Vocabulary practice · Episode 85

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 8 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

passive knowledge

language that you can understand when you hear or read it but cannot yet produce actively in speaking or writing

Nuance: Passive knowledge is the first stage of language acquisition — you understand far more than you can say. Most learners have a huge passive vocabulary that needs to be converted to active knowledge through speaking practice.

You have passive knowledge of most English you have heard — the challenge is activating it.

She understood English films perfectly but couldn't speak — a classic case of passive knowledge awaiting activation.

Expression 2

to activate your vocabulary

to move words and phrases from passive understanding into active use — making them available for speaking and writing, not just comprehension

Nuance: Activating vocabulary is the critical step that most learners skip — they understand everything but cannot say it. The bridge from passive to active is output practice: speaking, writing, teaching others.

You activate vocabulary through output, not input — speak, write, explain, and the passive becomes active.

This episode is designed specifically to help you activate vocabulary you already understand passively.

Expression 3

to put into practice

to actually use knowledge or a skill in a real situation — rather than just knowing it theoretically

Nuance: Put into practice is the application phrase. In language learning, the gap between knowing a rule or word and being able to use it fluently is bridged only through active, real-world use. 'I know this word but I never put it into practice' describes the passive knowledge problem. Putting language into practice means speaking, writing, making mistakes, and correcting them — not just reviewing notes.

Put new vocabulary into practice within twenty-four hours of learning it — use it or lose it.

She started a speaking partner programme specifically to put into practice the vocabulary she had learned from the podcast.

Expression 4

to look something up

to search for information about a word, phrase, or topic — in a dictionary, online, or another reference source

Nuance: Look something up is the research phrasal verb. For language learners, looking words up is one of the core study habits. Key nuances: looking up a word in a dictionary gives definition and pronunciation; looking it up in context gives natural usage examples. The habit of looking up unfamiliar words encountered in reading and listening — rather than skipping them — is a high-yield vocabulary strategy.

Look up new words in context not just in a dictionary — seeing how they are used matters more than the definition.

She kept a notebook beside her whenever she listened to English podcasts and looked up every unfamiliar word the same day.

Expression 5

a vocabulary gap

a word or expression that you understand when you encounter it but cannot produce independently when you need it

Nuance: Vocabulary gap is the passive-active divide concept. It describes the common situation where a learner has many words in their passive vocabulary — words they recognise — that are not yet in their active vocabulary — words they can use spontaneously. Closing vocabulary gaps means deliberately moving words from passive recognition to active production through targeted use and rehearsal.

Identify your vocabulary gaps by noticing what you want to say but cannot — then study those words specifically.

She discovered a vocabulary gap around business negotiation English and spent two weeks studying and practising exactly those phrases.

Expression 6

to use language in context

to employ words and structures in real, meaningful situations — rather than practising them in isolation from a textbook

Nuance: Use language in context is the communicative learning principle. Context is what gives language meaning. Learning words in isolation — memorising lists — is far less effective than encountering and using words in natural communicative situations: conversations, podcasts, films, real reading, and authentic writing tasks. Context is what makes the language stick.

Always learn new words in a sentence, not in isolation — context is what makes them memorable.

She improved much faster once she stopped studying isolated vocabulary lists and started using language in context through real conversations.

Expression 7

to recall

to bring a word, fact, or memory back to mind — to successfully retrieve information from memory when you need it

Nuance: Recall is the memory retrieval verb. In language learning, recall is the final test: not just recognising a word when you see it but being able to produce it independently in the right moment. Active recall — testing yourself rather than just re-reading — is one of the most research-supported vocabulary learning techniques. The question to ask is not 'do I know this word?' but 'can I recall it when I need it?'

Test yourself by trying to recall words without looking — recognition is not the same as recall.

She could recognise hundreds of words in reading but found she could not recall them spontaneously in conversation, which showed her the gap in her learning.

Expression 8

to expand your vocabulary

to deliberately increase the range of words and phrases you can use — through study, reading, listening, and active practice

Nuance: Expand your vocabulary is the language growth phrase. It is the meta-goal of most vocabulary learning activities. In English learning, expanding vocabulary is never purely about quantity — 5,000 words used fluently beats 15,000 known passively. The most effective expansion happens through: comprehensible input (reading and listening at a slightly challenging level), active recall, and deliberate use in output.

Expand your vocabulary by reading widely — fiction and non-fiction both, at a level slightly above your comfort zone.

She set a goal to expand her vocabulary by learning ten new words every week and tracking her progress in a dedicated notebook.

Expression 9

to make progress

to move forward and improve — to get closer to a goal over time through sustained effort

Nuance: Make progress is the improvement recognition phrase. It is one of the most motivating phrases in language learning — recognising that you are moving forward, even if slowly. 'I'm making progress' is both an observation and a motivation. In language learning, progress is often non-linear: plateaus are followed by breakthroughs. The key is to keep the feedback mechanism working: regular output, regular feedback, regular reflection.

Making progress requires both effort and patience — the two cannot be substituted for each other.

She looked back at her first attempts to speak English and was moved by how much progress she had made in two years.

Expression 10

to review your notes

to read back through notes you have taken in order to reinforce learning — ideally shortly after the initial study session and again at spaced intervals

Nuance: Review your notes is the consolidation study habit. Research on memory retention consistently shows that reviewing notes — especially at spaced intervals — dramatically improves long-term retention compared to a single study session. For language learners, reviewing notes means re-encountering words in the context you originally recorded them, which is more effective than re-reading a word list. 'Review your notes' is both practical advice and a core vocabulary learning strategy.

Review your notes within twenty-four hours of a lesson — waiting a week means starting from nearly zero.

She made a habit of reviewing her notes every Sunday evening and found that far more words stayed with her as a result.

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