American English · C1 · Unit 22
Big ideas
Big ideas
By the end you can
- Discuss an abstract idea like freedom or happiness
- Build a complex argument step by step
- Understand a philosophical text
Words and phrases
| American English | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the good life | a happy, meaningful life | What is the good life, really? |
| it boils down to | the essence of it is | For me, it boils down to freedom. |
| it follows that | logically, therefore | If that's true, it follows that money can't buy happiness. |
| the pursuit of happiness | a phrase from the US Declaration of Independence | The pursuit of happiness is in our founding documents. |
| by definition | because of what the word means | Freedom, by definition, includes the freedom to fail. |
| for granted | without seeing its value (take something for granted) | We take our freedom for granted. |
| a fulfilling life | a life that satisfies you deeply | A fulfilling life isn't always a comfortable one. |
| paradoxically | in a way that seems to contradict itself | Paradoxically, more choice can make us less happy. |
| the premise | the idea an argument starts from | I don't accept the premise of your question. |
| in the abstract | in theory, not in real life | In the abstract, it sounds fair. |
| free will | the ability to choose freely | Do we really have free will? |
| a slippery slope | a first step that leads to worse things | That's a slippery slope. |
Then talk it through
A late-night conversation about what makes a good life. In the app you have this conversation out loud or typed, with the unit's goals to tick off and corrections at the end.