بررسی

Hello English learners! Welcome back to EnglishPod! My name is Marco.

And I’m Erica.

Today we’re bringing you a lesson about the office, so, something related to business, right?

That’s right, and in this lesson we’re learning, um, language you can use to tell someone they did a good job.

Okay, so, a job well done.

Uhu.

You want to praise somebody.

That’s right, so, we’re gonna listen in as a manager praises his employee on a presentation.

Okay, so, before we listen to the dialogue, let’s take a look very quickly at “vocabulary preview”.

Vocabulary preview.

Well, we’re gonna hear both of these words in the dialogue and the first one is a wiz.

Wiz.

To be a wiz.

Okay, so, it’s an adjective? – somebody is a wiz. [NOTE: actually, it’s a noun]

That’s right and wiz comes from the word wizard.

Okay, so, kind of like a… like a witch, but a guy-witch.

Yeah, man-witch, um, but, so, a wiz is someone who is really good at something.

Okay, so, I can say “David is a computer wiz”.

Or “Anthony is a math wiz”.

Okay, so, he is really good at computers or he is really good at math or he knows a lot about math.

Exactly.

Okay, and, uh, our second word.

Well, we’re gonna hear about slides.

Slides.

PowerPoint slides.

PowerPoint slides, okay, so, everyone knows PowerPoint, right?

Uhu, a computer program.

A computer program that you use to make presentations.

And a slide is one page in that presentation.

Okay, so, if you have ten pages in your PowerPoint presentation, you basically have ten slides.

Exactly.

Very good, so, now let’s listen to the dialogue for the first time and we’re gonna see what’s happening in this business meeting.

And so, that concludes my outline for our marketing strategy next year. Thank you very much for your time.

Hey, that was quite the presentation! Honestly, I was completely blown away by your strategy outline. I’ve gotta say, Alex, you really wowed me today.

Aw, come on; it was nothing. I’m just doing my job.

No, I think you deserve some recognition here; I mean, if I look back on your previous presentations, this is a huge improvement.

Well, Kristin did give me a hand with the slides.

She’s a real wiz on PowerPoint.

And I saw that you took on board my feedback about pricing strategies. I really appreciate you taking the time to think though my suggestions.

Yeah, well, that was some good advice. You made some really good points.

Well, I just wanted to say well done. Really you did a great job.

ious son.

DIALOGUE, FIRST TIME

Alright, well, it sounds like the employee is a little bit, mm, shy or… or embarrassed by receiving all of these compliments.

Yeah, I guess he is kind of, uh, being humble about it.

Uhu, exactly! So, why don’t we move on to the language now? There’re so many really useful phrases in this dialogue, um, that I think we’re just gonna focus on those today, so, let’s get started with “fluency builder”.

Fluency builder.

Okay, so, today on fluency builder let’s start with our first phrase. The boss was so impressed with the presentation that he said “I was completely blown away” [NOTE: actually, the boss was a woman, so… she said]

To be completely blown away.

Okay, so, to be completely blown away.

Or to be blown away.

Alright, so, what does that mean to be blown away?

To be surprised, um, and amazed, but in a very positive way.

Okay, so, I can say “I’m surprised”, “I’m amazed”, uh, but I’m still not very clear on this. Why don’t we listen to a couple of examples of how we could use this phrase?

Example one.

Karl blew me away with his knowledge of political science.

Example two.

I was blown away when I heard that Jennie and Rick had gotten married. They have known each other for less than a month.

Example three.

My parents were blown away when they found out I had a tattoo.

Okay, so, I think that’s a little bit clearer now and this is a wonderful way to give your praise to someone when they do something really amazing.

Okay, so, completely blown away. You–

Uhu.

Blew me away.

That’s right.

Now, what about our second word?

Well, it’s quite similar. Um, the boss said that you really wowed me.

You wowed me.

To wow someone.

Okay, so, it’s spelled W-O-W, wow.

So, when you wow someone, you make that person go wow.

Okay, so, you impress somebody.

Yep.

To wow someone. I can use it as a verb.

Yeah.

You wowed me; I wanna wow you.

Well, I want you wow me.

Okay, so, uh, wow! Now, let’s take a look at our third phrase. The guy, he’s a little bit shy, he’s trying to be a little bit humble about, you know, receiving so many compliments, so, he says “Oh, it was nothing”.

It was nothing.

Really, it was nothing.

It was nothing.

So, that’s a way of saying “It wasn’t hard” or “It’s not a big deal”.

It’s not that important.

Exactly, so, if somebody’s saying “Wow! Thank you so much for lending me your car”, don’t worry about it.

It was nothing.

It was nothing.

Yeah, uhu.

