Shadowing Practice: Upper-Intermediate Phrases (B1 + B2) You Definitely Need to Know - Learn English Speaking with Video

I'm going to teach you some common phrases that you absolutely need to know.

They're that common.

And I'm going to tell you the meaning, talk a little bit about how they're used in context, as well as go over the pronunciation so you can say them just like a native speaker.

We will begin with some B1 phrases, which are really at an intermediate level, and then move into some B2 phrases, which are mostly upper intermediate.

And I promise you will learn something new.

with the phrase, in advance.

This means before a particular time or before doing a particular thing.

And often you're going to use this phrase at the end of a sentence or clause.

I could say we should prepare the presentation in advance.

I think it's smart to do things in advance.

Or maybe I tell you, you don't need to pay for these lessons in advance.

Okay, you really, you don't need to pay for them at all, they're free.

Now when pronouncing this phrase, there is some linking that may occur.

This is when we link the final consonant sound of one word with the beginning vowel sound of the next word.

So we can link the final consonant sound in in with the vowel sound in advance.

And it's almost like we're just moving that consonant sound over to the next word or syllable.

So it's going to sound like in advance. in advance.

I want you to just listen closely for that linking.

- We're booked months in advance.

We don't do solo acts.

I've got nothing for you.

- Okay, thanks.

- Bart, you deserve a wedding day that unlike our children was planned in advance.

- Now, if you would like to get notified when I come out with new vocabulary lessons, sometimes in advance, not always,

then please subscribe, turn on notifications.

That way I can become your teacher.

is Interactive English, which is all about trying to help you reach your fluency goals.

So let's continue.

Now is not the time to take it easy, and that's the next phrase that I want to talk to you "Take it easy." So you could say,

"Take it easy," or, "Take things easy." And these phrases have a couple of different meanings, and we'll talk about both.

The first meaning is to rest, relax, or avoid hard work.

And you could really use either, but as you can see, it is more common to just say, "Take it easy." So I could say,

"When I'm on vacation, I like to take it easy.

And yes, that's true.

Or, "My doctor told me I should take things easy." Everyone recovers differently.

I'm still taking it easy.

It also means to stay or become calm.

And in this case, you're really going to use "take it easy" and you will use it more as a command.

So I could say, "Hey, don't be mad.

Take it easy."

or take it easy you need to calm down just calm down all right take it easy calm

so you may be wondering what is it like what does

it mean in this case let's dive into some grammar right

now with this phrase the word it is referred to as a dummy pronoun

or a dummy subject it really has no specific meaning it's just phrase,

the final T in it, I am going to pronounce it as a flat T.

It's going to sound more like a soft D.

And this is very common with the American accent

because I am from the United States and it often occurs when the T comes between two vowel sounds.

And then we can just link

this entire phrase and it's going to sound like take it easy can you hear that soft d

take it easy now if you are someone who likes to relax

and take things easy while practicing english

because well that's a great way to learn the language then there's an amazing app

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Let's continue with these common and useful phrases.

And the next one that I have for you is in the end.

This means finally, eventually, after something has been

or just the final conclusion after considering all relevant facts.

And often you're going to use this phrase either at the beginning or end of a sentence or clause.

We were thinking about eating Mexican food, but in the end, we decided to get sushi.

So that was the final result.

Or I could say, in the end, we are all English learners.

After taking all the facts into consideration, yeah, I could say that language each and every day.

Now, don't confuse this phrase with the phrase "at the end,"

which is really referring to a specific point at the end of some activity, like at the end of the story or at the end of the movie.

Let me show you some news headlines

so you can get a better idea as to how this phrase is used in context.

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the well -known quote from Martin Luther King,

100

or this is from soccer, in the end, Spartans were on the mark.

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And then succession finale explained, Logan won again in the end.

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Great show, in case you haven't seen it.

103

For pronunciation, the only thing that I wanna point out is that the article the has a strong and weak form.

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The weak form is most common.

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You will use the schwa sound, that unstressed a, consonant sound and you'll say the.

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The strong form, the, you will use when the next word begins with a vowel sound like it does with our phrase.

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So you will say in the end.

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In the end, I hope that you pronounce this phrase correctly.

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The next phrase, drag and drop.

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We're talking about computers now.

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This means to move something from one area to another while using the mouse.

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And this is actually a binomial pair.

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This is when you have a pair of words linked by a conjunction, like the phrase loud and clear.

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Drag and drop.

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Who knows, maybe this phrase will become outdated at some point because things change quickly when it comes to technology.

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But often you'll use this phrase when talking about files, documents, or pictures.

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Just drag and drop the files to upload them.

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When pronouncing this phrase, keep in mind that the conjunction "and" is often reduced in spoken English, and it's just gonna sound like "en."

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And then we can link the final consonant sound in drag with that beginning vowel sound.

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So it's gonna sound like "drag and drop." Drag and drop.

121

you don't like someone or something, and that's really the key here.

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You're making that face, to show that you just don't like this person or thing.

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Let me give you some examples.

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You may make a face when someone takes your favorite toy.

