AEE: Winning Idioms for IELTS and Everyday Life

Summary

All Ears English Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: AEE: Winning Idioms for IELTS and Everyday Life
Hosts: Lindsay McMahon and Aubrey Carter
Release Date: January 4, 2025

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The latest episode of the All Ears English Podcast, hosted by Lindsay McMahon and Aubrey Carter, delves into the strategic use of idioms to enhance English proficiency, particularly for those preparing for the IELTS examination. Titled "Winning Idioms for IELTS and Everyday Life," this episode offers listeners valuable insights into incorporating idiomatic expressions to boost their speaking scores and engage more naturally in daily conversations.

1. The Role of Idioms in English Fluency

Early in the episode, Lindsay and Aubrey establish the significance of idioms in both IELTS preparation and everyday English communication. They emphasize that idioms add color and interest to language, making conversations more engaging and your speech more nuanced. Aubrey highlights, “[Idioms] can soften and make it less formal when you're sharing your opinion, which really boosts the connection” (03:01).

2. Enhancing IELTS Speaking with Idioms

The hosts discuss how the IELTS speaking exam assesses not only vocabulary but also the ability to express opinions clearly and creatively. They underline that using idiomatic expressions can differentiate a candidate’s response, potentially elevating their band score from a 6 to a 7 or higher. Lindsay remarks, “It's the difference between a band 6 and a 7, right? A band 6 sounds like everyone else” (05:33).

3. Three Essential Idioms for Sharing Opinions

a. "Hands Down"

Meaning: Unquestionably; without a doubt.

Usage in IELTS:

• Example: “The café around the corner from my house has the best chocolate cake, hands down.” (07:39)

Contextual Application: Lindsay and Aubrey illustrate how "hands down" can replace more mundane phrases like "I think" or "I believe," injecting strength and clarity into statements. Lindsay adds, "It's showing your opinion with strength for sure" (08:19).

b. "In My Book"

Meaning: In my opinion; according to my perspective.

Usage in IELTS:

• Example: “In my book, the best type of friend is one who is thoughtful and considerate.” (09:03)

Contextual Application: This idiom serves as a creative alternative to "in my opinion." Aubrey explains, “This is a really great idiom to another way of saying, in my book, it’s this... we have quite a few idioms in English to share our opinions” (03:17). Lindsay reinforces its practical use by stating, “It's a great way to get that high-level vocabulary in” (09:37).

c. "Change One's Tune"

Meaning: To change one's opinion or stance on something.

Usage in IELTS:

• Example: “I changed my tune about eating out. I used to love it, but now I prefer staying home.” (10:32)

Contextual Application: This idiom is particularly useful for demonstrating a personal journey or evolution in opinions, which is valuable for both IELTS responses and everyday discussions. Aubrey notes, “It shows evolution” when applied to broader topics like societal changes (11:28).

4. Practical Application: Role-Play Scenario

To illustrate the practical use of these idioms, Lindsay and Aubrey engage in a role-play conversation about attending concerts. This segment showcases how seamlessly idioms can be integrated into natural dialogue:

• Lindsay: “I don't really love going to concerts anymore, in my book. They're just usually not worth the expense and the inconvenience.” (14:08)

• Aubrey: “I usually feel the same, but I changed my tune after last Saturday. I went to a Mumford and Sons concert, and it was phenomenal.” (15:05)

• Lindsay: “That would be a good one. Have you seen them in concert, Aubry?” (13:30)

• Aubrey: “Yes, hands down, the best concert I've ever been to.” (15:50)

This dialogue not only demonstrates the correct application of "in my book," "changed my tune," and "hands down," but also highlights how these idioms enhance the expressiveness and relatability of the conversation.

5. Additional Tips and Resources

Towards the end of the episode, Lindsay and Aubrey promote their "IELTS Energy" podcast, specifically recommending Episode 1446: How to Crush IELTS, which focuses on slang and strategies for excelling in the IELTS exam. Aubrey encourages listeners, "If you're studying for IELTS or not, you might want to check that out just so you can use that amazing vocab" (16:22).

Lindsay adds, “We've gotten some really nice messages from students who have used the podcast to go ahead and achieve their target scores. Very impressive.” (16:50), underscoring the effectiveness of their resources.

6. Conclusion: Building Connections through Idioms

Lindsay and Aubrey conclude by reiterating the importance of using idioms to foster connection over perfection in language learning. By incorporating phrases like "hands down," "in my book," and "change one's tune," learners can make their English more engaging and authentic, thereby enhancing both their IELTS performance and everyday interactions.

Notable Quotes:

• Aubrey Carter (03:17): “This is a really great idiom to another way of saying, in my book, it’s this... we have quite a few idioms in English to share our opinions.”

• Lindsay McMahon (05:33): “It's the difference between a band 6 and a 7, right? A band 6 sounds like everyone else.”

• Aubrey Carter (07:39): “Hands down, much more interesting and higher scoring.”

• Lindsay McMahon (09:37): “It's a great way to get that high-level vocabulary in.”

• Aubrey Carter (15:05): “I changed my tune about this. I used to love eating out, but it's gotten super pricey and I hate dressing up.”

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By focusing on these idioms and their applications, the episode equips learners with practical tools to elevate their English usage, both in the IELTS examination and in everyday conversations, ultimately fostering a more confident and fluent command of American English.

Transcript

[Aubrey Carter]

This is an All Ears English podcast, winning idioms for Ielts and everyday life.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American host, Aubrey Carter, the Ielts whiz, and Lindsey McMahon, the English adventurer, coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, usa. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com subscribe.

In today's episode, get three idioms that will ensure you score high on IELTS.

Speaking, speaking and will also help you connect in everyday conversations.

[Unknown]

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[Lindsey McMahon]

Hey, Aubry, what's shaking?

[Aubrey Carter]

I'm great. How are you, Lindsay?

[Lindsey McMahon]

I'm feeling really good, but I have a good question for you today. You ready?

[Aubrey Carter]

All right, let's hear it. Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

All right. So what do you think was the best film of 2024?

[Aubrey Carter]

In my book, Wicked was the best movie of the year. I know we're at the end of 2024, but I just went with my family. We all loved it. I have seen it on Broadway, but I thought they did such a good job in the film adaptation. Have you seen it yet, Lindsay?

[Lindsey McMahon]

I haven't seen the film yet. I've seen Wicked on Broadway too, and I lived in New York and I loved it. It was fantastic. And we're gonna go see it this. This winter again in New York. But I haven't seen the film because I'm kind of afraid to see the film before I see the play again. I don't know.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, it's so close to the play. It's just very similar. Just like movie version part one just goes to the intermission, but they follow it very closely and they're singing live. They had like an orchestra there. I saw some. It's amazing. They've made it like more like a live show of the Broadway show.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Interesting. Interesting. I mean, at the movie theater.

[Aubrey Carter]

No, in the. On set. They're singing live and they have the orchestra there. Live that there. So it's all more like A Broadway performance. Really? It's really fascinating and amazing performances. Cynthia Erivo, she was in Harriet Tubman. I loved her after Harriet Tubman, but she was Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the west, and she's so phenomenal. Just amazing. Yes. Anyway, go see it, guys. I loved it.

[Lindsey McMahon]

So in our discussion, which is actually a great conversation starter, by the way, for anyone having a conversation in English, but you said, I asked you what was the best film of the year. You said in my book, Wicked was the best film. That's interesting what you said in my book. You didn't just say it was wicked.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. This is a really great idiom to another way of saying, in my opinion, in my book, it's this. Right? We have quite a few idioms in English to share our opinions, and we use these all the time in everyday conversations. These will be useful for all of you out there listening, but especially if you are studying for Ielts, the best idioms to use are ones to introduce opinions because you are guaranteed to need to share your opinion on the ielts speaking examination.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. Especially when you start your Ielts response by just throwing in one of these idiomatic phrases. It's an easy way to grab extra points right away. Right. And then you can worry about the business of actually giving the answer. But I like that strategy. Get the, get the high level vocab word in right away. So why are we talking about ielts today? How do we know about this? Aubry?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, well, first of all, I am one of the co hosts of IELTS Energy, one of our other podcasts. So I'm an IELTS expert of sorts. Jessica is the other co host. She was an examiner for 14 years. So if you or anyone you know is studying for I, you should be following the I Energy podcast. So definitely search that wherever you find your podcast and make sure to follow 100%.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And we're going to give a little glimpse into a little I strategy. But this episode definitely applies to every single one of our listeners. Why, Aubrey?

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely. We talk a lot here about how idioms adds color. They add color and interest to your language. And when you're sharing an opinion, this is especially useful to use idiomatic language often. It can sort of soften and make it less formal when you're sharing your opinion, which really boosts the connection.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, 100%. So today we're going to give how many phrases we've got three or four of them. Three of them.

[Aubrey Carter]

We're three idioms, all which are used for sharing your Opinion. So on the IELTS exam, you have to use idioms the examiner is listening for a variety of vocabulary. You cannot sound just like every other student if you want to score 7 or higher. And you want to avoid very common language, like bad, nice, very, but also for everyone listening, you also want to avoid that more common, boring language and add idioms make your vocabulary more interesting.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, Exactly. On the IELTS exam, I suppose it's the difference between a 6 and a 7, right? A band 6 sounds like everyone else. Is that right, Aubrey? And a band 7 sounds a little more elevated, a little more unique. And in life, we also don't want to sound like everyone else. We want to build our own personal brand in a sense.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. Yes. So when you are learning English for everyday language, you want to learn all the idioms. Right. There's so many different idioms, and they're all used in these different contexts. When it comes to the IELTS exam, you have to be more selective because you need to learn idioms you're likely to use on the exam, especially if you don't have a ton of time before you're taking the test. So sometimes learning general idioms, you know, that, or, or very specific idioms, rather, might, you know, might have time for that, but you can learn idioms to introduce opinions that you will definitely use on testing.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And this is why you have to prepare with an expert in ielts like our team or another team, because if you're working with a teacher that has not frankly, been an examiner or been trained by an examiner or somehow been on the inside of the exam, they don't know enough about the examination. I mean, that's just the truth.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes, that's just the truth. Right. Just like we're. We don't set ourselves up as experts of any of the other language exams. Right? IELTS is very specific. It has very specific requirements. So definitely follow IELTS energy if you're studying for ielts. But again, this vocab that you will learn today will be useful for anytime you're sharing an opinion.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Love it. I think our listeners are ready for the first high scoring and high level, high success word for idiom, expression. What is it? What's the first idiom?

[Aubrey Carter]

And you guys heard about this recently. That is what inspired this episode, actually. You and Michelle talked about the idiom hands down, which means unquestionably, in episode 23, 24, you were answering a question about it. And this is so useful on ielts, again, because anytime you share your opinion, it's kind of Blase. To just be like, I think this, I think that. And just the same with your conversations. Right. If you say something like unquestionably or even better, something idiomatic, like, hands down, much more interesting and higher scoring.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, it's a little weak or just kind of too neutral. Because we're asking what you think, what you care about in the world. Right. Show some energy and an idiom can help you. In this case, hands down is a good one.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, yeah. So, like, if you're talking about your favorite dessert, which could come up on part one of the speaking exam, you could say, the cafe around the corner from my house has the best chocolate cake, hands down. And just think about how much more interesting this is instead of saying, oh, the, you know, the cafe around the corner from my house has great chocolate chocolate cake. Yes.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It's showing your opinion with strength for sure. And maybe you can share a story, a time you went there, or just. You just bring people into your world a bit more. Okay.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely. Or what if someone asked you about a book you read recently?

[Lindsey McMahon]

So, for example, you could say, hands down, the best book I read this year was the Housemaid. Okay.

[Aubrey Carter]

Oh, this is such a good book. If you guys haven't read it, this is Freda McFadden and it's going to be made into a film. It's sort of a murder mystery. She has a whole series. Such a good book.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Okay, great. I'm always looking for new book recommendations. Love it.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes.

