Get Fluent in 2024 with this Advanced English Masterclass!

Welcome to this advanced English Master class.

Today I'm sharing my best English  language lessons with you.

And how do I know they're the best?

Because they're the ones that you have watched  

the most, that you have liked and  commented on and shared the most.

So they're the best because you say so.

Welcome back to JForrest English.

Of course.

I'm Jennifer.

Now let's get started.

First, we're going to review a news article.

And in this news article, you're going  to learn a lot of advanced vocabulary,  

advanced grammar and even  improve your pronunciation.

Let's get started.

Welcome to our article.

Today we're talking about U.S., President  Joe Biden touching down in Ottawa.

Ottawa is where I live, which  is why I chose this article.

And I'm sure you recognize this man.

He's the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.

So let me read this headline again.

U.S.

President Joe Biden touches down in Ottawa.

First, let's talk about  this phrasal verb touchdown.

And notice we have an S on it  because it's conjugated with  

Joe Biden which represents the subject he U.S.

President Joe Biden.

He touches down in Ottawa now to touchdown.

This means to land and we use it  specifically for a plane as an example.

I could say my plane just touched  down, which means my plane just landed.

To be honest, I would say that landed is more  common than using the phrasal verb touchdown.

So if you're already comfortable with  using, what time does your plane land?

My plane just landed.

I say keep using it, but at least now  you know what it means when you see it.

OK, let's continue on and  talk about his trip in Canada.

U.S.

President Joe Biden arrived Thursday evening  in Ottawa for a whirlwind 27 hour visit.

Now first I want to point out that  for everyone who doesn't know,  

the capital city of Canada is Ottawa.

It is not Toronto.

I think probably 90% of people think  the capital city in Canada is Toronto.

That's just not true.

Ottawa is the capital city, which is where all  the official government business takes place,  

and which is why President Joe Biden  is visiting Ottawa and not Toronto.

Toronto is Canada's largest city.

OK, so make sure you know that the next  time someone asks you about the capital  

of Canada arrives Thursday evening in  Ottawa for a whirlwind 27 hour visit.

OK, what is a whirlwind?

Whirlwind pronunciation Whirlwind.

A whirlwind.

Now this is being used as an adjective, and we  often describe an event like a visit, a meeting,  

a vacation, a conference as a whirlwind vacation,  a whirlwind conference, a whirlwind meeting.

A whirlwind visit is simply a visit where many,  many things happen in a short period of time.

So very active, many different activities.

So he's going to go to a lot of different  places, meet a lot of different people as well.

And that's why you could describe your vacation  or a meeting or a conference or even your summer.

I had a whirlwind summer.

It implies that you did  many, many different things.

You saw many, many different people.

So I would say busy, eventful,  see lots of people things.

That's how I would describe it.

And this is an adjective, so it's an adjective.

So as an adjective, you would put  it before what you're describing,  

expected to focus on both the friendly and  thorny aspects of the Canada, US relationship.

OK, so friendly.

You know what that means.

What about thorny?

Well, thorn is something very  sharp and a thorn hurts you.

So that's kind of what you want to imagine.

Those aspects of the relationship  that are thorny, that can hurt you.

So in this case, I would just say the positive  aspects of the relationship, that's the friendly  

aspects and then the thorny are the negative  aspects of the relationship because obviously  

these two countries probably don't share  the same opinion on every single topic.

They probably have some debates  that they're going to have as well.

So that would be, I would just  summarize it as negative, negative.

So you could describe your relationship.

I have a thorny relationship  with my boss, with my coworker,  

so you're saying, you know it's negative.

There are things that hurt each  other in that relationship.

OK, thorny aspects of the Canada US relationship.

I don't know what those aspects are,  

I guess right here, including protectionism  and migration on both sides of the border.

So I'm not sure if these are the  friendly aspects or the thorny aspects.

They don't really specify.

Now, actually, before we move on, I  want to talk about the pronunciation  

of Canada because I actually hear a lot of  mispronunciation because of syllable stress.

So a lot of students will put the stress on the  wrong syllable or they won't put any stress on it.

So it's Canada.

It's not Canada.

Canada.

Sometimes I hear that word,  the DA is really strong.

Canada.

No, Canada.

Canada.

OK, that's how you say it.

Like an American.

Like a Canadian, Canada.

So this, duh, is quite short.

Canada.

Canada.

So now you know the capital of Canada, the largest  city, and you know how to correctly pronounce it.

All of these notes are available in  a lesson PDF, so you can look in the  

description or the comment section  to download the free lesson PDF.

All right, let's continue on.

Is quite a packed schedule.

So a packed schedule.

This is just.

Another way of saying busy, busy.

Now you could also think of it as  crowded because you can say the event.

The event was packed, and in  this case packed means crowded.

So there were many, many people in the  event, so you couldn't really move around.

It was crowded, but because we're talking  about a schedule, it really more means busy.

Now, honestly, you could use  our same adjective as before  

and probably say it's quite a whirlwind schedule.

Because what is a busy schedule  is when you do lots of things,  

see lots of people, meet with lots of people.

Well, that's also kind of the  definition of busy, right?

So you could use our other adjective,  whirlwind, or you can use pact as well.

And then know that pact can  mean crowded at the same time.

So in terms of busy, you could  say my weekend was packed,  

my weekend was packed, which means it was busy.

Now sometimes we actually  add, which is kind of fun.

I like saying this, we add  the word action in front.

Oh, my weekend was action-packed.

You don't have to say that.

You can simply say packed,  but that's just an option.

action-packed or packed.

All right, It was quite a packed  schedule for a short trip,  

said White House National  Security Council spokesman.

That's a long title.

John Kirby on Wednesday.

This is a meaningful visit.

Canada is one of the United States closest allies.

Notice they have this apostrophe.

This is to show possession.

the United States closest allies and friends.

So the allies belongs to the United States.

The friends belong to the United States.

So that's why Now generally with possession,  I would say that's my friend's shirt.

So that is when I'm talking  about my one friend, right?

So my one friend.

Singular.

Now this S is not plural, it's to show possession,  It's to show the shirt belongs to my friend.

OK, now I could say that's my friend's because  I can say my friends and it could be plural.

That's my friend's.

What could be a multiple  item belonging to my friends?

That's my friend's dog.

OK, let's say I have two friends and they  live in the same house and they share one dog.

So the dog belongs to my friend's two friends.

Plural.

But I just put the apostrophe  here because there is already  

an S so I don't need to put another  S because that looks weird, right?

So you don't need to put another S if it  ends in an S and this is to show possession.

This is also to show possession.

OK, Canada is one of the United States  closest friends and allies and friends  

and has been now for more than 150 years.

Why is it 150 years?

Because that's how long Canada has been a country.

It's been 150, two or three years.

That's why they say more than  so since we became a country.

This will be the.

First, true, in person bilateral meeting.

A bilateral meeting is a  meeting between two people.

So it's just another way of of saying to  people, I don't know why they really said it,  

because it's already implied, because it's  Joe Biden and Trudeau and they're two people.

Anyway, you could say I'm having a bilateral  meeting with my boss and this implies that the  

meeting is between you and your boss  cause bilateral is with two people.

Now let's say it's actually my boss's friend.

I can't think of anything  else, so I'll say friend.

But notice this is possessive because  the friend belongs to my boss.

Boss already ends an S so I don't  need to put another S there if it  

were the other way around my friend's boss.

I put's because it does not end in South  and this is also showing possession.

I have a bilateral meeting with my friend's boss.

OK, let me highlight that for you.

Between the two leaders in Canada since 2009,  

so we'll be the first true  in person bilateral meeting.

Now adding in person because obviously in the last  

few years a lot of meetings  have taken place online.

So it suggests that it's possible  they had an online bilateral meeting.

It's possible now.

Notice we have since since plus a specific  time since 2009, since last summer,  

since March 5th and we use four with a  time period for two weeks, two years.

Now in this context 4 doesn't work.

You wouldn't replace, it will be the  first in person meeting for two weeks.

It doesn't make any sense, so  we can't replace it with for.

But I'm just letting you know that there  are specific times when you use since or  

for in other cases because I  do see mistakes with those.

In this case we need to use since and we're.

We have to have a specific time because  since is only used with a specific time.

OK, the first year of Biden's term.

So here's another possessive.

The term belongs to Biden.

The first year of Biden's term  focused on rebuilding Canada US  

relations following Trump's  divisive term in in office.

All right, let's take a look at this.

Focused on rebuilding, rebuilding.

So notice a couple things.

One, it's in the jaron form.

My verb is in the ING jaron form  Y because I have a preposition.

Here on is a preposition, and when we  have a preposition, your following verb,  

in this case rebuilding, needs to  be in the ING in the jaron form.

So that's our jaron.

So I'll just write that out for you.

Preposition.

Plus, Jaron, now we have a RE in front  of building to say is happening again.

So we're building it again, you might say.

Jennifer, this lesson was  awesome, but I need to rewatch it.

I need to watch it again.

Why?

Well, because you need to practice everything.

I'm teaching you in this lesson, right?

I need to rewatch this lesson at least three  times to really fully learn everything I'm  

teaching you in this lesson because  I'm going quite fast, aren't I?

So this means watch again and notice for  

pronunciation re E I'm not  doing like a schwa sound.

Ruh ruh ruh.

Watch American pronunciation.

We love our unstressed schwa sound in  our throat here, but I'm not doing that.

This is a full E re rewatch, rewatch.

Watch it again.

So hopefully you.

Rewatch this lesson.

Let me know if you're going to rewatch it.

OK, let's talk about this Divisive, divisive.

Visive, visive, divisive.

Trump's divisive term in office,  divisive, comes from the word division.

Division, which also comes from the word divided.

When people are divided, when there's  division between a group of people,  

it means some people think this  and other people think that.

And divisive is the adjective  that's describing that.

As an example, I could say  his policy is very divisive.

It causes some people to be here  and other people to be here.

It causes division.

It divides people.

So it's implying that Trump  caused division between the  

United States and Canada, or  at least their relationship.

Let's continue on the 2nd  focused on meeting obligations.

The second, Remember, here we are talking  about the first year of Biden's term.

Now we're talking about the second,  the second year of Biden's term,  

the 2nd focused on meeting obligations.

So again, on is our preposition.

So we have our gerund here meeting obligations,  including prioritizing orderly and safe migration  

through regular pathways, Kirby said, now heading  into the third, the third year of his term.

Heading into, we use the word head  as a replacement to the word go.

So you could say going into the  third term going or I guess in  

this case you might want to think of it as  entering, but go, there's movement, right?

And enter, there's movement as well.

I'm going into the store.

I'm entering the store now.

We do use head a lot.

You could say I'm heading to the store.

When do you head to the airport?

And in this case it means go.

I'm going to the store.

When do you go to the airport?

It's extremely common.

It sounds very natural.

Americans, we love seeing  head as a replacement for go.

So you can start with these two  expressions and then add on some  

more to your vocabulary once  you get comfortable with them.

Now heading into the third, this visit  is about taking stock of what we've done,  

where we are, what we need  to prioritize for the future.

OK?

When you take stock of something, you  basically assess the current situation.

So you might say we need to  take stock of our finances.

So you need to think about your  current financial situation and  

then perhaps the recent past of it and  then going into the near future as well.

So the current situation including  the past and the present.

So let me just write that out for you.

Let's take stock or we need to.

We need to take stock of our financial situation.

As I said, I think the best  replacement would be assess.

When you assess something, you  think about the current situation.

So assess, think about the current situation,  

and in this case, it's the current  situation of your financial situation.

A little bit confusing.

They're using situation twice.

So this visit is about taking stock of what  we've done, so assessing what we've done,  

where we are and what we need  to prioritize for the future.

So far, neither the White House  nor the Prime Minister's Office  

have confirmed if there will be any  impromptu stomps during the trip.

All right, let's take a look at neither nor.

I did create a separate video on neither nor  because I hear a lot of mistakes with it.

So I'll put the link to that video in the comment,  

but just know that neither  is used when it's negative.

So it's saying not the White  House and not the Prime Minister.

