14 Important Advanced Vocabulary Phrases

Vanessa: Are you ready to level  

up your vocabulary so that you can express  yourself completely? Well, good news. Today,  

you are going to learn some key expressions that  will help you to express yourself in daily life,  

and I guarantee you will hear these expressions  in movies and TV shows, so when you watch them,  

you'll be able to understand them more easily.  Hi, I'm Vanessa from speakenglishwithvanessa.com.  

A few weeks ago, you might have watched this  video where my husband Dan and I talked about  

education in the US. In that conversation, we  used some important vocabulary expressions that  

I would like you to be able to use comfortably  and naturally when you speak. So today we're  

going to go over those expressions and I hope that  you'll be able to add them to your vocabulary and  

never forget them. But a great way to never  forget these expressions is to download the  

free PDF worksheet for today's lesson. It includes all of today's expressions,  

definitions, sample sentences, and at the  bottom of the worksheet you can answer  

Vanessa's challenge question so that you never  forget what you've learned. You can click on  

the link in the description to download that  free PDF worksheet today. All right, let's  

get started with the first expression so that you  can improve your vocabulary and express yourself  

completely. The first expression is out of pocket. In the conversation we said that parents have to  

pay for preschool out of pocket. This means  that they have to pay for it themselves. It  

is not provided by the government. There is no  subsidy. It's something that parents have to pay  

for themselves. Or you could say that in the  US usually a company will pay a percentage of  

your health insurance and you have to pay the  other percentage out of pocket. That means you  

are responsible for paying for it. All right,  what we're going to do in today's lesson is  

we're going to watch the original clip from the  conversation that uses this key expression out  

of pocket. So right now we're going to watch that  clip and then we'll go on to the next expression. 

Dan: In a lot of cases,  

this is not provided by the state. Vanessa: 

Yeah, this is something that parents  have to pay for out of pocket. 

Dan: Mm-hmm. In a lot of cases,  

this is not provided by the state. Vanessa: 

Yeah, this is something that parents  have to pay for out of pocket. 

Dan: Mm-hmm. 

Vanessa: Important expression  

number two is to pull out of a hat. We're talking  about a figurative hat here In the conversation  

we said that charter schools pull kids' names  out of a hat to decide who gets to go to that  

school. They don't judge the students by their  grades or by their merit. Anything else? Nope.  

They just randomly and spontaneously choose a  child due to their name being pulled out of the  

hat. You could also say that for Christmas, my  family pulls names out of a hat to decide who  

to buy a gift for. This way we don't need to buy  a gift for 10 people. We just pull a name out of  

a hat and that's the person we buy a nice gift  for. All right, let's watch the clip. You just  

sign up and they pull a kid's name out of a hat.  Totally random and if you get it, you get it. 

And if you don't, you don't. You just sign  up and they pull a kid's name out of a hat.  

Totally random and if you get it, you  get it. And if you don't, you don't. 

Important expression number three is vastly. In  the conversation we said, just because you pay  

for a school doesn't mean that it's vastly  better than a free school. You need to make  

sure that the academics are actually what you  want them to be before you pay for it. Maybe  

you should do this for a public school as well.  Make sure that it's the kind of education you  

want your child to be getting. You can also say,  I vastly underestimated how challenging this hike  

would be. This is a common expression that we put  together vastly underestimated. That means, well,  

I thought this hike would be pretty simple. I just  wore sandals. I just packed a little water bottle,  

a little snack, but I vastly underestimated how  challenging it would be. This hike is really hard. 

All right, let's watch the original clip. And  there's varying degrees of quality. Just because  

you're paying for it doesn't mean that it's going  to be vastly better quality and there's varying  

degrees of quality. Just because you're paying  for it doesn't mean that it's going to be vastly  

better quality. Important expression number  four is as of. If I just said as of to you,  

you would probably say, "What?" But it  makes a lot more sense in a sentence. In  

the conversation I asked the question, what  percentage of Americans are homeschooling as  

of 2021? This means at or starting on a certain  date. So around 2021, how many students in the  

US do you think are homeschooled? Well, you'll  have to watch the original video to find out. 

Another way you can use this is if you are a  parent, you might say, "As of 8:00 AM I have  

already done so much." Sometimes in the morning  I look at the clock and say, "It's only 8:00 AM,"  

or, "It's only 10:00 AM." You feel like you have  done so much in the morning. As of 8:00 AM I've  

already done so much. All right, let's watch  the clip. What percent of American children  

are homeschooling as of 2021? What percent of  American children are homeschooling as of 2021? 

Important expression number five is  good-hearted. In the conversation,  

Dan said, "I know there are a lot of good-hearted  people in the education system, but the education  

system is still broken." Well, he wanted to say  that there are a lot of nice kind teachers who  

have good intentions in the system, but they're  just trying their best in a broken system,  

at least according to Dan. We often use this  expression in a comparative sort of way. The  

system is broken, but there are good-hearted  people in that system still. Or you could say,  

"I don't agree with everything he says, but  I know he's a good-hearted person." Okay,  

you're trying to compare and kind of give  someone something positive to say. All right,  

let's watch the original clip. Dan: 

Not to say that there's not a lot of good-hearted  people in the system. I just think that the system  

is, well, it might sound a little cliche, but  it's broken. Not to say that there's not a lot  

of good-hearted people in the system. I just think  that the system is, well, it might sound a little  

cliche, but it's broken. Vanessa: 

Yeah. Important expression number six is  a phrasal verb, to look down on. We're  

using this figuratively. You can kind of get the  sense of superiority. So you could say from the  

conversation, just like we did, you are looked  down on if you choose a different educational  

system. If you don't follow the mainstream  option, other people look down on you and say,  

"Why would you choose that? This is obviously  the best choice," but here in the US this is  

not the case. You are not looked down on if  you choose something different. Unfortunately,  

this is something that happens a lot in schools.  You might say the other students look down on him  

because he doesn't wear the right brand name of  clothes. Unfortunately, students can also be quite  

mean to each other and if someone doesn't wear  nice clothes, a certain brand name of clothes,  

they might look down on him. Sometimes that just  happens. All right, let's watch the original  

clip. Everyone uses the same education system  and deviating from that norm is really unusual  

in that culture. Dan: 

Yeah, or even looked down on. Vanessa: 

Everyone uses the same education system and  deviating from that norm is really unusual  

in that culture. Dan: 

Yeah, or even looked down on. Vanessa: 

Important expression number seven is actually  a reduction, shoulda, the full expression is  

should have, but when we're speaking we just  reduce the word have to sound like uh and it's  

shoulda. In the conversation, Dan said, "I shoulda  thought of that." Sometimes also the second of is  

reduced. I shoulda have thought of that. Oh,  I shoulda thought of that. And this means that  

something didn't happen or you didn't think of  something but you wish you had. Let me give you  

another example. I knew there was a chance of rain  today. I shoulda brought my umbrella. This means,  

well you didn't bring your umbrella but you wish  you had. I shoulda brought my umbrella. All right,  

let's watch the original clip and listen for that  pronunciation. I shoulda thought of that. That's  

why you think it's so high. Dan: 

Dang it. I shoulda thought about that. Vanessa: 

Okay, that's why you think it's so high. Dan: 

Dang it. I shoulda thought about that. Vanessa: 

Okay, important expression number eight is on the  rise. We said in the conversation that graduating  

from high school is on the rise. Can you guess  what this means? It's increasing. More and  

more people are graduating from school. Other  things are also increasing in our world today,  

you might say the cost of housing in the  US is on the rise in general. All right,  

let's watch the original clip. All of the charts  that I saw were all going up. So finishing high  

school and college are definitely on the rise.  All of the charts that I saw were all going up. So  

finishing high school and college are definitely  on the rise. Important expression number nine is  

a little bit tricky it's um by um. And in that  blank we can add a bunch of different expressions.  

So I'd like to give you a couple examples. Let's  take a look at what we said in the conversation. 

In the conversation we asked, is college  important in the US? And we answered, well,  

it's probably family by family. And that means  there's not one answer for everyone, it's just  

on an individual basis. So one family might have  a different value about college than another  

family. It's probably just family by family.  Let me give you another example. At the bank,  

loans are given out on a case by case basis. That  means they don't just give loans to everyone, even  

not everyone who fits into a certain category.  It's just an individual basis, a case by case  

basis. This fixed expression case by case basis is  something that you'll hear a lot in movies and TV  

shows and you can add it to your own vocabulary  too. All right, let's watch the original clip so  

that you can see how um by um was used. Dan: 

In my social circle, it was super important  and I think this is probably family by family. 

Vanessa: I would say it's almost expected. 

Dan: In my social circle, it was super important  

and I think this is probably family by family. Vanessa: 

I would say it's almost expected. Important  expression number 10 is for what you get out  

of it. This is kind of a long expression, so we'll  break it down a little bit. In the conversation we  

were talking about how college or university in  the US is really expensive. So we said college is  

way too expensive for what you get out of it.  It here is the college education. So it's the  

knowledge that you get, the degree that you  get. It's really expensive and it should be,  

in our opinion, less expensive for what you  get out of it. You're not guaranteed a job,  

you're not guaranteed anything and maybe that  education didn't really prepare you for a  

specific job or for the real world. So here  we're using it in this negative way. College  

is too expensive for what you get out of it,  but you can use this in a positive way too. 

If you ask my Fearless Fluency Club students,  this is my paid course, if you ask those students,  

is the course worth it for what you get out of it?  I hope that they will say, "Absolutely," like one  

of my students Gely said, "This is the best course  I've ever had." So for her she thinks that it is  

worth it for what you get out of it. The price is  equal or maybe even less compared to the results  

and the reward at the end. It is absolutely worth  it. Maybe it will be for you too. If you would  

like to become my Fearless Fluency Club student,  you can click on the link in the description to  

start speaking confidently in English today. All  right, let's take a look at the original clip. 

Dan: It's just way too expensive  

for what you get out of it and it doesn't really  prepare you and all this stuff. It's just way  

too expensive for what you get out of it and it  doesn't really prepare you and all this stuff. 