[Lindsey McMahon]

All right, so that is hands down as your first idiom. So everyone write that down. If you're taking ielts, let's find a way to get this in to your answers. Number two, Aubry. What is it?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, this is the one we used at the top of the episode in my book, which is just a fun way of saying, in my opinion, imagine you have a book that has all your opinions in it.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

We use this very idiomatically to imagine we have that book.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, I like this one. It's fun. So, for example, in part two of the IELTS speaking test, if. If they ask you to describe a friend, we might say, in my book, the best type of friend is one who is thoughtful and considerate.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly right. And you're wanting to use idiomatic language. You have to fill two minutes for the part two in the speaking exam. And so you're going to want to tell stories about this friend. Get. Be descriptive, but you also need a variety of vocabulary. This is a great idiom to introduce your opinions about this friend.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. And again, like we said earlier, starting with this impressive idiom is gonna. It's also probably gonna tip the examiner's mind start, have them start thinking in the direction of 7, 8, 9, not 4, 5, 6. Right. You want to be on the right side of that divide.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes, that's such a good point. Right. And another example, if in part one, you're asked about like favorite food, it can, you can fall into the trap of just saying my favorite food is Italian or something. Right. You have to give more detail than that. So you might say like, I know this might be a hot take, but in my book all food should be extremely spicy. So you're sharing like a fun opinion about food. This doesn't even have to be true. It's just great vocab.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And you're still answering the question. I love it. That is so good. So good. All right, so that's number two in my book. So again, really good way to get that high level vocabulary in. And there's a third suggestion. What's our third one?

[Aubrey Carter]

The third idiom is to change one's tune, which means to change one's opinion. So you'll say like, I changed my tune or he changed his tune. And for example, part one, if you're asked, you know, do you prefer eating out or cooking at home, you might say, I've actually changed my tune about this. I used to love eating out, but it's gotten super pricey and I hate dressing up. So now I just stay home in my comies.

[Lindsey McMahon]

In my comies. Yeah, exactly. Love that much.

[Aubrey Carter]

Great vocab in that answer.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. And this, this talks about kind of a journey, right, that you've gone through. Really good for context. Here's another example. Speaking part three, if you're asked now, Aubrey, speaking part three, it's often about societal issues, is that right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes, exactly. Things that affect society more broadly. You can definitely still use yourself as a personal example, but you might be asked about the environment or crime or. And so you often do need sort of more topic specific vocabulary.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Okay. So that if the topic were about recycling, right. You might say, the city I live in changed its tune this year and no longer picks up glass. If residents want to recycle glass bottles, they have to take them to special drop off locations. Okay.

[Aubrey Carter]

So this isn't just about a person changing their opinion. It's very useful for part three because it can be about governments or cities changing policies. Be like, well, they change their tune. And now it's like this showing, evolution.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Showing before and after this is a more complex articulation of something, which is why we find it in part three. Makes sense.

[Aubrey Carter]

And this idiom is especially useful for connecting in English because this is really interesting, like you said, Lindsay, to think about Journey. Your opinions aren't the same throughout your life. Often they change. And that's something interesting to ask some. Someone what's something they've changed their tune about?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Definitely. For our listeners, again, who aren't taking the I exam, this would be a great conversation starter. Again. Yeah. What if you change your tune politically? How have you changed your tune in the last five years or, you know, socially or lifestyle wise? There's a lot of ways you could ask this question.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely, Sergeant.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And Mr. Smith, you're gonna love this house.

[Aubrey Carter]

Bunk beds in a closet.

[Unknown]

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[Lindsey McMahon]

Okay, here we go. Aubry. Let's bring it into a role play so we can see how this, how this comes out in real life. Okay.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. So you and I are talking about concerts in this roleplay. I'll start us. Have you been to any good concerts lately?

[Lindsey McMahon]

You know, I don't really love going to concerts anymore in my book. They're just usually not worth the expense and the inconvenience.

[Aubrey Carter]

I usually feel the same, but I might change my tune after. Last Saturday, I went to a Mumford and Sons concert and it was phenomenal.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, I do like their music. They put on a good show.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. Hands down, the best concert I've ever been to.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Nice. That would be a good one. Have you seen them in concert, Aubry? Mumford and Sons.

