Shadowing Practice: My 10 Best Idioms for IELTS Speaking - Learn English Speaking with Video
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To get a high score in IELTS you have to use idiomatic language.
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However, when you use idioms like raining cats and dogs and double-edged sword, they often come out as inappropriate or worse,
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memorized, which actually lowers your score.
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In today's lesson I'm going to teach you 10 natural idioms that you can use in IELTS speaking.
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My name is Eli and I used to be an IELTS examiner.
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I now put all of my best advice and tips in my website, EnglishProtips.com.
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My IELTS courses have already helped thousands of students score band 7, band 8, and even band 9.
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You can start all of my IELTS courses for free at EnglishProtips.com.
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In today's lesson, we're focusing on IELTS speaking.
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The first idiom we're going to learn is, it comes down to.
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Listen to the way I use it and see if you can understand what it means.
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Why do some people prefer living in cities while others prefer to live in the countryside?
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I think ultimately it comes down to lifestyle preferences.
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Some people enjoy the convenience and opportunities that cities offer, whereas others value the peace and slower pace of life in rural areas.
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It comes down to means the most important factor or the final deciding factor.
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For example, success in language learning comes down to consistency.
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So being consistent is the most important factor for learning a language.
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The structure is it comes down to plus a noun phrase.
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It comes down to personal preference.
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It comes down to the individual.
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These are great phrases to use in part three of the IELTS test.
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So if the examiner says, is it better to live in the city or the countryside,
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you can say, well it comes down to personal preference.
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By the way, I also like to use the word ultimately before.
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So ultimately it comes down to personal preference.
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Ultimately, it comes down to the individual.
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The next idiom is strike a balance.
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Watch the way I use it and see if you can understand what it means.
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Do you think young children should spend more time using technology?
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Well, technology can be very useful for learning, but I don't think young children should spend all day in front of a screen.
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I think it's important to strike a balance between using technology
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and taking part in other activities such as sport or spending time outdoors.
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Strike a balance means to find a middle ground between two things.
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For example, it's important to strike a balance between using technology and taking part in other activities.
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This phrase is extremely useful in IELTS because many part three questions involve discussing two competing ideas such as technology and privacy,
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work and leisure, or economic growth and environmental protection.
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The basic structure is strike a balance between A and B.
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Strike a balance between work and leisure.
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Strike a balance between studying and relaxing.
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Strike a balance between alone and family time.
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You'll often hear phrases like people need to strike a balance
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or it's important to strike a balance or we should strike a balance.
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Try to think of three sentences using it's important to strike a balance between A and B.
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For this next idiom, listen to my answer and guess what idiom I want to teach you.
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Should government spend more money on public transport?
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Yes, I think they should.
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Although improving transport systems can be expensive initially, it can reduce traffic congestion and pollution.
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So in the long run, I think it would improve people's quality of life and benefit the economy as well.
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The idiom I want to teach you is in the long run.
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This is such a useful phrase for IELTS.
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It means over a long period of time or when we consider the future effects of something.
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The basic structure is in the long run plus a clause.
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In the long run, it will benefit society.
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In the long run, it's better to eat at home because it's healthier than eating outside.
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In the long run, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
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When you say in the long run, you're showing the examiner that you can use idiomatic vocabulary,
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but also you're engaging critically with the question.
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So this is a great phrase to use.
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If you want to improve your vocabulary for the IELTS test, I'm going to suggest two things.
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The first one is to do my IELTS vocabulary course.
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I'll show you useful advanced vocabulary for all of the common topics in IELTS.
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You can watch video lessons, do quizzes and download PDFs.
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The next thing to do is to do my IELTS speaking course.
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In this course, we'll look at model answers and vocabulary
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and you can write your own answers to common questions and get AI feedback.
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You can start both courses for free at EnglishProTips.com.
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The next phrase is at the end of the day.
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Watch this model answer and think about what it means.
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Is it better to work for a large company or a small company?
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Both have their advantages.
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Large companies often offer better career opportunities, whereas smaller companies can provide a more personal working environment.
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At the end of the day, it depends on what an individual values most in their career.
