Intent on

Be intent on

Today’s English expression is to “be intent on.” We use this with an -ing verb. I am intent on starting the year strong. That means, I am dedicated to starting the year strong. I’ll put all my effort into starting the year strong.

An “intention” is something you think you will do, something you will try to do. My intention is to finish writing each lesson transcript by Sunday afternoon. That’s what I want to do, and I’ll try to do it.

But to “be intent on” is to be very focused on that thing. If I say, “I intend to exercise four times per week,” that means I’ll try to exercise four times per week, but I’m not making any promises. However, if I say, “I am intent on exercising four times per week,” well that means I have a strong desire and a strong intention to do that. It’s a high priority for me and I’m going to put a lot of effort into doing that.

Earlier today, I said that Russia is intent on making life miserable for Ukrainian civilians . This is their strong desire and a high priority of the war at this point. They are targeting electricity and civilian infrastructure. As winter sets in in Kiev, the capital, many residents have just a few hours of heat and electricity every day. Missiles are hitting railways, apartment buildings, and water supplies. Russia is not making progress in capturing more territory, but they are intent on making life miserable for Ukrainian citizens.

Just two months ago, China was intent on controlling the spread of COVID-19. The government put a lot of effort on controlling the spread of the virus. Everyone needed to get tested frequently; positive tests meant you had to quarantine. Sometimes entire apartment blocks or neighborhoods were sealed shut because of a single positive test.

Government censors blocked images from the World Cup, which showed people walking around freely without any type of COVID-19 restrictions. The government—until about two months ago—was intent on controlling the spread of the virus, no matter what the cost. This was a people’s war against the virus, and the country’s leader, Xi Jinping, was the leader of the war.

Now it’s the opposite. China pivoted, and now the government is intent on dismantling all the infrastructure they used to control the virus. Contact tracing apps used to be mandatory; they’re now gone from app stores. Testing centers are vanishing. And the government propaganda says that COVID-19 is no worse than the flu.

Remember that “intent on” means you dedicate a lot of effort to something, it’s not a general intention, not a general desire. I just moved, as you know. And it took a while to get my apartment furnished. But I was intent on getting it all done by the end of 2022, so I can put all my focus on my work in 2023. I think I got there!

JR’s song of the week

JR’s song of the week today is “Wish on an Eyelash Part 2” by Mallrat, featuring the Chainsmokers. The song started as a very brief, 58-second introduction to an album earlier this year. But fans liked it so much that she teamed up with the Chainsmokers to make it a full song.

Mallrat is a singer named Grace Shaw. But a “mall rat” is a kid who goes to the mall a lot, not necessarily for shopping, but just to hang out.

Anyway, JR’s song of the week is “Wish on an Eyelash Part 2” by Mallrat, featuring the Chainsmokers.

See you next time!

That’s all for today’s lesson. I’m intent on bringing you high-quality lessons on current events and trending topics every Monday and Thursday. You—and I know this is true—you are intent on upgrading your English.

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