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,
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by joining the next Lingoda Language sprint?
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which is fifteen classes a month, also for three months,
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are closing on the 27th of January so as always,
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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.