So it's negative for the White House and  it's also negative for the Prime Minister.

That's what I'll say now, just because I  do already have that full lesson on it.

So I will just say link to lesson in  the video description on neither nor.

It's a great video and I  highly suggest you watch it.

OK, so you can watch that when you have time.

It's a pretty short video as well.

Just trying to get this.

Let me just put this on a separate line for you.

Neither Oopsie neither nor oh OK, got it.

So far, neither the White House nor the Prime  

Minister's Office have confirmed if  there will be any impromptu stops.

What was an impromptu stop?

It's an unplanned stop, unplanned.

It seems like it would be obvious  that there would be unplanned stops.

For example, if you and I were going on a  vacation, we wouldn't plan out every single  

place, including cafes, restaurants, stores in  advance and have that on an itinerary, right?

If we felt like going to a  cafe, we would go to a cafe.

Obviously that's not how  it works for the president.

For security reasons.

Everything has to be very planned  out so security can be present.

So that's why an impromptu stop is unlikely.

But it did happen when Barack Obama,  former President Barack Obama visited  

Ottawa many years ago, and that's  what this picture represents.

I'll continue reading this so it hasn't been  confirmed if there will be any impromptu,  

unplanned, impromptu stops during the trip.

Meaning we'll have to wait and see whether  there will be another Obama cookie moment.

If you come to Ottawa as a tourist,  you will see this Obama cookie.

It's very popular for tourists and it's  because Obama visited Canada in Ottawa,  

where I live, The capital, remember, in 2009.

And he had an impromptu stop, an unplanned stop,  

So he went to our tourist area,  which is called the Byword Market.

That's just an area of the city in our historic  downtown where the tourists generally go.

And he went to a bakery and he  bought a cookie from that bakery.

Remember, this happened in 2009.

Today, if you go into that bakery,  there are pictures of Obama everywhere.

Like this picture is from the  bakery and this is a television.

What I'm pointing out with my mouse is a  television and it plays over and over again.

Barack Obamas trip in Canada from 2009.

It's pretty funny because even now,  

it's a big tourist attraction in  Ottawa to come see this Obama cookie.

So if Biden makes an impromptu stop,  

maybe we'll have a Biden cookie in  Ottawa as well, or something like that.

OK, we'll have to wait and see if there'll  be another Obama cookie moment when then U.S.

President Barack Obama popped into a bakery  in the Byward Market during his 2009 trip.

I like this phrasal verb to pop into.

When you pop into a store, a cafe, a bakery.

In Obama's case, it means you just enter quickly.

So you just go in, you get  your cookie, and you leave.

So most likely you're not going to stay  for two hours and have lunch with a friend.

You're just going to get something and leave.

So if you're with your husband or wife or  a friend, you might say, is it OK if we  

pop into this store I need to buy And then  you can just tell whatever you want to buy.

OK.

Now when you say pop into  your friend, your husband,  

your wife, they understand  that is going to be quick.

So even if you're on a schedule, they know  OK, it's not going to take a long time.

So if someone asks you like, oh, did you  visit the museum when you were in Ottawa?

You might say we popped in, we popped in,  which means you didn't spend a very long time.

So this is the same as saying visited quickly.

We popped in, we just took a few pictures, looked  around, but we had another appointment to get to.

We just popped in.

So we use this a lot when you're going to stores.

Or you might go pop into a friend's house,  

which means you visit that friend  for a brief period of time.

So my friend popped in on over the weekend.

Just sometime over the weekend.

Oh, my friend popped in over the  weekend, so she visited me quickly.

That's what it implies.

And that's the end of the article.

So now I'll read the article from start to  finish so you can focus on my pronunciation.

U.S.

President Joe Biden touches down in Ottawa U.S.

President Joe Biden arrived Thursday  evening in Ottawa for a whirlwind 27  

hour visit expected to focus on both the  friendly and thorny aspects of the Canada  

US relationship, including protectionism  and migration on both sides of the border.

It's quite a packed schedule for a short trip,  

said White House National Security  Council spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday.

This is a meaningful visit.

Canada is one of the United  States closest allies and  

friends and has been now for more than 150 years.

This will be the first true in person  bilateral meeting between the two  

leaders in Canada since 2009, the first year  a Biden's term focused on rebuilding Canada.

US relations.

Following Trump's divisive term in office,  the 2nd focused on meeting obligations,  

including prioritizing orderly and safe  migration through regular pathways, Kirby said.

Now heading into the third, this visit  is about taking stock of what we've done,  

where we are, and what we need  to prioritize for the future.

So far, neither the White House nor the  Prime Minister's office have confirmed  

if there will be any impromptu stops during  the trip, meaning we'll have to wait and see  

whether there will be another Obama cookie  moment when the US President Barack Obama,  

popped into a bakery in the Byron  market during his 2009 trip.

Amazing job.

Now let's move on and review another news article.

And this article is on a complete  completely different topic.

And you're going to learn  completely different vocabulary.

So let's get started.

Welcome to our article.

You probably recognize these two  celebrities, Will Smith and Chris Rock.

Let me read the headline of our article.

Will Smith says bottled rage led him  to slap Chris Rock at the Oscars.

So this is very important  to understand our article.

So slap this is slap.

It's a verb to slap.

It's very commonly associated with violence.

So in a negative way, however, you could  slap a mosquito or a family on your arm,  

for example, so you can use it in other contexts,  

but more commonly used in violence,  fighting between two people.

OK, let me explain this, because  I believe this is mentioned again.

Bottled rage.

Bottled rage.

So rage, of course, is an emotion.

It means to be very, very, very, very angry.

OK, that's rage.

Now what does bottled rage mean?

Bottled.

Imagine here we have a bottle, right?

And the water is in the bottle  and it can't get out right.

So if you have a bottled emotion,  rage, anger, jealousy, hatred,  

generally a negative emotion, it means that  emotion is inside of you and can't get out,  

just like the water can't get out of this bottle.

So it's when you have an emotion and you do  not express it, you keep it inside of you.

So if you keep anger, rage,  jealousy, hatred inside of you,  

eventually it can come out and you might  do something violent like slap someone.

Let's continue on.

Will Smith has said his bottled rage  led him to slap comedian Chris Rock.

Here's our comedian Chris Rock  on stage at the Oscars in March.

The actor has been interviewed for  the first time since the incident,  

which he described as a horrific night.

Horrific.

This is.

A great adjective.

A lot of times students will  use very common adjectives.

Good bad, because it's the ones they know.

But adding more advanced adjectives  will make your English sound more  

advanced and will give you more  color to your language as well.

A horrific night.

So this is a.

Very, very, very bad night.

That's how you can think of  it, a very, very bad night.

So if somebody asks you how was your day,  

you could say I had a horrific  day, which means very, very bad.

Or you can describe an event that was  horrific, that was very, very bad.

When I saw Will Smith slap  Chris Rock, that was horrific.

So you can say I had, I had a horrific day.

All right, let's move on.

Appearing on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah he  said I was going through something that night.

You know now our he is Will Smith.

So just remember that through the story,  he unless said otherwise is Will Smith.

I was going through, so I Will Smith.

I was going through something that  night, you know, So he's describing  

what happened that night when he slapped  the comedian Chris Rock that horrific night.

I was going through something  to go through something.

This is an expression, and we used to say to  experience something difficult in our lives.

And we use this more as a general expression  when we don't really want to specify what it is.

So if somebody asks you  what's wrong, you seem upset.

You can just say I'm going through a lot  right now, I'm going through a lot right now.

And that's just general, but it lets the person  know you're experiencing something difficult.

Now they might follow up and say, well, what?

Tell me more and then you can say I lost my  job, my car was in an accident, my mom got sick.

So you can list the difficult things in your life.

So we use this as a general statement.

What's wrong?

I'm going through a lot right now.

I'm going through a lot right now.

Now, notice it's our verb to be  so or sorry, not our verb to be.

Our verb is go.

So that's the verb you're going to conjugate.

Now here it's in the past continuous.

That's why we have I was going, I was going,  and here it's in the present continuous.

I'm going because you're experiencing  the difficulty right now.

Not that that justifies my behavior at all.

So Will Smith is saying the fact he  was experiencing something difficult,  

that's not an excuse.

If something justifies something, it's an excuse.

It says it's OK that I slapped him  because I was going through something,  

but he's saying that doesn't justify it.

That's not an excuse.

So you can think of this  as an excuse, but remember,  

they're using it in the negative, an excuse.

Not that that justifies my behavior.

It's not an excuse.

Smith added.

That there were many nuances and  complexities to it, but added I just I.

Lost it.

I.

Lost it.

Now notice here, I lost it.

What do you think that it is?

I lost it.

What?

What did he lose?

His keys?

His wallet?

No.

When we use this in a general sense, I lost it.

And I know what the context of the story is.

He slapped someone.

I know that.

It means his sense of control over  himself, his emotions, his actions.

I lost it.

So we use this in a sense.

I lost it yesterday in the meeting.

So maybe you were in this meeting and your Co  

worker said she couldn't finish  the project and you lost it.

What do you mean you couldn't finish the project?

That's unacceptable.

And you get really, really angry.

You lose control of your emotions, your actions.

You get taken over by the emotion.

Maybe the Bottled, the bottled emotion.

Your bottled anger, your bottled rage.

So I lost it.

This is an expression.

Hopefully you don't have to.

Use it too often.

Because it's not a positive  expression, so to lose it.

This means to lose control over your  emotions, your your actions as well.

Because you might just start yelling at your  coworker, but you didn't really want to.

You feel really bad after, but in that  moment, you just couldn't control it.

You lost control.

Smith stormed the stage at the Hollywood  

Awards ceremony after Rock made a joke  about Smith's wife Jada's shaved head.

Woo, that's kind of a tongue twister.

She has the hair loss condition alopecia.

Now notice how in the article  they explain what alopecia is  

because it's not a very common condition.

They explain it's a hair loss condition and  it's a hair loss condition for women because  

men unfortunately lose their hair and we call  that bald, To be bald, to be bald, to be bald.

This describes a man with no head  hair, no head hair, right to be bald.

But we don't usually associate that with women.

So there's a condition when women lose their hair.

It's called alopecia.

Now I want to point out these's s in the.

In this case the's is used to  show possession, possession.

So Smith's wife, the wife  belongs to Smith, to Will Smith.

And then they're saying her name Jada.

That's his wife's name, Jada now.

But the shaved head belongs to Jada.

So that's why there's an's The  shaved head belongs to Jada.

And shaved head is when you would go like  this and then you get rid of all your hair.

That would be a shaved head, I believe.

It looks like his head is shaved here.

So he would go like this.

And then the hair is very close to his.

His scalp?

That's a shaved head, now very common  for men, but not that common for women.

And the comedian Chris Rock, He made a  joke about Will Smith's wife's shaved head.

So shaved head.

We talked about what this is, Shaved  head, hurt people, hurt people.

I understand how shocking that  was for people, he told Noah.

Noah is the TV show host.

Remember, he went Will Smith went on The  Daily Show with the host Trevor Noah.

So Will Smith is saying this  to the TV show host Noah.

I understand how shocking that was for people.

So shocking.

This is a great adjective.

Just look at my face right now.

That is shocking.

What?

So when you receive news and  it causes you to go, what?

You lost your job?

What?

Shocking is generally used in a negative context  because we might go in more of a positive.

You just got engaged.

That's amazing.

But But that's more surprise, which is can be a  more positive emotion, but generally shocking.

When we describe something as shocking,  there's a negative emotion in there.

So when Will Smith slapped the  comedian, imagine what the audience did.

They would have gone shocking.

How shocking that was.

I was gone.

That was a rage that had been  bottled for a really long time.

So again, that emotion, it's inside  and you're not letting it out.

You're not expressing your emotion.

So because we've seen this for a few  times, we do have some common expressions.

Generally, we say you  shouldn't bottle your emotions.

Sometimes we add the optional preposition  up to create a phrasal verb to bottle up.

You shouldn't bottle up your emotions,  

which means you shouldn't keep your emotions  inside of you, you should express them.

