Get Business English Power Verbs iPhone/iPod app
Get Business English Power Verbs iPad app
Sunday, May 29, 2011
New app for Business English
Check out the new iPhone app - Business English Power Verbs (also available in an iPad version). This app teaches 101 verbs that will help your improve your Business English. There are talking flashcards and two quizzes that let you test your knowledge. Verbs include tout, leverage, monetize, and dozens more that Americans use everyday in the workplace. A good value for just under $5.
Get Business English Power Verbs iPhone/iPod app
Get Business English Power Verbs iPad app
Get Business English Power Verbs iPhone/iPod app
Get Business English Power Verbs iPad app
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Better Business English Pays...And So Does Job Loyalty!
We know that learning to speak better business English pays ... and now it turns that job loyalty also pays. That's what career experts say in this recent Wall Street Journal article by Dennis Nishi. (So if you were sitting around thinking "The first thing I'm going to do when the economy improves is find a better job!" then read on). I'm including the beginning of the article below. The business vocabulary we'll study is in bold. Now we'll kill two birds with one stone: learn better Business English AND get some career advice! Here we go:
Daniel Nicholson firmly believes in the value of company loyalty. At 46, the vice president of global quality has worked at General Motors in Detroit for 29 years, though he admits that his longevity isn't the norm.
"When you've been at a company for a long time, you really build a network of people that know what you can do," he says. "They tend to trust you more and that brings opportunity. That's what's worked for me."
After years of layoffs and pay cuts, the thawing job market is giving some frustrated employees an opportunity to jump ship. But career experts say that staying put should be a top option.
"You've already weathered the worst of the recession. If you believe the company can turn it around, why not recommit yourself to your job and see what the hard work that you've already put in can get you?" says Patrice Rice, a Washington recruiter who specializes in the hospitality industry. She says loyalty can open doors to more opportunities, and loyal employees are more likely to keep their jobs.
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Now let's review the interesting terms used in the above article.
longevity - the amount of time an employee has worked at a job (in this context, it implies a long time); the word also means lifespan - the length or duration of life
(to) jump ship - to quit a job. Well, a little more colorful than just walking out the front door...suggests that one is really not happy at the job and decides to leave, often without giving much warning
(to) stay put - to remain at a job; to not leave a job. In this bad economy, many people have been afraid to go out and look for new jobs and have instead decided to stay put.
(to) weather - to survive a difficult period (a recession, a downturn, etc)
(to) turn around - to improve things (especially when they are going poorly). This phrase is often used when a new CEO is brought into a poorly performing company -- they're brought in to turn it around.
(to) open doors - to create new possibilities or opportunities
Daniel Nicholson firmly believes in the value of company loyalty. At 46, the vice president of global quality has worked at General Motors in Detroit for 29 years, though he admits that his longevity isn't the norm.
"When you've been at a company for a long time, you really build a network of people that know what you can do," he says. "They tend to trust you more and that brings opportunity. That's what's worked for me."
After years of layoffs and pay cuts, the thawing job market is giving some frustrated employees an opportunity to jump ship. But career experts say that staying put should be a top option.
"You've already weathered the worst of the recession. If you believe the company can turn it around, why not recommit yourself to your job and see what the hard work that you've already put in can get you?" says Patrice Rice, a Washington recruiter who specializes in the hospitality industry. She says loyalty can open doors to more opportunities, and loyal employees are more likely to keep their jobs.
-----
Now let's review the interesting terms used in the above article.
longevity - the amount of time an employee has worked at a job (in this context, it implies a long time); the word also means lifespan - the length or duration of life
(to) jump ship - to quit a job. Well, a little more colorful than just walking out the front door...suggests that one is really not happy at the job and decides to leave, often without giving much warning
(to) stay put - to remain at a job; to not leave a job. In this bad economy, many people have been afraid to go out and look for new jobs and have instead decided to stay put.
(to) weather - to survive a difficult period (a recession, a downturn, etc)
(to) turn around - to improve things (especially when they are going poorly). This phrase is often used when a new CEO is brought into a poorly performing company -- they're brought in to turn it around.
