Course Goals

Each lesson focuses on a key sentence. These sentences will teach you what to say
in a variety of real life situations. They will also teach you natural grammar, idioms,
and pronunciation.

What’s Included
This is a course to get you started with natural, conversational English! There are
25 sections, each with 7 lessons. Each lesson has an accompanied audio mp3 file to help with
pronunciation. Each section has a recap mp3 that covers the 7 sentences for that section.

How to Best Use Course

1. Download and listen to the MP3 files first.

Play the audio file for the lesson mp3. It's important to pay attention to the sounds you hear.
Don't worry too much about the words yet.

2. Repeat what you hear.

Try to match speaker's pronunciation, intonation, and speed. If you can't repeat the
whole sentence exactly, just repeat part of it. Then go back and try again with
another part until you can say the whole thing.

3. Match the sounds with the words.

After you've listened and repeated the sentence a few times, listen again while you
read along on the lesson page or the PDF guide. Match the sounds you hear with the
words that are written.

4. Remember the sentence.

Keep listening until you can remember the whole sentence. When you listen to the
MP3 file, can you repeat the whole sentence without reading it? Keep going until
you can.

5. Review.

Come back to review the sentence 2 or 3 times in the next week. If you've forgotten
part of the sentence, relearn

6. Use it!

The goal of studying English is to use it in the real world. Find a way to use the
phrases that you learn in real life!

1
 You were talking to someone at a party, and she asked you
what you do. You don't think that the job you have right
now is very interesting, so you say this.

Learn this >>

At a job interview, you've been asked to introduce yourself.

You want to start by telling the interviewer about the job
you have now. You want to sound professional, so you say
this.

Learn this >>

You're giving a speech about something related to your job.

You want to introduce your work history quickly so that the
audience will understand why you're qualified to talk about
this topic. Your history is that you were an engineer when
you started working for your company, but now you are a
salesperson. You explain this quickly by saying this.

Learn this >>

 You're talking to your neighbor, who says that he's learning
how to build applications for phones and tablet computers.
You think that it's a good idea because there are a lot of
Learn this >>
jobs in that area. You encourage him.

You're interviewing for a job. The interviewer asks you

Learn this >> what you'd like to be doing in 5 years. You answer like this.

You work at a software company, and need to hire a new

programmer. You've been searching for several months but
haven't had any luck. You're telling a friend who's in a
different industry about your problem

Learn this >>

 Your friend works at a software company and needs to hire
a programmer. She's been searching for someone for a few
months, but hasn't found any qualified people. You want to
know how she's been looking for candidates, so you ask this.

Learn this >>

 You're sending an email to a younger person who's
applying for her first job out of college. She asked you if you
think it's important to include a cover letter when she
applies for jobs. You do think it's important, so this is what
you write.

Learn this >>

You are talking to a coworker who wants to move to a

different job within the company. You know of a job that is
available, so you offer this suggestion.

Learn this >>

You need to hire a software programmer at your company.

You don't want to hire a young programmer who's just out
of school. You want to hire someone who's created similar
software in the past. You say this to explain what kind of
employee you need.

Learn this >>

 You need to hire an office assistant. You want someone who
will do a good job without being told what to do. You write
Learn this >> this on the job description.

You're applying for an open position at your company. You

had an interview for the job, and now you're telling your
friend about how the interview went.

Learn this >>

You're looking for a job. You see a "help wanted" sign in a

restaurant and ask about applying for the job, but the
hostess says the job has already been filled. This is your
Learn this >> response.
 You're going in for a job interview. You tell the employee
near the entrance that you have an appointment with the
Learn this >>
manager. He tells you to wait.
 You've given a presentation, and now you're answering
questions about it. One of the audience members asks you
Learn this >> a question that's tough for you to answer. You say this.

You're writing an essay for a college application. The essay

question asks you to describe your strengths. You start it
Learn this >>
this way.
 You're interviewing a candidate for a job. You want to know
what he is good at and what problems he might cause if
Learn this >> you hire him. You ask this.

You're in a job interview. The interviewer asks about one of

your strengths. You explain that you can make good
Learn this >> decisions quickly.

You're in a job interview for a managerial role. The

interviewer asks you to describe one of your weaknesses.
You say this to talk about a flaw you have that could also be
seen as a strength.

Learn this >>

 You are hiring a new staff member at work. You are
interviewing a candidate for the job. You look at the
candidate's resume and think that she has a great
education and work experience. You say this to praise her.

Learn this >>

You're hiring someone for a job in your department. You've

interviewed someone who you would like to hire. You say
Learn this >>
this, offering him the job.
 You're on a job interview, and the interviewer offers you
the job! However, he wants you to start immediately. You
don't think that's possible because you haven't quit your
Learn this >>
job yet, so you say this.

You've got a new job that you're starting tomorrow. Your

new boss has called you to confirm that you're starting
Learn this >>
tomorrow. You want to sound enthusiastic, so you say this.
 You're telling a story about a friend of yours who made
embarrassing mistakes in two different job interviews. You
describe the mistakes that your friend made, and then you
say this to describe the result of the interviews.

Learn this >>

You introduced yourself to a new employee at your

company in the hallway. You chatted with each other for a
minute, and now you need to get back to work. You end the
conversation by saying this.

Learn this >>

A new person just started working at your office. You've

heard that she came there from another branch of the same
company on the other side of the country. You've
introduced yourself, and now you want to know if she chose
to move to your branch or was told to come there. You ask
Learn this >>
her this.

Your coworker took off work for 6 weeks for maternity

leave. She returned to work this week, and you just saw her
and talked to her for the first time. You say this, finishing
your small talk

Learn this >>

 You took off work for 6 weeks for maternity leave. You
returned to work this week. You're making small talk with a
coworker, and she tells you "It's nice to have you back." You
want to respond politely, so you say this.

Learn this >>

 Your coworker had a baby and didn't work for a couple
months. She returned to work three days ago. You are
talking to her and making small talk. You ask her this.

Learn this >>

A co-worker told you that another co-worker is leaving the

company and taking a new job somewhere else. You want
to talk to the person who's leaving to say goodbye. You start
the conversation by saying this to her.

Learn this >>

A new person has started working at your company. You've

seen her in meetings, but no one has introduced you to her
and you haven't spoken with her yet. You'd like to meet
her. You walk up to her in the hallway and say this.

Learn this >>

You're at a business networking event and meet someone

who you might be able to do business with. You want to
continue to talk to this person after the event. Near the end
of your conversation, you say this.

Learn this >>

 You're at a business networking event, and you meet
someone who you might like to do business with in the
future. You want to keep in touch with them. Near the end
of the conversation, you say this.

Learn this >>

You met someone at a business networking event. After you

talked with them, they asked you for your business card.
You say this because you forgot bring one.

Learn this >>

You went to a job fair three days ago to look for a job. You
met a recruiter for a company and want to continue your
communication with her. You write her an e-mail and start
by saying this.

Learn this >>

 You're a salesperson. You just got back from a conference.
Your boss asks if you made any sales. You didn't, but you
Learn this >> met several people who you think you might be able to sell
to successfully. You say this in response.

You're having lunch with a junior salesperson who's just

starting her first sales job at your company. You give her
Learn this >> this advice on how to be successful as a salesperson.
 You're giving a friend advice on how to act in business
Learn this >> situations in the U.S. You discuss the correct way to give a
handshake and you say this.

You're having lunch with a junior salesperson who's just

starting her first sales job at your company. You're give this
Learn this >>
advice to her on how to be successful as a salesperson.
 You're in charge of a sales team. One of the salespeople on
your team has sold a lot this week. Now you're in a team
meeting. You want to tell everyone about her good
Learn this >>
performance.

You work in sales. One of your coworkers has made several

large sales this week, and he just made another one. You're
impressed, and you say this to compliment him.

Learn this >>

You work in sales. One of your coworkers has made a lot of

big sales this week, and he just made another one. You
want to joke with him about how successful he's become.
You say this.

Learn this >>

 You lead a sales team. The economy is bad, so your team
hasn't been selling much lately. You want to encourage your
Learn this >>
team members, so you say this in a meeting.

One of your employees is trying to do a sales deal to get a

big client. The deal is taking too long. You want to know
what's preventing the deal from being sold, so that you can
Learn this >>
help sell it.
 You are a salesperson and one of your clients has told you
that she's canceling her account and moving over to a
competitor's product. You ask her this because you don't
want to lose the business.

Learn this >>

You're giving a presentation about the sales results of a

product which your company recently started selling. The
say this because the company has been selling more and
Learn this >> more of the product each week.

Your group at work recently started a new advertising

campaign. The campaign has just started, but it seems to
be going well. You're giving a short presentation in a
meeting to tell everyone about the status of the campaign,
Learn this >>
and you tell them this.
 On your lunch break at work, you're talking with a coworker
about one of your company's competitors which is hiring a
lot of new employees. Your coworker is worried about this
competitor, but you aren't. You've just said "They've
certainly added a lot of staff recently." This is how you
continue this thought.

Learn this >>

You're working on a project at work to create a mobile

phone application. You're making a presentation on how
the work for the application is going. After explaining each
of the steps you're going to do, you want to tell everyone
when it will be finished. You say this about the projected
end date.

Learn this >>

 Your company has started to advertise your product in
Learn this >> stores. You're more sales as a result. You're announcing this
at a meeting. You say this.

You are discussing your company's sales results from the

first quarter with a coworker. The company has been doing
well, and you hope that you'll keep doing well. You say this.

Learn this >>

 One of your company's competitors is expanding and
hiring a lot of new employees. You think that's a bad idea
Learn this >> because the economy is bad now. You're discussing it with
your boss at lunch. You say this.

You're talking about a recent announcement that Starbucks

is going to offer free Internet access to all customers. You
think it's a good idea for them, and now you're talking to
your husband and explaining why.

Learn this >>

Your business sells products overseas. Right now the value

of your country's money is higher than usual, so you've had
to raise your prices and aren't selling as much. You
Learn this >>
complain to a friend who also runs a business.
 You're giving a presentation on your company's financial
performance. You're showing a chart which compares this
year's earnings with last year's. You explain that the
Learn this >>
company made a little less this year.

You work for a fast food company. You're giving a

presentation about your company's business. You describe
Learn this >> how large the company is.
 During your lunch break at work, you're chatting with a
coworker about one of your company's competitors. Your
coworker is worried about the competitor and mentions
that they are getting bigger. You say this because you're not
as worried about them, but you do agree that the
competitor has added more staff.

Learn this >>

The small company you work for was featured in an article

in the New York Times. Since then, thousands of new
customers have started to contact you and buy your
products. The number of orders that customers have made
is so high that it has been difficult to send out everyone's
orders fast enough. You tell a business contact this.

Learn this >>

You're leading a group of people that are decorating for a

wedding. You discuss the plans with the group and tell each
person what to do. Now it's time to break up and start
doing the work, so you say this.

Learn this >>

 You're in charge of a committee at your church that is
planning a fundraising event. You're having a lunch
meeting with the other members of the committee.
Everyone has had time to order their food, make small talk,
and start eating. Now you want to start talking about the
Learn this >>
event, so you say this to bring up the topic.

You're working on a project with a few other people at

work. You've all been working hard all afternoon, and now
it's getting late. You think you should stop working on it for
today, so you suggest this.

Learn this >>

You've been working hard on a project at work all

afternoon, and one of your team members suggests that
you should call it a day. You agree, and you want to tell
everyone that you should all continue working on it again in
the morning.

Learn this >>

 You're a teacher. You're in the middle of a class discussion,
but it's time for the class to end. This is what you say to end
Learn this >> the class.
 You and your coworker are both really busy at work today.
You worked later than usual, but now you're going home.
Your coworker is still working. After you tell her that you're
leaving, you say this.

Learn this >>

You often have to work late hours. Today you wanted to

leave work at 6:00, but you were too busy. Now it's 8:00,
Learn this >> and you're still working. You think this to yourself.
 You're the manager of a group at work. Some of the people
you manage haven't taken theirv vacation days yet. You
want them to take their vacations soon, so that they don't all
Learn this >> try to take vacations at the end of the year. You say this.

You want to take the day off work today because you went
out drinking last night and you don't feel good this
morning. You're writing an e-mail to your boss to let her
know that you're not coming in to work. You've explained
that you don't feel well, so now you write this.

Learn this >>

You'd like to leave work earlier than usual today. Your boss
doesn't care, but you tell him about it so that he knows
Learn this >> where you are.
 You don't want to go to work this morning because you
stayed out late last night drinking and now you have a
hangover. But you don't want to tell your boss that that's
the reason, so you write an email to her starting with this.

Learn this >>

You're pregnant. You'll be out of the office for several weeks

when you have your baby. Your boss has hired a temporary
worker to do your job while you're gone. Now you're
Learn this >> introducing her to some of your coworkers.
 You have a problem with your toilet. You want to stay home
to wait for a plumber to come and fix it, but today is a work
day. You need to ask your boss for permission to stay home,
but still continue to work there. You call and ask this.

Learn this >>

One of your employees looks sick. You ask her why she
came to work, and she says that she has a lot of work to do.
You'd rather she go home so that she doesn't make other
Learn this >> people sick. You say this.
 Last month you asked your boss if you could work one day a
week from home. She said that she'd think about it, but
hasn't answered yet. You want to remind her that you're
Learn this >>
waiting for an answer.

You are responsible for processing employees'

reimbursement requests at your company. You need for
everyone to send their requests to you by December 8th.
You write an e-mail to all the employees. After the
Learn this >> introduction, it says this.
 You work in the accounting department of a company. Your
company has hired someone new (Jared) who will be doing
some of the work that you used to do. You write an
announcement to all of the other employees and explain
Learn this >> which questions they should ask Jared.

You're having a meeting with your coworker Brenda in her

office. You think of a question that you want to ask another
coworker, Amy, about, so you call Amy from Brenda's
Learn this >> telephone. When Amy answers, you say this.
 You want to talk to one of your co-workers. You go to talk to
him, but he's not at his desk. You ask another co-worker to
Learn this >>
give him a message, and the message is like this.
 You need to talk to your boss about urgent business. You
call but his assistant answers the phone and says that he's
been gone for most of the afternoon. You want to know
where he is so that you can decide if you should call his
mobile phone. If he's with a client, you'll leave a message
with the assistant, but if he's out on some other business
you'll call his mobile phone. You ask this to his assistant.
Learn this >>

You call a client's office. The client isn't there, so his

assistant answers and offers to take a message. You say this
Learn this >>
because you don't want to leave a message.
 A professional contact calls you. He left a voicemail message
for you last week, but you forgot to call him because you
were so busy. After saying hello, you apologize and explain
Learn this >>
why you haven't called him back.

You're talking on your mobile phone to your boss. He is

saying something, but you can't hear what it is because the
reception on your phone is bad. You didn't hear some of
Learn this >>
what he said, so you say this.

You got an email from a coworker asking a question. You

read the email and you understood the meaning of the
words and sentences, but you can't understand the overall
question because the writing wasn't very clear. You write
this in response.

Learn this >>

 Someone sends you an e-mail message at work. In the
message, she writes something about a PDF document that
she included with the message, but you don't see any PDF.
This is what you write in response.

Learn this >>

You're discussing an issue at work with your coworker, and

neither of you know what to do. Your coworker says that
she'll write an email to another person to ask them a
question. You want to know the answer too, so you say this.

Learn this >>

 You're having a phone conference with several people at
work. One of the managers says that one of her employees
hasn't been getting any e-mails about a certain project. She
asks you to make sure that he gets these e-mails. You say
say this in reply.

Learn this >>

You wrote an email for work and sent it to an email group.

After you sent it, you realize that you sent it to the wrong
group. You send another message to the same group, which
Learn this >> says this.

Someone calls you at work to ask a question, but you don't

know the answer. You need time to research the answer, so
you say this.

Learn this >>

 A client asks you for some research information about the
results of your company's product. You don't have the
research, but you will send it to your client when you get it.
Learn this >> You tell them this.

You're at a meeting at work. Your group has asked someone

from another group, Jay, to make improvements to a
computer program that your group uses. He hasn't done it
yet, but you want to make sure he does it. You're telling one
Learn this >>
of your employees to ask him about it in a few days.
 You've hired someone to create a new design for a website
you run. Now you're talking with your business partner,
who mentions that the designer hasn't sent any updates in
Learn this >> a few days. You offer to deal with it.

You are writing an email to a coworker to ask him a

question about something important. You need to know the
answer soon. At the end of your message, you write this.

Learn this >>

 A coworker sent an important e-mail to a client. You ask her
if she got a response from them, and she says that she did.
You want to read what they said, so you ask her this.

Learn this >>

Someone asked you a question earlier in the day at work.

You were supposed to find the answer, but you forgot
because you were doing other things. The person calls you
to ask again, and this is how you explain.

Learn this >>

You filled in for your coworker while she was out on

vacation last week. You had so much work to do while she
was gone. She asks how it went, and you respond in this
way.

Learn this >>

You're really busy at work today. Someone calls to ask you

for help with something, but you have other work that
needs to be done first. After you say "sorry", you say this.

Learn this >>

 You're in a meeting at work. Someone complains that
there's a problem with the software system that they use.
You're one of the people who's repsonsible for this
software, so you let everyone know that you will fix this
Learn this >> problem.

You are working on a project at work. You've spoken with

your co-workers briefly about your plans, but you haven't
discussed the details yet. You say this to suggest that you
discuss the details later.

Learn this >>

You were in a meeting at work where you heard about a

change in your work schedule. You're talking to an
employee who wasn't at the meeting. You want to talk to
her about the schedule change, but you're not ready to
discuss it yet. You say this to her.

Learn this >>

 You're preparing to give a presentation for a class with a
partner. You're deciding what to say and what visual aids to
include. Your partner shows you a chart that she made
which you think the other class members should see. You
say this, offering to print it.

Learn this >>

You and a partner are preparing to give a presentation for a

class you're taking. You're discussing the topic of your
presentation, and your partner mentions some information
she found while researching the topic. You think she should
say something about that in the presentation. You tell her
this.

Learn this >>

You're the manager of a group at work, and you want to

schedule a meeting. It's important that all of the members
of your group come to this meeting. You write an email to
the group members, and after describing the meeting you
write this.

Learn this >>

There's a meeting scheduled for this afternoon. You're busy

with other work and don't really want to go. You're not sure
whether attendance is required at this meeting. When a
coworker asks if you're going, you ask this.

Learn this >>

 There's a meeting happening this afternoon at work. One of
your team members asks if the meeting is mandatory. No
one told you that the meeting was required, but you think
that everyone is supposed to go. This is your answer.

Learn this >>

You have a meeting that was scheduled at work. You don't

know what the meeting is for. You are frustrated because
your department often has long meetings that seem
unimportant to you. You ask this of a coworker who's a close
friend of yours.

Learn this >>

At work, you have to go to a lot of meetings, but you don't

think they're useful. Now you're at home and are chatting
with your friend online. She asks how you're doing, so you
type this venting your frustrations.

Learn this >>

 You're leading a meeting for a local meetup group that
you're a member of. You'd like to start the meeting, so you
Learn this >>
say this.

You're in a meeting at work. You're leading a discussion

about a project which isn't going well. You don't know
what's wrong with the project, so you want to ask one of the
Learn this >> people who's working on it.
 You're leading a meeting at work to discuss a major
business decision. Most of the people in the meeting have
given their opinions and there is some disagreement. You
want to ask one of the people who hasn't given an opinion
Learn this >> yet, so you ask this.

You are the organizer of a conference. You are introducing

the first speaker. You start by saying "thank you" to the
audience for coming. You say this when you're ready for
the speaker to begin.

Learn this >>

You organized a conference. You are introducing the first

speaker. You have just said the speaker's name, then you
give this bit of information about him.

Learn this >>

You are giving a presentation at a conference. You are at

the beginning of the presentation. You've said your name
and thanked the person who introduced you. Now you want
to tell the audience about yourself. You start by saying this.

Learn this >>

 You're in charge of a meeting at work. One of your
coworkers is going to give a quick presentation for
Learn this >> everyone. You say this to introduce him.
 Your company just made some changes to its website. You
are talking to a client and want to tell them about the new
features that were added. You start by saying this.

Learn this >>

You're teaching a group of people about good website

design. You show an example of a bad website that you
built when you were in college. You want to tell everyone
that it wasn't a good website, so you say this.

Learn this >>

You're giving a presentation of your company's newly

redesigned website. You want to list the good points of this
Learn this >> new site, so you say this.
 You're watching a presentation in a meeting at work. The
presenter showed some information on a slide, but quickly
moved on to another slide. You want to see the earlier one
Learn this >>
again and ask a question about it.

You're giving a talk at a conference. You've finished your

presentation. You can't think of anything else to say, so you
Learn this >> end the presentation this way.

You have to give a presentation to several executives at

your company. You need some help with creating a nice-
looking presentation. You are asking a coworker who's good
with design to help you. You say this to explain why a nice
presentation is important.

Learn this >>

 You're leading a large meeting at work. One of the
attendees in the meeting asked you a question. The answer
is only important for that person, so you don't want to take
Learn this >> up everyone else's time. You respond this way.
 You're leading a meeting at work to discuss an important
change in your department. You want to immediately start
talking about the main topic, without much introduction or
small talk. You say this to get the meeting started.

Learn this >>

You are discussing a coworker who is working on a contract

basis, not as a full-time employee. You were told that the
company is going to end this person's contract. You want to
tell this news to another coworker, without saying who
made this decision. This is how you explain.

Learn this >>

Your company recently laid off 15% of the employees.

You're running a meeting with your staff to talk about how
to deal with the layoffs. After starting the meeting, you
Learn this >>
begin by saying this.
 Your company has been having trouble. Most of the people
in your department have been laid off, and now it's just
you, your boss, and one other employee. You're telling a
Learn this >>
friend about this situation.

You're quitting your job at the end of this year. Your

company will probably need to hire someone to replace
you, but they haven't placed any job ads or hired a
Learn this >> recruiter.
 You're working with a coworker on a sales proposal in her
office. You need some information that's in a document
Learn this >>
which you emailed to her. You ask her to open it.

You're a construction contractor. A couple has asked for an

estimate of how much it will cost to renovate their kitchen.
You've looked at the room and figured out approximately
how much it will cost. You say this while showing them the
Learn this >> cost.
 You're responsible for coordinating shipments of supplies
to a factory for your company. One of your suppliers e-
mailed you yesterday to say that their shipment might be
delayed. Today you want to know the latest news, so you
write an e-mail to the supplier which starts like this.

Learn this >>

You work in the management office of an apartment

building. One of the tenants hasn't paid his rent yet for this
month, and the payment is 10 days overdue. You're writing
a letter to warn him to pay his rent. This how you explain
Learn this >> what will happen if he doesn't pay soon.
 Your company sells products through stores. This year,
you're negotiating a contract with the companies who
deliver the products to the stores. The negotiation isn't
going well. Now you're in a meeting and explaining why
Learn this >> you're having trouble.

In a meeting for the entire staff, the Marketing Director is

complimenting how well her employees put together an
event. She says this because she is extremely pleased.

Learn this >>

You have given one of your employees a promotion. You're

writing an email to everyone in your division of the
company to announce this and congratulate him. After
describing his accomplishments and strengths, you finish
your message with this line.

Learn this >>

 You're presenting awards to your employees at a year-end
party. You're introducing one of the winners, who's very
Learn this >>
helpful. You say this.

You're leaving your company to start a new job. You visit

your boss to say goodbye on your last day. You tell her this
to show that you appreciate how much she has helped you.

Learn this >>

 You hired a designer to make business cards for you from
the website. He did a great job, so you're leaving a positive
Learn this >> review. You write this on the review.

You're leading a project at work. You called a meeting of

some of the people involved on the project. You start the
Learn this >> meeting by saying this.
 You are the director of a division in your company. Last
quarter, your company had high sales growth. Now you are
leading a meeting and you say this to thank all the
employees.

Learn this >>

You're dealing with a big problem at work. You've shared

your opinion on how to deal with the problem. One of your
coworkers looks annoyed or angry, so you don't think she
Learn this >> agrees with your solution. You ask her about it.

You're talking to a friend about your job. Some people that

you work with are sneaky and try to get promotions by
impressing the boss and making other employees look bad.
Learn this >> You explain that you're not like this.
 At work, a member of another department suggests a
change. You think it's a good suggestion, but you can't agree
to it because you don't have the power to make the change.
Learn this >>
One of your bosses will need to agree to it. You say this.

You're in charge of planning a release schedule for the

software that your team creates at work. You're sending the
schedule for the next 6 months to a large group of people.
You want everyone to know that the dates might change a
Learn this >> little. In your email, you write:
 You're making plans to have dinner with another couple.
You've suggested one restaurant, but you want to be
flexible to other suggestions too. After writing your
Learn this >> suggestion, you write this.

You were having a problem with your computer. A co-

worker fixed it for you. You're really grateful because the
Learn this >>
problem was very frustrating. You say this.
 You've just started a new job in an office and you're trying
to send a fax. You can't figure out how to use it. You ask a
coworker this.

Learn this >>

A coworker is showing you how to use a software system at

work. While showing you how to connect to the company's
network, she chooses a server from a list. You want to know
Learn this >> why she picked that one.

Your coworker is trying to change the color of some text on

a spreadsheet document on his computer, but can't figure
out how to do it. You think you know how, so you say this.

Learn this >>

 You work as a computer tech support specialist. You're
installing a piece of software on someone's computer. Now
the software has finished installing, so you're ready to let
him use the computer again. You say this, giving him use
Learn this >> of his computer again.

You're training a new employee in your department at

work. You've showed her how to do a task. Now you're
going to let her try it by herself. You say this before you
Learn this >>
leave.
 You're teaching a coworker how to use a database
application. You're explaining how to fill in an important
form. You notice that something changed on the screen, so
Learn this >> you point it out to your coworker.

You're training a coworker in how to use an computer

system that she needs for her job. You show her what to do
Learn this >> after entering some information into a form.
 While you're writing a document on your computer, the
program crashes and you lose all the work you've done. You
are upset. You say this to yourself.

Learn this >>

Your company is using a new software program for

managing information about customers. There might be
some problems with it, and you want to find the problems
so that they can be fixed. You write this in an email to all of
Learn this >> the employees who are going to use the program.

You work in I.T. You've found a problem with your

company's network. You're explaining the problem to an
executive in your company who doesn't know much about
Learn this >> technology.
 You're the manager of a tech support department at a
company. People are supposed to e-mail you when they
need help with their computers and other technology. Then
you choose an employee from your staff to help them. One
coworker doesn't follow the rules, and always calls one of
your staff members directly instead. She just did this
again, so you write an angry e-mail telling her not to do
Learn this >>
this. You begin the e-mail this way.

Someone who works for you made a decision without

asking you, and he made a mistake. You are a little bit
angry, and you want to make sure this doesn't happen
again. You say this.

Learn this >>

 Your department is working on a long-term project that is
supposed to be completed two days from now. One of your
employees comes to your office to tell you that there is a
problem, and he thinks the project will be delayed an extra
3 or 4 days. Angrily, you say this because you think that
someone should have warned you of the delay before this
point.

Learn this >>

You are a manager in a sales department. One of the

salespeople that works under you made a mistake with a
major client, and now the client is now threatening to
cancel their account with your company. You are speaking
with the salesperson and want to suggest that you will be
able to forgive the mistake if she can convince the client to
stay, but that you may have to fire her if they cancel. You
say this.

Learn this >>

You made a mistake at work. A person from another

department at your job gets angry about the mistake. You
say this to take responsibility for the mistake and apologize.

Learn this >>

You are almost finished with a major project at work when

a coworker from another department points out a problem
with the original plans for the project. You agree that this is
a problem, but in order to fix it you would have to go back
and start over from the beginning. You don't want to do
that, so this is what you tell him.

Learn this >>

 You're checking a PowerPoint presentation that your boss is
going to give tomorrow to the entire company. You notice a
mistake on one of the pages and you point it out. Your boss
is surprised that there was a mistake and happy that you
told him about it.

Learn this >>

You need to ask your boss an important question, so you go

to his office. He's typing something on the computer.
Politely, you say this.

Learn this >>

At work, you're working hard to prepare for a presentation

that you're giving in less than an hour. A co-worker comes
by to chat about a problem that she's having with another
co-worker. You don't have time to talk to her about this, so
Learn this >>
you say this.
 One of the people who works under you came to your office
to ask a question. He asked you "Can I ask you something?"
You were typing an urgent email and want to finish it, so
you answer him like this.

Learn this >>

You went by your coworker's office to talk with him about a

problem you're having, but he said he was too busy to talk
to you. You're a little annoyed, but you say this to respond
Learn this >>
politely because you're at work.
 Your boss has too much work to do, so you volunteer to take
some of his responsibilities. He doesn't want to give you
those responsibilities. He explains that it is easier to
organize everything if he does it himself. You don't think
that's really true, but you can't argue much because he's the
Learn this >> boss. You say this in defeat.

Your boss always has too much work to do. He's telling you
about all of the things he has to do. You'd like to help him
out and get more work experience, so you want to offer to
take some of his work. You say this.

Learn this >>

 At work, your coworker is complaining because she got
yelled at by the manager of the tech support department.
She sent an e-mail to one of the tech support staff directly
instead of going through the manager. You've been yelled
at by this person in the past, so you have some experience
dealing with him. But you don't want to say anything too
Learn this >>
bad about him. So you say this.

You're working on a project at work with a group of people.

You're not finished with it, but everyone is tired and it's
getting late, so someone suggests picking it back up the
next day. You think that's a good idea, but you want to joke
that everyone should stay all night to work on it, so you say
this.

Learn this >>

 You're going to have after-work drinks with some co-
workers. One co-worker doesn't usually come. Today he
seems stressed. You want to invite him to come with you,
Learn this >> so you say this.
 You're having a meeting about a project that you're in
charge of at work. You've given a lot of information and
detail about the project to the meeting participants. You
say this to make sure that everyone understands clearly
Learn this >> what you want them to do.

You have been working on a project for a few months at

work, and it's almost finished. Your coworker just told you
that a high-level director in the company wants to change
part of the project, which means that you will have to re-do
several weeks of work. You say this because you're annoyed
that the work you did won't be used in the final project.
Learn this >>

You have a problem at work with people from the sales

department missing deadlines for the reports they have
supposed to give you. You want to change the policy to
make the deadlines earlier and to punish who misses it.
You discus this plan with the director of the sales
department, he agrees and he says this.
Learn this >>
 At work, one of the employees you manage noticed a
problem with your software. He asks if you should tell your
clients about it. You're afraid that the clients will get upset
Learn this >> and have a lot of questions about it. You say this.

