student asking question

What does "don't embarrass" mean? Does "don't embarrass" mean the same as "don't feel ashamed"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

That's a great question. To "embarrass" is to cause a feeling of awkwardness, self-consciousness, or shame. So when we say "embarrass yourself" we mean to do something that will cause you to feel those feelings of embarrassment, e.g. awkwardness or shame. By saying "don't embarrass yourself" he is saying, do not do anything that will cause you to feel ashamed or embarrassed. Ex: Be careful what you say during this meeting so that you don't embarrass yourself. Ex: I'm studying a lot so I don't embarrass myself at the competition.

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