The Method Flashcards
(44 cards)
A union leader says to his men, “All right, who called the walkout?”
A walkout is a strike
If there is a walkout during a meeting, some or all of the people attending it leave in order to show their disapproval of something that has happened at the meeting.
Jones steps forward. “I did. It was that bum foreman Campbell again. That was the fifth
time in two weeks he sent me out of our group as a replacement. He’s got it in for me, and I’m tired of it. Why should I get all the dirty work?”
bum: infml A bum is also someone who treats other people badly:
A foreman is a man in charge of a group of workers, also the leader of jury (bồi thẩm đoàn)
Campbell replies, “I pick Jones because he’s the best. I know I can trust him to keep things
from fouling up in a group without its point man.
If you foul up something such as a plan, you spoil it by doing something wrong or stupid.
The point man for a particular activity or on a particular issue is in a leading or important position.
I appreciate your time, Commissioner Thompson. What I’d like to talk to you about is
some of the problems we’ve been having with the presumption clause of the strict-liability
regulations
A presumption is something that is accepted as true but is not certain to be true.
If you describe someone’s behaviour as presumption, you disapprove of it because they are doing something that they have no right to do.
On the other hand, people get angry, depressed, fearful, hostile, frustrated, and offended.
hɒstaɪl
If you are hostile to another person or an idea, you disagree with them or disapprove of them, often showing this in your behaviour.
Someone who is hostile is unfriendly and aggressive.
Hostile situations and conditions make it difficult for you to achieve something.
In a war, you use hostile to describe your enemy’s forces, organizations, weapons, land, and activities.
They see the world from their own personal vantage point, and they frequently confuse their perceptions with reality.
vɑːntɪdʒ pɔɪnt
A vantage point is a place from which you can see a lot of things.
If you view a situation from a particular vantage point, you have a clear understanding of it because of the particular period of time you are in.
Misunderstanding can reinforce prejudice and lead to reactions that produce counterreactions in a vicious circle, rational exploration of possible solutions becomes impossible and a negotiation
fails.
vɪʃəs
A vicious person or a vicious blow is violent and cruel.
A vicious remark is cruel and intended to upset someone.
The purpose of the game becomes scoring points, confirming negative impressions, and
apportioning blame at the expense of the substantive interests of both parties.
əpɔːʳʃən
When you apportion something such as blame, you decide how much of it different people deserve or should be given.
Failing to deal with others sensitively as human beings prone to human reactions can be disastrous for a negotiation
likely to show a particular characteristic, usually a negative one, or to be affected by something bad, such as damage or an illness
Unless we are careful, this process is almsot automatic; we are seldom aware that other explainations may be equally valid. Thus in union example, Jones figured that Campbell, the foreman, had it in for him
to believe or consider that someone or something is a particular thing:
To expect or think something will happen
to be, appear, take part, or be included in something:
to be determined to criticize or harm someone:
Base the relationship on accurate perceptions, clear communication, appropriate emotions, and a forward-looking, purposive outlook.
pɜː.pə.sɪv
done with the aim of achieving a particular thing
Your anger and frustration may obstruct an agreement beneficial to you
ɒbstrʌkt
If something obstructs a road or path, it blocks it, stopping people or vehicles getting past.
To obstruct someone or something means to make it difficult for them to move forward by blocking their path.
To obstruct progress or a process means to prevent it from happening properly.
When two people quarrel, they usually quarrel over an object — both may claim a watch — or over an event — each may contend that the other was at fault in causing an automobile accident.
kəntend
If you contend that something is true, you state or argue that it is true.
If you contend with someone for something such as power, you compete with them to try to get it.
If you have to contend with a problem or difficulty, you have to deal with it or overcome it.
To accomplish this task you should be prepared to withhold judgment for a while as you “try on” their views.
wɪðhoʊld
If you withhold something that someone wants, you do not let them have it.
Don’t deduce their intentions from your fears
dɪdjuːs
If you deduce something or deduce that something is true, you reach that conclusion because of other things that you know to be true.
It is tempting to hold the other side responsible for your problem
temptɪŋ
If something is tempting, it makes you want to do it or have it.
“Your company is totally unreliable. Every time you service our rotary generator here at the factory, you do a lousy job and it breaks down again.”
laʊzi
If you describe something as lousy, you mean that it is of very bad quality or that you do not like it.
If you describe someone as lousy, you mean that they are very bad at something they do.
If you describe the number or amount of something as lousy, you mean it is smaller than you think it should be.
If you feel lousy, you feel very ill.
They will cease to listen, or they will strike back with an attack of their own
If something ceases, it stops happening or existing.
If you cease to do something, you stop doing it.
If you cease something, you stop it happening or working.
From 1974 to 1981 some 150 nations gathered together in New York and Geneva to
formulate rules to govern uses of the ocean from fishing rights to mining manganese in the deep seabed
The seabed is the ground under the sea
By devoting substantial time to working out the practical arrangements for transferring technology, they might have made their offer far more credible and far more attractive to the developing countries.
Credible means able to be trusted or believed.
A credible candidate, policy, or system, for example, is one that appears to have a chance of being successful..
If you go to the state insurance commissioner prepared for battle after a long investigation, it
is not surprising that he is going to feel threatened and resist your conclusions
A commissioner is an important official in a government department or other organization.
This is precisely what people tend not to do. When you have a difficult issue to handle,
your instinct is to leave the hard part until last.
Instinct is the natural tendency that a person or animal has to behave or react in a particular way.
If you have an instinct for something, you are naturally good at it or able to do it.
If it is your instinct to do something, you feel that it is right to do it.
By meeting in an all-white parliamentary committee to discuss proposals. Yet,
however meritorious those proposals might prove, they would be insufficient, not necessarily because of their substance, but because they would be the product of a process in which no blacks were included
merɪtɔːriə
If you describe something as meritorious, you approve of it for its good or worthwhile qualities.
It may be hard to resist the temptation to take credit for yourself, but forbearance pays
off handsomely.
fɔːʳbeərəns
If you say that someone has shown forbearance, you admire them for behaving in a calm and sensible way about something that they have a right to be very upset or angry about.
in a handsome manner, pleasingly; successfully
