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Speak English like a native speaker!Last Episode: Lesson 70: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsI still remember the day I decided to START OFF this project. During one of the sessions with my English teacher, I expressed my concern about not knowing the meaning of the most common idioms, slangs, and phrasal verbs. She suggested that I use them in sentences in order to memorize them and fully understand their meaning. An idea suddenly CAME TO my mind. How about, instead of writing a single sentence for every idiom, slang, and phrasal verb, I would make it more challenging and write different paragraphs using them all. At the same time, I felt like if...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 69: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsHer latest project had many LOOSE ENDS. She was half way there and had a lot to do before she FINISHED UP her book. Unfortunately, due to her horrible car accident on the i35 highway, she PASSED OUT and was severely hurt. Regrettably, Maria went into a coma. After a whole month, she CAME TO with shock. She couldn’t believe what she and her family have gone through. Following the doctor’s assessment and examination, they were able to LET HER OUT of the hospital with full guidance on how to deal with her situation and take care of hers...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 68: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsMy closest cousin EATS LIKE A PIG but is still as SKINNY AS A BEANPOLE. I’m happy for her. I really am. But what really frustrates me the most is that I look like a pig when I EAT LIKE BIRD. My situation is getting worse and I feel like things are GOING DOWNHILL for me since I keep PUTTING ON a few pounds every month. It is unfair. If you ask me about the one thing I would die to know it would be how some people get to enjoy any meal, whether healthy or not, and still be...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 67: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsThey advised her to compromise and WATER DOWN the issue, but she insisted that she will be GOING AFTER her heart’s desire. No one was able to CHANGE HER MIND. She thought it was best for her to leave the states and follow her dream of becoming an artist in India. This idea was abnormal and bizarre to everyone in her circle. Her family wanted to KEEP the dangers of living abroad by herself in a strange country AT BAY. Also, she knew that she could only recognize the TIP OF THE ICEBERG when it comes to all the ha...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 66: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsVictoria has recently been facing a hard time with her roommate Scarlett. Scarlett is disrespectful to the people she LIVES WITH. She would borrow things without asking and sometimes she would go to the extent of stealing from Victoria. She is so loud and talks so much that nobody could GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE. She leaves most of her stuff on the LEFT, RIGHT, AND CENTER of the house. She INVITES STRANGERS OVER without asking for permission or even notifying her roommates in advance. She also GETS ON VICTORIA’S CASE when it comes to paying the bills even th...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 65: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsThe group HAD A BONE TO PICK with James. He hasn’t been an effective team member ever since his relationship with his ex-girlfriend CAME TO AN END. James dated his ex-girlfriend for 15 years but a lot of negative things were GOING ON between them. James and his girlfriend reached a stage where they couldn’t GET TO THE BOTTOM OF things and had no idea what the main reason for their troubles, stresses, and anxiety was anymore. This led James to leave and reflect on the things he did right and wrong. The team tried to GET THEIR HEAD AROU...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 64: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsBecause her mother turned out to be a snake doesn’t mean we should TAR Pauline WITH THE SAME BRUSH. Pauline’s mother was a WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING, outwardly kind but inwardly vicious. She had cheated on, TOOK ADVANTAGE OF, and FAKED OUT her close friends for years. She hid her real malicious intent and pretended to be harmless. But in reality, she caused five dear friends to TURN INTO enemies, three couples to SPLIT UP, and two small businesses to CLOSE DOWN. Now Pauline is GETTING INTO DEEP WATER since everyone knows about her mother and her rotten...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 63: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsWhen we were teenagers we used TO LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY. We used to be reckless and love to take risks. We used to be impulsive and full of energy. Yes, we made a lot of mistakes, FOOLED AROUND, and messed things up. Our family and society were okay with that too. They didn’t judge us. They didn’t even give us the sense of being guilty or being responsible. But now, in our adulthood, things are totally different. The whole society STANDS AGAINST us once we hit 18 years old. They believe that we are grown-ups now...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 62: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsHaving SMALL TALK with you
