Vocabulary practice · Episode 32

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 17 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 come across

to be perceived or understood in a particular way by others; to create a specific impression

Nuance: How we come across is different from who we are — and in a second language the gap is often wide. Learners often come across as formal, cold, or flat simply because they lack the vocabulary to project their real personality.

She has a great sense of humour, but in English she comes across as quite serious.

The goal is not perfect grammar — it is to come across the way you really are.

Expression 2

a personality

the combination of characteristics, emotions, ways of speaking, and attitudes that make a person unique

Nuance: Personality in English is more than character — it includes humour, timing, warmth, wit. Language learners often feel their full personality disappears in their second language and they become a 'simpler version' of themselves.

Her personality shines through even in her second language — that is true fluency.

Getting your personality across in English is harder than being grammatically correct.

Expression 3

to sound like yourself

to speak in a way that reflects your real identity, humour, values, and way of seeing the world — not a scripted or filtered version of you

Nuance: Sounding like yourself is the ultimate goal beyond fluency — it is the moment your second language becomes a true medium for your identity, not just a tool for information.

You know you have mastered a language when you sound like yourself in it.

She doesn't just speak English well — she sounds like herself. That's the difference.

Expression 4

a filtered version

a reduced or altered version of yourself that has had parts removed — usually spontaneity, humour, emotion, or cultural references

Nuance: The filtered version is what many learners feel they are in their second language — safe, correct, but not fully themselves. Recognising this gap is the first step to closing it.

In English, I feel like I am presenting a filtered version of myself — all the wit has been removed.

As your vocabulary grows, the filtered version disappears and the real you starts to emerge.

Expression 5

to drop the mask

to stop pretending or performing and allow your true self to be seen — to be authentic

Nuance: Dropping the mask is the goal of advanced English communication — not performing a role, but being genuinely yourself. For language learners, the mask is often the 'textbook voice': formal, careful, unnatural. Dropping it means taking the risk of sounding imperfect but real.

The more comfortable you become in English, the easier it is to drop the mask and just be yourself.

She dropped the mask during the interview and spoke naturally — and that is exactly what got her the job.

Expression 6

to be at ease

to feel relaxed, comfortable, and free from tension in a situation

Nuance: Being at ease in English is the end goal — not just understanding the language, but feeling comfortable using it. You are at ease when you stop monitoring every word and simply communicate.

You know your English is progressing when you start to feel at ease in conversations that used to terrify you.

The trick is to create low-stakes situations where you can practise being at ease — then it transfers to high-stakes moments.

Expression 7

to loosen up

to become less tense, stiff, or serious — to relax physically or in behaviour and begin acting more naturally

Nuance: Loosening up is what happens between the first five awkward minutes of an English conversation and the moment when you start to flow. It is a process, not a decision — but knowing it will come helps you to wait it out.

Give yourself the first few minutes to loosen up — once the stiffness leaves, the conversation will improve fast.

He told himself to loosen up, took a breath, made a small joke, and the whole room relaxed.

Expression 8

a relaxed delivery

the quality of speaking in a calm, unhurried, and natural way — without sounding tense or over-prepared

Nuance: Relaxed delivery is what separates natural-sounding English from textbook English. You can have perfect grammar but if your delivery is tense, you sound unnatural. A relaxed delivery means the listener focuses on what you say, not how nervous you are.

Work on a relaxed delivery: slow down slightly, breathe between sentences, and let the pauses do their work.

She noticed that native speakers had a relaxed delivery even when discussing complex topics — and she started to copy it.

Expression 9

to tone it down

to reduce the intensity, volume, or formality of what you are saying or how you are saying it

Nuance: Toning it down is about register — matching the energy and formality of what you say to the situation. In English, over-formal language in a casual situation, or high emotion in a professional context, both signal a mismatch. Learning to tone it down is part of communicative competence.

If you are speaking to a friend, tone it down — you do not need formal English for every conversation.

She realised her English was too intense for small talk and learned to tone it down for casual moments.

Expression 10

your true self

the real, authentic version of who you are — the person behind the performance or the role

Nuance: Your true self in English is the version that emerges once you stop performing fluency and start actually communicating. It takes time to access in a second language, but every moment of real expression gets you closer to it.

When you speak from your true self — even imperfectly — people connect with you far more than with polished but hollow English.

She realised her true self in English was actually warmer and funnier than the formal version she had been performing.

Expression 11

the inner listener

The self-conscious part of you that monitors and judges how you sound.

Nuance: A metaphor from the episode, not a fixed technical term.

The inner listener can make every sentence feel like a test.

Ignore your inner listener and focus on the conversation.

Expression 12

connection over control

Prioritising genuine communication instead of trying to control every detail.

Nuance: The pattern X over Y means choosing X as the more important value.

Choose connection over control when you speak English.

Good presenters value connection over perfect delivery.

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