Using English at Work Flashcards
Lesson 1 - Arriving at Work
SCRIPT
I woke up this morning and thought, “TGIF!” I have been looking forward to the weekend and all I need to do is to get through one more day of work.
I drive to work and pull into the parking lot next to my office building. I stop at the security gate. I put my key card into the card reader and the security arm goes up. I drive into the parking structure and find a parking spot. I make sure that my parking permit is showing in the windshield and I lock up. I get my briefcase out of the back seat and walk toward the building. It’s a short walk and I’m there in no time.
When I get there, I take out my badge and put it around my neck before I go through the main entrance of the building. Employees are supposed to wear their badges at all times at work so that the security guards know that we belong there. One day last week, I forgot my badge at home and I had to get a visitor’s pass for the day. My coworker made fun of me all day. He kept asking me if he could get me some coffee and when I was leaving. What a joker!
GLOSSARY
TGIF – “thank goodness it’s Friday”; a phrase used on Fridays to show that one is happy that the weekend is coming
* This week has been difficult, but this weekend should be a lot of fun. TGIF!
parking lot – a paved area near a building where cars can be parked
* The parking lot next to the office was full, so I had to park two streets away.
security gate – a metal bar or door that stops cars and people from entering an area unless they have permission
* The U.S. president lives in the White House, which has security gates at all of the entrances.
key card – a small, rectangular piece of plastic for identification that electronically tells a machine whether the person should be allowed to do something
* At the World Bank, people must have their key cards with them all the time, so they wear them on strings around their necks.
card reader – a machine that electronically “reads” plastic cards and decides whether a person should be allowed to do something
* If you pass your card through the card reader too quickly, it might not read it correctly.
security arm – a long and heavy metal or wooden bar that blocks a road, but can be moved up to let people drive by if they have permission
* The driver didn’t see that the security arm was down, so she drove into it and broke it.
parking structure – a concrete building with many floors for cars to park on
* Whenever Gisela parks in a parking structure, she always forgets which floor her car is on.
parking spot – a place for one car to be parked, usually marked with painted white or yellow lines
* The president of the company has a private parking spot near the building’s entrance, but the rest of us have to drive around looking for a spot.
parking permit – a piece of paper or plastic that gives a person permission to park his or her car in a specific area
* At many universities, students have to pay more than $50 per month to get a parking permit.
windshield – the glass window in the front of a car that lets the driver see where the car is going
* A small rock hit Kayla’s windshield while she was driving behind a large truck yesterday, but fortunately the glass didn’t break.
to lock up – to lock the door on one’s car or home; to close the locks on the doors to one’s car or home so that other people cannot get in without a key
* Did you remember to lock up your house before you came to work this morning?
in no time – very quickly; with very little delay; right away
* If you work hard you can finish your homework in no time.
badge – a piece of identification, usually with a photograph, that shows that a person works at a specific organization or business
* If you have a question about something at a museum, you should look for an employee who’s wearing a badge.
main entrance – the front door to a building; the primary place for people to enter a building
* National Geographic’s main entrance is on M Street, but you can enter through 16th Street or 17th Street, too.
at all times – all the time; always
* When you are in a big city in another country, I suggest paying attention to what is happening around you at all times.
security guard – a person who decides who can and cannot enter a building for safety reasons
* The security guard lost his job because he fell asleep while he should have been watching the entrance.
visitor’s pass – a piece of paper or a badge that lets a visitor enter a building where he or she does not work, usually because he or she has a meeting there
* Please give your visitor’s pass back to the guard when you leave the building.
to make fun of (someone) – to laugh at someone or to make other people laugh at someone in a way that isn’t very nice
* When Jeremiah gave the wrong answer, his classmate made fun of him and all of the other students laughed.
Lesson 2 - Checking Mail, Email, and Voicemail
SCRIPT
The first thing I do when I get to work each morning is to check my inboxes. I go to the mailroom to check my mail slot to see what mail has arrived overnight. There are always a lot of intra-office and inter-office letters and memos. Much of it is junk mail, so I spend a few minutes sorting through it.
The next thing I do is to turn on my computer to check email. I open my email program and my new messages automatically download into my inbox. Even though I have a pretty good spam filter, I still check through my trash folder carefully to make sure nothing important was filtered out. We’re also not supposed to get personal emails at work, but sometimes my friends send or forward me messages to this address and I have to make sure I respond using my personal email address. When I don’t have time to finish a message or when
I get interrupted, I save it into my draft folder.
Finally, I check my voicemail. I call the voicemail system and enter in my PIN to bypass the outgoing message. I have two new messages, and after listening to them, I save one of them and delete the other.
I look at the clock and it’s already 9:30 AM! It’s time for the morning meeting.
