More practice with the language you're learning
Supplementary support — grammar, vocabulary, speaking and review — built from language already taught in the course. Not a lesson, and never a test.
1.Transformation: express the same meaning without repeating the original wording — "**Refuse the overclaim**: 'I wouldn't say native. I'd say C2. Those are different things and I don't mind the difference.'"
2.Transformation: express the same meaning without repeating the original wording — "**Refuse the underclaim**: 'I'm not still learning English. I'm refining an English I already have.'"
3.Transformation: express the same meaning without repeating the original wording — "**Name the honest gap**: 'What I still can't do at the level I do it in my first language is: (i) the very specific music of grief, (ii) the fastest, tightest kind of joke between old friends, (iii) certain regional or generational slang that I hear but don't produce without hesitation.'"
4.Rewrite an overclaim honestly: 'My English is basically native — I dream in English.'
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'I'm C2 in English and my first-language and English lives are now roughly balanced. Native isn't the right word, and I don't want it to be.'
5.Rewrite an underclaim honestly: 'Oh, I'm still learning, I'm terrible really.'
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'I'm C2, and there are three specific things I'm still refining — mostly around intimate registers and certain professional idiom. Terrible isn't accurate.'
6.Mini-context: someone disagrees with you in a meeting. Reply in two turns, using this structure at least once.
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Four moves at C2: (a) REFUSE THE OVERCLAIM — do not say 'native' or 'basically native'; you are C2, which is a real, distinct and honourable thing; (b) REFUSE THE UNDERCLAIM — do not say 'still learning' when what you mean is 'refining'; C2 is a state, not a way-station; (c) NAME THE HONEST GAP — specify, in concrete terms, the two or three things your English still cannot do at the level your first language can (usually: certain kinds of humour, certain intimate registers, the phonetics of certain emotions, or specialised professional idiom); (d) HOLD THE DISCOMFORT IN PUBLIC — say the honest thing about your own limits without softening it into a joke, apologising for it, or turning it into a humblebrag.
1.Sort these into "positive", "neutral" and "critical" in tone, and be ready to defend a borderline case: the overclaim, the underclaim, the honest gap, the anxious gap, to refine, not to learn, the music of grief, the humour ceiling, the phonetic tell, to hold the discomfort, an honourable C2
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the overclaim — the claim that one's second-language English is 'basically native' or 'the same as' a first language | the underclaim — the claim that one is 'still learning' when what is actually happening is refining a proficient state | the honest gap — a specific, nameable thing your English still cannot do at the level of your first language | the anxious gap — an imagined limit — a story about a weakness you don't actually have, usually inherited from years of being corrected | to refine, not to learn — the framing appropriate to C2: you are refining an English you already have, not still acquiring one | the music of grief — the very specific tonal, lexical and rhythmic textures of grief, tenderness or intimate emotion in a language | the humour ceiling — the point at which speed, timing or in-group knowledge in humour outruns your second-language reach | the phonetic tell — the small, specific pronunciation feature that will always mark a speaker as non-first-language, regardless of proficiency | to hold the discomfort — to state a real limit in public without softening it into a joke, an apology or a humblebrag | an honourable C2 — the framing of C2 as a real, distinct, honourable achievement in its own right — not a failed 'nearly native'
2.Odd one out: which of these is least like "the overclaim" in meaning or use — the underclaim / the honest gap / the anxious gap? Explain why.
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Compare against: the claim that one's second-language English is 'basically native' or 'the same as' a first language
3.Odd one out: which of these is least like "the underclaim" in meaning or use — the honest gap / the anxious gap / to refine, not to learn? Explain why.
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Compare against: the claim that one is 'still learning' when what is actually happening is refining a proficient state
4.Odd one out: which of these is least like "the honest gap" in meaning or use — the anxious gap / to refine, not to learn / the music of grief? Explain why.
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Compare against: a specific, nameable thing your English still cannot do at the level of your first language
5.Odd one out: which of these is least like "the anxious gap" in meaning or use — to refine, not to learn / the music of grief / the humour ceiling? Explain why.
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Compare against: an imagined limit — a story about a weakness you don't actually have, usually inherited from years of being corrected
6.Semantic map: place "the overclaim" on a scale from mild to strong against two other words you know. Then use the strongest one.
