Focused listening library
London English listening
Browse the original London accent collection. Current recordings have their own accent labels; this archive tag does not identify a new speaker.
To bend over backwards
A colleague changes her schedule, calls three suppliers, and stays late to solve your problem. Saying she tried hard does not capture the extraordinary effort.
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To cut it fine
Your train leaves in twenty minutes, but the journey to the station normally takes eighteen. You might arrive, although almost nothing can go wrong.
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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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adamant meaning: how to use it
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apathetic meaning: unconcerned or indifferent
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austere meaning: strict, plain, and serious
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How this practice helps
This collection keeps the original London accent grouping. The current recordings may use different voices; check each clip’s label.
When a voice is unfamiliar, replay a short part and compare it with the transcript before trying the whole clip again.
