1 HOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY LESSON - Advanced English Vocabulary

 Hello and welcome to this one hour  

English vocabulary lesson. In this lesson, you're  going to learn over 150 advanced expressions that  

you can add to your vocabulary to sound fluent and  advanced in English. Are you excited? Now because  

this is all long lesson, what I've done is I've  divided it into different groups. So you'll learn  

one group of words and then you can review that  if you'd like and then you can move on to another  

group of words. Of course, I'm Jennifer,  welcome back to JForrestEnglish training,  

your place to become a fluent, confident  English speaker. Now let's get started.  

In your first group, you're going to learn over  50 expressions that you can use to share your  

opinion. So you can use these to share a positive  opinion when you're agreeing with opinion,  

disagreeing with opinion or to ask someone  for their opinion as well. Let's get started.

Now let's get started with first  sharing your personal opinion. Let's  

say you're in a work meeting and you have  an idea you want to share with everyone.

We should hire a marketing expert to build  our website. You can absolutely say that,

but you can sound more professional, more advanced  if you use an opinion word. Now there are many

different phrases you can use to share your  personal opinion. I recommend starting with

two to three that you like the most. And then you  can add more once you get comfortable with them,

so you have variety and you're not always using  the same one. Here's the list, in my opinion,

as far as I'm concerned, from my perspective,  from my point of view, personally, I think that,

in my view, I'd say that, I believe  that, I strongly/firmly believe that,

I'm convinced that, there's no doubt in my mind  that, I feel that, in my mind, it seems to me

that. So let's take our idea again. We should  hire a marketing expert to build our website. As

far as I'm concerned, we should hire a marketing  expert. In my opinion, in my mind, personally,

I think that we should hire a marketing expert.  So you can use any one of these. And remember,

variety is key. You don't always want to say:  in my opinion. You can absolutely use it,

but you want to have variety. Now let's  talk about agreeing with an opinion.

So you're in a meeting and a colleague says,  we should postpone the conference. Or your

colleague uses an opinion word and says, I firmly  believe that we should postpone the conference.

Now let's say that you agree with your colleague,  what can you say? Well, again, here's a big list.

Start with one to two and add them as you  get comfortable. I agree. I agree with you.

I think so too. That's a good point. You're  right. Definitely. Absolutely. I second that.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I couldn't  agree more. We're on the same page. You hit the

nail on the head. So your colleague says, from my  perspective, we should postpone the conference.

And you say, I couldn't agree more. We should  postpone the conference. You're right. We should

postpone the conference. Absolutely. We should  postpone the conference. I agree with you.

Now let's say your colleagues shared an opinion  that started with, I don't think. I don't think

we should postpone the conference. Personally,  I don't think we should postpone the conference.

We have one very specific phrase that you can use  when you want to agree with a negative opinion.

Do you know what that is? In my mind, I don't  think we should postpone the conference. Neither

do I. Neither do I. You only use this when you're  agreeing with 'I don't think'. Neither do I.

Now let's talk about disagreeing with an opinion.  So you're in a meeting and your colleague says,

in my mind, we should look for a new supplier. Now  you don't agree. What can you say? You can say,

I disagree with you. I'm afraid I disagree. On the  contrary. I understand where you're coming from,

but. I respect your opinion, but. That's a good  point, however. I see your point, but. I have a

different perspective. I think. Can I share my  opinion? That's one way of looking at it. But

have you considered the fact that? Now, the  first one I shared, I disagree with you,

is probably the least commonly used because  it sounds argumentative. And we generally

want to say this softly to someone. So it's  way more common to say ,I'm afraid. I'm afraid

I disagree with you. It makes it a lot softer. Or  you can acknowledge that, I respect your opinion,

but I don't think that's a good idea. I respect  your opinion, but I think we should keep our

supplier. My personal favorite in this category  is, I understand where you're coming from but.

