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ADVANCED ENGLISH FLUENCY MASTERCLASS: Get Fluent in 1 Hour!

JForrest English・43 minutes read

The master class led by Jennifer focuses on advanced English fluency, emphasizing vocabulary, grammar, and speaking skills, with a special highlight on collocations and phrasal verbs. Participants are encouraged to memorize and practice these language elements through various exercises and resources, including a free lesson PDF and a speaking guide for further improvement.

Insights

  • The master class, led by Jennifer from J for English, aims to enhance advanced English fluency by focusing on key areas such as vocabulary, grammar, listening, pronunciation, and speaking skills, providing a structured approach to mastering the language.
  • A significant emphasis is placed on collocations, which are natural combinations of words that can vary between languages; for example, the preferred phrase is "make a decision" instead of "take a decision." Participants are encouraged to memorize these collocations since they do not follow strict rules and can greatly impact the naturalness of their speech.
  • The lesson also introduces essential phrasal verbs and idioms, highlighting their contextual meanings and fixed structures. For instance, "to spill the beans" means to reveal a secret, while "to hit the nail on the head" indicates accurately identifying a problem. Understanding these expressions is crucial for effective communication and enhances overall fluency in English.

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Recent questions

  • What is a phrasal verb?

    A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb with a preposition or adverb, creating a meaning that can differ from the original verb. For example, the phrase "take off" can mean to remove something, like jewelry, or refer to an airplane departing. Understanding phrasal verbs is crucial for mastering English, as their meanings often change based on context. They are commonly used in everyday conversation, and knowing them can significantly enhance fluency and comprehension.

  • How can I improve my English listening skills?

    To improve your English listening skills, practice with fast-paced audio, such as short TV clips, and focus on writing down what you hear. This exercise helps you become familiar with connected speech, where native speakers blend words together, making phrases sound like one continuous word. For instance, "What do you want me to do about it?" may sound like "Whataya want me to do about it?" Regular practice with this technique can enhance your ability to understand spoken English in real-life situations.

  • What does "break the ice" mean?

    The idiom "break the ice" refers to the act of making people feel more comfortable and relaxed in a social setting, especially when they are meeting for the first time. It is often used in contexts like meetings or gatherings, where initial awkwardness may exist. For example, playing a fun game at the start of a meeting can help participants feel more at ease and encourage interaction. This phrase is a valuable tool for fostering communication and building rapport among individuals.

  • What is a collocation?

    A collocation is a natural combination of words that frequently occur together, creating phrases that sound correct to native speakers. For instance, the correct collocation is "make a decision," rather than "take a decision." Understanding collocations is essential for achieving fluency in English, as they do not follow strict grammatical rules and can vary across languages. Memorizing common collocations can help learners sound more natural and improve their overall language proficiency.

  • What does "hit the nail on the head" mean?

    The phrase "hit the nail on the head" means to accurately identify or describe a problem or situation. It is often used to commend someone for their precise analysis or insight. For example, if someone provides a perfect solution to a complex issue, you might say, "You really hit the nail on the head with your analysis." This idiom emphasizes the importance of clarity and accuracy in communication, making it a useful expression in both personal and professional contexts.

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Summary

00:00

Master Class in Advanced English Fluency

  • The master class focuses on enhancing advanced English fluency, covering vocabulary, grammar, listening, pronunciation, and speaking skills, led by Jennifer from J for English.
  • The vocabulary section emphasizes collocations, which are natural-sounding word pairs, highlighting that incorrect usage can sound unnatural; for example, the correct collocation is "make a decision" rather than "take a decision."
  • Participants are encouraged to memorize collocations, as they do not follow strict rules and vary across languages; a free lesson PDF summarizing the content is available via a link in the description.
  • The lesson introduces phrasal verbs, defined as a verb combined with a preposition or adverb, noting that their meanings can change based on context; for instance, "take off" can mean to remove jewelry or for a plane to depart.
  • Ten common phrasal verbs are presented, starting with "to aim at," which means to intend to achieve a target, exemplified by aiming at reducing costs by 10%.
  • "To shrug off" means to disregard something as unimportant, illustrated by someone ignoring an insult directed at them.
  • "To egg on" refers to encouraging someone to do something risky or unwise, such as urging a friend to jump off a cliff.
  • "To turn down" means to reject an offer or invitation, as in turning down a job offer or a date invitation.
  • "To hold up" indicates being delayed, often while traveling; for example, being held up by children when trying to leave the house.
  • "To freshen up" means to quickly improve one’s appearance before an event, such as brushing hair or applying deodorant, and is often used in social contexts.

