Business Idioms

Sales & Marketing Idioms | Business Idioms

 List of common business phrases and idioms about sale and marketing in English:
 All It’s Cracked Up To Be: As good as claims or reputation would suggest
 Deliver the Goods: Provide what is expected
 In the Pipeline: Being prepared for the marketplace, being worked on
 Out the Door: With everything included (said of a price)
 Price Yourself Out of the Market: Try to sell goods or services at such a high price that nobody buys them.
 Sell (Someone) a Bill of Goods: Trick someone; be deceptive
 Selling Point: An attractive feature of something for sale
 Sold On (Something): Convinced of something
 TLC: Tender Loving Care
Deadline Idioms | Business Idioms
List of deadline idioms in English:

 Burn the Midnight Oil: To work late into the night

 Race Against Time: To rush to meet a deadline, to be forced to do something very quickly
Meeting Idioms | Business Idioms
List of meeting idioms in English:

 Hit the Nail on the Head: To be absolutely correct (said of an utterance)

 Take the Edge Off (of Something): To slightly improve something negative
Idioms for Making Decisions | Business Idioms
List of common business sayings and idioms for making decisions:
 (Give Someone) Carte Blanche: Allow someone complete freedom; entrust a decision to someone
 All Things Being Equal: In the event that all aspects of a situation remain the same
 Up for Grabs: Available
 On the Bubble: One of a group that may be selected for the last spot in a competition
 All Told: With everything taken into consideration
 All Things Considered: Taking all factors into consideration
 Up in the Air: Not yet decided
 Raise Red Flags: Warn of trouble ahead
 Rubber-Stamp (v.): Approve something without consideration, as a formality
 Take It or Leave It (command): You must decide now whether you will accept this proposal
 Out of the Loop: Not part of a group that’s kept informed about something
 On the Same Page: Understanding a situation in the same way
 Hobson’s Choice: A choice among bad options
 Flip-Flop (v. or n.): To vacillate between two choices, to be indecisive
 Fish or Cut Bait (usually an exclamation): Make a decision or give someone else a chance
 (Have One’s) Back Against the Wall: Have few choices, be cornered
Leadership Idioms | Business Idioms
List of commonly used business expressions and idioms about leadership in English:
 (The) Man: The boss; authority in general
 Big Picture: A wide perspective; a broad view of something
 Call the Shots: Make the important decisions in an organization
 Changing of the Guard: A change in leadership at an organization
 Movers and Shakers: Influential people, especially in a particular field
 On Point: Good, well done, effective
 Cut Someone Some Slack: Avoid treating someone strictly or severely
 Light a Fire Under Someone: Inspire someone to work very hard
 Rake Someone Over the Coals: Scold severely
 Put Someone on the Spot: Force someone to answer a question or make a decision immediately
 Ahead Of The Curve: Offering ideas not yet in general circulation; highly creative
 Cut to the Chase: Get to the point; explain the most important part of something quickly; skip the
preliminaries
 Da Man (Slang): An accomplished or skillful person. Generally used in the compliment “”You da man!””
 The Powers That Be: People in charge, often used when the speaker does not want to identify them.
 After The Lord Mayor’s Show (UK): Anticlimactic; occurring after something impressive
 (To Be at Someone’s) Beck And Call: To be under someone’s total command, to be forced to fulfill
someone’s orders or whims
 Too Many Chiefs and Not Enough Indians: Everyone wants to be a leader, and no one wants to do the
actual work
 (To) Cross All Your T’s And Dot All Your I’s: To take care of every detail, including the minor ones
 A Little from Column A, a Little from Column B: A course of action drawing on several different ideas or
possibilities

