Shadowing Practice: English Idiom Masterclass | British English Pod - Learn English Speaking with Video

What's up, people?

And welcome back to another episode of British English Pod with me, Lewis.

And in today's episode, we're going to be going all over English expressions and idioms.

You probably know by now that I try to incorporate as many idioms in my podcast

and in all of my videos as possible.

But today, we've got a little bit of a masterclass

because I'm going to try to cover 30 to 40 English

expressions in just about 40 minutes whilst providing you with some English listening practice.

So if you're ready, let's cut to the chase and let's get the ball rolling.

I'm sure you'll also notice that, yes, I have another brew, another cuppa, another cup of tea with me.

And remember that if you say that something isn't your cup of tea, what you mean is you don't like it.

That isn't really my cup of tea.

I'm not keen on it.

I'm not a fan of it.

I'm not into it.

It's not my thing.

It's not my cup of tea.

But I did say in the first little introduction that I was going to cut to the chase.

So I'm going to keep my word, and I am going to get straight to the point with the first question.

And this question is, do you struggle to remember idioms when you want to use them in conversation?

You know, when you hear people using them, or when you see them whilst watching a series or a film, you know exactly what it means.

It comes straight to you.

But then the moment of truth, when you're having a chit chat, when you're in a meeting, whilst you're texting your friend,

you can't quite remember the right expression.

You know, it's on the tip of your tongue, but you just can't remember it.

Because I think this is a very common issue

and a common difficulty for many people

because you want to use it at the right time to show off and impress people, but it just doesn't come to you.

And by the way, I just noticed that my stomach was rumbling.

Your stomach rumbles when it is telling you that you're a little bit hungry.

So I am quite peckish.

I could do with having a meal, but not to worry.

I'm going to finish this podcast first, and hopefully my stomach doesn't rumble too much.

And we're going to split all of these expressions and idioms up into different sections.

So allow me to begin with the first section.

We've got six different conversation questions, including expressions, ones, relatively common ones that I reckon you'll be familiar with.

So I'm going to ask myself and provide a nice and quick answer.

Question number one.

Do you think people should always go the extra mile at work or is doing your job well enough?

Well, yes, I do think that people should usually go the extra mile at work.

I think people should try to go above and beyond at work.

Both of these mean to do more than required, because that's the way you're going to grow.

That's the way that you're going to climb the corporate ladder and get promotion after promotion.

But I understand that not all jobs are the same.

And some of us have no choice but to get a part -time job in something that we're not very passionate about.

And in that case, If your job is just to earn a little bit of cash, to, you know, get by and pay all of your bills,

then you're not expected to go the extra mile.

But if you're in your dream job or a job that you've been striving to get for months or years,

then absolutely, we should be ambitious, hardworking and productive to go the extra mile.

now the second question this one is have you ever experienced something

that seemed terrible at first but turned out to be a blessing in disguise

and a blessing is in disguise is something that seemed to be bad but the result finally was good it.

Well, I've mentioned this story before, but for me, the pandemic,

COVID -19, and the lockdown that followed was kind of a blessing in disguise.

Because I went from teaching in the classroom

and in companies to working from home and having the freedom that I have nowadays,

where I can work from my parents' house, from Brussels, from Seville.

So it was a blessing in disguise because of course it was terrible.

Many people passed away during the pandemic, and we were locked up at home without having any freedom for a long time.

But in the long run, at least in my personal experience,

it's been relatively positive, because if that had never happened,

maybe I would still be working in an academy and having to commute from home to the academy every single day.

So the pandemic for me was a blessing in disguise.

The third question and third expression.

What kind of behavior really gets on your nerves?

What kind of behavior winds you up, pisses you off, and makes you angry?

Well, I believe that rude people, impolite people, they do get on my nerves.

So even when you're driving and you stop to allow somebody to go past you, if they don't wave to say thank you,

this gets on my nerves.

But that's just one example.

if you do someone a favor and they don't appreciate that favor and they don't say thank you, that also gets on my nerves.