7.Semantic map: place "the underclaim" on a scale from mild to strong against two other words you know. Then use the strongest one.
8.Semantic map: place "the honest gap" on a scale from mild to strong against two other words you know. Then use the strongest one.
9.Mini-dialogue: write four lines in which two of this lesson's words appear naturally.
1.Word family: give the noun, verb, adjective and adverb forms linked to "the overclaim" where they exist, then use the form that is hardest for you.
2.Word family: give the noun, verb, adjective and adverb forms linked to "the underclaim" where they exist, then use the form that is hardest for you.
3.Word family: give the noun, verb, adjective and adverb forms linked to "the honest gap" where they exist, then use the form that is hardest for you.
4.Word family: give the noun, verb, adjective and adverb forms linked to "the anxious gap" where they exist, then use the form that is hardest for you.
5.Spot the mismatch: which partner does NOT work with "the overclaim" — and what would a proficient speaker say instead?
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Natural model: The overclaim is a defence against feeling foreign. It's still a lie.
6.Spot the mismatch: which partner does NOT work with "the underclaim" — and what would a proficient speaker say instead?
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Natural model: Cut the underclaim. You're not still learning; you're refining.
7.Spot the mismatch: which partner does NOT work with "the honest gap" — and what would a proficient speaker say instead?
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Natural model: Name the honest gap. Not the mood; the specific thing.
8.Rewrite one sentence from your last piece of writing, swapping a weak combination for a precise one from this lesson.
1.Shift the register twice: make this markedly formal, then markedly conversational — "**Refuse the overclaim**: 'I wouldn't say native. I'd say C2. Those are different things and I don't mind the difference.'"
2.Shift the register twice: make this markedly formal, then markedly conversational — "**Refuse the underclaim**: 'I'm not still learning English. I'm refining an English I already have.'"
3.Shift the register twice: make this markedly formal, then markedly conversational — "**Name the honest gap**: 'What I still can't do at the level I do it in my first language is: (i) the very specific music of grief, (ii) the fastest, tightest kind of joke between old friends, (iii) certain regional or generational slang that I hear but don't produce without hesitation.'"
4.Diplomatic vs direct: soften this, then sharpen it. Which version would you actually use, and to whom? "Teacher: 'Come on — after all this time, your English IS native. Stop being so precious.' — refuse honestly."
5.Compress: express the idea behind "The overclaim is a defence against feeling foreign. It's still a lie." in six words or fewer without losing the nuance.
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the claim that one's second-language English is 'basically native' or 'the same as' a first language
6.Compress: express the idea behind "Cut the underclaim. You're not still learning; you're refining." in six words or fewer without losing the nuance.
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the claim that one is 'still learning' when what is actually happening is refining a proficient state
7.Compress: express the idea behind "Name the honest gap. Not the mood; the specific thing." in six words or fewer without losing the nuance.
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a specific, nameable thing your English still cannot do at the level of your first language
8.Read one of your own paraphrases aloud. Which word choice is doing the most work? Replace everything around it.
1.Rank and justify: order the ideas in Teacher: 'Come on — after all this time, your English IS native. Stop being so precious.' — refuse honestly. / Teacher: 'Look, C2 is a piece of paper. You're still a learner really, aren't you?' — refuse honestly. / Teacher: 'Doesn't naming your honest gaps just make you sound insecure?' — hold the position. from most to least convincing. Defend your top choice.
2.Role-play: 15 minutes build and deliver; 5 minutes defence; 5 minutes claim. Take the position you least agree with.
3.Decision task: you have two minutes to reach a single recommendation on A 4-minute honest self-account on record + a written one-sentence personal proficiency claim.. State it in one sentence.
4.Now switch sides and argue the opposite for 60 seconds. Which language had to change?
5.Follow-up — push further: The honest gap: the music of grief. Add a counter-example.
6.Follow-up — push further: The honest gap: humour timing between old friends. Add a counter-example.
1.Paragraph ordering: draft your four topic sentences only, then decide their best order and say why.