And then you share your opinion or whatever  information you'd like. I understand where

you're coming from. This is another way of saying  I respect your opinion. I understand where you're

coming from. But right now isn't the best time to  change our suppliers because it's our busiest time

of year. We should wait until Q4. And remember,  you can add your personal opinion words as well.

From my perspective, in my mind, from my point  of view, we should wait until Q4. So you can

absolutely combine these different opinion words  together. Now let's talk about sharing a general

opinion. So something that most people would agree  with. Here's a statement. Repetition is key when

you're learning any new skill. Now I personally  believe this, but it's not my opinion per se.

This is just a commonly held opinion by most  people, by many different people. So here are

some general opinion words you can use. It's said  that. It's believed that. I've heard that. It's

considered that. It's generally accepted that.  Most agree that. Some say that. It goes without

saying that. Researchers/experts suggest that.  So I could say, it's generally accepted that

repetition is key when you're learning any new  skill. And personally, I agree. And personally,

I couldn't have said it better myself. So you  absolutely can share a general opinion but then

agree with that general opinion using one of the  phrases you've already learned. Or maybe you want

to disagree with this statement. Well then, of  course you can use one of the phrases to disagree.

On the contrary, repetition isn't that important.  I'm afraid I disagree. Repetition isn't that

important. In my mind, and then you can share your  opinion. And finally, let's talk about how to ask

someone for their opinion. So let's say I shared a  general opinion. Most agree that repetition is key

when learning a new skill. And I want to ask for  your opinion on this specific topic. I can say,

Do you agree? What's your opinion? What do you  think? What are your thoughts? What's your view?

How do you see the situation? What's your  take on it? What about you? How about you?

Has that been your experience? What has your  experience been? Are we on the same page?

Is that something you would support too? So,  if you're talking to someone who's currently

learning a new skill, it would be really  interesting to ask them, has that been your

experience? What are your thoughts on that? Do  you agree? So now you have 50 plus phrases that

you can use in any situation, formal or informal,  professional meeting, casual party with friends,

to talk about opinions. Because everybody loves  sharing their opinion. Right? So now you get to

share your opinion! I want you to share either  a personal or a general opinion related to the

subject of languages in the comments below.  And the fun part, you can look in the comments

and then you can reply back to the other students  and you can agree or you can disagree or maybe

you can even ask someone more information about  their opinion. Try to use the different opinion

words that you learned in this lesson.  So have fun in the comments below.

Amazing job. Of course you need to  practice and practice and repeat  

these words to get comfortable using  them. So why don’t you bookmark this  

video. Add it to your playlist so  you can review it again and again.

For now, let’s move on to our second group  and in this group you’re going to learn  

over 50 words that you can use to attend job  interviews professionally. So you’ll learn how  

to talk about yourself, your experience, your  education, your background and everything you  

need for job interviews. Let’s get started!

Let's get started with the  first question that you're going

to be asked. Tell me about yourself. When you're  asked this question, you absolutely must use the

expression, I have more than, over, or almost  10 years of experience. And then you can add

as a + and your job title. As a project manager.  As an accountant. Don't forget that article. It's

very important that it's there before your job  title. Now you can also talk about your experience

in a particular field. I have almost 20 years of  experience in the project management industry.

I have more than 15 years of experience in the IT  sector. So you can use field, industry or sector.

Now notice you have more than or over. That's  when the number is greater than. And then you have

almost, that's when the number is less than. So  if you actually have 13 or 14 years of experience.

Well, it sounds better to use a round number like  15. So you can say, almost 15 years of experience

if you have 13 or 14. Now you can add to this  and tell us more about your responsibilities

in that role. So you can say, in this role, which  is your role as a financial analyst, in this role.

You can also say in that role. It doesn't  matter. In this/that role, I was responsible for.

Or you can say I am responsible for. Was  if you're viewing the role as complete.

And I am responsible for, if you're currently  doing that role. I was responsible for.

