Vocabulary practice · Episode 19

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–B2Everyday EnglishAbout 10 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

step by step

little by little, calmly

Nuance: paints a picture: walking, moving forward, no rush.

Fluency is built step by step, not overnight.

I’m building my confidence step by step.

Expression 2

to keep going

to continue doing something despite tiredness, doubt, or difficulty — to not stop

Nuance: Keep going is the simplest and most powerful instruction in language learning. Not keep going perfectly, not keep going when motivated — just keep going. Movement, even slow movement, beats stopping every time.

When everything feels too hard, just keep going — even one sentence a day is forward motion.

The only difference between learners who succeed and those who do not is that the successful ones kept going.

Expression 3

out loud

Using your voice so that the words can be heard, rather than saying or reading them silently.

Nuance: Out loud and aloud have the same core meaning, but out loud is more common in everyday conversation.

Say the word out loud exactly as you heard it.

Reading the dialogue out loud helps you notice its rhythm.

Expression 4

shadowing

a technique where you listen to speech and repeat it immediately, copying rhythm, melody, and timing

Nuance: Also called 'the mirror tool' in this episode; the goal is to copy the sound pattern, not just the words.

Shadowing helped Carlos stop freezing when native speakers talked fast.

Try shadowing a ten-second clip three times: slow, natural, then quicker.

Expression 5

confidence

belief in your own ability; the feeling that you can do something well

Nuance: Confidence in language learning is built through repetition and small successes — it grows, not given. Speaking slowly and correctly builds more confidence than speaking fast and wrong.

Each time you shadow correctly, your confidence grows a little more.

Real confidence comes from preparing well, not from pretending to know more than you do.

Expression 6

to question something

to express doubt about whether something is true, right, or justified — to not accept it without examination

Nuance: Question is the core verb of critical thinking. It does not mean to be negative or aggressive — it means to not accept automatically. The best English learners question the grammar rules they are taught: is this always true? Are there exceptions? What is the logic?

Critical thinking starts with a simple habit: question what you are told before you accept it.

She questioned the grammar rule she had learned for years and discovered there were important exceptions.

Expression 7

passive learning

Learning by receiving information without actively producing, retrieving or applying it.

Nuance: Listening and reading can be valuable, but they become passive when the learner never responds or creates.

Too much passive learning kept his speaking weak.

Turn passive learning into practice by explaining the idea aloud.

Expression 8

to break free

To escape from a restriction, habit or situation that is holding you back.

Nuance: A vivid phrasal verb used literally and metaphorically.

The episode shows three ways to break free from learning traps.

She broke free from the habit of waiting for perfection.

Expression 9

in your own words

Using your personal way of expressing an idea rather than copying the original wording.

Nuance: A highly useful learning instruction: explain or summarise something in your own words.

How can I say this in my own words?

Summarise the lesson in your own words.

Expression 10

waiting for the perfect moment

Delaying action until conditions feel completely ideal.

Nuance: Usually presented critically because the ideal moment may never arrive.

Waiting for the perfect moment keeps many learners silent.

Stop waiting for the perfect moment and begin with one sentence.

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