C2 Mastery: Comprehending Rapid, Idiomatic, and Colloquial Speech
Welcome! In this lesson, we will tackle English at its most natural and challenging: understanding rapid, idiomatic, and colloquial speech1. This is the language of close friends, comedies, and fast-paced movies.
Very Important: To hear this type of language used authentically, this lesson requires a pre-recorded audio file of human speakers. A computer cannot naturally use slang or idioms. Please use the audio player below.
1. The Challenge of 'Real' English
The English you hear in the real world is often very different from the English in textbooks. It's faster and full of phrases whose meanings cannot be understood from the individual words. The key is to listen for the overall meaning of the phrase and use the context to understand it.
2. Practice Dialogue: "Catching Up"
Let's practice. You will hear a fast, informal conversation between two old friends, Anna and Ben. The dialogue is full of idioms. Listen once to get the gist, then we will break down the difficult phrases.
Listen to the dialogue:
3. Decoding the Idioms
That was fast and full of non-literal language! Let's look at the transcript and define the key phrases.
Anna: "Ben! Wow, long time no see! What have you been up to?"
Ben: "Anna! I know, it's been ages. I've been so snowed under at work. My boss is really breathing down my neck about this new project."
Anna: "Oh, no. That sounds tough. You should take a break."
Ben: "Tell me about it. But hey, enough about me. Spill the beans! I heard you're getting married?"
Anna: "Yes! He popped the question last month. I'm over the moon!"
Ben: "That's fantastic news! We have to celebrate properly soon."
Anna: "Definitely. I'll give you a call."
Ben: "Sounds good. Don't be a stranger!"
- Snowed under: (Idiom) To have a huge amount of work to do; to be overwhelmed.
- Breathing down my neck: (Idiom) To watch someone's work too closely in an annoying, critical way.
- Spill the beans: (Idiom) To tell a secret or share interesting news.
- Popped the question: (Idiom) To ask someone to marry you.
- Over the moon: (Idiom) To be extremely happy and delighted.
- Don't be a stranger: (Idiom) Keep in touch; don't wait a long time to contact me again.
Homework Task
1. Idiom Hunt in Sitcoms: Watch an episode of a modern English-language sitcom (like 'Friends', 'The Office', or 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'). These shows are filled with idioms and colloquial language. Try to identify three idioms, guess their meaning from the context, and then look them up online to see if you were right.
2. Learn and Use: Choose one idiom from today's lesson that you like. Your challenge is to try and use it in a real conversation (with an English-speaking friend) this week. Using new language is the best way to make it part of your own vocabulary.
Vocabulary Glossary
- Idiomatic and Colloquial Speech (phrase) - [Khmer: ការនិយាយបែបវោហារស័ព្ទ និង ភាសានិយាយ] - A style of speaking that is informal and uses many idioms, common in everyday conversation between native speakers. ↩
- Idiom (noun) - [Khmer: សំនួនវោហារ] - An expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its individual words (e.g., "it's raining cats and dogs"). ↩