- Have you ever heard someone boast
about having this level of English, the C1 level?
This is also known as the advanced level of English.
For most English learners,
the C1 advanced level is the ultimate goal.
But when students approach me and say,
I want to reach C1, if I ask them,
well, do you know what C1 is?
Do you know what the advanced level is?
They often can't tell me.
In this video, I'm going to go through all of the grammar
that you need to master
to be able to say that you have a C1 level of English.
There is also so much to cover in vocabulary.
I have so much to share with you,
things like humour, paraphrasing, word formation.
Today, we're going to focus on the grammar,
but if you're really serious
about achieving a C1 level of English,
then I have something
that I think you will really, really like.
I have created an ebook that you can download for free,
which details everything we're going to cover in this video,
all of the grammar that you need to be at a C1 level.
We go into a lot of detail about the vocabulary
and the other skills as well.
It's a fantastic resource.
It will really help you to pinpoint where you are,
because we cover parts of other levels as well
in this ebook, and what you have to do to move up a level,
what you have to do to achieve that next level.
In this free ebook,
I have also included the curriculum for my new C1 programme.
It's not released yet.
It comes out on the 15th of May,
but you can be one of the first students to see inside
and to understand how we are going to take
you from B2 to C1,
and what you will be learning every single step of the way.
You could also use it as an example
of what needs to be studied to achieve C1.
If you're truly interested
in achieving the C1 level of English,
you can download this free ebook,
and this will also sign you up to the waiting list
for my beautiful British English C1 programme.
All you need to do is click on the link
in the description box,
you type in your name and your email address,
you sign up to the waiting list,
and then the C1 ebook will arrive directly in your inbox.
Then you're on my waiting list.
You will be the first to know when it's released.
Okay, I'm going to tell you about the grammar
that you need to master to be able to say,
I am at C1 level in English.
But first, let's look a little deeper
into what a C1 level of English actually is.
If you reach B2, you are said to be fluent in English,
but C1 takes this further.
This is why C1 is the ultimate goal in my opinion.
C1 is fluency with a deep understanding
of the nuances of the English language.
When you achieve C1,
and I truly believe you will be able to,
you will express yourself
with phrases that native speakers naturally use,
and you'll be able to do it without thinking,
which means saying things like,
I can't wait to put my own stamp on this place,
instead of I can't wait to redecorate.
You use English as if it's part of your instinct.
You'll be able to express yourself spontaneously
without reaching for or searching for words.
Don't worry, all of us get stuck sometimes.
Even in our native language, we can all relate,
but I have got a really good trick for that.
One of my favourite parts of the C1 level
is that you'll be able to understand
subtle jokes in English.
This means complete participation
in conversations in everyday life.
I've learnt multiple second languages
and I know what it's like to be in a group situation
where someone says something that's seemingly meaningless
and everyone laughs apart from you.
It feels bloody lonely.
So this might sound like complete
and utter native-like fluency.
You might be wondering, what is after C1?
What could C2 possibly be?
Well, C2 is the highest level of English.
Here, you have a near native understanding.
You can comprehend and summarise
almost everything you read and listen to,
including colloquialisms or regional language,
and you can express yourself with an understanding
of the finest nuances of English
in just about any situation.
Oh, and you need to know around 16,000 words.
Obviously, this is just a rough guide.
As a teacher, I encourage all of my students
to aim for a B2 level of English.
I encourage my students who are truly passionate
about English, British culture,
the students who want to excel,
I recommend that they go for the C1 level of English.
With B2, you would be able to work in English,
but C1 is about reaching that level
of comfort and relaxation,
where you don't have to reach for words.
You know them as part of your instinct.
So let's talk about grammar.
When you do A1, B1, and B2,
you have a lot of grammar to learn.
In my B1 programme, there is loads of grammar,
a big focus on tenses.
In B2, there's still a lot of grammar.
C1 is less about learning
entirely new grammatical structures,
because you should have already learnt most
of that at B2 and below.
Instead, C1 is about learning grammatical nuances.
So it's adding to your repertoire of phrases
and building your instincts for English grammar.
B1 and B2 are about introducing big new topics.
C1 is about fine-tuning and tweaking.
Let's take a look at the grammar
that you need to know for the C1 level.
We'll start with the tenses.
If you feel ready to study at C1 level in English,
you should already have a strong foundation
in the English tenses.
However, a C1 programme or course
will provide you with revision
of the past, present, and future tenses
with a focus on their advanced uses,
and this is exactly what we will do
in my beautiful British English C1 programme.
For example, you should know
how to use the future perfect tense
to make assumptions about the present.
For example, I'm sure my husband will have noticed
that I used all the milk this morning.
