Content Language level Page. Mind map Living room All levels 2. Down the drain

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1 Study newsletter 2016, week 18 Content Language level Page Phrase of the week Down the drain All levels 1 Mind map Living room All levels 2 Czenglish A lot of fun vs. big fun Pre-intermediate (B1-) Advanced (C1) 3 Business Writing Tips for Taking Minutes: During the Meeting Pre-intermediate (B1-) Advanced (C1) 4 Test Articles (A/an/the) Pre-intermediate (B1-) Advanced (C1) 5 Phrase of the week Down the drain We use this expression to say that someone has wasted something - normally time, money or effort. You can use this phrase in language. Spoken Informal Example 1 A: You bought them quite an expensive present - and now they have cancelled the wedding! B: I know. That's 300 down the drain. Example 2 A: We all worked so hard preparing for the exam, now they ve doubled the fee? B: Yes. That's a year's work down the drain, I can t afford it. 1

2 Mind map Learning new vocabulary in the most effective way Vyzkoušejte si interaktivní Mindmapy zde: Klikejte na slova, uslyšíte jednotlivá slovíčka namluvená rodilým mluvčím. Slovíčka Slovo Coffee table Tv set Armchair Curtains Pictures Sofa Bookcase Fireplace Carpet Rug Význam slova konferenční stolek Tv set křeslo záclony, závěsy obrázky, obrazy pohovka knihovna krb koberec rohož, kobereček 2

3 Czenglish WRONG: RIGHT: I had big fun at the party last night. I had a lot of fun at the party last night. The phrase big fun sounds funny in English. We do not say it. We do not measure the amount of fun we had by using the word big. Fun is not only uncountable in English - we don t say a fun - it is also immeasurable. We commonly just say, "I had fun." If we want to say how much fun we had, we say a lot of fun, e.g." I had a lot of fun at the party", or we can say great fun. e.g. "Skiing is great fun." Another question I m often asked is, "What s the difference between a lot of and lots of? The answer is simple: nothing. You can say both and it means the same. "I had a lot of fun" or "I had lots of fun". Just don t say a lots of or lot of - these are both wrong! 3

4 Business Writing Tips for Taking Minutes: During the Meeting In this post I want to consider what happens when you are actually taking minutes at a meeting. The most important thing to remember when you re recording the minutes is that you need the essential information. But which information is that? How do you decide what to note down during the meeting to include in the minutes? How much information should you record? What should you leave out? In essence the minutes record the decisions of the meetings and the assigned actions. They are used to remind people of their roles after the meeting. Here are some things to remember: If you are the person taking the minutes, make sure you are not a major participant in the meeting. It s almost impossible to contribute to discussion and decision-making well, and take good minutes. Use a template, based on the agenda. Make sure you leave plenty of blank space to record your notes. Make sure you note down who is responsible for assigned actions, any agreed deadlines, and the decisions that are made by the meeting. Use a system of initials to identify the people responsible. It s much quicker than scribbling down people s names. Decide on the initials you are going to use before the meeting and make sure you re familiar with them. Also, if there are people at the meeting you ve not met before, make sure you are clear on who is who. Avoid trying to write down everything that is said. Focus on understanding what is being discussed. Focus on noting down action items, decisions, deadlines, and the names of people responsible. If you don t understand something, or lose track of the discussion, ask the chairperson to clarify the item. It helps if the chairperson summarises each item during the meeting. Not all chairs do this, but you can always ask them. It not only helps you record the vital information. By restating the main points the chair can also be sure that everyone at the meeting has a common understanding about what has been agreed. DALICE TROST, původem z Austrálie, je absolventkou magisterského studia managementu lidských zdrojů na University of Canberra v Austrálii. Lektorka je držitelkou certifikátu TEFL opravňující k výuce cizích jazyků. V rámci své profesní praxe zastávala vysoké manažerské pozice jako personalistka, senior supervizorka, HR manažerka, a to mimo jiné ve společnostech v Dubaji a Austrálii. Aktivně se věnuje publikační práci v oboru vzdělávání a anglického jazyka. Lektorka je autorkou knihy, ze které čerpáme tyto tipy: Business Writing-A Tip a Day for 30 Days 4

5 TEST: Articles (a/an/the) My brother lives in (1) big house. Where's (2) phone? Peter's sister is (3) architect. Most people like (4) animals. Do you play (5) football? (6) music's too loud, I can't hear - please turn it down. All our furniture is made of (7) wood. Caroline has got (8) beautiful blue eyes. I don't want to be (9) student for the next four years. We haven't seen (10) sun for a month. 1. A a B an C the D - 2. A a B an C the D - 3. A a B an C the D - 4. A a B an C the D - 5. A a B an C the D - 6. A a B an C the D - 7. A a B an C the D - 8. A a B an C the D - 9. A a B an C the D A a B an C the D - Správné odpovědi se dozvíte ihned po dokončení on-line testu zde: Správné odpovědi z minulého týdne (Each and every): 1B, 2A, 3B, 4A, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8A, 9B, 10B 5