewed, but I can see how it might work. So glad you liked the video and thanks so much for sharing this thought.

[@marcelomijolovic9439]

How many videos do you have? You must be genius, I 'm very glad you will continue with new videos.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Marcelo. I think we might have nearly 200 videos, but I'm not sure. We're so glad you like them. Thanks for writing.

[@marcelomijolovic9439]

Yes

[@marcelomijolovic9439]

I'm sure I'll like them

[@normaquesada7307]

I loved this lesson, when you learn a language it's really important to learn about the culture too. Thanks for your great work, you are excellent teachers. Greetings from Mexico

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thank you so much Norma. So glad you liked it.

[@JerryChao1216]

It is really helpful to watch all your videos, much more helpful than just remembering word-lists because you help me know the meaning behind words. Thank you! TA!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Yes Zixuan Zhao. The reason we show 'English in Action' is to make it more meaningful when you're learning. Thank you so much for watching our videos.

[@陆河-q2n]

I'm a big fan of your videos! I used to watch them on Bilibili where someone has shared your great videos. I'm so glad I've finally made it to KZbin and find your channel! Keep up the good work!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

And we're so glad you've made your way here and found us! We had no idea our videos were making their way to China. The world is getting smaller. :-) Thanks for writing.

[@陆河-q2n]

@@SimpleEnglishVideos Thank you for your hard work! I enjoy your videos so much!

[@sageotsp652]

You guys are lovely! I recently discovered your channel and I can't stop watching your stuff. English is not my first language but I can keep a conversation though. Your channel helps me a lot. Thank you so much and keep up with the great stuff

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad the videos are useful for you SageOTSP. Thanks for writing. :-)

[@Andrewman69000]

Very nice articulated British English, thank you Vicki.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

You're very welcome, Andrew! :-)

[@romankril3971]

Hey, Vicki and Jay! Your tips about compliments and the ways how not to pay a compliment in English are really useful! And as always, your examples make it much easier to understand everything! I didn't know that word "flattery". I thought we can use it only in a form of a verb "to flatter". Sometimes there are situations, when I lack adjectives to pay a compliment, because I like something so much. But that person can think, I am trying to flatter him/her. So, yeah, there is a slight edge between flattery and a compliment. Thank you for the nice video!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much Roman. So glad you liked the video.

[@hugo822514]

Thanxs you both a lot for your time. I `ve learnt many things with your videos. Best wishes from Argentina.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

That's great to hear. Thanks Hugo. Much appreciated.

[@ahmedshalaby1188]

Hi Vicki, hi Jay! The video is brilliant, and the fun in it makes it easy to get the meaning. I loved it :)

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

We're so glad you liked it. Thanks for letting us know.

[@skhelpsk5036]

Love both of youu!! By the way you are hilarious😂

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much SaladA$$!

[@markk6817]

I wanted to thank you because your videos are so great und helpful for me. Now I can speak way more fluently than last month (when I first saw your channel). I really wish I could meet you in america to thank you for your help.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Mark. We're so glad our videos are useful for you and thanks so much for writing. Perhaps you'll come to Philadelphia one day and we can meet.

[@ЕкатеринаПронина-п9я]

Thank you very much! That was very interesting and informative! And dialogues help to understand the idea. Comment while watching. I wish you good luck in your job. P.S. I didn't know about that "smart alec". There's something new I can always learn from you.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks Catherine! So glad it was useful.

[@1hminen]

Hello, I discovered this channel a few days ago, and I'm so glad I did! I'm not a natural English speaker, and so it's sometimes hard for me to understand English. You speak English so cleary that I can understand it much better, thank you for these videos and keep up the good work!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hello and welcome to our channel Ihminen. We're so glad our videos are helpful. Thanks for writing.

[@brayanestivenlemustrujillo8420]

Simply I must say: "all your videos are awesome, so, I love all of them" And, thanks for your time. Thanks for helping many people.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

That's very kind of you Bryan. Thank you.

[@nice4042]

Your videos are amazing and really useful! They help me so much! Now I know three words more ;) Thank you! You are nice people. You make me happy and make my learning more effective

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

That's so nice to hear, Elizabeth. We're so glad we can help. Thank you so much. :-)

[@adde9506]

In relation to this, it might be interesting to bring up cultural running gags. An American one: Someone shows you a childhood photo and you say, "Aw, you were such a cute kid." The look at them and ask, "What happened?" This is considered funny, particularly if the person has good timing. Also, I wouldn't really call it a backhanded complement; it's a straight complement followed by a straight-up insult. Another running gag is the "You're pretty good at that, for a girl." This is definitely a backhanded complement and if it is delivered by a man with any sincerity it is extremely rude, but if it's done sarcastically, ironically, or between the right people (commonly two women), it can be very funny. And perhaps the general concept of a practical joke.