Alright.

It’s k– it’s a polite way, actually, to respond to a nice compliment.

Very good, so, before we move on to our next phrase, let’s listen to a couple of examples with it was nothing.

Example one.

Thanks for lending me your car this week. I really appreciate it.

It’s okay really, it was nothing.

Example two.

I can’t believe you organized the surprised birthday party. Thank you so much.

Don’t worry about it, it was nothing.

Okay, so, I think that’s petty clear. Now, our final phrase here for fluency builder. Um, the… the employee said that Kirsten gave him a hand.

Okay, so, to give someone a hand.

Give me a hand.

Give me a hand.

Basically, to help someone.

Help me or…

Yeah.

Assist me.

Uhu.

Okay, so, to help someone… “give me a hand” or “let me give you a hand”.

That’s right.

Alright, very good, so, great phrases in fluency builder today. I think it’s time for us to listen to the dialogue for the second time. Uh, we’re gonna slow it down a little bit, so, we can catch all these phrases and then we’ll come back.

DIALOGUE, SECOND TIME (slow)

Okay, so, like we said before there’s a… a lot of really helpful phrases in here, um, and we’re gonna look at a few more of these in “putting it together”.

Putting it together.

Okay, so, let’s start with the first phrase. Uh, the boss was quite impressed with him and he said “That was quite the presentation”.

That was quite the presentation!

Alright, quite the presentation.

So, this phrase quite the presentation, it means “it was good”, right?

Uhu.

It was– it was special.

It was– it was very good.

Yep, now, we can shake the noun presentation out and replace it with any other noun. [NOTE: shake out = throw away; put aside]

Alright, so, I can say “Bob is quite the basketball player”.

Uhu. Why don’t we listen now for a few more examples?

Example one.

I heard you’re quite the dancer. Can you teach me some moves?

Example two.

Karl is quite the ladies man. He is very good when it comes to talking to girls.

Example three.

Nancy is quite gifted at math. She can solve any math problem you give her.

So, you’re saying in a… in a very good way that something is very good.

Or special.

Very special.

Yep, uhu.

Alright, so, the boss was very impressed with the employee and he said “And I saw that you took on board my feedback”.

To take on board my feedback.

Okay, so, take on board something.

Uhu. So, here my feedback is, uh, my suggestions, right?

Uhu.

And when you take on board my feedback, you accept my feedback and you use it.

Okay, so, I can say, for example, uh, “I want you to take on board my ideas”.

Uhu, or “Jenny took on board a few of my suggestions, I was really happy”.

Okay, very good, so, to take on board – to accept and use.

Alright, so, take on board feedback, take on board suggestion[s], take on board ideas.

Okay, very good. And we have one more phrase on putting it together today – to think something through.

To think it through.

Okay, so, think it through.

So, here the boss said that he took the time to think through my suggestions.

Uhu, so, think through. What does that mean?

Um, to think carefully about all of the details of something.

Okay, so, to take into consideration all the aspects.

Right, so, why don’t we give an example?

Uhu.

Um, if you’re thinking through a plan, right, you don’t just think about the end.

Uhu.

The outcome.

Okay.

You wanna think about all of the small details, the steps in that plan.

Okay, so, maybe I wanna buy a new car, but…

Yeah.

It’s a lot of money, so…

Yeah.

I really have to think it though.

So, you have to think carefully about everything that is involved in buying the new car.

Right.

All the money you’re gonna have to, you know, not spend on parties and…

Exactly, you have to think it through, you have to analyze it very carefully.

That’s right, so, let’s give a few examples of how we can use this phrase. “Hey, Marco, have you thought through my suggestions?”

I can say “You guys are very young, I think you should think it through before you get married”.

Hm, good advise.

Okay, so, to think it through.

Okay, so, um, three great phrases and why don’t we hear them one more time in our dialogue?

DIALOGUE, THIRD TIME

Okay, great dialogue and, uh, some interesting phrases for giving praise, right? That’s I think very important in the workplace.

Yeah, and, you know what, I read recently that something like 6 out of every 10 employees don’t get regular praise from their boss.

Hm, yeah, it’s very important and in some cultures, well, it’s not very common to praise or to give positive feedback to their employees.

Yeah, but I think, um, for– for western employees, actually, it’s really important and it helps them work harder, the more–

Uhu.

The more, um, times they hear “Job well done!”

Yeah, very good. So, now you have the tools that maybe you can use with your employees or…

With your friends.

With your friends.

Yep.

Okay, so, if you have any questions, comments or doubts, please come to our website englishpod.com.

Yep, Marco and I are always around to help you out, so, um, until next time, thanks for listening and– Good bye!

Bye!