So to sum up, I would say that impolite people,

rude people, people who are not very appreciative get on my nerves.

What about you?

What kind of people or behaviors get on your nerves?

Let me know in the comments.

And a reminder, as always, if you'd like to answer all of these questions and more with my group classes,

there will be a link in the video description.

And of course, if you're not into groups, no problem.

I also teach private lessons, but they're more expensive and my timetable is limited for private lessons.

But you have all the information that you need on my website and let's keep going with the fourth question

this one is what's something you'd love to buy

if it didn't cost an arm and a leg what's something you'd love to buy

if it didn't cost an arm and a leg and

if something costs an arm and a leg It costs a lot of money.

You probably know by now that I'm not very materialistic.

I don't like shopping, so I never think about things that I'd like to buy.

But I should probably upgrade my laptop at some point in the next couple of years.

But I have a MacBook, and MacBooks are pretty expensive.

They're probably worth the money, but they're still pretty expensive.

So I'd love to buy a new MacBook in the next couple of years

if it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

And maybe better yet, I would like to buy a separate screen

so then I could have my own office with a big screen

so then it'd make it easier to create content to edit content to teach my classes

so this is perhaps something that i'm gonna buy in the future

but it does cost an arm

and a leg um the fifth question what is something

that other people find difficult

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but for me it's a piece of cake a piece of cake um something that other people find difficult

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that i think is a walk in the park it's easy peasy is walking long distances

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walking running hiking trekking all of these things i'm very active

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and i'm always on my feet You can see this from some of the recent videos

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that I've been posting whilst I'm back in England.

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Because I thought, well, I should make the most of my time in England to walk around,

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describe words and phrases, and provide people with a cultural aspect to comprehensible input in English.

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But when I do this, I often do 25 kilometers.

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The last video that I made, going over the moors and into Ilkley, another town, I was exhausted when I finished.

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But, you know, it wasn't that hard.

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So relatively speaking, doing this kind of hike is a piece of cake.

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But I know most people will be looking at me and thinking,

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Lewis, you just walked around for five hours over rocky terrain and big heels.

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This is hard work.

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It's not a piece of cake.

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But for me, relatively speaking, it's a piece of cake.

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All right, now the next one.

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Let's go with question number seven.

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When was the last time that you had to bite the bullet and do something that you really didn't want to do.

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You had to bite the bullet and biting the bullet is doing something

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that you've been putting off or that you've been dreading, but you know you have no choice.

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You have to do it sooner or later.

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The first thing that comes to mind to respond to this question is probably going to the dentist.

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Now, I haven't got a phobia of the dentist.

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I don't have to bite my nails, you know, because I'm so anxious and nervous about going to the dentist.

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But that being said, it's never something I enjoy.

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It's never something that I actively look forward to.

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I doubt it is for anybody.

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But again, whilst being back home,

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I prefer to go to the dentist in England because I've already got that relationship with my dentist.

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And it's quite expensive as well.

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So a couple of weeks ago, I phoned up the dentist and I was like,

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hey, is it possible to book an appointment over the next couple of weeks?

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I know it's short notice, but I missed my last appointment.

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So I haven't been in almost two years.

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So could you fit me in for a quick checkup at the dentist.

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And it was no problem.

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It was perfect.

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So I was kind of thankful and happy about it because I kept putting this off.

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I kept thinking, I don't need to go to the dentist.

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I don't have any pain.

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I don't have very sensitive teeth at the moment.

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But I knew I should probably have a checkup just in case because better safe than sorry. And I went.

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Everything was all good.

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I didn't have to have any feelings or anything like that.

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So you could say that I bit the bullet.

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I wasn't excited about it, but I knew I had to do it.

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So I bit the bullet, phoned the dentist, booked an appointment.

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I had my appointment.

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She checked everything was okay, polished my teeth, and now we are good to go.

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Absolutely good to go.

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Now in this lesson plan,

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as I said, there are so many expressions and lots of gap fills to review each section of idioms.

