Vocabulary practice · Episode 65

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 23 min + dynamic ads5 PDF versions available
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  1. Choose one expression. Read its definition, nuance and examples.
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  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 jump to conclusions

to form a judgment or opinion before you have all the necessary evidence — to decide too quickly without thinking properly

Nuance: Jumping to conclusions is a cognitive trap — the brain takes shortcuts to save energy. In English listening, jumping to conclusions about a word you think you heard can derail comprehension of the whole sentence.

Don't jump to conclusions when you mishear a word — wait for the context to fill the gap.

He jumped to conclusions about what she meant and replied to the wrong question entirely.

Expression 2

slow thinking

deliberate, careful, effortful reasoning — the second of Daniel Kahneman's two thinking systems, used for complex decisions and careful analysis

Nuance: Slow thinking (Kahneman's System 2) is what you use when you work through a grammar rule, write a careful email, or plan an argument. English learners benefit from practising both: fast thinking for conversation, slow thinking for writing and accuracy.

Slow thinking is what you use to proofread an email — fast thinking is what you use in a live conversation.

The best English learners know when to use slow thinking and when to trust their fast thinking.

Expression 3

to challenge your assumptions

to question the beliefs or expectations you hold — especially those you have not examined consciously

Nuance: Challenge your assumptions is the critical thinking imperative. In English, this phrase is used in professional, academic, and personal development contexts. It means not accepting your first interpretation as automatically correct — pausing to ask: am I sure? What evidence do I have? Could I be wrong?

Good communicators challenge their assumptions before acting — they ask 'what if I am wrong?'

She challenged her assumption that her accent was holding her back and discovered it had never been the issue.

Expression 4

confirmation bias

the tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms what you already believe

Nuance: Confirmation bias is the most well-known cognitive bias. It explains why two people can read the same article and both come away feeling it confirmed their existing view. In language learning, it manifests as learners who believe they will 'never get it' noticing only their errors, not their progress.

Confirmation bias makes us remember our mistakes more than our successes — counter it actively.

She realised her confirmation bias had led her to believe her English was not improving when in fact it was.

Expression 5

to read between the lines

to understand an implied or unstated meaning — to perceive what someone means beyond what they have literally said

Nuance: Read between the lines is the comprehension skill for indirect communication. In English-speaking contexts — particularly British English — speakers often imply rather than state directly. Learning to read between the lines means learning to understand what 'that's interesting' or 'I'll think about it' or 'not bad' really mean in context.

In English social interaction, reading between the lines is as important as understanding the literal words.

She learned to read between the lines in British conversations — 'quite good' often means 'disappointing'.

Expression 6

to take things at face value

to accept things as they appear without looking for hidden meaning or questioning further

Nuance: Take things at face value is the uncritical acceptance verb. Sometimes taking things at face value is appropriate — not everything has a hidden agenda. But in situations requiring critical thinking, taking things at face value means missing the subtext, the implication, or the deeper truth.

Do not always take things at face value in English conversations — tone and implication carry as much meaning as words.

She used to take everything at face value until a British colleague explained that 'we should catch up' rarely means soon.

Expression 7

to make a snap judgement

to form an opinion quickly and without careful thought — often based on limited information

Nuance: Make a snap judgement is the cognitive bias behaviour. Snap judgements are fast, automatic, and often wrong — especially across cultural and linguistic lines. English learners are often the targets of snap judgements (about intelligence, education, or intention) made on the basis of accent or grammar. Recognising this is the first step to not making them yourself.

Avoid making snap judgements about someone's intelligence based on their accent or grammar errors.

She made a snap judgement about the presentation before it had even started and was completely wrong.

Expression 8

to keep an open mind

to remain willing to consider new information, perspectives, or ideas — not closing off possibilities prematurely

Nuance: Keep an open mind is the antidote to confirmation bias and snap judgements. It does not mean having no opinions — it means holding opinions loosely, being willing to update them. In language learning, keeping an open mind about method, accent, and self-assessment is what separates those who plateau from those who keep growing.

Keep an open mind about your English level — you may be better than you think.

She kept an open mind about different learning methods and found that listening worked far better than drilling.

Expression 9

to weigh up the evidence

to carefully consider available facts and information before reaching a conclusion

Nuance: Weigh up the evidence is the deliberate reasoning phrase. It implies taking time, looking at both sides, and not acting on impulse. In communication and decision-making, people who weigh up the evidence are seen as measured, trustworthy, and credible — the opposite of those who jump to conclusions.

Before giving your opinion in English, weigh up the evidence — a thoughtful pause makes your response more credible.

She always weighed up the evidence carefully before making a claim, which made her arguments much stronger.

Expression 10

to bear something in mind

to remember and take into account a fact or consideration when making decisions or judgements

Nuance: Bear something in mind is the cognitive reminder verb. It is widely used in professional and everyday English to signal that something important should be factored into thinking. 'Bear in mind that...' is a polite, professional way of flagging a consideration without being directive.

Bear in mind that English is often more indirect than you might expect — especially in professional settings.

She bore in mind that her audience had different cultural backgrounds and chose her examples carefully.

Expression 11

System 1 thinking

Fast, automatic and intuitive mental processing.

Nuance: A term popularised by Daniel Kahneman; it is efficient but vulnerable to bias.

System 1 thinking gives an immediate answer.

Advertising often appeals to System 1.

Expression 12

System 2 thinking

Slow, deliberate and effortful mental processing.

Nuance: It is used for complex calculations, careful choices and checking intuition.

Use System 2 thinking before accepting the obvious answer.

The puzzle forced me into System 2 thinking.

Expression 13

the planning fallacy

The tendency to underestimate how long a future task will take.

Nuance: It persists even when previous similar tasks took longer.

The planning fallacy made us promise an impossible deadline.

Add extra time to protect against the planning fallacy.

Expression 14

the experiencing self

The part of a person that lives through events moment by moment.

Nuance: Contrasts with the remembering self, which later creates a story about the event.

The experiencing self notices pleasure and discomfort now.

Her experiencing self enjoyed the quiet walk.

Expression 15

the remembering self

The part of a person that evaluates and remembers an experience afterwards.

Nuance: Memories are strongly influenced by peaks and endings.

The remembering self turned the trip into one coherent story.

A strong ending pleased his remembering self.

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