Listening Part 2: Daily Life Conversation

Food and household items bought from a shop.

“I pick up groceries on my way home.”

Often used: buy groceries · grocery shopping

CELPIP tip: Neutral everyday word; use naturally in personal stories or scene descriptions involving shopping or kitchens.

A paper showing what you paid.

“Keep your receipt in case of a return.”

Often used: keep the receipt · ask for a receipt

CELPIP tip: Use in complaint or return emails; pair with 'keep your receipt' or 'attach the receipt.'

Food remaining after a meal.

“We had leftovers for lunch the next day.”

Often used: leftover food · eat leftovers

CELPIP tip: Informal and natural in daily-life stories; say 'use up leftovers' to sound fluent and idiomatic.

Food remaining after a meal.

“We packed the leftovers for lunch.”

Often used: eat leftovers

CELPIP tip: Informal and natural; perfect for personal experience stories—avoid in formal writing, use 'remaining food' instead.

The bags and cases you take when travelling.

“Please keep your luggage with you at all times.”

Often used: carry-on luggage · lost luggage

CELPIP tip: Neutral everyday word; collocate with 'carry-on luggage' or 'check luggage' for travel contexts.

A small job that has to be done regularly.

“We share the household chores equally.”

Often used: household chores · do the chores

CELPIP tip: Informal tone; avoid in formal writing. Use 'household chores' naturally in spoken personal stories.

Extra hours worked beyond normal working hours.

“She earned more by working overtime last month.”

Often used: work overtime · paid overtime · unpaid overtime

CELPIP tip: Use 'work overtime' as a verb phrase; in emails, prefer 'required to work overtime' for formality.

A person who manages and watches over workers.

“Please report the issue to your supervisor.”

Often used: direct supervisor · immediate supervisor

CELPIP tip: Preferred over 'boss' in formal emails and workplace scenarios; use 'direct supervisor' for precision.

To wait.

“Hold on while I check the schedule.”

Often used: hold on a moment

CELPIP tip: Informal; great for difficult situation dialogues. Avoid in writing; use 'please wait' instead.

To cancel.

“They called off the meeting.”

Often used: call off an event

CELPIP tip: Neutral and natural for cancellation situations; swap with 'cancel' to avoid repetition in emails.

To have a friendly relationship with.

“He gets along well with his coworkers.”

Often used: get along with people

CELPIP tip: Informal; ideal for personal experience stories about colleagues or neighbours—sounds natural, not scripted.

To sound familiar.

“That name rings a bell.”

CELPIP tip: Informal; use when recalling a memory or name—sounds natural and fluent in conversational speaking tasks.

To learn how to do something.

“It's tricky at first, but you'll get the hang of it.”

CELPIP tip: Informal; ideal for personal experience stories. Use: 'It took time, but I finally got the hang of it.'

To study hard.

“I need to hit the books before the test.”

CELPIP tip: Informal; use when advising students or sharing study experiences. Avoid in formal email writing.