Has always been my dream
I’ve wished I could SPILL THE BEANS
And feel like I am back to being fourteen
I wish I could trust you
And you could always be nearby
But it is unfortunate
That it might only happen WHEN PIGS FLY
I have to COUNT ON what my mom used to say
Because it is the only way
OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND
This is how she used to BACK me UP
So I can MOVE ON and RISE UP
I have to get away and try to forget
th...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 61: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsI have always been a RUN-OF-THE-MILL kind of person in life. I have never been excellent or bad in any subject at school. I was neither chosen to lead a sports team nor was I the last person to be picked to play for both teams. At college, I decided to pursue a business major which was considered a field for every average person. I wasn’t hired in a big tech company in Seattle nor did I work for a small office around the corner. I wasn’t the first person to get promoted nor was I the last one...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 60: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsKevin DREW A BLANK when he stood in front of the judges. He couldn’t remember any of his lines that he has been intensively rehearsing for the past week. He remained frozen for two minutes straight. His eyes were wide open as if someone had hypnotized him. Before Kevin STEPPED UP to the theater, many thoughts were rushing inside of his head. His fear and worries CONTROLLED OVER his state of mind. Now, he was SCARED STIFF especially when he saw Mr. Johnson between the judges. Kevin HEARD a lot ABOUT him in the past. Mr. Johnson was one of...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 59: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsCALM BEFORE THE STORM:
Courtney CAUGHT WIND OF gossip being spread about her. She was PSYCHED OUT when she heard such stories that had no connection to her. Her reputation was deeply affected in her neighborhood. She used to be the most genuine, trusted, and beloved person among the women in her circle. But things changed drastically. Women that used to keep her company were no longer around. Everyone kept their distance from her. They didn't want to ruin their reputation by getting in touch with her again. They simply LET HER DOWN in the most difficult time. Courtney knew...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 58: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsI still remember how my teacher LEFT A BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH. It is not a TALL TALE but it’s a true story that left a great impact on my life. One day, we were reading a story in class and each student was given a section to read. I kept on waiting for the teacher to assign me a paragraph but that never happened. It was so obvious that she PASSED ME BY on purpose. I started to feel teary-eyed but I tried my best to control my feelings. But, for a nine-year-old girl, my heart was ac...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 57: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsI WOKE UP ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED this morning and my wife IS STILL GOING ON AND ON ABOUT how miserable her life has been. She literally puts me OUT OF SORTS. I can no longer PUT UP with her. In fact, I don’t have enough energy to PULL MYSELF UP anymore. I am so bored and SICK OF every detail in my life. I have even BECOME AWARE OF all the symptoms and signs that say I am in a deep depression. I can't FEEL FOR my wife anymore. My pain has become the center of...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 56: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsI still remember how I was sure that she was living her best life. I had no idea that she was BLOWING SMOKE and was actually faking most of her life. She used to upload pictures of her travel trips, romantic dinners, and luxurious cars on Instagram. The sarcastic truth was that everything she posted online was totally fake. If you looked closely, you can tell that things were not as they seemed. After a while, things became clearer. Her stories were MADE UP and started to conflict with one another. Also, even if things were partially real, she would...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 55: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsDavid SNEAKED INTO the laundry room without Maria noticing. He was BREATHING DOWN HER NECK and watching whether Maria would go back on the promise she made to herself. Maria took a vow that she would never smoke again after her mother’s death. Maria CALLED IT QUITS because her mother PASSED AWAY due to lung cancer and that BROKE her DOWN even more. But watching if Maria would LIGHT UP a cigarette wouldn’t make the situation better. David needed to know that acting this way would RUB HER THE WRONG WAY and it would make her even more mad...