So to express your emotion is  when you might say to someone,  

hey, you hurt my feelings today  or I felt really sad today,  

instead of just keeping it inside of you and  not expressing it, bottling it up inside of you.

He said he also understood the pain he had caused  

and recalled the reaction of his  nine year old nephew that night.

So Will Smith's 9 year old nephew  watched the award ceremony and saw  

his uncle slap someone and the reaction  is when you go and that's the shock.

That could be the reaction.

Now, nephew, this describes a boy.

It's used for males and it's your sibling's child.

So your sibling's child,  your sibling's male child.

It has to be for a male.

Now notice I have my's because the child belongs  

to your sibling and sibling  is your brother or sister.

Sibling is gender neutral.

It can be for brother or sister,  it does not matter sibling,  

but nephew is only used for  the male child of your sibling.

Now we have a separate word for the female child.

Do you know what that is?

Your siblings?

Female child.

This is niece, niece, niece.

Your siblings?

Female, child, niece.

So you might have a niece and a nephew  or just a nephew or just a niece.

He's the sweetest little boy, Smith said.

We came home and he had stayed up late to see his  Uncle Will, and we're sitting in my kitchen and  

he's on my lap and he's holding the Oscar and he's  just like, why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?

Oh, that's really sad.

Why did you hit that man?

Now hit can be a slap.

It's the same thing.

So when I slap you, I would never do that.

When I slap someone I also hit them.

It's the same thing, but hit is more general.

So this is also hit, but  this is also called a punch.

So hit is a category, and then  within that category you have a slap,  

you have a punch and other forms as well.

So we have, I'll just write the ones I shared.

So we have slap.

This is when your hand is open.

I don't necessarily like  teaching these violent words.

Hopefully you don't use them, but I guess  you'll see them on movies and stuff.

Slap and then punch is when your fist is closed.

Punch.

It was a mess.

A mess.

So to describe something as  a mess, this is a negative.

It's saying, well, imagine your room.

You might know this from a room in your house.

Your kitchen is a mess.

There's things everywhere.

It's the opposite of clean.

So we use this to describe a situation  that is the opposite of an ideal situation.

That's how I would describe  it, it being the situation.

So the situation, in this case, the incident  at the Oscars when he slapped someone.

This situation was a mess.

So it's the opposite of ideal.

Opposite of ideal, which  is a good situation, right?

So I might say the meeting was a mess.

The meeting was a mess, which  describes the meeting as negative.

Many negative things happened, but you would have  to ask me what happened because it's not clear.

So it's just a general non specific term  to say that something negative happened,  

but you have to say why what happened?

And then and then you could  explain the client lost it  

when we told her we're over budget, remember?

Remember we talked about to lose it.

The client could not control  her emotions or her actions.

What do you mean you're over budget?

This is unacceptable and the client  lost it, so the meeting was a mess.

You can also use this for a  room in your house, the kitchen.

My kitchen is a mess now in this case  it's saying it's dirty or not organized.

That would be the definition  of when you describe a room.

A room as a mess, dirty or not, organized  The interview on the late night U.S.

TV talk show was the first time Smith had  been publicly challenged about the attack.

Smith told Noah he understood the often  quoted theory that hurt people, hurt people.

Discussing the background to his  Oscars assault, the actor said.

It was a lot of things.

It was the little boy that watched his  father beat up his mother, you know,  

all of that just bubbled up in the moment.

That's not who I want to be.

So to beat someone up, this means  to violently attack someone.

So it has a very negative meaning,  

especially when we're talking about a  father violently attacking a mother, right.

So to violently attack.

And you can do that, obviously, by  hitting someone, stopping someone,  

punching someone to violently attack.

Now notice it's a phrasal verb to beat up.

So we have this preposition up.

It's formed with the verb beat, which you  conjugate, and then you add the preposition up.

OK, to bubble up, think back to our when  our emotions were bottled up, right?

They're inside.

You're not expressing them.

Now imagine this is a fizzy drink like  Coca-Cola or Sprite or something like that.

If I shake it and that's Coke when I open this,  

what's going to happen if I shake a carbonated  drink and I open it is going to explode.

That is the meaning of bubble up.

Because remember, your emotions are  bottled up, but then they bubble up.

They all come to the surface at once.

So it's another way of saying explode.

All of that just bubbled up.

So you can say exploded in that moment.

And notice bubble up is also a phrasal verb.

We have our verb bubble and our preposition up.

That's not who I want to be.

Well, I'm glad to hear that  Will Smith Smith has opened  

up before about growing up in an abusive home.

So an abusive home.

This is a home where you either witness violence,  

like he witnessed his father beat up his mother,  or he also could have received violence himself.

So it's possible that his father also beat him up.

That is what we would describe an abusive home.

Now grow up.

I find a lot of students notice or know how to use  

this, but often I see mistakes because  they forget that it's a phrasal verb.

You need the verb grow and the preposition up.

So when you.

Grow up in a home or you can  grow up in a specific city.

That means that is where you were  raised, That's where you were a child,  

and then you became older and older  and older and became an adult.

So you might say I live in Florida  now, but I grew up in Texas.

So this this means I spent most of my time when  I was a child and when I was becoming an adult.

That time when I grew up, I spent it in Texas.

Now remember, our verb is grow.

So this is in the past.

Simple.

I grew up in Texas.

Don't forget that preposition up.

Now, the last thing I will share with you  is our phrasal verb, open up to open up.

So to open up about something  is when you share information  

about a negative or simply a  personal event in your life.

So Will Smith is saying he  bottled up his emotions.

He kept them inside.

But then eventually he decided to open up.

He decided to share that information.

So he maybe he told his close friends,  maybe he told some, a therapist even.

Or he told some family members about the  abuse that he experienced as a child.

So he shared that personal information.

So that is another great phrasal verb.

So now you have a lot of new  vocabulary from this article.

I am going to read this article from  start to finish so you can focus on the  

pronunciation uninterrupted, So I'll do that now.

Will.

Smith says bottled rage led him  to slap Chris Rock at the Oscars.

Will Smith has said his bottled rage led him  

to slap comedian Chris Rock on  stage at the Oscars in March.

The actor has been interviewed for  the first time since the incident,  

which he described as a horrific night  appearing on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

He said I was going through  something that night, you know,  

not that that justifies my behavior at all.

Smith added that there were many nuances and  complexities to it, but added I just I lost it.

Smith stormed the stage at the Hollywood  

Awards ceremony after Rock made a joke  about Smith's wife Jada's shaved head.

She has the hair loss, condition,  alopecia, hurt people, hurt people.

I understand how shocking that  was for people, he told Noah.

I was gone.

That was a range that had been  bottled for a really long time.

He said he also understood the pain he had caused  

and recalled the reaction of his  nine year old nephew that night.

He's the sweetest little boy, Smith said.

We came home and he had stayed up late to see his  Uncle Will and we're sitting in the kitchen and  

he's on my lap and he's holding the Oscar and he's  just like, why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?

It was a mess.

The interview on the late night USTV  talk show was the first time Smith  

had been publicly challenged about the attack.

Smith told Noah he understood the  often quoted theory that hurt people,  

hurt people discussing the background  to his Oscars assault, the actor said.

It was a lot of things.

It was the little boy that watched  his father beat up his mother.

You know, all of that just  bubbled up in that moment.

That's not who I want to be.

Smith has opened up before about  growing up in an abusive home.

An amazing job.

You have already improved your vocabulary so much,  so let's keep going, because next you're going to  

learn 150 common idioms in English, and these  are idioms that native speakers actually use,  

so you can add them to your speech to help  you sound fluent, professional, and natural.

Plus, knowing them will also help  you understand native speakers.

Let's get started.

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 is 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.

I don't care.

Where's my phone?

And you're being grumpy.

Well, then your wife, your 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 asked you, oh, did it rain last night?

And it did.

It rained 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've 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, 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 could 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 websites,  

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.

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's 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 one for  a mistake or a wrongdoing.

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 could say Long story  short, we missed our flight.

So there's a long story about  why you missed your flight,  

but you don't 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 Kara 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 or  to 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 or to 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 or 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 change.

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 OK 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 1:00 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 would  say, well, don't judge a book by his cover.

Look at his resume to fall between 2:00.

Stools.

This is when.

Something fails to achieve 2 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.

2 objectives.

So you could say that movie fell between 2:00.

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 complaints  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.

Spilled milk.

It was 3 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's 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 a secret to be under the weather.

This is when you feel unwell, when you feel sick.

I'm a little under the weather  today, a blessing in disguise.

This is when something a situation  seems bad or unlucky at first,  

but it results in something  positive at a later date.

So let's say you get fired from your job.

Obviously that seems bad, maybe even unlucky.

But later on you get a job 10 times better.

It pays better.

You have a better boss, better Co  workers, the location is better.

Everything about this job is better.

You can say getting fired  was a blessing in disguise.

My new job is so much better.

A dime a dozen.

This is used to describe something  that is common and not special.

So you can say tech startups in  Silicon Valley are a dime a dozen.

They're very common.

They're everywhere, and they're not very special.

Everyone's a tech startup in Silicon Valley.

A dime a dozen to beat around the Bush.

This is when you avoid saying what you  mean because it's uncomfortable or awkward.

So let's say you want to end your  romantic relationship with your partner.

Your friend could tell you  don't beat around the Bush.

Be direct and tell that  person you want to break up.

Better late than never.

So let's say.

You've been working with a  company for 10 years and you  

finally got your first promotion after 10 years.

And you're telling your friend this  and you're a little annoyed because  

you've been there for 10 years, but your  friend could say better late than never.

To remind you that yes, it took ten years,  but it's better than not having a promotion.

Better late than never to bite the bullet.

I love this idiom.

This is when you force yourself to do something  

difficult or unpleasant because  it's necessary or inevitable.

Inevitable means eventually you have to do it.

So why not bite the bullet and do it now?

For example, just bite the bullet  and ask your boss for a promotion.

Break a leg.

This is a very common idiom that we use to say.

Good luck.

Good luck.

Break a leg.

But we especially use this before  someone gives a performance,  

most commonly A theatrical performance.

But when you're going for a job  interview, you are in a sense performing.

Or when you're doing your speaking  exam for your IELTS you are performing.

So before your speaking exam, your your friend,  

your partner could say break a leg,  which means good luck to call it a day.

When you call it a day, it means you stop  working for that day, usually because.

Time is up or because you've done enough  work for that day and you're going to stop.

For example, it's getting late.

Let's call it a day, let's call it a day.

So that means you can go home  to cut somebody some slack.

So let's say there's this Co worker  who has been showing up late to work  

every day and not doing a very good job at work.

They seem very distracted.

They're not working very hard,  they're not contributing.

But that person's dad just died.

So you might say, let's cut him some slack.

His dad just died, so you're not going to  punish him as severely as you normally would.

To be glad to see the back of  this means that you're happy.

That.

Somebody has left because you don't like them.

So let's say it's Jane's last day at work.

She quit.

She has a new job.

But you didn't like Jane.

You can say I'm glad to see the back of Jane  to be the best thing since sliced bread.

This is a compliment used to say that something,  

usually technology or an invention is  extremely useful, excellent or high quality.

So you could give me a compliment and say this  

YouTube channel is the best  thing since sliced bread.

If you think that's true  then put it in the Commons.

There are plenty of fish in the sea, so let's  say your friend went on a date and she says.

Pierre.

Hasn't called me back and it's been 3 weeks.

You can encourage your  friend by saying don't worry,  

there are plenty of fish in  the sea come rain or shine.

This is used to say that an event will  take place despite external circumstances.

So let's say tomorrow is a vacation day for you,  but there's a big project deadline tomorrow.

But you might say I'm taking the day off  tomorrow come rain or shine to cut corners.

This is when you do something in the  cheapest, easiest, or fastest way,  

but by omitting something  or by not following rules.

So you might say we felt pressured to cut corners  

because of the tight deadline  to get your act together.

So your parents might say to you  or your sibling or someone you  

know you're 30 and you still live  at home and you don't have a job.