Jobs Idioms | Business Idioms
List of useful business phrases and idioms about jobs in English:
 Learn the Ropes: Become more familiar with a job or field of endeavor; be trained
 Get the Sack, Be Sacked: To be fired
 Off the Hook: Free from blame or responsibility to do something
 Hanging by a Thread: In great danger of elimination or failure
 Burn the Candle at Both Ends: Work very long hours
 Rank and File: The ordinary members of an organization
 Pink Slip: A layoff notice; loss of a job, typically because of layoffs
 Out of Work: Unemployed
 Move Up in the World: Become more successful
 Give Someone The Old Heave-Ho: Fire someone, remove someone from a group or team
 All In A Day’s Work (Excl.): That’s what I’m here for; although I have accomplished something, it is part of what I’m
expected to do
 Heads Will Roll (Are Going to Roll): People will be fired
List of business expressions and idioms about finance in English:
 Banner Year: A year marked by strong successes
 In the Red: Losing money; (of a market index) below a specified starting point
 Nest Egg: Retirement savings; wealth saved for a future purpose
 Crunch the Numbers: Do calculations before making a decision or prediction
 You Can Take It to the Bank: I absolutely guarantee this
 Have Skin in the Game: Be risking something in an undertaking
 Poison Pill: A provision or feature added to a measure or an entity to make it less attractive, an undesirable add-on
Money Idioms | Business Idioms
List of important business phrases and idioms about money in English:
 Nickel and Dime: To negotiate over very small sums; to try to get a better financial deal, in a negative way
 A Penny Saved is A Penny Earned: Every small amount helps to build one’s savings
 Pinch Pennies: To be careful with money, to be thrify
 Pretty Penny: A lot of money; too much money (when referring to the cost of something)
 Sticker Shock: Surprise at the high price of something
 Cash-Strapped: In need of money
 For a Song: At very low cost
 Blank Check: Permission to spend or do whatever one wishes; carte blanche
 Turn on a Dime: Quickly reverse direction or position
 Nice Chunk of Change: A large amount of money
 Give One’s Two Cents (That’s My Two Cents): Offer an opinion, suggest something
 Honor System: A system of payments that relies on the honesty of those paying
 Bang for Your Buck: Value for your money
 Make Ends Meet: Have enough money to cover basic expenses
 In For a Penny, In for a Pound: Committed to something even though the risks are increasing
 Double-Dip: Improperly get income from two different sources
 Feather One’s (Own) Nest: Use one’s influence or power improperly for financial gain
 Take a Flyer: To take a rise; especially to make a speculative investment
 Two a Penny: Ordinary, inexpensive
 Ten a Penny: Ordinary, inexpensive
 Pay Through the Nose (For Something): Pay a large amount of money
 A Penny for Your Thoughts: What are you thinking?
 Penny-Pinching: Frugal, avoiding expenses whenever possible
 Pick Up the Tab: To pay a bill presented to a group, especially in a restaurant or bar
 Bang for Your Buck: Value for money
 Pass the Buck: Transfer a problem to someone else
 (To Go) From Rags To Riches: Earn a fortune after being poor early in life
 Flat Broke: Having no money at all
 Deep Pockets: The new owner has deep pockets, so fans are hoping the football team will improve next year with
new players
 (A) Day Late and a Dollar Short: Too little, too late; both late and insufficient
 (A) Dime a Dozen: Very cheap; easily obtained
 Bet One’s Bottom Dollar (On Something): Be certain that something will happen
 And Change: And an additional amount of money that’s less than the next round number
 A Day Late And A Dollar Short: Too delayed and insignificant to have much effect
Negotiation Idioms | Business Idioms
List of English business expressions and idioms for negotiation:
 Agreement In Principle: In a negotiation, an agreement in which not all details have been worked out
 An Offer One Can’t Refuse: An extremely attractive offer
 Back And Forth: Dialogue, negotiations
 Come to Terms With (Something): Feel acceptance toward something bad that has happened
 Draw a Line in the Sand: Issue an ultimatum; specify an absolute limit in a conflict
 Drive a Hard Bargain: To negotiate effectively
 Drive a Wedge Between: Try to split factions of a united group by introducing an issue on which they disagree
 Give and Take: Negotiations, the process of compromise
 Stand One’s Ground: Refuse to back down; insist on one’s position
 Sweeten the Deal: Add something to an offer during a negotiation
 Trial Balloon: A test of someone’s or the public’s reaction
 Big Deal: An important event or accomplishment
 Yes Man: The idiom “yes man” refers to a person who always agrees with others, especially with his or her boss.
Problem Idioms | Business Idioms
List of business sayings and idioms for problems and difficulties:
 (An) Uphill Climb: A difficult process
 (The) Last Straw: A problem or insult that finally demands a response
 Above Water: Not in extreme difficulty. Especially said of finances
 Come Out in the Wash: To be resolved with no lasting negative effect
 Cut Corners: Economize by reducing quality; take shortcuts
 In a Jam: In need of help, in a difficult spot
 Cut the Gordian Knot: To solve a complex problem in a simple way
 Get To Grips With: To begin to understand and deal with something
 Head (Go) South: Decline, get worse
 In Hot Water: In need of help; in trouble
 Red Tape: Bureaucracy; difficult bureaucratic or governmental requirements
 Start with a Clean Slate: To start (something) again with a fresh beginning; to work on a problem without thinking
about what has been done before
 Stumbling Block: An obstacle, physical or abstract
 Think Outside the Box: Try to solve a problem in an original way; think creatively
 Finger-Pointing: Blame; a situation within a group where each member attempts to blame others
Review Idioms | Business Idioms
List of common business expressions and idioms for review in English:

