Study newsletter 2016, week 10 Content Language level Page Phrase of the week Just about All levels 1 Mind map Job 4 All levels 2 Czenglish It's a good question vs. it's a question Pre-intermediate (B1-) Advanced (C1) 3 Business Writing Avoid Expletives Pre-intermediate (B1-) Advanced (C1) 4 5 Test Prepositions of time Pre-intermediate (B1-) Advanced (C1) 6 Phrase of the week Just about We use this expression to say that something has almost happened, or to agree more or less with something. You can use this phrase in language. Spoken Written Informal Example 1 A: Have you finished? B: Just about. Five more minutes and you will get the report. Example 2 A: Can you see the screen ok? B: Just about. If you can blind the windows a bit more That s perfect now. 1
Mind map Learning new vocabulary in the most effective way Vyzkoušejte si interaktivní Mindmapy zde: http://www.jazykovka.info/studujeme-jazyky/mindmap/job-4/ Klikejte na slova, uslyšíte jednotlivá slovíčka namluvená rodilým mluvčím. Slovíčka Slovo Shift work Salary increase Travel expenses Staff restaurant Department Training scheme Part-time education Job description Time keeping Fire drill Význam slova práce na směny zvýšení platu cestovní náklady závodní jídelna/restaurace oddělení tréninkový plán kombinované studium popis pracovního místa normování času požární cvičení 2
Czenglish WRONG: RIGHT: Will I leave my job soon? It s a question. Will I leave my job soon? It s a good question. We often use a phrase to express the fact that we have been asked something that is not easy to answer. But unlike in Czech, this phrase is not simply, It s a question. That makes no sense to us in English. Of course it is a question. But what kind of question is it? In English, we need to add an adjective to the sentence. We need to say, It s a good question (or That s a good question it doesn t matter too much which). Other common examples are It s a difficult question, or It s an interesting question. But you cannot simply say, It s a question. You can however use the phrase, It s a question of So for example, if someone asks you why you aren t going on holiday this year, you could reply, It s a question of money. Here are both examples together: A: Why don t you play squash much these days? B: Oh, it s a question of time. I m so busy at work. A: Do you still enjoy your job? B: That s a good question! 3
Business Writing Avoid Expletives When you look up expletive in a dictionary you will find at least two definitions. In this post I m not talking about the definition that includes swearing and profanity. Of course swearing and profanity don t belong in business writing so it would serve you well, and may possibly save your career, to avoid using them. Here we will consider the grammatical term expletive and why it s good to avoid these expletives too. Expletives are empty words or phrases they don t add meaning to your sentence. Empty words make your text wordy. If you ve been following my writing tips series, you ll know how I feel about wordiness in business writing. The great thing about these expletives is that you can cut them out without changing your overall meaning. Here, There, It + to Be One common form of expletive that warrants dismissal from your writing (and not just from business writing) is the structure formed by the words here, there or it followed by some form of the verb to be when to be is used as the main verb of the sentence. The Postponed Subject These expletives are sometimes referred to as the null, dummy, or existential subject, because they don t add anything, rather they take the part of a subject which occurs later in the sentence. Here s an example with a postponed subject: It is having the right team that is important. (Having the right team is the postponed subject.) Having the right team is important. Making Your Sentence More Specific Starting your sentences with these structures can often make them less specific. There are many things for us to discuss at the meeting. Revision to make the sentence more specific: Today we need to discuss staffing, the monthly sales figures and consider the proposal for our next marketing campaign. 4
Some More Examples of Ways to Remove Expletives There are hundreds of people coming to the conference. Revision to eliminate empty words: Hundreds of people are coming to the conference. It is important to consider all the options before we make our decision. Revision to eliminate empty words: We must consider all the options before we make our decision. 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 5
TEST: Prepositions of time We usually finish work early (1) Thursdays. (2) the time you get this letter, I shall be in New York. He wrote this article (3) his holiday. She won't hand over the parcel (4) we pay her. The children aren't here (5) the moment, but they'll be back (5) a few minutes. Can you come to coffee with us (6) next Saturday? I want to be at the cinema early so that we're (7) time to get good seats. Please don't touch anything (8) the detective arrives. I should be free by 4 p. m. If the conference doesn't end (9) time, I shall have to make my apologies and leave. He was reluctant to help us at first, but (10) the end he agreed to do what he could. 1. A by B at C on D during 2. A during B until C at D by 3. A during B by C on D at 4. A by B until C on D in 5. A at... on B in... at C at... in D by... during 6. A on B during C by D - 7. A in B on C at D - 8. A by B until C during D in 9. A in B by C on D at 10. A at B in C on D - Správné odpovědi se dozvíte ihned po dokončení on-line testu zde: http://www.jazykovka.info/studujeme-jazyky/minitest/prepositions-of-time/ Správné odpovědi z minulého týdne (Adjectives and adverbs): 1B, 2A, 3B, 4A, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8A, 9A, 10A 6