ESL Podcast 626 – Wiring Money to Another Country

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=9406280

- by tomorrow : before the end of tomorrow

He needs $300 by tomorrow

- to wire sth: to send sth (money) electronically 

You can wire him the money from here

- blank : empty

- to fill out a form: to enter data to form

Here is a blank form. I can help you fill it out if you want me to. 

- recipient ~ sender

 Fill out the receiver or recipient information here and the sender information there

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Thanks,
Duy Lam

ESL Podcast 620 – Making Quick and Slow Decisions

http://eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=9316793

- to go with : to choose a service or an option 

Which of these vendors do you think we should go with?

- to ponder : to consider, to think about very carefully

we've pondered the options a little longer.

- to sit on sb: to think about sb very carefully before making decision

We've sat on this for long enough, don't you think

- to be of two minds : to be undecided, to know the adv + disadv of things

I know you're of two minds about whether we should be switching vendors in the middle of the year

- sound (adj): logical, right

We had sound reasons for doing this, remember? 

- split-second (adj): rash

yes, I know that it wasn't a split-second decision

- debatable (a): indefinite, not sure , to be discussed more

 whether it'll really save us money is debatable. 

- ifs, ands or buts about it (expression) : there is no execute for it, no reason for it

I don't think there are any ifs, ands, or buts about it.

- to be set in stone : to be final, to be clearly decided, to be unable to be changed

Okay, I'm willing to make a tentative decision to go with GreatDeal Corp. as our new vendor, as long as that decision isn't set in stone. 

- to revisit : to think about again

- to work out : to be successful, to solve the problem

We'll revisit this decision in six months to see if they're working out. 

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Thanks,
Duy Lam

ESL Podcast 616 – Having a Business Mentor

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=9257135

-  to hash sth out: to discuss sth in great detail, to spend along time discussing

I simply go to her with my ideas and she helps me hash them out.

- out of the blue : unexpectedly , without planing

I contacted her out of the blue

- to click : to have good relationship in short time (a month)

We really clicked and now we meet once a month. 

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1210_how_to_converse/page7.shtml

- to after : to want to have sth

A: Hi, you look great today. B: What do you after ?

Standard responses

Thank you, that's very kind!

Thank you, that's very kind of you (to say so).

nice

sweet

Showing surprise

You can show surprise at a compliment by explaining why it is unexpected. So, if someone compliments you on an item of clothing, you might say:

Oh, I've had this for ages.

Really? It was only cheap!

Sharing responsibility

If you receive a compliment for a piece of work which was a joint effort, it's important to make this clear.

Thanks! Ramesh worked on it too.

It wasn't all my work. Ramesh gave me a lot help.

That's very kind. I'll tell Ramesh - he helped me loads.

Returning the compliment

You can often respond to a compliment by returning the compliment - by giving a compliment back.

Oh, thanks very much! You look very nice too - I like your coat.

Humorous responses

In the UK, it is very common to respond to unexpected compliments by suggesting that the person paying you the compliment wants to ask a favour. This is a joke and probably won't cause offence to native English speakers.

What are you after?

What do you want?

Flattery will get you nowhere.*

* Flattery is the giving of praise and compliments that you don't really mean. This phrase means that it doesn't matter how many compliments you receive - you won't give any favours in return!

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Thanks,
Duy Lam

ESL Podcast 613 – Being a First-Time Parent

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=9217363

- the birth of new baby : baby comes out of mom

I wanted to call and congratulate you on the birth of your new baby.

- first-time parent: first time being parent

That's great! How does it feel to be a first-time parent? 

- overwhelming (a): too strong, too powerful

- newborn (n): a baby was born just within two months ago

It's really overwhelming taking care of a newborn

- from scratch (n): very beginning, without any preparation 

I'm learning everything from scratch

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Thanks,
Duy Lam