You're organizing a networking event for a professional

group that you belong to. You're sending an invitation to
the members of your group. At the end of the invitation,
Learn this >> you want to tell everyone how to dress.
 Your friend recently quit his job and started his own
business. You're envious because you wish that you didn't
Learn this >> have a boss. You comment on it to your friend.

You're talking on the phone to your friend, who you're

supposed to meet after work. You've just left a late-
afternoon meeting at a client's office. You explain why you
Learn this >>
can't drive directly to meet your friend.
<< Go back

1.1 “Well, currently I'm an accountant at a commercial real

estate company.”
Learn it!

Learn it!

You were talking to someone at a party, and she asked you what you do. You don't think
that the job you have right now is very interesting, so you say this.

Well, currently I'm an accountant at a commercial real estate company.

Well

One reason for saying "well" at the beginning of a sentence is to show that you're unsure
about something.

This can happen when someone asks you a question that you don't immediately know the
answer to:

A: What are you doing this weekend?

B: Well, let's see... Oh! I'm having lunch with Gavin on Saturday.

It can also happen when you're trying to say something nice, even though you're thinking
things that aren't nice.

A: What do you think of Lana?

B: Well... she's... always very punctual.

You shouldn't use "well" in this way in formal written English.

currently (sentence)

You use the word "currently" to tell how something is now, but also to suggest that it
was different in the past or will change in the future. In the example above, when the
speaker says that she's "currently" an accountant it means that she might get a different job
soon.

You can put "currently" in a few different places in a sentence:

I'm currently an accountant at a commercial real estate company.

I'm an accountant at a commercial real estate company, currently.

But the first example at the top is the best for suggesting that the speaker's job might
change.

"Currently" is a little formal and can be used in writing or in spoken English.

a (job title) at a (kind of company)

When you're explaining your job, you usually give two pieces of information: 1) What your
job title is ("teacher", "engineer", "waiter"), and 2) What kind of company or organization
you work for ("an elementary school", "a company that manufactures computer chips", "an
Italian restaurant".

To explain your job completely, you say "I'm a ___ at a ___":

I'm a science teacher at an elementary school.

I'm an engineer at a company that manufactures computer chips.

I'm a waiter at an Italian restaurant.

an accountant

An accountant is a person whose job is to calculate information about people's or

companies' money. Many people think of it as being a boring job.

commercial real estate

A real estate company sells houses or buildings to people. So real estate is the houses,
rooms, or buildings that are being sold.

When people think of real estate, they usually imagine houses that are being sold for people
to live in. So there is another term, "commercial real estate", which means buildings or
spaces being sold that are meant for businesses.

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<< Go back

1.2 “Well, I'm currently employed as an account manager

at a charter airline.”
Learn it!

At a job interview, you've been asked to introduce yourself. You want to start by telling the
interviewer about the job you have now. You want to sound professional, so you say this.

Well, I'm currently employed as an account manager at a charter airline.

Well,

People use "Well," at the beginning of a sentence when answering a question. It shows that
you're thinking about your answer.

There are other reasons for using "well". You can use it when you're unsure of what you're
going to say. You make the word longer and pause before your next word when you're not
sure. When you are sure but just want to show that you're thinking about your answer, say
"well" quickly and then continue with your answer directly.

(someone) is currently (doing something)

"Currently" means "now" but sounds a lot more formal and professional. It's used in a lot of
business situations. For example, you can use it on your voice mail message at work:

Hi, you've reached Aaron. I'm currently unavailable, but please leave a message and I'll get
back to you as soon as I can.

In the example at top, the speaker says that he is "currently employed as..." That means that
he has a job right now. In the U.S., it's common to apply for a new job and go on interviews
while you're still at your previous job.

(someone) is employed as a (job title) at (a company)

To "be employed" means that you have a job. To express what your job is in a formal way,
use the phrase "employed as ___":

Sylvia is employed as a financial analyst at a major bank.

I was previously employed as a digital marketing manager.

And to express where you work, use "at ___". You can say the type of company that you
work for, or the nameof the company:
He is employed as an engineer at Cisco.

Remember that this is quite a formal way to express your job title. In normal conversation,
just say:

Sylvia is a financial analyst at a bank.

a charter airline

A "charter airline" is a company that you can book private airplane flights with. Other
related phrases you might hear include:

• A "charter jet" is an airplane that you can rent from a charter airline.
• To "charter a flight" means to schedule a flight on a charter jet.

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<< Go back

1.3 “I was originally hired as an engineer, but I wound up

in sales.”
Learn it!

You're giving a speech about something related to your job. You want to introduce your
work history quickly so that the audience will understand why you're qualified to talk
about this topic. Your history is that you were an engineer when you started working for
your company, but now you are a salesperson. You explain this quickly by saying this.

I was originally hired as an engineer, but I wound up in sales.

(something) originally (happened)

Use "originally" to describe what something was like at the beginning of a process:

The Internet was originally an American military project.

You use this when you want to contrast how something was at the start with how it is now
or how it became at the end.

(someone) was hired as a (job title)

To be "hired" means to get a job. Here are some of the phrases that you can make with the
word "hired"

• You tell who got the job this way: "she was hired".
• You tell what person or company gave the person a job this way: "hired by XYZ
Corporation"
• You tell the job title that the person got in this way: "hired as the V.P. of sales"

(something) winds up (adjective / verb)

The way something "winds up" is the way that it is in the end.

We met in a bar in Mexico, kept in touch over email, and wound up getting married a few
years later.

You usually use "___ wound up ___" when there are a lot of details to the story that you want
to skip over because they're not important and take too long to tell.
(someone) is in (a field)

You tell what field or industry you work in by saying that you are "in" that field or industry:

I'm in accounting.

Here are some examples of different fields that you can be "in":

• education (teachers, school principals)

• entertainment (actors, musicians, directors)
• software (programmers, testers, etc.)
• marketing (marketers for any company)
• sales (salespeople)
• hospitality (working in a hotel or on a cruise)
• accounting (accountants)

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<< Go back

1.4 “I hear that mobile app developers are in demand right

now.”

Learn it!

You're talking to your neighbor, who says that he's learning how to build applications for
phones and tablet computers. You think that it's a good idea because there are a lot of jobs
in that area. You encourage him.

I hear that mobile app developers are in demand right now.

I hear that (clause)

For something that you've just been told one time, you'd say:

I heard that it's a likely Oscar contender.

But if you've heard the same thing from multiple people, you can use "I hear that..."
instead.
mobile apps

"Mobile apps" are software applications (programs) that can be bought and used on a
mobile phone or tablet computer.

Mobile apps are often just called "apps":

Do you know of any good apps for me to download?

a (software) developer

Someone who creates software by writing computer code is a "developer".

The word "developer" is more formal than "coder", which is quite casual. "Programmer" is
more formal than "coder", but doesn't sound quite as professional as "developer".

(something) is in demand

When something is "in demand", it means that a lot of people want it.

This can apply to products:

The new 4.5-inch models are really in demand these days.

Or to people who are popular and busy:

A: Sorry, someone else is calling me.

B: Wow, you're really in demand!

An adjective that often comes along with this phase is "high":

It's in high demand.

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<< Go back

1.5 “Ideally, I'd like to be responsible for managing a small

team of my own.”
Learn it!

You're interviewing for a job. The interviewer asks you what you'd like to be doing in 5
years. You answer like this.

Ideally, I'd like to be responsible for managing a small team of my own.

Ideally, (sentence)

The word "ideally" means "in the best situation". "Ideally" introduces something that you
want, but don't feel confident directly stating because it's difficult or unlikely.

For example, if someone asks you what you're going to do after you graduate college, you
can say:

Ideally, I'd like to get a job at a technology company in the U.S.

Getting a job in another country is hard, so you feel like it might not work out. That's what
"ideally" suggests.

be responsible for (something)

"Being responsible for" something means that you will be rewarded if it's successful, and
blamed if it fails.

Managers are "responsible for" the employees that work under them.

manage a team

Groups of people in a company that work under one person are often called a "team". A
team can be three or four people, or you can call the entire staff of a company a "team".

Being the boss of a group of people is known as "managing a team":

In my previous position, I managed a team of over 20 accountants and financial analysts.

(something) of my own

Use this to talk about something that your listener has, but you don't:

I'd like to have children of my own some day soon.

I'm hoping to be able to afford a house of my own within the next year or so.

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<< Go back

1.6 “You'd be surprised how hard it is to find qualified

programmers.”

Learn it!

You work at a software company, and need to hire a new programmer. You've been
searching for several months but haven't had any luck. You're telling a friend who's in a
different industry about your problem

You'd be surprised how hard it is to find qualified programmers.

you'd be surprised how (adjective) it is to (do something)

Use this phrase when you're telling people about something they don't know about. If you
know some information that you think they won't expect, you say "You'd be surprised how
___ it is to ___". For example:

You'd be surprised how expensive it is to put your kids through private school these days.

You'd be surprised how easy it is to get help with your job search if you just ask around.

There are also some shorter versions of this. When someone makes a guess about
something that you know about, and their guess is wrong, you can say, "You'd be
surprised."

A: There aren't that many people in Seoul who speak English, are there?

B: Oh, you'd be surprised.

"You'd be surprised to...." is usually used in spoken English, not often in writing.

it's hard to (do something)

When you want to say that some action is difficult, you say "it's hard to ___":

It was really hard to hear what she was saying.

It's hard to know what to do in those kinds of situations.

In the example at the top of this post, "it's hard to ___" was re-ordered to "how hard it is to
___". That's because it was used in the expression "you'd be surprised how ___ it is to ___".

a qualified (job title)

A person who is "qualified for" a job is someone who has the skills and experience to do the
job. Most employers require that someone have a certain educational background or a
certain number of years of experience.

When you're talking about whether a person is qualified, you describe them as "a qualified
___". For example:

The school system has an urgent need for qualified math and science teachers.

In general, when you want to talk about the people who are applying for a job, use the
phrase "qualified candidates". A "candidate" is someone who's being considered for a job:

Quite a few qualified candidates have applied, so we may not get back to you for a few

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<< Go back

1.7 “Are you going through a recruitment agency?”

Learn it!

Your friend works at a software company and needs to hire a programmer. She's been
searching for someone for a few months, but hasn't found any qualified people. You want to
know how she's been looking for candidates, so you ask this.

Are you going through a recruitment agency?

go through (a person or agency)

When you want to do something, but you can't do it yourself, you "go through" another
person or organization. Here are some examples of situations where that happens:

• You go through an employment agency to get a job.

• You go through a recruitment agency to hire someone for a job.
• You go through a travel agent to buy a plane ticket.
• You go through a website to buy things online.

a (type of) agency

An "agency" is a company that comes between a business and its customers. Customers go
to the agency, which manages products and services from lots of different sources.
Common examples are:

• real estate agencies

• ad (or "advertisement") agencies
• modeling agencies
• talent agencies (for actors, singers, etc.)

There's another meaning of "agency" as well, which is a government agency.

A governmentagency is a group within the government that's responsible for one specific
set of jobs. Well-known agencies in the United States include:

• The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)

• The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

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<< Go back

2.1 “You should always submit a cover letter, even if they

don't ask for one.”

Learn it!

You're sending an email to a younger person who's applying for her first job out of college.
She asked you if you think it's important to include a cover letter when she applies for jobs.
You do think it's important, so this is what you write.

You should always submit a cover letter, even if they don't ask for one.

submit (something)

When you "submit" an application, a homework assignment, or some other official

document, it means that you give it to the person or organization who has asked for it and
who has authority over it. For example, you "submit" a job application to the company that
might hire you.

The word "submit" is a slightly formal word. In casual conversation, you can use the phrase
"turn in (something) or "turn it in":

Make sure to turn in your application by Friday.

a cover letter

In the U.S., a "cover letter" is a letter that you include with your resume when applying for a
job. It's usually a few sentences long and describes why you are applying for the job and
why the company should consider you for the position.

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<< Go back

2.2 “There’s is a position open in digital marketing now

that Vicky left.”
Learn it!

an open position

This phrase means a job that is available. It's usually used to describe corporate or
office jobs.

In the example above, the order is reversed: "there's a position open" instead of "open
position". This sentence could also be written:

There is a position that is open now that she left.

However, in normal spoken English, "that is" should be left out.

digital marketing

"Marketing" is an area of business that focuses on how to present a company's

products to customers. "Digital" means having to do with computers. So a "digital
marketer" is someone who plans how to present the company's products on websites,
mobile phones, online videos, etc.

now that (something has happened)

This phrase expresses a situation that started when something happened, and
then continues until the present. In the example above, the situation is that there's an
open position. The event that happened was that Vicky left the job.

The event should be the cause of the situation. For example:

Now that he's retired, my dad can spend a lot more time working on his garden.

The speaker's dad's retirement is the reason that he can spend more time working on
the garden.

If the situation isn't related to the event, use "since (something happened)":

My dad's been having trouble sleeping since he retired.

In this sentence, the speaker's dad's sleep problems aren't related to his retirement;
they just started happening in the time period after he retired.

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<< Go back

2.3 “We need someone with real hands-on experience.”

Learn it!

You need to hire a software programmer at your company. You don't want to hire a young
programmer who's just out of school. You want to hire someone who's created similar
software in the past. You say this to explain what kind of employee you need.

We need someone with real hands-on experience.

(someone) with (something)

When you're describing a person, you can talk about the qualities and experiences they
have using "___ with ___". For example:

I want to meet a guy with a good job and a good sense of humor.

Jason is a great carpenter with over 15 years of experience.

People with college degrees earn 30% more on average than people who have only graduated
high school.

hands-on experience

When you have "hands-on experience", it means that you have done something directly, on
your own. In American culture, having "hands-on experience" is usually respected and
valued higher than understanding something in a more general way.

The adverb "real" is often included with the phrase "real hands-on experience". This just
makes it sound even more hands-on.

You can use the phrase "hands-on experience" in all situations: casual, formal, written,
spoken, etc.

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<< Go back

2.4 “We're looking for a highly motivated, super-organized

self-starter.”

Learn it!

You need to hire an office assistant. You want someone who will do a good job without
being told what to do. You write this on the job description.

We're looking for a highly motivated, super-organized self-starter.

We're looking for (an employee)

Advertisements for open job positions are often written starting with "We're looking for...".
For example:

We're looking for someone with at least six years of experience in digital publishing.

We're looking for a hard-working, experienced 6th grade Math teacher.

This phrase is rather casual. A more formal way to write about a job candidate is "We are
seeking...":
a highly motivated (person)

A "motivated" person works hard because they really want to succeed. When someone
works hard at their job or at practicing something, you can say:

She's always been really motivated.

A more formal way to say "really motivated" is "highly motivated".

He's smart, helpful, and highly motivated.

a super-organized (person)

An "organized" person keeps things in order. They know where to find information, don't
forget things, and don't miss deadlines.

"Super-organized" means "very, very organized".

Some other adjectives that fit well with "super-" are:

super cool

super easy

super expensive

super friendly

super excited

Use a hyphen ("highly-motivated") when you use this phrase before a noun in written
English:

a super-organized person

Don't use a hyphen when the phrase stands on its own:

He's super organized.

(someone) is a self-starter

A "self-starter" is someone who finds work that needs to be done and does it. They don't
need their boss or coworkers to tell them what to do.

Companies often write that they're looking for "a self-starter" in job postings.

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2.5 “I felt pretty confident going in.”

Learn it!

You're applying for an open position at your company. You had an interview for the job,
and now you're telling your friend about how the interview went.

I felt pretty confident going in.

feel confident

When you "feel confident", it means that you think that you will be able to succeed at
something.

pretty (adjective)

You use "pretty" before an adjective to show how much of that quality something has.

"Pretty ___" is somewhere between "kind of " and "really". It basically means "a little more
than you expected". For example:

This soup is actually pretty good.

I think I have a pretty good shot at getting the job.

That song is pretty catchy.

(do something) going in

You use the phrase "going in" to describe what you knew, felt, or did at the beginning of
something. For example:

I had low expectations for Iron Man 2 going in, but I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

Going in, I knew that if I didn't make this sale, I was out of a job.

As you can see from these examples, "going in" can come at the beginning or end of a
sentence or clause.

"Going in" is useful because it specifically refers to the beginning point of an event. If you
say:
I felt pretty confident before the interview.

That could mean the same thing as "going in", but it could also mean that you felt confident
a few hours or days before the interview, but didn't feel confident when it started:

I felt pretty confident before the interview, but when I got to the office I started to feel
nervous.

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2.6 “I see. Well, thanks anyway.”

Learn it!

You're looking for a job. You see a "help wanted" sign in a restaurant and ask about
applying for the job, but the hostess says the job has already been filled. This is your
response.

I see. Well, thanks anyway.

Well

There are several uses for the word "well". One important use is to show that you are ready
to finish a conversation. The end of a conversation might go something like this:

A: Well, I look forward to working with you.

B: Yeah, me too.

A: See you around.

B: Bye.
Some other examples of "well" used to end a conversation are:

Well, it's nice to have you back.

OK. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you.

I see.

Say this when someone has explained something new to you and you've understood it. For
example:

A: There are twenty different species of snakes living on this island.

B: I see.

You can especially use "I see" when some information disappoints you:

A: Can I get two tickets to see "Much Ado About Nothing?"

B: Sorry, sir, we're sold out.

A: Ah, I see.

Thanks anyway.

"Thanks" is a more casual way to say "thank you".

You say "thanks anyway" when:

• you've asked someone for help or information

• they tried to help you but it didn't work

For example, if you ask someone for directions but they've never heard of the place that
you're looking for, you can say:

OK, thanks anyway.

"Thanks anyway" usually sounds polite.

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2.7 “She'll be with you shortly.”

Learn it!

You're going in for a job interview. You tell the employee near the entrance that you have
an appointment with the manager. He tells you to wait.

She'll be with you shortly.

(someone) will be with you (soon)

This is a polite formal phrase often used with customers, guests, or patients to ask them to
wait. Several different words can be used to mean "soon" in this phrase:

He'll be with you shortly.

I'll be with you soon.

He'll be with you in just a second.

She'll be with you in just a minute.

(something will happen) shortly

"Shortly" is a slightly formal way to say "soon" or "in just a few minutes". Use it in
sentences like this:

We will begin shortly.

She'll be with you shortly.

We will be departing shortly.

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3.1 “Hmm. That's a good question.”

Learn it!

You've given a presentation, and now you're answering questions about it. One of the
audience members asks you a question that's tough for you to answer. You say this.

Hmm. That's a good question.

Hmm.

This is a noise that English speakers make to show that they're thinking hard about
something. When you're trying to figure something out, make this noise:

Hmm. I'm not sure about that. Let me get back to you.

That's a good question.

People say this when someone asks a question that's a little difficult to answer. Saying
"That's a good question" gives you a little more time to think of your response.

For example, if someone asks you a question at work that you haven't thought about before
and don't have an answer for, respond this way:
That's a good question. Let me find out for you.

Of course, you can also respond with "That's a good question" if someone asks a question
that's really interesting and intelligent. But to be clear, it might be better to use a slightly
different phrase like:

That's an excellent question!

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3.2 “I'd say that my greatest strength is my willingness to

take risks.”

Learn it!

You're writing an essay for a college application. The essay question asks you to describe
your strengths. You start it this way.

I'd say that my greatest strength is my willingness to take risks.

your greatest strength

In interviews, people often ask about a person's "greatest strength". Your "greatest
strength" is the one thing that you're best at, or your best personality trait.

Here are some examples of answers:

My greatest strength is my patience.

I'd say that my greatest strength is my willingness to take risks.

I'd say that (clause)

You use the phrase "I'd say that..." to share your opinion. It's similar to "I think..." but it
sounds more thoughful. It demonstrates that you're still not completely sure of your
opinion.

Here are some examples:

A: What do you think?

B: I'd say that the first one would probably be better.

I'd say that drinking four or five nights a week is probably a little too much.

(someone) takes risks

"Taking risks" means doing things that are risky or dangerous.

"Taking risks" is usually thought of as a good thing. On the other hand, the phrase "risking
___" usually has a bad meaning:

You've got to be willing to take risks to achieve ultimate success.

I can't believe that you would risk the economic security of your family on something so
foolish!

(someone's) willingness to (do something)

When you say that you "are willing to ___", it means that you will say "yes" to doing it, but
you don't really want to do it, or you're not happy about doing it.

For example, if your lazy grown-up child asks you for money, you can say:

I'm willing to lend you the money, but I expect to be paid back by the end of this year.

"Willingness" is a noun that we use to talk about that quality. It means how likely someone
would be to do this difficult or unpleasant thing.

Her willingness to jump in and deal with all of the gritty details really impressed me.

My willingness to help was overpowered by my desire to go home.

When you use the word "willingness" in this way, it sounds intelligent and academic.

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3.3 “What would you say is your greatest strength, and

what's your greatest weakness?”
Learn it!

You're interviewing a candidate for a job. You want to know what he is good at and what
problems he might cause if you hire him. You ask this.

What would you say is your greatest strength, and what's your greatest weakness?

What would you say (question)?

This is a style of question that people use mostly in interviews. Asking a question like this
will make the listener answer more slowly and carefully:

What would you say was the best part about working there?

What would you say is your favorite film of the last 10 years?

There can also be questions of this type that start with different question words:
Who would you say is the strongest member of your team?

You might also see questions like these on written surveys.

your greatest strength

In interviews, people often ask about a person's "greatest strength". Your "greatest
strength" is the one thing that you're best at, or your best personality trait.

Here are some examples of answers:

My greatest strength is my patience.

I'd say that my greatest strength is my willingness to take risks.

strength/weakness

"Strength" and "weakness" are opposites. These words are also used together a lot:

Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses.

You should focus on your strenths, not your weaknesses.

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3.4 “I’m good at thinking quickly on my feet.”

Learn it!

You're in a job interview. The interviewer asks about one of your strengths. You explain
that you can make good decisions quickly.

I’m good at thinking quickly on my feet.

(someone) is good at (doing something)

Talk about a person's skills with the phrase "good at ___ing":

He's really good at making people feel comfortable.

I used to be pretty good at drawing.

(someone) thinks on (his or her) feet

"Thinking on your feet" means making decisions about things as they happen. It means
figuring out what to do when you don't have a clear plan.
You can talk about someone thinking "quickly" on their feet, or "well":

We're looking for someone who can think well on their feet and make good decisions.

You've got to think quickly on your feet in this job.

"Thinking on your feet" is almost always a positive quality. If you want to talk negatively
about someone who makes decisions without planning, you can say this:

He doesn't know what he's doing. He's just making it up as he goes along.

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3.5 “Well, I can be a bit assertive at times.”

Learn it!

You're in a job interview for a managerial role. The interviewer asks you to describe one of
your weaknesses. You say this to talk about a flaw you have that could also be seen as a
strength.

Well, I can be a bit assertive at times.

a bit (adjective)

"A bit" is similar to "a little", "kind of" or "somewhat". It's used when you want to lessen the
degree of a description:

He's a bit shorter than me.

He has a video of me from when we were in college that's a bit embarrassing.

"A bit" is used for adjectives that are negative. So you wouldn't say that an event was "a bit
fun" or that a person is "a bit nice". But you can say that the event was "a bit boring" and
the person is "a bit rude".

"A bit" is slightly formal. It's more formal than "kind of" or "a little", but more casual than
"somewhat":

kind of > a little > a bit > somewhat

(someone) can be (adjective)

Use this phrase to describe a negative characteristic that a person sometimes has:

She can be really hard to work with sometimes.

He can be painfully shy when he's around people he doesn't know, but to those of us who know
him he's actually really talkative.

Saying that someone "can be ___" is a good way to say something negative about a person,
while still appearing to speak positively about them. So you might use this carefully to
complain about your boss with a coworker, for example.

It's common to use "sometimes", "at times", or "from time to time" along with this phrase.
(someone) is assertive

An "assertive" person is someone who strongly states and fights for their own opinions. A
good image for the word "assertive" is a person who is able to ask their boss for a raise
when they think they deserve it.

The word "assertive" has a positive connotation. You can often hear people telling their
children or spouses:

You should be more assertive!

But it's not strongly positive. People want to have this quality for themselves but might
find it a little annoying when other people display it. So in the example above, the speaker
is able to use this as an example of a "weakness".

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3.6 “You have quite an impressive background.”

Learn it!
You are hiring a new staff member at work. You are interviewing a candidate for the job.
You look at the candidate's resume and think that she has a great education and work
experience. You say this to praise her.
You have quite an impressive background.

quite a (something)

"Quite" is an adverb that means something similar to "very". It's perhaps a little lower in
strength than "very".

If you're using "quite" with an adjective, you say "quite ___":

I'm quite hungry.

If you're using it with a noun, you say "quite a ___" or "quite an ___":

It's quite a useful book.

You have quite an impressive background.

"Quite" is an intelligent- or sophisticated-sounding word. Some people who want to seem

intelligent use "quite" more, while people who want to seem more "down to earth" use
other words like "really ___" or "real":

You must really have a sense of accomplishment.

impressive (something)

The word "impressive" describes an accomplishment that you think is good, which not
many people are able to do.

You were able to cook all that in less than an hour? That's impressive!

You can use "impressive" to sincerely praise someone. It's a little formal.

"Impressive" is usually used to describe the things that people have done, rather than the
people themselves. Some common words that "impressive" is used with are:

• an impressive performance
• an impressive list of achievements
• impressive results

have a (adjective) background (in something)

Your background is your personal history. It includes where you were born, what kind of
family you grew up in, where you went to school, and what jobs you've had.
The phrase "have a __ background" is often used in business to describe a person's work
and education history. You can use different positive adjectives to describe a person's
background:

He has a strong background in publishing.

We're looking for someone who has an extensive background in biology.

In both of these examples, "in ___" was used to tell the area or field of the person's
background.

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3.7 “Well, I think you'd be a great fit for our team.”

Learn it!

You're hiring someone for a job in your department. You've interviewed someone who you
would like to hire. You say this, offering him the job.

Well, I think you'd be a great fit for our team.

Well, (sentence)

You use "well" to change the topic or the tone of a conversation:

A: How are your classes going?

B: Not too well, to be honest. Calculus is kicking my butt.

A: Well, hang in there.

B: Yeah, I'll try. Hey, have you talked to Priscilla lately?

You can also use "well" to signal the end of a conversation. For example, you might say this
after talking to someone who's just returned to work from maternity leave:

Well, it's nice to have you back.

a great fit for (a job)

This phrase is often used when talking about open positions and job applicants. If you think
that a person is "a great fit" for a job, it means that you think they can do the job well.

You might get a question like this in a job interview or on an application form:

Why would you be a good fit for this position?

If the company rejects you, they might write this in an e-mail to you:

Unfortunately, we don't feel that you'd be a good fit at this time.

You can also talk about it the other way: a job can be a "great fit" for a person:

I think this job would be a great fit for you.

I was a middle school teacher for a few years, but it wasn't really a good fit for me.

(someone's) team

In business, people often call the group that they work with (their company or department)
a "team". For example, if a company wants to hire people to work for them, they'll put a link
on their website which says:

Join our team.

Small companies also advertise the people that work there in a section on their website
titled "Our Team".

You can name other departments or groups in your company by one of their members:

What's Becky's team working on these days?

And if you want to praise the people who work for you, you can say this:

We've got a fantastic team here.

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4.1 “I feel obligated to give at least three weeks' notice at

my current job.”
Learn it!

You're on a job interview, and the interviewer offers you the job! However, he wants you to
start immediately. You don't think that's possible because you haven't quit your job yet, so
you say this.

I feel obligated to give at least three weeks' notice at my current job.

give (#) weeks' notice

When you quit a job, it's bad to quit and stop going to work that day or the next day.
Instead, you should "give notice" to your employer. That means telling your boss that
you're going to quit.

In my experience in white-collar jobs in the U.S., three weeks' notice is standard and two
weeks is the bare minimum.
feel obligated to (do something)

"Feeling obligated" to do something means that you feel like you have to do it. You're afraid
that it would be rude not to do it.

People usually feel obligated to do things for social reasons, like because a friend or
neighbor asked them to do it. For instance, if someone gives you a gift, you might "feel
obligated" to give them a gift back in return. We usually talk about "feeling obligated" to do
things that we don't want to do.

You can use this phrase in a sentence like this:

I feel obligated to help because, you know, he helped us out a couple of months ago.

I don't really want to go, but I feel kind of obligated.

You can also tell someone not to feel obligated to do something:

Don't feel obligated to come if you're too busy.

(someone's) current job

"Current" means "now". But you can't use "now" as an adjective. You can't say "my now
job". Use "current" instead.

Here are some other things that people often describe using the word "current":

• the current situation

• the current president
• the current market
• my current boyfriend

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4.2 “I'll be there bright and early!”

Learn it!

You've got a new job that you're starting tomorrow. Your new boss has called you to
confirm that you're starting tomorrow. You want to sound enthusiastic, so you say this.

I'll be there bright and early!

be there

To "be there" means to attend. You can say:

I'll be there.

You can also say when you're going to arrive:

I'll be there at eleven.

This is a very natural and casual way to say that you're going to come to an event, meeting,
or party. You wouldn't use this in writing, but it's common in business communication.
bright and early

"Bright and early" means "early in the morning". You use it to talk about waking up early,
starting work early, exercising early in the morning, and so on:

We're going to get started bright and early tomorrow!

"Bright and early" sounds energetic and positive.

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4.3 “He ended up getting job offers from both companies.”

Learn it!

You're telling a story about a friend of yours who made embarrassing mistakes in two
different job interviews. You describe the mistakes that your friend made, and then you say
this to describe the result of the interviews.

He ended up getting job offers from both companies.

end up (doing something)

This phrase is used for telling the final result of something. It can be used when telling
stories, like in the example above. It can also be used for predicting the future
consequences of an action:

If you keep missing classes, you're going to end up failing your grade and having to repeat it.

Another phrase that's similar to "end up" but more casual is "wind up":

After we left the bar, I wound up going over to James's place and sleeping on the couch.

get a job offer

When a company wants to hire you, they make a "job offer". This is a formal request for
you to work for them. It can be a written offer letter or a verbal offer. When the company
makes a job offer to a person, you say that that person "got a job offer" in normal
conversation. In more formal speech or writing, you can say that the person "received a job
offer".

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4.4 “Well, I look forward to working with you.”

Learn it!

You introduced yourself to a new employee at your company in the hallway. You chatted
with each other for a minute, and now you need to get back to work. You end the
conversation by saying this.

Well, I look forward to working with you.

Well

There are several uses for the word "well". One important use is to show that you are ready
to finish a conversation. The end of a conversation might go something like this:

A: Well, I look forward to working with you.

B: Yeah, me too.

A: See you around.

B: Bye.

Some other examples of "well" used to end a conversation are:

Well, it's nice to have you back.

OK. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you.

I look forward to (doing something)

To "look forward to (doing something)" means to be excited about it. However, this is
mostly a polite expression so it doesn't carry a really strong feeling of excitement. It does
sound polite, though.

When you've just met someone in a business or formal situation, use the phrase "I look
forward to ___ing" near the end of your first conversation. For example:

I look forward to working with you.

I look forward to doing business with you.

I look forward to meeting you. (Use this with someone who you've been writing to, but haven't
met yet.

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4.5 “So were you transferred here, or did you move

voluntarily?”

Learn it!

A new person just started working at your office. You've heard that she came there from
another branch of the same company on the other side of the country. You've introduced
yourself, and now you want to know if she chose to move to your branch or was told to
come there. You ask her this.

So were you transferred here, or did you move voluntarily?

So, (question)?

"So" is a good way to start a question when it's on a new topic. In the example above, the
speakers were just introducing themselves and making small talk. The word "so" shifts the
conversation into discussing why the new person moved to that office.

Here are some other examples of "so" used to start a conversation or introduce a new topic:

So have you done your taxes yet?

So how've you been?

(someone) was transferred (to somewhere)

To "be transferred" means that you are sent to work in a new department or location. For
example, if you work at an office in San Francisco, but your boss asks you to go work in the
Atlanta office instead, you can describe it by saying:

I was transferred from San Francisco to the Atlanta office.

Being transferred usually means moving from one city to another while working for the
same company or organization. People in the military especially get transferred a lot. But
sometimes it can mean moving from one department to another while staying in the same
office:

She was transferred to Central Production.

And there's also the case of athletes. When they're "transferred", it means that they have to
go to play for a whole new team.

Being transferred is a decision that's made by a person's bosses. If you ask to move to a
new office or department, you can say that you got a transfer.

(do something) voluntarily

Doing something "voluntarily" means that you do it by your own choice, rather than being
forced to do it. That can either mean that you wanted to do it, or that
you accepted someone's request.

For example, in the situation above, if the new employee asked to move, she would say that
she "moved voluntarily". But she could also say that she "moved voluntarily" if her boss
offered to transfer her and let her choose whether to stay or go.

Here are some other examples of how to use "___ voluntarily":

Officials today expanded the evacuation area around Fukushima from 12 to 19 miles, urging
residents to leave voluntarily.

There's been some speculation as to whether Griffin resigned voluntarily or was forced out of
the company.

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4.6 “Well, it's nice to have you back.”

Learn it!

Your coworker took off work for 6 weeks for maternity leave. She returned to work this
week, and you just saw her and talked to her for the first time. You say this, finishing your
small talk.

Well, it's nice to have you back.

Well

There are several uses for the word "well". One important use is to show that you are ready
to finish a conversation. The end of a conversation might go something like this:

A: Well, I look forward to working with you.

B: Yeah, me too.

A: See you around.

B: Bye.

Some other examples of "well" used to end a conversation are:

Well, it's nice to have you back.

OK. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you.

It's nice to have you back.

This is a set expression that people say when someone returns to work from a vacation,
sickness, etc.

People also use "good" and "great" instead of "nice":

It's great to have you back!

If someone doesn't usually work with you, but they are with you now, you can say a similar
phrase:
It's nice to have you here.

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4.7 “It's nice to be back.”

Learn it!

You took off work for 6 weeks for maternity leave. You returned to work this week. You're
making small talk with a coworker, and she tells you "It's nice to have you back." You want
to respond politely, so you say this.

It's nice to be back.

It's nice to be back.

"It's nice to be back" is a set expression that people use when they return to somewhere.

In the sentence above, the speaker stresses the word "be". That's because "It's nice to have
you back" is almost the same sentence. The only word that's different in the response is
"be". In English, when you repeat a phrase or sentence, you usually stress the words that
are different. Another example:

A: "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

B: "It's nice to meet you, too."

In this example, you emphasize "you" in the second sentence. Even though the word is the
same in both sentences, they're referring to different people. When Person A say "you", he
means Person B. When Person B says "you", he means Person A. So "you" is stressed in the
second sentence.

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5.1 “So, have you settled back into the routine?”

Learn it!

Your coworker had a baby and didn't work for a couple months. She returned to work three
days ago. You are talking to her and making small talk. You ask her this.

So, have you settled back into the routine?

So, (sentence)

This is a good general conversation starter. It's often used right after engaging in a
little small talk, to transition into more serious conversation. One of the purposes of using
this word at the beginning is that it announces that you are going to bring up a topic but
gives the listener time to prepare before you ask a question.

So, how have you been?

So, let's talk about what we need to do to prepare for this conference.

have you (done something)?

You use this when you expect something to happen to someone:

Everyone around here is getting sick. Have you caught it yet?

"Have you...?" is also better than "Did you...?" when you are asking for general news about a
person's recent life:

Have you lost weight?

Have you seen "Avatar" yet?

Have you called your mother lately?

settle into a routine

A "routine" is a way of acting and living that you do the same way, over and over again.

For example, your daily routine might include getting up at 8:00, ironing your clothes while
watching TV, getting coffee at the local coffee shop on your way to work, etc.
To "settle into" a routine means to start to create a routine for yourself and to get used to it.
For example:

Teaching is stressful at first, but after a few years you settle into the routine and it gets to be
easier.

To "settle back into a routine" means to get used to it again after you stop doing it for a
while.

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5.2 “So, I heard you're leaving us.”

Learn it!

A co-worker told you that another co-worker is leaving the company and taking a new job
somewhere else. You want to talk to the person who's leaving to say goodbye. You start the
conversation by saying this to her.

So, I heard you're leaving us.

So, (sentence)

This is a good general conversation starter. It's often used right after engaging in a
little small talk, to transition into more serious conversation. One of the purposes of using
this word at the beginning is that it announces that you are going to bring up a topic but
gives the listener time to prepare before you ask a question.

So, how have you been?

So, let's talk about what we need to do to prepare for this conference.

I heard (someone)(is doing something)

This means that someone told you this fact. You use "I heard..." when you don't want to
specifically say who told you:

I heard he was let go because there was a personal rivalry between him and the chairman.

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5.3 “Hi — I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm

Aaron.”

Learn it!

A new person has started working at your company. You've seen her in meetings, but no
one has introduced you to her and you haven't spoken with her yet. You'd like to meet her.
You walk up to her in the hallway and say this.

Hi — I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Aaron.

properly (done)

The word "proper" means "correct". It sounds formal, and to most Americans it sounds a
little British. It makes me think of men in tuxedos, and women in big white dresses drinking
tea.

Of course, "proper" and "properly" aren't always used in such extremely formal situations.
You can use "properly" to talk about doing something in the correct way:

He handled it properly and professionally.

Your brain needs oxygen in order to function properly.

I don't think we've been properly introduced.

This is a phrase that you can use to introduce yourself to someone in a formal situation
when no one else has introduced you to them yet:

I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Chad.

This sentence only makes sense if you've seen, written to, or heard the person but haven't
spoken directly to them yet.

I don't think (sentence)

In this example:
I don't think I'll be able to make it.

Notice that the speaker says "I don't think I'll be able to" instead of "I think I wonn't be able
to". In English, it's better to make "do" negative and keep the modal ("can", "will", "should",
etc.) positive:

I don't think I should leave him here by himself.

I don't think I've been there.

I don't think she wants to go.

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5.4 “Let's definitely keep in touch.”

Learn it!

You're at a business networking event and meet someone who you might be able to do
business with. You want to continue to talk to this person after the event. Near the end of
your conversation, you say this.

Let's definitely keep in touch.

Let's (do something).

The phrase "Let's ___" is well-known to English learners. However, learners often over-use
"Let's ___" and use it in situations where it isn't appropriate.

When can you say "Let's ___"? You usually use it when you're suggesting something that
you're sure the listener will accept. If you're meeting a friend for lunch, then you're sure
that they will agree to eat with you. So you can say:

I'm starving! Let's eat.

In situations where you're not sure how the listener will respond to your suggestion, you
can use other phrases like "Would you like to ___?", "Why don't we ___?" or "We should ___":

Would you like to go out to dinner with me some time?

Why don't we meet at 7:30?

We should get together some time and have a drink.

keep in touch

To "keep in touch" means to continue to contact a person. You use this phrase to talk about
people that you met in one situation but don't see often. For example, people that you went
to school or worked with:

How's Jason doing? Have you guys kept in touch?

Let's definitely keep in touch.

People often tell each other "Let's keep in touch", but often don't keep in touch with the
people they say this to. And you sometimes use "Let's keep in touch" with people that you
don't have any interest in talking to. So when you really want to keep in touch with
someone, you have to say it in a stronger way.

Adding the word "definitely" to "Let's keep in touch" helps to show that you really mean it.

You may also need to add more emphasis afterward:

Let's definitely keep in touch. I'm serious.

Let's definitely keep in touch. I mean it, let's talk soon.

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5.5 “Why don't we exchange business cards?”

Learn it!

You're at a business networking event, and you meet someone who you might like to do
business with in the future. You want to keep in touch with them. Near the end of the
conversation, you say this.

Why don't we exchange business cards?

Why don't we (do something)

This is a way to make a suggestion to do something together. You use this when you expect
the listener to agree with you:

I don't feel like cooking tonight. Why don't we order something out?

Why don't we make a deal: if I help you with this, you have to promise to come to my game on
Sunday.

exchange (something)

When you "exchange" something with a person, you give them something and they give
something back to you. In the example above, the speaker suggests exchanging business
cards. That means that each person gives the other person their business card.

Other words that people often use with "exchange" are:

• exchange phone numbers

• exchange ideas
• exchange a glance (this means to look at each other secretly to communicate a message)
• exchange words (this means to get into an argument)

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5.6 “I don't have one on me.”

Learn it!
You met someone at a business networking event. After you talked with them, they asked
you for your business card. You say this because you forgot bring one.
I don't have one on me.

(someone) doesn't have (something) on (them)

When you say that you "don't have ___ on me", it means that you don't have it right then:

A: Can I borrow a pen?

B: Sorry, I don't have one on me.

This phrase is useful because just saying "I don't have ___" can have two different meanings:

• you don't have it now

• you don't own it at all

You use "I don't have one on me" when people ask you for things like:

• business cards
• cigarettes
• a pen

You can also say "I don't have one with me", but "on me" is usually better if the object is
small and can fit in your pocket or purse.

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5.7 “It was great meeting you the other day.”

Learn it!

You went to a job fair three days ago to look for a job. You met a recruiter for a company
and want to continue your communication with her. You write her an e-mail and start by
saying this.

It was great meeting you the other day.

It was great (talking with / meeting / seeing) you.

This is a polite phrase that you say or write to people you don't know very well, who you
meet in a work situation or other formal situation. You usually use this at the end of your
conversation with someone, or a few days later when you contact them again. Here are
other examples:

It was great talking to you yesterday.

It was great seeing you! Bye!

Note that people also often say "It was great to meet you the other day." The differences
between these are pretty small.

meet someone

The word "meet" can mean two different things - to get together with someone you already
know, or to see and speak with someone for the first time. When someone says "It was nice
meeting you" or "Great meeting you" it means that they met for the first time.

the other (day/night)

"The other day" means "a few days ago". You use it to talk about a day that's about 2 to 10
days before today.

So you wouldn't use it if you're talking about something that happened yesterday, and you
wouldn't use it for something that happened three weeks ago. You use "the other day"
when you don't exactly remember what day something happened, or when it's not
important to tell the exact day.
I was talking to somebody about that just the other day.

You can also say "the other night", "the other evening", etc.

"The other day" and "the other night" can be used in business or casual situations.

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6.1 “Not exactly, but I did get some promising leads.”

Learn it!

You're a salesperson. You just got back from a conference. Your boss asks if you made any
sales. You didn't, but you met several people who you think you might be able to sell to
successfully. You say this in response.

Not exactly, but I did get some promising leads.

Not exactly.

This is one way of saying "no" when someone asks you a question.

"No" sounds very final. "Not exactly" doesn't sound as complete and certain, so you can use
it when the answer is 50% yes and 50% no:

A: Do you know how to get there?

B: Not exactly.

(someone) did (do something)

In a normal sentence, you don't include "did" before the verb, like this:

I got some promising leads.

But you put "did" in there when your sentence contrasts with what someone said:

A: Did you make any sales?

B: No, but I did get some promising leads.

Of course, you can see the same pattern with other helping verbs:

I'm not afraid of the dark. I am afraid of wild animals, though.

a promising (something)

In the example above, the speaker got business cards from a few potential customers. She
thinks that she might be able to sell to them. She's optimistic about those people becoming
customers, so she says that the leads are "promising".

Here are some things that are often called "promising":

Jules had a promising future as a management consultant, but she left it all behind to start
her own organic bakery.

He works with promising young athletes to improve their strength, flexibility, and endurance.

Researchers are currently working on a promising new treatment for breast cancer.

leads

In sales, "leads" are names and contact information for people who you might be able to
sell something to. These are usually people who have shown some interest in that product
or service.

You can use the word "leads" to refer to:

• the information that you have about people

• the people who might be interested in what you're selling.

Leads can be:

• "cold" if the person doesn't expect to hear from you

• "warm" if the person has shown that they want to know more about your product or service
• "promising" if you think there's a good chance of completing the sale
There are also "leads" in other fields. In police or detective work, "leads" are possible clues
that can lead to solving a case.

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6.2 “The real key is establishing a relationship with the

client.”
Learn it!

You're having lunch with a junior salesperson who's just starting her first sales job at your
company. You give her this advice on how to be successful as a salesperson.

The real key is establishing a relationship with the client.

the key (to success) is (doing something)

An idea, a person, a technique, or anything that's very important for making something
successful is called "the key":

My key to success has always been getting out there and practicing harder than anyone else.

Dalton's hard work was really the key to the success of the entire event.

Publishing so much content is a constant struggle. The key is not to spend too much time on
any one part of it.
There are some other phrases that use the word "key" in this way:

The key factor in my decision was the cost. The Panasonic was a hundred dollars cheaper.

Senator Donnely was a key player in getting the bill passed.

establish a relationship with (someone/some group)

There are different kinds of relationships. Some examples are:

• romantic relationships
• relationships with your family members
• business relationships

When you're talking about starting a business relationship, you use the word "establish":

We're hoping to establish an ongoing relationship with a manufacturer in Ireland.

It's a little strange to use "establish" to talk about starting other kinds of relationships. Use
"start" instead:

I'm sorry. I'm just not ready to start a relationship.

A business relationship can be formal, meaning that there's been a specific agreement for
two companies to work together. Or it can be informal, which means that companies do
business together because it seems like a good idea at the time.

You can also establish a personal relationship with a business contact. That might include
getting to know things about their family, their hobbies, and their tastes.

a client

"Clients" are similar to "customers". But the word "customer" suggests someone buying
things at a store or directly on the Internet. The word "client" is used in business-to-
business sales:

I have a meeting with a client this afternoon.

People have long meetings with their clients, take them out to lunch, and try to sell them
products or services for large amounts of money. When a client buys something, they
usually use their company's money, not their own personal money.

The word "client" can mean the person that you do business with, or it can also mean the
company that they belong to:

Microcorp is a client of ours.

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6.3 “A limp handshake leaves a bad impression.”

Learn it!

You're giving a friend advice on how to act in business situations in the U.S. You discuss the
correct way to give a handshake and you say this.

A limp handshake leaves a bad impression.

a limp handshake

"Limp" means "soft" and "weak". Imagine a French fry that's been left out for a few hours.
It's not crispy any longer; it hangs down when you hold it and feels soft. That's the meaning
of "limp".

A "limp" handshake is when someone shakes hands without enough pressure. The correct
handshake is a firm handshake. This means to grab the other person's hand and squeeze it
just a little bit. But some people just hold the other person's hand without squeezing. This
is called a "limp" handshake, and most people don't like it.

Other examples of "limp" things include:

 • Someone's body when they're dead, asleep, or passed out.
• Hair that's thin or oily.

The word "limp" is also used in some embarassing sexual situations. Use your imagination
to figure out what that might be.

leave a bad impression

When you do things that make people think negatively about you, it's called "leaving a bad
impression".

An "impression" is a quick decision that people make about you when they first meet you.
People often talk about their "first impression" of a person:

My first impression is that he's a really nice guy, but perhaps a little difficult to get to know
well.

The way that you act when you first meet people "leaves" an impression in their minds. If
you say smart and interesting things, people will "be left with" a good impression of you. If
you act rude, it will "leave" a bad impression.

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6.4 “You've got to practice your pitch over and over until
it's really tight.”
Learn it!

You're having lunch with a junior salesperson who's just starting her first sales job at your
company. You're give this advice to her on how to be successful as a salesperson.

You've got to practice your pitch over and over until it's really tight.

you've got to (do something)

"You've got to" is similar to "you need to". They're basically the same in meaning. However,
"you've got to" is more common when talking about general qualities that you need in
order to achieve a certain goal. For example:

Most importantly, you've got to be passionate about it.

If you want to get into an Ivy League school, you've got to have impeccable grades and
an impressive list of accomplishments.
"You need to" is more common when you're actually telling the listener what they should
do, right now.

You need to go talk to Mrs. Green about that.

You need to stop spending so much on entertainment and put some of that money toward
your savings.

"You need to" also sound more angry.

a (sales) pitch

In sales, your "pitch" is what you say to people to introduce your product or to get them to
buy something. It's about 30 seconds to 5 minutes long. A salesperson's pitch is usually the
same, or very similar, every time they talk to a customer. You can use the word "pitch" as a
noun, like in the example at top. You can also use it as a verb:

Could I come to the next Directors' meeting and pitch my idea?

There are other kinds of "pitches" as well. For example, a writer might have to "pitch" an
idea for an article to an editor. At a television studio, a TV show creator "pitches" the idea
for the show to the television executives.

(do something) over and over

"Over and over" is similar to "again and again". They both mean "many times". You repeat
"over" two times because to "do (something) over" means to do it again one time. To do it
"over and over" means to do it many times.

"Again and again" and "over and over" are similar in meaning. But "over and over" sounds
like something that's more work and harder to do than "again and again":

What wears you down is when the same mistakes get made over and over again.

I keep making the same mistake over and over.

A good speaker understands the power of a simple message that is repeated again and
again.

a tight (presentation)

When a presentation or performance is "tight", it means that it's been practiced a lot and
seems really professional. There aren't mistakes, or times when the speaker doesn't know
what to say.
The word "tight" in this situation has a positive connotation. Another word with a similar
meaning to "tight" but with a more negative feeling is "slick":

Her pitch was certainly slick, but it didn't really make me want to run out and buy one.

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6.5 “Louise has been killing it!”

Learn it!

You're in charge of a sales team. One of the salespeople on your team has sold a lot this
week. Now you're in a team meeting. You want to tell everyone about her good
performance.

Louise has been killing it!

(someone) has been (doing something)

Use "has been ___ing" to talk about something that started in the past, continued without
stopping or happened again and again, and is still going on now:

You've been sitting there at your computer for over two hours.

I've been designing web pages for over ten years.

Or you can use it for a situation that you're not sure whether it's finished or it's going to
continue:

It's been cloudy all morning, but it looks like the sun might come out soon.
(someone) is killing it

This is a slang expression that means that someone is doing very, very well.

Use this to talk about people succeeding, not just a little but a lot, in things like:

• sports
• sales
• grades in school

Young people in their 30's or below are most likely to use this expression. Although it uses
the word "kill", it doesn't really have a violent association. However, it does have an active,
aggressive feel to it.

By the way, you always use "it" in this phrase. You shouldn't replace "it" with another noun.

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6.6 “Man! You're on fire!”

Learn it!

You work in sales. One of your coworkers has made several large sales this week, and he
just made another one. You're impressed, and you say this to compliment him.

Man! You're on fire!

Man!

The expression "Man!" shows strong emotions, like shock, fear, admiration, envy, surprise,
annoyance, etc..

For example:

Man, I am so exhausted.

Man! This computer is taking forever to start up!

Man! What a gorgeous sunset!

You can use "Man!" when speaking to both men and women, because you're not saying
it toanyone. You just say it to show an emotion.

"Man" is casual, but it's completely polite. It's a lot more polite than other words with
similar meaning, like "Shit!"

You're on fire!

If you yell out "You're on fire!" to someone in a worried-sounding voice, they will think that
their clothes or hair are burning. But if you say it in a cheerful way, it means that they are
having a string of successes.

For example, you can use this phrase to talk about an athlete who is playing really well and
scoring a lot of points:

LeBron is on fire tonight!

Sports are a common situation for saying that someone is "on fire", and sales are another.
(Actually, salespeople use a lot of sports-related language.)
"You're on fire!" is a really casual and friendly-sounding phrase.

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6.7 “Dude, you're making the rest of us look bad!”

Learn it!

You work in sales. One of your coworkers has made a lot of big sales this week, and he just
made another one. You want to joke with him about how successful he's become. You say
this.

Dude, you're making the rest of us look bad!

make (someone) look bad

To "make ___ look bad" can mean two different things:

1. To do something stupid or embarrassing which makes the people who are associated with
you (your boss, your classmates, your family members) ashamed:

Sit down and behave yourself! You're making us look bad.

2. To do something so well that other people's accomplishments don't seem very impressive
in comparison:

Slow down! You're making me look bad.

The first one is usually used seriously. The second one is usually used as a joke. In the
example at top, the speaker says it as a joke to show that he's impressed that his friend is
selling so much.

Dude!

People sometimes call each other "dude" in casual conversation. For example:

A: Dude, we've got to get going. We're going to be late.

B: Dude, chill out.

"Dude" is mostly used between two young or middle-aged men. However, women
sometimes use it and people sometimes use it toward women too. Originally, "dude" was
associated with surfers. In the past 30 years it has become much more common, but now
some younger people choose other words to refer to each other like "bro".

People mostly say "Dude" at the beginning of a sentence. It's possible at the end of a
sentence but less common.
Nice shot, dude.

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7.1 “I know it's tough going out there, but we need to keep
pushing.”
Learn it!

You lead a sales team. The economy is bad, so your team hasn't been selling much lately.
You want to encourage your team members, so you say this in a meeting.

I know it's tough going out there, but we need to keep pushing.

it's tough going

"It's tough going" means "it's difficult" or "there are a lot of problems".

Here are some situations that can be described as "tough going":

• A sports team's losing season:

It's been tough going for the Lakers this season.

• A country's bad economy

 It's tough going for millions of unemployed Brits right now.

• Emergency workers' effort to help people after a large natural disaster

Rescuers are desperately searching for survivors, but so far it's been tough going.

out there

Salespeople often talk about "the market". "The market" represents all of the people a
company is trying to sell to (customers and potential customers), as well as their
competitors.

"The marketplace" is a kind of imaginary space, which is outside of the company. So

salespeople often use the phrase "out there" to describe talking to customers or clients.

Things are tough out there.

We've got to get out there and talk to more prospects.

keep pushing

You can use the phrase "keep pushing" to mean "continue to try hard":

Keep pushing. Don't give up!

When someone says "keep pushing", you can imagine pushing something, like a rock, up a
steep hill. It's tough and challenging.

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7.2 “Tell me what we need to do in order to make this go

through.”

Learn it!

One of your employees is trying to do a sales deal to get a big client. The deal is taking too
long. You want to know what's preventing the deal from being sold, so that you can help
sell it.

Tell me what we need to do in order to make this go through.

Tell me (something)

You can ask for information from a person this way.

"Tell me ___" is very direct, so you should probably use it when you're in a more powerful
position than the person you're talking to. For example, a police officer can say to the
witness of a crime:

Tell me what happened.

A teacher can say to a misbehaving student:

Tell me why you did this.

If you're not in a position of authority, you should find a more indirect way to ask for
information.

(do something) in order to (achieve something)

You do something "in order to" get a result:

In order to succeed, first you have to go through a lot of failure.

You have to get the blue shield in Level 3 in order to pass through to the next level.

"In order to" is often expressed just with "to":

Tell me what we need to do to make this go through.

But "in order to" is a little more formal. Speakers also use it for emphasis, because the word
"to" by itself might get lost in the sentence.

make (something) go through

When something "goes through", it completes successfully. Some examples of things that
can "go through" are:

• an attempted credit card payment

• a business deal
• a formal request

"Making" a deal or a sale "go through" means that you help to complete it, or cause it to
finish successfully:

I can tell that you're working really hard to make this deal go through, and I really appreciate
the effort.

Another phrase which uses the same words but isn't related is "go through (an
experience)":

We've been going through a period of weak sales.

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7.3 “Is there any way I can convince you to reconsider?”

Learn it!

You are a salesperson and one of your clients has told you that she's canceling her account
and moving over to a competitor's product. You ask her this because you don't want to lose
the business.

Is there any way I can convince you to reconsider?

convince (someone) to (do something)

"Convince" means to make someone decide something based on what you say to them. You
can use "convince" without "to". For example, the following can be said if it's already clear
from the conversation what you have been convinced of:

He convinced me.

Use "to (do something)" to tell an action that the person was convinced to do. Use "that
(clause)" to express that the person was convinced of an idea:

Ed convinced me that the fastest way to get to New York was Highway 95.

reconsider (something)

"Reconsider" means to think about your decision again, and possibly change it. In the
example sentence above, "reconsider" is used as an intransitive verb. But it's usually
followed by a noun:

Please reconsider my offer.

In the example above, both the speaker and the listener understand what is being
reconsidered, so it's left out of the sentence:

Is there any way I can convince you to reconsider (cancelling your account)?

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7.4 “Sales have been steadily increasing since the

launch.”
Learn it!

You're giving a presentation about the sales results of a product which your company
recently started selling. The say this because the company has been selling more and more
of the product each week.

Sales have been steadily increasing since the launch.

sales (are doing something)

"Sales" are the number of items you sell or the amount of money you make from selling
things:

Sales this quarter are strong.

Sales are down this month.

Sales can be "strong" or "weak", and they can:

 • increase
• decrease
• rise
• fall
• be up
• be down

(something) is steadily (changing)

To "steadily increase" means to keep increasing by the same amount, again and again.
Here's an example of some steadily increasing numbers:

20 > 25 > 30 > 36 > 41 > 45

Here are some numbers that are increasing, but not steadily:

20 > 29 > 27 > 28 > 40 > 40

Numbers can also steadily decrease or fall, which means to go down little by little.

(something) has been (doing something) (since a point in time)

This is how to talk about an action that started in the past, and is still happening now:

I've been taking kickboxing classes at my neighborhood gym.

Whenever you use the word "since", you have to use the perfect form "have done":

I've known him since he was born.

We've been ranked #1 every year since 1990.

You shouldn't use the simple past tense ("knew", "were") with "since".

a launch

When a rocket "launches", it shoots up into the air. But to "launch" a new product or
business means to create it and release it to customers. When you're talking about this
event, you call it "a launch".

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7.5 “We're very pleased with the initial results.”

Learn it!

Your group at work recently started a new advertising campaign. The campaign has just
started, but it seems to be going well. You're giving a short presentation in a meeting to tell
everyone about the status of the campaign, and you tell them this.

We're very pleased with the initial results.

(someone) is pleased with (something)

"Pleased" means "happy". But "pleased" is more formal and sounds less emotional.

Because "pleased" is formal-sounding, it would sound strange to talk about being "pleased
with" everyday things like a TV show you just watched or the food you're eating.

To explain what pleases you, use the phrase "be pleased with ___":

If you're not pleased with our service, please let us know and we will issue a full refund.

I was pleased with how it turned out.

Some common things that you can be "pleased with" include:

• the results of (something)

• (something's) progress
• (someone's) performance
• the outcome of (something)

the initial (something)

"Initial" is a formal word that means "at first" or "beginning". The "initial results" of an ad
campaign means the results in the first few weeks or months.

Here are some nouns that often appear together with "initial":

• (someone's) initial reaction

My initial reaction was, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." But then I heard
about it some more, and it started to make a bit of sense.

• the initial stage of (something)

In the initial stage of the disease, you may notice a bit of memory loss and lower
coordination.

• the initial cost of (something)

The money you'll save over the lifetime of the machine will more than make up for the
initial cost.

• (one's) initial impression

What's your initial impression of her?

initial results

The "initial results" of an experiment, an advertising campaign, an election, etc. are

information about how the experiment, campaign, election, etc. will turn out, which you get
before they're finished:

Initial election results show a strong lead for the Republicans.

The fundraiser is still going on, but the initial results suggest that we may not be able to reach
our $100,000 goal.

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7.6 “Whether they're growing in terms of revenue, I'm not

so sure.”
Learn it!

On your lunch break at work, you're talking with a coworker about one of your company's
competitors which is hiring a lot of new employees. Your coworker is worried about this
competitor, but you aren't. You've just said "They've certainly added a lot of staff recently."
This is how you continue this thought.

Whether they're growing in terms of revenue, I'm not so sure.

Whether (clause), (I don't know/I'm not so sure/etc.)

Use this phrase to express doubt about something you just said. For example:

I'm applying to Harvard and Stanford. Whether I'll get in or not, I don't know.

That's a standard legal tactic. Now, whether it will work in this particular case, we don't
know.

(a company) is growing

When a company is making more money, adding more employees, or gaining more
customers, you can say that it's "growing".

in terms of (something)

The phrase "in terms of" explains what standard you're measuring something on. In this
example:

Whether they're growing in terms of revenue, I'm not so sure.

...the speaker wonders whether the competitor is "growing in terms of revenue". A

company can grow in several ways, including revenue, profits, number of employees,
number of stores, and in other ways. The phrase "in terms of revenue" explains how you're
measuring the growth.

Other examples include:

A woman wants a guy who she can click with in terms of her interests & hobbies.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years in terms of your career?

revenue

"Revenue" is the money that a company or a person makes from its customers. When
you're talking about money, there are several terms that all have different meanings:

• Revenue is the money that a business gets from sales, or from investments.
• Income is also money that a company makes. This word is also used to describe the amount
of money that an individual person makes.
• Profit is the amount of money that is left after a company pays for its employees, materials,
rent, and other costs.

There are much more technical definitions for each of these terms that accountants and
business executives need to learn, but these definitions will work for most people.

You can use either "revenue" as an uncountable noun, or "revenues":

Revenues are pretty good this quarter.