GLOSSARY
inbox – an electronic space or a real box that holds emails, papers, and other things that one needs to read and respond to
* Mike has two inboxes on his desk: one for things that have to be responded to right away, and one for things that he can read whenever he has some free time.
mailroom – a room in a large office building where mail is organized so that it can be given to the right people
* Every afternoon the mailroom receives thousands of pieces of mail and the workers have to deliver them to the right people by 5:00 p.m.
mail slot – a small box that has a person’s name on it and holds mail for that person
* When you go on vacation, don’t forget to put an “out of office” sign on your mail slot, so that people know you won’t be coming in to get your mail.
intra-office – within one office or office building
* Kelly works in this building on the 29th floor, so if you want to send her something, you should put it with the intra-office mail.
inter-office – among many offices or office buildings
* Many companies have inter-office mail, because having someone take large bags of mail from one office building to another is cheaper and faster than using
the regular mail service.
memo – memorandum; a short written document that describes something at work, usually with four lines at the top: the name of the author, the name of the
person it’s going to, the subject, and the date
* The president doesn’t have time to read a long report, so please send her a one-page memo that describes the report’s most important ideas.
junk mail – mail or email that doesn’t have any useful or helpful information and that one throws away or deletes without reading; spam; unwanted mail or email
* If you receive a lot of junk mail, you can call this phone number and ask to have your name taken off of many companies’ mailing lists.
to sort – to put things in order; to divide things into different groups or categories
* Please sort these books by author, so that everything written by Tolstoy is on the right and everything written by Dostoevsky is on the left.
to download – to copy a file from the Internet or a large network computer onto one’s own computer
* Do you download music from the Internet?
spam filter – the part of an email program that keeps spam, or unwanted emails, from coming into an email inbox
* If your spam filter is too high, some of your friends’ email might go to your spam folder where you won’t see it.
trash – garbage; a place to put things that should be thrown away or deleted
* I accidentally deleted a very important email, but I was able to find it in the trash folder and save a copy of it.
to forward – to send an email that one has received to other people
* When your sister sends you an email with the photos from the party, please forward it to me.
draft – something that one has begun to write but has not yet finished; an unfinished document; an unfinished piece of writing
* I just finished writing a draft of the email I want to send to Carol, but I’m going to wait a few hours and read it again after lunch before I send it.
voicemail – recorded voice messages from people who called your phone number when you weren’t able to answer the phone
* I try to remember to delete my voicemail messages after listening to them, because if there are too many, people won’t be able to leave me new messages.
PIN – Personal Identification Number; a set of secret numbers that are used as a password for getting information or money
* Don’t write down your PIN. If other people see it, they can use it to get your private information.
to bypass – to skip something; to go around something
* You can bypass the road construction on Main Street by driving on Holly Street instead.
outgoing message – the recorded voice message that callers hear when they call a phone number but nobody answers
* Make sure that your outgoing message on your home answering machine is friendly but professional, in case your boss calls you at home.
to save – to keep something for use in the future; to not delete or throw away something
* Cassidy always saves tickets from the museums she goes to, so that she can remember where she went on her vacations.
to delete – to get rid of an electronic file or message; to remove something from one’s computer
* I accidentally deleted my homework, so now I have to do it again.
Lesson 3 - Attending the Morning Meeting
SCRIPT
I arrive at the conference room right before the meeting starts, and sit down in a chair around the large conference table. Our manager passes out a handout of
the meeting agenda with some announcements and goes over some bullet points regarding old and new business.
Then, he asks each person to give a status report on his or her projects. Each of us takes turns giving a quick rundown, while everyone else listens. Of course not
everyone is paying attention, since they’re thinking about their own reports and what they plan to say. Sometimes our manager will make some comments or
give us some feedback, but usually there’s very little discussion.
The meeting always ends the same way. Our manager gives a short summary of how our department is doing and a little pep talk to get us motivated.
Now it’s back to our desks to do some work!
GLOSSARY
conference room – a big room used for having meetings at work, usually with a big table and many chairs
* For Monday’s meeting, we need to have a large conference room with at least 23 chairs.
conference table – a big table in a conference room with chairs placed around it for meetings
* When the meeting ended, the conference table was covered with empty water bottles, coffee cups, papers, and pens.
manager – a person whose job is to be responsible for a department or a team; a group leader at work
* If you do your work well, the company might ask you to begin working as a department manager in a few years.
handout – a piece of paper that gives information about something that will be discussed during a presentation or meeting
* This handout has the main points of my presentation and my contact information: my name, phone number, and email address.
agenda – a plan for what will be discussed during a meeting, and in what order
* This agenda shows that there will be three breaks during today’s meeting.
announcement – something that is said or written to let people know about something important
* This morning Krista made an announcement that she and her husband are expecting their first baby!
to go over (something) – to talk about something in depth; to talk about a specific topic or plan
* Let’s go over the details again, just to make sure that everyone understands the new plan.
bullet point – a line of text in a list where each line begins with a small symbol (for example, •, !, !)