 Mind One’s P’s and Q’s: Be attentive to details; be on one’s best behavior
 All Over The Place: Everywhere; in many different locations
 Read Between the Lines: Perceive what is not explicitly stated
 Across The Board: In relation to all categories, for everyone
 All Over The Board: Everywhere, in many different locations
 All Over The Map: Everywhere; in many different locations
Schedule Idioms | Business Idioms
List of essential business phrases and idioms for scheduling in English:
 Against The Clock: Forced to hurry to meet a deadline
 Busman’s Holiday (UK): A working vacation
 Burn the Midnight Oil: Working late into the night
 Pencil Something In: Make tentative arrangements
 Back to the Drawing Board: Forced to begin something again
 Eleventh Hour: The last minute
 In the Works: Under development; coming soon
 (Do Something) By the Book: According to established procedure
 Cut It Fine: To do something at the last moment
 After The Fact: Too late; after something is completed or finalized
 Sit On (Something): Delay revealing or acting on something
 Back to the Salt Mines: It’s time for me (us) to go back to work
 Take Five (Ten): Take a short break of five (ten) minutes
 Thank God It’s Friday (TGIF): Let’s be happy that the workweek is over!
 Kick the Can Down the Road: Postpone an important decision
 (In the) Fullness of Time: Eventually, when appropriate; after you wait patiently
 Call It a Day: Decide that one has worked enough on something for the day
 Burn the Candle at Both Ends: To work too hard, with possible bad consequences for one’s health
 Sneak Peek: A sneak peek is an opportunity to view something in advance of its official opening or debut
 Ahead Of The Game: Making faster progress than anticipated; ahead of schedule
 Crunch Time: A period of high pressure when one has to work hard to finish something
 Business as Usual: A normal situation (whether related to business or not), typically restored after some change
 You Snooze, You Lose: If you delay or are not alert, you will miss opportunities
 On the Spur of the Moment: Without advance planning, spontaneously
 Elevator Pitch: A brief presentation of an idea, one short enough to be delivered in an elevator
 Back to Square One: Forced to begin something again
 Right-Hand Man: Chief assistant
 Ahead Of One’s Time: Offering ideas not yet in general circulation; highly creative
 Think Tank: A group of experts engaged in ongoing studies of a particular subject; a policy study group

Business Idioms Images

Business Idioms with Meaning | Image 1

Business Idioms with Meaning | Image 2

Ref: https://7esl.com/business-idioms/

IDIOM MEANING EXAMPLE

24/7 "24/7" means 24 hours a day, seven days a The convenience store on the corner is open
week. 24/7.

a tough break When something unfortunate happens, it can be It was a tough break for us when Caroline quit.
called a "tough break." She was one of our top performers.

ahead of the curve To be "ahead of the curve" means to be more We're investing a lot of money in research and
IDIOM MEANING EXAMPLE

advanced than the competition. development so we can stay ahead of the curve.

ahead of the pack To be "ahead of the pack" means to be better or If we want to stay ahead of the pack, we're
more successful than the competition. going to have to work hard and continue to
innovate.

ASAP "ASAP" is an acronym for "as soon as possible." I need to finish these reports. My boss needs
them ASAP.

at stake "At stake" means at risk. I'm a little nervous about giving this
presentation. There's a lot at stake.

back to square one To go "back to square one" means to start Our programmers identified what they thought
something over again. the problem was with the software. After
working for several hours, it turns out that the
problem is something different. We're back to
square one, unfortunately.

back to the drawing To go "back to the drawing board" means to The prototype wasn't successful. We have to go
board start something over and go back to the back to the drawing board.
planning stage.

backroom deal A "backroom deal" is an agreement or decision I think they got the government contract
that is made without the public knowing about because of a backroom deal.
it.

ballpark A "ballpark number" is a very inexact estimate. I'm not sure what a Super Bowl commercial
number/figure costs, but to give you a ballpark figure I'd say
about three million dollars.

behind someone's To do something "behind someone's back" She didn't think it would be fair to go behind his
back means to do something without someone's back and talk to management, so she confronted
knowledge and in an unfair way. him directly.

