Vanessa explains several differences between formal classroom grammar and common conversational English. Her goal is not to tell learners that grammar is useless, but to help them understand what people are likely to say in everyday situations. Some conversational forms are informal or nonstandard in edited writing, so learners should notice the audience and setting before choosing them.
For an unknown caller, a textbook may teach “To whom am I speaking?” Vanessa describes that as very formal and offers “Who am I speaking with?” or the shorter “Who’s this?” as more conversational alternatives. The first example also shows that English speakers commonly place a preposition such as “with” at the end of a question. This is natural in speech; the classroom rule against ending a sentence with a preposition is not a rule people consistently follow.
She then discusses “There’s a lot of problems with this plan.” In casual speech, speakers often use “there’s” before a plural noun, even though formal standard agreement would use “there are.” Learners may hear this frequently, but should recognize the difference and use the standard form in formal writing or when accuracy is important.
For unreal or hypothetical situations, “If I were from France, I would speak French” is the traditional subjunctive form. Vanessa notes that many speakers say “If I was from France” in everyday conversation. Both “I wouldn’t do that if I were you” and “I wouldn’t do that if I was you” are heard as advice or warnings; the “were” version remains a common careful choice. The lesson also shows that speakers often simplify a past-perfect sentence such as “Before I started learning English, I had thought it was impossible” to “Before I started learning English, I thought it was impossible” when the time sequence is already clear.
Finally, Vanessa contrasts the formal-sounding “In which car do you want to go?” with the natural spoken question “Which car do you want to go in?” She tells a joke about a snobbish student correcting someone for ending a question with “from,” then insulting him with “Where are you from, stupid?” The humor illustrates how rigid corrections can sound unnatural or rude.
The useful takeaway is to keep both registers available: understand textbook forms, learn common spoken alternatives, and choose based on context. Everyday speech is not always identical to formal written grammar, and a form being common does not automatically make it appropriate everywhere.