Shadowing Practice: How to go from B1 to C2 without the pain! - Learn English Speaking with Video

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So how do we get from B1 to C2 without the pain?

Let me show you.

Oh, hello.

Oh, matching colours.

Hello, it's Keith from the Keith Speaking Academy, here to help you become a more confident speaker of English.

Now then, to go from B1 to C2 doesn't just mean study harder.

Not at all.

For me, it means study smarter and with a system that you enjoy.

Simple as that.

Those of you who follow me will be familiar probably with the speaking success system.

Three simple steps.

Discover language, practice it, and review it.

And to be honest, that's all you need.

If you just do that, you'll get to your C2.

However, some of you don't know the system.

If you don't, go and check out this video.

You'll get a quick overview of that system.

One of the important things is the way we use this system at different levels is slightly different.

So I would use it differently at a B1 level and differently again at B2, C1 and C2.

OK, not used in exactly the same way.

What I want to do with this video is to show you for each level what to do

and focus on and what not to do.

And once you've got clarity on where to focus with your study, it's going to help you move up the levels to become more confident and fluent in English.

Just to let you know, I've also put all of this information.

I've captured the info inside this PDF.

you can download for free.

There's a link in the description.

Let's begin then with level B1.

Okay, you're at B1 level and you want to move up to B2.

The problem is you feel stuck, right?

You can understand a lot and probably you can understand 99% of my videos,

but you can't speak and you can't speak fluently yet.

So your goal is you need to build a larger spoken vocabulary.

You want to be using high frequency chunks and I'll talk more about those in a moment.

And you want to start activating your vocabulary and activating your grammar.

So you've studied a lot of grammar.

You've studied the tenses, the different voices, perfect, passive, active, but you can't speak them out loud.

So it's time to activate.

You want to start building your fluency so you can keep going and keep talking, not just individual sentences.

That's it, right?

That's your goal.

So your focus basically is speak more, not learn more.

Okay, activate what you know.

So the core idea here with vocabulary is to use high frequency chunks

and with grammar to activate the 12 tenses and the different aspects of those tenses.

First of all, high frequency chunks.

So what do I mean by those?

These are chunks of language we use regularly, naturally in everyday spoken English.

And you probably know them, but you don't think of them as a chunk.

To think of them as a chunk is to think of them as one sound.

So when you see, what do you think?

The chunk is, what do you, what do you think?

What do you think?

So the idea is to start thinking in sounds and using that chunk.

What do you think?

Because then that think you can change with all different verbs.

What do you do?

What do you like?

What do you eat?

What do you do on the weekends?

What do you what do you?

So using these chunks suddenly starts building up your fluency.

Another high-frequency chunk Can I have a look?

Can I have a look?

Can I help you?

Can I come to the party?

They're just sounds Can I is a sound So stop thinking of words

and think of chunks And speak out the chunks Another one How was your weekend?

How was your weekend?

it's one sound

or two sounds how was your weekend once you've got how

was you can do different endings how was the film how

was the book how was your weekend okay now obviously in

this video i'm not going to give you all the high frequency chunks i'll give you a lot more in

that pdf that i mentioned

but just to give you an idea of this is a change in mindset and a change in how you're practicing speaking.

Okay.

Likewise with the grammar, there are chunks of grammar and you can do the same thing with those.

Okay.

Again, PDF will give you more examples.

Next, just let me tell you some things to do and some things to don't, to don't do, to not do.

Do's and don't do's. Do, right?

Speak out the chunks.

Start speaking with strangers.

I don't mean strangers in the street.

I mean, find people online in different groups or areas where you can practice English, speaking.

So you're practicing speaking with people you don't know to start building confidence.

OK, tell stories.

Whatever you're doing, whatever you're thinking, start telling stories, speaking out loud in English.

Don't overcorrect mid-sentence.

It's the one thing that is killing your fluency is mid-sentence, you're overthinking, over-correcting.

It kills your fluency.

Make a few mistakes, but focus on your fluency.

OK, I'm just going to add something about thinking in English, because a lot of students ask me, you know, how do I start thinking in English?

Don't wait for it to happen.

You make it happen.

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You actively start thinking in English, right?

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It doesn't magically happen one day when you wake up.

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It's little things that you're doing in your life where every day you're starting to think of things in English.

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What am I going to do today?

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I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that.

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Think in English.

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There's a whole video up here you can watch about thinking in English.

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Now I'm going to add something else about B1 to B2 because at B1 to B2 the change is

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that you not only can talk about familiar topics like home, work, health, hobbies, but at B2,

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you can start talking about unfamiliar topics.

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Things like the environment, the economy, space, advertising.

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Okay.

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So whilst at B1, your focus is on activating language, In addition, you should start listening,

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reading, watching things on unfamiliar topics.