* If you have a long list of items, it’s easier to read them as bullet points than as a long sentence with lots of commas separating the ideas.
old business – things that were discussed in a previous meeting and still need to be talked about in today’s meeting
* We need to talk about some old business. We’ve already talked about hiring two new employees. Hector, have you been able to make any progress with this?
new business – things that are being discussed in today’s meeting for the first time
* We received a very angry letter from one of our best customers, so in today’s new business I’d like us to talk about what went wrong.
status report – a quick spoken or written explanation of what one has done on a project or assignment; an explanation of what has been completed on a project
* At our staff meeting, each person was asked to give a three-minute status report about what he or she had done since we met last month.
to take turns – to do something in order, one person at a time, or one person after another
* Children, please take turns playing with the new toy.
rundown – a short spoken or written explanation of the most important points or ideas about something
* Carla, can you please give us a two-minute rundown of what you learned at the conference last week?
to pay attention to (something) – to listen carefully and try to understand something
* Please don’t play the piano right now. I need to pay attention to the news report to find out more about the fire.
feedback – positive or negative comments given in reaction to something that one has presented or done, designed to help one make it better next time
* After she finished her presentation, Clark gave her some helpful feedback about speaking more slowly in the future.
summary – a short written or oral description of the main points or main ideas of something longer
* Please write a one-page summary of what was discussed during the meeting.
pep talk – a short and encouraging speech; a short speech that is meant to help people do something faster, better, or with more enthusiasm
* Before every basketball game, the coach always gives his players a pep talk to help them win the game.
Lesson 4 - Working at My Desk
SCRIPT
When I get back to my desk, I clear off a few stacks of paper on the top of my desk so I have some space to work. I open the computer file I have been working on for the past week. This document is a report that is due next week and the deadline is fast approaching.
I open my filing cabinet and take out two files and a manila envelope that has the information I need in them. I look around for the pad of paper I used to jot down
some ideas yesterday, and take out the paper clips, stapler, and Scotch tape I know I’ll also need. Now I have everything in front of me so I can get down to
business.
The first thing I have to do is get organized. I scan the information I have in front of me and take notes on the things I want to include in the report. Before I analyze the data for the report, I need to skim the background information to make sure I haven’t missed anything. I was making good progress but I’m feeling thirsty, so I decide to take a quick break.
GLOSSARY
to clear off – to organize and remove things from a table, desk, or other surface
* Can you please clear off the table so that we can eat dinner?
stack – pile; a vertical (up and down) group of things that are placed on top of each other
* Michaela likes to read before falling asleep, so there is always a stack of books next to her bed.
file – information stored electronically under one name on a computer, CD, or USB drive
* Most of my computer files end in .doc, .xls, .ppt, or .pdf.
document – a piece of written, printed, or electronic collection of information
* Remember to save the changes to your document every few minutes in case something goes wrong with your computer.
deadline – the date when a project has to be finished; the date when something is due and must be turned in
* Each year, the deadline for applying to this university is March 23rd.
filing cabinet – a metal or wooden piece of furniture with large drawers that are used to hold paper files
* Could you look in the filing cabinet to see if you can find the papers we need for this case?
manila envelope – a large, yellow-colored envelope
* Please put your application in a manila envelope and mail it to this address.
pad of paper – many pieces of paper that are held together at one end
* Please bring a pad of paper to the meeting so that you can take notes.
to jot down – to write something down quickly
* Quick! I need a piece of paper to jot down that phone number before I forget it.
paper clip – a small, bent piece of metal or plastic that is used to hold together pieces of paper
* Please use a paper clip so that the check doesn’t get separated from the bill that needs to be paid.
stapler – a small, metal and plastic object that, when pushed, puts a small piece of metal through pieces of paper to hold them together
* Can I use your stapler for a minute to staple these pages together?
Scotch tape – a long piece of clear plastic that is sticky on one side and is used to hold two pieces of paper together, or to put a piece of paper on something else
* I need to buy some Scotch tape so that I can wrap these presents.
to get down to business – to begin working very seriously on something; to get serious about something
* Loch spent most of the morning making phone calls and talking to her colleagues, but now she needs to get down to business and finish the project.
to scan – to read something quickly, looking for the most important ideas
* Kyra scanned the newspaper, looking for articles about the baseball game.
to take notes – to write down the most important points of something that one reads or listens to
* If you go to class and take notes every day, studying for the text will be easy.
to analyze – to examine something carefully, trying to understand it by looking at each part in detail
* The vice president is analyzing the sales data, trying to understand why the company sold less than expected last month.
data – information and facts, often in numbers
* We got a lot of data from the physics experiment, but now we need to figure out what it all means.
to skim – to read something quickly, looking for the most important ideas; to not read carefully
* Please skim these resumes and look for anyone who speaks German and French.