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 54: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsAfter I MULLED OVER it, I finally GOT IT OUT OF MY SYSTEM and decided to get back to my favorite hobby. I have had enough stress lately due to being STUCK IN A RUT. I was neither doing well at work nor on a personal level. I found out that I was the reason behind my depression and lack of enthusiasm in life since I left the things that made me content and fulfilled. That’s why, I thought that once I set up a daily time slot to paint, I shouldn’t GO BACK ON the promise I made...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 53: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsEmma and Chris had a very hard time when the school's doors were shut and their 4 kids were sent back home for 3 months due to COVID. It was also obvious that this lockdown period was SUBJECT TO extension since the school DIDN’T HAVE THE FOGGIEST IDEA of when this madness will be over. Emma and Chris WENT THROUGH THE ROOF not only because their children were bored and MONKEYING AROUND but also because they were facing a lot of troubles at work. Both of their companies RAMPED DOWN the number of employees to half and they were expected to ru...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 52: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsRene looks so angry today. A STORM IS BREWING on the inside of her. Maya has been IN RENE’S GOOD BOOKS ever since they were roommates. However, when Rene finds out that Maya is still secretly in touch with Matthew, she couldn’t stand her anymore. Rene had enough of Maya’s NAGGING ABOUT her relationship with Matthew because she makes the same mistake over and over again. It is obvious to Rene that Matthew is using Maya for her money to pay his bills. Whenever he GETS SACKED, he would come back to Maya the very next day with r...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 51: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsHaving a company that does not KNOW ITS STUFF is a real issue in this day and age. Mexus, a well-known company, needed to WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE since they hadn't got much done to win the bidding against the local company Tyron. On Monday, the bidding was officially GRANTED TO Tyron. Tyron knew that gaining this project will HELP them OUT immensely to be an UP AND COMING construction company in town. They were waiting for such an opportunity so badly to expand their services on a larger scale. A few days before the bidding, they GOT...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 50: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsRick spent a considerable amount of time LEARNING THE ROPES but still, he faced a lot of challenges that he needed to tackle to improve in his role as a newspaper reporter. All of his projects needed work and most of them were OFF THE MARK. His supervisor mentioned that his work LEAVES MUCH TO BE DESIRED. He MESSED UP several times in verifying sensitive information before publishing them. He would be late to conduct interviews that he SET UP beforehand. What also HELD him OFF was when he looked at the performance of his co-worker, Simon. Simon seemed to...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 49: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsHe DID THE TRICK and convinced her to GO OUT with him. He was ALL FIRED UP when he finally got the chance to TAKE her OUT for their first date. It TURNED OUT that their houses were STONE’S THROW apart. They were LIVING IN the same neighborhood but they haven’t gotten the chance to meet each other before. He was waiting for this moment for so long. He was single for years, but he didn’t want to CROSS THE BRIDGE WHEN HE CAME TO IT unless he found the girl that highly be the love of his li...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 48: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsA guy stood up and MOVED TOWARD the buffet to serve himself, but something happened to him on the way back to his table. He spotted a girl sitting by herself doing nothing. He felt as though someone was GRABBING him BACK while he was STEPPING FORWARD. He didn’t know what was going on. He LOOKED AROUND but he didn’t notice anyone behind him. A strange feeling came over him. He was almost SHRUGGING OFF this feeling and trying to ignore what his gut was telling him, but he could tell that there was something about this girl. He Z...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 47: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsYou want to SHOOT THE BREEZE with me
Counting the days to look at me
Whenever your eyes catch mine
You get TONGUE-TIED and lose your lines
You feel that you are ON THE LINE
Waiting for any sign
You WATCH me LIKE A HAWK
Listening to my footsteps and my talks
Trying to make things between us COME OFF
Wondering if this thing we have can be PULLED OFF
At this point, I’m LOST AT SEA
And you’re FEELING SORRY for me
But I really don’t need your sympathy
I’m not sure if I can afford t...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 46: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsAmanda and Linda are twin sisters that HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF each other. Amanda is KIND OF a chill person, but Linda is quite the opposite. Amanda always accuses Linda that she MAKES A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL. However, Linda accuses her sister that she is always indifferent and that she NEVER MINDS anything. But since both of them have a common project to deliver, things are getting even harder. Linda thinks that everything MAKES A DIFFERENCE and that their work should be ON THE DOT. That’s why she constantly BRINGS UP the presentation and asks her sister to...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 45: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsA few days ago, I saw a post on Linkedin that showed a picture of a gorgeous house followed by a caption. The owner of the post was the son of a family that CLOSE UP their mortgage. The guy was describing how his father was able to own this property. He said that after his father left his home country with almost nothing and SETTLED DOWN in the US, he was DOWN AND OUT for years. He worked in restaurants, motels, and as a truck driver. But after a while, his father decided to become a real estate agent. H...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 44: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsMark was scared out of his wits when he heard a scream coming out from his neighbor’s house in the middle of the night. He didn’t know what to do. Should he break in the house, or call in the police station right away? But when he heard the second scream, he was going to lose his marbles. To him, it made total sense to go across the street and watch over the house while dialing up the police station so he could notify them with the details needed. Mark also thought he could give a hand to the...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 43: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsOliver came from a well-off family from Oregon. His family has been running a lumber business for a very long time. William, Oliver’s father, inherited the business from his father. William put all his life into this business to keep it and make it grow. William was coming close to his retirement years, that’s why he wanted to take the back seat and let his only son, Oliver, run the business after him. He twisted Oliver’s arm to take ownership and become the CEO of the company. He tried out many ways to convince his son that him be...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 42: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsIt was up in the air when he last spoke to his fiance about him moving to Chicago. John would love to tie the knot this summer and move in with his future wife. But since he just started his role as Sr. Software Engineer with Verizon, he didn’t want to leave before completing his first year with them. On the other hand, even though his fiance was sitting on the fence and tried not to put pressure on him if he puts off their wedding again, things will definitely be unstable between them. She was so considerate and he...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 41: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsDon't we all know someone that prefers using implicit messages rather than saying it straight to your face? I sometimes wonder what their intentions are. Do they really feel shy to ask for something? Or do they enjoy waiting for us to read between the lines? Maybe they just want to feel understood without putting so much effort. Or maybe they look at it as a respectful way to express their thoughts and needs. But the ironic part is that on the inside, they would be very keen on waiting for others to get their point. They would drop hints...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 40: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsNil was barking up the wrong tree when he brought up to his brother, Carl, about investing in another new business with him. Carl was not even close to partnering up again with him. He didn’t put it past his brother to ruin this new business idea as well due to many reasons. Carl believed that Nil’s business ideas are always clear as mud. For that reason, Nil and Carl's previous company went out of business and they were drowning in debt. After two years of minimum payments, they were able to call it even. Carl didn't want to m...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 39: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsMy hubby and I hit a snag with our travel plans due to the unexpected weather that happened in Dallas, TX. We were in a bind because our flight was canceled and our cruise departed the very next day in the afternoon. I lost my temper since I already warned him that I have heard of a storm that was coming to our region and that we needed to cancel our trip right on time so we could get our money refunded. Since he wasn’t all ears as usual and he didn’t take me seriously, our tickets were alre...