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Don't worry about learning the vocabulary, but just expose yourself to these more unfamiliar topics.

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And that's going to help you lay the foundation for your B2 level.

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That's it for B1.

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Talking of B2, let's have a look how things change at B2.

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Okay, from B2 to C1.

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And this is what we often call the plateau.

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You've been studying since you were six years old.

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You're now an adult.

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You've made progress.

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But now suddenly it seems like you're flat.

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You just can't go up any higher.

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It's the famous plateau.

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Basically, you know, you sound okay when you speak.

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But, well, and, you know, you can communicate in the classroom.

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But when it comes to native speakers, really, you can't quite communicate so effectively.

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And it's because you don't sound natural and you don't have flexibility.

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So, your goal here is to move from a student of English to being more like a proficient or native speaker.

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That's it.

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To do that, you need a wider range of vocabulary to understand nuance and register.

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Is it formal, informal, slang?

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Understand and use collocations much better and control discourse much better.

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The cohesion, how you connect ideas fluently and flexibly.

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Also, you need to be listening more to English at native speaker rates.

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So, I mean listening to authentic English, not just study English.

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So, maybe up until now, you've been listening to Keith's English podcast, helping you learn English.

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What you should be listening to now is Brian's football podcast.

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For British people, if you like football, or Angela's musical podcast, if you like music.

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Something authentic aimed at native speakers.

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You need to be getting into that space a lot more.

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And another thing here, which a lot of people forget, is a change in mindset.

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And it is a change in mindset from just being able to communicate okay, to really communicating naturally.

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because if you don't make that change in mindset and really want it, you're not going to carry on.

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You'll just say, oh, it's good enough.

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They understand me.

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You need a change in mindset for this B2 to C1.

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So I would say you'll focus then maybe four things.

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Collocations, lexical patterns.

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For example, you know, is a verb followed by an infinitive or a gerund?

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What are the different prepositions after this verb?

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Thirdly, grammatical patterns.

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And fourthly, discourse, phrases, and how you manage discourse, the cohesion, your ideas.

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Another important thing you must focus on is activating language as you build it.

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So as you grow your language, make sure you're activating it.

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So the core idea here basically is to learn how to express your ideas and opinions more naturally.

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Let me talk in a bit more detail about collocations, grammar and discourse.

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Collocations, super important.

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These are two or three words that typically go together the way that native speaker will use them.

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For example, you're in a meeting, right?

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And somebody comes up with an idea and you go, what?

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That's crazy.

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That's a crazy idea.

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And you say, it's a completely crazy idea.

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Now that's okay.

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Everybody understands.

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But probably what a native speaker would say is that idea is utterly absurd.

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Utterly absurd.

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That is your native collocation.

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So you need to be learning what native speakers would say, the collocations they use.

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Another example is you're at the hospital, you go, ow, I'm in pain.

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I'm in a lot of pain.

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I'm in strong pain.

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And the doctor goes, oh, you're in excruciating pain.

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Excruciating pain.

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That's the natural collocation.

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So that's a really important focus.

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Grammar, next.

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It's getting a deeper understanding of grammar, not just the surface level.

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So, for example, knowing that the present continuous, I'm doing something now, is not only used for now,

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but it's used in the future, right?

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I'm visiting Tom tomorrow.

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Different nuances, the deeper level of grammar.

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Finally, discourse.

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so you may be again in a conversation and you say listen i don't agree with that idea okay

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whereas a native speaker might say i see your point

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but i think i see your point

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but what you need to do now at getting into c1

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level is to be able to use both i don't agree and i think I see your point, but...

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So it's building your repertoire of discourse.

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Okay, so how do you do this?

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Do's and don'ts.

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Do watch more English, native, authentic English, and notice the collocations they use.

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Keep a record, write them down, and then start to use them in discussions,

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conversations, debates, giving explanations, all of these.

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And a quick tip, when you're watching or reading something, every time you read something, give yourself a quick oral summary.

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It's a really good practice.

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Don'ts.

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Don't download and memorize word lists from the internet.

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Because downloading the word list means you haven't got the context

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and you haven't been through the process of noticing and getting the words.

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The word list isn't going to help you.

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And also, if you're going to do that, make it a collocation word list at least.

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But even so, you find the context.

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You make your own lists of collocations.

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There is a very useful tool out there called www.ausdick.com.

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It's a collocation dictionary.

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Great reference tool for you.

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And my final tip is another challenge for you probably at this level is you have what we call fossilised errors.

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Those mistakes, the same mistakes you've been making year after year after year.

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it's time to iron out those errors get rid of them the way to do it is record yourself speaking

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transcribe what you've said and notice the errors or feed it into AI ChatGBT and get it,

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him, her, them to identify the errors so A,

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you're aware of them and then every time you're speaking just be aware of those fossilised errors and start correcting them.

