http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/britain/080916_duchess.shtml
- to parallel sth : to be similar to sth, to remind of sth
The British actress Keira Knightley has rejected claims that her latest film The Duchess, a historical drama set in the 18th Century, parallels the life of Princess Diana
- a fascinating insight : a very interesting, engaging and profound look
The Duchess provides a fascinating insight into personal relationships in a society where divorce was taboo.
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
Friday, 15 October 2010
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
ESL Podcast 568 – Describing Brisk and Slow Business
http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=8511410
- to have a banner month : to be very good (for company)
My company has had a banner month.
- foot traffic : the number of people who coming to the store/business
Foot traffic is down and business is slow – really slow.
- brisk (a): very fast , a lot of energy / excitement
I thought that Yao's company was doing brisk business.
- to be all the rage : to be very popular
he was selling a line of cell phones that was all the rage,
- to beat down sb's door : to do anything to get the product
customers were beating down his door to get one.
- inventory (n) : thing that a company owns to sell
- to unload : to sell or to give sth away (nobody wants it)
he has inventory he can't unload
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
- to have a banner month : to be very good (for company)
My company has had a banner month.
- foot traffic : the number of people who coming to the store/business
Foot traffic is down and business is slow – really slow.
- brisk (a): very fast , a lot of energy / excitement
I thought that Yao's company was doing brisk business.
- to be all the rage : to be very popular
he was selling a line of cell phones that was all the rage,
- to beat down sb's door : to do anything to get the product
customers were beating down his door to get one.
- inventory (n) : thing that a company owns to sell
- to unload : to sell or to give sth away (nobody wants it)
he has inventory he can't unload
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
ESL Podcast 563 – Reducing Household Expenses
http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=8441809
- to live with: to follow, to agree
it shouldn't be too hard to come up with a budget that we can both live with
- discretionary (a) : optional, unnecessary
- nonessential : discretionary
If you look at our discretionary spending on this spreadsheet I created, you'll be surprised at how much money we spend on nonessentials.
- to cut back on sth: to spend less on sth
I can cut back on nonessentials.
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
- to live with: to follow, to agree
it shouldn't be too hard to come up with a budget that we can both live with
- discretionary (a) : optional, unnecessary
- nonessential : discretionary
If you look at our discretionary spending on this spreadsheet I created, you'll be surprised at how much money we spend on nonessentials.
- to cut back on sth: to spend less on sth
I can cut back on nonessentials.
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
Monday, 11 October 2010
ESL Podcast 562 – Buying Fake Products
http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=8421923
- steal : bargain, low price
Look at this designer bag I bought. It was such a steal!
- imitation : copy, fake
Let me see that. You do know that this is an imitation, not the real thing, right?
- genuine (n): real, not fake
there was a guy on the street selling all of these genuine designer bags.
- straight from sth/sb : directly
- markdown : discount
He said he got them straight from the factory, and that's why he could sell them at such a markdown.
- dirt cheap : very inexpensive / cheap
- knockoff : copy, imitation
The reason he could sell it dirt cheap is because this is a knockoff.
- to be sucker for sth: to like sth too much and easily to be cheated
- to fell for sth: to be tricked for sth
I know you're a sucker for a bargain, but I can't believe you fell for his line.
- to get ripped off: to get cheated
I still think this is real, and I'm sure I didn't get ripped off.
=============
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit3presentations/2body.shtml
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
- steal : bargain, low price
Look at this designer bag I bought. It was such a steal!
- imitation : copy, fake
Let me see that. You do know that this is an imitation, not the real thing, right?
- genuine (n): real, not fake
there was a guy on the street selling all of these genuine designer bags.
- straight from sth/sb : directly
- markdown : discount
He said he got them straight from the factory, and that's why he could sell them at such a markdown.
- dirt cheap : very inexpensive / cheap
- knockoff : copy, imitation
The reason he could sell it dirt cheap is because this is a knockoff.
- to be sucker for sth: to like sth too much and easily to be cheated
- to fell for sth: to be tricked for sth
I know you're a sucker for a bargain, but I can't believe you fell for his line.
- to get ripped off: to get cheated
I still think this is real, and I'm sure I didn't get ripped off.
=============
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit3presentations/2body.shtml
Clip 1
"If you have a look at this first graph, you can see that our sales topped 50 million the year before last... However, this year sales have continued to drop to an all time low of 30 million. Now let's look at our market share. As you can see, we have 25% of the market share, 10% down on last year."
Clip 2
"A good example of how important internal communications are is shown by some findings from research that we have recently undertaken. Good communications is a very key factor in staff motivation. If you look at this slide, you will see how important it is to get the basics in place.... A good illustration of the communication process is when all those basics fall into place naturally."