Now after this we need a gerund verb. So you  can use many many different verbs to talk about

your experience. These are the most common verbs  you can use. In this role. I was responsible for

managing, overseeing, leading, coordinating,  creating, developing, reviewing, improving,

streamlining and analyzing. Of course, you can use  other verbs, but these are the most common. Now

streamlining, this means improving the efficiency  or effectiveness. So as a financial analyst you

could say, I have over 20 years of experience as  a financial analyst in the IT industry. In this

role, I'm responsible for overseeing a team of  15 people and I'm responsible for streamlining

our operations. Now, in a job interview,  you absolutely want to use more academic or

formal adjectives. You don't want to say, I have a  lot of experience. That doesn't sound very strong

or convincing. It sounds a lot more impressive  if you say, I have extensive experience. I have

significant experience. So those are two must know  adjectives that you should use in job interviews,

extensive and significant, which simply is a more  formal way of saying a lot of. I have significant

experience. And again, after this you need a  gerund verb. You can use any of the verbs I've

already shared. And of course, you'll have  specific verbs for your industry and your

specific job title. I have extensive experience  creating international marketing campaigns for a

variety of industries. Now after this expression,  I have significant/extensive experience,

you can also use a noun. I have significant  project management experience. I have significant

financial analysis experience. So you don't have  to use a gerund verb. You could also use a noun.

If you're asked about your education or  your credentials, you can simply say,

I have a Bachelor of. I have a Bachelor of  Science, a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of

Engineering, whatever that may be. Now you can end  it there. But you may also choose to identify the

school and the year you graduated. Those aren't  requirements but if you went to a prestigious or

well known school, or you recently graduated,  those might be useful details to include.

I have a Bachelor of Science from Cornell. I  graduated in 2020. You can also use the verbs

received or obtained, which are more formal than  have. However, it's extremely common to use the

verb 'have'. I have a bachelor. I have a master.  But you can also use received or obtained to

use the more formal version. I received my Master  of Education from Cornell in 2020. I obtained

my Master of Engineering from MIT in 2019. If  your credential is a certification, you can use

the verbs, I received, I completed or I obtained.  I completed my PMP in 2019. Now notice here I use

an acronym PMP. If I'm applying for a job  in the project management industry, they

know what a PMP is, it's the most prestigious  certification in the industry. It stands for

Project Management Professional. So there's no  need to identify an acronym if that acronym is

well known in your specific industry. Let's talk  about your personal strengths. The interviewer is

likely going to ask you, what are your strengths?  What would you say are your three best qualities?

So here you can use a transition word, as for my  strengths. As for my strengths, that's just to

introduce the point. As for my strengths, I'm  extremely, and then you can list the quality.

Now notice here I use the adjective 'extremely'.  This is a more convincing adjective than I'm

really or very. You want to avoid those common  adjectives because they don't stand out. And it's

way more convincing to use a stronger adjective  in a job interview, like extremely. I'm extremely

hard working, which sounds stronger than I'm  really hard working. Let's review some common

adjectives that you're going to use and for all of  these adjectives, you're going to use the verb 'to

be' and then list the adjective. I'm extremely  hardworking, committed, trustworthy, honest,

focused, methodical, proactive. A team player. For  a team player. You can't use an adjective. You're

simply going to say I'm a team player. You're  not going to say I'm extremely team player, that

doesn't work. I'm a team player. Now let's talk  about some specific skills you should highlight

in your interview. Now the following skills are  rated as the top 10 skills that employers want.