Vanessa: Important expression number 11,  

to mean something. The word mean can mean a lot,  but here in the conversation, this is how we used  

it. A four year degree still means something.  That means it holds value. Even though, like I  

just said, college in the US is way too expensive.  Well the truth is a four year degree still means  

something. It still has some kind of value. If you  are a child in the classroom, you might receive  

your homework back with a sticker on the top and  you could say that sticker means something. You  

don't even need to explicitly say it means that I  did a good job. We often just use this expression  

with the word something. It means something and  it's implied that there's some kind of positive  

value. A four year degree means something,  that sticker on my paper means something. And  

what we're implying is that it means something  positive, something that we want to have happen.  

All right, let's take a look at the original clip  so that you can use to mean something yourself. 

Dan: They'll just kind of assume that that  

means a lot. So I do think it does mean something.  Unfortunately, I don't think it has to be. They'll  

just kind of assume that that means a lot. So I  do think it does mean something. Unfortunately,  

I don't think it has to be. Vanessa: 

Important expression number 12 is assertive,  assertive. In the conversation I said if you're  

an assertive person, you can get a good job. This  means that your confidence, sometimes kind of a  

forceful personality where you are taking new  opportunities, you're volunteering for things,  

you're not just sitting in the background waiting  for things to happen. You are an assertive person.  

You're looking for that job, you're applying  for the jobs, you're messaging back after  

the job interview. You are an assertive person.  Maybe you're not naturally an assertive person,  

but you could say this, "I haven't always been  an assertive person, but it's been a skill that  

I've grown over time." And that's true. It doesn't  always come naturally to people to be assertive,  

but you can grow this skill step-by-step. All  right, let's take a look at the original clip.  

If you are an assertive person who has done  a lot of alternative experiences, now this  

takes a specific personality type I think. If you are an assertive person who has done  

a lot of alternative experiences, now this takes  a specific personality type I think. Important  

expression number 13 goes with that previous word  assertive and it is of your own volition. This  

great word volition kind of sounds like voluntary  or volunteer. It's something that you're not  

required to do, it's something that you choose to  do. And usually this is seen as a positive thing.  

So in the conversation I said that Laura, the  person who has been working for my business as  

a copywriter, she took copywriting classes of her  own volition. No manager or boss required her to  

do this. She said, "You know what? I want to learn  a new skill. I want to grow this skill. So I'm  

going to take some classes of my own volition."  Notice that this word always matches the subject. 

I am going to take classes of my own volition.  He's going to take classes of his own volition.  

This is something that bosses and managers  are always looking for. The boss might say,  

"I gave him the promotion because he's always  fixing problems of his own volition." This means  

he's assertive. He's the one who's trying to fix  the problem. He's not waiting for someone else  

to ask him to do it. He's doing it of his own  volition. All right, let's take a look at how  

this was used in the original conversation. She  had taken some classes of her own volition and  

really done it. And that's why I hired her.  And she's been amazing. She had taken some  

classes of her own volition and really done it and  that's why I hired her. And she's been amazing. 

Our final important expression is kind of a  grammatical expression, and it is would have.  

It's often pronounced woulda. In the conversation  I said, "I would have loved to do that." We were  

talking about taking a gap year. This is taking  a little break after high school before you go on  

to college or university. It's not a common thing  in the US but for me, I said, "I would have loved  

to do that." This would have fit my personality  really well and I think it would have helped me.  

But just a little note, this is grammatically  incorrect. I said in the conversation,  

"I would have loved to do that," or, "I woulda,"  reducing have to a. I would've loved to do that.  

But the word do is kind of incorrect. Instead,  we should say, "I would have loved to have done  

that." But the truth of the matter is that in  spoken English we often use the more simple  

verb tense. So it's more common, even though  it's technically incorrect, it's more common  

to just say, "I would've loved to do that." So you can kind of forget using the more  

complicated verb tense in this phrase. Good news.  All right, let's watch the original clips that  

you can see how this was used. Europeans who  were doing that gap year, and I felt really  

jealous like, oh, I would've loved to do that,  but it's just not an American culture. Europeans  

who were doing that gap year, and I felt really  jealous like, oh, I would've loved to do that,  

but it's just not an American culture.  Well, congratulations on the leveling up  

your vocabulary so that you can express yourself  more fully. Don't forget to download the free PDF  

worksheet for today's lesson with all of these  expressions, definitions, sample sentences. And  

there is a quiz at the bottom of this worksheet.  So when you download that free PDF worksheet,  

you can take the quiz and test yourself to see  if you can really use these expressions yourself. 

You can click on the link in the description to  download that free PDF worksheet today. And now  

I have a question for you. Are you a naturally  assertive person or is it a skill that you have  

to work on? Let me know in the comments and  I can't wait to learn more about you. Well,  

thank you so much for learning English with me and  I'll see you again next Friday for a new lesson  

here on my YouTube channel. Bye. But wait, do you  want more? I recommend watching this video next,  

which is the original conversation that we just  saw a couple clips from. And you will also see  

why Dan did not go to school until he was 13 years  old. I'll see you in that video to find out why.