behind the scenes What happens in secret or not in front of the They make it look so effortless, but they do a lot
general public is said to happen "behind the of hard work and planning behind the scenes.
scenes."

big picture Everything that is involved with a particular Even though we all have very specific tasks to
situation is called "the big picture." do, our manager makes sure we don't lose sight
of the big picture.

blue collar A "blue collar worker" is someone who works It's a blue collar town with a lot of farmers and
with his hands (manufacturing, construction, factory workers.
maintenance, etc.). The opposite is a "white
collar worker." A white collar worker is
someone who works in an office (customer
service, management, sales, etc.). "Blue collar"
(and "white collar") can also be used to describe
a job, position, or a place.

by the book To do things "by the book" means to do things We are regularly audited by several regulatory
according to company policy or the law. It agencies. It's important that we do everything
means to follow the rules 100%. by the book.

call it a day To "call it a day" means to decide to stop Well, John, it's 7:00 and I'm getting hungry. How
working for the day. about we call it a day?

catch someone off To "catch someone off guard" means to surprise Mike was caught off guard when they asked him
IDIOM MEANING EXAMPLE

guard someone by doing something that he or she was to direct the meeting.
not expecting.

cave (or cave in) To "cave" or "cave in" means to give in or agree The employees complained about the change in
to something that someone previously did not policy, but the supervisor refused to cave in.
want to accept.

change of pace "A change of pace" is something different from a It's nice to go on business trips because it's a
normal routine or schedule. change of pace.

come up short To "come up short" means to try to achieve The charity fund raiser was supposed to raise
something but fail. We often say that someone three million dollars, but we came up short.
has "come up short" when someone fails to
achieve a goal, but not completely.

corner a market To "corner a market" means to dominate a Apple has cornered the market on mp3 players.
particular market. They have a large percentage of market share.

cut corners To "cut corners" means to take shortcuts and We don't cut corners on our luxury products.
find an easier or cheaper way to do something.

cut one's losses To "cut one's losses" means to stop doing Our advertising campaign was expensive and
something that is unproductive and won't ever not showing results, so we cut our losses.
generate results.

cut-throat "Cut-throat" is used to describe something that In business school, the competition was cut-
is very intense, aggressive, and merciless. throat.

diamond in the rough A "diamond in the rough" is something or He was a diamond in the rough. He was
someone that has a lot of potential but first intelligent and had great ideas, but his
requires a lot of work. management and English skills weren't very
good.

easy come, easy go "Easy come, easy go," is an expression used to A lot of people who inherit money waste it on
communicate that something gained easily is stupid things. I guess it's easy come, easy go.
also lost easily. We often use this expression
after something has been lost.

fifty-fifty "Fifty-fifty" means something is divided equally My business partner and I split everything fifty-
-- 50% for one party, 50% for the other party. fifty.

from the ground up If you start a business, project, or something Bill Gates built Microsoft from the ground up.
else from zero, you start it "from the ground
up."

game plan A "game plan" is a strategy or plan. They're not sure what their game plan is for the
upcoming election.

get back in/into the To "get back in/into the swing of things" means Our company shuts down operations for three
swing of things to get used to doing something again after weeks during the holiday season. When I go
having a break from that activity. back to work in January, it's difficult to get back
in the swing of things.

get down to business To "get down to business" means to stop Now that everyone's here, let's get down to
making small talk and start talking about business and talk about the proposal.
serious topics related to business.

get something off the To "get something off the ground" means to We're glad the planning process is over. We're
ground start a project or business. looking forward to getting the project off the
IDIOM MEANING EXAMPLE

ground.

get the ball rolling To "get the ball rolling" means to start We need to get the ball rolling on this project.
something (a project, for example). The deadline is in June, and it's already April.

get/be on the good If someone likes you, you are "on the good side" I always remember my coworkers' birthdays
side of someone of that person. and get them a card or small gift. I like to get on
people's good side.

get/have one's foot in To "get or have one's foot in the door" means to My son just took a low-paying internship
the door take a low-level position with a company with position with a large company. He was happy to
the goal of eventually getting a better position get his foot in the door at a well-known,
with the same company. respected company.

give someone a pat on To "give someone a pat on the back" means to The boss gave Brian a pat on the back for
the back tell someone that they did a good job. coming up with such a good idea.

give the thumbs down To "give something or someone the thumbs I can't believe she gave us the thumbs down. I
down" means to deny approval. thought it was a great idea.

give the thumbs up To "give something or someone the thumbs up" They gave our new proposal the thumbs up.
means to give approval. We're going out to celebrate tonight.