Lesson 5 - Taking a Break and Eating Lunch
SCRIPT
I want to get some coffee, so I walk into the break room. My coworkers, Diana and Van, are standing next to the water cooler talking about a show on TV last night. I pick up the coffee pot and pour myself a mug of coffee. I am feeling really hungry, too, so I walk over to the vending machine. I’m looking over the candy bars and potato chips when Diana says, “We’re taking an early lunch. Do
you want to join us?” I say, “Yes!” and the three of us walk across the street to a restaurant.
I’m happy that we came early because we beat the rush. The hostess seats us at a table and takes our drink orders. Our server comes over with our drinks and we place our food orders. I choose the lunch special and so does Diana. Van picks the all-you-can-eat soup and salad bar. While Diana and I wait for our orders to arrive, Van goes to the soup and salad bar and gets a really big plate of food. “Do you mind if I start?” he asks. “Of course not,” Diana and I say.
When we finish eating, the server comes over to clear our plates and to give us our bill. We forgot to ask for separate checks so we all pay together. That was a
good lunch. It was certainly better than the bag lunch I usually bring from home!
GLOSSARY
break room – a room in an office building where employees can rest when they aren’t working, usually with food, coffee, a microwave, refrigerator, comfortable
chairs, and tables
* I wish that they had healthier snacks in the break room, but it’s always full of cookies and soda.
water cooler – a machine with a large container of water that keeps water cold for drinking
* Drinking water from the water cooler is free for the employees, so it’s much better than buying bottled water each day.
coffee pot – a large container that holds coffee and keeps it warm so that people can fill their coffee cups with hot coffee whenever they want it
* The coffee pot with a black lid is for regular coffee and the coffee pot with an orange lid is for decaffeinated coffee.
mug – a large cup with a handle, usually used for drinking hot beverages
* Sally uses a mug with pictures of her kids so that she can see them all day while she’s drinking coffee.
vending machine – a machine that sells food and drinks
* Kamil buys a can of soda from the vending machine every afternoon.
candy bar – a long, rectangular, sweet type of food usually made from sugar and chocolate
* Some popular candy bars include Snickers, Butterfinger, and Kit Kat.
potato chip – a thin slice of potato that has been fried in oil and salted
* Do you like plain potato chips or flavored ones?
to join – to participate in something; to do something that other people are doing
* Randolph would like to join us for dinner and a movie tonight. Is that okay?
to beat the rush – to get somewhere before most other people do; to get somewhere before it becomes very crowded
* We beat the rush at the movie theater by buying our tickets for the evening show earlier in the day.
hostess – a female restaurant employee who greets customers, takes them to their table, and offers to bring them drinks before the waiter or waitress comes
* Zhanna asked the hostess for a table next to the window.
drink order – what one asks for to drink at a restaurant of bar
* The most common drink order at this restaurant is strawberry lemonade.
server – waiter or waitress; a restaurant employee who brings food to customers at their table
* We asked the server to bring us ketchup for our hamburgers.
lunch special – a combination of foods that are offered for a lower price during lunchtime hours, usually from Monday to Friday
* The restaurant across the street has a great lunch special with soup, salad, and a sandwich for only $6.99.
all-you-can-eat – a restaurant meal where customers pay one price and can eat as much as they want to of a particular kind of food
* If you’re very hungry, going to an all-you-can-eat restaurant is a good idea because you can eat a lot of food for a low price.
salad bar – a long table at a restaurant that has many different vegetables, salad dressing, cheese, fruits, and other foods so that people can build their own salads
* Josette likes eating at salad bars because that way she can decide which vegetables she wants to eat.
to clear (one’s) plate – to remove one’s plate from the table and take it to the kitchen after one has finished eating
* In the Chavez home, the children have to clear the plates from the table before they can go outside to play.
bill – a piece of paper that says how much a customer needs to pay
* The bill charged us for two iced teas, but we had ordered only one, so we asked the waiter to correct it.
separate checks – pieces of paper showing how much each customer at a table needs to pay the restaurant; a bill that isn’t combined for everyone at the table
* The guys requested separate checks so that they wouldn’t have to calculate how much each person should pay at the end of the meal.
bag lunch – food brought from home to eat at school or the office for lunch, usually in a paper bag
* Zhaklina always brings the same bag lunch to school: a ham sandwich, an apple, and a diet soda.
Lesson 6 - Having Computer Problems
SCRIPT
When we return to the office, I know I have to try to make some headway with my report. Unfortunately, as soon as I sit down in front of my computer, it starts acting up. First, my computer screen freezes and I have to boot it up again. Then, when I try to print a copy of my report, it won’t print. I discover that the problem is that the printer is jammed, so it takes some time to clear it and for it to work again. Finally, when I think that my computer worries are over, my mouse and keyboard go haywire. I finally give up and call the computer tech.