I'm not so sure.

This is an expression for showing your doubt. If you think something might not be true,
but you don't have strong proof yet, you can say "I'm not so sure."

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7.7 “The ultimate goal is to have it available to the public

by the end of the year.”

Learn it!

You're working on a project at work to create a mobile phone application. You're making a
presentation on how the work for the application is going. After explaining each of the
steps you're going to do, you want to tell everyone when it will be finished. You say this
about the projected end date.

The ultimate goal is to have it available to the public by the end of the year.

the ultimate goal

An "ultimate" goal is the greatest or most difficult thing that you want to achieve. You can
think of goals as falling into different time periods:

• An immediate goal is something that you're trying to do right now.

• Your ultimate goal is the thing that you want to do in the end. This can be the end of your
life, or in the end of some other period. For example, an ice skater might say that her
ultimate goal is to win a gold medal in the Olympics, although she might do that when she's
only 18 years old.
• A short-term goal is something to be done in a few weeks or months.
• A long-term goal is something you want to do in months or years.

In the example above, the "ultimate goal" refers to the goal that you want to achieve at the
end of the project.

(my/our/the) goal is to (do something)

When you're expressing your goals, say "My goal is to ___":

Our original goal was to raise $5,000, but we've already done twice that.

have (something)(adjective) by (a day or time)

This expression is used to talk about something that you want to be a certain way by a
certain deadline. You can't use just any adjective in this phrase; there are only a few
adjectives that will fit. These include:

We need to have this finished by Monday.

You'd better have it done by the end of the day.

I don't know if it's possible to have it built by then, but we can at least have it planned
outand designed.

(something) is available to the public

"The public" means "most people". If a store is "open to the public", it means that anyone
can come into the store. If a store isn't open to the public, it's either closed or restricted
to privateuse.

If something is "available", it means that you can get it or use it. So "available to the public"
means that anyone is able to buy it. Use this to talk about products that are being sold to a
large number of people.

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8.1 “We're seeing our retail marketing efforts really pay

off.”
Learn it!

Your company has started to advertise your product in stores. You're more sales as a result.
You're announcing this at a meeting. You say this.

We're seeing our retail marketing efforts really pay off.

We're seeing (something happen)

People use this expression when discussing trends in a business meeting or presentation:

We're seeing a rise in demand for electronic devices this quarter.

our efforts

This is another expression that people use in business. "Efforts" means the things that your
company or group is trying to do. For example, "efforts" might mean a sales strategy, an
advertising campaign, etc.:
We're going to continue our efforts in the northern regions, and also start to branch out to
some of the southern markets.

retail marketing

"Marketing" is a part of business. It means trying to figure out how to sell stuff to
customers. It can include how you design products, how you advertise them, and how the
company communicates to customers.

"Retail" means stores. So "retail marketing" is advertisements or other promotions that you
do in a store. Examples might include signs, people giving out samples, and so on.

The phrase "retail marketing" probably wouldn't make sense to a lot of English speakers
unless they work in a large company with dedicated marketing staff.

(something) pays off

When something "pays off", it means that there's a benefit or profit from it. In the example
above, the marketing efforts "paid off". That means that the company made more money
because of it.

Here are some other examples using "pay off":

All that hard work and determination really paid off.

I'm putting a lot of time and money into this business, but hopefully it'll pay off down the road.

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8.2 “Hopefully we can keep up the momentum this quarter

as well.”
Learn it!

You are discussing your company's sales results from the first quarter with a coworker.
The company has been doing well, and you hope that you'll keep doing well. You say this.

Hopefully we can keep up the momentum this quarter as well.

Hopefully (clause)

When you hope that something happens, you say "Hopefully (something happens)":

Hopefully my package will arrive in the next day or two.

You can also use it when you hope that something doesn't happen:

Hopefully we won't have any more problems this week.

People use "Hopefully ___" to talk about things that they think are probable or likely. They
don't use "Hopefully" when talking about something that's impossible.

keep up the momentum

"Momentum" is a force that makes things that are moving continue to move. You can use
this word to describe physical forces. But it's more commonly used for describing success.
If you start to be successful at something, like winning games or getting high sales, it's
easier to continue to be successful. This is called "momentum":

The tablet computer market is really starting to gain momentum, now that competitiors to
the iPad are set to be launched.

To "keep up" your momentum means to continue to succeed.

Other important words to learn with "momentum" are:

• gain momentum
• regain the momentum
 • lose momentum
• have momentum

a quarter

Businesses usually break the year up into four pieces, which are called "quarters". They
measure the performance of the business by how well each quarter compares to the same
quarter the last year.

You name the quarters like this:

The fourth quarter is always tough.

People also call them "Q1", "Q2", etc.

It's time to start looking ahead to Q3.

as well

"As well" is similar in meaning to "too". But "as well" is more formal. Most people wouldn't
use it in their personal conversations, but it's sometimes used in business conversation. In
writing, it's common.

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8.3 “That seems pretty risky, given the current economic

climate.”
Learn it!

One of your company's competitors is expanding and hiring a lot of new employees. You
think that's a bad idea because the economy is bad now. You're discussing it with your boss
at lunch. You say this.

That seems pretty risky, given the current economic climate.

(something) seems risky

The word "risky" means "dangerous".

Specifically, something that is "risky" has a high chance of going badly. People especially
use the word "risky" to talk about money and investments.

(sentence), given (something)

The phrase "___, given ___" is pretty complicated! It's used to introduce an idea that provides
a reason for part of your sentence:

Here's an example:

It's surprisingly fast, given how big it is.

In this example, "given how big it is" explains why it's surprising for it to be fast.

And here's another example:

We probably shouldn't invite both of them at the same time, given their romantic history.

the economic climate

The "economic climate" just means the situation that the economy is in. It includes:

• How many people have jobs

• How much money businesses are making
• How well the stock market is doing

Although the phrase "economic climate" isn't negative, people mostly use it when the
economy is bad. When people want to carefully talk about a bad economy, they often say
things like:

The economic climate these days is tough.

In this economic climate, we can't afford to spend any additional money on staffing.

the current (something)

"Current" means "now". But "now" can't be used as an adjective. So we use the word
"current" instead. For example:

Their current President is a former business executive.

In this example, the "current President" is the person who is President right now. Here's
another example:

He had two kids with his ex-wife, but he doesn't have any with his current wife.

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8.4 “That's going to attract a lot of new customers.”

Learn it!

You're talking about a recent announcement that Starbucks is going to offer free Internet
access to all customers. You think it's a good idea for them, and now you're talking to your
husband and explaining why.

That's going to attract a lot of new customers.

attract customers

To "attract customers" means to bring more customers to your store or website.

The word "attract" means to pull things closer. The base meaning of the word is to pull
closer with a magnet or some other force. You can also use "attract" to talk about love or
romance between people:

You're obviously attracted to her.

But when talking about companies, "attract" means to bring more customers:

What can I do to attract new readers to my site?

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8.5 “The exchange rate is killing us.”

Learn it!

Your business sells products overseas. Right now the value of your country's money is
higher than usual, so you've had to raise your prices and aren't selling as much. You
complain to a friend who also runs a business.

The exchange rate is killing us.

exchange rate

The "exchange rate" is the amount of one type of currency (money) that you're able to buy
with another currency. The exchange rate between currencies changes daily. This can affect
the prices of things that are bought and sold from other countries.

When you say what the current exchange rate is, you can say it like this:

The current exchange rate is 128 yen to 1 euro.

But in casual speech, we don't usually use the phrase "exchange rate" when saying what the
rate is. Instead, we say something like this:
I read that the dollar is at 1100 won.

(something) is killing (someone)

This phrase is sometimes used in business, to talk about things that are causing problems
for the business. For example:

These taxes are killing us!

All of these rules and regulations are killing us.

Competition from overseas is absolutely killing us.

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8.6 “We’re down 4% over last year.”

Learn it!

You're giving a presentation on your company's financial performance. You're showing a

chart which compares this year's earnings with last year's. You explain that the company
made a little less this year.

We’re down 4% over last year.

We're (at some number)

In business, people sometimes talk about sales or other important numbers this way:

We're at 3 million for the quarter.

What this means is:

(Our sales are) at 3 million for the quarter.

People also say "We're up", "We're down", "We're flat", "We're growing", etc.:
We were growing by about 10% per month, but we're flat this month.

(some number) is (up/down) over (a previous period)

You can compare numbers for one time period to a past time period with the word "over":

Profits are up 10% over last quarter.

This means "Profits are 10% higher than they were in the last 3-month period."

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8.7 “We have over 300 locations across the U.S. and
Canada.”

Learn it!

You work for a fast food company. You're giving a presentation about your company's
business. You describe how large the company is.

We have over 300 locations across the U.S. and Canada.

(a chain's) locations

A store or restaurant company that has lots of stores in different places is called a "chain".
Each store in the chain is called a "location". For example a representative from such a
company could say:

We have over 300 locations across the U.S. and Canada.

You use the word "location" in this way when you're talking about the company as a
business. In everyday life, when you want to talk about one store or restaurant in a chain,
you just call it a "store" or a "restaurant".
the U.S.

When you're talking or writing about the United States, the most common and natural way
to refer to the country is to say "the U.S.". This is much more common than calling it "U.S.A."
or "the United States".

Notice that you always have "the" in front of "U.S.".

over (a number)

In writing or formal speeches, you use "over" to mean "more than" some number:

There must have been over a thousand people there.

Over 20% of our employees have Master's degrees or Ph.D.'s.

Over 500 people have signed up to volunteer.

It's used in both spoken and written English, but in writing it's probably more common
than using "more than".

across (a country)

When you're talking about something that exists in many different places in a country, use
the word "across" to describe where it is:

Libraries across the U.S. are having to make big changes to how they operate.

"Across" only works for countries that are fairly large, however. It wouldn't fit well for an
island country. "Throughout" would be better:

People throughout Japan are getting caught up in the craze.

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9.1 “Yeah, well they've certainly added a lot of staff

recently.”
Learn it!

During your lunch break at work, you're chatting with a coworker about one of your
company's competitors. Your coworker is worried about the competitor and mentions that
they are getting bigger. You say this because you're not as worried about them, but you do
agree that the competitor has added more staff.

Yeah, well they've certainly added a lot of staff recently.

Yeah, well (sentence)

This phrase is a way of agreeing while also disagreeing. When you say "Yeah, well...", it
means that you can't disagree with the actual statement that someone just made, but you
don't agree with their overall idea. For example:

A: I beat you!

B: Yeah, well, I'll get you next time.

certainly

"Certainly" is another word that you use to agree and disagree at the same time. The word
"certainly" means "definitely". But it's often used to show a small feeling of disagreement
or dissatisfaction. For example, if someone is acting a lot happier than usual, you can say:

You're certainly in a good mood today!

This sentence contains a very small suggestion that there's something strange about the
person's good mood. Another example is:

I certainly hope he's able to finish in time.

Part of the meaning of this sentence is "I hope he's able to finish in time, although I don't
think he will."

staff

"Staff" is a word that means "employees" or "workers". People usually use the word "staff"
when they're talking in general about the entire group of people who work somewhere:
The staff there is super friendly and helpful.

"Employees" is more often used when you're speaking from the perspective of the boss:

Have you ever had to fire an employee?

"Staff" is a collective noun, so you use it in singular form to talk about the entire group:

Afterwards, the entire staff went out to celebrate.

If you want to talk about just one or just a few people on the staff, use the phrase "staff
members":

One of the staff members at my gym asked me out yesterday.

add staff

To "add staff" means to hire more employees for a business.

(someone did / has done something) recently

"Recently" is used to talk about things that have happened in the last few weeks or
months. This is similar but slightly different in meaning to "lately" and "these days".

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9.2 “We've been absolutely overwhelmed with orders.”

Learn it!

The small company you work for was featured in an article in the New York Times. Since
then, thousands of new customers have started to contact you and buy your products. The
number of orders that customers have made is so high that it has been difficult to send out
everyone's orders fast enough. You tell a business contact this.

We've been absolutely overwhelmed with orders.

(someone) has been (___ed)

This is how you describe something that happened to someone, when the effect is still
there. In the example above, the speaker's company became overwhelmed, and they
are stilloverwhelmed.

Here's another example. If someone broke into your house and stole things from you, when
you call the police you say:

I've been robbed!

The reason you use "have been" is because you were robbed, and you haven't moved
anything or cleaned up yet. So your home is still in the "robbed" state. The next day, when
you tell people about it, you will say:

I was robbed last night.

absolutely

"Absolutely" means "completely" or "totally". The differences between these words are
very small, but "absolutely" sounds a little bit more formal and more educated.

(be) overwhelmed (with something)

To be "overwhelmed" means to get so much of something that it becomes a problem. You

can become "overwhelmed" with things like e-mail messages, job applications for a
position that you're hiring for, parenting responsibilities, homework, etc. For example:

I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. I've got school, band practice, work, not to mention
spending time with my boyfriend. I just can't handle it all!
You state the thing that is overwhelming you with the phrase "overwhelmed with ___":

It's easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of work here if you don't have an organized
system for handling it all.

You may also hear "overwhelmed by ___". This is more often used to express
a positiveemotional feeling when something makes you so happy, thankful, or proud that
you just can't believe it:

I've been overwhelmed by all the support and help my fans have given me.

I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the Italian countryside.

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9.3 “All right – let's get to work.”

Learn it!

You're leading a group of people that are decorating for a wedding. You discuss the plans
with the group and tell each person what to do. Now it's time to break up and start doing
the work, so you say this.

All right – let's get to work.

all right

This is a transition that we often use in spoken English to shift between one mode of
conversation and another.

For example, if a speaker was giving instructions before but now wants to give a signal to
start working, he or she can say:

All right - let's get to work.

This phrase can also be used when you've been debating something and now want to
announce your final decision:

All right, let's move ahead with Shinohara's plan.

get to work

To "get to work" means to begin working. This phrase gives the impression that there is
some work that needs to be done, and you need to start on it. You can use it in a command
like this:

All right, everyone. Stop socializing and get to work!

Or you can talk about yourself:

There's a lot to do. I'd better get to work.

Of course, these same words can also mean "get to (the place where I) work":

I have to get to work by eight o'clock.

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9.4 “OK. Let's get down to business.”

Learn it!

You're in charge of a committee at your church that is planning a fundraising event. You're
having a lunch meeting with the other members of the committee. Everyone has had time
to order their food, make small talk, and start eating. Now you want to start talking about
the event, so you say this to bring up the topic.

OK. Let's get down to business.

OK.

One of the ways that English speakers use "OK" is to signal a change in the flow of
conversation.

For example, before you begin a meeting everyone might be making small talk and chatting
about different topics. To start the serious business part of the meeting, you can start with
"OK".

You can also use "OK" when you want to:

 • start a new topic of conversation
• announce a decision

OK, let's shoot for next Wednesday.

• ask other people to make a decision

OK, who wants pancakes?

• end a conversation

OK. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you.

Let's get down to business.

This is a set phrase which people say when they're leading a group of people and want to
get started with the main topic of discussion. Here are some other situations in which
someone might say "Let's get down to business":

• a teacher has been taking attendance and making announcements, and now wants to start
his lesson.
• a boss has called one of her employees into her office for a yearly performance review, but
started off by asking about a problem that they've been dealing with that day. Now she
wants to start the performance review.

You can see that "Let's get down to business" can be used not only in business situations,
but in any situation where you have one important thing that a group of people has come
together to talk about.

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9.5 “Guys, let's call it a day.”

Learn it!

You're working on a project with a few other people at work. You've all been working hard
all afternoon, and now it's getting late. You think you should stop working on it for today,
so you suggest this.

Guys, let's call it a day.

guys

In English, there's not a really good word for addressing a group of people. If you're talking
to one person you say "you":

How are you?

But there's some disagreement about what to say to a group of people. English speakers
use different expressions depending on the region and dialect, but one common expression
is "guys". For example, at a restaurant with a large group of friends you can say:

Hey guys, are you ready to order?

"Guys" technically means a group of men, but it's usually OK to use it for mixed groups of
men and women, or even for groups of all women.

In very formal situations, avoid calling a group of people "guys". Instead, use a phrase like
"everyone":

Everyone, thank you for coming.

let's (do something)

Make a suggestion using "let's ___" when you're pretty sure that the people you're speaking
to will accept your suggestion. If you're not as sure, you can say "why don't we ___":

Guys, why don't we call it a day.

call it a day

This phrase, "Call it a day", means to stop what you're doing for that day.
You use this when you're not 100% finished with everything you need to do, but you're
tired or ready to go home. Use "Call it a day" when you're working on projects with people,
practicing for something together, or just to let people know when you're leaving work:

Jean, I'm going to call it a day. I'll see you tomorrow.

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9.6 “All right, we'll pick it back up in the morning.”

Learn it!

You've been working hard on a project at work all afternoon, and one of your team
members suggests that you should call it a day. You agree, and you want to tell everyone
that you should all continue working on it again in the morning.

All right, we'll pick it back up in the morning.

All right, (sentence)

"All right" is similar in meaning to "OK". It can be used at the beginning of your sentence to
agree with what someone said.

All right, that sounds good.

You also say this when you've made a decision and are ready to announce it to people:

All right, how about this: I'll pick Oliver up after school and take him to practice, and you can
go with Emily to the dentist.

we'll (do something)

Use "we will" to express a plan that you just decided on. When you're talking about a plan
that you already had, say "we're going to ___".

pick it back up

This phrase means to continue doing something that you had stopped doing. This is useful
for talking about work, lessons, games, or other things that continue for more than one day:

One thing I like about listening to audio books is that you can pause them and pick them back
up later without searching for where you stopped.

I didn't speak English for a few years, but I was able to pick it back up with no problem.

Another related phrase is "pick up where (one) left off". This means to continue something
from the same point that you stopped at last time:

OK, well it looks like time's up, but we'll pick back up where we left off tomorrow.
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9.7 “We're out of time today, but we'll come back to this
tomorrow.”

Learn it!

You're a teacher. You're in the middle of a class discussion, but it's time for the class to end.
This is what you say to end the class.

We're out of time today, but we'll come back to this tomorrow.

We're out of time.

You say this when the scheduled time for doing something is ending. For example, if a
meeting at work is scheduled to run for one hour, someone might say "We're out of time" at
the end of the hour.

You can also use this phrase at the end of a class, a session with a therapist, and in other
situations in which time is limited.

come back to (a topic)

"Coming back to" a topic means talking about it again later. For example:

Why don't we come back to this at our next meeting.

You usually use the phrase "come back to" when you're talking about what you're going to
discuss in the future:

We can come back to it later if we have time.

If a topic was discussed earlier in your conversation but you have something else to say,
use "go back to":

Can we go back to what Kin said a few minutes ago? I thought that he made a good point
about the marketing plan, but I also have some concerns.

If you're continuing something that you stopped earlier, "get back to" is better:

Let's get back to our discussion of the Mongol invasion.

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10.1 “Don't stay too late!”

Learn it!

You and your coworker are both really busy at work today. You worked later than usual,
but now you're going home. Your coworker is still working. After you tell her that you're
leaving, you say this.

Don't stay too late!

stay late

In spoken English conversation, you say "stay late" to talk about staying at work until later
than usual, or later than other people:

Did you have to stay late?

The phrase "work late" is similar, but just a bit more formal.

Don't stay too late!

This is a friendly phrase to use when you're leaving work and your coworkers are still
working.

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10.2 “So much for leaving at a decent time...”

Learn it!

You often have to work late hours. Today you wanted to leave work at 6:00, but you were
too busy. Now it's 8:00, and you're still working. You think this to yourself.

So much for leaving at a decent time...

So much for (something)

"So much for ___" is something that you say when you're giving up. You've realized that you
won't be able to do what you wanted to do. The most common use of "So much for ___" is
this:

So much for that idea!

You say "So much for that idea" when you're trying to solve a problem, and you've tried one
solution to the problem but it didn't work.

The other way that "So much for ___" works is by adding a gerund afterward:

It's already ten thirty? So much for getting an early start!

Oh no! He saw us? So much for keeping it a surprise.

a decent (something)

The word "decent" means "good enough". For example, if a restaurant is not too bad you
can say that it's decent.

The word "decent" can also be used in the phrase "a decent chance":

I think I may have a decent chance of winning it.

English speakers often use "decent" to talk about numbers and time:

If you went to bed at a decent hour, you wouldn't be so tired.

I hope we can get a decent number of people to show up for it. (Talking about a party)

Leaving "at a decent time" means not leaving work too late (or too early). If the official end
of the work day is 5:00, then leaving by 5:00-6:30 or so is "leaving at a decent time".

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10.3 “Remember that your days don't carry over, so put in

your requests soon.”
Learn it!

You're the manager of a group at work. Some of the people you manage haven't taken
theirv vacation days yet. You want them to take their vacations soon, so that they don't all
try to take vacations at the end of the year. You say this.

Remember that your days don't carry over, so put in your requests soon.

Remember that (sentence)

You say this when you're reminding people of something that they should already know.

This sounds really authoritative. Say this when you're someone's boss, parent, teacher, etc.

(someone's) days
In salaried jobs in the U.S., workers get a certain number of vacation days that they can
request to take off work.

When employees and managers are talking about someone's vacation days, they often just
call them "days". For example:

Do you have many days left?

I'd like to go ahead and put some of my days on the calendar for next year.

As long as the topic of conversation is vacation, listeners will understand what you mean by
"days".

(something) carries over

Companies that give their employees vacation days sometimes let the employees keep the
days and use them in the next year. In other words, they let the employees "carry over"
their vacation days. Other companies don't let employees carry over their days. The
employees have to take all of their vacation each year, or they'll lose it.

Other examples of things that can "carry over" include:

• money in a yearly budget

• free calling minutes on your mobile phone service

put in a request

"Putting in a request" means asking for something from your boss, commander, or
company in a formal way. You usually "put in a request" by filling out a form or writing a
formal letter.

Here are some things that you can "put in a request" for:

• a transfer (to a different location or branch)

• reimbursement for something that you paid for
• vacation days

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10.4 “I think I'm going to take the day off.”

Learn it!

You want to take the day off work today because you went out drinking last night and you
don't feel good this morning. You're writing an e-mail to your boss to let her know that
you're not coming in to work. You've explained that you don't feel well, so now you write
this.

I think I'm going to take the day off.

I think I'm going to (do something)

This is how to tell someone what you want to do, if you don't think they will mind.

Hey, I think I'm going to order take-out for dinner.

In a lot of American workplaces, you can use this to ask your boss for permission to take
vacation days or sick days. You might expect that it would be more polite to ask in this way:

Can I take the day off?

This isn't wrong, but it does sound a bit like a child asking for something from his parents.
If you are allowed to take days off of work and it doesn't cause extra problems for other
people, it's better to act a little more confident and tell your boss your plan, rather than
asking.

take the (day/week) off

This means to stay home from work. You usually don't use this phrase when you're going
on a vacation. Instead, you use it to describe staying home from work because you're sick,
because you want to rest, because you have a dentist's appointment, and so on.

If you know how long you're going to take off, you can say "take the day off", "take a couple
days off", etc. If you don't know how long it will be, you can say "take some time off":

I've been taking some time off.

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10.5 “Hey, I think I'm going to cut out a bit early today.”
Learn it!

You'd like to leave work earlier than usual today. Your boss doesn't care, but you tell him
about it so that he knows where you are.

Hey, I think I'm going to cut out a bit early today.

I think I'm going to (do something)

This is how to tell someone what you want to do, if you don't think they will mind.

Hey, I think I'm going to order take-out for dinner.

In a lot of American workplaces, you can use this to ask your boss for permission to take
vacation days or sick days. You might expect that it would be more polite to ask in this way:

Can I take the day off?

This isn't wrong, but it does sound a bit like a child asking for something from his parents.
If you are allowed to take days off of work and it doesn't cause extra problems for other
people, it's better to act a little more confident and tell your boss your plan, rather than
asking.

a bit (adjective)

"A bit" is similar to "a little", "kind of" or "somewhat". It's used when you want to lessen the
degree of a description:

He's a bit shorter than me.

He has a video of me from when we were in college that's a bit embarrassing.

"A bit" is used for adjectives that are negative. So you wouldn't say that an event was "a bit
fun" or that a person is "a bit nice". But you can say that the event was "a bit boring" and
the person is "a bit rude".

"A bit" is slightly formal. It's more formal than "kind of" or "a little", but more casual than
"somewhat":

kind of > a little > a bit > somewhat

cut out (of work) early

"Cutting out early" means leaving work earlier than usual. For example:

Do you mind if I cut out early?

This is a casual-sounding expression, but it's OK to use with coworkers or even your boss.

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10.6 “Hi Jane, I'm not feeling well this morning.”

Learn it!

You don't want to go to work this morning because you stayed out late last night drinking
and now you have a hangover. But you don't want to tell your boss that that's the reason, so
you write an email to her starting with this.

Hi Jane, I'm not feeling well this morning.

Hi (boss's name)

In most jobs in the U.S., this is an appropriate way to start an email to your boss. You can
use your boss's first name, and it's appropriate to say "Hi" as the greeting. It would seem
quite strange to write to your boss in a really formal way like this:

Dear Ms. Harris,

I'm not feeling well this morning.

I'm not feeling well.

"I'm not feeling well" is a good set phrase you can use when you want to tell someone that
you feel sick, but you don't want to specifically say what's wrong. "I'm not feeling well" can
be used when you have a headache, stomachache, a cold, diarrhea, menstrual cramps, or
other health problems. You probably wouldn't use it if you broke your leg, had a heart
attack, or had another major health problem.

It's common to say "I'm not feeling well" as an excuse for not going to work. Your boss
might believe you, or might not. But most bosses won't ask you more specifically why you
need to stay home because that information is considered to be very personal.

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10.7 “Janu is going to be filling in for me while I'm out on

maternity leave.”

Learn it!
You're pregnant. You'll be out of the office for several weeks when you have your baby.
Your boss has hired a temporary worker to do your job while you're gone. Now you're
introducing her to some of your coworkers.
Janu is going to be filling in for me while I'm out on maternity leave.

(someone) is filling in for (someone)

When a person is doing someone else's job for a short time, they are "filling in for" that
person.

For example, if you go on a two-week vacation, a coworker might have to fill in for you
while you're gone.

(something) is going to be (happening)

Use "is going to be ___ing" to talk about an action that:

• has been planned for the future

• is going to continuw for a period of time

For example:

We're going to be working together on a project starting next month.

I'm going to be DJing at a club this weekend. You should come out and check it out.

(someone) is out on maternity leave

"Leave" is a break from your job. There are several different types of leave:

• sick leave
• vacation leave
• maternity leave

"Maternity leave" is time that women get off of work when they have a baby. Depending on
the country and company, the length of maternity leave can range from a few weeks to over
a year.

When a person is taking leave and isn't at work, you describe them as being "out on leave":

Sorry, but Mr. Schumacher is out on sick leave.

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11.1 “Would it be OK if I work from home today?”

Learn it!

You have a problem with your toilet. You want to stay home to wait for a plumber to come
and fix it, but today is a work day. You need to ask your boss for permission to stay home,
but still continue to work there. You call and ask this.

Would it be OK if I work from home today?

Would it be OK if I (do something)

This is a good, friendly way to ask for permission to do something. You can use this phrase
when asking for permission from a boss, a teacher, a parent, or anyone who has authority
over you.

Hey, would it be OK if I take this Friday off? My son has a soccer game that I wanted to attend.

Use this phrase when you want to be polite, but you're also confident that the person
you're asking will probably give you permission.

You also use this phrase with friends when you want to do something that will affect them.
It sounds polite in this situation too. For example:

Would it be OK if I use your computer for a minute, just to check my e-mail?

work from home

"Working from home" is when you usually work in an office, but for a few days or a short
period of time you do your work at home instead:

I'm working from home today, so call me on my cell if anything important comes up.

You can also use the phrase "work from home" to describe someone who always works at
home, but works for a company that's somewhere else:

I love my job because they allow me to work from home.

You wouldn't use it, though, for a person who is self-employed. You would say
"work at home".

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11.2 “If you're feeling under the weather, by all means go

home and get some rest.”
Learn it!

One of your employees looks sick. You ask her why she came to work, and she says that she
has a lot of work to do. You'd rather she go home so that she doesn't make other people
sick. You say this.

If you're feeling under the weather, by all means go home and get some rest.

(someone) is feeling (adjective)

It might seem a little mysterious why the speaker uses "If you're feeling" instead of "If you
feel..." in this sentence. When people are talking about someone's health, it's common to
use the progressive form ("feeling") instead:

How are you feeling?

I'm feeling a lot better lately.

(someone) feels under the weather

"Feeling under the weather" means that you feel sick. This phrase usually describes
someone with cold or flu symptoms.

by all means, (do something)

When you introduce a suggestion with "by all means", it shows that you really think that
the listener should take your suggestion. It's a way of showing that you're serious about
what you're saying:

A: Can I sit and watch you work for a few minutes?

B: By all means.

People use "by all means" in arguments as well:

A: I've had enough of you! I don't have to put up with this, you know.

B: If you want to leave, by all means, go right ahead.

Another way to explain "by all means" is that it's like saying "Don't hesitate."

go home and get some rest

People say this to sick people.

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11.3 “Hey, have you had a chance to consider my

request?”

Learn it!

Last month you asked your boss if you could work one day a week from home. She said that
she'd think about it, but hasn't answered yet. You want to remind her that you're waiting
for an answer.

Hey, have you had a chance to consider my request?

Hey

You say "Hey" at the beginning of a sentence in casual English when you want to get
someone's attention. For example:

Hey, Hitomi, can you hand me that box over there?

It's common to say "Hey" before you ask someone a question, or when someone has done
something that's wrong or unfair:
Hey, you're taking up the whole bed!

Use "hey" with people you know or are familiar with. When you're talking to people you
don't know as well, "Excuse me" is more polite.

Have you had a chance to (do something)?

Use "Have you had a chance to ___?" in this kind of situation:

• You've asked someone to do something.

• You want to check whether they've done it.
• You want to be polite and respectful.

consider a request

When someone asks you for something, it's a "request". When you think about whether to
say "yes" or "no", you're "considering" the request.

The phrase "consider a request" is slightly formal.

Other things that you can "consider" include:

• consider doing something

I considered going into medicine, but I decided that I wanted to do something a little
more creative.

• consider an offer
• consider the options
• consider the consequences (of doing something)

I don't think she's really considered the consequences of taking on such a huge
responsibility.

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11.4 “All reimbursement requests must be submitted by

Dec. 8th.”
Learn it!

