2017 July Flashcards
You’re giving a presentation at work about your company’s financial estimates. Your group expects that the company won’t make as much money as they did in the same period last year.
We expect sales this quarter to be a little soft compared to last year, due to the overall economic environment.
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.
due to (something) "Due to \_\_\_" explains expresses the cause of something.
You use “due to” in slightly formal situations. For example, an announcement on a train might include “due to ___”:
Due to construction, the uptown 1 train will not be stopping at 50th Street, 59th, or 63rd. The next stop is 72nd Street.
The thing that follows “due to ___” should be a noun. As another example, if something happened because it’s raining, you don’t say “due to it’s raining”. You have to use a noun:
The game has been postponed due to rain.
If you want to say that the reason for something was an action, you have to find a way to make that action into a noun. For example:
The project was a failure due to lack of communication between team members.
The action in this sentence is “team members didn’t communicate”. But to put it in noun form, you say “lack of communication. You could also say:
The project was a failure due to team members not communicating.
In this example, “team members not communicating” acts as a noun.
“Due to” can fit into a sentence two different ways:
(something) is due to (something)
(something happens) due to (something)
We expect (something) to (be / do something)
You can use this expression to announce what you think is going to happen, in a formal way.
We expect sales to receive a further boost in the second half of 2012.
We expect the feds to help keep interest rates low through the end of the year.
Sentences like this are common in documents like financial reports.
(something) is (adjective) compared to (a different time)
You can compare something at two different points in time this way:
It’s pretty quiet compared to last year’s event.
The competition at the 2012 Olympics was a bit weak compared to the 2008 Games.
You can also compare two different things in a similar way:
Windows computers have a reputation for being quite virus-prone compared to Macs.
sales are soft
When a company or an industry is not selling as much as usual, you can describe it by saying that “sales are soft”.
Other expressions to describe this situation include:
Sales are down.
Sales are weak.
Compared to these other expression, “sales are soft” sounds a little more positive and optimistic.
economic environment
The “economic environment” 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
The “economic environment” is very similar to the “economic climate”, although “economic environment” sounds a little more positive.
Your house was destroyed in a fire. You’re telling a friend the story of what happened. You’re explaining your emotions when you saw that the house had burnt down.
At first I was in total shock.
At first, (sentence)
When you tell a story, it’s common to talk about how things changed from the beginning to later on. To do this, you can use “At first…”:
I saw something out on the ocean. At first, I thought it was a piece of trash or something. Then I noticed that it was moving. Suddenly, my heart froze as I realized that it was a shark’s fin.
So “at first” explains what was happening before things changed.
You can also put “at first” at the end of a sentence:
He seemed nice at first. But as the relationship went on, he started to get more and more jealous.
(someone) is in total shock
“Shock” is a feeling of extreme suprise. When you’re “in shock”, you can’t believe what’s happening. You can’t speak or move.
Of course, people sometimes exaggerate their feelings of surprise by saying that they were “in shock” about things like the price of a haircut:
When they told me how much it was going to cost, I was in shock.
It’s common to combine “in shock” with the adjective “total”:
She looked like she was in total shock.
You’re the manager of a software development team. There’s a new programmer in your group who needs training. You tell her that one of the other employees will train her.
I’m going to have you work with Martin for the first month or so.
(a period of time) or so
This is an expression for talking about time loosely. “The next week or so” means “about the next week”. It could be in 5 days, in 10 days, etc.
I’ll be travelling for the next week or so.
Other phrases that use “or so” include:
the first day or so
the last year or so
for an hour or so
For example:
This is one of the best songs I think I’ve heard in the last decade or so.
have (someone) (do something)
When you are in charge of someone, like an employee, you can “have them” do things for you. For example:
I’ll have my assistant send you those documents later today.
Why don’t we have the waiter bring us the check now so that we can leave quickly?
You also use this expression to ask someone to pass a message like this:
Can you have her call me?
I’m going to (do something).
You can talk about something that you’ve decided to do in the future with the phrase “I’m going to ___”.
I’m going to drive Claire to the airport tomorrow.
Compared to “I will ___,” “I’m going to ___” seems more certain to happen and more scheduled.
You went on a vacation in a country on the other side of the world. You’ve been home for a week, but you still can’t go to sleep at a normal time. You complain about it to a coworker.
Ugh. My sleep cycle is still totally out of whack.
Ugh.
English speakers make this sound sometime when they’re tired and annoyed.
For example:
The baby woke up.
Ugh. Again? All right, let me go put her back to sleep.
(someone’s) sleep cycle
Your “sleep cycle” is your pattern of waking up and going to sleep.
We usually talk about someone’s “sleep cycle” when there’s some kind of problem with it. For example, if you go to sleep too late every night, you can say:
I need to reset my sleep cycle somehow.
(something) is out of whack
Things that are “out of whack” are not working properly.
Things that you can describe as being “out of whack” include systems like:
a person’s body cycles, including digestion, menstruation, and sleep
the climate in a certain part of the world
a company’s communication system
This is a very casual, colloquial phrase. A more formal way to say “out of whack” is “out of balance”.
There’s been a hurricane. The governor of your state is giving a press conference to talk about the results of the storm. A reporter asks how bad it was. The governor doesn’t exactly know yet, so he says this.
We’re still assessing the extent of the damage
the extent of the damage
The “extent” of something means how much, how far, how bad, etc.
English speakers often use this word in the phrase “the extent of the damage”. After some kind of accident or disaster, you have to check the extent of the damage, which means how badly things are broken and messed up. For example, a car mechanic can check the extent of the damage to your vehicle after a car crash.
assess the damage
The word “assess” means to check or test. “Assessing the damage” to something means figuring out how badly it was damaged.
You “assess the damage” in situations like these:
You assess the damage to the body of someone who’s been injured.
The government assesses the damage to homes and businesses when there’s been a natural disaster.
An insurance company representative assesses the damage to your car when you’ve gotten in a car accident.
Your husband spilled some milk on the kitchen counter. It doesn’t seem like he’s going to clean it. You’re annoyed, so you say this.
Can you wipe that up, please?
Can you (do something) please? This is way of asking someone to do something in an angry or frustrated way.
Adding “please” to a request doesn’t always make it more polite. In many situations, asking without “please” sounds more polite. People often use “please” after a request when they’re annoyed.
wipe (something) up
You “wipe up” a liquid by using a towel or paper towel to get rid of it. When you name the thing you’re wiping up, you say it after “up”:
Can you wipe up that milk on the counter?
When you use “it”, “that”, “this”, or some short noun, you put it before “up”:
Can you wipe it up?
Can you wipe the milk up?
Compare “wipe up” to “wipe ___ off (of something)”. You use “wipe off” for something that’s stuck onto something, like dust, grease, or some kind of mark:
Let me wipe the dust off of that before you use it.
And “wipe” can also be used in the phrase “wipe ___ down”, which means to wipe something all over in order to clean it:
Don’t forget to wipe down the counters and the top of the refrigerator.
You’re talking with your friend about the problems he’s having with his credit cards. He says that he’s being charged a lot of extra money for interest. You never pay interest because you always pay the complete amount on your bill every month. You say this as advice to your friend.
That’s why I always try to pay off my credit card bill every month.
I always try to (do something)
You use this phrase to describe something that you do because you think it’s a good idea, but sometimes you aren’t able to do it. Why not? Maybe because you forget, because you get too busy to do it, or because you don’t have enough self control.
I always try to eat fresh fruit and vegetables, but it’s hard on weekdays.
pay off (a bill) When you "pay something off", it means that you completely pay for it. This is mostly used to talk about bill and loan payments. When you "pay off" a loan, it means that you have completely paid all of the money you borrowed, plus the loan's interest.
To “pay off” a credit card means to pay off all of the money that you spent on that credit card for the month.
Credit cards in the U.S. have a minimum payment that you have to pay each month. However, if you only pay the minimum, you will be charged interest for whatever amount hasn’t been paid. If you “pay off” your credit card each month by the deadline, you won’t be charged for interest.
a (credit card) bill
The word “bill” can refer to two things: 1) The piece of paper or the e-mail that a service sends you to tell you how much you need to pay them. 2) The amount of money that you have to pay.