I don’t usually like calling the computer tech to help me with computer problems. She’s nice enough, but she always makes me feel like I did something bad to my
computer – something I shouldn’t have done – even when I haven’t.
When she arrives, she sits down at my computer and asks me a lot of questions to find out what the problem might be. I tell her about the problems I had and she asks if I’d had any problems while working on my word processing program. I say that everything was fine, but I did have some trouble formatting one of my files and got an error message when working on my spreadsheet program. She starts doing something to my computer, typing on the keys a mile a minute for a long time. Finally she says, “Okay, it’s fixed. You shouldn’t have any more
problems now – as long as you don’t abuse your computer.” Of course I never abuse my computer, but it’s no use telling her. At least my computer is fixed and I can keep working.
GLOSSARY
to make some headway – to make progress; to move something forward; to advance something
* If we want to make some headway with this new business, we’ll have to hire someone who knows about marketing.
to act up – to not work correctly; to not function properly; to malfunction
* The coffee maker is acting up, shooting coffee into the air instead of into the coffee pot.
screen – the electronic display (what one looks at) on a television, computer monitor, PDA, or similar type of electronic device
* There’s something wrong with the computer screen, because everything that should be white looks green.
to freeze – to stop responding, especially in a computer
* Whenever Jaclyn opens more than four files at a time, her computer freezes. I think she needs to get more memory for her computer.
to boot (something) up – to start or turn on a computer or a similar electronic device
* The first thing Elaine does when she gets to the office is to boot her computer up.
to print – to use a machine that takes information in an electronic computer file and puts it on paper in ink
* The first time I printed the report it had big black lines on the page, so I had to use another printer.
to jam – to get stuck; to have papers or other objects stuck in a machine so that the machine can’t work properly
* The vending machine was jammed with coins, so I wasn’t able to use it.
mouse – a small piece of equipment that one moves with one’s hand to move the cursor (a small flashing line or arrow) on a computer screen
* Move your mouse over the link and right click on the button that says “submit.”
keyboard – a rectangular piece of equipment that has buttons with letters and numbers that are pushed with one’s fingers to enter text into a computer program
* Do you know how to type without looking at the keyboard?
to go haywire – to stop working correctly; to get out of control; to become uncontrollable
* At the family’s Thanksgiving dinner, things went haywire when everyone started arguing about Benjamin’s decision to quit school and become a musician.
to give up – to stop trying to do something that is difficult or that is taking a long time
* Macaulay was trying to play Chopin’s music on the piano, but then he gave up and decided to play something easier instead.
computer tech – computer technician; an expert in installing or fixing computers
* Sometimes computer techs use so many technical words that they seem to be speaking another language.
word processing program – a type of computer software that lets people create written documents and control the size, color, and style of the text
* Two common word processing programs are Microsoft Word and Notepad.
to format – to change the way that text looks, usually by changing the amount of space between lines or the size, color, and style of text
* Do you know how to format this text so that it’s in three columns?
error message – a short message that appears on a computer when one has done something wrong, or when the computer is no longer able to work properly
* I got an error message saying that the computer can’t find the Internet connection.
spreadsheet program – a type of computer program that lets people enter numbers and perform calculations
* It’s easier to monitor a company’s finances by using a spreadsheet program than by using a written record.
a mile a minute – very quickly; very fast
* Michaela talks a mile and minute and it’s very difficult to understand what she’s saying.
to fix – to make something work again after it has been broken; to correct a problem
* The dishwasher is broken. Does anyone know how to fix it?
to abuse – to treat something or someone very badly; to hurt someone or something by treating it poorly
* Jimmy abuses his toys, dropping them from the windows on the third floor just to see if they will break.
Lesson 7 - Scheduling a Meeting
SCRIPT
At 3 p.m., I get a call from one of our vendors who wants to set up a meeting for the following week. Since I was away from my desk at the time, she left a voicemail message. When I get back to my desk, I retrieve the message and listen to it, and then return her call. I call her twice, but she isn’t there, so I leave a voicemail message for her. We’re playing phone tag. Finally, at 4 p.m., she calls again and since I am at my desk, we can talk at last.
Andrea asks me if it is possible for us to meet early in the week next week. I check my calendar and I tell her that I’m tied up Monday and Tuesday, but that I’m free Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning. She says that Wednesday afternoon suits her and asks what time would be good for me. I tell her the earlier the better, since I will be entertaining clients that night and need to leave work a little early that day. She suggests 1 p.m. I check my scheduled again to confirm that 1 p.m. Wednesday is free and clear and it is. She says that she will send me an email Wednesday morning as a reminder and I thank her. After all of that back and forth, we finally have a meeting set for next week.