[@Brioche16]

You guys are such a cute couple! And your videos are so funny and informative too! Thank you for teaching me a few extra things about compliments. Now I’ll be more careful when complimenting females or even males. Keep up the great work!!😁😊

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Corey, we're very pleased you found this video so useful. Yes, the world is changing and how and where we compliment each other requires more understanding than ever. Thank you so much for watching.

[@CamiLugmania]

Guys!! I really love your videos, I've learned a lot of things thanks to you! Greetings from Ecuador! 💖

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Cami. We are so pleased you are able to learn from our videos. Thanks for letting us know and thank you so much for watching.

[@wilfriedmathias2236]

Great vid! Cheers! If the insult is obvious, sarcasm might be a suitable option: For example: "Sorry, what did you say? I just didn´t listen because I was thinking how much your opinion is worth to me"

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Ha! Now that is a wonderful smart-arse comment Wilfried. :-)

[@peonywhite8414]

Hello! I'm here to tell thank you! I love your videos and it helped me a lot. English is my third language and yeah I am just thankful.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much for writing Peony. It's great to have you with us.

[@chimchommusic]

I love your videos so much I cant stop watching them for some reason

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hello ChimChom. That's great to hear. Please don't try to resist this urge. Keep watching! :-)

[@Lana-bj2el]

Another great video! I love improving my English from you two. If someone gave me a backhanded compliment I’d probably just pay them one back jokingly haha!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hello It's hard to pick a username. (I love your username BTW. I think we've all been there!) We're so glad you like the videos and thanks for this idea.

[@vorze6571]

Ty so much vicki and jay. This channel makes my english more great ty so much. Lots of love from indonesia!💟💟

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hello Christopher and greetings to you in Indonesia. So glad the videos are helpful and thanks for writing.

[@vorze6571]

@@SimpleEnglishVideos no problem! You guys are really helpful to guys who were learning proper english

[@BuddelTitan]

Your humor is great 😂👏

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Glad you like it Der B. Thanks for watching.

[@Nicole3900]

I'm American and I've only heard and used the term "back-handed compliment." I've never heard "left-handed compliment" before!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Nicole. This is Jay writing. We did a bit more research after other Americans complained that they too use back-handed compliment. In my background, left-handed compliment was common, but it seems it's fading as time passes and like many other phrases that have crossed the pond, back-handed compliment is popular.

[@wanchenxie8235]

Nice video! The dialogues between you are very funny! I always leave out the negative parts of a backhanded compliment and say nothing about it :)

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

That sounds like a very good approach to backhanded compliments. Thanks Wanchen.

[@konrad1230]

I enjoy your videos so much 💓💓 you both speak beautifully and it's so impressive how much effort and professionalism you put into this channel. Congratulations, wish you all the best. Greatings from Poland :)

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Konrad, we very much appreciate your kind words and observations. And greetings to you from Philadelphia.

[@ElizabeteReis]

Amazing video, as always! It just reminded me a day I was talking to my friend about something I don't remember and he called me "smarty pants". I am Brazilian, so I don't understand some idioms or expressions. When he told me the meaning of that idiom, I felt really bad about my behavior, but we had some fun on my "innocence".

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Elizabete. Oh yes, smarty pants is another one. A smarty pants is slightly less annoying than a smart arse though, and we might use it in a teasing way. 'Clever clogs' has a similar meaning. You might want to try it out on your friend. :-)

[@PKNEHAL1]

One of the nicest videos I've ever watched :) thankyou.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

That's so nice of you to say, P K. Thanks for watching.

[@MegaKingwesley]

I just met it and I fell in love with your channel :D What a smart couple you do! You both are so marvelous and make me laugh a lot 😂 Thanks for teaching

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Welcome to our channel Wesley. We're delighted you've found us and that you like the channel. Thanks for the kind words. :-)

[@sendatamie8574]

Give you are a big thumbs up ! Thank you Simple English video.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much Sena. :-)

[@NickLiao]

I love listening to your videos. Listening to you makes me feel so intelligent

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Ha! A perfect backhanded compliment Nick. :-)

[@mollietai8946]

I must say you’re so perfect together. Bravo!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much Mollie! Great to see you here, as always.

