60 WORDS You Need for Daily Conversation in English

Hey! How have you been doing recently? 

Hey Andrea! Yeah... I had a  busy day, I'm really beat.

Oh, don't worry! I'm sure you'll win next time. 

I meant I'm extremely tired. Oh yeah! Of course, I knew that.

Have you been studying English for some time  and still feel like you’re stuck using the  

same phrases? I’ve been there on my own  language learning journey and understand  

how frustrating it can be when you want to take  your vocabulary to the next level but feel like  

you’re not getting anywhere. Well, today’s lesson  was created to help you do just that. We’ll look  

at 60 Advanced English Phrases that are perfect  for everyday conversations. To help you remember  

them more easily, I’ve put them into 6 groups  associated with different rooms in the house. 

But before we get started, if you're new here and  frustrated with boring methods of learning English  

that just don't seem to work, you've come to the  right place! Each week we create lessons like  

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You might be surprised to know how many great  phrases contain words related to the bedroom.  

The first one we’ll look at today is:

This means to successfully deal  with something or solve a problem. 

Ex: I had a lot of tasks to deal with at work, but  I was able to put them to bed before the weekend.

Similar to this, we have...

This one is more literal and is usually  used when referring to helping someone,  

typically a child, prepare  for and get into bed at night. 

Ex: She prefers to read after  she puts the kids to bed.

If you sleep something off, especially alcohol,  

you go to sleep so that you will  feel better when you wake up. 

Ex: After he stayed out late partying,  he went to his room to sleep it off.

If you can do something in your sleep,  

you can do it very easily, usually  because you have done it so often. 

Ex: I've done this task so many  times I could do it in my sleep now.

This means to start to fall asleep,  especially for a short period of time. 

Ex: Yesterday, the office was so hot  she nearly dozed off at her desk.

This one may sound awkward, but it’s really not.  It means to make an agreement to work with a  

person or group, or to be involved with them, in  a way that causes other people not to trust you. 

Ex: The owner of the company is  obviously in bed with the supplier.

This is said to someone who must accept the  unpleasant results of something they have done. 

Ex: You were late for work every day this month,  

so your boss gave you a final warning.  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

A pipe dream is a hope or plan that you  have that you know will never really happen. 

Ex: Many people believe that living  on Mars someday is just a pipe dream.

We use this to refer to an  easy and comfortable situation  

in which a person likes to live. Ex: Moving to Spain has been a bed of roses.

This means to worry about something  so much that one cannot sleep. 

Ex: After I failed the exam, I  decided not to lose any sleep over it.

So you have the vocabulary,  but in your day-to-day life,  

you have few if any real opportunities  to use what you're learning by speaking? 

So we decided to solve this problem  by creating our RealLife App. 

This is the only place where anytime, anywhere  you can just press a button and start practicing  

your English instantly with other English  speakers from around the world. You can have  

fascinating conversations about your life, your  passions, different cultures, or even just about  

the weather if you want! This will take you from  feeling like a lost and insecure English learner  

to being a confident and natural English speaker. And that’s not all. You can listen to the full  

interviews of all the experts you are hearing  from today, and more, with a full interactive  

transcript, and vocabulary definitions. Having a great teacher can be life-changing,  

but I know many of you just cannot afford that  and so you have to learn on your own. That's why  

we've made the RealLife App a FREE resource  that you can use to improve your speaking. 

So download it now for free by clicking up  here or the link down in the description below.  

Or you can just look for RealLife  English in your favorite app store.

The next group of words are linked  to the idea of washing or cleaning

If you wash your hands of something that  you were previously responsible for,  

you intentionally stop being involved  in it or connected with it in any way. 

Ex: After he resigned from his job, he couldn't  wait to wash his hands clean of the whole company.

If you are washed up, you are no longer  successful, skilful, popular, or needed  

and you have no chance of it in the future. 

Ex: When she became a dancer, she feared that  she’d be washed up by the time she turned 35.

If a doctor gives you a clean bill of health,  they tell you that you are fit and healthy. 

Ex: The doctor gave him a clean bill of health.

This describes someone with a neat and  attractive appearance and style of clothing. 

Ex: My sister’s fiancé is a  nice, clean-cut young man.

This means to tell the truth  about something secret. 

Ex: He decided it was time to come  clean about what he'd been doing.

If you start with a clean slate,  

you do not take account of previous mistakes  or failures and instead make a fresh start. 

Ex: After he failed the test, he  decided to start with a clean slate.

This means to do something to make  yourself look cleaner or neater,  

usually by washing your face  and arranging your hair. 

Ex: He freshened up before  going out with his friends.

If you make a clean sweep of something such  as games or tournaments, you win them all. 

Ex: The actress made a clean  sweep at the awards ceremony.

This simply means to stay out of trouble. 

Ex: When he started a new job, he  tried his best to keep his nose clean.

If you wipe the floor with someone, you defeat  them completely in a competition or discussion. 

Ex: The football team wiped  the floor with the opposition.

Now let’s get into some phrases  related to the word business. 

If someone or something is doing something like  nobody's business, they are doing it very fast,  

in large amounts or to a great extent. Ex: It's been raining like nobody's business.

If you say something is business as usual,  

you mean that people will continue  doing what they normally do. 

Ex: Less than a week after the earthquake,  it was business as usual in the city.

Is something that has not yet been  done, dealt with, or completed. 

Ex: Before he left, he made peace with  everyone he had unfinished business with.

This means to start doing what needs to be done Ex: After the introductions, the team got down to  

business.

We use this to mean that you  continue doing what you usually do. 

Ex: The street was full of people  going about their business.

This refers to behaviour that is  not acceptable or is dishonest. 