GLOSSARY
vendor – a company that sells a product or service to other companies
* Which company is your vendor for computer products?
to set up – to schedule; to arrange; to set a time for
* Let’s set up a meeting with all of the department heads for next Thursday at 11:30.
away from (one’s) desk – not at one’s desk; not near the phone at work; not in one’s office
* I put your mail on your chair when I saw that you were away from your desk.
retrieve – to get information that was stored on a computer or in a voicemail system
* Were you able to retrieve the files after your computer stopped working?
to return (one’s) call – to call someone back on the telephone after he or she has called you and left a message because you weren’t there
* I would appreciate it if you could return my call as soon as you get this message.
to play phone tag – to repeatedly leave messages for someone because he or she is not there to answer the phone when you call, and to have him or her repeatedly call you back and leave messages for you when you are not there
* Monty and Vito both had several meetings this week, so they were playing phone tag with each other.
early in the week – Monday or Tuesday of a week; the first days of a week
* I’m available early in the week, but from Wednesday through Friday I will be at a conference.
calendar – schedule of appointments; appointment book; a piece of paper or book showing when one is available and when one is busy; a schedule showing
the days of the week or month
* Marco keeps Rhonda’s calendar, so if you want to make an appointment with Rhonda, you need to call Marco to find out when she’s available.
tied up – busy; occupied; not available
* Jorge was tied up in meetings all morning and we couldn’t speak to him until the afternoon.
free – available; not busy; not occupied
* When are you free for an interview next week?
to suit (someone) – to be convenient or good for someone; to not be inconvenient or bad for someone
* I’d like to send you my resume via email, if that suits you.
the earlier the better – as soon as possible; preferably very soon
* Please come to my office anytime tomorrow morning, the earlier the better because I have lots of afternoon appointments.
to entertain clients – to take important customers to dinner and/or a show while they are visiting one’s city to try to improve the relationship between them and one’s company
* When you’re entertaining clients, don’t talk about the company and our products too much or they’ll get tired of hearing about them.
to confirm – to verify; to say that something is correct or true after checking to make sure
* We’ll call to confirm your appointment with Dr. Litchman in one week.
free and clear – open; without appointments; available for a meeting
* This week is very busy, but next week is free and clear.
reminder – something that is said or written so that one does not forget about something important
* Sometimes people tie a piece of string around their finger as a reminder to do something.
back and forth – a conversation where two people alternate in speaking; a conversation where first one person speaks, then the second, then the first again, and then the second again, especially when exchanging information
* It was interesting to hear the children’s back and forth as they tried to explain their math homework to each other.
Lesson 8 - Meeting with the Boss
SCRIPT
Before leaving work for the day, I want to stop by my boss’s office to give him an update on my progress. I know he’s expecting the report on Monday and I want
to let him know that it will be finished on schedule.
Before I can do that, he calls me into his office and tells me to sit down. He tells me that the regional manager is impressed with my work and is considering me for a promotion. He says that this information is hush-hush, but he wants to give me the heads up. He says that the promotion would give me a new title and a small raise, but the most important thing is that it will put me in line to eventually become a regional manager myself. He praises me for my hard work and encourages me to keep my head down and to keep plugging away.
I’m so surprised, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never thought of myself as a corporate climber and I didn’t think that my work was a standout from my coworkers’. Of course I thank my boss, shake hands with him, and leave his office.
It’s nice to get a pat on the back from him and I hope that the promotion does come through. I don’t want to jump the gun, though, so I’m not going to think about it too much in case it doesn’t happen.
GLOSSARY
update – the newest information about something; information about how something has changed since the last time someone spoke or read about it
* Some banks offer to send their customers daily email updates about their bank accounts.
progress – how well and how quickly something is moving forward toward completion; the amount of work that has been done to get something finished
* Val made a lot of progress on building his boat and plans to be finished by summer.
on schedule – as planned; on or before the deadline; on or before the due date
* The hospital can’t be built on schedule because it has been raining too much.
to call (someone) into (one’s) office – to ask someone to come into one’s
office for a private conversation
* The school principal called Monica into his office to talk about her bad grades.
impressed with – pleased with; happy with
* Everyone was impressed with Jeremy’s performance in the play.
promotion – a move from an less important job to a more important job within the same company, usually because one has done his or her work very well
* Did you hear that Gael received a promotion from Director of Sales to Vice President of Sales?
hush-hush – secret; something that should be kept secret; something that shouldn’t be shared with other people
* Ranya is pregnant, but it’s hush-hush for now because she wants her husband to be the first person to know.
the heads up – advance notice; information that is received ahead of time or earlier than usual
* Baily got the heads up about the new project when he walked by the president’s office and accidentally heard her private phone conversation.