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That's it from B2 to C1.

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What's next?

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Ah, C1 to C2.

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Right, here we are.

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The highest level, C1 to C2.

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I wonder what level you are.

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Let's have a look.

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OK, so here, probably at this level, you can understand everything and you can speak a lot with very little effort.

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But you make small, noticeable mistakes, maybe in your vocabulary, in your grammar,

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in your discourse, in nuance, in style, in cultural references.

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It's the kind of thing that when you're speaking to a native speaker, they're very impressed with your English.

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But now and again, they smile because you've said something that doesn't sound quite right.

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And when you see that smile, you know, oh, I've made a small mistake somewhere.

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OK, so now getting from C1 to C2, it's all about what I would say, effortless clarity.

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That's what we're looking for.

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So your goal is to get near native automaticity.

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and appropriateness of language.

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Automaticity, what a great word that is.

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From the word automatic, right?

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Automating your language.

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The noun, automaticity.

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So speaking without thinking, really, that's what it is.

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So you need that and also near-native appropriateness, right?

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Using the right tone, the right register, the right word at the right time, basically.

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And all of that across a wide range of contexts.

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In order to do that, you need to fine tune your lexical choice.

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So choosing the right words, exactly the right words in the right moment, the right nuance, the right connotation.

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So having a deep, deep understanding of words.

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And also you need better rhetoric.

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So what I mean by rhetoric is basically not just using language to be understood, but to convince people to do things.

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The effective use of language to get things done and convince people, not only that they understand you, but they act on what you've said.

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Let me give you an example in Spanish of that rhetoric and something that happened to me.

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Come with me just a moment.

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A while back, we did some renovation work on this bathroom in here, and basically we wanted to make it a bit bigger

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so add this extra unit over here and as we were doing

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that the builders who were here one of them said to me

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when you make it bigger you'll be able to dance in here

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and i said claro si hombre bailaron chotis and at

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that moment all the workers stopped and looked at me

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and went oh because i was being sarcastic

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and i said yeah you can dance achottis in here achottis

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is an old spanish dance where literally you dance on the spot without moving

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so what i was saying was it's actually still very small it's too small to dance um

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but what happened was instead of just being understood there was a communication on a deeper level

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and a connection and that led to a better relationship

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and then working more effectively so english is not just

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or language is not being understood it's about a deeper connection and getting things done

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rhetoric and finally i'd say having really good repair strategies it's interesting a lot of people think native speakers

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or proficient speakers don't make mistakes don't have breakdown in communication

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that they just speak perfectly all the time of course we don't and you don't in your your mother tongue.

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You make kind of misunderstandings.

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You suddenly stop, change your mind, restart.

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You need to clarify.

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You need to rephrase.

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All of these are repair strategies, if you like.

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So getting really effective repair strategies is also very important.

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So the focus is to use appropriate language and tone to get things done effectively in a wide range of situations.

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And I would add, I think, you know, to do that, you need to learn really to adapt your language to different situations,

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to be able to speak in formal situations, informal, academic, business, conversational, parties,

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speaking to children, old people.

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All of that is so important.

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Let's look first at lexical choice.

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There's a number of things you can do.

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I'm going to focus on just one that I think so many students neglect, and that is word families.

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And this will help so much.

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By word families, I mean knowing the noun, the verb, the adjective, the adverbs, all the different parts of a particular word.

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For example, if we take the word to consider, that's the verb, the noun is consideration, right?

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The adjective is considerable, a considerable number of people, or actually there's another adjective, considerate.

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He's very considerate, very caring and thoughtful.

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So these word families are so important.

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Let me test you at your level.

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If you are a C1 kind of level, let's see.

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Let's take the word.

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Let me find a word.

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Let's take the word imply.

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That's the verb, right?

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To suggest something without actually saying it, right?

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Let's see if you know the different word families, OK, fill in the gap here with one of the word families of the word imply.

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OK, first one's easy.

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What are you blank?

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Right.

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What are you implying?

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The verb, right?

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Very good.

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That is clearly your blank.

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It's the noun.

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That is clearly your implication, right?

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Last one, it is blank in everything you said.

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It is implicit in everything you said.

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The adjective, right?

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Can you start to see how important these are and how they give you flexibility?

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Because what a lot of people do is when they don't know the word family, they try and rephrase in a different, simpler way.

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That's okay, but at your C2 level, you're using all the word families flexibly.

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So that's one simple thing you can do or focus on for your lexical choice.

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Another thing you can do is practice what I call style shift drills.

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So style shift is practicing saying something in different styles.

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So how would you say this in a conversation, in a meeting, down the pub, right?

