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.Notice first: read these and say what they share — "I'd argue, **with the seriousness of a small head of state**, that we should reorder lunch." / "I quit social media — **which, predictably,** I'm telling you about on social media." / "I'm absolutely sure about this — **for now**."
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Self-irony at C2 is structural, not just tonal: (a) the embedded confession ('which, predictably,…'), (b) the inflated frame ('with the seriousness of a small head of state'), (c) the contradicting clause ('I believe this strongly, for now'), (d) the diminishing tag ('…allegedly').
2.Add self-irony to: 'I'm very passionate about productivity systems.'
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'I'm very passionate about productivity systems — which is why I've abandoned six this year.'
3.Add self-irony to: 'I take my coffee very seriously.'
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'I take my coffee, allegedly, very seriously.'
4.Add self-irony to: 'I'm convinced this is the right call.'
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'I'm convinced this is the right call — until lunchtime tomorrow.'
5.Sort these into "natural" and "not natural" and justify each decision out loud: "I'd argue, **with the seriousness of a small head of state**, that we should reorder lunch." · "I quit social media — **which, predictably,** I'm telling you about on social media." · "I'm absolutely sure about this — **for now**." · "I am, **allegedly**, an adult."
6.Build three sentences on this pattern about your own week — one neutral, one emphatic, one tentative.
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Self-irony at C2 is structural, not just tonal: (a) the embedded confession ('which, predictably,…'), (b) the inflated frame ('with the seriousness of a small head of state'), (c) the contradicting clause ('I believe this strongly, for now'), (d) the diminishing tag ('…allegedly').
1.Fill: 'Honestly, ____ ____ ____ ____, I'd wait six months.' (4 words)
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for what it's worth
2.Fill: 'I'm not ____ ____ this — I might be wrong by Friday.' (3 words)
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dying on
3.Fill: 'I'm still ____ ____ ____ about the redesign.' (3 words)
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of two minds
4.Complete in context: "I hold that opinion loosely — push back and I'll probably move."
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to hold (a view) loosely / tightly
5.Complete in context: "I'm not dying on this hill — pick your fonts."
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to die on this hill
6.Complete in context: "I'm of two minds about it, honestly."
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to be of two minds
7.Complete in context: "He's brilliant, but he takes himself too seriously."
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to take (yourself) too seriously
8.Complete in context: "For what it's worth, I'd wait a quarter."
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for what it's worth
9.Complete in context: "I'm not yet sold on the idea, but I'm listening."
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to be sold on
10.Cover the list. Which words can you still recall, and what does each one add that a simpler word wouldn't?
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to hold (a view) loosely / tightly — to believe something with low / high confidence | to die on this hill — to refuse to back down from a particular point | to be of two minds — to be genuinely undecided | to take (yourself) too seriously — to lack the self-awareness to find yourself funny | for what it's worth — a polite signal that this is your opinion, no more | to be sold on — to be convinced by something
1.Give two natural word partners for "to hold (a view) loosely / tightly" (adjective + noun, verb + noun, or adverb + adjective), then use one.
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Model use: I hold that opinion loosely — push back and I'll probably move.
2.Give two natural word partners for "to die on this hill" (adjective + noun, verb + noun, or adverb + adjective), then use one.
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Model use: I'm not dying on this hill — pick your fonts.
3.Give two natural word partners for "to be of two minds" (adjective + noun, verb + noun, or adverb + adjective), then use one.
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Model use: I'm of two minds about it, honestly.
4.Give two natural word partners for "to take (yourself) too seriously" (adjective + noun, verb + noun, or adverb + adjective), then use one.
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Model use: He's brilliant, but he takes himself too seriously.
5.Give two natural word partners for "for what it's worth" (adjective + noun, verb + noun, or adverb + adjective), then use one.
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Model use: For what it's worth, I'd wait a quarter.
6.Give two natural word partners for "to be sold on" (adjective + noun, verb + noun, or adverb + adjective), then use one.
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Model use: I'm not yet sold on the idea, but I'm listening.
7.Choose three words from this lesson and build one sentence that uses all three naturally.
1.Rewrite so the meaning stays the same but you do NOT use "to hold (a view) loosely / tightly": "I hold that opinion loosely — push back and I'll probably move."
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Keep the meaning of: to believe something with low / high confidence
2.Rewrite so the meaning stays the same but you do NOT use "to die on this hill": "I'm not dying on this hill — pick your fonts."
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Keep the meaning of: to refuse to back down from a particular point
3.Rewrite so the meaning stays the same but you do NOT use "to be of two minds": "I'm of two minds about it, honestly."
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Keep the meaning of: to be genuinely undecided
4.Rewrite so the meaning stays the same but you do NOT use "to take (yourself) too seriously": "He's brilliant, but he takes himself too seriously."
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Keep the meaning of: to lack the self-awareness to find yourself funny
5.Rewrite so the meaning stays the same but you do NOT use "for what it's worth": "For what it's worth, I'd wait a quarter."
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Keep the meaning of: a polite signal that this is your opinion, no more
6.Summarise the lesson's main idea in exactly 20 words — no more, no less.
1.Motion: 'The four-day week should be the default.'
2.Motion: 'Reading fiction is more useful than reading non-fiction.'
3.Motion: 'Tipping should be abolished.'