Ex: The teacher suspected  that the children had been  

up to some monkey business  while she was out of the room.

This simply means, to do what needs to be done. 

Ex: She is good at taking care of business, so  she's been put in charge of organizing the event.

This means to scold or treat someone harshly. 

Ex: The passengers will give the bus driver  the business if he keeps driving so recklessly.

We use this to say that someone makes an effort to  do something because they think it is important. 

Ex: She makes it her business to get  to know all the staff in her office.

This is the part or end of something that actually  does the work or carries out the procedure. 

Ex: That’s an electric drill. This is the business  end of it, so point that part away from yourself.

Before you continue watching, why not  pause the video and let us know if you’d  

like to learn more vocabulary related to  daily activities. Share in the comments  

below and don't forget to add an encouraging  message to the other members of the community.

Now let’s look at 10 phrases  related to the cooking.

To invent a clever or dishonest  story, excuse, or plan. 

Ex: He had to cook up an excuse  when he crashed his father’s car.

We use this when something is not  planned or considered carefully enough. 

Ex: He had another half-baked  scheme that wasn't going to work.

This means to have a medical operation or surgery. 

Ex: He needed to go under the  knife after he broke his leg.

If you say or do something  in the heat of the moment,  

you say or do it without thinking  because you are very angry or excited. 

Ex: She was angry and shared her  feelings in the heat of the moment.

This happens when you are forced to  stop working because you have become  

ill or very tired from working too hard. 

Ex: After working every day for  a year, she burnt herself out.

This means to make someone very angry. 

Ex: When I hear stories of animal  cruelty, it makes my blood boil.

To turn up the heat means to put pressure on a  person or situation in order to get what you want. 

Ex: The team really turned up the heat on their  opponents in the second half of the match.

If you say that someone has cooked the  books, you mean that they have changed  

figures or a written record  in order to deceive people. 

Ex: The man was sent to prison after he was  found guilty of cooking the books at his company.

Slow burn means a gradual building up of  anger, as opposed to an immediate outburst. 

Ex: My boss did a slow burn  when he saw the expense report.

This is a term used for when someone  feels mentally exhausted and burned out. 

Ex: She felt completely brain-fried  after studying for the exam.

Okay we’re about to discuss some interesting  phrases related to food and eating.

Refers to something worth  thinking seriously about. 

Ex: He enjoys reading books,  that give him food for thought.

If you describe something  as the icing on the cake,  

you mean that it makes a good thing  even better or a bad thing worse. 

Ex: Good- The athlete received a  gold medal and the icing on the cake  

was that he also received a sponsorship deal. Bad- Not only did he crash his car,  

but the icing on the cake was that  he had to pay a speeding fine.

When something takes the cake, it means  that it is the worst or best of its kind. 

Ex: All of the restaurants are  good, but this one takes the cake.

You use dog eat dog to express your  disapproval of a situation where  

people want to succeed and are willing  to harm other people in order to do so. 

We sometimes use the expression:  It's a dog-eat-dog world out there.

If you describe an idea, plan, or promise  of something good as pie in the sky,  

you mean that you think that  it is very unlikely to happen. 

Ex: Their plans to set up their own  business are just pie in the sky.

This means to provide or offer a useful  skill or attribute to a group or situation. 

Ex: He brings years of leadership  experience to the table.

This means to make something seem more  positive or pleasant than it really is. 

Ex: She sugarcoated the  information on her profile.

If you eat humble pie, you speak or  behave in a way which tells people  

that you admit you were wrong about something. 

Ex: He was forced to eat humble  pie after he was caught stealing.

This phrase also means to admit  that you were wrong about something. 

Ex: He said he’d never lose, but he had to  eat his words after he lost at the game.

This means to eat too much food  when you're at someone else's home. 

Ex: My neighbors came over yesterday to watch  the game and ate us out of house and home.

And finally we’re going to look  at phrases related to sitting.

If you say that someone is sitting pretty,  

you mean that they are in a good,  safe, or comfortable situation. 

Ex: They bought their house while prices  were low, so now they're sitting pretty.

When we use sit tight, we’re telling the  other person to remain in the same place  

or situation and not take any action, usually  because you are waiting for something to happen. 

Ex: When she heard a strange noise last night,  

her husband told her to sit  tight while he investigated.

We use this when something is  difficult to agree with or accept. 

Ex: The President’s decision did  not sit well with many people.

If you say that someone is a sitting duck,  you mean that they are easy to attack,  

cheat, or take advantage of. 

Ex: He felt like a sitting duck  when he got lost in a foreign city.

This means to do nothing about a problem  or a situation that needs dealing with. 

Ex: Instead of studying harder to pass the  test, the boy sat on his hands and gave up.

If you sit something out,  you don’t take part in it. 

Ex: Due to his injury, he had to sit out the game.

If you sit on the fence, you avoid supporting  a particular side in a discussion or argument. 

Ex: They sat on the fence about who to vote for.

Means to attend a meeting, or class. Ex: His boss asked him to sit in on the meetings.

If you say that someone is sitting on something,  you mean that they are delaying dealing with it. 

Ex: He had been sitting on the assignment  for at least a month before he submitted it.

This means to see something happen and choose to  do nothing about it, or simply, to take no action. 

Ex: “We can’t just sit idly by and watch the  planet being destroyed. We have to do something!”

In this video, you learned 60 Advanced Words  and Phrases that you can start using TODAY!  

If you don’t remember them all, not a problem!  We’ve created a free downloadable PDF worksheet  

that you can access by clicking on the  link in the description box down below.  

This way you can extend  your learning even further!

I hope you enjoyed today’s lesson. Make sure you  like this video and share it with a friend who’s  

also learning English. To keep learning more  useful vocabulary, check out this next video: