Vocabulary practice · Episode 14

Review the useful expressions from the episode

Study the episode’s central expressions with English definitions, nuance and examples, plus reviewed support-language versions where available.

B1–B2VocabularyAbout 12 min + dynamic ads5 PDF versions available
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A short study session

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  1. Choose one expression. Read its definition, nuance and examples.
  2. Make it yours. Write one true sentence from your own life.
  3. Return to the episode. Listen for the expression in its original context.

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Vocabulary from the episode

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Expression 1

to pick something up

to learn a skill, language, or habit naturally over time, without formal study

Nuance: Pick up is the opposite of formal drilling — it describes the effortless absorption that happens through exposure, conversation, and experience.

She picked up French just by living in Paris for six months.

Children pick up their first language without any grammar lessons at all.

Expression 2

to overcome

To succeed in controlling or defeating a difficulty, fear or barrier.

Nuance: More emotional than solve: it suggests courage and progress through resistance.

She overcame her fear of speaking.

Small successes helped him overcome perfectionism.

Expression 3

get stuck

To become unable to continue or make progress.

Nuance: Common informal expression for a mental, practical or physical blockage.

Where you get stuck, that is not failure.

If you get stuck, wait a few seconds before checking.

Expression 4

to refine

to improve something by making small, precise adjustments — moving from good to excellent

Nuance: Refine is the word for advanced improvement. Once you have reached a basic level, the work becomes refinement: removing errors, adding precision, smoothing delivery. Refining your English is what happens between B2 and C1 — it is not about learning more, but about using what you know more precisely.

Refine your English by focusing on the small differences that make it sound native rather than merely correct.

She had spent years learning English and was now refining it — every improvement was subtle but significant.

Expression 5

to try out

To test a method, idea or object to see how well it works.

Nuance: An informal phrasal verb that makes experimentation sound light and low-pressure.

I tried out a new shadowing app.

Try out the phrase in your next conversation.

Expression 6

to slow down

to reduce your speed or pace; to move, think, or speak more deliberately and without rushing

Nuance: Slowing down is harder than speeding up — it requires intention. In English learning, slowing down your listening or speaking reveals details you miss when rushing.

Slow down when you speak — clarity matters more than speed.

The podcast is designed to help you slow down and actually absorb the English around you.

Expression 7

to figure something out

to find the answer to a problem or understand something through thinking or experience

Nuance: Figure out is more informal and active than 'understand' — it implies effort and discovery. You don't just receive the answer; you work it out yourself. Perfect for describing the learning process.

You don't need to study every grammar rule — your brain will figure most of it out on its own.

It took me weeks to figure out how to use 'yet' naturally in conversation.

Expression 8

to deal with

To manage, face or take action on a problem, task or emotion.

Nuance: Very common in spoken English; it is practical rather than dramatic.

I am learning to deal with accent anxiety.

How do you deal with unexpected changes?

Expression 9

to embrace

to accept something fully and with enthusiasm — rather than reluctantly tolerating it

Nuance: Embrace is the wholehearted acceptance verb. Unlike 'accept' which can be passive or resigned, embrace implies actively choosing and valuing something. For language learners, embracing your accent means not treating it as a problem to be solved but as a feature — part of your identity. In English-speaking contexts, non-native accents are overwhelmingly accepted when the speaker communicates clearly.

Embrace your accent as part of your identity — clarity matters more than sounding native.

She stopped trying to eliminate her accent and embraced it as part of who she was — and her confidence immediately improved.

Expression 10

to set up

To organise or prepare something so it is ready to be used.

Nuance: A practical spoken alternative to prepare; it often takes a space, system, account or plan.

I set up my study space before practising.

Let us set up a realistic weekly plan.

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