Advanced English Expressions for Casual Conversations 😎

Hello I'm Emma from mmmEnglish.

Welcome to the first mmmEnglish lesson of 2020.

Today I want to inject some new expressions

into your vocabulary, expanding your knowledge

with some new idioms and some phrasal verbs.

You're about to learn some advanced expressions

that will help you sound smart and interesting in English

conversations but watching this video is not enough.

You need to put them into practice so get ready to type.

I'll be inviting you all the way through this video

to write sentences in the comments below.

Before we get started, a quick shout out to our friends

at Lingoda who've made it possible for us to bring you

today's lesson.

If you've already decided that 2020 is the year to take

your speaking skills to the next level,

then why not jump right in and get it done faster

by joining the next Lingoda Language sprint?

I can't think of a better way for you to start the year,

especially if you register for the Super Sprint,

which is a massive thirty classes a month

for three months and if you complete every class,

Lingoda will reward you with a 100%

refund of your payment.

Now if you don't have enough time for the Super Sprint,

you also have the option to do the regular Sprint,

which is fifteen classes a month, also for three months,

very achievable!

And if you complete every class, you'll get a 50% refund.

Guys, this is an awesome race that I would

love to see you win, you'll accelerate your speaking skills

your confidence and your fluency

in a short space of time

and set yourself up for a really fantastic year ahead.

I've taken this challenge before and you've probably

heard me say that it was one of the best things

that I ever did for my confidence to speak Spanish.

It's not just that the classes are available 24/7

or that they have native teachers

and recognised certifications.

For me, it was really about being held accountable.

It was urging me to show up every single day

and keep improving my Spanish speaking skills.

And you can do the same in English, business English

German and French too. Registrations for the Sprint

are closing on the 27th of January so as always,

I'm gonna put the link in the description below.

If you use this code right here you'll get a cool ten euro

discount at the checkout.

Alright, let's get started with these advanced English

expressions that you can use in everyday conversations

starting with 'on the whole...'

Now this is a really useful expression when you're

generalising about something

and you're coming to a conclusion.

So once you've considered everything,

the good and the bad,

you know we generalise and we say that this is

generally how we feel about the situation.

Sometimes, my brother and I have disagreements

but on the whole, we get on really well.

So considering the good and the bad

we mostly get on well.

On the whole, it was a great speech.

Yeah there were a couple of things

that could be improved but on the whole,

the speech was quite good.

So with this expression, it's not necessary to go into

detail about the negative things, you don't have to

because the expression already tells us that something

wasn't or isn't perfect.

And let's face it, not many things in life are perfect right?

So this expression is a really useful one to know.

On second thoughts.

Now we use this one when we change our mind

about something and it's usually only used

in spoken English.

It's not very common to see it in written English

because it's a tool to help you change your mind

in the middle of a conversation, to change whatever it is

you just said usually to the opposite.

I'll meet you at the office after lunch.

On second thoughts, let's just go there now.

So can you see how we use this as a tool

to change what we said in the middle of a conversation,

to change your mind.

Imagine if someone offered you a beer

and you said "No thanks, but I'd love a coffee."

But then you quickly changed your mind.

Actually, on second thoughts I'd love a beer!

At the end of the day.

This is such a good expression to know and to use.

We use it to summarise what's most important

in the end.

At the end of the day, what matters most

is that we're all together.

So it doesn't really matter whatever else has happened

before.

Perhaps there was chaos

and there was arguments within the family

but when everyone sits down to share a meal,

at the end of the day, what's most important

is that we're here together.

We usually use it when we're talking about

what happens

or what's important after a whole series of events

or considerations.

Even though it was the children

who caused the damage, at the end of the day,

the teacher is responsible

for what happens in the classroom.

Off the top of my head.

This is a really useful expression to use when you

respond to something immediately

without thinking too much about your answer.

So if someone asked

"What percentage of the population lives in the city?"

Off the top of my head, I'd say about 70%.

How many hectares of forest and bush land

were burned in the bushfires?

Off the top of my head, I think more than six

million hectares have been burned so far.

Now you can also use this expression in the negative

when you're trying to think of something

but you can't remember.

There's a really great Italian restaurant.

I can't think of the name off the top of my head.

To be in or out of the loop.

This is a really interesting expression.

The loop is about being informed and knowing what's

happening so if you're in the loop

then you know what's going on, you're good.