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
ESL Podcast 562 – Buying Fake Products
http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=8421923
- steal : bargain, low price
Look at this designer bag I bought. It was such a steal!
- imitation : copy, fake
Let me see that. You do know that this is an imitation, not the real thing, right?
- genuine (n): real, not fake
there was a guy on the street selling all of these genuine designer bags.
- straight from sth/sb : directly
- markdown : discount
He said he got them straight from the factory, and that's why he could sell them at such a markdown.
- dirt cheap : very inexpensive / cheap
- knockoff : copy, imitation
The reason he could sell it dirt cheap is because this is a knockoff.
- to be sucker for sth: to like sth too much and easily to be cheated
- to fell for sth: to be tricked for sth
I know you're a sucker for a bargain, but I can't believe you fell for his line.
- to get ripped off: to get cheated
I still think this is real, and I'm sure I didn't get ripped off.
=============
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit3presentations/2body.shtml
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
- steal : bargain, low price
Look at this designer bag I bought. It was such a steal!
- imitation : copy, fake
Let me see that. You do know that this is an imitation, not the real thing, right?
- genuine (n): real, not fake
there was a guy on the street selling all of these genuine designer bags.
- straight from sth/sb : directly
- markdown : discount
He said he got them straight from the factory, and that's why he could sell them at such a markdown.
- dirt cheap : very inexpensive / cheap
- knockoff : copy, imitation
The reason he could sell it dirt cheap is because this is a knockoff.
- to be sucker for sth: to like sth too much and easily to be cheated
- to fell for sth: to be tricked for sth
I know you're a sucker for a bargain, but I can't believe you fell for his line.
- to get ripped off: to get cheated
I still think this is real, and I'm sure I didn't get ripped off.
=============
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit3presentations/2body.shtml
Clip 1
"If you have a look at this first graph, you can see that our sales topped 50 million the year before last... However, this year sales have continued to drop to an all time low of 30 million. Now let's look at our market share. As you can see, we have 25% of the market share, 10% down on last year."
Clip 2
"A good example of how important internal communications are is shown by some findings from research that we have recently undertaken. Good communications is a very key factor in staff motivation. If you look at this slide, you will see how important it is to get the basics in place.... A good illustration of the communication process is when all those basics fall into place naturally."
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
Thursday, 7 October 2010
BBC - 6m English
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2010/08/100819_6min_boomerang_page.shtml
- leave home : to move out of your parents' house and live somewhere else
Now, Rob we're talking about something that most people have to do at some point in their lives – leave home…
- booming : growing or increasing rapidly
The boomerang generation is booming!
- adulthood : when a person is fully grown, legally responsible and becomes an adult
Professor Gill Jones says they have to defer adulthood
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
- leave home : to move out of your parents' house and live somewhere else
Now, Rob we're talking about something that most people have to do at some point in their lives – leave home…
- booming : growing or increasing rapidly
The boomerang generation is booming!
- adulthood : when a person is fully grown, legally responsible and becomes an adult
Professor Gill Jones says they have to defer adulthood
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
Friday, 1 October 2010
ESL Podcast 556 – Scheduling an Appointment
http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=8332436
- to tided up : to be busy
No, she's tied up all Tuesday afternoon
- to shuffle around : to move / change things, to reorganize things
but I could shuffle around some of her commitments to free her up on Tuesday morning, if that helps.
- to be out: not an option, not possible
Unfortunately, Tuesday morning is out.
- better yet: how about
Better yet, I may be able to finagle something
- to push back sth: to move it to later time, to delay
maybe push back that appointment until she gets back to the office.
- to pencil sb in: to write sb's name on calendar but an appointment haven't been made yet
Why don't you pencil her in for now?
- a heads up : a warning or an information in advanced
Sure, I'll give you a heads up no later than noon on Monday if I can't push back her other appointment.
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
- to tided up : to be busy
No, she's tied up all Tuesday afternoon
- to shuffle around : to move / change things, to reorganize things
but I could shuffle around some of her commitments to free her up on Tuesday morning, if that helps.
- to be out: not an option, not possible
Unfortunately, Tuesday morning is out.
- better yet: how about
Better yet, I may be able to finagle something
- to push back sth: to move it to later time, to delay
maybe push back that appointment until she gets back to the office.
- to pencil sb in: to write sb's name on calendar but an appointment haven't been made yet
Why don't you pencil her in for now?
- a heads up : a warning or an information in advanced
Sure, I'll give you a heads up no later than noon on Monday if I can't push back her other appointment.
--
Thanks,
Duy Lam
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