Of course, the skills aren't specific to your  industry, but you can take this as a general list

of skills that would be useful to highlight during  the interview. And to talk about these skills,

you can say, I have. And for an adjective you  can say, I have advanced, I have superior,

I have excellent. And then you list the skill.  I have excellent time management skills. I have

superior communication skills. I have advanced  adaptability skills. The other top 10 skills are:

problem solving, teamwork, creativity, leadership,  interpersonal skills, attention to detail,

and work ethic. For work ethic, we have a very  specific adjective, and that's strong. I have a

strong work ethic. So this is the specific  expression for work ethic. I have a strong

work ethic. So let's say you want to show off  your communication skills. I have superior

communication skills. Now let's say the  interviewer wants to know why you're

interested in this specific position. You  could say, I'm looking for an opportunity

to further or to develop my X skills. So your  project management skills, your teamwork skills,

your financial analysis skills, whatever  the specific skill is. You can also say,

I'm looking for an opportunity to gain experience  in. And then you can talk about a specific field,

industry or sector. In the IT industry. In the  project management field. In the marketing sector.

You should absolutely have a conclusion. Don't  just say, thank you for your time. You should

leave them with a really strong impression of  your skills and your ability to complete the job

and be an asset to the organization. So you can  say, I believe that. I know that. I'm confident

that my extensive project management skills  would make me a valuable asset to your company,

your team, your organization. And I look forward  to the opportunity to contribute to your goals.

Of course you should take this and adapt it  to your specific industry or role, but you

absolutely want a strong conclusion statement to  impress the interviewer. So now you have 50 plus

advanced English expressions that you can use to  impress your interviewer. I want you to practice

in the comments below by answering the question,  tell me about yourself. And try to use as many

different expressions from this lesson as you can.  I can't wait to learn a little bit more about your

professional background.

I am so excited for you to attend  your next job interview and use all  

your new vocabulary. You are going  to sound just like a native speaker.

Now let’s move on to the next  group where you’re going to  

learn 15 advanced expressions to sound  fluent. All these expressions you can  

use in your daily vocabulary. First  I explain what the expression is. I  

explain how to use it. And then you’ll see  example sentences using that expression.

And at the end of this group  you’ll complete a quiz to make  

sure you really know how to use these  15 new expressions. Let’s get started.

Expression number one, one's take

on something. This is simply another way to ask  someone for their opinion or ideas. So if you're

in a meeting, it's very common to say, What's your  take on that? What's your take on that? And the

'that' being whatever you're discussing, maybe a  new idea, a new project, a new plan. And to reply,

you could say, well my take on it is. And then  you simply state your opinion or your idea. We

also sometimes will say our opinion or idea. For  example, I think we should delay the project.

And then we add 'that's my take on it'. That's my  take on it. Number two, to be in a position to.

This is an expression that simply means to be  able to or to be capable of. So you might say,

we're not in a position to take on any new  clients. At least that's my take on it. Or you

might ask, is the company in a position to take on  more debt? Is the company able to. Number three,

to be on the right track. I love this expression  because it means you're making good progress

on something specific. For example, you  might say, we haven't solved the problem yet,

but we're on the right track. So the problem still  exists, but you're headed towards the solution.

You're making good progress, you're on the right  track. So if you keep doing what you're doing,

you'll solve the problem. Number four, to stem  from. This is an excellent business or academic

expression. And this means to be caused by or  to come from. So you might read in an article,

a lot of health problems stem from poor  diet. So the health problems are caused by,

stem from, a poor diet. Said another way, you  could say, a poor diet causes health problems. But

remember, we're switching them because we're using  stem from, caused by. Number five, to be a given,

a given. This is something that is well known as  an established fact or truth. So I might share

my fact or truth. If you want to be a confident  English speaker, you have to practice speaking.

That's a given. It's just another way of saying,  that's a fact. At least that's my take on it.

And said another way, I can say, it's a given, to  be a given that, it's a given that if you want to

be a confident speaker, you need to practice  speaking. Number six, to take x into account.

X is something. And into account simply means to  account for or to consider something. For example,

when you're planning a vacation, you need to take  the exchange rate into account, the exchange rate,

the timezone difference, the customs, the culture  into account. Number seven, this is a good one,

to grapple with, to grapple with. This is  another way of saying to deal or cope with

a difficult situation. So let's take a difficult  situation. Social isolation during the pandemic.