You need to get your act together.

You need to organize yourself so you can  live and in an effective and efficient.

Way.

Get your act together to break the ice.

This is such an important  one because this is used.

To help.

People who don't know each other to  feel more comfortable around each other,  

especially when they're  meeting for the first time.

Let's break the ice by introducing ourselves and  

sharing something interesting  about ourselves, clear as mud.

This is used to say that something  is very difficult to understand.

So if somebody gave you instructions,  

but their instructions didn't make any sense  at all, and they ask you so is everything OK?

Do you understand?

You can say clear as mud, which tells  the person you do not understand at all.

Crystal clear Something is very  clear and easy to understand.

His instructions were crystal  clear to rock the boat.

This is when you do or say something that  could upset people or cause problems.

Don't rock.

The boat.

Until the negotiations are done.

So don't say anything that could upset  someone or that could cause problems  

until we sign the deal, and then you  can cause problems if you want to.

To get out of.

Hand This is another way of  saying to get out of control,  

which means you no longer  have control over a situation.

You could say the party got out of hand, which  means you were no longer able to control it.

The party got out of hand and  some valuables were broken.

A bad apple.

This is used to describe a bad  or corrupt person within a group.

You could say there are a few  bad apples in the company.

To cut to the chase, this is  when you only talk about the  

most important points of a subject or topic.

So if you are running out of time in the in a  meeting, you might say we're running out of time.

So I'll cut to the chase.

I'll only say the most important  points to come in handy.

This is used when something is very useful for a  specific purpose, so if it's pouring rain outside.

You.

Might say an umbrella would come in handy.

An umbrella would be very useful in this  particular situation to reinvent the wheel.

This is when you waste time trying to recreate  something that somebody else has already created.

So let's say you ask your boss, should I  create a presentation for the conference,  

and your boss suggests using  last year's presentation.

It's already created and your boss can add.

Don't reinvent the wheel.

So we often use this idiom in  the negative to go with the flow.

When you go with the flow, it means  that you do what other people are doing,  

or you agree with the opinion  of others, the majority.

So let's say you're having a company dinner  and you originally wanted to have burgers,  

but the majority of people say they want  pizza so you can go with the flow and have  

pizza instead of burgers because that's what  the majority wants to be, skating on thin ice.

This is when you do something that  is dangerous or involves risk.

He's skating on thin ice by lying to his wife.

It involves risk.

It's dangerous.

Don't do it.

A silver lining.

This is something positive that  comes from something negative.

So the pandemic, It is negative, right?

But is there anything positive?

A silver lining, maybe we could say 1.

Silver lining of the pandemic is that  it made us realize how important our  

relationships are with friends  and family to have a sweet tooth.

This is somebody who likes eating  sweet foods, especially chocolate.

So if people offer me dessert,  

generally I'll say no because I don't like  sweet food so I could say no thank you.

I don't have a sweet juice, which means I  don't really like sweet foods to go Dutch.

This is when you agree to share the  cost of something, especially a meal.

So let's say you're having dinner with a friend,  

family member, even a romantic partner,  and they say I'll pay for the meal.

You could say no, no, no, let's go Dutch.

Which means you're going to divide  the cost 5050 to make ends meet.

This is when you have just enough money  to pay for essential items, you might say.

With food prices increasing, we're  barely making ends meet to ring a bell.

This is.

When something, usually a person, a  place or information is familiar to you,  

the list that you're having a conversation  with a coworker and they say, have you met Fred  

from accounting and you're thinking Fred, Fred,  Fred from accounting, that doesn't ring a bell.

The tip.

Of the.

Iceberg.

This is used to describe a small part of a much  bigger problem these small local protests are.

Just the.

Tip of the iceberg to blow off steam.

This is when.

You say or do something that helps you  release strong feelings or strong energy.

Strong emotion.

After our fight, I went for  a walk to blow off steam.

So when you were on that walk, you were able  to calm down, to release that negative energy.

A piece of cake.

This is something that was extremely easy.

That exam was a piece of  cake to be out of the woods.

This is when you no longer  have a problem or difficulty.

Our profits are in increasing,  but we're not out of the woods.

Yet.

To get over something, This is  when you recover from an illness.

It took me two weeks to get over  that cold to not be 1 cup of tea.

This is used to describe a type  or category that you don't like.

Thanks for the invite, but  camping isn't my cup of tea.

I don't like that category  of activity to be loaded.

This means to be rich, to have a lot of money.

I just found out my cousins loaded  to nip something in the bud.

This is to stop something before it has  an opportunity to become established.

We need to nip these rumors in the bud  before the employees start worrying.

Out of the blue, When something  happens, out of the blue,  

it happens suddenly and you weren't expecting it.

My boss gave me a promotion out of the blue.

You weren't expecting it.

How awesome is that to keep ones chin up?

This is to remain cheerful in a difficult  situation, because in difficult situations  

we tend to put our chin down, but when  we're happy, we tend to keep our chin up.

For example, I know the economy seems bad, but  keep your chin up to race against the clock.

This is when you try to finish a  task quickly, before a specific time.

I raced against the clock to finish the audit and  meet the deadline to count somebody off guard.

This is when you surprise  somebody by doing something  

they weren't expecting or weren't prepared for.

The politician was caught off guard when  asked about the scandal Be on ones radar.

If something is on your radar,  

it means you're considering it or  thinking about it or aware of it.

You could say leaving the  company isn't on my radar.

It's not even something I'm considering  to stab someone in the back.

This is to betray someone to do something  harmful to someone who trusted you.

She told the client she did  all the work on the project.

I can't believe she stabbed me in the back  like that to make a bee line for something.

This is when you move quickly  and directly towards something.

So let's say you're at a wedding or a  conference and they're about to serve lunch.

The buffet.

Lunch.

Everyone made a bee line for the food.

They went quickly and directly  to the food to be in hot water.

This is when you're in a situation where  you might be criticized or punished.

The politicians in hot water, after his comments  on gender equality, to be dressed to the nines.

This is when you're dressed  formally, smartly or fashionably.

We dress to the nines for our wedding anniversary,  

so you usually dress to the nines for a special  occasion to be between a rock and a hard place.

This is when you're in a difficult situation  or you have to make a difficult decision.

If I accept the promotion, then I'll  have to move abroad and I know Matt,  

my partner, won't come with me.

So I either accept the promotion that I  really want, but then I have to lose Matt,  

or I stay with Matt and I don't get the promotion.

I'm between a rock and a hard place.

It's a difficult situation.

It's a difficult decision, lo and behold.

This.

Is an expression used to say that  something surprising happened.

I was on vacation in Japan and lo and  behold, I saw my childhood sweetheart.

So it's very surprising that I see my childhood  

sweetheart across the world in  a foreign city, Lo and behold.

To.

Let the.

Cat out of the bag.

This is when you accidentally reveal a secret.

So let's say you're planning  a surprise party for your wife  

or husband or friend, and they know about it.

You might say you know about the party, don't you?

Who let the cat out of the bag?

Who told you?

Who revealed the secret?

Who let the cat out of the  bag to be on the same page?

This is used when all people agree on something,  

and that something is generally a  plan or how to approach something.

For example, before we launch the product,  we need to get everybody on the same page.

So we need to make sure that all  the different people agree on the  

plan to launch the product to sell like hot cakes.

I love this idiom.

This is used when something sells very quickly,  easily or in large quantities, large amounts.

For example, her new book sold like hot cakes.

So this is a.

Very good idiom to fall through the  cracks or to slip through the cracks.

This is used when something is not noticed or  something does not have sufficient attention.

And remember you can use two different verbs,  

fall or through and both have the same  meaning and they're both very common.

For example, I'm sorry I  forgot to send you the report.

It slipped through the the cracks.

It fell through the cracks,  so I just didn't notice it.

I didn't pay enough attention  to it to be up in arms.

This is a great one as well because we use it when  

someone is grumpy or angry  about something specific.

For example, Julie is up in arms  because we have to stay late tonight.

So Julie is angry or grumpy  because of something specific.

We have to stay late tonight.

She's up in arms, fair and square.

This means honestly or according to the rules.

So let's say my team lost a  competition, but we deserve to lose.

The other team played better than us.

I can say they beat us fair and square.

Honestly, according to the rules,  they won Baron Square to be a.

Black.

Sheep.

This is when a member of a  group is different from the  

other members and we often use this with family.

For example, all my cousins are married and  have kids except tom-tom is the black sheep.

He's different from all the  other members of the group,  

in this case family, by the skin of one's teeth.

This means barely or by a very slight  margin, We won by the skin of our teeth.

So we won by only by this much, not  very much to get under one's skin.

And this is to irritate or  upset someone, for example.

I don't know why, but Jerry.

Really.

Gets under my skin.

Jerry really irritates me.

He upsets me to draw the line.

This is when you put a limit on what  you will allow or what you will do.

For example, I want to help my sister,  but I draw the line at lending her money.

So that is what I will not do.

I will not lend her money that is not  allowed to give something a whirl.

This is a fun one.

It simply means to try something new.

For example, you should give bowling a whirl.

It's really fun.

So if I know you've never gone bowling  before, I could say you should try it.

You should give it a whirl  to be a fish out of water.

This is used to say that someone is in an  unfamiliar and uncomfortable surrounding.

For example, I feel like a fish out of  water when I go to English meetings.

Because you have to speak in English,  and that's unfamiliar and uncomfortable,  

you feel like a fish out of  water to go the extra mile.

This is when you make an extra attempt  to achieve something or do something.

For example, she's a great assistant.

She always goes the extra mile, so  she does more than she needs to.

To not see the forest, the trees.

This is a very popular one.

This is when you're so involved in the small minor  

details of something that you  don't see the bigger picture.

You don't see the forest  from the individual trees.

For example, the project failed because  we couldn't see the forest from the trees.

We lost track of the bigger picture  straight from the horses mouth.

This is when you get information directly  from the source of that information.

I heard straight from the horses mouth that  we're not getting bonuses this year to cry wolf.

This is when you call for.

Help.

But you don't actually need  help, so in the future,  

nobody will assist you because  you lied about needing help.

For example, I'm not surprised  nobody responded to her e-mail.

She always cries wolf, so she always  asks for help when she doesn't need it.

But then one day she does need help,  

but nobody will help her because she  cries wolf to have bigger fish to fry.

This is when you have other more  important matters to deal with.

For example, can you attend  my meeting this afternoon?

I have bigger fish to fry, so I have a meeting  

that's dealing with more important  things than this other meeting.

To play devil's advocate, this is  when you argue against something,  

even if you think the opposite, simply  to address all sides of a situation.

For example, it would be great to get a promotion,  

but to play devil's advocate,  it would mean longer hours.

So you actually want the promotion,  

but you're going to examine the other side  just to be complete, to steal one's Thunder.

This is a very popular one.

This is to prevent someone from getting the  recognition, praise, or success that they deserve.

And you do that by saying exactly  what that person was going to say.

For example, she announced her  engagement at my engagement party.

She stole my Thunder, so I  should have received the praise,  

the congratulations at my engagement party.

But she announced her engagement, so  now everybody is congratulating her.

She stole my Thunder to rain on one's parade.

This is to spoil someone's  pleasure or special moment.

Let's say my friend is very happy  because she got an A on the exam.

I could say I hate to rain on your  parade, but everyone got an A.

So I'm spoiling her pleasure by saying  

that everybody got the exact  same grade to be a cakewalk.

A cakewalk?

This is when something is very easy or effortless.

For example, learning  English is a cakewalk, right?

Would you agree to take a rain check?

This is when you decline an invitation by  

suggesting you'll accept that  invitation at a future time.

So not now, but later.

Let's say somebody invites me to  lunch today, but I'm very busy.

I could say I'd love to have lunch, but I need  to take a rain check, which means not today,  

but later, to go on a wild goose chase  or to be on a wild wild goose chase.

You can use either verbs, go or be.

This is when you're looking  for something specific,  

but it's a complete waste of time because  that's something specific doesn't exist.