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But I'm not going to do the gap fills with you. But a quick activity.

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Looking at the screen now, you can see a view of Paris.

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And this is supposed to make you think of an English expression.

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Maybe it's not the best image for it.

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But we have what seems to be a statue of like a devil.

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Do you know any expressions in English which are related to devils?

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Because there's one.

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Let's say that right now I'm speaking about my mom and I'm home alone as we speak.

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I'm speaking about my mom.

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I'm not sure what time she's going to be home.

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It's possible that I get interrupted in the middle of this podcast.

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I hope not.

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Touch wood or knock on wood, as they say in the US.

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But if suddenly behind me, you see the door opening and my mum walks through,

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I might say, ah.

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Mom, speak of the devil.

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So this is an expression which is used when you're speaking about someone and then suddenly they appear,

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they arrive, they show up, they turn up.

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And then you say, oh, speak of the devil.

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There you are.

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Mom, say hello.

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So she hasn't arrived yet.

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But if she did, And when she does, I will say, speak of the devil, mom, there you are.

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Welcome.

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All right, now some more expressions.

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We're going to continue with the same structure.

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So I'll keep sharing my screen and then stopping sharing and continuing like that.

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So the next expression is, what's something you do once in a blue moon?

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Not very often, every now and again, from time to time.

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Well, something I do once in a blue moon is go ice skating.

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I go ice skating once in a blue moon.

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In fact, come to think of it, I don't remember the last time that I went ice skating.

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and you go ice skating at an ice rink usually only in winter

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and i know around christmas time lots of big cities will set up their own outdoor ice rink

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and it's quite nice it's quite fun it's quite romantic i'm able to ice skate

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so usually i don't end up falling on my ass but I haven't been ice skating in ages.

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So you could say that something I do just once in a blue moon is ice skating

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and perhaps this winter I'll do it.

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Maybe.

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Next question.

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It is, are you someone who likes to have a plan or do you prefer to go with the flow?

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Do you prefer to improvise in the moment?

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Well, usually I do like to have a plan.

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I don't like to have a very strict plan that I have to stick to, but I like having a plan.

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Yeah.

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When talking about work, I like to have a to -do list

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and I will tick off certain things on my to -do list.

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And then in my free time and at the weekend, I like not having anything to do

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because it is taking a weight off your shoulders if you know you haven't got anything to do.

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But this coming weekend, for example, I haven't got any plans.

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Nothing is happening.

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And I'm wondering, maybe I shouldn't have stayed so long at home because A lot of my friends,

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they have their own girlfriends and wives as well.

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Some of them have children.

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So it's not the same as five years ago when I'd come home and there'd always be something to do.

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There'd always be a little get -together or a gathering with my mates.

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And this weekend there isn't.

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So I feel like Billy No Mates.

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So I don't know what I'm going to do.

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I guess I'm just going to go with the flow.

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Maybe I end up doing something.

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Maybe I end up staying at home, working and watching series.

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We will see.

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Only time will tell.

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But yes, I do like having one plan at the weekend.

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It doesn't have to be anything amazing, but one plan I think is necessary.

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If not, you get a bit bored, or at least I get a bit bored if I haven't got a single plan at the weekend.

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And the next question is,

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what would give you the best of both worlds in your personal or professional life?

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And the best of both worlds is, well, the positive aspects of two different things.

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The best of both worlds.

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well i think that largely speaking i have the best of both worlds

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when it comes to my personal and professional life but it's true

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that the two overlap my personal and professional life are very very similar things

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because i love what i do

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and what i do for work is essentially showing you my life and is what I'm doing right now.

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So the two overlap.

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But for me, that's not a negative thing.

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And I think I have the best of both worlds because I have, as I mentioned, freedom.

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I also have a decent job.

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Like, you know, I am not on benefits.

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I'm not on the minimum salary and I'm ambitious and I'm hardworking.

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So hopefully it will continue like that.