That's been very difficult. Many people  are grappling with, they're dealing with,

they're coping with the situation. Many people  are grappling with isolation during the pandemic.

Number eight, to be short on something.  This simply means you don't have enough

of something. For example, I'm short on time this  week. Or, I can't go on that vacation because I'm

short on cash. I don't have enough. Number nine,  to be up in the air. We use this expression to

talk about a plan or an issue that's unsettled  or unresolved, or uncertain. Up in the air.

For example, my summer plans are up in the air.  They're uncertain. I haven't planned them yet.

Or I might say, the future of that  business is up in the air. It's uncertain.

Number 10, to bring someone up to speed. When you  bring someone up to speed, you share the latest

information with them. So let's say your  colleague was on vacation and they get back

and they could ask you, Hey, can you bring me up  to speed? Can you share the latest information.

Can you bring me up to speed on the Jones project.  So you could talk about a specific situation

or just in general. Can you bring me up to speed.  Number 11, this is a great one, a deal breaker.

A deal breaker is something that causes you to  abandon a plan or a commitment or a relationship.

For example, I might be looking for a new job and  I see one that looks really great. But then I get

to the salary and it's way too low. That's a deal  breaker, that causes me to abandon the plan. The

plan to apply for that job. The salary is a deal  breaker. We also use this a lot in relationships.

You might say, she lied to me. That's a deal  breaker. So you're going to end the relationship,

you're going to abandon it, because she lied.  And that's a deal breaker. Number 12, a do over.

A do over is another attempt to do something  when your previous attempt was unsuccessful.

So let's say you go to a job interview and it went  terribly. You did really poorly. You could say,

I wish I could have a do over. I wish I could  do the interview again. But unfortunately,

most of the time we don't get do overs. But  you might be in a situation where you're

in a class and the professor gave you have  a test and everybody did poorly on the test.

So the professor might give the students a  do over. The professor gives the students

a chance to do the test again because  everyone did really poorly. Number 13,

to come in handy. When something comes in handy,  it's very useful. So this is a positive one.

So let's say you're considering adding a new  feature to a product you provide or a service

and you might say, oh this new feature will  really come in handy. It will come in handy.

It will be useful. Number 14, to be a breeze. We  describe something as a breeze when it's really

easy. For example, learning English is a  breeze, right? It's really easy. Maybe,

maybe not. Depends on what your take on it is.  Or I could say, using Google Docs is a breeze.

It's really easy. And then I could add, using  Google Docs is a breeze compared to MS Word.

So in this case, I'm saying that Google Docs is  easier than MS Word. And finally, number 15, to be

spot on. When someone is spot on, they're 100%  accurate or correct. For example, I could say,

the weather forecast this weekend was spot on.  The meteorologist said it was going to rain on

Saturday at two o'clock and it rained on Saturday  at two o'clock. He said it was going to be

sunny and 25 on Sunday. And that's exactly what  it was. The forecast was spot on. And now you

have 15 new advanced expressions to sound fluent.  Are you ready for your quiz? Feel free to go back,

review the video again if you need. But  if you're ready, let's complete your quiz.

So here's how the quiz is going to work. You're  going to see a sentence and you have to decide

which expression best completes the sentence.  I'll only give you a few seconds so hit pause

and take as much time as you need. So let's do  this one together. Which option is it A, B or C?

And the answer is, A. Bring someone up to speed.  Now notice how I also completed the sentence.

You can do that as well for additional practice,  to make sure you get the grammar correct.

So those are the instructions, now let's  continue on with the next question.

How did you do with that quiz? Make sure you share  

your score in the comments below and  let’s move on to the final group.

In this group you’re going to learn 50  idioms that native speakers actually use  

in our daily vocabulary. And you can add  all of these to your vocabulary as well.