For example, after hiking for five hours,  

we realized we were on a wild goose chase  because the waterfall doesn't exist.

So we were looking for a specific waterfall.

But on the trail we were  on, there is no waterfall.

The waterfall is at a  completely different location.

So we were on a wild goose chase because  we're looking for something that.

Doesn't.

Exist to twist someones arm.

This is when you persuade someone to do  something that they don't want to do.

For example, I didn't want to go to  the party, but Sarah twisted my arm.

So Sarah persuaded me, convinced me  to go to the party to face the music.

This is when you accept criticism or  punishment for something you did do.

For example, I missed the deadline,  so now it's time to face the music.

Now I have to meet with my boss.

We both know I missed the deadline.

It was wrong, so I am going to  be punished and I deserve it.

It's time to face the music, to hit the books.

This means to study or do homework.

For example, I can't go to the party tonight.

I need to hit the books to turn a deaf ear.

This is when you ignore someone when  they complain or they ask for help.

For example, I asked Maria to extend  the deadline, but she turned a deaf ear.

So when I asked her to extend the deadline, I  was asking her to help me, but she ignored me.

She turned a deaf ear to break the bank.

This means to cause financial ruin.

For example, this vacation costs $5000.

It's expensive, but it won't break the bank.

It won't cause financial ruin to jump the gun.

This is when you do something too soon  without thinking about it carefully.

For example, the company jumped the  gun when they canceled the conference,  

so they made that decision too soon.

They should have thought about it more, took more  time, and then decided to read between the lines.

This is when you try to understand somebody's real  

feelings or intentions based on  what they said or they wrote.

For example, she said she's happy, but if you  read between the lines, it's obvious she's upset.

So you try to interpret what she's saying  

to really understand how she  feels through thick and thin.

This is when you support someone or stay with  

someone even when there are  problems or difficulties.

For example, a true friend will  be there through thick and thin.

If there are problems or difficulties, a true  friend will be there to go back to square one.

This is to start working on  a plan from the beginning.

Because your previous attempt failed.

For example, the board didn't approve our  plan, so we have to go back to square one.

We have to start again from  the beginning, from scratch.

This is from the very beginning.

For example, I started this  YouTube channel for example.

My family started this business from scratch.

So when we started there was nothing.

We did everything ourselves from  scratch to shoot oneself in the foot.

This is when you say or do something  that could cause problems for you.

For example, I shot myself in the foot when  I agreed to stay late tonight, so I said yes.

Well, my boss asked me to stay  late, but it's my cousin's birthday,  

so now I can't go to their party or I'm going  to be late and I'm going to be in trouble.

I shot myself in the foot right off the bat.

This means at the very beginning or immediately.

For example, you can't expect to feel  confident speaking right off the bat.

So immediately at the very beginning, when  you first start, that's right off the bat,  

you can't expect to feel confident  right off the bat in the bag.

This is when something is certain  to be 1 achieved or obtained.

For example, Jane has the promotion in the bag.

So even though they haven't formally  announced that Jane has the promotion,  

it's certain that it's hers.

She has it in the bag.

Hot air.

This is a great one.

This is when something is not sincere  and will not have practical results.

For example, the advertisement claimed I would  lose 20 lbs in 20 days, but it was hot air.

It was not true to follow in someones footsteps.

This is when you do the same thing  that someone else previously did  

and that someone else is usually a  family member, a friend or a mentor.

For example, she followed in her father's  footsteps and became an engineer.

This means that her father is also  an engineer to call a spade a spade.

This is when you tell the truth about something,  even if the truth is not pleasant and not polite.

For example, let's call a spade a spade.

This company discriminates against women,  so that's not a very polite thing to say,  

but it's the truth to be in the same boat.

This is when you're in the same situation as  someone else and that situation is difficult.

For example, we both lost  money in the stock market.

We're in the same boat to pick someones brain.

This is when someone has a lot  of information on a subject or  

topic and you ask them to share that information.

Or you ask them for their opinion.

You pick their brain.

For example, I'd love to buy you  coffee and pick your brain sometime,  

which means I'd love to buy you  coffee and find out what you know.

Ask you questions about what you know, or get your  

opinion on a specific topic based on your  knowledge to bounce an idea off someone.

This is when you share an idea,  get feedback on that idea.

For example, can I bounce a few ideas  off you before the meeting today?

The devils in the details.

This is used when something seems simple, but the  details are complicated and could cause problems.

For example, the contract is only one page, which  seems simple, but the devil's in the details.

So in that one page there's a lot of  complicated information that could  

cause problems, the pot calling the kettle black.

This is used to say that someone  shouldn't criticize someone else  

for a fault that they have in themselves.

Let's say Jack is always late and I  get to our meeting 5 minutes late and  

Jack gets mad at me for being late,  but he's always late so I could say.

I.

Can't believe Jack was mad  because I was 5 minutes late.

Talk about the pot calling the  kettle black to take a backseat.

This is when you choose to not have  responsibility in a organization or an activity.

For example, my team is organizing a  conference, but I'm taking a backseat.

I'm not going to be responsible for  the conference to be up for grabs.

This is a great one.

It's used when something is available  and ready to be one or taken.

For example, do you know if  Sues Office is up for grabs?

So Sue's office is now empty.

Maybe she left the company or she changed offices.

So is her office ready and available?

Is it up for grabs to put something on ice?

This is when you delay something or  you reserve something for future use.

Let's put the conference on ice until the  summer to bite off more than you can chew.

This is when you try to do something that is too.

Difficult.

For you, for example, we took  on three projects this month.

I think we bid off more than we can chew.

So three projects is too difficult  for us to throw caution to the wind.

This is when you do something without worrying  about the risk or the negative consequences.

For example, I wasn't happy at my job, so  I threw caution to the wind and I quit,  

so I didn't think about the negative consequences.

When I made that decision, I threw  caution to the wind, A cross to bear.

This is an unpleasant or painful situation  or person that you have to accept,  

even though it's very difficult for you to do so.

For example, I lost our company's biggest  client and that's my cross to bear.

So that's a very painful situation,  

knowing that I was personally responsible  for this loss, but that's my cross to bear.

I have to accept it and deal with  that, even though it is painful.

And finally to keep ones  eye on something or someone.

This is when you watch something or  you take care of something or someone.

For example, Will you keep an eye on  the project while I'm at the conference?

Will you take care of the project?

Will you watch the project  while I'm at the conference?

You have done such a great  job expanding your vocabulary.

Now let's keep going, but we'll  do something completely different  

because we're going to test your listening skills.

But at the same time, you're going to improve  your vocabulary because you're going to learn  

common expressions, phrasal verbs, idioms, and  advanced vocabulary than native speakers use.

Let's get started.

Here are your instructions for the entire lesson.

I am going to say a sentence three times.

You need to listen to that sentence and write  down exactly what you hear in the comments.

After I'll explain what I said,  

and you can learn the pronunciation  changes that take place in fast English,  

and you can also learn the advanced expressions  that I use and that native speakers commonly use.

So let's get started with  the first listening exercise.

I'll say it three times.

We should have had a backup plan.

We should have had a backup plan.

We should have had a backup plan.

I said we should have had a backup plan.

Let's talk about the pronunciation.

Notice I said we should have, we should  have, had should have native speakers.

We combine this to sound like shoulda  shoulda notice that L is silent.

Shoulda shoulda we shoulda we shoulda had, should  have had, we should have had a backup plan.

Let's.

Take a look at the linking between back up.

This is how native speakers combine sounds.

So two separate words will sound  like one word backup backup.

So we take the sound from back the last sound  and we transfer it to the next sound up back cup.

But you have to combine those sounds together.

So it sounds like one word backup,  backup, backup plan, backup plan.

We should have had a backup plan.

Now what is a backup plan?

A backup plan is an alternative plan that  you can use if your original plan fails.

Let's say you're going to present  at a conference or a meeting.

So you bring.

Your computer and your  presentation is on the computer.

That's your original plan.

That's Plan A, but it's always  smart to have a backup plan.

This could be your backup plan.

You can put your presentation  on a USB A memory stick.

So if there's any issues with your  computer, you have a plan BA backup plan.

And then you can say my computer  wouldn't connect to their equipment.

But thankfully I had my presentation on ausb.

Thankfully I had a backup plan.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

Her comment really ****** me off.

Her comment really ****** me off.

Her comment really ****** me off.

I said her comment really ****** me off.

Let's look at the pronunciation of ******  because here this is an Ed, a past simple verb.

But the sound of that Ed is  a very soft T ****** ******.

Now, when we say this in a sentence  and there are words that come after,  

you almost don't hear that T, so you can't  really distinguish that it's in the past.

Simple.

It's the context of the sentence that  will make it obvious that it is the past.

Her comment really ****** me off.

Now what does this mean to **** someone off?

This means to make someone really angry.

Now, note that this is an informal expression  and it can also be considered impolite.

It would be considered impolite if  your name is Mark and I said Mark,  

you're really ******* me off.

That would be impolite.

But native speakers commonly use  this to complain about people.

So I could be talking to my husband or my best  friend and say Mark really ****** me off today.

In that context, it's not impolite,  

but it would be impolite to look directly  at someone and say you really ****** me off.

So don't do that.

Now we also use this in the  structure to be ****** ***.

The pronunciation is the same  ****** *** to be ****** ***.

This is simply to be really angry.

For example, I was so ****** *** when  I came home to a completely dirty house  

even though my kids promised  to clean up after the party.

Do you want to do another listening exercise?

I'll say it three times.

Take what she says with a grain of salt.

Take what she says with a grain of salt.

Take what she says with a grain of salt.

I said.

Take what she says with a grain.

Of salt.

Here the pronunciation is clear,  

but if you don't know what this idiom  means, then you won't understand it.

So the idiom is to take  something with a grain of salt.

We use this to say that you shouldn't  believe everything someone tells you,  

because it might not be true.

So let's say your friend tells you that.

Oh, Gina says.

She'll help.

Me move this weekend.

But from your experience, Gina  likes to make a lot of promises,  

but she doesn't always follow  up with those promises.

She doesn't always fulfill those promises.

Then you might say, take what  she says with a grain of salt.

You're letting your friend know that  Gina might not actually do what she says,  

and let's focus on the grammar here.

What do you notice about this sentence?

Take what she says with a grain of salt.

What verb tense is this?

In?

We're using the imperative.

Take is in the imperative because  the sentence begins with a base verb.

There's no subject here.

That's how you can identify the imperative.

And the imperative is used to give  instructions, orders, or suggestions.

So I'm suggesting that my friend take  what she says with a grain of salt.

Your next listening exercise?

I'll say it 3 It's high time we let her go.

It's high time we let her go.

It's high time we let her go, I said.

It's high time we let her go for pronunciation.

Let's talk about let her go, let her go here.

Notice how her sounds like err, you don't hear  the age err, but I also attach it to the word.

Before.

So I link those sounds together.

Letter, letter, letter.

Let her go.

Let her go.

It's high time we let her go.

Let's look at the expression.

It's high time.

When you say it's high time  that something should happen,  

you're saying that something  should happen now and not later.

And when you use this expression, you also  suggest that it should have already happened.

So we should have.

We should.

Have.

Already let her go, but we didn't.

So we.

Should do it now because  it's high time we let her go.

And in my opinion, it's high time that  you enrolled in the finely fluent Academy.

It's high time You should have already done this.

You should have already done  this, but maybe you haven't.

So you should do it now and not later.

What's the finely?

Fluent.

Academy Well, this is my premium training program  where we study native English speakers on TV,  

movies, YouTube and the news so you  can improve your listening skills a  

fast and add the most common  expressions to your speech.

So we do exactly what you're doing now,  but you use native speakers from TV,  

movies, YouTube, so you get a variety of  different accents and styles of speech.

Plus, you'll have me.

As your teacher and I'll be there  to coach you every step of the way.

So it's high time you join  the finally fluent Academy  

and you can look for the link in  the description to learn more.

Coming back to our example is high time  you let her go now to let someone go.

This is an alternative way  of saying to fire someone.

When you fire someone, they permanently  stop working for the company.