(to) open doors - to create new possibilities or opportunities
Monday, December 20, 2010
New iPad app for Improving Your English
A new iPad app has just been released based on the popular ESL book Speak English Like an American. The new Speak English Like an American app teaches over 300 of today's most common American English idioms and expressions. Follow the fun story of an American family as they go about their daily life (and teach you lots of useful expressions!)...Listen to native speakers read the 25 dialogues and improve your pronunciation. Record yourself reading the dialogues and play them back.
Check it out here:
Speak English Like an American iPad app
Check it out here:
Speak English Like an American iPad app
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Improve your Business English with some Tech Talk
Just when you thought the $99 laptop was around the corner...the Wall Street Journal reports that the costs of PCs (personal computers) is going up. Read these exerpts from their article of December 14 by Ben Worthen and then we'll review some key business English expressions. The expressions we will focus on are in bold.
Rising Computer Prices Buck the Trend
For the first time in several years, people shopping for personal computers are doing something new: paying more.
Computer prices are rising even as the prices of other consumer electronics such as high-definition televisions and digital cameras plunge this holiday season.
In November, the average retail price of a PC sold in the U.S. was $615, up 6% from last year's $580...
The rising prices for PCs...is a stark turnabout for the $250 billion global PC industry, which for years has coped with sharp price declines even as machines became more powerful.
The cut-throat pricing of recent years has rippled through the industry, squeezing profit margins for big PC makers such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc...
The higher-end models are "flying off the shelves," said PaulHenri Ferrand, chief marketing officer for Dell's consumer unit.
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Now let's discuss the terms in bold:
buck the trend - to go against the direction things were moving; to be an exception to the rule (NOTE: This term is often used in investing. A company whose stock is "bucking the trend" is going up while the overall stock market is going down.)
plunge - to go down by a lot; to sink. Often said of prices or demand.
to cope with - to deal with something bad
cut-throat - very competitive. Often used with the word competition, as in: The cut-throat competition in the PC industry has led to lower prices OR Joe faced cut-throat competition to gain admission to Harvard Business School).
to ripple through - to travel through, as in a wave; to move through (think of waves rippling through an ocean).
to squeeze profit margins - to make profit margins go lower (profit margins show how much a company is earning). A company wants profit margins to be as high as possible (more $$$ for the executives!) so when they are squeezed, it's a bad thing.
to fly off the shelves - to be very popular; to sell very well (Imagine products with little wings flying through the air of the store, headed to the cash register). This idiom is featured that way in More Speak English Like an American, which teaches 350 American English expressions and is part of the bestselling Speak English Like an American series.
Rising Computer Prices Buck the Trend
For the first time in several years, people shopping for personal computers are doing something new: paying more.
Computer prices are rising even as the prices of other consumer electronics such as high-definition televisions and digital cameras plunge this holiday season.
In November, the average retail price of a PC sold in the U.S. was $615, up 6% from last year's $580...
The rising prices for PCs...is a stark turnabout for the $250 billion global PC industry, which for years has coped with sharp price declines even as machines became more powerful.
The cut-throat pricing of recent years has rippled through the industry, squeezing profit margins for big PC makers such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc...
The higher-end models are "flying off the shelves," said PaulHenri Ferrand, chief marketing officer for Dell's consumer unit.
---------
Now let's discuss the terms in bold:
buck the trend - to go against the direction things were moving; to be an exception to the rule (NOTE: This term is often used in investing. A company whose stock is "bucking the trend" is going up while the overall stock market is going down.)
plunge - to go down by a lot; to sink. Often said of prices or demand.
to cope with - to deal with something bad
cut-throat - very competitive. Often used with the word competition, as in: The cut-throat competition in the PC industry has led to lower prices OR Joe faced cut-throat competition to gain admission to Harvard Business School).
to ripple through - to travel through, as in a wave; to move through (think of waves rippling through an ocean).
to squeeze profit margins - to make profit margins go lower (profit margins show how much a company is earning). A company wants profit margins to be as high as possible (more $$$ for the executives!) so when they are squeezed, it's a bad thing.
to fly off the shelves - to be very popular; to sell very well (Imagine products with little wings flying through the air of the store, headed to the cash register). This idiom is featured that way in More Speak English Like an American, which teaches 350 American English expressions and is part of the bestselling Speak English Like an American series.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Halloween Costumes Sure to Scare and Some Business English Too
Have you ever heard of Snooki? I hadn't until recently when I found out that the Snooki Halloween costume is a bestseller this year. So who is Snooki? She's a character on the MTV show "Jersey Shore." She has big hair and she wears a short leopard dress.