2023-03-0603 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 38: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsHave you ever thought about what the major positive emotions are and what the major negative emotions are? Napoleon Hill brought these emotions to light by identifying them in his book. According to him, human beings need to get to the point where they can identify and understand their emotions and feelings. Once they can do so, they can draw upon the positives and avoid the negatives. The seven major positive emotions are desire, faith, love, sex, enthusiasm, romance, and hope. The seven major negative emotions are fear, jealousy, hatred, revenge, greed, superstition, and anger. Do you think that it...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 37: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal verbsTwo weeks ago, Nick was planning to surprise Molly on her birthday. He booked a hotel room and bought an engagement ring. Molly has been waiting for her boyfriend to propose since forever. He covered Molly’s eyes and led her all the way down to their hotel room. Even though she knew that today was her birthday and that Nick was trying to make her day, she wasn’t that happy. He must watch out. Things weren’t as he set up and planned for. Nick removed the scarf from her eyes, kneeled down, opened the ring box, and asked...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 36: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Phrasal VerbsLiam and his best buddy were in high school when they started up a plan and thought ahead about becoming doctors in the future. There were like birds of a feather flocking together. They had the same way of thinking. They are always on the same wavelength when it comes to planning for the future. Even though they knew that enrolling in medical school was tough, they were in it for the long haul. They were decisive because they were dedicated enough to serve their community and people in need in the medical field. However, they also thought up how...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 35: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsWhile John was waiting at the ice cream shop for his freebie with his friends, Andrea showed up. Without warning, Andrea screamed and shouted at John to get his paws off of her body. She literally put him on edge. John was shocked and started to see red. He was livid. What made things even worse was when his best friend told him that he should stop trying to put the move on her. John wasn’t thinking straight. He was just furious at how this cougar had it in her to cause a scene even though he had his li...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 34: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsTwo people were disguised and waiting inside their big black truck in front of an apartment and kept an eye on a red sedan car for two hours. A lady and little boy hopped into the red car and pulled out of their garage. Someone had sent the big guns to follow them. When the lady took the highway heading to her son's doctor appointment, the two men got into gear. They were driving like road hogs behind her. The lady noticed that this shady car was following her. Her heart was pounding really fast. She locked up the car...
2023-03-0605 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 33: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsBeing a soccer player was not easy, especially when it came to displaying sportsmanship with opponents. This was Paul’s biggest weakness. He was benched during his last game. He got so bent out of shape over it. What did he expect when he caused a player to fall down and start heaving on the ground. He got so irritated when things didn't go his way. He burst out when he was tripped from behind. He added fuel to the fire when he decided to scream at the top of his lungs and pick a fight with the other team. In...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 32: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsThe company was coming apart and she wanted to nip the mess in the bud. Bianca was the one who quarterbacked a meeting the moment she heard of the thefts that were happening in the warehouse. Bianca and her team had to get with it asap because things were going out of control. She cut to the chase, called in the team, and asked them to stay for the night in order to fix the things that had been falling through the cracks for the past year. She told them that they couldn’t bury their head in the sand no...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 31: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsSendra is a teenager who lives in the big apple. She feels like doing something for the weekend since Valentine’s day is right around the corner. She doesn’t want to just lie around doing nothing. Instead, she needs to get out of her daily grind. When she comes across an advertised chick flick movie on Netflix, she thinks about inviting her squad to come over and watch it for kicks. These movies have actors that are easy on the eyes that’s why all the girls agree to watch this genre. Sendra is so excited for this night and sh...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 30: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsWhen he got his first high paying job, he finally bought the car of his dreams. Since he was a pro in cars and was a big fan of beemers, he bought a brand new one. He literally blew his money on the most sophisticated and luxurious car. He was digging heels about buying it since he had been stuck with his clunker that barely ran for a very long time. Many people told him that he might have been able to choose another car that fit the bill and still have a heavy-duty one that would last him a...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 29: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsSam is such a klutz. He still makes the same mistake over and over again. He always gets involved in bad relationships due to choosing the wrong women. He hits it off at first and falls for every foxy lady who usually doesn't really want a serious relationship. Instead, they cause real harm to their partners. They get Sam down when they eventually break up with him. He is such a dork when he’s all excited and hyper about dating them. He’s all groovy and convinced that the last girl is the one. The worst part is that, deep...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 28: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsOne of my resolutions for 2021 was to exercise five days per week for two hours. This led me to run out of gas. I had set unreasonable plans, especially that I came from an inactive place. What made things even worse was that my sister just kept running her mouth that I had never stuck to what I planned and that I was paying through the nose for trainers, gym memberships, applications, and healthy food subscriptions. To her, it looked like I made a quick buck and decided to spend it everywhere without even thinking. She really pissed me off...