So when you let someone go, they  permanently stop working for the company.

It's high time we let her go.

Remember, you're suggesting you should let  her go a while ago, so now you better do it.

Let's do one last listening exercise.

I'll say it three times.

He looked a little.

Frazzled.

He looked a little frazzled.

He looked a little frazzled, I said.

He looked a little.

Frazzled.

Let's talk about pronunciation A.

Little.

Little.

Native speakers, we don't  pronounce T's between 2 vowels.

It will be either a very soft D little duh  duh little duh, or you just won't hear it.

Lil, Lil A little, a little.

And notice the AH is connected to it.

A little, a little, a little.

He looked a little.

Frazzled.

Frazzled.

Here it's a past simple Ed verb,  

but the pronunciation is a very  soft D and you almost don't hear it.

Frazzled.

Very soft.

Frazzled.

Frazzled To be frazzled or to look frazzled.

This is when you are or look very tired,  but you also look very worried or anxious.

So I might look frazzled if you see me.

And normally my hair is nice and in a nice  position, but you see me and my hair is crazy.

I have makeup a little bit under my eyes.

Maybe my shirt is a little messy as well.

And visibly you can see  that I might look frazzled.

And then obviously I'll look very tired  and maybe like very worried and anxious.

So you might see it visibly in my appearance and  you can see it on my facial expression as well.

So if you see a Co worker.

That looks.

Frazzled, you might say.

Are you OK?

You look a little frazzled.

Amazing job improving your listening.

Skills.

Of fast English.

Now let's improve your pronunciation.

Let's do an imitation exercise.

I'm going to say each sentence  again, but I'm going to pause.

And then I want you to repeat this sentence out  loud and try to follow my pronunciation exactly.

So try to imitate my pronunciation and  I'll say each sentence three times.

So I want you to repeat it out loud three times.

We should have had a backup plan.

We should have had a backup plan.

We should have had a backup plan.

Her comment really ****** me off.

Her comment really ****** me off.

Her comment really ****** me off.

Take what she says with a grain of salt.

Take what she says.

With a grain of salt.

Take what she says with a grain of salt.

It's high time we let her go.

It's high time we let her go.

It's high time we let her go.

He looked a little frazzled.

He looked a little frazzled.

He looked a little frazzled.

Are you ready?

All right, let's go.

So I'll say it three times.

My mom nitpicks like crazy.

My mom nitpicks like crazy.

My mom nitpicks like crazy.

Did you get this one?

I said my mom nitpicks like crazy.

The pronunciation is clear, but if you  don't know what the vocabulary means,  

you're not going to understand  what that native speaker said.

Here, our verb is to nitpick to nitpick.

What does this mean?

This is when you find faults.

Faults are things that you  don't like or criticisms.

When you find faults in  details that are not important,  

I'm sure you know someone  in your life who nitpicks.

Or maybe you nitpick yourself.

Let's say you're with someone and you  go out for dinner and the food is great.

The restaurant is beautiful,  the server is very friendly,  

but your friend finds faults in  details that are not important.

Your friend nitpicks.

You could say the dinner was amazing,  

but of course Lindsay wasn't happy about the  color of the plates or the art on the walls.

Lindsay is a nitpicker, so  your friend wasn't happy.

About the color of the.

Plates.

That is such a detail that is not important.

So this is a.

Perfect example of someone who nitpicks.

But notice in my example I  said Lindsay is a nitpicker.

A nitpicker.

This is the noun form and a nitpicker  is simply someone who nitpicks.

The original example was my mom  nitpicks like crazy here like crazy.

This simply means.

A.

Lot or quickly, but in this context it means.

A lot.

So my mom nitpicks like crazy.

My mom nitpicks a lot.

You could.

Also, say I worked like crazy all weekend.

So you worked a lot all weekend.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

It's OK to be picky sometimes.

It's OK to be picky sometimes.

It's OK to be picky sometimes.

Did you get?

This one I said it's OK to be  picky sometimes for pronunciation.

Notice I use the contraction.

It's it's this is the contraction  of it is It's OK, It's OK.

To.

Be but I didn't say it's OK.

To.

Be picky.

I said to be to be so an unstressed to.

It's OK to be to be to be picky.

It's OK to be picky now.

Don't confuse this expression to be picky.

With.

Our last expression to nitpick.

Yes, they both use the word pick, but  they are totally different expressions.

This expression to be picky.

This describes someone who has very strong  preferences about what they like and don't like.

For example, most young kids are picky.

I don't know about you, but when  I was a young kid, five years old,  

ten years old, there were many  food items that I did not eat.

My diet was very simple.

I had a small number of  things that I liked to eat,  

and I had a very large number of  things that I did not like to eat.

So as a child I was picky when it came to food.

When it came to eating, what about you?

Were you a picky eater?

Were you picky about your  food when you were a child?

Or maybe you still are right now?

Some adults are picky as well.

In our original example, I  said it's OK to be picky.

Sometimes it's OK.

That means it is acceptable.

It's acceptable to be picky to have those strong  preferences about what you like and don't like.

Sometimes, for example, it's OK to  be picky when it comes to a job.

Choosing a job, you should have  very strong preferences about  

what you want that job to have the  qualities of that job, and that's OK.

Choosing a job.

Choosing a house you should definitely be.

Picky.

Have very strong preferences  and choosing a spouse.

Maybe that's the ultimate one.

You should be very picky when you choose a spouse  because you're with that person for your entire.

Life.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

I'm B.

Let's call it a day.

I'm B.

Let's call it a day.

I'm B.

Let's call it a day.

Did you get this one?

I said I'm beat.

Let's call it a day.

Let's talk about the contraction at the beginning.

I'm of course, this is I am, I'm, I'm beat.

I'm beat.

I'm beat, let's call it.

But with linking, we're going  to combine those sounds.

So it sounds like call it, call it, so call lit.

But then we have to say it as one word.

Call it, call it, call it a day.

Call it a day.

Call it a day.

I'm beat.

Let's call it a day.

To be beat.

I'm beat.

This means to be.

Very.

Tired to be exhausted.

So instead of saying I'm very tired,  you can say I'm beat, I'm beat.

Where?

Beat.

The verb to be.

Now let's talk about the expression.

Let's call it a day to call it a day.

This is an expression used to say  that you're going to stop working  

for the day and you stop working for the  day because you've completed enough work,  

you've done what you've needed to do,  or simply because everyone is exhausted,  

everyone is beat, and it isn't  productive anymore to keep working.

So maybe it's 3:00 and technically the day  ends at 5:00, but everyone is so tired,  

everyone is beat, that they're  just not thinking clearly anymore.

So you might say, let's call it a day, let's just  stop working for today and we'll get a good night.

Sleep.

We'll come back tomorrow and begin again.

You could combine this with our  expression like crazy, which means a lot.

And you could say we've been  working like crazy all week.

Let's call it a day.

So again, maybe it's Friday at 2:00, and  technically you're supposed to work until 5:00.

But because you've been  working like crazy all week,  

let's just call it a day and stop working Now  Are you ready for another listening exercise?

I'll say it three times.

You shouldn't be so nosy.

You shouldn't be so nosy.

You shouldn't be so nosy.

Did you get this one?

I said.

You.

Shouldn't be so nosy here.

Notice I said shouldn't, Shouldn't you?

Shouldn't be?

This is.

A contraction of.

Should.

Not shouldn't you shouldn't be You shouldn't be.

You shouldn't be so nosy.

What does this mean To be nosy?

To be nosy.

This is used to say that your interested  in what other people are doing or saying.

When you have no right to be interested in that,  

you have no right to know what other people are  saying or doing because it doesn't involve you.

A lot of people.

Are nosy when it comes to their  significant other's cell phone.

They want to know what their  significant other is looking  

at online, who they're talking  to, who they're texting with.

But ultimately you have no right  to that knowledge because that's  

your significant other's personal privacy.

So if your significant.

Other.

Leaves their phone and goes to the  bathroom or goes to another room and  

you pick up the phone and you try to look at  it without them knowing you are being nosy.

And that's when someone can  say you shouldn't be so nosy.

Let's try this one more time.

I'll say it three times.

Being nosy is one of my pet.

Peeves.

Being nosy is one of my pet peeves.

Being nosy is one of my pet peeves.

Did you get this one?

I said being nosy is one of my pet peeves.

And now you know what nosy means, so I  don't have to explain that being nosy.

Notice how this is a gerund statement, a  sentence that starts with a jaron verb, a verb.

In ING being nosy, jaron statements  are used to make general statements.

So in general, being nosy is one of my pet peeves.

What is a pet peeve?

A pet peeve is something that especially annoys  you, so there are many things that annoy you.

But a pet peeve is when whenever that  one thing happens, it really annoys you.

So I googled this and according to Google,  

the top three pet peeves things  that especially annoy people.

The top three pet peeves are loud chewing.

So if your coworker is, or your kids, your husband  or wife, loud chewing, Is that one of your pet?

Peeves.

#2 According to Google, is bad manners.

So if you have bad manners,  it means you're not polite.

So if someone holds the door  open for you, in North America,  

it's considered polite to  say thank you to that person.

So if you hold a door open for  someone and the other person,  

they go right in and they  don't say thank you to you.

That would be an example of  bad manners in North America.

And the person who held the door open would be  annoyed because that's one of their pet peeves.

And #3, according to Google, is clutter.

Clutter describes when a room  is very disorganized or messy.

So if there were things all over my office,  

papers everywhere, things were not neat  and organized, that would be clutter.

What about you?

What's your pet peeve?

Share your pet peeve.

In the comments below.

Now let's do an imitation exercise where  you're going to imitate my pronunciation,  

so you're going to listen to me  say the sentence, and then you are.

Going to repeat.

The sentence out loud.

So say the sentence out loud and  try to match my pronunciation.

And then you'll repeat that  three times for each sentence.

So let's do that right now.

My mom nitpicks like crazy.

My mom nitpicks like crazy.

My mom nitpicks like crazy.

It's OK to be picky.

Sometimes it's OK to be picky.

Sometimes it's OK to be picky.

Sometimes I'm beat.

Let's call it a day.

I'm beat.

Let's call it a day.

I'm beat.

Let's call it a day.

You shouldn't be so nosy.

You shouldn't be so nosy.

You shouldn't be so nosy.

Being nosy is one of my pet peeves.

Being nosy is one of my pet peeves.

Being nosy is one of my pet peeves.

Are you ready?

So let's start with the first listening exercise.

I'll say it three times.

The party got a little out of hand.

The party got a little out of hand.

The party got a little out of hand, I said.

The party got a little out of hand.

Let's talk about a little notice.

There are those two T's in the middle.

A native speaker is just going to  drop them and it will sound like.

Lil, Lil A little, a little.

Or a native speaker will pronounce them as D's,  a very soft D because they're between 2 vowels,  

little, dull, dull, little,  little, and then you connect.

Ah, a little.

A little.

A little.

The party got a little out of.

This is combined to sound.

Like outa outa.

The party got a little out of the  party, got a little out of hand.

Out of hand.

What does that mean, to get  or to become out of hand?

Well, out of hand means out of control,  

which means that you no longer  have control over the party.

The party got a little out of hand.

So this is not a good.

Thing In a more everyday context, you might say,  

my shopping has gotten a little out of hand,  a little out of hand, a little out of hand.

Which means you no.

Longer Have control over your shopping,  

so you're probably buying a lot  of purses or jewelry or watches.

When you.

Don't need to.

My shopping has gotten a little.

Out of hand.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

His e-mail really caught me off guard.

His e-mail really caught me off.

Guard.

His e-mail really caught me off.

Guard.

I said his e-mail really caught me off guard.

Let's talk about his e-mail.

His Although the spelling is an S,  it's a voiced sound, so it's a zed.

So we can use that to link to the next word  because the next word starts in a vowel,  

so it will sound like his e-mail.

You'll hear the on the word e-mail, but then  you cannot have a pause between his and e-mail.

You need to pronounce them together.

His e-mail, His e-mail, his e-mail, his e-mail.

Really caught notice here.

