Vocabulary practice · Episode 48

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 31 min + dynamic ads5 PDF versions available
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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

a false friend

a word in a foreign language that looks or sounds similar to a word in your native language but has a completely different meaning

Nuance: A word that looks familiar across languages but has a different meaning; always verify it in context.

In English, 'sensible' means 'reasonable' — not 'sensitive'. This is a classic false friend for many learners.

Once you know a false friend, you will never forget it — they are unforgettable precisely because they tricked you once.

Expression 2

to get mixed up

to confuse two things, people, or ideas and mistake one for the other; to become confused or disoriented

Nuance: Get mixed up is natural and informal — it happens to every learner and to native speakers too. The key is to notice when you are getting mixed up and treat it as information, not failure.

It's easy to get mixed up between 'lend' and 'borrow' — they are mirror images of each other.

She got mixed up between 'affect' and 'effect' for years, but now she has a trick that always works.

Expression 3

to trip you up

to cause you to make an error or become confused, often unexpectedly

Nuance: Trip you up is the phrasal verb for a hidden difficulty that causes an error. A word that looks familiar but means something different in English will trip you up if you do not check it.

False friends will trip you up if you assume familiar-looking words have the same meaning in English.

That word tripped her up in the exam because it looked exactly like a word in her first language.

Expression 4

deceptive

appearing to be one thing while actually being something different — misleading in a subtle way

Nuance: The word looks honest but misleads. In language learning, deceptive vocabulary is the most dangerous because your confidence works against you — the more familiar a word looks, the more likely you are to assume you know it.

The most deceptive words in English are those that look exactly like words in your language but mean something completely different.

She found English vocabulary deceptive at first — so many words looked familiar but behaved differently.

Expression 5

to look up a word

to search for the meaning, pronunciation, or usage of a word in a dictionary or reference

Nuance: Look up a word is the action that separates passive confusion from active learning. The moment you look up a word, its context is fresh and memorable. The habit of immediately looking up unfamiliar words — especially deceptive ones — is one of the highest-return vocabulary habits.

Whenever a word looks familiar but feels slightly wrong, look it up — do not trust the assumption.

She looked up every word she was not one hundred percent sure about and gradually her errors reduced.

Expression 6

to double-check

to verify something a second time to make sure it is correct — especially when in doubt

Nuance: Double-check is the habit of verification. In language use, you double-check: a word you are not sure about, the meaning of a phrase that seems off, the spelling of a word before sending. Developing the double-check habit prevents confident errors — which are worse than uncertain ones.

When you are not sure whether a word means what you think, double-check before using it.

She always double-checked words that looked like her native language before including them in writing.

Expression 7

word choice

the selection of specific words to express a meaning — especially the decision between words that seem similar but have different connotations

Nuance: Word choice is the difference between accurate English and natural English. Two words can have the same dictionary meaning but different feelings. 'Slim' and 'thin' both describe a body shape, but one is a compliment and the other may not be. Word choice is where real fluency lives.

Good word choice is what separates competent English from natural English — the right word in the right moment.

She realised her word choice was making her sound rude when she actually meant to be direct.

Expression 8

an assumption

something you accept as true without checking or verifying, based on what seems familiar or logical

Nuance: You see a word, assume you know it, and use it incorrectly. Catching your own assumptions in language learning is a metacognitive skill — and it is one of the most valuable things you can develop.

The most dangerous thing in language learning is a confident assumption — it is the error you do not know you are making.

She had been making an incorrect assumption about the word for twenty years until she looked it up.

Expression 9

to be aware of something

to have knowledge or understanding of a fact or situation — especially one that could affect your learning or performance

Nuance: Be aware of is slightly more formal than 'know about' — it implies active consciousness, not passive knowledge. In language learning, being aware of your own patterns — errors, habits, strengths — is the prerequisite for changing them.

Be aware of the false friends in your language pair — knowing they exist is half the battle.

She became more aware of her own error patterns after recording herself and listening back.

Expression 10

to transfer

to apply a skill, knowledge, or pattern from one context to another — especially from your first language into English

Nuance: Transfer is the cognitive process that both helps and hinders language learning. Positive transfer occurs when your first language and English work the same way. Negative transfer (interference) happens when you apply a pattern from your first language that does not work in English.

Transfer from your first language can help or hurt — the key is knowing when to trust it and when to check.

She realised she was transferring word order from her first language into English, which explained a recurring error.

Expression 11

word order

The usual position of words and phrases within a sentence.

Nuance: English and Farsi organise sentence elements differently, so literal transfer can sound unnatural.

English word order normally places the verb before the object.

Changing the word order changed the emphasis.

Expression 12

to throw the verb forward

To move the verb earlier in an English sentence than a Farsi speaker may expect.

Nuance: An informal teaching metaphor used in the episode.

Throw the verb forward instead of waiting until the end.

She threw the verb forward and the sentence became clearer.

Expression 13

the W sound

The consonant sound at the beginning of words such as water and window.

Nuance: It is made by rounding the lips; it should not become a V sound.

Round your lips to produce the W sound.

We practised the W sound with wine and vine.

Expression 14

the TH sound

The English consonant made with the tongue lightly between the teeth.

Nuance: It may be voiced as in this or unvoiced as in think.

Let the tongue show slightly for the TH sound.

The TH sound can feel unfamiliar at first.

Expression 15

to distinguish between sounds

To notice and produce the difference between two sounds.

Nuance: Distinguish between is followed by the two alternatives being compared.

Train your ear to distinguish between W and V.

Many learners struggle to distinguish between ship and sheep.

Expression 16

to rely on context

To use surrounding information to understand an unfamiliar word or sentence.

Nuance: Rely is followed by on.

Do not translate every word; rely on context first.

We relied on context to understand the joke.

Expression 17

language transfer

The influence of patterns from one language on the use of another.

Nuance: Transfer can be positive when structures match and negative when they differ.

Language transfer explains some predictable Farsi-English errors.

Positive language transfer can accelerate learning.

Expression 18

to retrain your mouth

To practise new movements until unfamiliar pronunciation becomes automatic.

Nuance: A teaching metaphor combining physical practice and habit formation.

Slow repetition helps retrain your mouth.

She retrained her mouth to produce the new vowel.

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