title – the name of one’s job
* When Vanna changed jobs, she got more money and a new title as the regional marketing coordinator.
raise – an increase in one’s salary; an increase in the amount of money that one earns at work
* What’s the best way to ask the boss for a raise?
to put (one) in line – to set someone up for something; to put someone on the path toward a personal or professional success; to help someone prepare for
something in the future
* Tabitha has worked at the company for 15 years and that experience puts her in line for a top management position.
to praise – to say good things about what someone has done; to give someone compliments
* A good boss praises the people who work for him or her, thanking them for the good work they do.
to keep (one’s) head down – to not draw attention to oneself; to say or do very little so that one can avoid attention, arguments, or problems
* Mickey is always asking questions about other people’s work. I wish he would just keep his head down and concentrate on what he’s supposed to be doing.
to keep plugging away – to continue to work hard at something
* Ramona keeps plugging away to try to finish her college degree, so that she can get a better job.
corporate climber – someone who wants to move upward quickly at work, getting better jobs, more responsibility, and better pay
* If you want to be a corporate climber, you need to learn how to get along with people.
a standout – something or someone who is better than everything else; the best
* Jasmine’s dance performance was a standout and she won first place in the competition.
to shake hands – to have two people hold each other’s right hand and move their arms up and down, usually to say hello, make an agreement, or say goodbye
* In the United States, people usually shake hands when they meet, but in parts of Europe, people usually kiss each other on the cheek.
to get a pat on the back – to receive praise; to have someone say nice things about one’s work; to receive congratulations; to be thanked for doing something
well
* Persephone got a pat on the back from her boss last week when he thanked her for all her hard work in front of all the other employees at the staff meeting.
to jump the gun – to do, think, or say something too soon, before it has happened
* Octavia jumped the gun when she told her family that she was going to marry Richard, even before they were officially engaged.
Lesson 9 - Leaving Work
SCRIPT
I look at the clock and it’s already 5:30. It’s quitting time! I still need to put the finishing touches on my report, but I can do that on Monday morning before I submit it to my boss. Some weeks I have to take work home and burn the midnight oil, but not this week. I have everything under control and I don’t need to work over the weekend.
I pack up my briefcase and shut down my computer. I put some important papers back in their folder and leave it in my desk drawer for safekeeping. I take the papers and files from my outbox and put them in my coworker’s inbox. But when I get back to my desk, another coworker has put some new memos and papers in my inbox! I like to clear my desk as much as possible at the end of the week to avoid clutter, and I guess everyone else does, too!
I look at my desk one last time to make sure I haven’t left anything behind, and I’m ready to head home. Weekend, here I come!
GLOSSARY
quitting time – time to leave the office at the end of the workday; the end of the workday
* For some banks, quitting time is at 5:30, except on Fridays when they’re open until 6:00.
finishing touch – a small detail that will complete something; a small change, addition, or deletion that will end something
* The dessert looked delicious, but it got even better when Mariah put on the finishing touch – red cherries on top of the ice cream.
to submit – to turn something in; to give something to someone for review
* Are we supposed to submit the application on paper or can we send it by email?
to take work home – to do one’s work at home at night or on the weekend because there wasn’t enough time to do it at the office
* Craig has been taking work home all month because he’s worried that the team won’t be able to finish the project on time.
to burn the midnight oil – to work or study late at night when other people are sleeping
* Leticia must have burned the midnight oil to write such a long report in just two days.
under control – a manageable situation; something that one can handle; something that one is in control of
* Excuse me. It looks like you’re having trouble. Is everything under control or would you like some help?
to pack up – to put things inside of a suitcase, box, or another container to take them when one leaves
* When the Kwon family was moving, Mr. Kwon packed up the dishes and Mrs. Kwon packed up the clothes.
briefcase – a rectangular box with hard sides and a handle, usually made from leather, that is used to carry work papers
* If you work with a lot of private and confidential information, be sure to use a briefcase that locks.
to shut down – to turn off a computer or another machine
* Did you remember to shut down your computer before you left the office?
desk drawer – a box that has a handle in front and can be pulled out of a desk or another piece of furniture to put things inside it
* There are some extra pens and pencils in the second desk drawer on the right.
safekeeping – safety; protection from getting lost or stolen
* Pilar made an extra copy of her house key and gave it to her aunt for safekeeping.
outbox – a small rectangular metal, wooden, or plastic box on one’s desk where one puts papers that need to be given to other people
* At the end of the day, I have to take the papers out of my outbox and give them to the people who need them.
to clear – to clean off; to organize and remove objects on the surface of a table, desk, or shelf
* Can you please clear the table so that there’s room to eat dinner?
clutter – many small things that are disorganized, messy, not being used, and not where they are supposed to be
* There is so much clutter in Afra’s bedroom that it’s almost impossible to walk in without stepping on something!
to leave (something) behind – to forget something; to forget to take something when one leaves a place
* When Angelo went to work this morning, he accidentally left his glasses behind, so he had to ask his brother to bring them to him.
to head home – to begin going home; to leave another place to go home
* Scott meant to head home at 6:00, but then he decided to have dinner and go to a movie with some friends instead and he didn’t get home until almost
midnight.
here I come – an expression used to show that one is excited to do something or go somewhere in the near future
* Charlotte has been looking forward to her vacation for a long time, so everyone laughed when, on her last day of work, she said, “Miami, here I come!”
Lesson 10 - Socializing with Coworkers
SCRIPT
When I walk past Van’s desk on my way out of the office, I see that he’s talking to a group of people. He stops and asks if I want to go with them to happy hour at the restaurant and bar down the street. It has been a busy week and I need to blow off some steam. On top of that, I don’t have any big plans for the evening, so I say, “yes.”
Eight of us walk down the street to Steve’s Cantina. We find a table in the back of the bar and look at the drinks menu. Happy hour is from 4 to 7 p.m., and the drinks are half price. We order our drinks and I go to get some snacks and appetizers. I look at the food that’s available and I see a lot of deep-fried foods and chips and dip, so I load up and go back to the table.
One of the guys, Brian, starts to grumble about work and to bad-mouth the boss. I’m in no mood to talk about work, so I change the subject. I ask everybody what his or her plans are for the weekend. Diana says that she’s planning to kick back and relax. Rodrigo said he has a hot date. Van tells us a funny story about the last date he went on that didn’t go very well. We have a good laugh over it.
We all have a great time at happy hour and it’s a good way to kick off the weekend!
_____________
GLOSSARY
happy hour – a time in the late afternoon on weekdays at many bars where drinks and food cost less than usual
* Hank’s Pub has a great happy hour at 6:00 on Thursdays where beers are only $1.50 each.
to blow off some steam – to let go of emotions and stress that have been building up over a period of time; to relax
* Derek goes for a run whenever he needs to blow off some steam.
on top of that – in addition; furthermore; moreover; also
* When Eleanor asked me to go to the movies tonight, I said “no” because I was really tired, the movie theater is too far away, and on top of that, I didn’t like the movie she wanted to see.
big plans – exciting and interesting arrangements for doing something; plans to do important or interesting activities
* Moira has big plans for opening a business and working independently.
half price – costing 50% less than usual
* Normally this necklace costs $60, but today it’s half price so I’m going to buy it for only $30.
snacks – food eaten between regular meals
* Since I’m trying to lose weight, I’m trying to eat healthy snacks like fruit, vegetables, and yogurt.
appetizer – a small amount of food eaten at a restaurant while one is waiting for the main course to be served; the first course in a meal
* Grandma doesn’t eat very much, so when we go to restaurants she usually just orders an appetizer while the rest of us order bigger meals.
deep-fried food – food that has been cooked in oil for a long time and has a lot of fat
* A lot of Americans grew up eating deep-fried foods like French fries and fried chicken.
chips and dip – a large plate with potato or corn chips (thin pieces of potato or corn that are fried in oil and salted) that are served with a small cup of dip (a thick, creamy sauce) so that people can put the dip on the chips to eat them
* Whenever Wayne has friends come to his house, he makes a big plate of chips and dip for everyone to share.
to load up – to put a lot of something on one’s plate or in a container
* Miguel is on a diet, so he loaded up his plate with lots of fruits and vegetables, ignoring the cheese, meats, and bread.
to grumble – to complain quietly about something
* The man sitting next to me on the bus was grumbling about all the noisy teenagers who were riding in the bus with us.
to bad-mouth (someone) – to say bad things about another person; to say all the reasons that one does not like another person
* Lana was bad-mouthing the professor, telling us that he isn’t fair when he grades the tests.
in no mood – not wanting to do something; not interested in doing something
* After working for 12 hours without a break, I was in no mood to come home and make dinner, so we went to a restaurant instead.
to change the subject – to say something that gets people to stop talking about the current topic and begin talking about something else
* When the family started to argue about politics, I wanted to change the subject, but I didn’t know how to do it.
to kick back – to relax; to stop working and start having fun
* Jen likes to kick back on Friday nights by watching a movie and eating pizza with her roommate.
a hot date – a romantic meeting with someone who is very attractive and sexy
* Brandon went on a hot date last night, so we’re all looking forward to hearing about it later today.
to have a good laugh – to laugh loudly and for a long time about something that was very funny; to have a lot of fun
* Everyone had a good laugh when we went to see the new comedy at the movie theater last night.
to kick off – to start something, usually with a ceremony or an event
* Let’s kick off our vacation by going surfing when we arrive in Hawaii.