According to a Wall Street Journal article: "Costumes based on Snooki's poofy hair...have been flying off store shelves."
Time to break for some vocabulary:
poofy hair - big hair that usually goes high up in the air before settling down again (not a compliment)
flying off the shelves - this is a great idioms that means to sell very fast. Another idiom that means the same thing is: to sell like hotcakes.
Snooki's costumes are flying off the shelves so fast, some shelves are now empty of Snooki wigs. According to the Wall Street Journal:
Retailers who are selling out of the official Pauly D Snooki wigs and other authorized wear are coming up with makeshift Jersey Halloween packages.
in a pinch, they're finding that they can put together a pretty good Snooki kit with skin bronzer, furry pink slippers, and one of last year's unsold Amy Winehouse wigs...
A return to Business English vocabulary:
makeshift - something made up to meet an urgent need; something put together quickly because it's needed
in a pinch - in a difficult situation, when no other options are available (You can hear the store owner yelling in desperation: "Oh no! We ran out of official Snooki wigs. Time to get out the old Amy Winehouse wigs...Maybe nobody will notice").
Happy Halloween! If you want to learn more business expressions, give yourself a TREAT and buy yourself a copy of the new book/audio CD "Speak Better Business English and Make More Money."
According to a Wall Street Journal article: "Costumes based on Snooki's poofy hair...have been flying off store shelves."
Time to break for some vocabulary:
poofy hair - big hair that usually goes high up in the air before settling down again (not a compliment)
flying off the shelves - this is a great idioms that means to sell very fast. Another idiom that means the same thing is: to sell like hotcakes.
Snooki's costumes are flying off the shelves so fast, some shelves are now empty of Snooki wigs. According to the Wall Street Journal:
Retailers who are selling out of the official Pauly D Snooki wigs and other authorized wear are coming up with makeshift Jersey Halloween packages.
in a pinch, they're finding that they can put together a pretty good Snooki kit with skin bronzer, furry pink slippers, and one of last year's unsold Amy Winehouse wigs...
A return to Business English vocabulary:
makeshift - something made up to meet an urgent need; something put together quickly because it's needed
in a pinch - in a difficult situation, when no other options are available (You can hear the store owner yelling in desperation: "Oh no! We ran out of official Snooki wigs. Time to get out the old Amy Winehouse wigs...Maybe nobody will notice").
Happy Halloween! If you want to learn more business expressions, give yourself a TREAT and buy yourself a copy of the new book/audio CD "Speak Better Business English and Make More Money."
Friday, October 22, 2010
New iPHONE app for learning American English Expressions
Wow, there's a great new iPHONE app that's just been released based on the popular ESL book Speak English Like an American. The new Speak English Like an American app teaches over 300 of today's most common American English idioms and expressions. Listen to native speakers read the 25 dialogues and improve your pronunciation. Record yourself reading the dialogues and play them back.
Click here for more info on this new app.
Click here for more info on this new app.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Putting Problems Behind You
Ever face a thorny problem that you wished would just go away? By "thorny problem," I mean a difficult problem. (For more on the word thorny, including to hear a man pronounce it, click here: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/thorny).
These days, it seems many corporations are facing thorny problems. British Petroleum, Toyota, Hewlett-Packard, and now Johnson & Johnson (J & J). Maybe someday computers will take over the job of management and things may run a little smoother. After all, as the popular old saying goes: to err is human (to err = to make a mistake).
Let's focus now on J & J and how they're addressing their thorny problem. The following is an extract from today's Wall Street Journal article entitled J&J Chief Tends Corporate Wounds co-authored by this blog's favorite Joann Lublin and Jonathan Rockoff. After the extract, we'll discuss some key terms used in the article so you can improve your business English. Terms we'll be discussing are in bold.
----------
At a recent town-hall meeting, Johnson & Johnson Chief Executive William Weldon sketched out for employees his plans for fixing the manufacturing problems that have prompted a string of recalls and triggered a criminal investigation.