[@elizabethcaiado4344]

Great video as always. Thanks so much. You have a super energy and simpathy together.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks Elizabeth. :-)

[@causilvestrini7000]

Wow, I'd never heard "smart aleck". I have heard "smart pants", though. I loved this lesson! And I'm waiting for the one on "how to respond to compliments"! 🤗

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Cau. Vicki here. So glad you liked it and thanks for reminding me. I need to get that video on how to respond to compliments written. :-)

[@tasi9154]

Really love this channel! You are improving my english in a fun and useful way! Hope you get the 100k Subscriber milestone soon!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much Tas. We're working on it! :-)

[@luclandryalogo9889]

Thanks, my English is getting better with your videos.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

That's great to hear! Thanks Luc!

[@chloelouise947]

This channel is my favourite

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad you like it! :-)

[@mathscornertochinesecorner8058]

Hi, Vicky and Jay. Your videos are amazing, but I have one suggestion. After watching each of your lessons, I really hope to test my understanding. That would be even more useful for me if you provide me one or two exercises after each clip. Thank you. (I know that some of your clips already have quizzes, but I think a lot of important details from other lessons are left untested. Thank you.)

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi there! We love having you with us so we really appreciate your input, but I don't think we can do this. We struggle to get the videos we make out as it is and adding quizzes might take too long. I do have a plan though. I want to build another site over at simpleenglishvideo.com where we offer courses, so structured organized lessons with... you guessed it... lots of quizzes! :-)

[@damon4000]

I love how simple the ideas are but how brilliantly (and fun!) they were delivered. Great job, Vicki and Jay! Does "smarty pants" have the same meaning and use with "smart aleck" and "smart arse"?

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much for the kind words Daniel. And yes, smarty pants is a good synonym for smart aleck.

[@ashubhai1]

Another great Video...You guys always Helpful. Thank you so much. I have not seen your videos for several days. I was in some Anxiety

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Ashish. Good to to hear from you as always. We're glad our videos were able to relieve your anxiety :-)

[@carmenzamolano1657]

You two are amazing i enjoy your videos i have learnt a Lot i love they way you teach English i love your pronunciation this is not a just compliment is just the true My best wishes for this christmas And a happy new year🎅

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Well Carmenza, it's a nice compliment in any event, and thank you. Have a wonderful holiday season yourself.

[@choeykheng1318]

Hi Jay and Nick. Thank you very much for all the wonderful videos you made. Just wonder if you can make some videos on words like pour, poor, tore, tour, intinerary, veterinarian, aubergine, almond, ttrough, difference between backpack and rucksack. Thank you again and take care.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

All noted Choey. :-) Thank you.

[@WalterMarquesdeDeus]

As allways, you are great!!! I love you! Thank you Very much!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much Walter. Much appreciated. :-)

[@sludusasmr5640]

That moment when I try to be kind and then destroy everything by my compliments, I feel that I've to do one thing......dig a big hole in the ground and go away through it 😂😂 Nice video as always 😍 😍

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad you liked it Kharbashat. Please don't disappear down that big hole. :-)

[@rashayousry2125]

Awesome and remarkable 👍👍😍😍keep it up. I am fascinated to see the next video.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Rasha, how kind of you to let us know how much you liked it. Thank you. We think you'll like the next one too. :-)

[@rashayousry2125]

@@SimpleEnglishVideos I'm sure.❤️❤️

[@yamay2191]

In my opinion, it's better to tell the person that it's not nice to say such left-handed compliment (of course we have to be careful not to show that we are emotional). Usually, telling people (in polite way) about your feeling will give them good impact like having better interpersonal intelligence. But, if it's not convenient to tell them directly how you feel, you can just remain silent and maybe he/she can tell from your body language that the left-handed compliment bothers you.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much for sharing these thoughts, Eva.

[@yamay2191]

@@SimpleEnglishVideos you're welcome :)

[@juanpa9108]

First comment. Love u guys. I love your videos. Actually I am bilingual, and i help my English vocabulary with you. Thanks

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hello JuanPa. It's great to meet you and we're so glad you like the videos. Thanks for writing.