If you're studying at C1,
you should also learn how to talk about the future
using some advanced structures
like to be set to and to be on the verge of,
and you need to know when it is appropriate
to use these structures.
Let's move on to modals.
At C1 level, you should be comfortable
with using modal verbs,
and you should know some advanced structures
for speculation and deduction,
and you'll also be comfortable with using modal verbs
with adverbs that collocate with them,
like they could conceivably have driven all that way
in one night, but it's unlikely.
You'd also know how to use structures
such as the odds are or I dare say.
For example, I dare say I'll have to brush up
on my grammar before I do a new course.
Conditionals.
At C1 level, you should already be familiar
with the basic conditionals and the mixed conditionals,
but when you're at C1,
you're going to learn about a range of words
and phrases to replace if,
and to take your conditionals to a more advanced level.
For example, this is quite advanced,
but for a wonderful trip to Spain when I was younger,
I would never have decided to learn the language,
or given that I'd like to achieve the C1 level of English,
I'm going to have to study harder.
Can you see how it's kind of like B2 on steroids, C1?
What about the passive voice?
Again, if you've reached C1,
you should be well-versed in how the passive voice is used.
But at C1, there will be more of a focus
on using the passive infinitive and passive ING forms.
For example, Lucy recalled having been taught
about the passive voice at some point in the past.
You'll also need to learn about the subtle differences
between phrases like there's nothing to do
and there's nothing to be done.
Just a subtle difference in meaning between the two,
but important.
You'll also need to have a strong understanding
of how to use negative inversion
to add emphasis and variation
to your writing and your speaking.
Inversion is used widely in literary contexts,
so understanding this structure
will help you to comprehend and analyse
a wide range of texts more effectively,
particularly those with complex or literary styles.
For example, never have I seen such a beautiful sunset,
or such was the commotion
that I could barely hear myself think.
I love inversion in English.
I think it sounds bloody beautiful.
Never have I come across
such a beautiful grammatical structure.
Oh, we have to mention hedging and boosting.
Those who have a C1 level should be familiar
with hedging and boosting when writing and speaking.
So hedging is a linguistic strategy
that allows speakers to soften or downplay
the force of their statements,
often by using hedging verbs like to seem
or the passive voice and adverbs like presumably.
This is something we do a lot in British English.
Hedging is part of our culture.
For example, it seems like this might be a good solution,
but boosting, on the other hand,
involves using language to increase the force
or impact of a statement,
often by using adverbs like undeniably
or strong verbs like to prove.
For example, this has been proven
to be the best solution to our problem.
Another really important aspect
of achieving a C1 level of English
is understanding the various meanings
of a number of phrasal verbs.
Depending on the context,
phrasal verbs can take on different meanings,
but to effectively communicate
and understand advanced conversations,
you will need proficiency in using phrasal verbs.
There's no escaping them at this point.
I'll show you a quick example
using the phrasal verb to set up.
We have to set up, meaning to organise or arrange,
to set up a time for a meeting.
We can also set people up on a date.
We can put two people together
with the intention of informing a romance.
My friend set me up with her cousin.
We could also have to set someone up,
meaning to trick someone to put them in a situation
where they're going to be humiliated or tricked.
You set me up when you told me it was a fancy dress party.
Everyone else was in black tie.
We also have to set up as in to put things into place.
I need to set up my filming studio
so I can make some lessons.
Some of the most important grammatical tools
that C1 level students need to master
are the use of coordinating, correlative
and subordinating conjunctions and connectors
because they enable you to form more complex
and varied sentence structures,
enhancing your ability to express ideas and arguments.
These tools also help you to establish
logical connections between ideas,
making written and spoken communication more coherent,
persuasive and fluid overall.
Now these should have been learnt at B1 and B2 level,
but a demonstrated level of proficiency
is really necessary at the C1 level.
Okay, that in general is the majority of the grammar
that you need to know to say
that you're at a C1 level of English.
There is more and I put it in the ebook
and I also cover the other skills that you need
to be at a C1 level and we do a deep dive
on the vocabulary that you know
because it is such a jump.
It's all there for you to download it
and to join my C1 programme waiting list
because we launch very soon on the 15th of May.
Click on the link in the description box.
Okay, how did you find that?
What do you think is your level of English
and what is your ultimate goal?
I'd like you to share two things
in the comment section today.
Current level, current predicted level and goal level.
Is it that B2 fluency level?
Is it that C1 excellence advanced level
or is it the crazy near native level of C2?
Interestingly, we do actually include
a lot of C2 level grammar and topics
in our C1 programme for students who want to overshoot
and just want to achieve that little bit more.
That's all from me today.
I hope you found this lesson useful.
Don't forget to download the ebook.
I will see you next week for another lesson.
Mwah.
(upbeat music)