You are responsible for processing employees' reimbursement requests at your company.
You need for everyone to send their requests to you by December 8th. You write an e-mail
to all the employees. After the introduction, it says this.

All reimbursement requests must be submitted by Dec. 8th.

(something) must be (done)

This is a form that people use for giving formal instructions. It means that everyone has to
do this. For example:

Seat backs and tray tables must be placed in their upright and locked positions.

All reimbursement requests must be submitted by Dec. 8th.

reimbursement

Sometimes your company pays for things that you do. For example, your company might
pay for your lunch if you're eating out with a client. If you have a company credit card, you
can pay with that. But if not, you usually pay with your own money and then get
reimbursed by your company. The money that you get back from your company is called
a reimbursements.

Other things that you might be able to get reimbursed for include:

• travel that you do for work

• supplies that you buy
• classes that you take which increase your job skills

submit a request

A "request" is a formal document that you fill out and give to a company, a school, a
government agency, etc. to ask for something.

In the example above, a "reimbursement request" is a document you fill out to ask your
company to pay you back.

To "submit" a request means to give or send it to the people who need to receive it. You
can also use "submit" for things like:

• homework assignments
• applications
• proposals
• contest entries (like your artwork or a video you made)

(something) must be (done) by (a date)

Use "must" to tell people things that they have to do. "Must" is more formal than "have to"
and is also stronger. It gives the impression that you are really serious and won't allow
anyone to disobey you. Teachers, politicians, and other authority figures use it a lot. It's
also common in written instructions, like in the example above. Another example is:

All visitors must present a valid photo I.D. before entering.

This is something that you might read on a sign in the lobby of an office building. It means
that you have to show your license, passport, or other ID card to the guard before you can
go in.

"Must" is also often used when giving deadlines. When you're doing this, use the phrase,
"___ must be ___ed by ___":
All applications must be completed by November 30th.

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11.5 “Please refer any payroll-related questions to Jared

going forward.”

Learn it!

You work in the accounting department of a company. Your company has hired someone
new (Jared) who will be doing some of the work that you used to do. You write an
announcement to all of the other employees and explain which questions they should ask
Jared.

Please refer any payroll-related questions to Jared going forward.

Please (do something).

Writing "Please ___" is a formal way to ask a question. You can use "Please ___":

• for very important requests

• when you are angry at someone and don't want to be too friendly with them
• when you're writing to someone who you don't know
• when you're writing or making an announcement to a group of people
For a friendlier, but still very polite, way to make a request, you can write:

If you could get back to me by the end of the day, that would be appreciated.

refer (a question) to (someone)

This formal phrase is used in business communication. "Referring" a question to someone

means asking that person the question.

For example:

Please refer any questions you may have to J. Martin Forrester, Public Relations Director.

(something)-related questions

The phrase "___-related questions" means "questions about ___". This is a formal phrase.

(do something) going forward

"Going forward" means "from now on" or "starting now and continuing permanently".

This phrase is used mostly in business settings.

It's useful because the phrase "from now on" sounds critical and aggressive. People say
"from now on" when they're angry like this:

From now on, check with me before you do that.

"Going forward", on the other hand, sounds more formal but also doesn't sound angry.

payroll

"Payroll" means:

1. the process of paying employees at a business

2. a list of the employees at a company
3. the money that the business has to spend on its employees:

For example:

I leave all of the payroll stuff up to our Financial officer.

We have over 3,000 employees on our payroll.

All employers are required to contribute 2 percent of their total payroll to unemployment
insurance.

This word comes up in some phrases like:

payroll taxes

cut (a company's) payroll

payroll records

a payroll check

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11.6 “Hi Amy. This is Zack.”

Learn it!

You're having a meeting with your coworker Brenda in her office. You think of a question
that you want to ask another coworker, Amy, about, so you call Amy from Brenda's
telephone. When Amy answers, you say this.

Hi Amy. This is Zack.

This is (your name)

On a telephone call, identify yourself with "This is ___":

Hi, this is Aaron Knight. Can I speak with Mr. Jones please?

Don't say "I am ___." That's a good way to introduce yourself when you meet someone for
the first time in person, but it's not correct for telephone conversations.

When someone asks to speak to you on a telephone call, and you want to tell them that it's
you, use "This is he/she.":
A: Hi, can I speak with Masahiro Tsukada?

B: Yes, this is he.

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11.7 “Can you tell him to swing by my office when he gets

a chance?”
Learn it!

You want to talk to one of your co-workers. You go to talk to him, but he's not at his desk.
You ask another co-worker to give him a message, and the message is like this.

Can you tell him to swing by my office when he gets a chance?

swing by (somewhere)

"Swinging by" a place means visiting it quickly before going somewhere else. It's very
similar to "stopping by":

Can we stop by an ATM on the way there?

But when someone says "swing by", it's even more casual and the visit sounds even shorter.
You can tell someone to "swing by" a place when you want the trip to sound short and easy.
when (someone) gets a chance

When you ask people to do something, this phrase lets them know that they don't have to
do it immediately. They can do it at a time that's convenient for them.

Here's an example:

Can you help me with this when you get a chance?

If you leave "when you get a chance" off, it sounds like you want immediate help:

Can you help me with this?

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12.1 “Did he mention where he was going?”

Learn it!

You need to talk to your boss about urgent business. You call but his assistant answers the
phone and says that he's been gone for most of the afternoon. You want to know where he
is so that you can decide if you should call his mobile phone. If he's with a client, you'll
leave a message with the assistant, but if he's out on some other business you'll call his
mobile phone. You ask this to his assistant.

Did he mention where he was going?

mention (something)

This means to talk about something briefly. Even if a person says only a few words about a
topic, that would be considered "mentioning" that topic. Other words like "say", "talk
about", etc. sound like they require a longer period of discussion.

You can use "mention" with a simple noun:

Did she mention me in the article?

Or you can use a dependent clause:

Did he mention where he was going?

You can also use the structure "mention (doing something)"

He mentioned going to the gym earlier in the day.

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12.2 “No thanks. I'll just try him again later.”

Learn it!

You call a client's office. The client isn't there, so his assistant answers and offers to take a
message. You say this because you don't want to leave a message.

No thanks. I'll just try him again later.

just (do something)

You use this phrase when the action you're describing seems easy, simple, fast,
unimportant, or unexciting:

I just googled "new york florist" and that was the first shop that came up, so I called them.

A: What did you do this weekend?

B: I just sat at home and watched T.V.

No thanks.
This is an expression to use when someone offers you something, but you don't want it.
Depending on how you say it, "No thanks" can sound angry, cheerful, or anything in
between.

If you'd like to be more formal, you can say "No thank you."

try (someone)

You can talk about calling someone on the telephone with the phrase "try ___". Here are
some examples:

I tried her three or four times, but there was no answer.

I'll try him again tomorrow.

This is a casual expression. When you're writing or speaking formally about calling a
person, use the phrase "try calling" instead:

I tried calling her three or four times, but there was no answer.

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12.3 “Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. I've been

swamped.”
Learn it!

A professional contact calls you. He left a voicemail message for you last week, but you
forgot to call him because you were so busy. After saying hello, you apologize and explain
why you haven't called him back.

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. I've been swamped.

(something) has been (adjective)

Use "has been___" or "have been ___" when you're describing a situation that started at
some time in the past and is still continuing now:

Sales have been pretty good.

It's especially common to use "has been ___" with "this week", "today", "this year", or other
phrases that indicate the current time period:
I've been worried about this all day.

get back to (someone)

To "get back to" someone means to respond. You can "get back to" someone who sent you
an e-mail or left a telephone message.

You can also use "get back to ___" to talk about answering someone's question later:

Please get back to me by the end of the day.

(someone) is swamped

When someone is very busy at work, you can describe them as "swamped".

A: Hey, do you want to go out for lunch?

B: I can't today. I'm swamped.

The word "swamp" means a big pool of mud. So when you're "swamped" with work, it's
like being stuck in a pool of mud that you can't get out of.

If someone is busy but not extremely busy, just use the word "busy" instead.

Sorry I (did something)

When you're sorry about something, use this phrase to explain what it is you're sorry
about:

Sorry I didn't listen to you.

Sorry I was late.

This is the same as using "that":

I'm sorry that I was late.

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12.4 “I'm sorry, you're breaking up.”

Learn it!

You're talking on your mobile phone to your boss. He is saying something, but you can't
hear what it is because the reception on your phone is bad. You didn't hear some of what he
said, so you say this.

I'm sorry, you're breaking up.

you're breaking up

This is a phrase you use when part of a conversation over mobile phone gets cut off
because of bad reception:

Hey, you're breaking up. Let me call you back in a few minutes.

You can also say that "the connection is breaking up".

I'm sorry. (question)

When you're speaking with someone you don't know well, it can be polite to say "I'm sorry"
before asking a question. For example:

I'm sorry. What was that?

I'm sorry. Do you know where the restrooms are?

You can also apologize for problems that aren't your fault.

I'm sorry. I didn't catch what you said.

The implied question here is "Can you say that again?"

The reason for apologizing in these situations is that you're supposed to listen and pay
attention carefully when speaking with people who you don't know well. However, when
someone says "I'm sorry" in this way it probably doesn't mean that they feel truly sorry.

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12.5 “I'm sorry, but can you clarify what it is you're asking
about?”
Learn it!

You got an email from a coworker asking a question. You read the email and you
understood the meaning of the words and sentences, but you can't understand the overall
question because the writing wasn't very clear. You write this in response.

I'm sorry, but can you clarify what it is you're asking about?

I'm sorry, but...

Use this in writing to introduce a question that's inconvenient for the reader. In spoken
English, the phrase "I'm sorry, but..." can sound a little angry depending on how you say it.
Instead, I usually just say something like:

I'm sorry. What was it you're asking about?

clarify (a question or statement)

To "clarify" something that you said means to make it clear. When you've said something
that might be confusing or was misunderstood, you "clarify" your statement by saying it
again in a new way and adding more details. The word "clarify" can be used in questions
like in the example above, or in the phrase "To clarify,..."

Just to clarify, you said that you're definitely coming, right?

You often hear the noun form of "clarify", which is "clarification":

I wrote back to her and asked for clarification, but she never returned my e-mail.

what it is (someone)(is doing)

A simpler version of the question above is:

Can you clarify what you're asking about?

But using "what it is" instead of just "what" places extra emphasis on the question. People
often use this expression to show a deeper level of confusion.

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12.6 “I think you forgot to attach the PDF.”

Learn it!

Someone sends you an e-mail message at work. In the message, she writes something about
a PDF document that she included with the message, but you don't see any PDF. This is
what you write in response.

I think you forgot to attach the PDF.

forget to (do something)

When you "forget to do" something, it means that you wanted to do something, but you
didn't do it because you forgot:

Oh, I forgot to lock the door. Hold on just a second.

Oh shoot. Remy called me yesterday and I forgot to call him back.

Notice that there is a different phrase for when you do something, but then later forget that
you did it. That phrase is "I forgot that (clause)":

I forgot that she was a year younger than us. I thought we were all the same age.

I forgot that I had actually met him once before at Crystal's party. So I introduced myself to
him again.

attach (a computer file)

The word "attach" means to stick or connect two things to each other. When you're writing
e-mail and want to send someone a file, you "attach" the file to an e-mail message. The file
that you attach is called "an attachment".

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12.7 “Can you copy me on it as well?”

Learn it!

You're discussing an issue at work with your coworker, and neither of you know what to
do. Your coworker says that she'll write an email to another person to ask them a question.
You want to know the answer too, so you say this.

Can you copy me on it as well?

copy (someone) on (an email message)

To "copy" someone on an email message means to send it to them, even though they are
not the most important recipient of the message.

In an email program, you usually write the address of the people you mainly want to send
the message to in the "To:" field. If there are other people who might be interested in this
information but don't have to reply to your message, you include them in the "Cc:" field.
You say that you "copied them on" the message.

You can also use the shorter form of this phrase, which is just "copy (someone)":

Can you copy me and Eddie when you send that?

as well

"As well" is similar in meaning to "too":

I've been to Bali too.

I've been to Bali as well.

The difference is that "too" is more casual, and "as well" is more formal. You would use "as
well" at work with people that you don't know very well, and "too" with people that you're
closer to.

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13.1 “Sure, I'll add him to the distribution list.”

Learn it!

You're having a phone conference with several people at work. One of the managers says
that one of her employees hasn't been getting any e-mails about a certain project. She asks
you to make sure that he gets these e-mails. You say this in reply.

Sure, I'll add him to the distribution list.

Sure

"Sure" means "yes".

A: Hey, can you help me with this?

B: Sure.

But "sure" is more casual than "yes".

If you just answer "yes" to a question, it can sound as if you are angry:

A: Hey, can you help me with this?

B: Yes.

A: Uh... Are you annoyed or something?

"Sure" is similar to "of course". Both suggest that it's obvious and expected for the answer
to be "yes".

A: Will you come to my graduation?

B: Of course!

"Of course" is a stronger response and more positive response than "sure".

I'll (do something)

You use "will" when you're announcing a decision that you just made. In this example, you
heard someone say that someone wasn't getting the e-mails. So you decided to add him to
the list. If you were already planning to do this, you would say:

Yes, I was going to add him to the distribution list.

add (something) to (a list)

Each point on a list is called "an item". When you make a new item for a list, you are
"adding" that item to the list.

A: Am I on the list?

B: No, but I'll add you.

a distribution list

A "distribution list" is a list of everyone who is supposed to receive something. In e-mail,

it's a convenient list of addresses for people who are supposed to get emails about a
certainsubject. For example, you might have a distribution list for all of the members of a
department at work. Or you could create a distribution list for all of the people who are
supposed to get a weekly report that you write.

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13.2 “Please disregard my last message. It was

mistakenly sent to the wrong group.”

Learn it!

You wrote an email for work and sent it to an email group. After you sent it, you realize that
you sent it to the wrong group. You send another message to the same group, which says
this.

Please disregard my last message. It was mistakenly sent to the wrong group.

Please disregard (something)

"Please disregard ___" means "Please don't pay attention to ___".

This is a formal phrase that you can use when there's a mistake or something that you don't
want people to notice:

Please disregard the last section. It's not really important for what we're talking about.
We're conducting a test of the emergency warning system. Please disregard the alarm.

the last (something)

The "last ___" means "the one before now". Here are a few more examples to help you to
understand how to use it:

• If you sent a message an hour ago, that is your "last" message.

• If you sent a message an hour ago and you just sent another one, the message an hour ago is
your "last" message.

What if you sent three messages - one two hours ago, one an hour ago, and one just now?

• The one you just sent is "this message" or "this last message".
• The one you sent an hour ago is "the last message".
• The one you sent two hours ago is "the previous message".

(something) was (done)

The person in the example sent the message. So why didn't he write, "I sent it by mistake"?

When you write that "(someone) did (something)", it puts praise or blame on the person
you're writing about. For example:

Paul made a mistake in it.

If you don't put the person's name as the subject, it sounds much more calm and objective,
even though it means the same thing:

There was a mistake in it.

mistakenly (do something)

Doing something "mistakenly" means that you do it by mistake.

The opposite of "mistakenly" is "purposefully":

You purposefully said that to hurt me, didn't you?

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13.3 “That's a good question. Let me find out for you.”

Learn it!

Someone calls you at work to ask a question, but you don't know the answer. You need time
to research the answer, so you say this.

That's a good question. Let me find out for you.

That's a good question.

You say "That's a good question" when someone asks a question that's too difficult and you
don't know the answer to. It sounds better in a business situation than just saying "I don't
know."

Let me (do something)

When you're offering to do something to help someone, you say "Let me ___". For example,
when your friend arrives at an airport and is carrying heavy bags, you can offer to help
carry them by saying:

Let me help you with those.

When you use the phrase "Let me ___", it's common to end the sentence with "for you":

Let me look that up for you.

find (something) out / find out (something)

To "find out" a fact means to learn about it through reading or hearing about it from other
people.

The object of "find out" comes between "find" and "out" if it's a short word:

How did you find that out?

The object comes after "out" if it's a longer phrase or clause:

She found out that Brad was involved with another woman.

And in some cases, "find out" can be used without an object, like in this example:
I'm not sure. Let me find out.

You can use it this way when it's understood what you are finding out. In this example, you
are going to find out the answer to the question.

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13.4 “We'll pass that along as soon as we have it.”

Learn it!

A client asks you for some research information about the results of your company's
product. You don't have the research, but you will send it to your client when you get it.
You tell them this.

We'll pass that along as soon as we have it.

pass (some information) along

"Passing something along" means passing something from one person to the next person in
a line. People often use this phrase to talk about information: one person gets some
information, then tells someone else.

For example:

We're expected to have an answer later this week. When we hear, we'll pass it along to you.

Just tell Jun and have him pass it along to everyone.

(do something) as soon as (something happens)

The phrase "as soon as" expresses something that happens immediately after something
else:

He called as soon as he heard the news.

I went straight to sleep as soon as I got home.

Another way of expressing a similar idea is "when":

I'll start dinner when I finish writing this e-mail.

But you use "as soon as" to emphasize that you're doing it as quickly as you can. So this
phrase is useful in situations where you're making an excuse for being late.

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13.5 “Can you follow up with Jay later this week?”

Learn it!

You're at a meeting at work. Your group has asked someone from another group, Jay, to
make improvements to a computer program that your group uses. He hasn't done it yet, but
you want to make sure he does it. You're telling one of your employees to ask him about it
in a few days.

Can you follow up with Jay later this week?

Can you (do something)?

This is a way to ask someone to do something. It's appropriate for:

• a boss to use with the people who work for him or her
• a customer to use with a store employee
• a parent to use with his or her children
• asking a friend to help you with something

"Can you ___" is more direct than asking "Could you..."

Sometimes a person will include "maybe" in this question:

Can you maybe call him and tell him to meet us there?

Can you maybe turn the volume down just a little?

later this (week/month/year/etc.)

You can explain when something is going to happen this way:

She's coming by later today.

I'm moving to Miami later this year.

If today is Monday, "later this week" might be Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. If today is
Friday or Saturday, you probably won't use this expression.

follow up with (someone) on (something)

"Following up on" something means reviewing it again later. You "follow up" to:

• make sure that something gets done:

They're not very reliable. You have to follow up with them two or three times to make sure
that anything gets done.
• ask more questions about something that you didn't understand:

Make sure to follow up with the professor after class or during office hours if there's anything
you didn't understand.
• get an answer to a question that someone didn't answer before:

I just wanted to follow up and see if you've given any thought to my offer.

"Follow up" can be used by itself:

You should definitely follow up.

If you want to mention the topic, use "on ___":

Can you follow up on the pricing estimates?

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13.6 “I'll shoot her an e-mail and find out where we stand.”
Learn it!

You've hired someone to create a new design for a website you run. Now you're talking
with your business partner, who mentions that the designer hasn't sent any updates in a
few days. You offer to deal with it.

I'll shoot her an e-mail and find out where we stand.

find (something) out / find out (something)

To "find out" a fact means to learn about it through reading or hearing about it from other
people.

The object of "find out" comes between "find" and "out" if it's a short word:

How did you find that out?

The object comes after "out" if it's a longer phrase or clause:

She found out that Brad was involved with another woman.
And in some cases, "find out" can be used without an object, like in this example:

I'm not sure. Let me find out.

You can use it this way when it's understood what you are finding out. In this example, you
are going to find out the answer to the question.

shoot (someone) an email

This phrase is common in business settings. It means to send an email to someone. It

emphasizes sending the email quickly and without planning it out too carefully. Here are
some examples:

Would you mind shooting me an email when you're finished with that?

I hadn't heard from them in a few days, so I shot them an email.

where (something or someone) stands

Where something "stands" means what its current situation or status is. We use this
expression to talk about the progress of things like projects, proposals, applications, and so
on.

For example, if you've been working on a project with someone at work but had to leave
the office for a few days, you can say this when you return:

So fill me in on where we stand.

This means "Tell me what's happening with the project."

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13.7 “Please get back to me by the end of the day.”

Learn it!

You are writing an email to a coworker to ask him a question about something important.
You need to know the answer soon. At the end of your message, you write this.

Please get back to me by the end of the day.

Please (do something).

Writing "Please ___" is a formal way to ask a question. You can use "Please ___":

• for very important requests

• when you are angry at someone and don't want to be too friendly with them
• when you're writing to someone who you don't know
• when you're writing or making an announcement to a group of people

For a friendlier, but still very polite, way to make a request, you can write:

If you could get back to me by the end of the day, that would be appreciated.

get back to (someone)

To "get back to" someone means to respond to their question later. For example, if you ask
me a question and I don't know the answer, I can say:

I don't know off the top of my head, but I'll get back to you this afternoon.

(do something) by (a certain time)

You use the word "by" to indicate a deadline.

You would use "by" in this way:

We're presenting this on Monday morning, so remember to get Henry's approval by Friday
afternoon.

"Before" is similar in meaning to "by", but "before" doesn't carry the same meaning of
"deadline". Instead, it's used when you need to do things in a certain order:

Remember to get Henry's approval before you present it to the client.

This is something you would say if a coworker is going to make a proposal to a client, but
she is supposed to ask Henry, who's the Director, for permission first.

the end of the day

When you say "the end of the day" in a work situation, it means 5:00, 6:00, or whatever
time most people leave work.

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14.1 “Would you mind forwarding me his reply?”

Learn it!

A coworker sent an important e-mail to a client. You ask her if she got a response from
them, and she says that she did. You want to read what they said, so you ask her this.

Would you mind forwarding me his reply?

Would you mind (doing something)?

"Would you mind ___ing?" is a good way to politely ask for something that isn't too much
trouble for the other person. Some more examples:

Would you mind giving me a hand with this?

Excuse me. Would you mind watching over my stuff for me for just a minute?

Would you mind sending me a list of everyone who's coming?

forward (someone) (an email message)

When you "forward" someone an e-mail message, it means that you send them a message
that someone else sent to you before. Most e-mail software includes a button for this that's
marked "Forward" or "Fwd".

Notice that there are two correct ways to use "forward". One is "forward (someone)(a
message)":

I forwarded Jane the invitation that you sent me.

The other way is "forward (a message) to (someone)":

I forwarded the invitation you sent me to Jane.

The choice of which one to use depends on what you're talking about. If the topic of the
conversation is Jane, I would use the first example. If the topic is the invitation, I'd use the
second.

(someone's) reply
A "reply" is an answer to a message. When you send a message to someone and they send
one back, that return message is their "reply".

This word is similar to "response", and in many situations you can use both. But a
"response" is more general than a "reply". A "response" to a message can be a written reply,
something that the person said, or even an action like smiling or crying. But a "reply" is
usually just a written response.

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14.2 “Sorry, I got sidetracked.”

Learn it!

Someone asked you a question earlier in the day at work. You were supposed to find the
answer, but you forgot because you were doing other things. The person calls you to ask
again, and this is how you explain.

Sorry, I got sidetracked.

Sorry.

"Sorry" is a way to apologize for a small mistake you made. When you make a larger
mistake and want to apologize more strongly, you can say "I'm sorry for ___ing":

I'm sorry for calling you by mistake.

However, in most situations this would be much too strong of an apology. So just saying
"Sorry" is sometimes more appropriate:

Sorry I didn't call you back sooner.

(someone) got sidetracked

When you "get sidetracked" it means that you were trying to do one thing, but then started
doing something else instead:

I was trying to cook dinner but I got a little sidetracked.

You can say that you "got sidetracked" by something more important than the original
action, or by something that's not important at all.

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14.3 “I was slammed all week.”

Learn it!

You filled in for your coworker while she was out on vacation last week. You had so much
work to do while she was gone. She asks how it went, and you respond in this way.

I was slammed all week.

(be) slammed

To "be slammed" at work means to have a lot of work to do. The word "slam" is also used to
describe the sound of a door being shut quickly, or of someone falling and hitting the floor.
So you can imagine "being slammed" as having a large amount of work suddenly hit you
while making a large sound.

"Slammed" is an ugradable adjective, like "horrible", "exhausted", "delicious", or

"enormous". These are all words that have extreme meanings, so it seems strange to say
that you were "very slammed" or "a little slammed".

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14.4 “I probably won't be able to get to that until tomorrow

morning.”

Learn it!

You're really busy at work today. Someone calls to ask you for help with something, but you
have other work that needs to be done first. After you say "sorry", you say this.

I probably won't be able to get to that until tomorrow morning.

get to (something)

When you use "get to ___", it sounds like you have a long list of things to do, and you're
finally reaching one item on the list. You use this phrase when you're busy:

I'll try to get to that this afternoon.

You can also use this phrase when you have a lot of things that you want to talk about in a
conversation, a speech, a meeting, etc.

I wanted to talk about the new marketing campaign we just rolled out, but it looks like we
won't be able to get to that today.

(not) until (time)

You use "until" in negative sentences when you want to say when something happens.
When you use "not until ___", it sounds like something happened late:

The show didn't start until after midnight.

You didn't even remember my name until I told you.

I won't be able to (do something)

"Not able to" means "can't". So "I won't be able to" means that you can't do something in
the future.

You use this expression when you are saying "no" to an invitation or changing a plan that
you made:
I won't be able to stay for very long.

I'm really sorry, but I won't be able to attend.

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14.5 “I'm on it.”

Learn it!

You're in a meeting at work. Someone complains that there's a problem with the software
system that they use. You're one of the people who's repsonsible for this software, so you
let everyone know that you will fix this problem.

I'm on it.

I'm on it.

"I'm on it" means "I will deal with this" or "I will handle this problem." You can use it in
work situations:

A: Bobby, there's something wrong with the phone system. Can you look into that?

B: I'm on it!

"I'm on it" sounds helpful and positive. When you say this, it seems like you're in control
and you've already started to fix the problem.
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14.6 “We should sit down and go through the details later
this week.”

Learn it!

You are working on a project at work. You've spoken with your co-workers briefly about
your plans, but you haven't discussed the details yet. You say this to suggest that you
discuss the details later.

We should sit down and go through the details later this week.

sit down and (and do something)

This means to focus on something that takes careful thought, and do it slowly and seriously.
You can use this expression to talk about work:

I need to sit down and go through all my emails.

It can also be used for important conversations with people:

I want to sit down and talk with you this afternoon.

go through (something)

To "go through" things means to search through them and examine them, one by one. This
can be used for physical objects:

I went through my closet and my drawers but I couldn't find my red sweater anywhere.

It can also be used for thoughts, items on a list, or steps in a process:

Our team went through each of the possible choices, and we finally decided on this one

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14.7 “Just a heads up - we're going to have to meet soon.”

Learn it!

You were in a meeting at work where you heard about a change in your work schedule.
You're talking to an employee who wasn't at the meeting. You want to talk to her about the
schedule change, but you're not ready to discuss it yet. You say this to her.

Just a heads up - we're going to have to meet soon.

just a heads up -

This is a phrase that you say before warning someone of something.

The phrase "Heads up!" comes from sports. You say this before throwing a ball to someone
to let them know to raise their head and look for the ball, so they don't get hit. This phrase
has spread to business and social situations as well, in the form "(this is) just a heads up".

(someone) is going to have to (do something)

This phrase explains is used to talk about something that you don't have to do now, but you
predict that you will have to do it some time in the future.

a change in the schedule

Use "in" to express a schedule change:

There's been a change in today's schedule.

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15.1 “I'll print out a few copies of that for people to refer
to.”

Learn it!

You're preparing to give a presentation for a class with a partner. You're deciding what to
say and what visual aids to include. Your partner shows you a chart that she made which
you think the other class members should see. You say this, offering to print it.

I'll print out a few copies of that for people to refer to.

print out (something)

Use the phrasal verb "print out ___" to talk about printing documents, photos, or other
things from your computer to a small printer at home or in your office:

Did you print out a copy of our itinerary?

You would not use "print out" to discuss printing something like a book or a magazine. For
those, you would just use the word "print".

people

When you're planning a medium- or large-sized group event like a party or a meeting, you
can talk about the people who are going to be there as "people":

People are probably going to start arriving at about 8:30.

We need to make sure that people have something to do while they're here.

refer to (something)

"Referring to" something has two meanings:

It can mean to look at something to get information. For example, when you're cooking you
can "refer to" a recipe to understand how to cook something. People can also refer to:

• Wikipedia
• your notes
• a chart
• a textbook
• the manual
The other meaning of "refer to" is to talk about something. Here's an example: Your friend
starts telling a story about another friend of his. He doesn't say the name of this friend, but
you think you know the person that he's talking about. You can say:

Are you referring to Yuuta, by any chance?

So you can see that "referring to" something means talking about something that you
haven't directly said the name of.

a few (of something)

"A few" is a number that's not specific, but it usually means somewhere between 3-10. It's a
little less formal than "several" and also sounds like a slightly lower number. Here are some
examples:

You may want to consider hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions.

That's a very generous offer. Um, let me think it over for a few days and get back to you.

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15.2 “You should definitely bring that up.”

Learn it!

You and a partner are preparing to give a presentation for a class you're taking. You're
discussing the topic of your presentation, and your partner mentions some information she
found while researching the topic. You think she should say something about that in the
presentation. You tell her this.

You should definitely bring that up.

bring up (a topic)

This means to introduce a topic into the conversation, or to start talking about a topic.

When you use "that", "it", "her" or other pronoun, the order is "bring ___ up". When you use
a noun or longer phrase, use the order "bring up ___"

I'm glad you brought that up.

I don't know why she had to bring up the fact that we used to go out in front of all those
people.

you should definitely (do something)

This is a way to suggest that a person do something. Although it's a very direct suggestion,
it sounds polite and helpful:

You should definitely ask for a raise after all the extra time you've been putting in this year.

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15.3 “Attendance is required.”

Learn it!

You're the manager of a group at work, and you want to schedule a meeting. It's important
that all of the members of your group come to this meeting. You write an email to the group
members, and after describing the meeting you write this.

Attendance is required.

attendance

"Attendance" is a noun that means "showing up for something". You use "attendance" to
talk about people coming to a meeting, a class, a party, and so on:

Comic-Con's attendance last year was estimated at 130,000.

Their school has a strict attendance policy.

The verb form of this word is "attend (something)":

I'm sorry, but I won't be able to attend today's meeting.

"Attendance" is used in formal communication for business or school, or when you're

talking in an analytical way about the number of people who came to something. In a
more casualsituation, you can use the word "turnout" to talk about the number of people
who came.

(something) is required

When you say that something "is required", it means that people have to do it.