4.Long turn (2 minutes, no notes): You vs your teacher. Motion: 'Strong opinions are overrated.' Round 1: opening + rebuttal, 90 seconds each. Round 2: closing, 60 seconds each. EVERY turn must include at least ONE self-irony move and at least ONE target vocab item. At the end, you each name (privately) who blended conviction and self-awareness more persuasively — and why. Compare.
5.Record 90 seconds using at least four of: to hold (a view) loosely / tightly, to die on this hill, to be of two minds, for what it's worth, to be sold on. Listen back and mark one thing to make more precise.
1.Plan first: write a three-line outline (position → strongest support → concession) before you draft.
2.Write a 90–110-word opinion paragraph defending a view you actually hold. It must include: (a) one clear stance, (b) one genuine concession, (c) one self-irony move, (d) at least three target items. (90–110 words). Include: to hold (a view) loosely / tightly, to die on this hill, to be of two minds, to take (yourself) too seriously, for what it's worth, to be sold on.
3.Model analysis: compare your text with the model. What does the model do in its first and last sentences that yours doesn't?
1.Take a position, sustain it, concede meaningfully, return to it. Examiners reward calibrated certainty, not bombast.
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Build a 'spine sentence' (clear stance) + a 'hinge sentence' (genuine concession) + a 'return sentence' (re-stated stance, slightly modified). Self-irony belongs in the hinge.
2.What is the writer's actual claim?
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That holding views loosely (and being amused by your past convictions) is a virtue.
3.Find TWO self-irony moves in the passage.
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'with the slow dignity of a barge turning in a canal', 'people who have never lost a luggage', 'I am, allegedly, wiser now', 'the version of me who is still, somewhere, certain'.
4.Where does the writer make the most serious claim, and how is it disguised?
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'Conviction is overrated. Curiosity… is not.' Two flat short sentences after a comic build-up — the joke clears space for the claim.
5.Inference: is this writer holding their view loosely or tightly?
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Tightly — which is the joke. They're emphatic about the value of NOT being emphatic.
1.In your own words, when do you use "Self-irony: holding the line while smiling at it"?
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Self-irony at C2 is structural, not just tonal: (a) the embedded confession ('which, predictably,…'), (b) the inflated frame ('with the seriousness of a small head of state'), (c) the contradicting clause ('I believe this strongly, for now'), (d) the diminishing tag ('…allegedly').
2.Complete naturally: "I hold that opinion loosely — push back and I'll probably move."
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to hold (a view) loosely / tightly
3.Complete naturally: "I'm not dying on this hill — pick your fonts."
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to die on this hill
4.Complete naturally: "I'm of two minds about it, honestly."
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to be of two minds
5.Complete naturally: "He's brilliant, but he takes himself too seriously."
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to take (yourself) too seriously
6.Complete naturally: "For what it's worth, I'd wait a quarter."
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for what it's worth
7.Two-minute retell: summarise the reading/listening from this lesson without looking at it.
8.On a 1–10, how 'recognisably you' did your voice sound across this week's five lessons?
9.Which lesson's target items are you most likely to actually use this week?
1.Warm-up — name your dials — 'I've reviewed the data and have some concerns.' — where are the three dials, and add a self-irony tag.
2.Warm-up — name your dials — 'Your idea has a serious flaw.' — soften it diplomatically, then add a self-irony tag.
3.Talk v1 — to a close friend — You deliver the talk you prepared for homework. Teacher plays a close friend over coffee. You MUST use at least FIVE Unit 1 vocabulary items naturally. Teacher does not interrupt; ticks each item as it lands.
4.Quick review — what was the voice doing? — Teacher reads back two of your own sentences word-for-word. You name: (a) where the three dials sat, (b) one self-irony move you made, (c) one moment that risked ringing false.
5.Talk v2 — to a public audience — Same content, same order. Teacher plays a public audience at a small evening event. You MUST keep the SAME core argument, but shift register so the talk would survive being recorded and posted. You MUST keep at least TWO self-irony moves — losing them all would over-formalise.
6.Side-by-side analysis — Which shift was the most efficient — one word change, big register move?
7.Side-by-side analysis — Where did public-you lose something that intimate-you had?
8.Side-by-side analysis — Where would a third version (to a senior sceptic) sit between the two?
9.Bring it together — a 120-word voice note — Write a 120-word PUBLIC-FACING summary of your own talk (third register: formal, warm, lay). Use at least FIVE Unit 1 vocab items naturally, include one calibrated self-irony move, and make sure it rings true.
10.Say a natural sentence from this unit's world using "to ring true / ring false".
11.Say a natural sentence from this unit's world using "shade (of meaning)".
12.Say a natural sentence from this unit's world using "a fine line between".
13.Say a natural sentence from this unit's world using "with respect".
14.Say a natural sentence from this unit's world using "I take your point, but…".
15.Say a natural sentence from this unit's world using "to read the room".
16.Say a natural sentence from this unit's world using "to strike the right tone".
17.Say a natural sentence from this unit's world using "to come off (as)".
18.Say a natural sentence from this unit's world using "matter-of-fact".
19.Say a natural sentence from this unit's world using "to hold (a view) loosely / tightly".
20.Say a natural sentence from this unit's world using "for what it's worth".
21.Say a natural sentence from this unit's world using "to take (yourself) too seriously".
22.Which register surprised you — felt easier or harder than expected?
23.Which Unit 1 item are you most likely to actually use this week?
24.Where, across both runs, did your voice sound most recognisably YOU?