2023-03-0607 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 27: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsThis pregnancy is really hard. It is not as easy as pie at all. Whenever my friends ask me to dress up and go out I would always ruin their plan because I have to make a pit stop at the restroom every time. Even though I am in my third trimester, I am still not enjoying my food because I would always feel like I am going to puke. But usually, at nights, my nausea would subside, so I would immediately go to the kitchen and pig out since I haven’t had anything to eat during the day. So...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 26: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsI don’t feel sorry for my little brother. He is such a troublemaker. He always gets into trouble with his schoolmates, neighbors, and even my parents. He sticks with pranking his teachers. He butts in even when it’s none of his business. He talks down to me as if I am his little clumsy sister! There’s always a loud racket coming from his room. But finally, he is getting a punishment after a long time of misery that he has been causing our family. My dad finally put his foot down and he made a stink about my bro...
2023-03-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 25: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsSeth didn’t wish it upon anymore to work for peanuts. He accepted to volunteer in multiple organizations and did three unpaid internships. He used to get a kick out of doing it for the sake of experiences. That was a neat idea at some point, but it became unacceptable after a while. Now, after 18 months of hustling, he wanted to keep his nose to the grindstone so that he can finally get a full time paid job. He put his mind to it. He got passed by and was turned down so many times. Many companies put him on th...
2022-10-2104 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 24: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsThey say that if you have the right mindset anything you want will be up for grabs. This mindset is called the abundance mindset. William James said, “the greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind”. Are they simply saying that any regular dude can achieve anything by just setting their mind to it? Aren’t they simplifying it too much? Maybe. If you’re not buying it and you feel that it is a total mush, I agree with you. But there is another truth that says: nobody w...
2022-10-2105 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 23: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsFor the time being, I just got my foot in the door to start making a living. With a raw job, everything has changed. I have to hit the rack by 5 am so I could work on my night shift. I should rack out for at least 8 hours so I won’t doze off at my job. My work shift is from 5 pm to 3:30 am. That’s why I bought some energy shots in case I lose my energy. I’m usually wired after drinking them. I guess I will work my butt off since it will be my first profes...
2022-10-2104 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 22: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsIsn't it so hard to hear from someone and they ask you if you have missed the boat already. You start to have doubt in your heart and feel disappointed. You have second thoughts about your decisions in life and many regrets. It feels like you haven’t played your cards right and you might have pointed your fingers at anyone just to hide away your failures. You feel brought-down because it’s too late to fix anything. You feel that you’re such a wussy and you always pooped out whenever you gave it a go and tried something new. B...
2022-10-2104 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 21: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsThe ball is no longer in your court
you can’t pick out anything of any sort
You can’t even wait too long
Because you have no choice but to come along
Let’s try to get to the bottom line
And finish things in less than no time
Even if you would have to drag your feet
And endure the consequences and take the heat
I think maybe I should say it straight
All I’m thinking about is my fate
All I want is for you to take a hike
Because I assure you, we look nothing alike
Tr...
2022-10-2104 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 20: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsIn the middle of the night, a disguised person passed by a young girl, who looked like he killed someone in cold blood and had everything in hand. He suspiciously pulled over and threw what looked like a dead body in the middle of nowhere. Nelly, the young girl, was spooked by this psycho. She got out of the streets, ran away from the crime scene, and headed toward the police station safe and sound. Troy, the policeman, had to tranquilize her. He gave her a glass of water and made her feel comfortable and safe in his office. He...
2022-10-2104 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 19: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsMy parents are always shouting and fighting. My 18-year-old brother spends all his time playing video games. Whenever I want to get in with him he would always kick me out. My oldest teenage sister locks herself up in her room every day. Whenever I get curious about what she does, she furiously orders me around to stay out of her room. Come on what a yucky and boring life they’re living. I am the only rugrat in this house that seems to play. I wonder why all these older people are so dead. Living like an adult seems gr...