Now, he faces the more difficult task of executing those plans and convincing the public that J&J has put its problems behind it. His success—or failure—may be among the most important legacies he leaves the company near the end of a four-decade career there.
Mr. Weldon, 61 years old, is expected to retire late next year, though the company doesn't have a mandatory retirement age. To resolve the pressing issues, he will likely draw on a careful, low-key approach to decision-making and the support of J&J's board, in keeping with his conservative style, people familiar with the situation say.
----------
Okay, here we go with our business English exploration:
town-hall meeting - an informal meeting in which all employees are invited to share their views (in theory at least). This is a friendly term. It suggests a great meeting in a democratic forum. Town Hall is of course the government building in a town or city where all key administrative functions are housed.
(to) sketch out - to discuss plans; to describe something in a general way
a string of - a bunch of; one after the other
(to) trigger - to cause; to set something off (this is a powerful action verb - think of a gun - you pull the trigger to shoot it - no wonder this verb has such a sense of impact)
(to) face a difficult task - to deal with something thorny (see the discussion of "thorny" above)
(to) put one's problems behind one - a nice way of saying one is getting rid of one's problems. You want your problems BEHIND you, not with you or IN FRONT OF you! This phrase suggets that you are ready to move on, get a fresh start.
pressing issues - biggest problems (these need to be "resolved" or figured out). Resolve your pressing issues and you can move on to more important stuff - like figuring out how to make bigger profits!
low-key approach - a style one uses when one does not want to attract a lot of attention; a calm, rationale way of going about something
Discussion questions (feel free to post your comments to one of these questions on this blog):
1) Why are so many big corporations facing thorny problems these days?
2) What would you do if you were the CEO of J & J?
3) What is a legacy? How does a CEO leave a positive legacy?
These days, it seems many corporations are facing thorny problems. British Petroleum, Toyota, Hewlett-Packard, and now Johnson & Johnson (J & J). Maybe someday computers will take over the job of management and things may run a little smoother. After all, as the popular old saying goes: to err is human (to err = to make a mistake).
Let's focus now on J & J and how they're addressing their thorny problem. The following is an extract from today's Wall Street Journal article entitled J&J Chief Tends Corporate Wounds co-authored by this blog's favorite Joann Lublin and Jonathan Rockoff. After the extract, we'll discuss some key terms used in the article so you can improve your business English. Terms we'll be discussing are in bold.
----------
At a recent town-hall meeting, Johnson & Johnson Chief Executive William Weldon sketched out for employees his plans for fixing the manufacturing problems that have prompted a string of recalls and triggered a criminal investigation.
Now, he faces the more difficult task of executing those plans and convincing the public that J&J has put its problems behind it. His success—or failure—may be among the most important legacies he leaves the company near the end of a four-decade career there.
Mr. Weldon, 61 years old, is expected to retire late next year, though the company doesn't have a mandatory retirement age. To resolve the pressing issues, he will likely draw on a careful, low-key approach to decision-making and the support of J&J's board, in keeping with his conservative style, people familiar with the situation say.
----------
Okay, here we go with our business English exploration:
town-hall meeting - an informal meeting in which all employees are invited to share their views (in theory at least). This is a friendly term. It suggests a great meeting in a democratic forum. Town Hall is of course the government building in a town or city where all key administrative functions are housed.
(to) sketch out - to discuss plans; to describe something in a general way
a string of - a bunch of; one after the other
(to) trigger - to cause; to set something off (this is a powerful action verb - think of a gun - you pull the trigger to shoot it - no wonder this verb has such a sense of impact)
(to) face a difficult task - to deal with something thorny (see the discussion of "thorny" above)
(to) put one's problems behind one - a nice way of saying one is getting rid of one's problems. You want your problems BEHIND you, not with you or IN FRONT OF you! This phrase suggets that you are ready to move on, get a fresh start.
pressing issues - biggest problems (these need to be "resolved" or figured out). Resolve your pressing issues and you can move on to more important stuff - like figuring out how to make bigger profits!
low-key approach - a style one uses when one does not want to attract a lot of attention; a calm, rationale way of going about something
Discussion questions (feel free to post your comments to one of these questions on this blog):
1) Why are so many big corporations facing thorny problems these days?
2) What would you do if you were the CEO of J & J?
3) What is a legacy? How does a CEO leave a positive legacy?
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