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Okay, I said at the end of the day, it depends on what an individual values most in their career.
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What does at the end of the day mean?
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It means when everything has been considered or ultimately.
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The basic structure is at the end of the day plus a clause.
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At the end of the day, it's a matter of personal preference.
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At the end of the day, education is an investment in the future.
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At the end of the day, there's no right or wrong answer.
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Here's a challenge.
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Take a second to translate these sentences into your own language.
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You can pause the video and translate them.
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By the way, listen to the pronunciation.
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At the end of the day.
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At the end of the day.
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It sounds like at the end of the day.
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The of almost totally disappears.
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At the end of the day.
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Repeat after me.
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at the end of the day.
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At the end of the day it depends on you.
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At the end of the day there's no right or wrong answer.
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At the end of the day you've got to learn this idiom.
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The next idiom is something to do with the word minds.
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Watch my model answer and see if you can work out the idiom I want to teach you and what it means.
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Would you like to live in another country in the future?
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I'm actually in two minds about whether I'd want to live abroad.
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I'd love to experience a different culture and lifestyle
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but all my friends and family live here so it would be difficult to leave them behind.
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The idiom is in two minds about something.
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It means you are unable to decide between two options or to feel uncertain about a decision.
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Two minds, two different opinions.
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This phrase is useful in IELTS because many questions ask about choices or decisions.
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The basic structure is be in two minds about and then a noun or a noun phrase.
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I'm in two minds about studying abroad.
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Many people are in two minds about having children.
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She's in two minds about changing job.
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If you get a question like would you like to live abroad
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or would you like to change your job in the future,
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you can impress your examiner by saying I'm in two minds about that and then expand on your answer.
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The next idiom also uses the word mind.
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Watch this model answer and see if you can spot the idiom.
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Do you think it is important for people to travel to other countries?
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Yes, definitely.
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I think traveling allows people to experience different cultures
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and ways of life and it can help them to keep an open mind
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and understand that there isn't always just one way of doing things.
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The idiom is keep an open mind.
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This means be willing to consider different ideas, opinions or possibilities before making a judgment.
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It's important to keep an open mind when traveling to a new country.
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In other words, you shouldn't immediately reject unfamiliar ideas or ways of doing things.
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The basic structure is keep an open mind about and then a noun or a noun phrase.
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Keep an open mind about new technology.
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Keep an open mind about different cultures.
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You can also use the structure keep an open mind when and then a verb in the ing form.
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Keep an open mind when traveling abroad.
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Keep an open mind when meeting new people.
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Listen to the pronunciation.
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Keep an.
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Keep an open mind.
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It's not keep an, it's keep an.
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Keep an open mind.
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The next idiom is go hand in hand.
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By the way, there are so many idioms with body parts.
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We've already seen two with the word mind.
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Watch and find out what does go hand in hand mean.
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Do you think education is important for career success?
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Yes, I do.
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While there are always exceptions, I think education and career success often go hand in hand.
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Education can provide people with valuable knowledge and qualifications
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which in turn can make easier for them to find well-paid jobs and progress in their careers.
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When we say go hand-in-hand we mean two things are closely connected and often happen together.
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Good health and regular exercise often go hand-in-hand.
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This phrase is especially useful in IELTS Speaking Part 3 because many questions
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ask you to discuss relationships between different ideas such as education and success, technology and communication, or wealth and happiness.
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The basic structure is A and B go hand in hand.
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Education and success often go hand in hand.
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Exercise and good health go hand in hand.
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The next idiom is get carried away.
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Do you know what this means?
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Watch how I use it in this model answer.
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Do people spend too much time on social media nowadays?
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In some cases yes, social media can be a great way to stay connected with friends and family.
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It's easy to get carried away and spend hours scrolling through content without even realizing how much time has passed.
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Get carried away means become so excited, emotional or involved in something that you lose control or stop thinking carefully.
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People sometimes get carried away when they're shopping online.
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In other words, they become so enthusiastic that they spend more money than they intended.
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Has that ever happened to you? Be honest.
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This is a great phrase for describing topics which involve human behavior such as social media,
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shopping, technology, sport, work or hobbies.