20:16

Understanding Common English Idioms

  • The idiom "to break the ice" means to help people who have not met before feel more relaxed with each other, commonly used in workplace settings, such as playing a word game at the start of a meeting to encourage interaction.
  • Idioms have a fixed word order; for example, "we broke the ice" is correct, while "we broke an ice" or "we broke ice" is not, as omitting "the" can lead to confusion for native speakers.
  • The idiom "to break a leg" is used to wish someone good luck, especially before performances, exams, or presentations, and can be simply stated as "break a leg."
  • "To spill the beans" means to reveal a secret, such as accidentally telling someone about a surprise party, and can be used in a sentence like, "I can't believe you spilled the beans about the surprise party."
  • "To hit the hay" means to go to bed or sleep, and can be used in contexts like, "I have an early meeting tomorrow, so I'm going to hit the hay."
  • "To bite the bullet" refers to facing a difficult situation with courage, such as admitting a mistake at work, exemplified by saying, "I have to bite the bullet and tell my boss about the mistake."
  • "To hit the jackpot" signifies experiencing significant success or gain, illustrated by winning a large contract, which could be expressed as, "Winning the contract felt like hitting the jackpot for our company."
  • "To catch someone's eye" means to attract attention, as in "Her impressive presentation caught the CEO's eye," emphasizing the possessive form when referring to multiple people.
  • "To hit the nail on the head" means to accurately identify a problem or situation, and can be used in phrases like, "You really hit the nail on the head with your analysis."
  • "To burn bridges" means to damage relationships or close off opportunities, particularly when quitting a job unprofessionally, which could prevent future references or opportunities with that employer.

39:32

Mastering Gerunds in Physical Activity Sentences

  • The irregular sentence structure discussed is specifically used with verbs of physical activity and movement, exemplified by the phrase "I go hiking," where "hiking" is in the gerund form.
  • The correct sentence structure is subject + go + gerund + verb in -ing, with "go" being the active verb that conjugates according to the subject and time reference, such as "I go hiking every Sunday" in present simple.
  • When changing the time reference to the past, the structure becomes "Yesterday I went hiking," where "went" is the past tense of "go," while "hiking" remains unchanged in the gerund form.
  • For future events, the structure can be "Today she’s going hiking," where "going" is in the present continuous form, but "hiking" still remains in the gerund form.
  • A list of common physical activities that can use this structure includes running, jogging, hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, diving, boating, shopping, snowboarding, skiing, climbing, fishing, surfing, horseback riding, and dancing.
  • An advanced example of this structure is "I enjoy going hiking," where both "going" and "hiking" are in the gerund form, with "enjoy" being a gerund verb that requires the next verb to also be in gerund form.
  • To improve listening skills, practice with fast English by listening to a short TV clip and writing down what you hear, focusing on connected speech where sounds are combined, such as "What do you want me to do about it?"
  • Understanding connected speech is essential for comprehension, as native speakers often link words together, making phrases sound like one continuous word, e.g., "want me" becomes "wanna."
  • Shadowing is recommended as a speaking practice technique, where learners repeat sentences out loud to imitate sounds, pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation, enhancing speaking confidence.
  • Common phrases to practice include "Did she keep her promise?" and "He rubs me the wrong way," with explanations of their meanings and usage in context to aid understanding and fluency.

01:00:03

Mastering Hunches and English Fluency Tips

  • The text discusses the use of the phrase "I have a hunch," illustrating its application in different tenses: present simple ("I have a hunch"), future simple ("she'll accept"), and past simple ("I had a hunch last week"). It emphasizes that "would" is the past simple of "will," and provides an imitation exercise for practicing spoken English, repeating sentences three times for fluency, including phrases like "thanks for your help, you rock" and "he rubs me the wrong way." Additionally, it encourages engagement by asking viewers to comment "Master Class" for future lessons, and promotes a free speaking guide with six tips for speaking English fluently, available for download via a link in the description.
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