Now I have a PDF that summarizes  these 50 idioms. So at the end  

of this group I’ll give you  the link to download the PDF.

To play something by ear. This is when you make  a decision in the moment rather than planning in

advance. So let's say you're talking about your  weekend and your husband or your friend says,

What do you want to do this weekend? And you  might say, let's play it by ear. Let's decide

as the weekend happens, not in advance. Let's  play it by ear. To be all ears. We use this to

say that you're ready to listen and you're paying  full attention. So let's say you tell your boss

you want to discuss something important about the  project and your boss replies, I'm all ears. I'm

all ears. To wake up on the wrong side of the  bed. This is a great one. We've all done this.

It's when you wake up in a bad mood. You wake up  grumpy. So let's say you wake up, you go in the

kitchen, and your wife your husband says, Oh hi  honey, how are you? Would you like some coffee?

What do you want for breakfast? And you're  grumpy. Ah, I don't care. Where's my phone?

And you're being grumpy. Well, then your wife  or husband can say, Well, someone woke up on

the wrong side of the bed. And that's just to let  you know you're being grumpy. To wing something.

When you wing something, you perform a speech  or presentation without planning in advance.

So you definitely don't want to wing your IELTS  exam, right? To make a mountain out of a molehill.

A molehill is really small. A mountain is really  big. So it's when you take a minor problem or

issue and you make it seem really serious or  severe. So let's say you got one question wrong

on a test and you're acting like it's extremely  serious. Someone could say, don't make a mountain

out of a molehill. They're letting you know,  it's really not that bad. To be at a crossroads.

This is when you have to make a really  important decision that could impact your life.

Let's say you've been a graphic designer for 10  years, but you're considering going back to school

and changing careers and becoming a lawyer  or a teacher. So you might say, I'm not sure

if I want to be a graphic designer anymore.  I'm at a crossroads. Because that decision

will impact your life. To rain cats and dogs. This  is when it rains heavily. So let's say your friend

in a different city asks you, Oh, did it rain last  night? And it did. It rains heavily. You can say,

yeah, it rained cats and dogs! To be on top of the  world. This is when you're really really happy. So

let's say you got a new promotion. You can say,  I'm on top of the world! To give someone the cold

shoulder. This is when you ignore someone, and  you ignore someone on purpose, usually because

you're mad at them or annoyed with them. They  did something wrong or something to irritate you.

So let's say your husband or your wife is ignoring  you. You might say, why are you giving me the cold

shoulder? It's another way of asking, why are  you mad at me? What did I do wrong? Why are

you giving me the cold shoulder? To sit on the  fence. This is when you delay making a decision,

usually because that decision is difficult.  And you don't want to make it. For example,

I asked my boss for a promotion, but he's sitting  on the fence. So he won't answer me. He won't say

yes, he won't say no. He keeps just saying, oh  I need to think about it. I'll get back to you.

He's sitting on the fence. To hit the  nail on the head. This is when you

accurately explain a problem or a situation.  For example, you hit the nail on the head

when you said we needed to reduce our costs.  So you explain the situation accurately. To

be as fit as a fiddle. This simply means you feel  great, you have good health, you're in good shape.

So maybe you can say, since I changed my diet  and I'm eating more fruits and vegetables,

I feel as fit as a fiddle. This is a great  one, to get something out of your system.

This is when you do something or you try something  simply so you can move on. For example, let's say

you've been talking about going skydiving for  years. And years. You research it. You look at

different website. You talk to people about it.  But you've never actually done it. Someone might

say, just go skydiving so you can get it out  of your system. So once you do it, you can stop

researching it. Stop looking it up. And just move  on already. I like this one. Speak of the devil.

Speak of the devil. This sounds negative,  because of devil, but it's not at all. This

is used when you're talking about someone and  they appear exactly as you're talking about them.

