About the Course
Advanced English corresponds to the C1 level on the CEFR scale. At this stage, you are a proficient and fully autonomous user of the language. You no longer need to pause to search for words, and you can understand wide-ranging, demanding texts, recognizing implicit meaning, cultural nuances, and subtext effortlessly.
What You Can Do at the C1 Level
Spontaneity: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions.
Flexibility: Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes.
Structure: Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors, and cohesive devices.
Nuance: Understand enough to follow extended speech on abstract and complex topics outside your field, identifying idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms.
Core Skills Breakdown
Skill | Advanced (C1) Expectations | Common Mastery Topics |
Grammar | Complete structural control. Errors are extremely rare, and advanced structures are used to alter emphasis, tone, or formality. | Mixed inversion, complex gerunds/infinitives (having been told), subjunctive mood, advanced relative clauses. |
Vocabulary | Active vocabulary spans 7,000 to 10,000+ words. Mastery over idioms, metaphors, and professional jargon. | Words like idiosyncrasy, conscientious, transient, meticulously, perpetuate, advocate. |
Reading | Effortlessly reading long, unedited texts, legal/business documents, literature, and sharp satirical pieces. | Literary fiction, complex terms and conditions, political commentary, research papers. |
Speaking | Leading meetings, defending abstract arguments in debates, interpreting humor, and switching registers instantly. | High-stakes negotiations, public speaking, academic presentations, effortless social banter. |
How to Reach Near-Native Mastery (C2)
To move from Advanced (C1) to Mastery (C2)—the highest level of language proficiency—focus on ultimate precision:
Fine-Tune Idiomatic Precision: Move beyond knowing what idioms mean to using them with exact cultural timing. Understand the precise difference between closely related terms (e.g., hone in on vs. home in on).
Master the Subtleties of Tone: Practice writing and speaking using extreme formal diplomacy or, conversely, deep native-level sarcasm and colloquial humor.
Analyze Complex Cultural and Professional Contexts: Engage with rapid, multi-speaker native environments like corporate boardrooms, unscripted podcasts, and high-level panel discussions where cultural shorthand and lightning-fast idioms are used.
Your Instructor
Gregg Greening
Hello and nice to meet you. My name is Gregg, I'm from Paradise California, and a former President and Managing Director of Vocational Training and English Conversation schools in both Japan and China with over 25 years experience in the fields of Conversational English, Business English, TOEIC and IELTS preparation instruction and more to corporate clients, university undergraduates and students of all ages and abilities. I have established and developed 3 schools in both Japan and China since 1982 and have recently completed a 3 year term teaching technical English courses at Fuzhou University, Fujian, China, covering English Linguistics, Oral English Presentations, Academic Writing and Technical Engineering English Vocabulary.