Teen pregnancy, bullying and turning my grades around
B1 English listening practice · Australian English · Curated for intermediate learners
Is “took a turn for the worst” correct or a malapropism?
The original English idiom is “took a turn for the worse” (with worse, the comparative), used when a situation gets worse. Many speakers, including Australians and Americans, now say “took a turn for the worst” (with worst, the superlative). It’s technically a malapropism, but so widespread in spoken English that grammarians have given up correcting it.
This clip uses the worst version in an Australian teen-pregnancy story, dropped in matter-of-factly. That’s where the malapropism feels most natural: high-emotion personal storytelling, casual conversation, no one reaching for the textbook form. Both forms now coexist, with worst slightly more common in casual storytelling.
Vocabulary frequency
How common is the vocabulary in this B1 English listening practice listening practice?
General English frequency
Spoken English frequency
Words above this video’s level
Quick glosses for vocabulary that goes beyond this video’s B1 level.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.
- ▸In Australian and American storytelling YouTube and podcasts
- ▸In English-language reality TV and confessional segments
- ▸In English-language true-crime narration
- ▸In casual English conversation when telling personal stories
- ▸In English-language blog posts and personal essays