Hello everybody, my name is Coach Shane and welcome to easy English expressions.

You and me every day, come on, let's master English.

Hello, everybody, welcome back to Daily Easy English Expression, the podcast.

Today's podcast is brought to you by a few new sponsors. Thank you so much. I will say thank you to them personally at the end of the podcast. Today's expression, a great phrasal verb. It is taken a back.

To be taken a back. I was taken a back. Taken, T-A-N-A-N-A-B-A-C-A-B-A-C. Now we use this expression always in the past tense to describe how we felt.

Do we use it in the future tense? I don't know. I've never, ever, ever heard it in the future tense.

So just think of it as basically a descriptive phrasal verb describing how you feel. And how do you feel if you are taken aback

you are angry you are it doesn't have to be like really angry but kind of shocked a little bit

surprised insulted this is the idea so for example a little bit surprised, insulted.

This is the idea.

So, for example, if somebody says to me,

oh, just give Shane hamburgers.

He's American.

They all like hamburgers.

I would be taken aback.

Yes, it's true. The image is, all Americans love hamburgers, and you can just give Shane a hamburger. But not every single American loves hamburgers. What if I were a vegetarian or a vegan? Or maybe I do love hamburgers.

But for lunch I had hamburgers.

Why are you giving me hamburgers again?

Why don't you ask me?

Why don't you ask me?

Is my opinion nothing?

Can you make up every decision for me?

...