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You may make a face when you eat something you don't like.

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you may make a face when your best friend starts dating your ex -boyfriend.

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Here it burns, brother.

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Cut.

129

Why are you making that face?

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I wasn't making a face.

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We gave him the drinking dog.

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Apparently it didn't take.

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Nadine's making a face.

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You're making that face again.

135

I didn't make a face.

136

I just, um, there's a party for someone I know.

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This is so common in spoken English.

138

We can link the final consonant sound in make with that vowel sound, with the article a, make a.

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to make a face.

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I hope that you are not making a face while watching this lesson.

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The next phrase, or I should say phrases, "wait a minute, wait a moment, wait a second." And you can use these phrases in several different situations.

142

These phrases may be said when interrupting someone, or when you're trying to get someone's attention,

143

or when you have suddenly thought of something important.

144

One thing I want to point out is that you're not literally talking about a minute, a second, or a moment.

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You'll just use these phrases when you find yourself in those different situations.

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Let's use these phrases in those situations just to reinforce the meaning.

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So let's say you're trying to get someone's attention.

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Anyhow, I am out.

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Uh, wait a minute.

150

I'm sorry I yelled at you.

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I was too proud to admit...

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I was lonely.

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How about when you suddenly realize or think of something?

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Well, mystery solved.

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Wait a moment.

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And of course, when interrupting someone.

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They look even better on Ben's floor.

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Oh!

159

Are you hitting on less for me?

160

Wait a second.

161

Just turn around.

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What?

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For pronunciation, the final T in wait, I am going to pronounce it as a flap T.

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Once again, it's gonna sound like a soft D, which is very common in places like the United States.

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And then we can link that flap T with the vowel sound in that article, uh.

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Wait a minute.

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Wait a moment.

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Wait a second.

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Can you hear that linking?

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Let's move on to some B2 phrases, and I told you at the beginning that these phrases are more upper intermediate,

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but still commonly used in conversational English.

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And the first be to phrase that I want to teach you is to make matters worse.

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And you could really use this phrase with to or without to.

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Without to, it means to make the situation even more unpleasant or difficult.

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And really you would use this when advising someone.

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I could say, be careful or you could make matters worse.

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dangerous as this is, involving the NYPD can make matters worse.

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When we used to with this phrase, it's used to say that something has made a bad or difficult situation even worse.

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So we would say the bad situation, and then add to make matters worse, and finally add the thing that,

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well, made the situation worse.

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So, I could say, schools are overcrowded, and to make matters worse, many teachers plan to retire next year.

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She's unjustifiably arrogant about loop quantum gravity.

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Make matters worse, she's often mean to me.

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that schwa sound, it's a very slight, soft sound.

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And once again, I am gonna pronounce those T's in matters as a flap T, to make matters worse.

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Say it with me to make matters worse.

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Good.

188

Then there's the phrase "run into." This is a phrasal verb that actually has two meanings.

189

The first one is to drive a vehicle into an object or into a person in another vehicle by accident.

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And mostly when you use this, you are talking about cars, but not always if you run into someone or run into something.

191

It also means to meet someone when you are not expecting it.

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So you are out somewhere on the street, and you run into a friend and it was not planned.

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Let's look at some memes and jokes using this phrase, so you can see how it's used in context.

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I like this first one.

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My girlfriend ran into her fitness instructor while on vacation.

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small world Yeah, I don't know if they just ran into each other and it was unexpected.

197

Anyway, the next one: "He ran into my knife ten times." So yes, this is a joke.

198

I don't think anybody wants to run into a knife.

199

Once again, mostly you would use this when talking about cars and you run into someone or run into something.

200

And then: "I ran into my ex today.

201

I was so excited I backed up the car and hit him again." you ran into your ex like you unexpectedly met,

202

but then really it's referring to actually hitting this person with their car.

203

When pronouncing this phrase, more linking will occur.

204

We can link the final consonant sound in run with the beginning vowel sound in into,

205

run into, to run into someone or to run into something.

206

Then we have the phrase from out of nowhere, or we could just say out of nowhere.

207

This means very suddenly or unexpectedly.

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an adverb phrase that you would use to give more information or even add emphasis.

209

And often, you're going to use this phrase with the verb come.

210

I could say, the horse came out of nowhere to win the race.

211

Or the flying object appeared from out of nowhere, and it just appeared suddenly.

212

For pronunciation, the final T in out, I am going to pronounce it as a flap T,

213

and then I can link that in "of," out of, out of nowhere.

214

Just listen for that flap T and linking.

215

"A business man and a woman little dog came out of nowhere

216

and forced him onto what..." "And right before he's about to throw the first punch, Katie comes out of nowhere, steps right between us,

217

and starts screaming the lyrics to Hotel California." Next is the phrase "neither nor,"

218

and you can use this phrase to talk about two or more things that are not true.

219

I could say, "I'm I have neither the time nor inclination to get involved in someone else's drama.

220

And this is a little bit of a collocation to have neither something nor inclination to do something.

221

An inclination is just referring to your desire.

