SOME HELP TO PASS YOUR B2 EXAM
By Sonia P.R.
Slang is very informal language which is often used by young people. It's hard to keep up to date with slang, but this article will help you learn a few words that your teacher may not know!
Language changes all the time. New words and phrases appear and evolve. The words and pronunciations used by young people in the UK can be very different to those used by adults. Living in a multicultural society has an effect on language, especially on young people, whose friends are often from a mix of backgrounds. TV and music also have a big impact on the language of the young. Often UK singers sing in American accents without realising. Young British people use lots of language that you usually can’t find in most dictionaries. These extremely informal words and expressions are known as ‘slang’. It is not possible to make a complete list of modern British slang. By the time the list was finished, it would be out of date! New words come and go like fashions. However, here are a few examples:
-
Safe, sorted, sound, cool or wicked all mean 'That’s good' or 'I understand'.
-
Instead of using different tag questions like …isn’t it?, can’t you? or don’t they?, people use innit (e.g., It’s hot here, isn’t it? = It’s hot here, innit!, He can dance really well, can’t he? = He can dance really well, innit! or They always say that, don’t they? = They always say that, innit.).
-
Instead of saying very, really or completely use well (e.g., I’m well tired or You got it well wrong!).
-
Whatever means I don’t care (e.g., A: But the teacher says we can’t leave until we’ve finished. B: Whatever. I’m going).
-
He’s fine or He’s fit both mean He’s good-looking. Fine and fit can describe a boy or a girl.
-
A hoodie is a young person who wears a jacket with a hood (a hood keeps your head dry in rainy Britain!). It is a negative word and suggests that the young person might be a troublemaker or even a criminal.
Not everybody uses slang and not everybody likes it. A school in Sheffield, in the north of England, recently instructed its pupils to stop using slang words such as hiya (hello), cheers and ta (both mean thank you). The head teacher says that if young people learn to speak ‘correctly’ this will help them get a place at university and a good job. When British people use language like this, it’s no surprise that some students say they can’t understand native speakers. But perhaps learners don’t need to worry about communicating with native speakers so much. Research shows that most of the English spoken in the world today is spoken between non-native speakers of the language. In fact, when we think about “International English”, there is no such thing as a native or non-native speaker. So, how important is it to understand these slang words and expressions? If you watch films or TV in English, read magazines in English, chat online in English or are interested in English song lyrics then understanding slang can be very useful. You probably won’t see much slang in your English exam though.
Nevertheless, here you have some usefull examples in case you will be interested in:
22 more Bristih slang expressions you will hear when visiting UK:
1. “Mind The Gap” This famous expression is always used on trains and the London Underground (Tube). The “gap” refers to the space, often wide, between the train and the platform. Be sure you take a big step when getting off the train or tube or you could hurt yourself!
2. “All Right, Mate?” “Mate” is British Slang used to refer to men. A lot of English people, especially in the pub, use it instead of “How are you?”. They don’t always expect an answer, but you could just respond: “Yes, Thank You”.
3. “Naff” If something is “naff”, it is very uncool. “That jumper is so naff. There is no way I’m wearing it.”
4. “The Full Monty” This British Slang word is not to be confused with the film of the same title where the main characters removed all their clothes for a striptease act. It actually means the whole thing. You can often hear it when the English are asked at breakfast what they would like to have and they answer: “The Full Monty” meaning the Full English Breakfast (sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, fried bread and black pudding)
5. “Grub” The literal meaning is larva, but it is also another word for food. Some English will say: “What’s for grub?” meaning ‘What’s for dinner or lunch?’. Sometimes, you will see the word “Pub Grub” referring to Pub Food outside pubs.
6. “Moreish” “I love Pringle Crisps. They are so moreish.” This comes from “more” and simply means that something is so good that it makes you want to eat more of it.
7. “Not My Cup of Tea” When the English don’t like something, but don’t want to be rude they will say: ” I’m afraid that going to nightclubs is not my cup of tea”.
8. “Quid” This is another British slang word for the UK currency, the pound. You will often hear people use this word instead of ‘pounds’. Example: “I paid ten quid for that shirt.”
9. “Spend a Penny” or “Loo” This is not as commonly used as the other British slang words but I love it so I thought I’d add it here. It means to go to the bathroom. It’s often used in situations where people don’t really know each other well, for example, in a business meeting. In that case, they might say: “I need to spend a penny”. The other word commonly used is the “loo” to refer to “toilet” or “lavatory”. ‘Where is the loo?’
10. “Ta” This basically means ‘thank you’.
11. aggro – the word is short for “aggravation”. It’s often used to mean ‘trouble’. “Look, I’m having a really bad day so don’t give me any aggro“.
12. barmy – another way of saying mad or crazy. It’s normally used to describe a person. “You would have to be barmy to go running in this pouring rain”.
13. bee’s knees – it is often used to describe something or someone as fabulous “This hotel is the bee’s knees“.
14. bender – a heavy drinking session “Jim was in trouble with the boss this morning. Apparently he went on a bender last night and left his laptop on the train”.
15. cheesed off – to be annoyed “I’m really cheesed off with Simon. He said that he would pick me up at 8pm last night and he forgot!”
16. chin wag – a chat (normally associated with women!) ” There’s nothing better than meeting up with the girls once a month for a glass of wine and a chin wag.”
17. chuffed – pleased (adjective) sometimes we say “chuffed to bits” to mean very pleased. “I managed to get tickets for next week’s Arsenal match. I am chuffed to bits”.
18. cracking – really good (Jamie Oliver often describes his dishes as “cracking”. “I managed to get a cracking piece of beef for the Sunday roast”.
19. daft – stupid “Don’t be daft. You know you can always ask me anything”.
20. easy peasy – a rhyming expression for the word “easy”. I use it a lot with my clients. I always add “lemon squeezy” to finish the rhyme off! “Excellent. I knew that you’d grasp the Past Perfect. That was easy peasy, lemon squeezy”.
21. to flog – to sell “I didn’t want that old table, so I flogged it for £20″. (There’s even a BBC programme where people can sell items in auction)
22. fluke – happy chance “When Charlie came back from walking his dog, he realised that he had left his keys on the park bench. When he went back to the bench, they were still lying there. That was pure fluke“.