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So I'd say I do have the best of both worlds.

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And the next question is, have you ever received something?

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Let me repeat.

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Have you ever received some completely unexpected news out of the blue?

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Have you ever received some completely unexpected news out of the blue, out of nowhere, that you didn't expect to receive?

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Yeah, I guess so.

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I've already mentioned that some of my mates have now got children, and it was a couple of years ago now

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that two of my best mates broke the news that both of them were expecting,

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that their partners were pregnant and they were the first two friends from our friendship group

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that were going to become dads they were going to become parents

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some of us were in the process of getting married

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and stuff like that but they were the first ones to announce

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that they were expecting they were going to become dads and i didn't expect it at all.

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Because they hadn't got married yet.

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Maybe there wasn't that much stability in the relationship.

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Many reasons.

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But when they told us this, I was delighted.

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I was over the moon.

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I was on cloud nine.

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But I didn't expect it.

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The news came completely out of the blue.

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I was like, wow, amazing.

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Really?

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Seriously?

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Good luck.

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So yeah, that's the first thing that I'd say that hit me like, oh my God, I didn't see that coming.

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Now, next, the following question is,

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what's a piece of advice someone gave you that really hit the nail on the head.

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A piece of advice that someone gave you that really hit the nail on the head.

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That was exactly what I needed.

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It was exactly what I was asking for.

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I'm not sure.

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Let me think.

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And I'm going to have a little bit of my cup of tea because it should have cooled down by this point.

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Perfect temperature.

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Sometimes when you have a cup of tea, it's too hot and then it kind of, you know, it burns you.

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But then when it starts to get too cold, it doesn't taste very nice.

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But this is the perfect temperature.

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It is just right.

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But returning to the question, a piece of advice that someone gave me that really hit the nail on the head.

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I think my uncle, my dad's brother, he's my uncle, of course,

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he has lived the majority of his life in Brisbane, Australia.

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And when I was traveling around Australia with my now fiancé, we stayed with them for a few days.

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And I remember telling him that I wasn't thinking about my pension plan,

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retirement, anything like this.

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I was young and I was traveling around the world having a great time.

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And I remember him saying, Lewis, you should probably set up some kind of pension scheme, some kind of pension plan.

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Trust me, if you do it, you'll be glad you did in the future.

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You'll thank yourself.

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And well, this went in one ear and out the other.

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I didn't pay any attention to it at the time.

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But now that I'm more aware of all of these things,

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finances, pensions, retirement, I think that maybe he was right, that his advice hit the nail on the head.

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But hey, I wasn't ready to hear it and actually pay attention to the advice that he gave me. So yeah, that's it.

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Now, let's do one more and then we'll keep going.

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What kind of person do you find a breath of fresh air?

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Someone very refreshing.

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different, usually quite positive as well.

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Well, I'm thinking of a specific person, a specific person who is a student,

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and she is probably listening to this podcast at the moment.

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So I'm not going to name you, but I'm going to describe you.

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Well, this is a student who takes private classes with me more or less every week.

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And she is a breath of fresh air because she's very chatty.

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She's very positive.

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She will sometimes swear, but in a really funny way.

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And she's very motivated with her English.

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She's going to retire soon.

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And she's the same age as my mom.

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And she started classes earlier this year.

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And I love teaching her.

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It's great because we can chat about the topic of the week, but we can also just go on about random stuff for the entire hour.

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And her laugh is infectious.

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And you know, there are some people who have a great laugh.

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Sometimes these laughs are a bit ridiculous.

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They're very, very emphatic.

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Her laugh is very good and kind of heartwarming, but it's not ridiculous.

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It's nothing too extraordinary.

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But no, she is a breath of fresh air and she's very positive,

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very happy despite what might be happening she's always in a good mood always smiling always eager to learn

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and she's got a great laugh so she probably knows who she is

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and she is a breath of fresh air excellent now I'm going to skip the next gap Phil

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and let's do another quick image to give you an idea of another English idiom.