The spelling and the  pronunciation are very different.

Caught caught His e-mail  really caught me off guard.

When you catch someone off guard, this is an  expression that means you surprise someone and  

you surprise someone, generally with information  or news or something they weren't expecting.

There are two options with our sentence.

His e-mail really caught me off guard.

Either AI wasn't expecting him to e-mail me, so  the fact that the e-mail even exists surprised me,  

caught me off guard, or Option  BI was expecting his e-mail,  

but I wasn't expecting the e-mail to contain  the information or the news that it contained,  

so it was the content of the e-mail that  surprised me that caught me off guard.

We don't have enough information  based on this one sentence to know.

It would be the overall context that would  let you know if it's option A or option B1.

Final note that this expression to catch someone  off guard is commonly used in the passive.

So you could say I was caught  off guard by his e-mail.

I was caught off guard by his e-mail.

That's the passive voice and is very  commonly used with this expression.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

Thanks for sticking up for me.

Thanks for sticking up for me.

Thanks for sticking up for me.

I said thanks.

For.

Sticking.

Up for me?

Notice that the word for sounds like Fer Fer.

This is because it's unstressed.

Thanks for thanks for sticking up for me.

For me.

So in both places in this sentence.

Thanks for thanks for sticking up for me.

Thanks for sticking up for me.

What does this mean?

When you stick up for someone, it  means that you support someone.

Or do you defend someone, especially  when they're being criticized?

So it's a positive.

Thing to stick.

Up for someone else now.

I have seen you, my students, my amazing  students, stick up for me in the comments section.

Sometimes I'll be reviewing the comments and  

I'll see there's a negative comment  like this video was really boring.

But then you, one of my awesome students sticks up  

for me and you reply to that comment  and you say something like no way.

This video is awesome and Jennifer's the best.

I have seen this happen.

And then so I could reply and say, oh thanks  for sticking up for me because you defended me.

You supported me when I was being criticized.

Thanks for sticking up for me.

Thanks for sticking up for me.

Let's try this.

Again, I'll say it three times.

It's so hard sticking to this diet.

It's so hard sticking to this diet.

It's so hard sticking to this diet.

I said it's so hard sticking to this diet.

Notice how I use a contraction.

Is it this is it?

Is it is so hard.

It's it's so hard now.

One thing that native speakers do  with the word SO is we elongate it.

We make it.

Longer to emphasize how hard it is, or  to emphasize whatever adjective it is.

It's so hard.

And the longer we say the word, the  more we believe that adjective is.

For example.

I'm so tired.

Now.

Obviously I'm exaggerating a little bit,  

but native speakers can be quite  dramatic and we can really hold out that.

So now let's talk about what this means.

Notice in here we have.

This diet.

It's.

So.

Hard it's.

So.

Hard sticking to this.

Diet.

In this case, diet is a noun, a diet.

I simply used a possessive this diet  and it represents an eating plan.

So a plan that tells you what you're going  to eat, what you're not going to eat,  

and how much of something you're  going to eat as well, that is a diet.

The purpose is generally to lose  weight, and usually a diet is temporary.

You temporarily do this until you reach your goal,  

which is to lose a certain  number of pounds or percentage.

Of body fat.

But the exact same word, A diet.

Can also be used as a general term to refer  to the food and drink that someone or a group.

Of people.

Consumes, so you could say overall.

I.

Have a very healthy diet.

This is.

A way of saying overall.

The.

Food and drink I consume on  a regular basis is healthy.

Overall, I have a very healthy diet, but I'm  going on a diet to lose 5 lbs before my vacation.

Notice here the expression is to go on a diet.

This is how we say to start a  diet, which is your eating plan.

So we use the verb go and you go on a diet.

So now you know what a diet is, and  in this case, it's an eating plan.

So let's talk about sticking to a diet.

It's so hard sticking to this diet.

When you stick to something, it means you continue  

doing that thing even though it's  difficult or challenging and that's.

Why?

The example is it's so hard sticking  to this diet, continuing this diet.

Let's try this one more time.

I'll say it three times.

Do you think you're gonna stick it out?

Do you think you're gonna stick it out?

Do you think you're going to stick it out?

I.

Said Do you think you're going to stick it  out here You commonly sounds like yeah do you  

do you think do you think you're will sound like  you're do you think you're you're gonna going to.

Will sound like.

Gonna.

These are all unstressed sounds and reduced sound.

Do you think you're gonna do you  think you're gonna stick it out?

Let's talk about the combination  of stick it out so we have it.

The T is actually between 2 vowels, so  if we connect those sounds together,  

we'll pronounce the T like a soft.

D.

And then on the stick, I'll take that K sound  

and I'll transfer it to the next  sound to help smooth those out.

Stick it out.

But you have to say it all together.

Stick, kid, doubt.

Stick it out.

Stick it out, Stick it out.

Do you think you're going to stick it out?

Now what does this mean?

When you stick something out, it means you  continue doing something until the end,  

until it's finished, until it's  complete, you stick it out.

So let's go back to our last example.

It's so hard sticking to this diet, sticking to  this diet, which means continuing with something.

That is difficult.

Or challenging and then I ask.

Do you think you're going to?

Stick it out.

Do you think you're going to continue  with this diet until the end of this diet?

So maybe this eating plan  was designed for 90 days.

So if you stick it out, it means  you complete the eating plan.

You follow the eating plan for 90  days until the end of the eating plan.

These two expressions.

Are very similar.

Just remember, when you stick to something,  

it means that you're focused  on fulfilling A commitment.

You're dedicated, you're going to fulfill a  promise because you said you're going to do it.

So that's stick to something.

Now when you stick it out, it simply  means you complete something to the end.

Now let's do an imitation exercise so you can  

practice your pronunciation and  try to match it directly to mine.

So I will say a sentence.

And then you are going to repeat the sentence.

Out.

Loud.

And then we'll repeat each sentence three times.

So let's.

Start with the 1st.

Sentence.

The party got a little out of hand.

The party got a little out of hand.

The party got a little out of hand.

His e-mail really caught me off guard.

His e-mail really caught me off guard.

His e-mail really caught me off guard.

Thanks for sticking up for me.

Thanks for sticking up for me.

Thanks for sticking up for me.

It's so hard sticking to this diet.

It's so hard sticking to this diet.

It's so hard sticking to this diet.

Do you think you're going to stick it out?

Do you think you're going to stick it out?

Do you think you're going to stick it out?

Are you ready?

Let's start our first listening exercise.

I'll say it three times.

You all set for the meeting tomorrow.

You all set for the meeting tomorrow.

You all set for the meeting tomorrow.

How do you do with that?

I said you all set for the meeting tomorrow.

Let's talk about the pronunciation changes.

Notice you all, you all, you all.

I said it quickly, but I did  say the individual words.

You all, you all set.

You all set.

I will point out that in the South,  in southern US, the southern states,  

it's very common to combine you all into one word.

Do you know what that?

Is y'all y'all.

I'm sure you've heard this mainly in movies or TV.

Y'all, y'all ready.

I personally don't say y'all because  I'm not from the southern US,  

but it is extremely common in the southern US.

For me, I simply say.

You all.

You all.

I say them quickly, but I do say both words.

You all set.

You all set for the meeting tomorrow.

Notice here how for the meeting  tomorrow, for when it's unstressed.

More of a reduced sound, A quick sound.

It sounds like fur.

Fur.

For the meeting you all set for.

For the meeting.

For the meeting, for the meeting tomorrow.

Now, before we talk about what this sentence  means, you might be wondering about the grammar.

Does this sentence perhaps look  grammatically incorrect to you?

Is there?

A.

Word missing.

The auxiliary verb are is missing.

Are you all set for the meeting tomorrow?

We need R as an auxiliary verb because.

This is.

A question.

Grammatically, you need it.

But in spoken English, native speakers commonly  drop auxiliary verbs when they're only required  

grammatically, but they're not required  to understand what the sentence means.

So a native speaker does not need to  hear an auxiliary verb to understand  

what a sentence means, and that's why in  spoken English, we commonly get rid of them.

So grammatically, are you all  set for the meeting tomorrow?

A native speaker would commonly say you all set,  you all set for the meeting tomorrow, And then  

to show it's a question, we can use a rising  intonation at the end to show it's a question.

Now let's talk about what this means.

This has a very simple meaning.

To be all set is simply to  be ready or to be prepared.

So it's asking the person if they're  ready for the meeting tomorrow,  

if they're prepared for the meeting tomorrow.

Native speakers commonly use this to ask  if someone's ready or prepared to leave,  

for example to leave a.

House.

Leave a restaurant, leave a hotel room, it  doesn't matter where and we'll just use 2.

Words.

With a rising intonation to show it's a question.

All set, all set.

I'm asking you, Are you ready?

All set And then you can simply reply  and say Yep, and then we'll leave.

Glad you clash.

You all set.

All set, all set, merman, all set.

All set.

Let's try another listening exercise.

I'll say it three times.

This report's all over the map.

This report's all over the map.

This report's all over the Map I.

Said.

This report's all over the map for pronunciation.

Notice here this reports report is as a  contraction report This report all over, all over.

So notice how I can link those sounds together  

by extending that sound to the  next word because it's a vowel.

All over, all over over.

All over.

This reports.

All over the map.

The expression to be all over the map.

This means that something is in a disorganized  or confused state, so the report is disorganized.

The report is confusing.

As another example, I could say the consultant's  recommendations were all over the map,  

to be all over the map, which means his his  recommendations were disorganized or confusing.

Maybe they talked about a lot of different  topics and it was difficult to follow.

They were all over the map.

Yeah, this term's all over the map.

The.

Internet's all over the map on that.

You know, charming, but all over the map.

And let's try this again.

I'll.

Say it three times.

Keep your eyes peeled for the turn.

Keep your eyes peeled for the turn.

Keep your eyes peeled for the turn.

I said Keep.

Your.

Eyes peeled for the.

Turn.

Notice the reduced sound.

For your your.

Eyes your your your eyes.

Keep your eyes.

Keep your eyes peeled.

Fur, we talked about this before.

4 becomes a unstressed, reduced sound.

Fur.

Keep your eyes peeled.

For the turn.

For the turn.

For the turn.

For the turn.

Notice here the sentence starts with  a verb and it starts with a base verb,  

which means it's the imperative verb tense.

And we use the imperative verb  tense to give orders or suggestions.

Keep your eyes peeled.

I'm giving you this as an order or a suggestion.

And what does that mean to keep your eyes peeled?

This means to watch carefully or to be on alert.

So if you're driving and you're  following the directions, the GPS,  

you need to watch carefully for the  specific streets so you know when to turn.

That's the turn if you're driving.

Keep your eyes peeled for the turn.

Watch carefully.

Be on alert for the term so you don't miss it  and you're not late for your important meeting.

This is an expression you can  use in many different situations.

Let's say you're editing an important  document, your resume or something.

You're submitting for an  assignment or to a client.

You might say.

Keep your eyes peeled for any  spelling or grammar mistakes.

Which means as you're reviewing  it, pay close attention.

Watch carefully, be on alert for  any spelling or grammar mistakes,  

which is very good advice for everyone.

Keep your eyes peeled.

Keep your eyes peeled.

Keep.

Your eyes peeled.

Are you ready to try this again?

I'll say it three times.

Can you just ballpark the cost for me?

Can you just ballpark the cost for me?

Can you just ballpark the cost for me?

I said, can you just ballpark the cost for me?

Can in this sentence is an auxiliary verb.

So we pronounce it unstressed,  and it sounds like kin.

Kin, Can you?

Can you and you you can make that  unstressed too and reduce it to ya.

Kenya.

Kenya.

Kenya, just I think I did say can you, but you  it's very common to hear native speakers say ya.

Kenya, can you just ballpark the  cost for me, We already talked.

About four.

It sounds like Fer for me.

For me?

Let's talk about this odd word here.

Ballpark.

Did you notice that grammatically, it's a verb?

It's the main verb of the  sentence to ballpark something.

When you ballpark something, it means you  provide a rough estimate of something.