2.Partial writing: write only the concession paragraph of Write a 320-word essay titled 'What my English can and cannot do'. Structure: (a) 80 words on refusing the overclaim — say clearly you are C2 and not native and why the difference matters; (b) 80 words on refusing the underclaim — say clearly you are not still learning but refining, with one concrete example; (c) 100 words on three honest gaps, named as concretely as you can; (d) 60 words on one thing you can do in English that you cannot do at the same level in your first language, and on holding the whole account in public without either self-pity or bravado. Then, in one final sentence, state your PERSONAL PROFICIENCY CLAIM. Use at least SEVEN target items across the essay. — 60–80 words.
3.Editing pass: cut 15% of your words without losing content. What went first?
4.Audience switch: rewrite your opening for a hostile reader, then for a sympathetic one.
5.Self-check: underline every repeated word and replace two with precise choices from this lesson.
1.Take the Part 1 question 'What do you find most challenging about English now?'. Deliver a 45-second answer that (a) refuses the underclaim, (b) names ONE genuine honest gap concretely, and (c) closes with a settled one-line relationship to your own English. Name the moves aloud before you deliver it — then deliver it as it would sound in the exam.
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For any Part 1 question about your own English: (1) refuse both lies in the first sentence ('I'm C2, and…'); (2) give ONE concrete change your English has undergone recently (not 'my vocabulary has improved' — something specific: 'I can now hedge without apologising'); (3) name ONE honest gap ('what I still find hard is landing a joke against a native at real speed'); (4) close with one line that shows you have a settled relationship to your own English. 30–45 seconds. Do not perform modesty; do not perform mastery.
2.Find the evidence: which exact words in the text/script support this — In Passage A, identify (i) where the writer REFUSES THE OVERCLAIM and (ii) where she NAMES THE HONEST GAP.
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(i) 'I don't call my English native. It is not native and I do not want it to be.' — Textbook refusal of the overclaim, and notice she doesn't soften it. (ii) 'What I still cannot do in English at the level I do it in Portuguese is name grief… find, in one line, the specific note of a very particular kind of sadness that Portuguese hands me without asking.' — That is the honest gap, at the highest possible specificity.
3.Find the evidence: which exact words in the text/script support this — In Passage B, identify at least THREE underclaims and diagnose what each one is defending against.
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(1) 'Honestly? I'm still learning.' — defends against being held to what she can actually do at C2. (2) 'My vocabulary is a work in progress' — an anxious gap (she is C2; her vocabulary is not the problem). (3) 'on the inside I still feel like a B2 pretending' — defends against her actual achievement; probably a residue of years of being corrected. (4) 'I'm just glad people are patient with me' — defends against claiming her own competence in public. The whole passage is one long underclaim structured to protect her from being held to her level.
4.Find the evidence: which exact words in the text/script support this — Compare the two writers' relationship to their C2. Which is at an HONOURABLE C2, and how do you know?
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Passage A is at an honourable C2: she names the language as her own, refuses to lie in either direction, and holds a real limit in public without softening or apologising. Passage B is at C2 in test terms but has not yet claimed her own C2 — she still lives inside a story of not-being-good-enough. The interesting truth is that both are the same PROFICIENCY LEVEL; only the account is different, and the account is what changes what the language does for you in the world.
5.Key word transformation: rewrite "**Refuse the overclaim**: 'I wouldn't say native. I'd say C2. Those are different things and I don't mind the difference.'" using the structure from Talking about proficiency honestly: (a) refuse the overclaim · (b) refuse the underclaim · (c) name the honest gap · (d) hold the discomfort in public, in 3–8 words.
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Four moves at C2: (a) REFUSE THE OVERCLAIM — do not say 'native' or 'basically native'; you are C2, which is a real, distinct and honourable thing; (b) REFUSE THE UNDERCLAIM — do not say 'still learning' when what you mean is 'refining'; C2 is a state, not a way-station; (c) NAME THE HONEST GAP — specify, in concrete terms, the two or three things your English still cannot do at the level your first language can (usually: certain kinds of humour, certain intimate registers, the phonetics of certain emotions, or specialised professional idiom); (d) HOLD THE DISCOMFORT IN PUBLIC — say the honest thing about your own limits without softening it into a joke, apologising for it, or turning it into a humblebrag.
6.Reflection: which part of this task type costs you most time, and what will you do differently next time?