Things that people often say "are required" include:

• Attendance is required.
• Registration is required. (You have to register.)
• Immediate action is required. (You have to act quickly.)
• Further research is required. (This is often used at the end of academic journal articles to
say that someone needs to research a topic more.)
• A permit is required. (You need a permit, which is an official document that shows you're
allowed to do something.)

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15.4 “Do you know if it's mandatory?”

Learn it!

There's a meeting scheduled for this afternoon. You're busy with other work and don't
really want to go. You're not sure whether attendance is required at this meeting. When a
coworker asks if you're going, you ask this.

Do you know if it's mandatory?

Do you know if (clause)?

In casual spoken English, people often ask, "Do you know if ___?" to find out the answer to a
"Yes" or "No" question. For example:

Do you know if you're having a boy or girl?

Do you know if he's awake?

Answers to "Do you know if...?" can include:

Yes, it is.

Yeah, he is.

No, they're not.

No, I don't think so.

I'm not sure.

No, I don't know.

In formal English for writing and for situations where you don't know people well, you
usually use "whether" instead of "if":

Do they know whether the child is a boy or a girl?

(something) is mandatory

When you say that something "is mandatory", it means that you have to do it. Examples of
things that are "mandatory" include:
• a mandatory meeting
• mandatory reading (books you have to read for a class)
• mandatory retirement (making people retire when they reach a certain age)
• mandatory military service (men in some countries have to serve in the military for a few
years)

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15.5 “Yeah, I think we're expected to be there.”

Learn it!

There's a meeting happening this afternoon at work. One of your team members asks if the
meeting is mandatory. No one told you that the meeting was required, but you think that
everyone is supposed to go. This is your answer.

Yeah, I think we're expected to be there.

Yeah

"Yeah" is a more casual way of saying "yes".

Say this to agree with something that a person said:

Yeah, no problem.

Yeah, I actually did it myself.

You can also say "yeah" when you're going to disagree but you want to make your
disagreement sound a little softer.

Yeah, but then it'll be blocking one of the outlets.

"Yeah" sounds less formal than "yes."

I think (clause)

In spoken English, you can say "I think ___" before the idea that you're thinking.

I think I'm finished.

I think she's coming.

In formal writing or when you're speaking carefully, you should use "I think that ___"
instead:

I think that we need to do a lot more testing before we release it to the public.

(someone) is expected to (do something)

When you "are expected" to do something, it means that people think that
you're supposed todo it. These people might be your bosses, your coworkers, your
parents, or your teachers. Saying that someone is "expected to" do something is just a little
less strong than saying they "have to" do it.

be there

To "be there" means to attend. You can say:

I'll be there.

You can also say when you're going to arrive:

I'll be there at eleven.

This is a very natural and casual way to say that you're going to come to an event, meeting,
or party. You wouldn't use this in writing, but it's common in business communication.

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15.6 “What's the point of this meeting anyway?”

Learn it!

You have a meeting that was scheduled at work. You don't know what the meeting is for.
You are frustrated because your department often has long meetings that seem
unimportant to you. You ask this of a coworker who's a close friend of yours.

What's the point of this meeting anyway?

What's the point of (something)?

"The point" of something is the reason for doing it. But this word is often used in the
negative sense: "what's the point?", "there's no point", "I don't see the point", etc.

You can say "What's the point of (something)?" or "What's the point of (doing
something)?":

What's the point of Facebook? I don't get it.

What's the point of studying math in school anyway? No one ever uses it in real life.

When you ask "what's the point of ___?" it's usually a criticism and can sound negative. So
you should use it when you are angry and annoyed about something. Depending on your
personality, you may not want to show people that you're angry unless you're close to
them. A more polite way to ask "What's the point of this meeting?" would be:

"What's this meeting about?"

(question) anyway?

English speakers sometimes add "anyway" to the end of a question like this:

Where are we going anyway?

Adding "anyway" suggests that you're a little bit annoyed. It's like saying "I don't like
(something). Also, I have a question about it." For example, if you're frustrated about a
difficult homework assignment, you can ask:

This assignment is so annoying. Why are we studying this anyway?

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15.7 “I was stuck in pointless meetings all day.”

Learn it!

At work, you have to go to a lot of meetings, but you don't think they're useful. Now you're
at home and are chatting with your friend online. She asks how you're doing, so you type
this venting your frustrations.

I was stuck in pointless meetings all day.

be stuck in a meeting

When you have a meeting for work, it's rude to leave before the meeting is finished. So you
have to stay there for the entire meeting. To be "stuck in" a meeting means to be required
to stay, even though you'd rather leave.

You can use this phrase as an excuse for why you were late for something:

Sorry, I've been stuck in meetings all afternoon.

a pointless (thing)

When you don't think that something has a meaning or a purpose, you can call it
"pointless".

That meeting was so pointless.

What a pointless movie!

A meeting is "pointless" if it doesn't give you information that you need. You can call a
movie "pointless" if you don't understand the message that the filmmakers wanted to get
across.

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16.1 “Can everyone go ahead and take a seat, and let's

get started.”
Learn it!

You're leading a meeting for a local meetup group that you're a member of. You'd like to
start the meeting, so you say this.

Can everyone go ahead and take a seat, and let's get started.

go ahead and (do something)

People use this phrase in casual conversation to express doing something soon, instead of
waiting:

You guys go ahead and eat — I'm not hungry.

Let's go ahead and pick a day and time for our next meeting.

everyone
When you need to speak to a whole group of people, you can address them as "everyone":

Can everyone send me your contact information, and I'll pull together a phone list for the
group.

How's everyone doing today?

take a seat

To "take a seat" means to sit down. You usually tell someone to "take a seat" when you have
some kind of authority over them. For example, you can tell an employee this:

Hi. Come in. Take a seat.

Let's get started.

"Let's get started" means "Let's start."

Is everyone here? OK, let's get started.

It somehow sounds friendlier and more natural to use the phrase "get started" instead of
just "start". People use this phrase a lot at work, at conferences, at meetup groups, and so
on.

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16.2 “Nelly, can you maybe shed a little light on this?”

Learn it!

You're in a meeting at work. You're leading a discussion about a project which isn't going
well. You don't know what's wrong with the project, so you want to ask one of the people
who's working on it.

Nelly, can you maybe shed a little light on this?

Can you (do something)?

This is a way to ask someone to do something. It's appropriate for:

• a boss to use with the people who work for him or her
• a customer to use with a store employee
• a parent to use with his or her children
• asking a friend to help you with something

"Can you ___" is more direct than asking "Could you..."

Sometimes a person will include "maybe" in this question:

Can you maybe call him and tell him to meet us there?

Can you maybe turn the volume down just a little?

shed light on (a topic)

The phrase "shed light on ___" means to explain or give information about something that
people don't know much about.

For example, if there's something broken in your house and you think that your children
may have caused it, you can ask them:

The lamp seems to be broken. Can anyone shed some light on what happened?

News stories often use this expression in headlines. For example:

Testimony sheds light on politician's shady dealings

This means that the things that people have said in court ("testimony") has shown some of
the dishonest ("shady) things that the politician did.

this

When people are discussing a problem or situation, they commonly refer to it as "this":

What are we going to do about this?

How long do you think this is going to last?

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16.3 “Sylvia, where do you stand on this?”

Learn it!

You're leading a meeting at work to discuss a major business decision. Most of the people
in the meeting have given their opinions and there is some disagreement. You want to ask
one of the people who hasn't given an opinion yet, so you ask this.

Sylvia, where do you stand on this?

Where does (someone) stand on (an issue or debate)

English speakers often compare opinions to positions or locations in an imaginary space.

For example, you can call a person's official opinion their "position":

What's your position on health care reform?

Debates and disagreements have "sides", which you can imagine as people standing on
opposite sides of a room to show which idea they agree with:

Why are you taking her side?

A. Whose side are you on?

B. I'm not on either side. I'm staying out of it.

And when you ask someone "Where do you stand?" it means "What's your opinion?" or
"What side of this debate are you on?" You identify the question or the topic with "on":

Where do you stand on gun control?

It's hard to tell where she stands on this topic.

There's also a noun for talking about where someone stands on a topic. It's "stance". Your
"stance" is similar to your "opinion" or "position":

What's her stance on the topic of immigration?

We use "stance" and "Where do you stand?" in business discussions, political discussions,
academic debates, and other formal situations.

this

When people are discussing a problem or situation, they commonly refer to it as "this":

What are we going to do about this?

How long do you think this is going to last?

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16.4 “So, I'd like to introduce our first speaker, Tom

Johnson.”
Learn it!

You are the organizer of a conference. You are introducing the first speaker. You start by
saying "thank you" to the audience for coming. You say this when you're ready for the
speaker to begin.

So, I'd like to introduce our first speaker, Tom Johnson.

So, (sentence)

This is a good way to signal a new "part" of a conversation.

For example, when you're starting a meeting, you can start by welcoming everyone and
sharing general information. Then, when you're ready to talk about the main point of the
meeting, you can use "So":

So, let's talk about our budget.

You can use "So" to switch to a more serious topic when talking with friends or family:

So, how are things going between you and Kelli?

You can also use "So" to transition between describing a problem and talking about the
solution:

...and now we're losing over $200,000 per month. So, obviously, we need to talk about cutting
costs.

I'd like to (do something)

You say "I'd like to ___" to let the listener know what your purpose is. For example:

I'd like to introduce our first speaker.

You say this before you introduce him.

I'd like to place an order for delivery.

You say this when you call to order food to be delivered from a restaurant.
You use the phrase "I'd like to (do something)" this way mostly in speeches, or when you're
talking with someone like a bank teller or a restaurant host. You don't often use it in face-
to-face conversation between people.

introduce (someone)

When you "introduce" a person, you tell listeners who this person is.

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16.5 “Tom is an expert on social media marketing.”

Learn it!

You organized a conference. You are introducing the first speaker. You have just said the
speaker's name, then you give this bit of information about him.

Tom is an expert on social media marketing.

(someone) is an expert on (a topic)

Make sure to use "on" when you're telling the topic that a person is an expert on:

She's an expert on organic farming.

You can also call someone "a ___ expert", but it doesn't work with longer phrases.

Tom is a social media expert.

It would be a little strange to say "Tom is a social media marketing expert" because that's
too long.

social media

"Social media" is a new term that has become popular in the last five years or so. It means
web sites where users share information with each other, like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace,
FourSquare, and so on.

marketing

Marketing is a part of business. It's the activity of figuring out what customers want, and
finding ways to get customers to buy from you. Marketing is a subject that you can study in
school:

I took a couple of Marketing classes in college.

It's also a job area:

I'm in Marketing.

And it's an activity that businesses do:

They've spent a lot of time and money marketing this new product line.

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16.6 “Let me tell you a bit about my background.”

Learn it!

You are giving a presentation at a conference. You are at the beginning of the presentation.
You've said your name and thanked the person who introduced you. Now you want to tell
the audience about yourself. You start by saying this.

Let me tell you a bit about my background.

Let me (do something)

When you see or hear the words "Let me...", you may think that the speaker is asking for
permission, but that's not true. This phrase is used in both casual and formal situations to
announce what you're going to do:

Let me give you a few examples.

This is more confident-sounding than "I'd like to ___". It's more polite than "I'm going to ___."

a bit

"A bit" is a small amount. Saying "a bit" sounds more sophisticated and intelligent than "a
little".

(someone's) background

A person's "background" is their personal history. "Background" is the part of the history of
something that you need to know in order to understand a situation. So for a person giving
a presentation at a professional conference, the "background" is information about what he
studied in school, where he worked, and so on.

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16.7 “Next up is Steve. He's going to walk us through the

new homepage redesign.”

Learn it!

You're in charge of a meeting at work. One of your coworkers is going to give a quick
presentation for everyone. You say this to introduce him.

Next up is Steve. He's going to walk us through the new homepage redesign.

Next up is (someone)

This phrase introduces the next person who's going to speak at a meeting, the next
performer in a theater, or the next set of athletes who are going to compete in a sports
tournament:

Next up is a man who needs no introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together
for Trey Faust!

Next up is the champion, Marla Needham, against newcomer Erin Spanner.

walk (someone) through (something)

When you "walk through" something, you talk about it step-by-step. In the example above,
the speaker says that his coworker is going to walk everyone through a new home page.
That means that he's going to show them each new feature of the site. Some other examples
of "walking through" something include:

• When you're preparing for a wedding, you usually walk everyone through what to do
during the ceremony.
• You should walk your children through what to do in case of an emergency like a fire.

a home page redesign

The "home page" of a website is the first page that you see when you visit that site.

A "web page redesign" is when someone changes how a web page looks or works.

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17.1 “We've developed a new and improved version of the

site.”
Learn it!

Your company just made some changes to its website. You are talking to a client and want
to tell them about the new features that were added. You start by saying this.

We've developed a new and improved version of the site.

develop (something)

To "develop" something means to work on something to help it grow from small and
incomplete to large and complete. Here are some things that people develop:

• develop a system for doing something

• develop a relationship with someone
• develop new technology
• develop new skills
• develop a new understanding of an issue

(something) is new and improved

"New and improved" is a phrase that's often heard in advertisements. Companies call a
product "new and improved" when they've created a new version of something or made
improvements to it. You will often see "New and Improved!" written on a product's
package.

Because this phrase is associated with advertisements, you wouldn't call something "new
and improved" in a conversation with your friends unless you were making joke by
pretending to be in a commercial.

a version of (something)

The word "version" means a new and slightly different copy of something that already
exists. For example, if you write an essay, print it, then make changes to it and print it
again, you have two versions of the essay.

But this word is a little tricky because if you just change one word of the essay, it probably
wouldn't be considered a different version from before. There are different times that we
could call it a new version, depending on the situation:
• When you save the changes you made, that could be considered a new version.
• When you print out a new copy with changes on it, that can be called a new version.
• When you submit the document with changes made to it, that's also a new version.

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17.2 “This is a perfect example of what not to do when

you're building a website.”

Learn it!

You're teaching a group of people about good website design. You show an example of a
bad website that you built when you were in college. You want to tell everyone that it
wasn't a good website, so you say this.

This is a perfect example of what not to do when you're building a website.

a perfect example of (something)

You should know what an "example" is. You call an example "perfect" when
it completelymatches the idea that you're trying to represent.

You can tell what the idea is with the phrase "an example of ___":

Can you give me an example of how to use this word in a sentence?

Here's an example of the kind of website we want to build.

what not to do

The phrase "what not to do" is the opposite of "what to do". You use this in situations
where you want to point out an action that someone shouldn't do:

I appreciate them talking with me about it and explaining what to do and what not to do.

You should pronounce this phrase with strong stress on the word "not". When you write it,
you should italicize it.

build a website

When you're talking about making or creating a website, you use the word "build". You can
use "build" to describe making things that take a long time and have a lot of steps. Some
example of things that people often use with the word "build" are:

• build a house
• build a company
• build a relationship
• build a community

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17.3 “As you can see, the advantages of the new site are,
one, it's personalized.”
Learn it!

You're giving a presentation of your company's newly redesigned website. You want to list
the good points of this new site, so you say this.

As you can see, the advantages of the new site are, one, it's personalized.

As you can see, (sentence)

Say this at the beginning of a sentence when you're showing people a document, a chart, a
photograph, etc. to an audience. You use "As you can see,..." to point out something that you
want them to look at:

As you can see, the numbers for this quarter are still looking pretty good.

As you can see, we had a ton of people come out for the opening night.
Use this expression in meetings, in presentations, when you're teaching a class, and so on.

the advantages of (a product)

You often use the word "advantages" when talking about products. The "advantages" are
the good points of a product. In other words, it's the ways that this product will improve
the life of the person who uses it.

Here are some examples:

One of the advantages of our solution is guaranteed 24-hour support.

Food manufacturers claim that the advantages of microwaveable meals for children outweigh
the negatives.

...one, it's...

You've probably learned to list your points in a presentation at the beginning of a sentence
like this:

First of all, the new site is personalized.

But what if you forget to start your sentence this way? The solution is simple. Just imagine
that the items on your list are numbered.Then say the number of each item before you say
that point:

I like this idea because, one, it's easy.

(something) is personalized

Something that is "personalized" has been changed or created specifically for someone.
For example, a personalized T-shirt might have your name printed on it. Here are some
examples of common things that are personalized:

• personalized service
• personalized instruction
• personalized gifts

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17.4 “Actually, I had a question about the previous slide.

Could you go back to that?”
Learn it!

You're watching a presentation in a meeting at work. The presenter showed some

information on a slide, but quickly moved on to another slide. You want to see the earlier
one again and ask a question about it.

Actually, I had a question about the previous slide. Could you go back to that?

Actually, (sentence)

Start a sentence with "Actually..." when you need to ask someone to change plans or do
something different than they expected. Beginning with "Actually..." is polite and makes it
seem like you're sorry for inconveniencing the listener.

Could you (do something)?

Ask someone to do something with this phrase.

"Could you ___?" is pretty neutral, so you can use it in a lot of different situations: with
people who are higher status, lower status, friends, strangers, etc.

I had a question about (something)

People sometimes ask questions in classes, speeches, and presentations this way:

I had a question about what you said earlier about drug testing regulations. Can you explain
what you meant when you said...?

You ask this way in classes, speeches, and presentations because you can't interrupt the
speaker. So you have to "save" your question until the right time, then explain to the
speaker what topic your question is about.

the previous slide

When people give presentations, they sometimes use "slides". Slides are still images that
you show, one after another, while you're giving a presentation.

Slides go in order. You can talk about different slides by explaining where they were in the
order. The slide that you're looking at is "this slide" or "the current slide":

This slide shows how our manufacturing process works.

To descibe the one before the current slide, use "the last slide" or "the previous slide":

On the previous slide, you listed the number of unemployed workers in Europe. Where did that
figure come from?

To describe a slide earlier than the previous one, use "an earlier slide" or "one of the
previous slides".

Talk about slides after the current one with "the next slide" or "a later slide".

go back to (something)

When someone is teaching something, explaining something, or telling a story, you can use
the phrase "go back to ___". This means to repeat or give more detail about part of the
explanation or story.

For example:

Can you go back to what you were saying about Mike getting arrested? How did that happen?
I asked her to go back to the part about DNA replication, but she said she didn't have time to
explain it again.

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17.5 “So, yeah, that pretty much wraps it up.”

Learn it!

You're giving a talk at a conference. You've finished your presentation. You can't think of
anything else to say, so you end the presentation this way.

So, yeah, that pretty much wraps it up.

So, yeah.

Use this casual expression when you're at the end of a conversation and you don't have
anything else to say. For example, if you're introducing yourself to a group of people in a
meeting at a conference, you might end your introduction this way:

So, yeah. That's about it.

It means that you don't have anything else to say about yourself.

"So, yeah." makes it sound like you've tried to think of other things to say about a topic, but
you can't. So when you're trying to sound confident and intelligent, it's probably better not
to use "So, yeah."
pretty much

"Pretty much" means "basically". You use when you're not speaking very precisely, but
instead giving an estimate or a general idea. For example:

I'm pretty much done.

You can say this when you're almost finished with a project, even if you're not completely
finished.

"Pretty much" is casual.

that wraps it up

You say "that wraps it up" when you've finished doing or explaining something. For
example, you can use this phrase to end meetings.

The phrasal verb "wrap up" means to finish.

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17.6 “I have to put together a presentation for Upper

Management.”

Learn it!

You have to give a presentation to several executives at your company. You need some help
with creating a nice-looking presentation. You are asking a coworker who's good with
design to help you. You say this to explain why a nice presentation is important.

I have to put together a presentation for Upper Management.

(someone) has to (do something)

When you say that you "have to" do something, it means that you must do it.

I have to work on Saturday.

But "must" is very formal. It's usually used for written instructions or commands, but not in
spoken conversation.

put together (something)

When you "put something together", it means that you make something by collecting
materials or information from different places. In the example above, you can imagine that
the presentation is created using information, notes, photos, and graphics from different
sources.

Some other things that people sometimes "put together" include:

• put together an event

• put together a portfolio
• put together a business plan

When you use a short pronoun like "it", "they", "something", etc. it goes between "put" and
"together":

We put it together quickly.

We can put something together later this week.

When you use a noun or noun phrase, it goes after "put together".
Upper Management

"Upper management" is the group of people who are at the top of a company. These people
usually have job titles like "CEO", "CTO" (Chief Technical Officer), "CFO" (Chief Financial
Officer), "Vice President of Sales", and so on.

When you talk about "Upper Management", you use the singular and talk about them as if
they are one unified group.

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17.7 “Let's... talk about that offline.”

Learn it!

You're leading a large meeting at work. One of the attendees in the meeting asked you a
question. The answer is only important for that person, so you don't want to take up
everyone else's time. You respond this way.

Let's... talk about that offline.

Let's (do something).

The phrase "Let's ___" is well-known to English learners. However, learners often over-use
"Let's ___" and use it in situations where it isn't appropriate.

When can you say "Let's ___"? You usually use it when you're suggesting something that
you're sure the listener will accept. If you're meeting a friend for lunch, then you're sure
that they will agree to eat with you. So you can say:

I'm starving! Let's eat.

In situations where you're not sure how the listener will respond to your suggestion, you
can use other phrases like "Would you like to ___?", "Why don't we ___?" or "We should ___":
Would you like to go out to dinner with me some time?

Why don't we meet at 7:30?

We should get together some time and have a drink.

talk about (something) offline

When you discuss something in a meeting, everyone can hear what you're talking about. If
you don't want everyone to hear your discussion, you can suggest talking about it "offline":

I don't want to get into that here, but we can talk about that offline.

The word "offline" comes from computers. When something is "offline" it's not connected
to the Internet or to another system.

You can use "talk about ___ offline" in situations like Internet forums or email groups. Two
people can discuss a topic "offline", which means discussing it directly on email or through
direct messages.

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18.1 “Let me get straight to the point.”

Learn it!

You're leading a meeting at work to discuss an important change in your department. You
want to immediately start talking about the main topic, without much introduction or small
talk. You say this to get the meeting started.

Let me get straight to the point.

get to the point

"The point" of a conversation is the main idea that a person wants to talk about. In many
kinds of conversations, including requests, stories, and discussions, people expect a "point",
which is the main idea:

To "get to" the point is to start talking about the main topic that you want to discuss.

If you tell someone to "get to the point", it may sound rude:

A: So, you know, it's, like, well...

B: Hurry up and get to the point!

It's common to include the word "straight":

I like to get straight to the point.

Let me (do something)

When you see or hear the words "Let me...", you may think that the speaker is asking for
permission, but that's not true. This phrase is used in both casual and formal situations to
announce what you're going to do:

Let me give you a few examples.

This is more confident-sounding than "I'd like to ___". It's more polite than "I'm going to ___."

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18.2 “It looks like his contract isn't being renewed.”

Learn it!

You are discussing a coworker who is working on a contract basis, not as a full-time
employee. You were told that the company is going to end this person's contract. You want
to tell this news to another coworker, without saying who made this decision. This is how
you explain.

It looks like his contract isn't being renewed.

It looks like (something is happening)

This phrase can be used when you're guessing about how something is going to turn out
when it's finished:

It looks like the Yankees are going to win this one.

However, it is also used in situations where something has already happened, and you have
to tell the bad news to someone:

Sorry, it looks like we had to reject your loan application.

Saying "it looks like" something bad happened is softer-sounding than simply saying that it
happened.

renew (an agreement)

To "renew" something means to agree to continue it for a longer time. You can renew
contracts, leases, magazine subscriptions, and even wedding vows.

In the example above, the passive structure "being renewed" is used so that the speaker
doesn't need to tell exactly who made the decision not to renew the contract.

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18.3 “As you're all aware, we've been forced to make

significant cutbacks.”
Learn it!

Your company recently laid off 15% of the employees. You're running a meeting with your
staff to talk about how to deal with the layoffs. After starting the meeting, you begin by
saying this.

As you're all aware, we've been forced to make significant cutbacks.

As you're aware, (sentence)

"As you're aware, ..." is a way to introduce a topic that your listeners or readers already
know about:

As you're well aware, all requests for tech support are to go through me.

"As you're aware," is a formal phrase. A more casual version is "As you know."
(someone) has been forced to (do something)

Being "forced" to do something means that something made you do it.

For example, when a manager says that employees have been laid off:

As you're all aware, we've been forced to make significant cutbacks.

...it sounds as if the company didn't want to lay off those people, but had to do it for some
reason that they couldn't control.

Most of the time, people use "forced to ___" to talk about things that someone had to do:

Residents were forced to evacuate.

Child soldiers in these countries have been forced to witness and carry out extreme acts of
violence.

The native people were forced to convert to Christianity.

But sometimes people use this expression when they don't want to take responsibility for
something that they've done.

make cutbacks

To "make cutbacks" means to reduce the expenses of a business or government.

If we can't increase our revenues, we're going to have to start making cutbacks.

In business, "making cutbacks" usually means laying off employees.

significant cutbacks

"Significant cutbacks" mean that more than just a few people were fired. If 1% of the
employees of a company were laid off, you'd call it "minor" cutbacks. If 40% of employees
got laid off, you'd call it "major" cutbacks. But something between maybe 5%-15% would
probably count as "significant" cutbacks.

"Significant" is not only used with cutbacks, of course. It's used to talk about all kinds of
numbers and percentages:

A significant number of the people we asked had never even heard of Twitter.

There's been a significant drop in the number of complaints since the new system was put in
place.
As you're (well) aware, (sentence)

This expression introduces something that your reader or listener already knows, but you
want to remind them of.

"As you're aware," is a formal phrase. A more casual version is "As you know,":

As you know, you're supposed to go through me for any help you need with tech issues.

You can add "well" to talk about something that your audience knows well already:

As you're well aware, we don't allow smoking in the building.

You can use this phrase when you're annoyed by someone who keeps making the same
mistakes, or just to be helpful.

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18.4 “We're down to only 3 people now.”

Learn it!

Your company has been having trouble. Most of the people in your department have been
laid off, and now it's just you, your boss, and one other employee. You're telling a friend
about this situation.

We're down to only 3 people now.

(something) is down to (a number of something)

When there used to be more of something, but now there's less of it, you can use the phrase
"down to ___".

For example, you can talk about a sports playoff:

They're down to four teams now.

Or about getting rid of things that you own:

We sold the van, so we're down to two vehicles now.

Or about food:

We're down to half a bag of rice.

Usually you say the number of things that you are down to, but you can also list what's left
like this:

Now it's down to just me, Brad, and Gbenga.

Notice that it's common to include "now" somewhere in the sentence.

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18.5 “They're not actively searching for a replacement

yet.”
Learn it!

You're quitting your job at the end of this year. Your company will probably need to hire
someone to replace you, but they haven't placed any job ads or hired a recruiter.

They're not actively searching for a replacement yet.

(someone) is actively (doing something)

Doing something "actively" means that you're working on it and directly trying to do it. In
the example above, the company isn't trying hard to find a new employee yet.

The opposite of "actively" is "passively". To understand the difference, think about two
ways that you can search for a new job:

• actively searching for a new job means responding to job postings, sending your résumé to
lots of companies, attending networking events, and so on
• passively searching for a new job means doing something like posting your résumé on an
Internet job board, and waiting for interesting companies to contact you
search for a replacement

When someone leaves a job or gets let go, you have to "search for a replacement". This
means interviewing and hiring a new person to take the job.

You can call the new person who takes a job a "replacement" for the old person. A
"replacement" is permanent. If an employee is gone temporarily but is going to come back
later (like because of a pregnancy), you hire a "fill-in" or a "temp".

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18.6 “Can you pull up the pricing estimate I sent out last
week?
Learn it!

You're working with a coworker on a sales proposal in her office. You need some
information that's in a document which you emailed to her. You ask her to open it.

Can you pull up the pricing estimate I sent out last week?

Can you (do something)?

This is a way to ask someone to do something. It's appropriate for:

• a boss to use with the people who work for him or her
• a customer to use with a store employee
• a parent to use with his or her children
• asking a friend to help you with something

"Can you ___" is more direct than asking "Could you..."

Sometimes a person will include "maybe" in this question:

Can you maybe call him and tell him to meet us there?

Can you maybe turn the volume down just a little?

send (something) out

When you add "out" to the verb "send", it suggests that you are sending it to more than one
person:

We sent out our wedding invitations 6 months before the wedding.

This phrase can be used in casual or business settings. In a very formal setting, you can use
the phrase "distribute (something)" instead:

Did you receive the revised schedule that I distributed on March 7th?

pull up (a file on a computer)

When you're using a computer or mobile phone, "pulling up" a file means opening it.

You can pull up:

• a photo
• a web page
• a spreadsheet
• a document
• an email

However, "pull up" is probably not correct for talking about opening a music file or a game.

Use this phrase in casual or more formal situations.

an estimate

An "estimate" is a formal guess about how much something is going to cost. You can make
an estimate for things like:

• a construction project
• a software product that your company is building

Estimates are often documents which show in detail the expected costs for something.
However, if someone tells you the expected price in a meeting or over the phone, that can
also be called a "pricing estimate".

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18.7 “Here's an estimate of the cost. Keep in mind, it's just

a ballpark.”

Learn it!

You're a construction contractor. A couple has asked for an estimate of how much it will
cost to renovate their kitchen. You've looked at the room and figured out approximately
how much it will cost. You say this while showing them the cost.

Here's an estimate of the cost. Keep in mind, it's just a ballpark.

Keep in mind that (clause)

"Keep in mind" means to remember. But the word "remember" can be used in a lot of
different kinds of situations. "Keep in mind" is more specific. It means to remember a fact
and continue to think about it while you're making decisions.

For example, if you're planning an event for a club you belong to, you can tell the people
that are helping you:
Keep in mind, our budget is pretty small.

In this case, everyone knows what the budget is, but you want them to remember that
when they make suggestions for the event.

You can include "that" in this phrase or leave it out in more casual speech:

Keep in mind that you'll need to submit your application no later than Monday the 31st.

Keep in mind it's due on Monday.

give (someone) a ballpark

A "ballpark" is a rough estimate. In other words, it's a guess about an amount that's close to
the correct number, but not exact. You use it like this:

Here's an estimate of the cost. Keep in mind, it's just a ballpark.

We'll call up the electrician and have them give us a ballpark, but I'll check with you before I
have them do any work.