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You can say things like, I got carried away and bought too many clothes or it's easy to get carried away with social media.
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The next idiom is step out of your comfort zone.
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This is a great idiom and also a great philosophy for life.
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Perhaps you already know it.
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Listen to the answer and see what this idiom means.
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Should schools encourage students to try new activities.
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Yes, I think they should.
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Taking part in activities such as sport, music, or public speaking can help students step out of their comfort zone and build confidence.
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Now when we say step out of your comfort zone we mean do something that feels unfamiliar,
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challenging, or slightly uncomfortable in order to grow or learn.
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For example, moving abroad helped me to step out of my comfort zone.
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In other words, it pushed me to try new things and to develop new skills.
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The phrase is particularly useful in IELTS because many topics involve learning, travel, education, work and personal development.
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To help you remember this idiom, try to think of three times in your life when you stepped out of your comfort zone.
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Perhaps traveling abroad or getting into a new social situation.
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The final idiom is get the hang of something.
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Do you know this one?
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Watch and find out.
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Is it difficult for all the people to learn how to use modern technology?
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I think it can be challenging initially because many older people didn't grow up with digital devices.
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However, once they get the hang of using smartphones or computers, they often find them extremely useful.
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When we say get the hang of something we mean learn how to do something after some practice
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or become comfortable with a new skill or activity.
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For example, it took me a few weeks to get the hang of driving.
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In other words, driving was difficult at first but gradually I learned how to do it properly.
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This phrase is particularly useful in IELTS when we talk about learning.
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Old people learning to use technology.
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Young people learning how to drive.
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Workers learning new skills at work.
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The basic structure is get the hang of and then a noun or a verb in the ing form.
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For example, get the hang of driving.
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Get the hang of cooking.
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Get the hang of using new technology.
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Get the hang of speaking a foreign language.
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A final note about idiom students often ask me whether they should use
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more idioms in IELTS speaking and my answer 99% of the time is no. Students
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that try to use idioms most often end up using those idioms unnaturally.
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Instead what I recommend is to get exposure to lots of wonderful language
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and then focus on communicating your message as accurately as possible.
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By focusing on communication and not the vocabulary you're much more likely to use vocabulary appropriately
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and this will actually boost your score and improve your communication as well.
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If you want more help with the IELTS test make sure
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to check out englishprotips.com where you can start all of my IELTS courses for free.
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Best of luck with your studies and I'll see you in the next lesson.
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Bye for now.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 205 sentences and 2352 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:53. The speaker talks at a steady 148 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 86% 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 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| vocabulary noun | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning. |
| abroad adverb | /əˈbɹɔːd/ | Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries. |
| noun noun | /naʊn/ | A word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as person, animal, place, word, thing, phenomenon, substance, quality, or idea… |
| comfort noun | /ˈkʌm.fət/ | Contentment, ease. |
| preference noun | /ˈpɹɛf(ə)ɹ(ə)ns/ | The selection of one thing or person over others (with the main adposition being "for" in relation to the thing or person, but possibly also "of") |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| examiner noun | /əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/ | A person who investigates someone or something. |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| involve verb | /ɪnˈvɑlv/ | To have (something) as a component or a related part; to comprise, to include. |
| depend verb | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition |
| bind verb | /ˈbaɪ̯nd/ | To tie; to confine by any ligature. |
| whereas | /(h)wɛɹˈæz/ | In contrast; whilst on the contrary; although. |
| connect verb | /kəˈnɛkt/ | To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come down to verb | To reach by moving down or reducing. | |
| carried away adjective | Made excessively emotional or excited, so that one goes too far. | |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. | |
| work out verb | /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/ | To calculate. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 23 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, I'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: leisure /ˈlɛʒə(ɹ)/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, exposure /ɪkˈspəʊ.ʒə(ɹ)/, exception /əkˈsɛpʃən/, pollution /pəˈluʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, examiner /əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/, unfamiliar /ˌʌnfəˈmɪli.ə(ɹ)/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/
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 phrase, vocabulary, abroad.
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.