0:00 Let's cut to the chase.
0:01 You don't need the C2 level of English.
0:04 For most people, it is 100% true
0:08 that they don't need to reach the highest level of English.
0:12 But that's just it.
0:14 Most people who reach C2 don't need it.
0:19 They just want it.
0:21 And now, here's where a lot of teachers and students might disagree with me.
0:26 You've probably heard the claims,
0:28 "It's impossible to reach the C2 level in English," or,
0:32 "No one even uses C2 level language in real life."
0:36 Now, this might start a war in the comments,
0:39 but I'm going to say it anyway.
0:40 I think that some people don't have a fully accurate picture of what C2
0:47 is.
0:47 In this video, we're going to explore the level together
0:51 so you can decide for yourself
0:53 if you want to reach C2
0:56 because virtually no one needs it.
0:59 And honestly, there are
1:00 so many things in life
1:02 that are a want to have over a need to have.
1:06 And those want to haves tend to be gorgeous just like C2 do.
1:12 When I was a young fresh teacher,
1:14 I listened to a lot of my colleagues who were very anti-C2 level.
1:19 But what I learned over time is
1:21 that there is a specific group of students who just want more.
1:26 They want to achieve.
1:27 They want to reach the top.
1:29 So now I've formed my own C2 opinion.
1:32 I will not push it as something that everyone needs,
1:35 but I have to acknowledge that it's something that a lot of people want.
1:39 I have created a PDF of everything we cover in today's lesson.
1:44 It's essentially your cheat sheet to C2
1:47 so you can start building your C2 proficiency today.
1:51 I've included something that nobody has seen yet.
1:55 The full curriculum for my brand new Beautiful British English C2 program.
2:01 You'll see exactly how you can approach C2 level general English with me.
2:07 In just three months,
2:08 you can be so much closer to C2 than you ever thought possible.
2:13 To download your cheat sheet and see my full C2 program curriculum,
2:18 maybe just out of morbid curiosity out of fascination,
2:23 just to see what the highest level English course could possibly consist of.
2:28 Just click the link in the description or scan the QR code here.
2:32 I'll send it straight to your inbox.
2:33 I'll also add you to my C2 waiting list
2:36 which opens on Monday the 19th of January.
2:39 Okay, let's start with an example of what people think C2 is.
2:44 The subterranean rail conveyance was an exercise in corporeal compression.
2:49 And look, technically this is C2.
2:54 At C2, you need to be able to understand pretty much everything you hear
2:59 and read.
3:00 But while that vocabulary has its place in academic writing,
3:05 very few people talk like that.
3:07 It's very formal.
3:08 So here's the same sentence in less formal but still C2 level language.
3:14 Tube was rammed.
3:18 That simple.
3:19 It's that simple.
3:20 Tube was rammed.
3:21 As in the London Underground was very crowded.
3:25 Now, technically it should be the tube, but native speakers sometimes drop articles,
3:31 particularly at the beginning of a sentence.
3:34 Rammed means full or very crowded.
3:37 I use this word all the time.
3:39 This place is rammed.
3:40 Let's get out of here.
3:41 It's very common in British English.
3:43 Also, don't stress.
3:44 I've put definitions of those words and the elaborate language in the PDF.
3:49 Let's do one more.
3:50 Stuffy C2 versus real life C2.
3:54 What am I talking about here?
3:56 My reliance on this venerable bean-derived infusion has reached a level where abstension engenders
4:04 physiological disarray and existential malaise.
4:09 What a sentence.
4:12 Basically, that's my coffee addiction.
4:14 Again, some of those words would be right at home in an academic journal.
4:19 And we will absolutely look at that sort of language in my C2 program,
4:24 but we'll also look at real life C2 language like this.
4:28 If I miss my morning coffee,
4:30 my soul literally clocks off
4:32 and I'm pretty much comeomaosse by 9:00 a.m.
4:34 So that's definitely something I'd say unfortunately.
4:37 To clock off means to stop work,
4:40 and comeosse means extremely tired or literally in a coma.
4:46 Well, in which of these places will you not find C2 level language?
4:52 Let's make this a quiz.
4:54 At the pub, in a newspaper article, in the queue at Tesco,
5:00 on a podcast, or in a novel?
5:02 I'll give you a few seconds.
5:07 I'm so sorry, that was a trick question.
5:09 You will find it in all those places and many, many more.
5:13 It's everywhere.
5:14 C2 level language isn't rare.
5:18 It's not about using the longest words or creating the longest, most complex sentences,
5:24 and it's not explicitly old-fashioned, archaic, or elite.
5:28 Features of C2 are used every single day by proficient English speakers.
5:34 And in my C2 program,
5:36 we cover it all from the academic to the colloquial
5:40 so that you feel completely at home in English.
5:42 Let me describe C2 in one sentence.
5:46 At C2, English feels effortless.
5:50 That means you can understand basically everything you hear or read,
5:54 whether it's a podcast, a lecture, a news article,
5:58 or a fast conversation at the pub.
6:00 You can talk about almost any topic spontaneously
6:04 and fluently without searching for words
6:08 and without second-guessing yourself.
6:10 At C2, you have a massive range of vocabulary and structures at your disposal,
6:17 including idioms and colloquial expressions,
6:20 and you know exactly when and how to use them.
6:24 Your pronunciation sounds natural.
6:27 Your grammar is spoton.