So you can talk about the physical bill itself:
I put the phone bill over there on the counter, but now I can’t find it.
Of you can talk about the amount of the bill. To describe the amount, use “high” and “low”:
Our gas bills are pretty low.
As you can see from the last example, you can identify bills for different services. Some common ones are:
electric bill phone bill cable bill Internet bill dry cleaning bill You can also say the name of the company that's charging you:
This month’s Time Warner bill was higher than last month’s.
You’re looking for the book that you’re reading. You thought it was on the nightstand next to your bed, but it’s not there. You think this to yourself.
That’s weird. I could have sworn I put it here.
That’s weird.
Say this about something that’s unexpected and a little confusing.
For example, if you check your bank account and find that there’s more money in it than you thought, you can say to yourself:
That’s weird. I didn’t think I had that much in here.
I could have sworn (clause)
Use the phrases “I could have sworn…” when you were really sure that you knew something, but then you find out that you were wrong.
For example, imagine that you’re telling a story about a trip that you took a long time ago with your friend. But then your friend says that she doesn’t remember it:
A: I don’t remember that at all. It must have been someone else.
B: Really? No, I could have sworn it was you!
You were really sure that she was on the trip with you, but now you find out that maybe she wasn’t.
A coworker mentions that you look sleepy. You explain why by saying this.
I only got four hours of sleep last night.
get (a number of) hours of sleep
When you’re talking about how much you slept at night, you usually use the expression “get ___ hours of sleep”:
I usually get 7 or 8 hours of sleep every night.
You say “I slept for ___ hours” when you sleep for an extra long time, or when you fall asleep at a strange time of day:
I laid down after lunch and slept for 4 hours.
You’re waiting for an elevator to leave a building. There’s a sign on the wall that says this.
In case of fire, use stairs unless otherwise instructed.
In case of (something), (do something)
Use this phrase to describe what to do if a certain situation happens. This formal phrase is often written on signs and instructions to explain what to do in emergency situations. For example, some buses have this sign on one of their windows:
In case of emergency, pull lever and push out.
You can also use “in case of ___” at the end of a sentence like this:
I like to keep around a few days’ supply of bottled water and canned food in case of emergencies.
And there’s also a less formal version, “in case (somebody) (does something)” that you use for talking about things that aren’t emergencies:
Why don’t you take some snacks with you in case you get hungry?
use stairs
Signs are often written in a special shortened form of English that doesn’t use articles. The normal way to express this idea waould be:
use the stairs
(do something) unless otherwise instructed
This is a phrase to use when giving instructions. “Unless otherwise instructed” means “unless someone gives you different instructions”. For example:
When you hear an alarm, stay in your office unless otherwise instructed.
This means that the basic instruction is to stay in your office. But if someone gives you different instructions, you should follow them.
This is a formal-sounding expression.
You’re taking over as the coach of a high school soccer team. The previous coach was really popular. Now you’re giving your first speech to the team, and you want them to know that you’ll try hard to be a good coach.
I know that I have some very big shoes to fill.
I know (clause) When people are thinking something negative, it's often a good idea to recognize what they're thinking. Then it's easier to change their minds.
For example, if you’re trying to convince your spouse to buy a house, but it looks a little old and dirty, you can start by saying something like this:
I know it’s not the nicest-looking house…
I know it needs some work, but I think it’s a great deal for the price.
(someone) has some big shoes to fill
“Filling someone’s shoes” means doing the job that they used to do. You use this expression when the first person did a good job.
If that person was really good at their job, you might say that you “have some big shoes to fill”. It means that it’s going to be hard for you to do the job as well as they did it.
When you take over a job from someone else, it’s polite for you to say that you “have some big shoes to fill”.
You’re a manager at a bank. There’s a new teller who just started working there. You’re explaining the bank’s rules to her. You tell her when to get to work.