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So right now on the screen, you can see an iceberg.

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It's kind of like Titanic.

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Oh no. But do you know any expressions that are related to icebergs?

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I think it's common in most languages.

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Sometimes across different languages, we share expressions, like kill two birds with one stone.

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In many other languages, you say more or less the same thing.

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Well, this one is similar.

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And it describes something visible or a visible part of a problem,

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which is hiding all of the serious issue beneath.

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It is the tip of the iceberg that's just the tip

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of the iceberg that's just the small visible part of a

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much bigger problem the tip of the iceberg i'm sure you could guess

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that one no problem and there are six

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or seven more expressions in the same kind of way

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but hey we're running out of time

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so let's do another one of these images

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and then we're going to move on to some expressions which can be used in debates.

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What can you see here?

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Well, we have an elephant and it is in a room.

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The expression is the elephant in the room.

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But what does it mean, the elephant in the room?

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well when you're having a conversation with someone

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and both of you are avoiding the big topic the important

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thing the reason why you've got together to have a chat it's common for someone to break the ice

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and say okay that's enough chit chat that's enough small talk now let's discuss the elephant in the room.

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Let's talk about the elephant in the room.

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Let's speak about the elephant in the room.

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Let's address the elephant in the room.

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The elephant in the room is the big issue that you are avoiding talking about.

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That is the elephant in the room.

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Now, I'm going to read a text, a little story, and in this story, you can see plenty of English idioms.

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Then we'll use them in conversation.

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So I'll have another sip of my cup of tea, whilst it is still the perfect temperature,

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and then I'll get this show on the road.

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I'll get the ball rolling.

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All right, are you ready?

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Let's get started.

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When it comes to money and success, there are plenty of things we can learn from our parents.

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One of the first lessons many children hear is that money doesn't grow on trees.

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We have to work for what we have, and learning how to manage money is an important part of becoming an adult.

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However, it's easy to look at other people's lives and think, the grass is always greener on the other side.

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We might see someone with a better job, a bigger house, or more free time, and assume they're happier.

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But appearances can be misleading.

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After all, don't judge a book by its cover.

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Someone who seems to have everything might actually be struggling behind the scenes.

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In my opinion, actions speak louder than words.

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If someone says they care about you, but never make an effort, their behavior tells you much more than their words.

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At the same time, we have to accept that you can't have your cake and eat it.

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We all have to make sacrifices.

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You might want a successful career, plenty of free time, and lots of money,

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but getting everything at once isn't always realistic.

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That doesn't mean we should be negative.

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Every cloud has a silver lining and even difficult experiences can teach us valuable lessons.

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It's also wise to not put all your eggs in one basket, particularly when it comes to your career or finances.

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But can people really change?

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Some believe a leopard can't change its spots, while others think people can completely transform themselves.

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I believe change is possible, although practice makes perfect and it takes time.

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When traveling, I also think, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, is a good advice.

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Experiencing other cultures means adapting to different customs.

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Of course, working with others has its challenges.

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Sometimes, too many cooks spoil the broth.

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But getting up early can help because the early bird catches the worm.

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Finally, I believe honesty is the best policy.

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Although there are times when ignorance is bliss.

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And if someone treats others badly, perhaps what goes around comes around eventually.

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So there we have our little story.

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And this story forces quite a lot of expressions in a very limited amount of words,

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but it's still a good way of familiarizing yourself with these idioms while if you already know them,

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at least you're going over them and refreshing them.

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So if there are any that weren't clear to you that you're still not familiar with, let me know in the comments.

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And I'm going to answer some of these questions using some of these expressions, but not all of that.

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And I realized whilst I was reading that I had a little slip of the tongue.

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A slip of the tongue is a speaking mistake without really realizing.

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But I realized, because I said, I also think when in Rome, do as the Romans do, is a good advice.

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Sorry, it just came out wrong.

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I said, a good advice.

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But this is a really common mistake.

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Advice is always uncountable.