This phrase comes from the sport of baseball. A "ball park" in a place where people watch
baseball games. If two locations are within the same ball park, then they're not exactly
close to each other, but they're not too far away either.

an estimate

An "estimate" is a formal guess about how much something is going to cost. You can make
an estimate for things like:

• a construction project
• a software product that your company is building

Estimates are often documents which show in detail the expected costs for something.
However, if someone tells you the expected price in a meeting or over the phone, that can
also be called a "pricing estimate".

cost

The words "price" and "cost" are very close in meaning, but there are slight differences.
"Price" emphasizes how much the seller has decided to charge for something. "Cost", on the
other hand, emphasizes how much you paid for something. So you can say something like
this:

The original price was $120, but it only cost me $90 because I had an employee discount.
When a professional like a lawyer, contractor, etc. offers a service, they usually talk about
the "cost" rather than the "price". This makes it seem a little more like the amount was not
chosen by them personally, but is just a necessary fact.

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19.1 “Hi Tony. Any update on the status of the next

shipment?”
Learn it!

You're responsible for coordinating shipments of supplies to a factory for your company.
One of your suppliers e-mailed you yesterday to say that their shipment might be delayed.
Today you want to know the latest news, so you write an e-mail to the supplier which
starts like this.

Hi Tony. Any update on the status of the next shipment?

Hi (name)

This is how most business e-mails in English start out: with a simple greeting ("Hi", "Good
morning", "Hello") and the recipient's first name:

Hi Lana,
Can you send me the proposal we discussed yesterday?

Thanks,
Liz

Depending on your culture, this might seem too casual for business e-mail, but this is the
most appropriate style for writing to someone within your own company. It even works for
writing to people outside of your company if you know them or if your e-mail is just about
something simple.

(Do you have) any update on (something)

An "update" is new information about something. For example, if your uncle is in the
hospital for surgery, you can call another family member to get an "update" on his
condition. Or if you've hired a realtor to help you sell your house, you might e-mail him to
ask for an update if he hasn't contacted you for a few days.

To ask someone for an update, use the question:

Do you have any update on ___?

Or use the shortened version:

Any update on ___?

For example,

Any update on how uncle Harry is doing?

Do you have any update on whether you'll be attending the trade show yet?

the status of (something)

The "status" of something is its present condition. You can also think of it as "what's
happening now". Here are some examples:

What's the status of my flight?

This question means, "Is my flight delayed? Is it on time? Or is it cancelled?"

I'll shoot Fran an e-mail and ask her what the current status of the redesign is.

This means "Is someone working on the redesign? Is it almost finished?"

The word "status" often appears along with "update".

a shipment

A "shipment" is a collection of stuff which is being delivered somewhere. It's similar to a

"delivery", but usually a "shipment" is:

• big
• from somewhere far away (or at least out of town)
• for business use

A "delivery", on the other hand, can be a package that someone sent you, or even some food
that's being delivered to you from a nearby restaurant.

Here are things you can do with a shipment:

make a shipment

receive a shipment

await a shipment

A shipment can also "arrive".

Shipments usually contain things like:

goods
supplies

weapons (or "arms")

drugs

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19.2 “If payment is not received by January 15th, you will

be charged a $150 penalty.”

Learn it!

You work in the management office of an apartment building. One of the tenants hasn't
paid his rent yet for this month, and the payment is 10 days overdue. You're writing a letter
to warn him to pay his rent. This is how you explain what will happen if he doesn't pay
soon.

If payment is not received by January 15th, you will be charged a $150 penalty.

if (something) is not (done), (something) will be (done)

In the situation above, the person writing the letter is explaining what consequences the
tenant will face if he doesn't pay his rent by a certain date. This is a kind of threat. People
can get really angry, frightened, or offended if they feel like they're being threatened in a
direct way. For example, writing the sentence above this way would probably start an
argument:
If you don't pay us by January 15th, we're going go charge you a $150 penalty.

This version is too direct for communicating with a customer or tenant. Instead, the person
in the example explained the consequence of not paying in a more indirect way:

Here are some other examples:

If it isn't completed by the end of the month, someone is going to get fired.

If all the steps are not followed in the correct order, the results will be ruined.

charge (someone) a penalty

A "penalty" is money that you have to pay because you didn't follow a set of rules, or
because you did something wrong. When a company "charges" you a penalty, it means that
they make you pay it.

Here are some reasons that you might be charged a penalty:

• If you spend more money with your debit card than you actually have in your account, your
bank will charge you a penalty.
• If you are late sending a payment (like in the example above), you will be charged a penalty.
• If you sign a two-year contract with a mobile phone company, and then want to change your
service to another company after one year, they will charge you a penalty.

The word "penalty" isn't usually used for talking about money you're forced to pay by the
police or by a judge. That's called a "fine".

(do something) by (a certain time)

You use the word "by" to indicate a deadline.

You would use "by" in this way:

We're presenting this on Monday morning, so remember to get Henry's approval by Friday
afternoon.

"Before" is similar in meaning to "by", but "before" doesn't carry the same meaning of
"deadline". Instead, it's used when you need to do things in a certain order:

Remember to get Henry's approval before you present it to the client.

This is something you would say if a coworker is going to make a proposal to a client, but
she is supposed to ask Henry, who's the Director, for permission first.

receive (something)
To "receive" something basically means to get it from someone.

We received over a hundred submissions.

The word "receive" is pretty formal. It's used in official documents or in business
communication. In normal conversation, "get" is more common:

We got over a hundred submissions.

"Receive" is often used in a pair with the word "give" - there's a famous saying "It's better
to give than to receive."

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19.3 “We don't have nearly as much leverage with our

distributors as we used to.”

Learn it!

Your company sells products through stores. This year, you're negotiating a contract with
the companies who deliver the products to the stores. The negotiation isn't going well. Now
you're in a meeting and explaining why you're having trouble.

We don't have nearly as much leverage with our distributors as we used to.

(something) used to (be something/do something)

You use the phrase "used to be ___" to describe a quality that someone had in the past, but
doesn't have now. It's useful for describing your life when you were much younger than
you are now.

Of course, you can also use "was":

I was such a procrastinator when I was younger.

But "used to be" makes it clear that you're describing something far in the past, not
something recent.

not nearly

"Not nearly" means "very much not".

You usually use it in the expression "not nearly as ___ as ___":

There aren't nearly as many cases of malaria as there were 25 years ago.

I'm not nearly as full as I thought I'd be.

You can also say "not nearly ___ enough":

That's not nearly big enough.

have leverage (with someone)

In a negotiation, "leverage" is some kind of advantage that helps one side to get what they
want.

For example, if Company A buys more than half of Company B's products, Company A "has
leverage" in negotiations. They can ask for a large discount because Company B needs to
keep Company A as a customer.

distributors

A "distributor" is a company which buys products that a company makes, ships the
products to different locations, and sells them. Distributors either sell the products directly
to customers or sells them to to stores, which then sell them to the customers.

If you're talking about distributors that your company works with, you call them "our
distributors".

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19.4 “They did just a phenomenal job on this event.”

Learn it!

In a meeting for the entire staff, the Marketing Director is complimenting how well her
employees put together an event. She says this because she is extremely pleased.

They did just a phenomenal job on this event.

just (adjective)

When used in this way, "just" means "very" or "completely". It can be used with positive or
negative adjectives:

They did just a phenomenal job on this event.

This was just a horrible, horrible idea!

do a good job on (something)

This means to do something, like an assignment or task, well. You explain what the task
was using "on___"

You can use other positive adjectives instead of "good":

They did a great job.

She's doing a fantastic job.

We're doing a pretty good job on this.

(something) is phenomenal

"Phenomenal" means "really, really good". You can use it to talk about, for example, an
amazing meal that you ate:

Susie, that was phenomenal. Thank you so much!

"Phenomenal" is not as common as other similar words like "great", "amazing", or
"outstanding". So you can use it when you want to praise something in a way that sounds
new and fresh.

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19.5 “Please join me in congratulating him on his new

position.”
Learn it!

You have given one of your employees a promotion. You're writing an email to everyone in
your division of the company to announce this and congratulate him. After describing his
accomplishments and strengths, you finish your message with this line.

Please join me in congratulating him on his new position.

Please join me in (doing something)

In very formal writing or speech, you can use this phrase to invite people
to celebratesomething or feel something together with you. Here are some common
examples:

Please join me in congratulating Penny and Esteban on the birth of their first child.

Please join me in welcoming Marcus to the team.

Please join me in wishing Estelle and her family good luck on their move to Australia.

"Please join me in ___ing" is often used in formal business communications.

congratulate (someone) on (an accomplishment or lucky chance)

What does it mean to "congratulate" someone? Basically, it means to tell someone

"Congratulations". This is just a nice word that you say to a person when something great
has happened to them. People congratulate each other on events like:

getting engaged

getting a job

winning a game

To express the reason for congratulating someone, use the phrase "congratulate (someone)
on ___":

Aren't you going to congratulate him on winning?

Congratulations on your new house!

a position

In business, a person's "position" is his or her job or job title:

My current position is Assistant Director of Sales.

That position has been open for a few months now. I wonder when they're going to hire
someone.

The word "position" sounds classier and a little more formal than "job" or "job title".

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19.6 “She's a tremendous asset to the team, and we're

lucky to have her.”

Learn it!

You're presenting awards to your employees at a year-end party. You're introducing one of
the winners, who's very helpful. You say this.

She's a tremendous asset to the team, and we're lucky to have her.

(someone) is an asset to the team

An "asset" is something useful or valuable that you have.

When you call a person "an asset", it means that they're really useful, helpful, or valuable. A
person can be an asset to a company, a team, or a community.

In a company, people often call groups of people that work together "teams".

For example:
Ideally, I'd like to be responsible for managing a small team of my own.

Well, I think you'd be a great fit for our team.

Sports-related terms and phrases are actually really common in business.

a tremendous (something)

The word "tremendous" means "very large". Here are some of the most common
combinations that you can use "tremendous" in:

These donations have had a tremendous impact.

This is a tremendous opportunity for me.

She's been doing a tremendous job.

Having great, well-qualified teachers makes a tremendous difference.

We're lucky to have (someone)

This is a common compliment to give to an employee or coworker.

You can also say this in other situations. For example,

"Prince Charles movingly described Kate Middleton as the daughter he had never had
yesterday and admitted: ‘We are lucky to have her.’"

-Mail online

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19.7 “I want to thank you for all the support you've given
me.”
Learn it!

You're leaving your company to start a new job. You visit your boss to say goodbye on your
last day. You tell her this to show that you appreciate how much she has helped you.

I want to thank you for all the support you've given me.

I want to (say something)

This is a way to introduce something you want to say in a formal way. You can use it for
both positive and negative statements. An example of a negative use is when you have a
complaint that you want to make to a company that you are a customer of. You can start by
saying to the manager:

I want to complain about the lack of service I received.

give (someone) support

To "support" someone means that you help them. It can also mean that you will help them
if they need help.

Some different kinds of support include:

• monetary support, which means that you will pay for someone to live or do business
• emotional support, which means that you listen to someone's problems and give helpful
advice
• physical support, which simply means that you help to hold something up so that it doesn't
fall down

When you're talking about one specific thing that someone does for you, you can say:

Thanks for supporting me.

But when you're talking about how someone has supported you repeatedly over time, you
can use the phrase "give ___ support":

She's given me a lot of support over the years.

You can also use "give support" when you want to explain what kind of support it is -
monetary, emotional, or physical.

all the (something)(someone) has (done)

When you want to discuss things a person has done, you can use this structure "All the ___":

My dad used to tell us about all the beautiful women he had dated before he met my mom.

All the unsuccessful businesses she's started in the past have taught her a lot about running a
business.

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20.1 “Angelo is a real pleasure to work with. He's

extremely meticulous.”

Learn it!

You hired a designer to make business cards for you from the website. He did a great job, so
you're leaving a positive review. You write this on the review.

Angelo is a real pleasure to work with. He's extremely meticulous.

extremely (adjective)

"Extremely" means "very" but is even stronger. For example:

Landscape architecture is an extremely competitive field.

Some other common adjectives that are used with "extremely" are:

• extremely important
• extremely difficult
 • extremely high/low (for a number or amount, not for actual height)
• extremely rare
• extremely difficult

(someone) is a pleasure to work with

This is a set phrase that you can use to talk about someone that you like working with. You
can write this about a coworker, a client, or an employer in places like recommendation
letters.

Another version that you might come across is:

He is an absolute pleasure to work with.

(someone) is meticulous

Being "meticulous" means being very careful to do things the right way. It means paying
attention to details. For example, a meticulous student might take lots of notes in class and
then organize them at home.

People are "meticulous" about things like:

• their work
• the cleanliness of their home
• their homework
• preparing for things

"Meticulous" is a positive word. A negative word to describe someone who pays attention
to details is "fussy":

She can be rather fussy about money.

(something) is a real (something)

You use "very" and "really" with adjectives like this:

That's very dangerous. You shouldn't be doing that.

He's a really nice guy.

But you can't use "very" to modify nouns. Instead, you can use "a real ___":

You're a real pain in the neck, you know?

Angelo is a real pleasure to work with.

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20.2 “I just wanted to make sure we're all on the same

page.”
Learn it!

You're leading a project at work. You called a meeting of some of the people involved on the
project. You start the meeting by saying this.

I just wanted to make sure we're all on the same page.

I wanted to (do something)

A very polite way to explain why you're doing something is "I wanted to ___". For example:

Hi Jen. I wanted to see if you'd like to come out with Emma and I and some friends of ours to a
show next week.

Yes, I just wanted to verify that my payment has been received?

Some phrases that can be used after "wanted" include:

I wanted to ask...

I wanted to tell you...

I wanted to check to see if...

I wanted to remind you that...

I wanted to let you know that...

I wanted to find out whether...

Note that this is in past tense: you say "I wanted to ___" instead of "I want to ___". There's no
grammatical reason for making it past tense; it just makes your sentence sound more
polite. When you say it this way, it sounds like an explanation for why you're calling, why
you're visiting, etc.

make sure (clause)

To "make sure" means to check something again, so that you know that it's OK. When you
want something to happen and it's important, you check to "make sure" that it happens.
For example, before your house guests leave, you can tell them:

Make sure you've got everything.

Or when someone is grilling some meat:

Make sure they're cooked all the way through.

A more formal version of this phrase is "make sure that (clause)":

Make sure that the pork chops are cooked all the way through.

In a corporate office job, people are very careful not to make any mistakes, so they often
talk about "making sure" of things.

(some people) are on the same page

If a group of people are "on the same page", it means that they all have the same idea about
what's going on. For example, if a group of people are working on a project together and
they all know who is in charge of each part of it, then they are "on the same page". If some
people think that Mr. A is in charge of something, and other people think that Mr. B is
handling it, then they're not "on the same page".

Here are some more examples of how "on the same page" is used:
Just to make sure we're on the same page, you know that this position is unpaid, right?

I think we should all get together and talk, just to make sure we're on the same page.

Yes, I agree. We're definitely on the same page on that.

Here's a good way to remember this phrase: imagine a classroom full of students discussing
something in a textbook. If all the students are on the same page in the textbook, they can
talk about it productively. But if some of the students are looking at a different page in the
book, they'll be confused.

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20.3 “We really appreciate all of your hard work and

effort.”
Learn it!

You are the director of a division in your company. Last quarter, your company had high
sales growth. Now you are leading a meeting and you say this to thank all the employees.

We really appreciate all of your hard work and effort.

(someone) appreciates (something)

When you "appreciate" something, it means that you notice it and are thankful for it.

You say "I appreciate ___" or "We appreciate ___" when you want to thank someone for their
actions. This phrase sounds more clear and explicit than just saying "Thank you for ___".

An example of this is when your child confesses that she broke something, and you say:

I appreciate your honesty.

hard work and effort

"Hard work" and "effort" are very similar in meaning, but we often use them together
anyway. They're usually said or written in this order, not as "effort and hard work".

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20.4 “I take it you disagree...”

Learn it!

You're dealing with a big problem at work. You've shared your opinion on how to deal with
the problem. One of your coworkers looks annoyed or angry, so you don't think she agrees
with your solution. You ask her about it.

I take it you disagree...

I take it (clause)

"I take it..." is a slightly formal phrase which means "It seems..."

For example, if you came home late in the evening, and there's no dinner, you might say to
your family:

I take it you ate already?

If you're at a sports bar, and someone sitting next to you is watching a baseball game on the
TV and cheering whenever the New York Yankees score a run, you can start a conversation
by saying:
I take it you're a Yankees fan.

This expression comes across as kind of cool and understated.

(someone) disagrees

We usually follow the word "disagree" with "with (someone)":

She disagrees with me.

Or you can talk about the topic of the disagreement using "over" or "about":

We disagree over a lot of things.

But you can also use "disagree" by itself:

I disagree.

I think we need to control government spending. Do you disagree?

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20.5 “I don't get wrapped up in office politics.”

Learn it!

You're talking to a friend about your job. Some people that you work with are sneaky and
try to get promotions by impressing the boss and making other employees look bad. You
explain that you're not like this.

I don't get wrapped up in office politics.

get wrapped up in (something)

"Getting wrapped up in" something means that you pay a lot of attention to it.

This can be something like an interesting story:

I'm on the third episode of the season. I'm getting really wrapped up in it.

It can also mean becoming involved in something that you don't want to pay attention to:

A: They seem to be having a lot of problems. Do you think we should help them?

B: It's best not to get wrapped up in it.

office politics

"Office politics" is the things that people do to gain power and influence at work. It includes
things like:

• sucking up to your boss (saying nice things to make the boss like you)
• being helpful to some coworkers but not to others
• making sure to introduce ideas to some people before others

Most people say that they don't participate in office politics, but many of them do.

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20.6 “It's not up to me; I'm way too far down on the totem
pole.”
Learn it!

At work, a member of another department suggests a change. You think it's a good
suggestion, but you can't agree to it because you don't have the power to make the change.
One of your bosses will need to agree to it. You say this.

It's not up to me; I'm way too far down on the totem pole.

(a decision) is up to (someone)

You can say that a decision "is up to" a certain person. This means that this person gets to
make the decision. For example:

A: What do you want for breakfast?

B: It's up to you.

When you say "it's not up to me", it means that you don't have the authority to male a
decision; someone else has to decide.
(someone) is (somewhere) on the totem pole

A "totem pole" is a large wooden pole with shapes of heads cut into it. The heads are
stacked on top of each other. Totem poles were originally carved by native tribes in the
northwest region of North America.

These days, it's common for people to compare a business organization to a totem pole. The
person in charge is "at the top of the totem pole", and ordinary workers are "at the bottom
of the totem pole".

Describing someone as "___ on the totem pole" is casual but not too casual. It can be used in
some formal situations too.

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20.7 “Please note that these dates are tentative.”

Learn it!

You're in charge of planning a release schedule for the software that your team creates at
work. You're sending the schedule for the next 6 months to a large group of people. You
want everyone to know that the dates might change a little. In your email, you write:

Please note that these dates are tentative.

Please note that (clause)

Use this phrase to point out something that you want people to pay attention to in an email.
You continue by explaining what you want your readers to pay attention to:

Please note that I will be out of the office starting Friday, September 2.

Please note that all applications must be accompanied by two letters of recommendation.

This is a very formal phrase. You can use this in public messages that you send or post to a
large group of people, especially if you don't personally know all of them.

dates are tentative

"Tentative" dates are ones that might change.

Other things that can be "tentative" are:

tentative plans

a tentative answer

a tentative agreement

take tentative steps toward (something)

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21.1 “I'm open to other suggestions, though.”

Learn it!
You're making plans to have dinner with another couple. You've suggested one restaurant,
but you want to be flexible to other suggestions too. After writing your suggestion, you
write this.
I'm open to other suggestions, though.

(sentence), though

"Though" is similar to "but" and "however". It is usually used at the end of the sentence in
spoken English:

I have a pilot's license. I haven't flown in almost 5 years, though.

In written English, it's more appropriate to use it between clauses:

I have a pilot's license, though I haven't flown in almost 5 years.

"However" can be used in the same way:

I do agree with the Prime Minister on defense, however.

"Though" is more casual than "however", though.

(someone) is open to (an idea)

When you are "open to" a suggestion, it means that you might consider it. You don't mind
thinking about it, and you might be convinced to follow the suggestion.

For example, if you're trying to pick a restaurant to eat at, and a friend asks you whether
you like Ethiopian food, you might say:

I don't know. I've never had it. But I'm open to trying it.

You can ask someone whether they're open to a particular idea or suggestion:

Would you be open to the idea of selling your business if someone made a strong offer?

The opposite of "open to" is "not open to":

It seemed like she wasn't open to any other suggestions.

suggestions

"Suggestions" are ideas that people suggest.

You can ask whether someone has suggestions when you encounter a problem:

A: What are you going to do?

B: I don't know. Do you have any suggestions?

You can also talk about your own suggestions:

I have a few suggestions, if you're interested.

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21.2 “Thank you so much. I was at my wits' end trying to

figure that out!”

Learn it!

You were having a problem with your computer. A co-worker fixed it for you. You're really
grateful because the problem was very frustrating. You say this.

Thank you so much. I was at my wits' end trying to figure that out!

Thank you so much.

This is a good way to thank someone who's helped you out. Here are some other situations
in which you can say "Thank you so much":

• Your friend let you stay at her house when you were visiting her town for business.
• A coworker agreed to cover your shift.
• A waiter wrapped your leftover food after dinner, so that you could take it home.

(someone) is at (his or her) wits' end

Being "at your wits' end" means that you've tried really hard to solve a problem, but
haven't been able to solve it. You say this when you're really frustrated and worried.

I'm at my wits' end with Gabby. She doesn't listen to me, doesn't do her homework, stays out
late. What am I supposed to do with her?

This expression can be used in casual or formal situations.

figure (something) out

When you're trying to understand something, and you finally understand it, you've "figured
it out".

Aya figured out how to hook up the webcam, so now we can video chat with you guys!

You can also "figure out" a problem, which means that you find a solution to the problem:

I'm two months late on my rent, and I still can't find a job. I need to figure something out or
I'm going to be out on the street.

The object of "figure out" can come in two different places:

• figure (something) out

• figure out (something)

Pronouns like "it", "them", etc. go between "figure" and "out". Most other words can go in
both locations.

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21.3 “Can you explain to me how this works?”

Learn it!

You've just started a new job in an office and you're trying to send a fax. You can't figure
out how to use it. You ask a coworker this.

Can you explain to me how this works?

explain to (someone) (embedded question)

When the topic being explained is just a short word, you use a different order:

Can you explain this word to me?

But when the topic needs a longer sentence, "to (someone)" goes first after "explain" like in
the example above.

how (something happens)

This is an embedded question. Other examples of embedded questions:

explain how you knew that

explain what we're supposed to be doing

explain who you are

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21.4 “How do you know which server to select?”

Learn it!

A coworker is showing you how to use a software system at work. While showing you how
to connect to the company's network, she chooses a server from a list. You want to know
why she picked that one.

How do you know which server to select?

How do you know (clause)?

Use this phrase to learn about something that a person seems to understand better than
you:

How do you know which one to choose?

How do you know where to go?

How do you know when it's time to flip it?

a server
A "server" is a computer that other computers connect to.

Websites run on servers. A lot of companies also have servers to hold information that's
shared between different employees.

select (something from a list)

The word "select" means "choose":

Which option have you selected?

"Select" is a little more formal than "choose".

It also suggests choosing something from a list or a group of options, like a menu. "Choose"
can be used in the same way as "select". But you can use "choose" to talk about yes-or-no
choices:

I chose not to go.

It's less common to use "select" in this kind of situation.

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21.5 “Here - let me take a look.”

Learn it!
Your coworker is trying to change the color of some text on a spreadsheet document on his
computer, but can't figure out how to do it. You think you know how, so you say this.
Here - let me take a look.

Here - (sentence)

People often say "here" before offering to help or take responsibility for something. A few
more examples:

Here - let me do that

Here - I'll hold this while you tie it up.

Of course, you can also use "Here" in lots of other situations, like when you give something
to a person:

Here, I brought you something from Singapore.

take a look

The word "look" is very general. It can mean to look for a long time, a short time,
carefully, absent-mindedly, or in many other ways. "Take a look" is more specific. It means
to look at something for a short period, usually for a specific purpose.

You can ask someone to take a look at something that needs to be fixed, or for something
that's important for them to see. Here's another example from a science classroom. The
teacher tells the class to look at something in the textbook:

Everybody take a look at the picture on page 46. This is a model of what a strand of DNAlooks
like.

Let me (do something)

When you're offering to do something to help someone, you say "Let me ___". For example,
when your friend arrives at an airport and is carrying heavy bags, you can offer to help
carry them by saying:

Let me help you with those.

When you use the phrase "Let me ___", it's common to end the sentence with "for you":

Let me look that up for you.

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21.6 “There you go. You should be up and running now.”

Learn it!

You work as a computer tech support specialist. You're installing a piece of software on
someone's computer. Now the software has finished installing, so you're ready to let him
use the computer again. You say this, giving him use of his computer again.

There you go. You should be up and running now.

There you go.

You say "There you go" when you're giving or handing a person something:

A: Can you pass me a napkin?

B: There you go.

More generally, you use it when you're doing something for another person. For example,
say "There you go" when:

• you stand up to let someone sit down

• you've finished tying someone's necktie for them
 • you clear a space on the kitchen counter for someone to set a hot dish on

You can also say "Here you go" in the same way. There are no absolute rules for when to
use one or the other, but I would use "Here you go" if I brought something to them from far
away, and "there you go" if I'm sitting in one place and handing them the object.

(something) should be (adjective)

Sometimes people talk about their guesses with "should". Use "should" to talk about
something that you strongly think is true, but you're not completely sure of:

They should be there at the airport to meet us.

This should be pretty easy.

If we all pitch in and help out, it shouldn't take too long.

(something) is up and running

Use this expression to talk about things that are now working and ready to use. Here are
some things that you can describe as "up and running":

• a computer
• a website
• a factory
• a new government program

In the example above, the speaker says "You should be up and running." However, what he
means is:

The software should be up and running now.

"You should be..." sounds more casual and friendly.

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21.7 “If you get stuck, come grab me and I’ll be happy to
help.”
Learn it!

You're training a new employee in your department at work. You've showed her how to do
a task. Now you're going to let her try it by herself. You say this before you leave.

If you get stuck, come grab me and I’ll be happy to help.

I'd be happy to (do something)

Use this phrase to politely offer to do something.

For example, you can say this to someone who's visiting your company from another
country:

I'd be happy to show you around, if you'd like.

You can also offer to do something with "I'll be happy to ___". This version is more
appropriate after "if":
If this one doesn't work for you, I'll be happy to bring you a new one.

These phrases are polite, so you can use them with people you don't know very well.

(someone) gets stuck

"Getting stuck" happens when you're trying to figure out something difficult, like a math
problem or repairs for a machine.

You use this phrase like this:

I was trying to do the Sunday crossword puzzle, but I got stuck.

You can also specify what part you got stuck on.

A: Were you able to figure out the homework?

B: I did most of it, but I got stuck on question 15.

grab (someone)

This is a casual way to talk about getting help from someone:

Just grab one of the librarians if you need help finding anything.

A: Ready?

B: Sure.

A: OK, I'll grab a waiter.

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22.1 “See how the alert message changed when you did
that?”

Learn it!

You're teaching a coworker how to use a database application. You're explaining how to fill
in an important form. You notice that something changed on the screen, so you point it out
to your coworker.

See how the alert message changed when you did that?

See how (something happened)?

When you're training someone or giving them instructions, you can point something out
with this phrase:

See how the "ready" light just lit up? That means that it's ready to use.

This phrase is equal to saying "The 'ready' light just lit up. Did you see that?"

Here are more examples:

A: See how it just cut off?

B: Yeah. What happened?

A: You let the clutch out too quickly.

See how the stripes are really dark on this one? That means it's ripe.

an alert message

An "alert message" is a warning on a computer or other machine. It tells you about

something that you should pay attention to.

One place that you might find alert messages is on a bank website. If you're logged in for a
certain amount of time without any activity, an alert message will pop up and ask you if you
want to stay logged in.

You may also find alert messages on your phone when the phone's battery starts to run out.

Similar to "alert messages" are "warnings", which are a little more serious, and
"notifications", which are less serious.

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22.2 “When you’re done, click “Submit”.”

Learn it!

You're training a coworker in how to use an computer system that she needs for her job.
You show her what to do after entering some information into a form.

When you’re done, click “Submit”.

When you're done, (do something).

Use this phrase when giving someone instructions. You tell them what to do after they
finish part of your instructions with "When you're done..." For example:

Keep scrubbing until it's completely clean. When you're done, come find me and I'll tell you
what to do next.

Can you double-check the account history? And when you're done, can you send Bethany an
email confirming that you've checked it?

click (a button or link)

When you're using a computer, you "click" links, buttons, and icons to make things happen.
This means that you move your cursor over an item using your mouse or track pad, and
then you press a button on the mouse or track pad to make something happen.

Click where it says "Troubleshooting".

When you just need to click something once to make something happen, it's called
"clicking" the item. Sometimes you need to click something twice to make it work. This is
called "double clicking".

Double click the orange and blue icon on your desktop.

On a smart phone or tablet computer, we don't use the word "click". We use the word "tap"
instead:

A: Tap the green button.

B: I already tapped it!

"Submit"

Buttons on online forms often have the word "Submit". To "Submit" a form means to send it
to the website or application, where some processes will take place.

You can also "submit" real-world things like:

• job applications
• legal requests
• entries to a competition

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22.3 “Great! Now I have to re-do it.”

Learn it!

While you're writing a document on your computer, the program crashes and you lose all
the work you've done. You are upset. You say this to yourself.

Great! Now I have to re-do it.

Great!

People often use the word "great" to mean the opposite of great - to mean that you are
upset about something. This can also appear as the phrase "That's just great."

now (clause)

One way to use the word "now" is to express the result of some situation or action. In the
example above, the software crashed. Saying "Now I have to re-do it" means "As a result of
the software crashing, I have to re-do it.

As another example, if the TV show you watched every week has finished its last episode,
you can say:

Well, now I have my Tuesday nights free.

re-do (something)

To "re-do" something means to do it again because there was a problem the previous time
you did it.

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22.4 “Please alert the development team if you receive

any error messages.”

Learn it!

Your company is using a new software program for managing information about
customers. There might be some problems with it, and you want to find the problems so
that they can be fixed. You write this in an email to all of the employees who are going to
use the program.

Please alert the development team if you receive any error messages.

receive (something)

To "receive" something basically means to get it from someone.

We received over a hundred submissions.

The word "receive" is pretty formal. It's used in official documents or in business
communication. In normal conversation, "get" is more common:
We got over a hundred submissions.

"Receive" is often used in a pair with the word "give" - there's a famous saying "It's better
to give than to receive."