6:29 You can talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
6:33 In short, you've mastered the language, but that is still quite abstract.
6:37 So, let's see what C2 might really look like in some of the scenarios
6:42 I mentioned earlier.
6:43 We will start at the pub.
6:45 Listen and see if you understand what's happened.
6:49 >> Where's John?
6:50 That sneaky.
6:52 It's soaked off again, right when it's his round.
6:54 >> Well, John's disappeared just as it was his turn to buy drinks for everyone.
7:00 As for C2 level vocabulary, we had sneaky,
7:03 meaning behaving in a secretive or dishonest way.
7:06 And then there was a word elided
7:09 and it would be up to you to fill in the gap probably with
7:13 an insult or a swear word.
7:15 Knowing how and when to elide for dramatic effect
7:19 and being able to fill gaps like this is a highle skill.
7:23 We also had to slope off meaning to leave somewhere quietly often to avoid
7:29 something.
7:30 And round which is a set of drinks bought for a group.
7:34 Everyone takes turns.
7:36 Okay, next up, newspapers.
7:38 Here is a short extract from a music roundup in the Guardian newspaper.
7:43 I will link to the article in the PDF and in the description below.
7:47 This part is about Chapel Ran.
7:49 Listen and read.
7:51 What does the writer think of her?
7:54 >> This year alone, her electrifying gift for subverting pastiche proves she can turn
7:58 a hand to basically anything.
8:00 >> The writer simply loves her.
8:02 Now, that might be closer to what you think of when you hear C2,
8:07 but it's not from an article about nuclear physics.
8:10 It's a music review in a very popular newspaper.
8:13 Let's go through the vocabulary.
8:14 We have electrifying, meaning very exciting.
8:18 To subvert is to challenge expectations or established norms.
8:24 A pastiche is a piece of art, music,
8:27 or writing that imitates the style of someone or something else.
8:32 And if you're able to turn your hand to something,
8:35 you can start something new and do it really well.
8:38 Okay, we'll pop into Tesco now.
8:40 We're in the queue.
8:42 And Tesco is one of our most I think it's probably the most common
8:47 supermarket in the UK.
8:48 We're in the queue.
8:49 What is happening in this exchange?
8:52 Don't worry, we've got all day.
8:54 Oh, >> I know.
8:55 I'm ravenous.
8:56 I might have to break into the bickies before I even get to the
8:59 till.
8:59 >> So, the queue is moving very slowly,
9:02 and someone is so hungry they might have to open their biscuits before they've
9:07 paid for them.
9:08 The exchange started with some sarcasm.
9:11 No one has all day to stand in a queue at Tesco.
9:14 For our C2-level vocabulary,
9:16 we have ravenous. great word meaning extremely hungry
9:22 and bicki which is British slang for biscuit.
9:26 Now you don't need to know all British slang
9:28 or all American slang at C2,
9:31 but it's likely you'll understand quite a bit through immersion in the culture.
9:36 Next, let's listen to a bit of a podcast.
9:38 This is a clip from Science Versus.
9:40 I'll link to the episode which is called The Funniest Joke in the World.
9:44 Listen and try to complete these gaps in the transcript.
9:48 >> There is a gaggle
9:49 or giggle of research out there
9:50 that shows why laughing matters.
9:53 So, what's curious is that we as humans,
9:55 we're not the only animals to laugh.
9:58 You should have heard giggle and humans.
10:02 Did you get those?
10:04 So, the speaker really played with the sound and meaning there.
10:08 Gaggle means a noisy group of people,
10:10 but in the passage it referred to a lot of research.
10:13 Then the speaker added giggle meaning a silly laugh,
10:17 a gaggle or giggle of research
10:19 which links us back to the topic of laughter.
10:22 After that we have some interesting grammar.
10:25 A cleft structure used for emphasis.
10:28 What's curious is that instead of it's curious that.
10:32 You may have noticed that I haven't mentioned grammar much yet.
10:35 And at C2, you should already be familiar with most structures,
10:40 but we do cover grammar,
10:41 including some really high-level parts in the C2 program.
10:46 I've put a short passage from a novel in the lesson PDF,
10:49 and it also includes some high-level grammar as well as gorgeous descriptive vocabulary.
10:55 Okay, so that was just a tiny snapshot of C2,
10:59 but hopefully you've got the idea.
11:01 I stand by my point that C2 is a want,
11:05 not a need for the vast majority of students.
11:09 But if you want it, you are capable of achieving it.
11:13 Students like you are the reason I have created my beautiful British English C2
11:18 program.
11:18 It is not for everyone, but if you think it's for you,
11:23 we launch on the 19th of January.
11:25 If you haven't downloaded your cheat sheet yet, it's got everything we've covered today,
11:30 plus the full curriculum from my brand new C2 program.
11:33 I'll also add you onto the waiting list,
11:36 so you'll be the first to know about the huge launch discount I'm offering.
11:40 Just click the link in the description or scan the QR code there.
11:44 And that's it.
11:44 That's C2.
11:45 It's not impossible.
11:47 It's not just for academics.
11:50 It's right there waiting for you if you want it.
11:52 Thank you so much for watching this video.
11:54 I hope you enjoyed it.
11:55 I hope you learned something.
11:56 And I hope you have a stronger opinion about how you feel about C2.
12:01 I'll see you in the next one.
12:02 No.