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So what I should have said, and what was written is,

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is good advice or we could say is a good piece of advice

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and the final option is just to change it for a synonym.

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Is a good tip?

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Is a good suggestion?

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Or is a good recommendation?

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So, mind that.

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It was just a slip of the tongue.

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So, let me discuss a few of these.

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I'm only going to answer five more questions.

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And each question includes one of these expressions.

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The first expression is, money doesn't grow on trees.

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So parents should teach children from an early age that money doesn't grow on trees.

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Do you agree or disagree?

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Personally, I absolutely agree.

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And I remember, especially my granddad, using this expression.

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I'd say, okay, here's your pocket money there you have two pounds, you can go and get yourself a bar of chocolate.

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And if I asked for more than that, or if at Christmas or for my birthday, I asked for a more expensive present,

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they probably respond saying, I'm sorry, but money doesn't grow on trees.

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We can't afford that.

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So I do think that kids should get used to the value of money and what it can buy you.

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from a very young age, and they should get used to saving and spending whilst they're in primary school.

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So if you have an allowance, pocket money, then kids should know, okay, if I spend my money on this,

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I can't spend it on the other thing.

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So little habits, I think, can go a long way.

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The second expression is one that I love, and it's about making comparisons.

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It is, the grass is always greener.

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We often complete it by saying, the grass is always greener on the other side.

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And to be honest, most of the time we use it negatively to advise someone not to make a comparison and say,

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listen, the grass isn't always greener.

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But let me discuss the question.

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Is the grass always greener on the other side?

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Or can changing your life genuinely make you happy?

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Well, of course, it depends, like many things.

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I think it's natural to compare ourselves with our peers.

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So you compare yourself with people from school, with workmates.

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We're always comparing, but it's not very healthy.

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I think what we should do is compare ourselves with our past selves to see

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if you are making progress as a person in many different ways.

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and there are times when we want to change our lives

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but the change that we're going to make may actually make it worse

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so be careful what you wish for

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because the grass isn't always greener on the other side okay what's the next expression actions speak louder than words

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And the question is, is it more important what people do than what they say?

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100%.

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I couldn't agree more.

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I believe that people's actions are much more important,

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and they show you a more accurate representation of their beliefs than what they say.

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Because people can lie.

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There are so many liars in this world.

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I lie sometimes.

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I'm sure you lie as well.

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It's only human and it's only natural.

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That's why we should judge people on what they do, on their actions.

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So when speaking about friends, if your friends are there for you in big moments of your life,

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huge milestones, when you really need someone, then those are the ones that count.

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They're the ones who you should try to hold on to for dear life.

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So yes, actions definitely speak louder than words.

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I'm getting quite philosophical today, aren't I?

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Hopefully you like it.

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And the next expression is, you can't have your cake and eat it.

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And the question, is it possible to have your cake and eat it in modern life?

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Or do we always have to make sacrifices?

459

That gives you an idea of the meaning.

460

You can't have your cake and eat it means you can't have everything.

461

you need to prioritize one thing or the other thing.

462

You can't have your cake and eat it.

463

For example, people like myself who are in their 30s,

464

we have disposable income, but we don't have a family.

465

So we have more money and freedom to be able to travel.

466

Well, often, if you're going to become a mom or a dad, you need to make these choices which involve mini sacrifices

467

because you can't have your cake

468

and eat it you can't have everything do you want to have two young children

469

but also go partying every night with your mates no you can't the two things are incompatible

470

so yeah you can't have your cake and eat it.

471

You can try to have the best of both worlds, as I mentioned earlier, absolutely.

472

But at some point, you need to prioritize and you need to make a decision of what matters more.

473

What is more important, which sometimes is much easier said than done.

474

now last question

475

and last expression every cloud has a silver lining this is one of my faves one of my favorites

476

so from every negative you have a positive is this a genuinely useful attitude

477

or is it sometimes just toxic positivity very deep

478

so every cloud has a silver lining Is that just people tricking themselves by being too positive?