2022-10-2104 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 18: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsI love my manager. I admire everything about her. She is the best. She is always on the ball. She believes that time is money. That’s why she always encourages us to improve our time management skills. She motivates us to get into something that we love and are good at. She supports us and gives us all the tools to effectively climb the corporate ladder. She cares for us and simply believes in us. If we faced any problems, difficulties, or fell behind she would help us come up with the right solutions or plan to fix up ev...
2022-10-2104 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 17: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsKim and Britney are having a heart to heart conversation at Kim’s place. Even though they haven’t seen each other in a while, they have kept in touch the whole time. They have been best friends since middle school. In the middle of their conversation, Britney asks Kim about their old friend Scarlet. Kim isn’t sure what to reply back. Britney states that she got an earful about Scarlet’s affair. Kim lets the cat out of the bag and says that Scarlet is cheating on her boyfriend with her ex-boyfriend Sam. Kim reveals that she saw Scarlet...
2022-10-2105 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 16: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsIt’s better late than never. Even though the project has taken almost 15 years to be completed. Philip has finally got the show on the road. Action. Today is the opening of one of the biggest luxurious hotels in Hawaii. Cylaii hotel is the best thing since sliced bread. The isle’s residents are blown away by such a construction. It is the very first hotel built in a cylindrical shape in the world. It is such a pretty glitzy hotel. Cylaii is designed to have one single luxurious room on every floor. The facade of the entire room is made...
2022-10-2104 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 15: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsI wonder if giving her the benefit of the doubt would be the right choice to make. 30 minutes ago, one lady made me lose face in front of many people. I was on stage talking to the audience about how everyone can be as fit as a fiddle. After I finished my speech and went backstage, one pissed off lady came to me. She shot down everything I said and she reamed me out in front of the whole backstage team. Maggie, a friend of mine, got behind me and she said that she either needed to get her...
2021-01-0804 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 14: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsLessons to go by in life:
I remember when my grandpa told me not to let a con artist scam me or trick me out.
I remember when my dad told me not to fall into the trap of egoism and not steal someone’s thunder.
I remember when my mom told me not to count my chickens before they hatch.
I remember when my teacher told me to be sharp and go after my dreams.
I remember when my neighbor told me not to judge a book by it...
2021-01-0604 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 13: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsLooking up to the ceiling, my tears are falling silently. No one has noticed them yet. They are busy preparing the operating room. It seems that going under the knife is inevitable. I have never thought I would go through all this. I can feel the pain in every inch of my bones. As much as my physical pain is killing me, the pain in my heart is unbearable as well. I am not sure anymore where the pain is coming from. She said that she’ll be with me through thick and thin. But here I am on my...
2021-01-0405 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 12: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsIt’s always darkest before dawn.
She learned it the hard way. She realized that she couldn’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs. She knew that she needed to rearrange her priorities since she was starting to lose her daughter. Throughout the years, the problem between Laura and her daughter, Jessie, had sort of taken a snowball effect. They had been through too many negatives lately. They had been fighting all the time. They had both maxed out and could no longer tolerate each other. They had reached their limits. They weren’t sure how to dea...
2021-01-0206 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 11: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsDon’t we all have a person in our lives that wants to bite off more than they can chew? Their fear of missing out (FOMO) makes them do a lot of irrational things. They are never satisfied with what they have. They are always craving something new. Whenever they look around they want to do exactly what other people are doing. If someone they know wants to start up a new business, they would do anything to start one even if it would cost them an arm and a leg. If someone has a new project to work on...
2020-12-3105 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 10: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsIn Deep
I got a flashback of when we first met
When I had not fallen for you yet
I assumed you were a cold fish
But you turned out more than I ever wished
I thought you were just off the boat
But you taught me how to fly and to float
We used to be like two peas in a pod
Even though we were both crazy and pretty odd
But it seems that your guess is as good...