But if you're out of the loop,

you don't know what's going on.

I wasn't in the office last week so I feel like

I'm out of the loop. What's been happening?

And we commonly use it when we're instructing

someone to tell us information and we often use it with

the verb 'keep' so we say

"Can you please keep me in the loop?"

Or "Paul needs to be kept in the loop.

Make sure you tell him what's going on."

To be out of touch.

Have you heard this one before?

It's used to describe someone who doesn't really have

current or up-to-date knowledge about something,

anything, so this is quite a negative expression.

It's really common to hear it used in a political context

or even when children are talking about their parents

because it's when they think that someone doesn't

really understand the present issues

because they're stuck in an older way of thinking.

Many young people feel that politicians are out of touch.

I'm getting quite touchy here.

To touch base.

A Belgian friend of mine once told me that he was

really weirded out by this expression,

like it sounds creepy which

I never really thought of before but I guess

it kind of does sound a little creepy

but the meaning is not creepy.

If you touch base with someone, you simply

connect with them or you reconnect

with someone that you already know.

So usually you're reconnecting about a particular

topic or about a particular issue. So for that reason,

it's really commonly used in the workplace.

So when you're working on a project with someone

and you're gonna do some research separately

before you come back together to write your report,

this would be really useful.

Why don't we get started on our research,

and then touch base again later in the week?

Do you have to touch base with anyone

when you're at work? Like where you do things

separately but then you come back together

to share what you've been doing.

What types of things do you have to touch base about?

See if you can share some of them

in the comments below.

To be struck by something.

This is a really great way of explaining that something

has impressed you.

I was struck by how beautiful the forest looked at dawn.

So I'm suggesting that the beauty of the forest

stopped me. I was mesmerised for a moment.

When you visit a city and you notice something

interesting or unusual, then this expression

will help you to sound really intelligent

when you share it.

I was struck by just how few trees and parks

there were in the city.

In the wake of the bushfires, we were struck by how

resilient the community was.

Now this phrasal verb has another common use

because it can mean to be hit by something.

The cyclist was struck by a passing car.

And commonly this is how it's used in the news,

so if you read the English news quite a bit,

then I'm sure you'll see this phrasal verb in use.

To be sure of one's self.

If you're sure of something, then you're quite certain

about it right? You're confident that it's true

but did you know that you can also use this expression

to talk about how a person feels about themselves?

It means that you're quite confident in your own ability.

You're very sure of yourself

but usually it's an observation that you make about

someone else.

If they seem confident

like they know what they're doing, then they're very

sure of themselves.

So the way to use this expression is with the be verb.

She is quite sure of herself.

But probably even more often, we use the verb 'seen'

or 'appear'.

He seems quite sure of himself.

Or they appear to be quite sure of themselves.

To hang in there.

Now we use this expression when

we're trying to tell someone that they need to remain

persistent and determined in really difficult

circumstances.

So this expression is a really good one to use

when you're offering sympathy or encouragement

to someone who is having difficulties.

So when you use it, you're telling them

keep going. You can do it!

You know, persist. I know that it's difficult right now

but you'll make it through

so it's a really reassuring expression.

If your friend is having some difficulties at work,

maybe their boss is frustrating them

or they've started talking about quitting for some reason

you could say "Hang in there, mate. You'll be right!"

That was a really Australian expression.

"Hang in there mate. You'll be right!"

'You'll be right' means you'll be okay.

To get your head around something.

When you get your head around something,

you understand it.

It's taken me a while to get my head around it

but now I've got it.

It's been difficult for all of us to get our head around the

scale of the Australian bushfires.

Have you got your head around these different

expressions yet?

It might take you a little while. They're quite advanced

English expressions and it's definitely challenging

to use them fluently in conversations.

There's lots of idioms, lots of phrasal verbs

so they're going to take a bit of practice.

But you'll get there, hang in there.

Alright so here's your challenge.

If you can use five of these expressions together

in a paragraph, I want to read it in the comments below.

I want you to practise writing a little story

that focuses on bringing a few of these expressions

together in one place.

Like I said at the start of the lesson, watching

is not enough.

To remember these expressions you need to put them

into practice and actually use them.

I hope that you enjoyed this lesson

and that you subscribe to my channel just down here.

I've got new lessons every week. 2020 is here

and I'm excited to help you improve your speaking skills

throughout the year ahead.

So to keep practising with me right now,

you know where to find me.