One of the most difficult things to do is to ask your boss for a raise. However, this is an important ability. After all, you don’t want to be underpaid, and the cost of living is too high to work for minimum wage. But it can be difficult to bring this up with your boss. Do you politely ask for more money, or do you just tell your boss to pay you more?

Sometimes, the best way to ask for more money is to ask for a review. During your review, you and your boss can talk about the things that you do well and the things that you can do better. Your boss can explain the industry standard for your job, and you can request a promotion.

Romeo would like his pay to be bumped up. Will his supervisor agree? Find out in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Your friend just came back from a rad trip to Thailand. Your brother just bought a brand new Tesla. Your roommate just finished watching Game of Thrones. Now, every time you hang out with your friend, she talks for hours about beautiful Thai beaches, amazing Thai food, and friendly Thai people. Every time you see your brother, he tells you how cool his new electric car is. Every time your roommate is home, he says many wonderful things about the TV show. Your friend, your brother, and your roommate wax lyrical about these things.

If you have a favorite thing, you might also wax lyrical about it. It’s easy to talk and talk and talk about the things we love. Wax lyrical means to talk about something with excitement. For example, people often wax lyrical about the holiday season, since it’s a time of happiness and cheer. During the holidays, we can shake off our problems and celebrate life. Wax lyrical can also mean describe something beautifully. You might be very knowledge about something or very skilled at describing a thing.

Kelsey is a talented singer and songwriter. Watch today’s English soap opera to hear her wax lyrical about the lives of her friends. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Apple. Android. Linux. Windows. These are some of the world’s most popular operating systems. Which one do you use? If you don’t know, then you’re probably not a techie, so let’s start from the very beginning. An operating system is the most important program on your computer. It makes all the other programs work. An operating system lets you access your pictures, music, files, and everything else.

Each operating system has issues. Windows is popular, but some users are fed up with seeing the blue screen of death. Linux is free, but it’s not very user friendly. Android is a more user friendly form of Linux, but it’s mostly just for phones and tablets. Many people love Apple, but it’s only compatible with other Apple devices and will cost you a pretty penny.

Romeo is talking to Marni about two of these operating systems. Listen to today’s English lesson to hear which one is his new top choice. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

When we think of the typical beauty cult, we usually imagine women with perfect makeup and glamorous clothes. For years, CoverGirl has helped people to learn about these beauty trends. CoverGirl is a popular makeup brand, and they have many famous models. In the past, CoverGirl models were always women, but in 2016, James Charles became the first cover boy.

James Charles is only 17 years old, but he has a knack for makeup. This young makeup artist began sharing makeup ideas on Instagram. He became very popular because of his extravagant eye makeup. He loves to use lots of glitter, and he can do wonderful stage makeup. CoverGirl asked him to model for them. He was very happy to become the first male model for the popular makeup brand.

Marni and Andy both think James Charles is glam. Listen to their thoughts in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

With Rogue One, Jyn is very much a team player and a collaborator in the same way that Princess Leia is.—Actress Felicity Jones, speaking about her character in Star Wars: Rogue One (ComingSoon.Net) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Do you want to travel abroad? Maybe, you want to visit the Great Wall of China. Maybe, you want to see Egypt’s Pyramids. Or maybe, you hope to ride on the impressive Trans-Siberian Railroad, the longest rail in the world. This historic railroad was built over a hundred years ago and is 9,289 km long!

It takes seven days to travel from Moscow, Russia, to Vladivostok, Russia. That’s a long time to travel. You can enjoy good meals in the dining car. You can talk to fascinating people. And when you’re tired, there’s always the sleeper car. If you want extra adventure, you can also take the train through Mongolia and China.

Marni is a bit taken aback that Andy would rather travel on a Russian train than on Amtrak. Listen to this English lesson to find out why he thinks the Trans-Siberian Railroad is so far reaching. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Have you ever been so involved in something that you forgot to do something else? Maybe, you were working on your favorite hobby, and you forgot to clean the house. Or perhaps, you were dancing with a cute partner, and you forgot to ask if this person was already taken. You probably didn’t want to jeopardize their relationship, but you really wanted to dance with them. In situations like these, you just got swept up in the moment.

When you are swept up in the moment, you are very focused on the thing in front of you. In fact, you’re so focused that you forget about everything else. You might be so excited to make great New Year’s resolutions that you forget to also make your resolutions realistic. Instead, you might be building castles in the sky. We all get swept up in the moment at times, but it’s good to relax and save some things to look forward to in the future.

Did Jordin just get swept up in the moment when she kissed Andy? Find out in today’s English soap opera. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

How do you feel when you have a big birthday coming up? Do you start to worry? Do you feel glum? As children, we’re usually very happy about our birthdays. As adults, though, a birthday can become a crisis. We might start to feel nostalgic and think that the future won’t be as good as the past.

When people turn 40 or 50, they often have a midlife crisis. They worry that they’ve made big mistakes in life. Now, there’s a new kind of crisis called a quarter-life crisis. At age 25, many people are changing from university life to life in the real world, which can be difficult and cause a crisis. Or a person might have a job and home already but feel stuck.

Jordin thinks the idea of a quarter-life crisis is ridiculous. Listen to this English lesson to find out if Andy agrees with her. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Imagine that you are sitting peacefully in a chair. Maybe, you are reading a book or playing a game on your phone. You might even be taking a quick nap. All of a sudden, something hits you. It is your friend, and his hand is full of flour. It gets all over you, and your clothes turn white. Your friend yells, “Smack cam!” You have just been the victim of a prank video!Prank videos are all over the internet. People film themselves playing tricks on their friends. Other pranksters play tricks on strangers. Some people even get into a prank war and play tricks on each other over and over. For many internet users, prank videos are a fun, hilarious source of entertainment. However, other people do not like these videos. They find them to be mean-spirited or too extreme.Romeo and Dominique are talking about prank videos. Listen to find out what they think. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed up. I’m fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily under the guise of ‘journalism.’ —Actress Jennifer Aniston, speaking about media rumors (The Huffington Post) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com