222

So I could say that I have neither the time nor inclination, or I have neither the resources nor inclination,

223

or I have neither the energy nor inclination to do something.

224

Let's look at some more news headlines so you can see how this phrase is used in context.

225

Neither the US nor China seem intent on meaningful diplomacy.

226

Despite interests, neither students nor employers favor skills over a college degree.

227

neither science nor religion support overturning Roe.

228

And in case you're wondering, this is referring to the court case in the United States, Roe v.

229

Wade, which has to do with abortion.

230

When it comes to pronouncing this phrase, I think it's pretty simple and straightforward.

231

You're just gonna say both of these words, neither nor.

232

Neither something, nor something else.

233

Neither nor.

234

On top of something.

235

This phrase means in addition to something,

236

especially something say something unpleasant and then use this phrase and follow it with a That.

237

We missed our bus.

238

And on top of that, the next one we took had mechanical problems.

239

My girlfriend's dead!

240

And on top of that, it's that time in late summer before football starts and there's no basketball.

241

We're going to make your clients whole.

242

I check for the 46 and change right now.

243

And on top of that, We'll give you another 46K to cover your expenses.

244

I know basically nothing about Vietnamese cuisine.

245

And on top of that, I got COVID a few months ago, and I lost my sense of smell and taste.

246

For pronunciation, surprise, surprise, more linking may occur.

247

We can link the final consonant sound in top with the beginning vowel sound in of.

248

top of on top of something and then we have the ladder this means near

249

or towards the end of something and that's really the meaning of ladder

250

but because we're talking about something specific we're going to use this with the article the the ladder

251

and there are some useful collocations with this phrase we can

252

talk about the latter part of something construction will begin in the latter during the latter part of the match.

253

I could also talk about the latter half of something.

254

I was born in the latter half of the 20th century.

255

Or the latter half of the movie was much more captivating.

256

For pronunciation, there are two things, because I've already mentioned the strong and weak the.

257

In this case, we're going to use that weak the with the schwa sound,

258

because the next word begins You will hear me pronounce those T's as a flat T.

259

The latter.

260

The latter part of something, the latter half of something.

261

Now for a little review.

262

And I am warning you in advance that I am going to use many of these phrases just to reinforce the meaning.

263

And on top of that, some people think that building vocabulary, it's just not that important.

264

And I completely disagree.

265

And to be honest, It even makes me a little angry.

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And I have to tell myself, "Wait a second, Wes, You need to calm down, take it easy.

267

And of course, I'm hopeful that in the end,

268

people will realize how important and valuable it is to build your vocabulary the same way you realize how important it is.

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And therefore, you will continue to improve your English fluency.

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So I got to wrap things up here.

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And look, There's no need to make a face.

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I'm sure that's the last thing that you want to hear.

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But I'm confident that we will run into each other again very soon, and we will especially if you watch another video lesson.

274

If you enjoyed the lesson and learned something new, please hit that like button.

275

As always, thank you so much for watching, and I will see you next time. So long.

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Context & Background

In the video titled "Upper-Intermediate Phrases (B1 + B2) You Definitely Need to Know," the speaker aims to equip English learners with essential phrases for better communication. The focus is on commonly used phrases that enhance fluency and can be easily integrated into daily conversations. By breaking down each phrase's meaning and context, along with pronunciation tips, the speaker helps learners improve their spoken English in a way that mimics natural, native speech.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

In advance: This phrase means before a specific time or event. For example, "We should prepare the presentation in advance." It's often used to indicate preparation.
Take it easy: This can mean to relax or calm down. You might say, "When I'm on vacation, I like to take it easy," or, "Take it easy, you need to calm down."
Book in advance: It's important for ensuring you have a reservation or plan set up ahead of time. For instance, "We are booked months in advance."
Take things easy: Similar to "take it easy," this phrase implies a slower, relaxed approach. Say, "My doctor advised me to take things easy.
Nothing for you: Used to communicate there is no information or assistance available. For example, "I've got nothing for you."

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively incorporate the phrases you've learned, a shadow speak approach can be highly beneficial. Follow this step-by-step guide to improve your English pronunciation:

Watch the Video: Play the video and listen carefully to the pronunciation and intonation of each phrase.
Pause and Repeat: After hearing a phrase, pause the video and repeat it out loud. Focus on mimicking the speaker’s rhythm and intonation.
Use a Shadowing App: Utilize a shadowing app that allows you to record yourself. This will help you compare your pronunciation with that of the speaker.
Practice Daily: Incorporate these phrases into your daily English speaking practice. Create sentences using these phrases to become comfortable with them.
Engage in Conversations: Make a conscious effort to use these phrases in real-life situations. Engaging in conversations where you can apply what you’ve learned will help solidify your skills.

By following these steps, you'll not only improve your pronunciation but also gain confidence in using essential phrases in everyday conversations. Don't forget to enjoy the process of learning and keep practicing regularly!

Grammar in this video

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

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was planned · is referred · is often reduced
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	You've given · has been · haven't seen
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	phrases, which are · English, which is · someone who likes

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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