[Aubrey Carter]

And this is accurate. I feel like I've been to a lot of great. Com, but they put on a great show. Marcus Mumford was like coming out into the crowd and just super personable and their music is fantastic. It really was a great show.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, I'm sure it was. That's a. Yeah, I'm usually, in theory, I'm not a concerts person. I don't go all the time. I don't like to spend a lot of money on concert tickets. But then when I do go, I say, geez, why don't I go to more concerts? It really makes me love music.

[Aubrey Carter]

It's so true. Though I did see a post on Facebook the other day. Someone was like, be prepared to be stuck in traffic for three hours on the way to some concert in downtown Phoenix. I'm like, oh, yes, this is Why I don't go to concert.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That could be annoying, for sure. All right, so here I said, you know, I don't love going to concerts in my book. And I'm furthering my opinion here. In my book. They're just usually not worth the expense. Okay.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. And this is a direct, you know, intro. It's directly interchangeable with in my opinion. So if you find yourself about to say, in my. My opinion, just swap it within my book, either on the IELTS exam or just in a conversation. It's more interesting, it's more native and more fun.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I agree. It's definitely more fun because in my opinion, is very neutral and quite boring, frankly. And it sounds like you're answering a school essay or something, like you have to stand up and recite an essay. I don't know. It just sounds boring.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. Just more common. Right. So this. I don't hear people say that. I mean, I do. I know what it means, but I kind of wish it were more common, especially with language learners. Like, let's say this more. It's so, so fun.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, I totally agree. All right, what's the next one that you used?

[Aubrey Carter]

And then I said, I usually would agree, but I might change my tune after last Saturday and I start sharing about a concert that was really amazing. And I'm saying it may have changed my opinion about going to concerts or not. Right. So this is a fun way to say that, oh, this maybe changed my tune. Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And this is also a side tip here for connection. I like the way you have kind of sort of reflected me by saying, I usually feel the same, but I've changed my tune. So there's still some empathy there in. In our conversation, in the way you're responding because you're saying, yeah, I felt that way, but I've changed. That's kind of a pro tip for today's episode.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, good point. Right. To, like, first say what you have in common, but then you're going to share. But maybe I'm changing my mind and use this amazing idiom. Think I've changed my tune.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It's pretty cool. Pretty cool. And then I said, oh, they put on a good show. And you said, yes, hands down, the best concert I've ever been to. That's a big statement. It. Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

Is big. And sometimes we will just exaggerate. Like, I'm not really sitting.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Thinking, what are all the concerts I've been to? I'm just saying it was amazing and using this really fun idiom.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah.

No, One's gonna check the facts on that one. Don't worry, Aubrey. Let's get our listeners. If you guys are getting ready to take the IELTS exam, you need to be listening to IELTS Energy. Let's let our listeners know what episode they could start with, which would be a great start.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. This is a very recent one. 1446, how to crush IELTS. And this was some fantastic slang vocab, crush, kill, nail ace. That just means to do well, to succeed. So whether you're preparing for ielts or not, you might want to check that out just so you can use that amazing vocab, but especially if you're studying for ielts because we share strategies for the IELTS exam for each section. Right. How to crush out speaking, how to nail writing. So don't miss that episode. Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And lately we've gotten some really nice messages from students who have used the exam. Use the podcast to go ahead, go right into the exam and achieve their targets scores. Very impressive.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. We had a lot of students ace the exam lately, so congratulations to all of you. And yeah, definitely check it out if you're studying for I.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And the first thing you should do. So open your search bar, type in I energy, find the show, and first thing to do before you go to that episode is hit the follow button. That will ensure that it ends up in your queue so you don't lose track of it. Super easy that way. Two episodes a week. Okay.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. Awesome. Today's idioms are great for everyone learning English. Throw these into your conversations whenever you're going to share your opinion. Very native, natural chunks.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, it's just. Just being more interesting. Right? We want to be more interesting so that we can build that connection. And these words will help you do it. Love it.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely. All right, awesome. Thanks, Lindsay.

[Lindsey McMahon]

All right, Aubrey, take care. Talk soon. Bye Bye.

Thanks for listening. To all ears. English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz, go to all allearsenglish. Com fluencyscore, and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.