2020-12-2905 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 9: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsI always mention to my clients that you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. I have seen a lot of cases where some people want to impose their opinions or beliefs on others. Obviously, this approach is ineffective for the majority of people. For instance, one of the cases I saw was of a young man who hung up his best-paying job to pursue his dream. His girlfriend wasn’t really supportive and she believed that he made a big stink. The boy knew that there were clouds on the horizon but he w...
2020-12-2705 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 8: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsOne day Betty and I were chit chatting as any two hairdressers do while tidying up their hair salon when they don’t have any clients left. Suddenly our stubborn elderly client, Victor, came in and unexpectedly requested to have a new haircut. Once Betty saw him, she stopped everything she was doing and ran to the back room. She kept away from him and gave him a cold shoulder since she believed that dealing with him was like beating a dead horse. To be honest, she really had a point. He was such a rude, cheapskate, and a re...
2020-12-2504 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 7: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsDiaries of an Abused Woman
I have recently been feeling insecure and frightened. I am no longer happy with him. I am having a rough time since he started to go through all my phone calls, text messages, and receipts. He’s been stalking me and following me everywhere I go. He is driving me nuts. My relationship is becoming extremely toxic. All the good vibes that I used to feel toward our relationship are gone. I am so beat that I have no energy to fight anymore. I would prefer to back down than fight with hi...
2020-12-2305 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 6: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsI was left high and dry. I was so scared I wouldn't be able to do it. Why would I put myself in such a sticky situation? To understand what I’m talking about, let’s move back in time. I was sitting on my desk working on someone’s tax return when a posh client came in and stated that he had an appointment to file his taxes here in our office. My colleague, Sam, greeted him, asked him to have a seat, and to wait for his turn. While Sam went over the client’s information, he realized...
2020-12-2106 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 5: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsHere I am, in the evening, laying down on my bed, my hands are under my head, and my eyes are closed. All I can think about was my next game in Mans, France. My head was in the clouds. I’ve been dreaming about this day since I was 6 years old. I've always wanted to be an auto racer and participate in the FIA World Championship (Formula one). Out of nowhere, I received a text message from my team member that my game has been canceled until further notice. I flipped out (or freaked out). What a bummer! He...
2020-12-1905 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 4: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsNo pain, no gain
If you’ve felt like your life is going down in flames
And your life is starting to look really lame
If you’ve been caught between a rock and a hard place
And you’re going on a wild goose chase
Don’t worry, it’s all a blessing in disguise
Just keep looking forward to the new sunrise
If they say you’re going to lose
Don’t blow a cool or a fuse
If they say your...
2020-12-1704 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 3: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsAbby: Hey Wafa, why are you down in the mouth?
Wafa: I feel like I’m up the creek without a paddle and I’m so nervous I can feel my heart in my mouth!
Abby: Oh wow! Why? What’s going on?
Wafa: I thought that I did great on my midterm exam, but it turns out that it was a flash in the pan!
Abby: OMG! Why is this happening to you?
Wafa: It’s really my bad! I skived off school twice last week.
Abby: So...
2020-12-1504 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 2: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsDo you have a colleague who’s a nosy busybody that always gets you in trouble with your boss? Have you ever felt like a black sheep at work? Have you ever experienced a hard time trying to explain your ideas but no one has a clue what you’re saying? Moreover, do you have a colleague that takes advantage of you and always brown noses the boss? And what makes things even worse is that the boss is a slave driver and loves to order around. On top of that, the COVID-19 lockdown thing is really hard to swal...
2020-12-1305 minSpeak English like a native speaker!Lesson 1: Advanced English Speaking / Idioms - Slangs - Phrasal verbsSince the hit of COVID-19, I got used to staying at home and I started feeling like a homebody who would never leave her crib. That’s why I decided to start a new project which is launching this podcast. It seems scary, right? Do you think it will take blood, sweat, and tears to complete this project? I hope it won’t. To be honest, I feel like a cat on a hot tin roof because I have a lot on my plate right now. I have my full-time job, I need to take care of my partner, clea...
2020-12-1104 min