Please alert (someone) of (a problem)

If you want people to tell you about something, you can use this expression in formal
English:

Please alert Management of any issues with the equipment.

"Please alert (someone)" means "Please tell (someone)." You "alert" people like:

• the police
• tech support staff
• building owners

of things like:

• crimes
• suspicious activity in your neighborhood
• problems with machines

"Alert" is more formal than "tell" and it sounds more serious and urgent.

the development team

Groups in a company who create new products are often called the "development team". A
"development team" might make things like software programs or new packaged food
products.

error messages

When a computer program has a problem, it might show you an "error message". This is a
little window or section of text that describes a problem that the program has had.

Some other kinds of computer messages are:

• confirmation messages
• alert messages
• warning messages

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22.5 “We've discovered a bug that would allow a hacker to

gain access to the system.”

Learn it!

You work in I.T. You've found a problem with your company's network. You're explaining
the problem to an executive in your company who doesn't know much about technology.

We've discovered a bug that would allow a hacker to gain access to the system.

discover a (software) bug

When talking about software, a "bug" means a problem with the program or an error in the
code.

If you notice a bug, you can say that you've "discovered" it. "Discover" means "find".

a hacker

A "hacker" is someone who breaks into computer systems.

The word "hacker" is also used to talk about someone who writes computer code, even if
they're not breaking into anything. This meaning isn't as common, but is growing in
popularity.

(someone) gains access to (something)

When a person gets into somewhere that they're not supposed to be able to get into, you
can say that they've "gained access" to it. For example:

The police have not been able to determine exactly how the thieves gained access to the
building.

If someone were to break into your email account, they'd be able to gain access to your bank
accounts and other systems as well.

Someone "gaining access" is usually frightening and bad. If someone is allowed to get into
somewhere, you usually saay that they "got access" or "have access":

How do I get access to the shared drive?

the (computer) system

A group of computers that are networked to each other within a company, but closed off to
the outside world, is sometimes called "the system" or "our system". For example:

Our system is down. We're working to determine what the issue is.

Are you able to log in to the system?

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22.6 “As you're well aware, all requests for tech support
are to go through me.”

Learn it!

You're the manager of a tech support department at a company. People are supposed to e-
mail you when they need help with their computers and other technology. Then you choose
an employee from your staff to help them. One coworker doesn't follow the rules, and
always calls one of your staff members directly instead. She just did this again, so you write
an angry e-mail telling her not to do this. You begin the e-mail this way.

As you're well aware, all requests for tech support are to go through me.

As you're (well) aware, (sentence)

This expression introduces something that your reader or listener already knows, but you
want to remind them of.

"As you're aware," is a formal phrase. A more casual version is "As you know,":
As you know, you're supposed to go through me for any help you need with tech issues.

You can add "well" to talk about something that your audience knows well already:

As you're well aware, we don't allow smoking in the building.

You can use this phrase when you're annoyed by someone who keeps making the same
mistakes, or just to be helpful.

requests for tech support

To "request" something means to ask for something. To talk about the things that you ask
for and count them, use the phrase "a request for ___":

My request for a transfer has been approved!

"Tech support" is short for "technical support". Most large companies have some
employees whose job is to fix other employees' computers, install software, etc. You call
this job, and the tasks that these people do, "tech support".

Putting these together, "requests for tech support" means the things that you ask for
technical help with.

(something) is to (happen)

This is a formal and strict-sounding phrase that means that something must happen or is
supposed to happen:

All students are to return home immediately after school unless they are participating in an
approved after-school activity.

This means that the students have to go home.

"You are to ___" is strict-sounding and usually used by people in authority.

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22.7 “From now on, check with me before you do that.”

Learn it!

Someone who works for you made a decision without asking you, and he made a mistake.
You are a little bit angry, and you want to make sure this doesn't happen again. You say
this.

From now on, check with me before you do that.

from now on

"From now on" means "starting now and continuing in the future". You use this to talk
about doing something differently than before:

I think I paid too much. I'm definitely going to shop around for a better price when I buy a car
from now on.

When you tell someone else what to do "from now on", it sounds a little angry or stern. You
can speak this way to your employees, your family members, or someone who you have
authority over:

From now on, I want you to call me if you're going to be out past ten o'clock. Do you
understand me?

From now on, can you check with me before you do something like that?

A softer-sounding (and more formal) phrase for work situations is "going forward":

Please refer any payroll-related questions to Jared going forward.

Some English learners use the expression "from now", but that's incorrect.

check with (someone)

To "check with" someone means to ask them if something is OK:

You should check with the airline and see if they charge a fee for checked baggage.

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23.1 “I wish you'd told me sooner.”

Learn it!

Your department is working on a long-term project that is supposed to be completed two

days from now. One of your employees comes to your office to tell you that there is a
problem, and he thinks the project will be delayed an extra 3 or 4 days. Angrily, you say this
because you think that someone should have warned you of the delay before this point.

I wish you'd told me sooner.

I wish (something) had (happened)

This phrase is used as a polite way to complain to someone about the way that something
happened in the past.

"I wish" is a way to talk about the things that you want but aren't possible or likely. When
you use "I wish" to talk about things that have already happened, you are saying the way
that you would like to change the past:

I wish Aiden had asked me before buying it.

I wish you'd called me first.

A similar way to criticize someone's actions or decisions is "Why didn't you ___?":

Why didn't you tell me sooner?

"I wish you'd ___" is more polite-sounding, but at the same time
more disappointed and critical-sounding than "Why didn't you ___?"

tell (someone)

The word "tell" is always connected to two pieces of information: who you're telling
something to, and what you're telling that person:

I wish you'd told me that you were leaving sooner.

In this example, "me" is object (who) and "that you were leaving" is the information (what).

Sometimes you can leave out the second part if the listener already knos what you're
talking about:
Why didn't you tell me?

(do something) soon

"Soon" and "early" are similar, but they measure time from different points.

"Soon" measures the time after something. That can be after now:

I'm leaving soon.

Or it can be after a point in the past, like the point when the employee noticed that there
would be a problem:

Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?

"Early" measures the time before something, like before now or before the time when
something is going to start:

Let's go. I want to get there early.

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23.2 “For your own sake, I really hope they don't cancel.”

Learn it!

You are a manager in a sales department. One of the salespeople that works under you
made a mistake with a major client, and now the client is now threatening to cancel their
account with your company. You are speaking with the salesperson and want to suggest
that you will be able to forgive the mistake if she can convince the client to stay, but that
you may have to fire her if they cancel. You say this.

For your own sake, I really hope they don't cancel.

for (someone's) sake

This phrase means "for (someone's) benefit or good". You use it to express why you're
doing something. You usually use this phrase when you're describing doing something
large and important to make a person happy or keep them safe:

Elizabeth decided for her mother's sake not to get a tattoo.

"For your own sake" is used to give people advice or, as in the example above, to threaten
them. You use it in the sense "I hope something happens for your own sake" or "Do
something for your own sake."

I hope this deal doesn't fall through, for your own sake.

Please consider getting life insurance, for your own sake as well as your family's.

I hope (clause)

English learners often confuse "I hope" and "I wish". Use "I hope" when there's a good
chance that something might happen. One way it's used is to say what you want to happen
in the future. For example:

I hope we win tomorrow night.

There's a good possibility that your team will be able to win. So you use "I hope..."

"I wish" is used to talk about things you want that aren't true or very unlikely. So after your
team loses the game, you say:

I wish we'd won.

Or, if your team is really bad and you don't think you're likely to win, you can say
something like:

I wish we'd win a few games.

Another point about using "I hope" is that you follow it with the present tense of a verb,
even when you're talking about the future. So you say:

I hope we win.

...not "I hope we'll win."

This article has more explanation of the differences between "hope" and
"wish": http://www.phrasemix.com/answers/how-should-i-use-i-hope-and-i-wish

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23.3 “I'm so sorry. That was totally my fault.”

Learn it!

You made a mistake at work. A person from another department at your job gets angry
about the mistake. You say this to take responsibility for the mistake and apologize.

I'm so sorry. That was totally my fault.

I'm so sorry.

There are a lot of different ways to apologize to someone. "I'm so sorry" is used in a few
situations:

• When you want to apologize to someone you're not close friends with, for a mistake you
made that was pretty bad but not horrible.
• When you want to apologize to a close fried for something really bad that you did.
• When you want to show your sympathy for something horrible that happened to a person
you know, even if it wasn't your fault. For example, you say this when a member of
someone's family dies.

You usually use "I'm so sorry" when you're talking to people you don't know very well.
With people who are close friends or family, you say "I'm so sorry" only for really bad
situations.

(a situation) was (someone's) fault

When someone causes or allows something bad to happen, you say that the situation "was
their fault". Saying that a problem is someone's "fault" means that they are responsible for
the problem and they are the ones who should be blamed or punished for it.

was totally (adjective)

"Totally" means "completely". But "totally" is more casual.

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23.4 “At this point, I don't think there's much we can do

about it.”

Learn it!

You are almost finished with a major project at work when a coworker from another
department points out a problem with the original plans for the project. You agree that this
is a problem, but in order to fix it you would have to go back and start over from the
beginning. You don't want to do that, so this is what you tell him.

At this point, I don't think there's much we can do about it.

at this point

"At this point" means "now". But you use "at this point" when it's too late or too early for
something:

At this point the library is probably already closed. (too late)

A this point, all I know is that we're meeting some time on Saturday. (too early)

So when you use "at this point" it means "now" but also suggests that now is a bad time for
whatever situation you're describing.

there's (nothing / not much) (someone) can do

When someone is asking for help, but you can't help them (or don't want to help them), you
use the phrase "there's nothing I can do".

Using this phrase makes it sound like you don't have any control over the decision to help
or not help them. For example, if you are following a set of rules or if it's too late to make
changes, you can say that "there's not much I can do about that".

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23.5 “Wow, good catch.”

Learn it!

You're checking a PowerPoint presentation that your boss is going to give tomorrow to the
entire company. You notice a mistake on one of the pages and you point it out. Your boss is
surprised that there was a mistake and happy that you told him about it.

Wow, good catch.

Wow

"Wow" shows that you're surprised.

People often say "wow!" in a areally excited tone of voice, but you can also say it in a
relaxed and calm voice if you're reacting to something that's only a little surprising.

Good catch.

When you "catch" a mistake, it means that you notice the mistake before it becomes a
problem, or before a lot of other people see it.

Emily caught a mistake in our calculations.

"Good catch" is a phrase that you say when someone catches a mistake. You say this to
praise and thank them for noticing the mistake.

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23.6 “Sorry to interrupt, but can I ask you something

quickly?”

Learn it!

You need to ask your boss an important question, so you go to his office. He's typing
something on the computer. Politely, you say this.

Sorry to interrupt, but can I ask you something quickly?

Sorry to (do something), but (sentence)

When you want to do something that you think might annoy people, but you need to do it
anyway, you say "Sorry to ___". For example:

Sorry to say this, but I don't think that's a very good idea.

Sorry to leave early, but I have to go and pick my son up from school.

If you want to be more formal, you say:

I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I ask you something quickly?

interrupt (someone)

To "interrupt" someone is to make them stop doing what they are doing. You can interrupt
people while they are:

• talking to someone (interrupt someone's conversation)

• thinking about something (interrupt someone's train of thought)
• writing something (interrupt someone while they're writing)
• watching TV (interrupt someone's show)

You usually follow the word "interrupt" by telling who you're interrupting:

Sorry for interrupting you.

But you can also leave it on its own:

I hate to interrupt, but can I speak to you privately for a minute?

Can I ask you something?

When you need to ask someone a question that's important, complicated, or might make
them upset, you first ask:

Can I ask you something?

Or:

Can I ask you a question?

Of course, this is already a question, so sometimes when you ask someone "Can I ask you a
question?" they will respond:

You just did!

This is supposed to be a joke. Do you get the joke?

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23.7 “Actually, now's not a good time.”

Learn it!

At work, you're working hard to prepare for a presentation that you're giving in less than
an hour. A co-worker comes by to chat about a problem that she's having with another co-
worker. You don't have time to talk to her about this, so you say this.

Actually, now's not a good time.

Actually, (sentence)

Use this to tell people something that's unexpected or different from what they are
expecting to hear:

Wow, this is actually pretty good.

Actually, I'm looking to switch careers.

Actually it's been kind of slow this week.

"Actually," is really useful for correcting people. For example, if you're putting a puzzle
together with someone and they put a piece in the wrong place, say:

Actually, the blue piece goes over here.

now's not a good time

This phrase means that you can't do something right now because you're too busy, too
upset, you're not prepared, or some other similar reason.

"Now" is not usually used as the subject of a sentence. For example, it's incorrect to say
"Now is 5 o'clock". Instead, you say:

It's 5 o'clock now.

But "Now is good" or "Now is not good" are the exceptions to this rule:

A: Hey, when do you think we can sit down and go over the budget?

B: Now's good.

A: Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about it?

B: Sorry, now's not good actually. Can I call you back later this afternoon?

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24.1 “Can you give me just a minute to finish writing this?”

Learn it!

One of the people who works under you came to your office to ask a question. He asked you
"Can I ask you something?" You were typing an urgent email and want to finish it, so you
answer him like this.

Can you give me just a minute to finish writing this?

Can you (do something)?

This is a way to ask someone to do something. It's appropriate for:

• a boss to use with the people who work for him or her
• a customer to use with a store employee
• a parent to use with his or her children
• asking a friend to help you with something

"Can you ___" is more direct than asking "Could you..."

Sometimes a person will include "maybe" in this question:

Can you maybe call him and tell him to meet us there?

Can you maybe turn the volume down just a little?

give me (some amount of time)

When you ask someone:

Can you give me a minute?

...you are asking for them to wait for a short length of time.

You can also say why you want for them to wait:

Give me a few minutes to catch my breath.

a minute

When someone says "a minute", they usually don't mean exactly 60 seconds. They mean a
short length of time, somewhere between 30 seconds and 5-10 minutes.
If you want to specify exactly one minute, use the phrase "one minute". The sentence:

Can you give me just one minute to finish writing this?

...sounds much more specific about how long you are going to spend writing the message.

It's common to add "just" to this phrase:

A: Are you coming?

B: Yeah, just a minute!

finish (doing something)

The word "finish" should be followed by a verb + "-ing":

You come on stage after the finish singing.

I'm almost finished cooking.

Wait until she finishes looking at it.

A common mistake that English learners make is using "to __" instead after "finish".

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24.2 “OK, Sorry to bother you.”

Learn it!

You went by your coworker's office to talk with him about a problem you're having, but he
said he was too busy to talk to you. You're a little annoyed, but you say this to respond
politely because you're at work.

OK, Sorry to bother you.

sorry to bother you

To "bother" someone means to annoy them or take up their time. So the phrase "Sorry to
bother you" is an apology for using up some of a person's time.

Here are some situations in which you can say "Sorry to bother you":

When you ask someone a question that they don't know the answer to, you can respond
with "OK. Sorry to bother you."

A: Do you know where the nearest subway station is?

B: Sorry, I'm not from around here.

A: OK. Sorry to bother you.

You can also introduce a question with this phrase. Especially when you're talking with
someone who's important and busy in a business situation, you can start your question like
this:

Sorry to bother you. Can I ask you a quick question about the budget report you sent me?

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24.3 “OK, fair enough.”

Learn it!

Your boss has too much work to do, so you volunteer to take some of his responsibilities.
He doesn't want to give you those responsibilities. He explains that it is easier to organize
everything if he does it himself. You don't think that's really true, but you can't argue much
because he's the boss. You say this in defeat.

OK, fair enough.

Fair enough.

"Fair enough" is a phrase that means "I don't completely agree, but I understand and accept
your point." You use "fair enough" in situations such as:

• You invited a friend to your wedding. She says that she can't make it because she's going to
be taking her final exams for law school that week. You want her to come, but agree that she
needs to take her exams.
• Your brother wants to buy a new car. You don't think he should because you don't think he
needs it. You argue with him about it, but he says that it's his decision. You agree that it's his
decision, so you're going to stop arguing about it.
"Fair enough" doesn't sound too negative or too positive. It's a neutral, balanced
expression. You can use it at work, with friends, and in most situations.

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24.4 “Feel free to delegate some of those responsibilities

to me.”

Learn it!

Your boss always has too much work to do. He's telling you about all of the things he has to
do. You'd like to help him out and get more work experience, so you want to offer to take
some of his work. You say this.

Feel free to delegate some of those responsibilities to me.

feel free to (do something)

When you want to allow people to do something, you can say "feel free to ___." This is
a formal phrase that you usually use with people you don't know very well, or with large
groups:

Feel free to take one if you want it.

Feel free to call me with any questions.

This phrase is often used in business situations, with coworkers, employees, bosses, and
clients.

delegate responsibilities to (someone)

"Responsibilities" are individual items of work that you are supposed to do. For example, if
you work at a restaurant and part of your job is to sweep the floor every day, sweeping the
floor is one "responsibility".

"Delegating" responsibilities means getting other people to do them for you. While that
might sound lazy and irresponsible, the word "delegate" actually carries
a positivemeaning. In the U.S., people think that delegating responsibilities is one of the
most important skills that a good manager must have.

In addition to "responsibilities", here are some other words that work well with the verb
"delegate":

• delegate work to someone

• delegate responsibility (This is different from "responsibilities", which are individual small
jobs. "Responsibility" is the overall amount of things that you are in charge of.)
• delegate a task to someone

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24.5 “Yeah, he's a real stickler for following the proper

chain of command.”

Learn it!

At work, your coworker is complaining because she got yelled at by the manager of the tech
support department. She sent an e-mail to one of the tech support staff directly instead of
going through the manager. You've been yelled at by this person in the past, so you have
some experience dealing with him. But you don't want to say anything too bad about him.
So you say this.

Yeah, he's a real stickler for following the proper chain of command.

a stickler for (doing something)

A "stickler" is someone who insists that everyone follow the rules. You can express what
kind of rules the stickler makes people follow with the phrases "stickler for ___" or "stickler
when it comes to ___":

My boss is a stickler when it comes to correct spelling and grammar.

She's a stickler for punctuality.

The correct preposition to follow "stickler" is "for", but sometimes people use "about":

I'm a real stickler about keeping the kitchen clean.

The word "stickler" sounds a little negative, but it's not rude or offensive.

follow the chain of command

The "chain of command" is the rules for who's in charge of who in a company, a
government department, the army, etc. In other words, it's the structure of relationships
between superiors and subordinates, like bosses and their employees.

The phrase "chain of command" comes from the military, where there are strict rules about
who is higher up (generals, etc) and lower (privates, sergeants) in the organization. The
order is supposed to be like a chain from lowest to highest:

• Private > Sergeant > Lieutenant > Major > Colonel > General

To "follow" the chain of command means to follow the rules about who is allowed to make
different decisions in an organization.

the proper (something)

"Proper" means "correct". "The proper chain of command" means "the official rules for who
to ask for help".

Use the word "proper" to contrast with doing things in a messy, unprofessional, or
untraditional way. For example, if you just eat a piece of pastry for breakfast, someone
might tell you:

You need to eat a proper breakfast.

A "proper breakfast" might be something like eggs, toast, juice, and bacon in the U.S.

Yeah

"Yeah" is a more casual way of saying "yes".

Say this to agree with something that a person said:

Yeah, no problem.

Yeah, I actually did it myself.

You can also say "yeah" when you're going to disagree but you want to make your
disagreement sound a little softer.

Yeah, but then it'll be blocking one of the outlets.

"Yeah" sounds less formal than "yes."

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24.6 “What? You mean you don't want to pull an all-

nighter?”

Learn it!

You're working on a project at work with a group of people. You're not finished with it, but
everyone is tired and it's getting late, so someone suggests picking it back up the next day.
You think that's a good idea, but you want to joke that everyone should stay all night to
work on it, so you say this.

What? You mean you don't want to pull an all-nighter?

What? You mean (clause)?

This is a common type of joke. A person will say, "What? You mean..." and then pretend to
be surprised by something. For example, a woman might say to her boyfriend:

What? You mean you'd rather stay home and watch football than go shopping with me?

This type of joke makes the most sense when the thing that you pretend to be surprised
about is something obvious. In the example at top, no one wants to stay at work all night.
So it's clear that the speaker isn't really surprised that people want to go home.

You can also use "What? You mean ___?" seriously, when someone says something that
surprises you:

What? You mean you're not coming with us?

pull an all-nighter

"Pulling an all-nighter" means staying up all night to work on something. This is most often
used to talk about students who stay up all night to finish a big homework assignment or to
study for a test. You can also use it when you're talking about people staying at work all
night to finish something.

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24.7 “Come on out with us and blow off some steam!”

Learn it!

You're going to have after-work drinks with some co-workers. One co-worker doesn't
usually come. Today he seems stressed. You want to invite him to come with you, so you
say this.

Come on out with us and blow off some steam!

Come on (somewhere)

"Come on ___" means "come" but sounds more casual and friendly. Here are some
examples:

We're having a little get-together at our place. Come on over if you're not doing anything.

Come on in.

Come on up to my office whenever you're ready.

go/come out with (someone)

"Going out with" someone usually means going to a restaurant or bar with them:

Use "go" when you and the listener are going to go to the place together.

Use "come" when you're already at the place, or when you already have plans to go to the
place with other people and aren't sure whether the listener is going to come with you.

Another meaning of "going out with (someone)" is going on a date together.

blow off steam

To "blow off steam" means to get rid of stress. You "blow off steam" by doing things like
drinking, complaining about work with coworkers, yelling at someone, or maybe doing
exercise or playing video games.

This expression comes from the old days of steam-powered engines. When the pressure
inside the engine got too high, the engine operators had to let some of the steam out. Stress
is like steam that has to be released.

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25.1 “What this all means for you guys is that everything
needs to be in by Wednesday.”

Learn it!

You're having a meeting about a project that you're in charge of at work. You've given a lot
of information and detail about the project to the meeting participants. You say this to
make sure that everyone understands clearly what you want them to do.

What this all means for you guys is that everything needs to be in by Wednesday.

you guys

People use "you guys" when talking to a group of people that may include men and women.
For example, a waiter might say this to a large family eating at a restaurant:

Have you guys been here before?

English has a problem because "you" is used for both one person and a group of people. It
can be confusing. To fix this, people in different regions use different words to talk to a
group. In Southern areas of the U.S., some people say "y'all":
Have y'all covered exponents yet?

People in other areas of the country think this sounds really dumb, though.

"You guys" is still considered casual English, but it's very common for younger people and
people from the West Coast of the U.S. to use this phrase.

What this means for (someone) is that (clause)

There's a simpler way to say the example sentence above:

This means that everything needs to be in by Wednesday.

Or just:

Everything needs to be in by Wednesday.

But adding "What that means for you guys..." to the beginning gives this sentence more
emphasis. The people in the meeting will pay more attention to it and probably remember
it better. Here are some more examples:

What that means for small business owners is that your taxes may actually decrease this year,
depending on how much you earn.

Here's an example that's a little different but still formed in the same way. It uses "shows"
instead of "means":

What this chart shows is that people with a college degree earn, on average, $900,000 more
during their lives than people with only a high school diploma.

be in by (a certain date or time)

When you're talking about submitting something like a payment, a homework assignment,
or some paperwork, you can explain the deadline when it has to be submitted by with the
phrase "be in by __":

All of the files should be in by two o'clock.

All reimbursement requests must be in by the end of the day on Friday.

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25.2 “So the work we did was all for nothing?”

Learn it!

You have been working on a project for a few months at work, and it's almost finished. Your
coworker just told you that a high-level director in the company wants to change part of
the project, which means that you will have to re-do several weeks of work. You say this
because you're annoyed that the work you did won't be used in the final project.

So the work we did was all for nothing?

So (sentence)?

Start a sentence with "So..." when you want to re-state or summarize what someone said:

So you're saying that this one is cheaper, but that one's a better long-term value?

You can also use it when you want to point out the effects that something will have, like in
this example:

A: I'm so sleepy. I'm going to bed now.

B: So you're not going to help me clean up?

(something is) all for nothing

"All for nothing" describes work that you did, which didn't have an effect or won't be
used. In the example above, the speaker did a lot of work that won't be used in the final
version of the project. Here's another example:

They banged and banged on the door for hours, but it was all for nothing. There was no one
there to hear them.

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25.3 “I'm behind you on this one hundred percent.”

Learn it!

You have a problem at work with people from the sales department missing deadlines for
the reports they have supposed to give you. You want to change the policy to make the
deadlines earlier and to punish who misses it. You discus this plan with the director of the
sales department, he agrees and he says this.

I'm behind you on this one hundred percent.

be behind (someone) on (somethng)

This means to agree with someone and support their plan or decision. When you tell
someone that you are "behind" them, it means that you agree with their opinions but
doesn't necessarily mean that you will use your time or money to help them.

You don't have to include "on ___" with this phrase if it's obvious. If someone tells you their
plan and you agree with it, you can say:

I'm totally behind you.

one hundred percent

This is an exaggeration that shows that you are strongly in support of something. It's often
used in business and sales situations with phrases having to do with agreement:

• I'm 100% in agreement.

• We're 100% committed to making this partnership work.
• They're on board 100%.

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25.4 “I'd rather not open up that whole can of worms.”

Learn it!

At work, one of the employees you manage noticed a problem with your software. He asks
if you should tell your clients about it. You're afraid that the clients will get upset and have
a lot of questions about it. You say this.

I'd rather not open up that whole can of worms.

I'd rather not (do something)

"I'd rather not..." means "I don't want to..."

People say "I'd rather not..." to talk about something that they don't want to do, although
they might have to. For example, if you're shopping for a new car, you can tell the
salesperson:

I'd rather not go over fifteen thousand.

This means that you don't want to spend more than fifteen thousand dollars (or Euros,
Pounds, etc.) on the car. However, you know that you might have to spend more than that.
If you're in a bad mood, and someone asks you what's wrong, you can respond this way:

I'd rather not talk about it.

You can also say "I'd rather not" without continuing the sentence:

A: We can sleep at the Sutherlands' house and go back in the morning.

B: I'd rather not.

open up a can of worms

Some problems are so difficult that it's best not to even try to talk about them or solve
them. When you start trying to fix the problem, it causes many more problems. We call this
situation "opening up a can of worms".

For example, imagine that you and your sister have been arguing with each other over who
should take care of your parents in their old age. For the past few months, you haven't
talked about it. Now you and your husband are on your way to eat dinner with your sister's
family. You tell your husband:

Don't mention anything about my parents. I don't want to open up that can of worms.

You say this because you know that you and your sister will get into a long, angry argument
if you start talking about that topic.

The phrase "a can of worms" is quite common and can be used in casual or formal
situations.

that whole (something)

People sometime talk about things that are complicated, annoying, or difficult with the
phrase "that whole ___":

I don't know anything about that whole mess. I just let my accountant take care of it.

What ever happened to that whole "Occupy Wall Street" business that people were talking
about so much a few months ago?

Sometimes when English speakers say "that whole ___", they wave their hands in the air in a
pushing or sweeping motion away from themselves.

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25.5 “The dress code is business casual.”

Learn it!

You're organizing a networking event for a professional group that you belong to. You're
sending an invitation to the members of your group. At the end of the invitation, you want
to tell everyone how to dress.

The dress code is business casual.

the dress code

A "dress code" is a set of rules about how people are supposed to dress. For example, a
dress code might require all men to wear a necktie, or might forbid people from wearing a
hat.

Schools sometimes have dress codes for their students; businesses have a dress code for
their employees. Some places like clubs and golf courses also have a dress code.

business casual
"Business casual" dress is the style of clothing that's most common in modern American
workplaces. The exact definition can vary, but it typically means:

For women:

• Wear a skirt, pants, or a simple dress

• Don't wear a formal dress (like you would wear to a fancy party)
• Don't wear jeans, t-shirts, or sweatshirts
• Don't wear clothes that are too revealing

For men:

• Wear a dress shirt or jacket with no tie.

• Wear khaki pants or dress pants
• Don't wear big boots, sandals, or athletic shoes

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25.6 “It must be great not having to answer to a boss.”

Learn it!

Your friend recently quit his job and started his own business. You're envious because you
wish that you didn't have a boss. You comment on it to your friend.

It must be great not having to answer to a boss.

It must be (adjective) (doing something)

Guess how other people feel using the phrase "It must be ___". For example:

It must be fun going on business trips all around the world like you do.

If you're talking about the past, you can say "It must have been ___":

It must have been hard raising three children on your own.

This expression is usually polite.

answer to (someone)
You "answer to" someone who's in charge of you, like your boss. This means that, if you
make a mistake or do something you weren't supposed to, you will have to explain your
mistake to this person.

Even if you own your own business, you still have to answer to investors and customers.

The idea of "answering to" someone is a little negative, so it's not the usual way to explain
who your boss is. A more common phrase is "report to":

A: Who does Doug report to?

B: To Hyun Jung, I think.

If you think that you're completely independent and don't have to take orders from anyone,
you can say this:

I answer to no one!

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25.7 “I need to swing by the office and drop off a few

documents.”

Learn it!

You're talking on the phone to your friend, who you're supposed to meet after work. You've
just left a late-afternoon meeting at a client's office. You explain why you can't drive
directly to meet your friend.

I need to swing by the office and drop off a few documents.

swing by (somewhere)

"Swinging by" a place means visiting it quickly before going somewhere else. It's very
similar to "stopping by":

Can we stop by an ATM on the way there?

But when someone says "swing by", it's even more casual and the visit sounds even shorter.
You can tell someone to "swing by" a place when you want the trip to sound short and easy.
drop off (something)

To "drop off" something means to leave it in a place. But you only use it for things that you
leave on purpose, not by accident. For example:

I need to swing by the office and drop off a few documents.

Could you drop this off for me at the post office?

a few (of something)

"A few" is a number that's not specific, but it usually means somewhere between 3-10. It's a
little less formal than "several" and also sounds like a slightly lower number. Here are some
examples:

You may want to consider hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions.

That's a very generous offer. Um, let me think it over for a few days and get back to you.

the office

When you're talking about doing something at the office that you work at, you can call it
"the office" (not "my office" or "my company's office"). "The office" refers not only to the
location, but also the people who work at your office. For example:

I only go into the office two or three days a week. The rest of the time, I can work from home.

I just got a call from the office. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cut this meeting short.

documents

"Documents" are pieces of paper or electronic files which contain important information.

"Documents" can include:

• applications
• forms
• financial records
• presentation materials that you've written

Books, handwritten notes, and magazine articles are not usually considered "documents".

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