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You can do this for whole texts or just for different phrases.

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Let me give you a bit of a fun example, right?

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Let's take this sentence.

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Don't worry, everything will be okay.

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How might you say that first with mates down the pub?

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What do you think?

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You might say down the pub, don't panic, things will work out.

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Okay, how would you say that in a meeting?

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A business meeting?

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Maybe you might say, there's no need to worry.

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Everything will go according to plan.

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How would you say this talking to a granddad?

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maybe it'll be all right granddad don't worry yourself okay

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but can you see how the language changes slightly in each

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case the the register the tone the lexical choice this is what you want to be doing more

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and more at c2 level so some quick do's and don'ts at this level Do lots of advanced noticing as you listen,

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watch, read, notice, collocations, nuance and idioms.

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Idiomatic language is really key at this higher level.

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Don't worry about slang too much.

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I think sometimes there's too much emphasis on slang, especially on social media, learning all the slang in English.

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useful to know, but not so useful to use.

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And also, I'd say don't aim for accent eradication.

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You don't need to get rid of your accent.

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It's fine if you've got Chinese accent, Vietnamese accent.

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So long as you're clearly understood, that's it.

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Don't waste time getting rid of accent.

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Focus on better pronunciation.

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Okay.

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Aim for clarity.

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At this level, it's all about effortless clarity.

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So there we have it for each level from B1 to C2.

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We've looked at the challenge, the goal, where you should focus and how you can get there,

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some tips on how to get there and some do's and don'ts for each level.

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In essence, all of this basically is it's the speaking success system.

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It's all you need, but just a different focus depending on the level where you're at.

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I hope this helps.

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You can do all of this.

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Oh, by the way, do you remember there's a PDF if you want to download this with a lot more detail.

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It's a really nice study guide to help you get through each level.

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If you want my help, I mean, you can do this on your own, but if you want my help, I am here to help.

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You can come and join a course.

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I can make some recommendations.

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If you're at B1 level, try the Fluent Grammar course to automate your grammar and your fluency.

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If you're at B2, try the Gold course, my flagship course.

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If you're at C1, I'd suggest the 150 Idioms course to learn idioms in context, how to use them as well.

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And if you're at C2, well, you probably don't need my help.

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It's not about learning, it's about practising.

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so you could practice with the Murder Mystery Challenge.

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It's a fun, exciting way to practice.

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Go and check it out.

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Whatever you decide to do, I will always be here for you on YouTube.

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Thank you so much for watching.

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Hope you've enjoyed it.

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And I'll see you very, very soon.

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Take care, my friend.

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Bye-bye.

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How to Move from B1 to C2 English: Smart Strategies for Fluent Speaking

Speaking Goals for This Clip: Activate, Fluency, and Confidence

This video targets the critical milestone of transitioning from B1 to higher levels by shifting focus from "learning more" to "speaking more." For B1 learners, the goal is to activate existing vocabulary and grammar, build fluency in extended speech, and use high-frequency chunks naturally. By prioritizing activation over new content, you’ll move beyond individual sentences to sustained, confident communication—key for reaching B2 and beyond.

Phrase Bank: Reusable Chunks for Everyday Speech

The video emphasizes "high frequency chunks"—natural, everyday phrases used in spoken English. Examples include:

"to think of them as a chunk"
"it's time to activate"
"keep going and keep talking"
"the core idea here"
"these are chunks of language we use regularly"

These chunks act as "one sound" in conversation, making your speech flow more naturally. Practice them as single units to integrate them into your daily use.

Fix Your Weak Spots: Activate and Fluency with Shadowing

To bridge the gap between knowing and using English, the shadowing technique (or "shadowspeak") is a game-changer. Here’s how: Listen to a short clip of natural speech, pause, and repeat it immediately—mimicking tone, rhythm, and pace. This trains your brain to "activate" grammar (like the 12 tenses) and vocabulary in real time. For B1 learners, focus on shadowing high-frequency chunks to build fluency: instead of translating word-by-word, let the phrases roll off your tongue as a single unit. Shadow speak helps you move from "studying" to "using," turning passive knowledge into active speech. Remember: The goal isn’t perfection—it’s to keep talking, keep going, and make your speech feel automatic.

By combining high-frequency chunks with shadowing, you’ll activate what you know, boost fluency, and take the first step toward C2 without the "pain" of endless memorization. Start small: shadow 5-minute clips daily, focus on chunks, and watch your confidence soar.

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 studying · you've been listening · you've been making
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	If you just do that, you'll get · If you're at C1, I'd suggest
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've also put · I've captured · you've studied
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	be understood · being understood

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 →

Shadowing Practice: How to go from B1 to C2 without the pain! - Learn English Speaking with Video

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