[@vivalattena]

I laughed for the entire video. You guys gave a lot of funny examples 😄 Great video as always! And this reminds me of my boyfriend and I, I love giving him sarcastic compliments and he'll say " you cheeky f---" 😂

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

That's great Fifa. We had a lot of fun writing scripts for the backhanded compliments and then shooting them. Please say hello to your boyfriend from us. Jay's feeling an affinity to him. :-)

[@vivalattena]

@@SimpleEnglishVideos oh, I sure will! 😂

[@theotheranother3794]

Thanks for the great video. Love it!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much TheOTher Another. Much appreciated. :-)

[@sunilkumar-ey9es]

I am your new subscriber, thank you so much for your great effort. God bless you

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Welcome to our channel Sunil. It's great to have you with us.

[@fatemehpishdad3054]

HI ! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR REPLYING.I WILL BE WAITE FOR YOU TILL FRIDAY.(( YOU ARE MY GOOD TEACHER))

[@notinthenameofmychimmychim8470]

Our lesson in English is Active and Passive voice. I always get low scores at exercises, what should I do?

[@mthyplayz8701]

Omg! This video was great.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad you liked it Mthy Playz. Thanks for writing.

[@fatemehpishdad3054]

when you said to officer , what beautiful brown eyes you have. it makes me very laugh. i hope you make a video every day.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad you liked it Fatemeh. Thank you. I don't think we'll ever be able to make a video everyday, but we'll be back next Friday.

[@maximpolak9936]

Hi, thanks a lot for the video. I just have one question. It is very hard to pronounce the word murder for me. Can you please make a video about it?

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

We'll add it to our list Maxim. Thanks for the great suggestion.

[@Cricriton]

Hello, hello, good sunday morning here in Peru. Wow, it's fascinating. Of all that, In my work de use "flattery" but un a good way, just to feel someone fine and get something I want to work with. Anyway, it really workshop and then my Friends and I end laughing at everything. Ha, ha, ha.. Let me say you have made a good video. Now, i'm gonna think carefully everything I wanna say. Have a wonderful week, I will be thinking every word my mouth wanna shout. Good luck.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Paul and greetings to you in Peru! So glad you liked the video. I hope it doesn't make you think too long before you speak. I'm sure say lots of very nice things.

[@muhammadanaqi6777]

Great video for Lerner

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Glad you think so, mohd. Thanks for letting us know and thanks for watching.

[@fikys1679]

Vicky and Jay, you are the the best :))))

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

That's so kind of you to say, Yuran4ik Show. Thanks for watching.

[@aparecidoferreiravais321]

Hi Vicki and Jay as always a great video thanks a lot and have a lovely weekend my teacher 😉👍

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much Aparecido.

[@bongbaoboi5478]

7:28 Yeah, you're right. In real life, I look much more handsome than me in the photo 😂

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Isn't that the truth ông Bảo Bối. Thanks for watching.

[@megnam3923]

You both looked great😊

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Megna, that's so nice of you to say. Thanks for writing to us and thanks for watching.

[@m.sescaasmo5791]

All your videos are funny and very useful. You are a lovely couple. I hope this isn't a flattery! 😃 Greetings from Barcelona.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Ha! We hope it isn't flattery too M.Sesca. Greetings to you in Barcelona. :-)

[@Chris-em4hm]

To be honest, no one should ever give such ‘compliments’. It’s so rude. I’m from Germany by the way and even though we’re thought to be really direct, this is something you must not do.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

I agree Samiila. They are not backhanded compliments are not compliments at all and it'd be great if nobody gave them.

[@ByGoglev]

Hey there, this nice video lesson shows one more time that aging doesn't always ought to be dull and miserable ;)

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks Valentin. I'm hoping this a great example of a backhanded compliment. :-)

[@ByGoglev]

@@SimpleEnglishVideos , of course it's only a joke. Wish you all the best.

[@NJR-js4yb]

Keep up the good work

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks Squad 2853. We'll try!

[@95kpeople2]

You're so great teachers.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much Omar. :-)

[@davidgaytan5284]

I love these videos 😊😊, Greetings from Mexico!!✋😃✋

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much Alex.

[@farisbasha1488]

I love you guys you are so lovely couple, I wish you a happy new year 🌹🌹🌹

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Faris, we with the very same to you and yours. Have a wonderful, joyous and happy new year.