This has happened right? Let's say you're  talking to a friend about your mutual friend,

Bob. And you're talking about Bob. Oh, is Bob  going to come to the party? Oh, I'm not sure,

I haven't talked to Bob. And then your phone rings  and guess what, it's Bob! And then you can say,

speak of the devil. To give someone the benefit  of the doubt. This is when you trust someone

when they tell you something. So if a coworker is  late and they call you and they say, I'm stuck in

traffic. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt.  Let's trust that he's actually stuck in traffic.

No pain, no gain. This is a classic one.  This is used to say that if you want results,

real results, you have to be willing to work  hard and get uncomfortable. So I might say,

if you want to improve your public speaking  skills, no pain, no gain. You have to be

willing to get uncomfortable. Hang in there.  This is a great one. It simply means, don't

give up. I know learning a language is hard,  but hang in there! A penny for your thoughts.

This is used to ask someone what they're thinking.  So let's say your friend is just staring out the

window and you probably are wondering what are  they thinking about. You can turn to your friend

and say, a penny for your thoughts. It's not  rocket science. Rocket science is complicated,

right? But if we say it's not rocket science,  this means it's not complicated. So I could say,

becoming a confident English speaker is not rocket  science. It's not complicated. You just have to

practice speaking! To let someone off the hook.  This is a great one because it means that you

don't punish someone for a mistake or  a wrong doing. So your boss could say,

I know you came in late today, but I'm going to  let you off the hook. I'm not going to punish you.

To make a long story short. This is when you  take a long and usually complicated story.

And you make it very simple by sharing it  briefly. So you can say long story short,

we missed our flight. So there's a long  story about why you missed your flight.

But you don't want to explain those details. You  just say, long story short, we missed our flight.

Easy does it. Easy does it. This is a way  of saying, slow down. So if your friend

is at the gym and they're trying to do  too many exercises with too much weight,

you might say, easy does it. Slow down. To go  back to the drawing board. This is when you need

to start over and create a new plan or strategy  because the first one failed. So let's say you

were trying to solve a computer problem. You came  up with a strategy. It didn't work. And then you

can say to your team. Well, let's go back to the  drawing board and try again. Once in a blue moon.

This is an event that happens infrequently. For  example, I only see Cara once in a blue moon,

not very often. At the drop of a hat. This is a  great one because it means without hesitation or

instantly. For example, call me if you need  anything and I'll be there at the drop of a hat.

It means I'll come instantly if you need anything.  So it's a really nice, reassuring thing to say to

someone. To add insult to injury. This is when you  take a bad situation and it becomes even worse. So

let's say you're going out on a first date and  your date showed up late. That's already a bad

situation. But then to add insult to injury,  your date forgot his wallet and you had to pay

for both of you. To hit the sack. This means to go  to bed. For example, I'm really tired. I'm going

to hit the sack. The balls in your court. This  is used when you need to make the next decision

or the next step. So I might say, we offered her  a great promotion. So now the balls in her court.

So it's up to her to decide if she's going to  accept the promotion or look for another job,

or do something else. To be/go barking up  the wrong tree. This is when you look in the

wrong place or you accuse the wrong person.  For example, if you think I lost your ring,

you're barking up the wrong tree. You're  accusing the wrong person. To get/have

your ducks in a row. This is when you're well  prepared or well organized for something specific.

So you might say, the conference was supposed  to start 10 minutes ago. They should have gotten

their ducks in a row. They should have been  organized or prepared. To get/have the best of

both worlds. This is when you enjoy the advantages  of two very different things at the same time.

She works in the city, but she lives in the  country. She gets the best of both worlds. The

lion's share. This is the largest part or most  of something. So you might complain, I did the

lion's share of work on this project. To be on the  ball. This is when you're performing really well.

Wow, you completed all those reports already.  You're on the ball! To pull someone's leg.

This is when you're joking with someone. So we  usually use this to reassure someone you're only

joking. Don't get upset, I'm just pulling your  leg. To pull yourself together. This is when you

need to calm down, you regain your composure  after being really upset or agitated, angry,

annoyed. And then you calm down. So I might  say, pull yourself together, it was a false

alarm. So the alarm made you really agitated and  I'm telling you to calm down. So far so good.