And yes, a ballpark is where people play baseball,  

but we're not talking about  baseball or sports at all.

To ballpark something is to provide  a rough estimate of something.

In our sentence, it's a verb to ballpark,  but we commonly use this as an adjective.

A.

Figure.

A.

Ballpark figure.

So the figure is the number,  the cost, or a statistic.

And if it's a ballpark figure,  it means it's a rough estimate.

It's not exact, it's not  precise, it's an estimate,  

which means it's more of a range, a  lower and upper range, for example.

Maybe a consultant is providing you a quote,  an estimate on using a certain software system,  

and you want to know well how much  is this going to cost my company.

But the consultant can't give  you an exact number at this  

point because he doesn't have enough information.

So the consultant could say.

If I had to ballpark it, I'd say 3 to  $5,000,000, but that's just a ballpark figure.

So you know, it's just an estimate.

So just give me a number ballpark.

Take a guess.

Ballpark figure that's.

Fine.

A ballpark figure.

Let's do this one more time.

I'll say it three times.

Let's revisit this down the line.

Let's revisit this down the line.

Let's revisit this down the line.

I.

Said let's revisit this down the line.

Notice let's is the contraction.

For let us let's let's revisit.

When you put re in front of a base  verb, it means to do that verb again.

Visit this again.

But for pronunciation, that re is a strong sound.

E you hear that?

E Revisit.

Revisit.

Let's revisit this down the line and  notice how let's is the imperative.

Let us let the imperative verb tense  again for a order or a suggestion.

Let's revisit this down the line.

Let's talk about down the line.

This means in the future, but at an  unspecified date, so it's not clear at all.

You don't know when we'll revisit this.

Visit this.

Again, but you know it will happen in the future,  

but it could be a week from now,  it could be a month from now.

So this is a.

Way that a native speaker can postpone  something if they don't actually want to do it.

I'll do it down the line because it's  not specific on when you'll do it,  

it's just some point in the future.

Here's another example that could apply to you.

If you don't improve your English now,  it could hurt your career down the line.

Now notice when I say down the line  I'm not being specific on when your  

lack of English skills could hurt your career.

But at some.

Point in the future.

It could be tomorrow, it could be a week  from now, it could be a year from now.

And that's why it's so important  that you're here with me.

Improving your English.

Amazing job, improving your listening skills.

Now let's do an imitation exercise so you  

can improve your pronunciation and  practice these pronunciation changes.

So I'll say the sentence, and then I want you  

to say the sentence out loud and  try to imitate my pronunciation.

And I'll repeat each sentence three times.

So let's do that now.

You all set for the meeting tomorrow.

You all set for the meeting tomorrow.

You all set for the meeting tomorrow.

This report's all over the map.

This report's all over the map.

This report's all over the map.

Keep your eyes peeled for the turn.

Keep your eyes peeled for the turn.

Keep your eyes peeled for the turn.

Can you just ballpark the cost for me?

Can you just ballpark the cost for me?

Can you just ballpark the cost for me?

Let's revisit this down the line.

Let's revisit this down the line.

Let's revisit this down the line.

Are you ready?

Here we go with the first listening exercise.

I'll say it three times.

Have you edited it yet?

Have you edited it yet?

Have you edited it yet?

Did you get this one?

I said.

Have you edited it?

Yet.

This is.

Extremely difficult to say.

It was difficult for me to say just now.

Have you edited it?

So notice we have edited, edit and then in the  Ed form, the past simple form edited, edited.

That's the past simple of to edit, edited.

Now we have to add on it, and you're  going to combine that sound to.

Edited.

So we already have.

A did.

Did.

Now we're going to add on it to it.

Have you edited it?

Yet have you?

Edited it yet that is extremely  difficult even for me to say.

I would say this is a tongue twister,  and most likely I wouldn't even use.

It.

I would change it to the noun to avoid  this very difficult pronunciation.

Have you edited the report yet?

Have you edited the document yet?

Now let's talk about the grammar.

What do you notice about this?

Well, first of all, it's in question form.

And what verbatense is this?

It's the present perfect.

Have you edited?

So we have have or has conjugated with the  subject have you And then the past participle  

edited And then we have yet because yet  is commonly used in question form with  

the present perfect, yet is also used in  negative form with the present perfect.

So to answer this negatively I  could say I haven't edited it yet.

I haven't edited it yet.

And.

Remember that we use already  with the present perfect for  

affirmative statements, positive statements.

Yes, I've already edited, edited.

It.

Together on my Mac.

Took.

That video.

Edited it and woo, I'm glad I don't have to say  

that anymore because it was  very difficult even for me.

Let's try this again.

Here's your listening exercise.

Does she have what it takes to move up?

Does she have what it takes to move up?

Does she have what it takes to move up?

I said.

Does she have what it takes to move up?

Let's talk about does.

She?

Does is an auxiliary verb, so we can pronounce  it very quickly in an unstressed pronunciation.

Does does now.

She begins with a SH, so we're going  to combine those two sounds together.

Does she?

Does she?

Does she?

Does she.

We can combine what it into what it.

Notice I have a soft D because we have AT between  2 vowels, which we pronounce as a soft D sound.

What it what it does?

She.

Have what it takes to move up to to move up.

So 2 will become unstressed to move up.

So I'll use that to combine those  together to move up, move up to move up.

Let's talk about what this means.

Let's talk about the expression  to have what it takes.

This means that you have this skills or the  characteristics necessary to become successful.

Right now I hope you're thinking, Jennifer,  I have what it takes to become fluent,  

which means you have the skills or the qualities  to become successful in that particular area.

So right now you might be thinking, well,  

I don't have the fluency skills, but do you  have the qualities, the qualities required?

Patience, consistency, motivation, dedication.

Those are the qualities necessary to  be successful when learning a language.

So you don't need the skills, you need  the qualities in order to say yes,  

Jennifer, I have what it takes to become fluent.

So put that.

In the comments, because I know  that you have what it takes.

Now let's talk about to move up,  to move up in a business context.

When you move up, it means you get a more  important position within your company.

So basically you get a promotion,  which is a very good thing.

And it's amazing that you're  here right now doing this,  

because improving your communication  skills will help you move up a lot faster.

It will help you advance in your career.

Get.

A promotion a lot faster.

I don't have what it takes.

Do you have what it takes?

Because I have what it takes.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

I'm finally all caught up.

I'm finally all caught up.

I'm finally all caught up, I said.

I'm finally all caught up.

Of course caught.

Sounds like ought ought caught  now because up is a vowel,  

so now we have caught up,  we have at between 2 vowels.

Again, I'll pronounce it as a soft D, but  I have to combine the sounds together.

Caught up.

Caught up dub.

Caught up.

Caught up.

I'm finally all caught up.

Let's talk about what this means.

The expression is to be caught up.

I am caught up.

I'm finally all caught up to be caught up.

This means that you've finished all the  tasks that you were previously assigned.

So maybe you had some tasks that you  were supposed to do last week but  

you didn't have time and now today you  had time so you completed those tasks.

So then you can say I'm finally all caught up.

Notice in my example I said all caught up.

Here all simply means 100% entirely.

It's unnecessary to include it,  

but native speakers really like to include  this word and we use it quite frequently.

So you could say I'm caught up, I'm all caught up.

They have the exact same meaning,  

but a native speaker will likely  Add all to share another example.

Using this expression I could say  I'm all caught up on my emails.

So here, notice I mentioned  the specific task on my emails.

So that means I either read the emails  that I was supposed to read last week,  

or even yesterday or even earlier today.

Or maybe I responded to the emails as well.

I'm all caught up on my emails.

All caught up.

OK, we're all caught up.

You all caught up.

Do you want to try another listening exercise?

I'll.

Say it three times.

Do you have a SEC to bring them up to speed?

Do you have a SEC?

To bring them up to speed, do you  have a SEC to bring them up to speed?

I said.

Do you have a SEC to bring them up to speed?

Let's talk about.

Do.

You have AA I can combine.

Do you and say do ya?

Do ya have a hava?

Do you have a?

Do you have a?

Do you have a?

Do you have a SEC?

Notice that sound in there.

SEC.

Do you?

Have a SEC.

To bring em I can reduce the them,  just get rid of that TH and I'm  

left with em and I have to add it to  the word before bring em, bring em.

Up to up to.

Speed up to speed here.

SEC.

This is the short form of the word second.

This is very commonly used as a question.

Do you have a SEC?

Do you have a SEC?

I'm asking you for a short amount of time.

Do you have a SEC.

And this is commonly used before you ask for  help or before you want to to start a discussion.

Do you have a SEC?

Can you review this document?

Do you have a SEC?

Can we discuss the conference?

Let's talk about to bring  someone up to speed, Up to speed.

This is an expression and when it's when you share  

the latest or most recent news and  information on a specific topic.

So let's say you were on vacation for one week,  

and during that one week you  weren't checking your emails.

You weren't talking to anyone at work.

So you.

Don't have the latest information  or news when you get back.

You might say I was on vacation for a week.

Can you bring me up to speed on the conference?

So you can.

Specify something specific the conference  on the conference and the person knows to  

share information or news related to  the conference within the last week,  

because that's the information  or news that you don't have.

Doctor Cox, do you have a SEC?

Hey, Jack.

Do you have a SEC?

Do you have a SEC to talk?

About my piece.

Let's try this one more time.

I'll say it three times.

Are you going out tonight?

Are you going out tonight?

Are you going out tonight?

This was an easy one, right?

Are you going out tonight?

The pronunciation is quite clear.

Notice how we can combine out tonight together?

When I say out, I'm not going  to pronounce that T out out.

The T is just silent.

But tonight starts with AT.

So I can use that T from tonight for both words.

If I say them together, out  tonight, out tonight, out tonight.

So you can combine those together,  Are you going out tonight?

I included this easy example because this is a  very common expression that native speakers use,  

and perhaps you don't know what it means or you  don't feel confident using it yourself to go out.

That's the expression to go out.

This is when you do a social  activity outside of your home.

So you leave your home to do  something social, so something fun.

Perhaps it's to have a nice dinner  with your significant other,  

or your family or friends,  or it's to go to a movie.

Are you going out?

Are you going out tonight?

Notice that this is.

In the present continuous,  

because it's asking about a plan in  progress, are you going out tonight?

But the expression is to go out.

So your verb is go.

If it were last night, you would  say, oh, I went out last night.

Now this isn't clear what you did.

So someone would have to ask  you, oh, what did you do?

And then you could tell them,  oh, I went to the movies want.

To go out tonight are.

We going out tonight you.

Want to go out tonight?

Now let's do an imitation exercise so  you can practice this fast pronunciation.

I'm going to say each sentence again,  and I'm going to give you time to say  

the sentence out loud, and then I'll  repeat each sentence three times.

Have you edited it yet?

Have you edited it yet?

Have you edited it yet?

Does she have what it takes to move up?

Does she have what it takes to move up?

Does she have what it takes to move up?

I'm finally all caught up.

I'm finally all caught up.

I'm finally all caught up.

Do you have a SEC to bring him up to speed?

Do you have a SEC to bring him up to speed?

Do you have a SEC to bring him up to speed?

Are you going out tonight?

Are you going out tonight?

Are you going out tonight?

Amazing job with this.

Now, to be honest, I really regret using edited it  

as one of my examples because it was  extremely difficult for me to say.

So I'm sure it was extremely  difficult for you to say as well.

So I'm going to say that's a tongue  twister and it's very difficult.

So remember, have you edited  You need edited 3 sounds.

Have you edited it yet?

Have you edited it yet?

Have you edited it yet?

Put that.

In the.

Comments.

Have you edited it yet?

Put that in the comments and now I'm  feeling more comfortable with that,  

so you can practice that as well.

Amazing job with this lesson.

Congratulations on everything  that you learned today.

Of course, make sure you like this video.

Share it with your friends and subscribe so  you're notified every time I post the new lesson.

And you can get this free speaking  guide where I share 6 tips on how  

to speak English fluently and confidently.

You can click here to download it or  look for the link in the description.

And why don't you keep improving your  English with this lesson right now?