You need to arrive to the office at least fifteen minutes before the start of your shift.
a shift
A “shift” is the period of time that an employee has to work. Jobs that have “shifts” are usually paid by the hour. One shift is usually between 4 to 16 hours, and can sometimes have a name like:
the late shift
the morning shift
the graveyard shift (a creative name for a shift that starts late at night and goes until early morning)
The verb “work” is sometimes used to talk about a shift. In a job with a shift system, you might hear an employee say:
“I’m working the afternoon shift tomorrow.”
You need to (do something)
“You need to ___” is a really strong and direct way of giving someone advice. It’s usually used by parents, teachers, and bosses. It’s usually used when they’re angry or annoyed:
You need to stop talking and pay attention.
You need to get the account manager on the phone and tell him you’re sorry, but you made a mistake.
arrive to (somewhere) "Arrive to \_\_\_" is technically a mistake, but it's a mistake that English speakers often make. The correct form is "arrive at \_\_\_":
You need to arrive at the office at least fifteen minutes before the start of your shift.
To “arrive” means to get to a place. “Arrive” is a little bit more formal than “get to”. So when telling somene a story, you might say:
I got to the party at around nine.
But if you were in a courtroom, telling a judge or lawyer about something that happened, you might say this:
I arrived at the party at nine o’clock p.m.
at least (a number) before (something) You use the phrase "at least" to talk about the smallest or lowest number of something:
There were at least 20 people waiting in line already when I got there.
You can also use “at least” to talk about time:
I try to get to the airport at least 2 hours before the flight leaves.
This means that the speaker tries to arrive at the airport 2.5 or 3 hours before the flight leaves, but certainly no later than 2 hours before the flight.
You’re shopping for furniture with your fiance. You find a desk that you like, but you want to get his opinion on whether it will fit with the other furniture in your study. You point to the desk and ask this.
Do you think this will go well in the study?
Do you think (something) will (do something)?
Use “will” to ask for someone’s prediction about something in the future. In the example above, you’re asking your fiance to predict how a piece of furniture will look next to other furniture in a room. So “will” is the correct word to use, not “going to” or any other future tense words.
go well in (a room)
When something “goes well in” a room, it means that it looks good in that room. The colors and style match the other objects and the overall look of the room.
“Go well” can also be used in the phrase “go well with”. This is used for asking about whether two items, such as two pieces of clothing, look good together:
That jacket doesn’t really go well with those shoes, dear.
Even more casually, people sometime use “go with” in the same way:
That jacket doesn’t really go with those shoes.
the study
“The study” is the name for a room in some houses. It’s a room where people keep books, a desk, and maybe a chair for reading in. It’s similar to an “office”, but a home office sounds like a place where family members are doing some kind of actual work. A “study” sounds more like a luxury.
Lots of people are talking about the new iPad tablet computer device. You go to a store with your girlfriend to try one out but you aren’t impressed by it. You don’t understand why everyone is so excited. You say this to your girlfriend express your disappointment.
I don’t see what the big deal is.
I don’t see (what/why/how)(clause)
This either means that you don’t understand something or that you don’t agree with it. For example, if you’re waiting for a long time on an airplane for it to take off, you can say to the person who’s riding with you:
I don’t see what’s taking so long.
This means that you don’t understand why it’s taking such a long time, and you’re angry about it. So “I don’t see ___” is used when you don’t understand the reason for something and you don’t think that there really is a good reason.
Here are some more examples with different endings:
I don’t see why not.
I don’t see how that’s possible.
a big deal
A situation is “a big deal” if it’s something that people are treating as important. If people are getting very excited, very angry, very worried, or any other strong emotion about an issue, you say that issue is “a big deal”.
Some common phrases that include “big deal”:
What’s the big deal?
This is something you ask when a person is getting upset over a topic, but you don’t understand why.
Don’t make a big deal out of it.
You say this when someone is getting very excited or upset about an issue and you want them to relax.
This is a very big deal.
You say this when you’re talking about something that’s very important but other people don’t realize that yet.
Big deal!
This is a response that’s similar to “So what?”. You say this when you want to show that you don’t care about what someone just said.
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?