This is how you reply when you want to let someone  know that everything is okay until now. How's the

project going? So far so good. To be the last  straw. This is when you have no patience left

for someone's errors or mistakes. So I might say,  this is her fifth time being late this month.

That's the last straw! No more patience for her  mistakes. Time flies when you're having fun.

This is used to say that you don't notice how long  something takes because it's enjoyable. So you

might look at your watch and say, oh wow, it's 1  am already. And then someone could reply and say,

yeah, time flies when you're having fun! To  be bent out of shape. This is used to say

you're upset you're angry. For example, Janice  is bent out of shape because she has to work

late tonight. To make matters worse. Matters in  this sense means problems. To make problems worse.

So I might say, I have to work tonight. And  to make matters worse, to make that situation

even worse, I have an early appointment tomorrow.  Don't judge a book by its cover. You've probably

heard this one. It means that you shouldn't judge  someone or something on appearance. For example,

let's say I'm hiring people and I say, I'm not  going to hire him. Look at his hair! And then

my colleague could say, well don't judge a book  by its cover. Look at his resume! To fall between

two stools. This is when something fails to  achieve two separate objectives. So let's say

you plan to watch a romantic comedy movie. That  movie is supposed to be romantic and funny at the

same time. A romantic comedy, two objective. So  you could say, that movie fell between two stools.

It wasn't romantic and it wasn't funny. To cost  an arm and a leg. This is when something is

exceptionally expensive. Now airline tickets are  usually expensive, but exceptionally expensive,

even more expensive than usual. I might say, my  flight cost an arm and a leg! To cross a bridge

when you come to it. This is used to remind  someone that you only need to deal with the

situation when it happens. So your friend might  be concerned. What if I forget all my words

during my IELTS speaking exam! And then you tell  that friend, cross that bridge when you come to

it. Worry about that problem when it happens. To  cry over spilt milk. This is used when someone

complains about a problem or a loss from the  past. So let's say I had a party weeks ago,

and now I'm complaining, I can't believe John  didn't come to my party. Well, my friend can say,

don't cry over spilt milk. It was three weeks  ago! Why are you still talking about it?

Curiosity killed the cat. This is used to say that  being inquisitive or asking a lot of questions

can lead to an unpleasant situation. So let's say  your husband or wife is planning you a surprise

birthday party, and you try to ask a lot of  questions. What are we doing? Where are we going?

Who is coming? Then your husband or wife can say,  curiosity killed the cat! Just to remind you,

don't ask so many questions. To miss the boat.  This is when you lose an opportunity because you

were too slow to take action. For example, the  application deadline was last week. I missed the

boat. To be on fire. This is to perform really  well. Wow, your presentation was amazing. You

were on fire. To spill the beans. This is when you  reveal a secret when you shouldn't have revealed a

secret. So let's say you're planning a surprise  party for someone, and then you tell everyone,

don't spill the beans! Don't reveal the secret.  And finally, to be under the weather. This is when

you feel unwell, when you feel sick. Oh, I'm a  little under the weather today. Wow, amazing job.

Now you have 50 useful idioms that native speakers  use. Of course you need to practice, practice,

practice these idioms to feel comfortable adding  them to your speech. So you can go to my website,

and you can download the PDF version that shares  the idiom, the definition and the example. So you

can go to the link to get that PDF.

Amazing job with this lesson. Now  you have over 150 new words added to  

your vocabulary. Congratulations! That’s awesome!

Of course you need to review and  review and review this vocabulary  

to get comfortable adding it to your speech.

So make sure you add this video to your playlist,  

put it in your bookmark so you can  come back to it again and again,  

especially before an important meeting or a job  interview so you can review that specific section.

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And until next time, happy studying.