1.True, false or not stated? Decide for each, then correct the false ones: "(i) 'I don't call my English native. It is not native and I do not want it to be.' — Textbook refusal of the overclaim, and notice she doesn't soften it. (ii) 'What I still cannot do in English at the level I do it in Portuguese is name grief… find, in one line, the specific note of a very particular kind of sadness that Portuguese hands me without asking.' — That is the honest gap, at the highest possible specificity." · "(1) 'Honestly? I'm still learning.' — defends against being held to what she can actually do at C2. (2) 'My vocabulary is a work in progress' — an anxious gap (she is C2; her vocabulary is not the problem). (3) 'on the inside I still feel like a B2 pretending' — defends against her actual achievement; probably a residue of years of being corrected. (4) 'I'm just glad people are patient with me' — defends against claiming her own competence in public. The whole passage is one long underclaim structured to protect her from being held to her level." · "Passage A is at an honourable C2: she names the language as her own, refuses to lie in either direction, and holds a real limit in public without softening or apologising. Passage B is at C2 in test terms but has not yet claimed her own C2 — she still lives inside a story of not-being-good-enough. The interesting truth is that both are the same PROFICIENCY LEVEL; only the account is different, and the account is what changes what the language does for you in the world."
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In Passage A, identify (i) where the writer REFUSES THE OVERCLAIM and (ii) where she NAMES THE HONEST GAP. → (i) 'I don't call my English native. It is not native and I do not want it to be.' — Textbook refusal of the overclaim, and notice she doesn't soften it. (ii) 'What I still cannot do in English at the level I do it in Portuguese is name grief… find, in one line, the specific note of a very particular kind of sadness that Portuguese hands me without asking.' — That is the honest gap, at the highest possible specificity. | In Passage B, identify at least THREE underclaims and diagnose what each one is defending against. → (1) 'Honestly? I'm still learning.' — defends against being held to what she can actually do at C2. (2) 'My vocabulary is a work in progress' — an anxious gap (she is C2; her vocabulary is not the problem). (3) 'on the inside I still feel like a B2 pretending' — defends against her actual achievement; probably a residue of years of being corrected. (4) 'I'm just glad people are patient with me' — defends against claiming her own competence in public. The whole passage is one long underclaim structured to protect her from being held to her level. | Compare the two writers' relationship to their C2. Which is at an HONOURABLE C2, and how do you know? → Passage A is at an honourable C2: she names the language as her own, refuses to lie in either direction, and holds a real limit in public without softening or apologising. Passage B is at C2 in test terms but has not yet claimed her own C2 — she still lives inside a story of not-being-good-enough. The interesting truth is that both are the same PROFICIENCY LEVEL; only the account is different, and the account is what changes what the language does for you in the world.
2.Retrieval race: in 60 seconds, list every word from this lesson you can remember, then check what you missed.
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the overclaim, the underclaim, the honest gap, the anxious gap, to refine, not to learn, the music of grief, the humour ceiling, the phonetic tell, to hold the discomfort, an honourable C2
3.Use "the overclaim" in a sentence about a completely different topic from the lesson.
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the claim that one's second-language English is 'basically native' or 'the same as' a first language
4.Use "the underclaim" in a sentence about a completely different topic from the lesson.
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the claim that one is 'still learning' when what is actually happening is refining a proficient state
5.Use "the honest gap" in a sentence about a completely different topic from the lesson.
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a specific, nameable thing your English still cannot do at the level of your first language
6.Teach it back: explain Talking about proficiency honestly: (a) refuse the overclaim · (b) refuse the underclaim · (c) name the honest gap · (d) hold the discomfort in public to someone who has never met it, in under 45 seconds.
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Four moves at C2: (a) REFUSE THE OVERCLAIM — do not say 'native' or 'basically native'; you are C2, which is a real, distinct and honourable thing; (b) REFUSE THE UNDERCLAIM — do not say 'still learning' when what you mean is 'refining'; C2 is a state, not a way-station; (c) NAME THE HONEST GAP — specify, in concrete terms, the two or three things your English still cannot do at the level your first language can (usually: certain kinds of humour, certain intimate registers, the phonetics of certain emotions, or specialised professional idiom); (d) HOLD THE DISCOMFORT IN PUBLIC — say the honest thing about your own limits without softening it into a joke, apologising for it, or turning it into a humblebrag.
7.Which of the two lies — the overclaim or the underclaim — do you catch yourself reaching for more often, and in which contexts?