Advanced English Conversations (2)

If you have ever felt like you are doing everything right—memorizing grammar rules, passing your formal examinations, and practicing your vocabulary—yet still find yourself feeling completely out of your mind when listening to native speakers, you are not alone.
Traditional textbooks teach you the skeletal structure of a language. But idioms, phrasal verbs, and cultural expressions are the heartbeat. Native American English speakers use colloquial phrases so fluidly that they do it with their eyes closed. To the untrained ear, a normal daily conversation can sound like an absolute state of confusion.
Consider how a simple day at a corporate office or a fitness studio changes when idioms enter the room:
► Instead of saying a project is completely stuck and making no progress, a manager will tell you that you’ve hit a dead end.
► Instead of announcing that a coworker is highly demanding or aggressive, your gym buddy will warn you that the new trainer is a total ballbuster.
► Instead of explaining that an uninsulated apartment building wastes electricity during a cold winter blast, your roommate will complain that the heating system is incredibly inefficient because a polar vortex just settled over the state.
If you interpret these phrases literally, you will look like a literal thinker trying to figure out why someone brought a bull by its horns into a business meeting. When you master these expressions, your confidence will pick up speed, and your understanding of natural, daily conversations will work wonders for your personal and professional relationships. This guide is designed to take your comprehension out of the classroom and drop it straight into real-life American culture.