479

I don't think so.

480

I think that every cloud, or most clouds, have a silver lining.

481

Of course, there are times when if the situation you've got yourself in is terrible, then sometimes there are no positives.

482

If you're chronically ill, of course, it's hard to find the positives.

483

But removing those scenarios from the equation, I'd say, yeah, even bad things can turn out to be good.

484

They can be a blessing in disguise.

485

And if I'm not going to give an example, but if something bad happens to you,

486

a good piece of advice is to look for the silver lining, thinking, okay, I don't like the situation.

487

I don't like what's happened, but is there anything i can gain from this is there anything i can get out of

488

that situation hopefully you're able to find the silver lining

489

and that's it guys i think that'll do

490

and my mom didn't come back home

491

so hey i guess i didn't need to use the expression speak of the devil

492

so thank you so much for watching listening if you're still here

493

or as always leave a thumbs up and

494

if you want to join my classes send me a message

495

via instagram reach out to me via email lewis at englishwithlewis .com

496

or simply sign up on the website thanks again and i'll see you next time bye

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 495 sentences and 5618 words to shadow. The speech runs for 43:55. The speaker talks at a steady 128 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

elephant /ˈɛlɪfənt/ (noun) — A large mammal of the family Elephantidae in the order Proboscidea, having a trunk, and native to Africa and Asia.
dentist /ˈdɛntɪst/ (noun) — A medical doctor who specializes in teeth.
whilst /waɪlst/ (adverb) — Often preceded by the: During the time; meanwhile.
skate /skeɪt/ (noun) — A runner or blade, usually of steel, with a frame shaped to fit the sole of a shoe, made to be fastened under the foot, and used for gliding on ice.
cloud /ˈklaʊ̯d/ (noun) — A visible mass of water droplets suspended in the air.
grass /ɡɹɑːs/ (noun) — Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by leaves that arise from nodes in the stem and leaf bases that wrap around the stem, especially those grown as…
devil /ˈdɛvəl/ (noun) — An evil creature, the objectification of a hostile and destructive force.
nerve /nɝv/ (noun) — A bundle of neurons with their connective tissue sheaths, blood vessels and lymphatics.
blessing /ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/ (noun) — Some kind of divine or supernatural aid, or reward.
disguise /dɪsˈɡaɪz/ (verb) — To change the appearance of (a person or thing) so as to hide, or to assume an identity.
lesson /ˈlɛs.ən/ (noun) — A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
bullet /ˈbʊlɪt/ (noun) — A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed.
nail /neɪl/ (noun) — The horny plate or appendage at the ends of the digits of various animals, including most reptiles, birds, and mammals (both nonhuman and human).
lewis /ˈluːɪs/ (noun) — A cramp iron inserted into a cavity in order to lift heavy stones; used as a symbol of strength in Freemasonry.
compare /kəmˈpɛɚ/ (verb) — To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it…

Phrasal verbs you will hear

get on (verb) — To board or mount (something), especially a vehicle.
go with (verb) — To choose or accept (a suggestion).
grow on (verb) — To become more likeable to someone.
ask for (verb) — To request; to order.
end up (verb) — To bring to a conclusion.
going over (noun) — An inspection, examination, review, or investigation.
look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
set up /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ (verb) — To make ready for use.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 190 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: beneath /bɪˈniːθ/, gather /ˈɡæðɚ/, thumb /ˈθʌm/, thankful /ˈθæŋkfəl/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pension /ˈpɛnʃən/, promotion /pɹəˈmoʊʃn̩/, ambitious /æmˈbɪʃ.əs/, refresh /ɹɪˈfɹɛʃ/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/
Long words — get the stress right: ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/, unexpected /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, extraordinary /ɪksˈtɹɔːrdɪn(ə)ɹi/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like elephant, dentist, whilst.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	you've been striving · I've been posting · you've been putting
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if you do it, you'll be
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	people who are · English which are · expression which is
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	were locked · is limited · was exhausted

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?