[@megnam3923]

Thanks a lot 😊🙏

[@Marco-Mattos1964]

Awesome vídeo!! Jay and Vicki Nice couple😁

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad you liked it Marco. Thank you. :-)

[@marcelomijolovic9439]

Jay like police officer, that was such a good idea.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

It was fun too. :-)

[@marcelomijolovic9439]

Yes

[@helmuth-andy]

I was an smart-aleck😢

[@dukzlamingitteh4304]

Thank you

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

You're very welcome Dukz. :-)

[@federicoriva7928]

Hi Jay and Vicki! Thank you so much for this video, it's definitely helping me improve my english. I just wanted to ask you a question about the verb " to like", I don't know when I have to use the form with the infinitive and that with the gerund, could you please clarify it? Thanks again and all the best!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Dark Knight. You're not the first person to ask for this and this video has been on my list for a while. I'll put it up a notch. It won't happen soon, but we'll try.

[@pawasjayabalit1801]

Thank you!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

You're very welcome Pawas. :-)

[@Ab-qp2yu]

What a nice video, thank you guys, you're awesome:-)

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much Ali B. Much appreciated.

[@leonardovalerio1341]

Sorry for the question but : what's a double cream in English?

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Leonardo. Double cream is very thick, heavy cream. It contains a lot of fat but tastes delicious. It's an uncountable noun.

[@bartoszswiatkowski6828]

Thank you for your videos! ☺️

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

You're very welcome Bartosz. :-)

[@ladynana9506]

Great vid thanks keep doing

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

So glad you liked it. Thanks for the encouragement Nadia.

[@AlePaoletti]

Backhanded compliments sound like a declaration of war to me. I could answer back to the meeting talk quote with some irony like "I'm happy for giving you one of your few chances to feel intelligent". But, maybe, it would be better following your suggestion and saying nothing. A glacial stare might be a proper response 😄

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Ha! Yeah, a glacial stare is another great response. Thanks Ale. :-)

[@0wen.736]

This is brilliant

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Glad you think so Roppa. It was fun for us to make.

[@RhysProductions11]

Oioi roppa

[@0wen.736]

@@RhysProductions11 Oioi rhys lad

[@RhysProductions11]

I'm a married spud

[@fatemehpishdad3054]

HI JAY ! HI VICKI ! YOUR VIDEOS ARE VERY EXCELLENT. THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU.(( I have a question for you vicki! i saw you in rachel s video! Do you know her?

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Fatemeh. So glad you like the videos. Yes, Rachel lives in Philadelphia too and we're friends.

[@elyseepasteur6163]

Amazing living lesson! You did it! Well done! If someone payed me a controversal compliment as teaching here I would give them a sarcastic ' compliment '. Could you say ' Thanks for your congratulations ' to reply genuine compliments? Thanks in advance for your reply!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Hi Elysee. We're so glad you liked the video. Replying to genuine compliments is tricky and we need to make another video about that. Thanks for reminding me. 'Congratulations' has a limited use in English. We generally only use it when someone has won a competition of some sort, passed an exam or is celebrating an anniversary.

[@ramacas2891]

you are the best!!

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Thanks so much ramacas28.

[@Mostafaalbutmah]

This is very helpful

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

That's great. Thanks Mustafa. :-)

[@jrhndrl1]

I’m an American, and I personally have never heard the phrase, “left-handed complement” I’ve only heard, “backhanded complement”. It might be an east coast vs. west coast thing though, I don’t know.

[@SimpleEnglishVideos]

Oh that's interesting. Thanks Candalyman. There's so much variation in American (and British) English and it's always great to hear about it. It might well be regional, as you say,.and we might see an east coast west coast pattern emerge if others write in. (Jay's a New Yorker so he'd fit the pattern.) But I've just discovered that there might also be a language change thing going on too. I just checked it out in Google's Ngram tool and I had a couple of big surprises. First I learnt that left-handed is also used in the UK. (I hadn't heard it before I came to the US, so that was a surprise) And then I learnt that the use of backhanded has been rising sharply in both British and American English over time. I'm not sure if the links will work, but here are the two graphs I looked at: books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=backhanded+compliment%2Cleft-handed+compliment&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=18&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cbackhanded%20compliment%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cleft%20-%20handed%20compliment%3B%2Cc0 books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=backhanded+compliment%2Cleft-handed+compliment&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=17&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cbackhanded%20compliment%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cleft%20-%20handed%20compliment%3B%2Cc0