Singing your praises
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B2 English listening practice
Work on expressions whose meaning is not obvious from the individual words. Listen for the situation, then check the exact wording and the speaker's attitude.
Try a short recording
The first dictation is free to try without an account. Choose an available accent, listen and type the words you hear.
Choose a starting lesson
Start with Singing your praises for approval, Play safe for cautious decisions, or Backlog for work that has built up. Each lesson gives you a different situation to listen for.
Singing your praisesHave you ever chosen a course because several people could not stop talking about how good the teacher was?Play safeTraffic is unpredictable, so you take an earlier train to avoid missing your flight. Which expression describes this cautious choice?BacklogYou answer five old emails, but twelve more are still waiting. What do you call the work that has built up behind you?
What to focus on at B2
Separate what happened from how the speaker feels about it. Praise may be enthusiastic, caution may be sensible or excessive, and a backlog may explain pressure at work. Use the surrounding sentence to decide.
After you check your answer
When the exact words are clear, ask what would change if one phrase were replaced. Compare the lesson's examples, then replay without reading. Being able to explain the difference is more useful than remembering one score.
To get a word in edgeways
One person has talked for ten uninterrupted minutes. You have something useful to add, but every pause disappears before you can begin.
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To jump ship
A company loses its biggest clients, and several senior employees immediately accept jobs elsewhere. Their timing suggests more than an ordinary career change.
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To not lift a finger
Three people cook, carry boxes, and clean the room while a fourth person watches from the sofa. How do you emphasise that the watcher contributed nothing?
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To pull the plug
A promising project keeps losing money. Its sponsor finally ends the funding, and the whole operation must stop immediately.
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To put someone on the spot
During a public meeting, someone unexpectedly asks you to choose which colleague should lose their budget. Everyone waits for your immediate answer.
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Torn between
One job offers meaningful work near your family. Another offers better pay in a city you love. Both choices matter, and neither feels easy.
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Touch a nerve
A casual remark about school closures suddenly changes your friend's expression. You did not intend harm, but the subject connects with a painful experience.
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Trauma meaning: physical injury and shock
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Up in the air
You may travel next month, but the dates, budget, and permission are undecided. The trip has not been cancelled, yet nothing is settled.
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Up to scratch
A report contains good ideas, but several figures are wrong and key evidence is missing. It is not terrible, although it cannot be accepted yet.
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Up to speed
You return after two weeks away. The project has changed, and you need the latest decisions before you can contribute confidently again.
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Vain meaning: pride and failed efforts
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Vulnerable: Meaning and Everyday Use
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Whatever or what ever: choosing the right form
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When it comes to
Your friend is generally relaxed, but money makes her extremely careful. You want to narrow a broad description to that one particular subject.
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Who or Whom: Choose with Confidence
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Word of mouth
A tiny café buys no advertisements, yet every table is full because customers keep recommending it to friends and colleagues.
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Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely: How to Choose
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Zeal meaning: Energetic Commitment to Goals
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apathetic meaning: unconcerned or indifferent
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austere meaning: strict, plain, and serious
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benevolent meaning: kind people and actions
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disposition meaning: character and tendency
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paradox meaning: clear everyday examples
Start listeningBefore you begin
Is this a CEFR level test?
No. These lessons are grouped by their catalogue level. Use the examples and recordings to judge what you need to practice; completing a lesson does not certify your level.
Can I slow down the recording?
Yes. Use the slower playback control when you need another listen, then return to normal speed when you can follow the sentence.
Is every activity free?
The first guided dictation in each lesson is available as a free sample. Other activities may require membership. The lesson shows what is available before you start.