go broke To "go broke" means to go bankrupt or to lose There was too much competition and their
all the money a person or business had. expenses were too high. They eventually went
broke.

go down the drain When someone wastes or loses something, it is He dropped out of college in his third year and
said to "go down the drain." never continued his studies. All of his hard work
and money went down the drain.

go the extra mile To "go the extra mile" means to do more than We go the extra mile for our customers. If
what people expect. someone is dissatisfied with a purchase, we
refund their money and offer them a discount
on their next purchase.

go through the roof If something is "going through the roof," it We're happy our number of Facebook followers
means it is rapidly increasing. has gone through the roof.

gray area If something is in a "gray area," it means that it I asked our lawyers if it was legal, and they said
is something undefined and not easily it wasn't clear. It's a gray area.
categorized.

ground-breaking If something is "ground-breaking," it means it is The iPhone was a ground-breaking piece of

new and innovative. technology when it was released in 2008.

hands are tied Someone's "hands are tied" if they do not have I would love to get you a job at my company, but
control over a situation. my hands are tied. Management isn't hiring any
additional employees this year.

have someone's work If you have a lot of work to do or a particularly She has to sell $35,000 worth of products by the
cut out difficult assignment, you "have your work cut end of the month. She has her work cut out for
out for you." her.

hit the nail on the To "hit the nail on the head" means to do or say I agree with John 100%. I think he really hit the
head something 100% correctly. nail on the head.

in a nutshell "In a nutshell" means in a few words. In a nutshell, this book is about how to motivate
employees.
IDIOM MEANING EXAMPLE

in full swing If a project is "in full swing," it means that it has Construction on the new site is in full swing
been completely started and that it is now.
progressing or moving as fast as it ever will.

in the black If a company is "in the black," it means that it is We're not having a great year, but at least we're
making a profit. in the black.

in the driver's seat To be "in the driver's seat" means to be in I'm not used to being in the driver's seat. I
control. should probably buy some management books.

in the red If a company is "in the red," it means that is not When I started my own business, we were in
profitable and is operating at a loss. the red for the first two years. We didn't see a
profit until the third year.

keep one's eye on the To "keep one's eye on the ball" means to give I know we can do it. We just need to keep our
ball something one's full attention and to not lose eyes on the ball and not lose focus.
focus.

last straw The "last straw" means the last annoyance, Our boss had been unhappy with Brian's
disturbance, or betrayal which causes someone performance for a while, but it was the last
to give up, lose their patience, or become angry. straw when he came to work three hours late
without calling.

learn the ropes To "learn the ropes" means to learn the basics I like my new position. I'm starting to learn the
of something. ropes.

long shot A "long shot" is something that has a very low Winning the lottery is a long shot, but millions
probability of happening. of people still buy lottery tickets.

loophole A legal "loophole" occurs if a law is unclear or Some people complain that millionaires avoid
omits information. This lack of legal clarity paying taxes by finding loopholes in tax laws.
allows people or corporations to pay less in
taxes or gain some other advantage.

lose ground (opposite: To "lose ground" means to lose some type of an Apple lost some ground to Samsung last
gain ground) advantage (market share, for example) to a quarter.
competitor.

lose-lose situation (or A "lose-lose situation" is when there will be a It's a lose-lose situation. If they lay off more
no-win situation) negative outcome regardless of what decision is workers, they'll get bad press. If they don't lay
made. off more workers, they won't be able to
compete.

nine-to-five A "nine-to-five" is a job during normal working She was tired of working a nine-to-five job, so
hours. The term came into existence because she took her savings and opened a restaurant.
many work days start at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m.

no brainer If a decision is really obvious or really easy to Taking the new job was a no brainer. They
make, the decision is a "no brainer." offered me more money, a better schedule, and
more vacation days.

no strings attached If something is given without expecting They will let you try the product for free with
anything in return, it is given with "no strings no strings attached. If you don't like it, there is
attached." no pressure to buy it.

no time to lose If there is "no time to lose," it means that there I told them I'd be finished by the end of the day
is a lot of pressure to finish something quickly. and it's already 4:45. I need to get to work.
There's no time to lose.
IDIOM MEANING EXAMPLE

not going to fly If a solution isn't effective, we can say that it I don't think that's going to fly. Let's keep
"isn't going to fly." generating ideas.

off the top of one's If someone says something "off the top of their I have no idea how many branches they have.
head head," it means that they give a response Off the top of my head, I'd say about 20.
without thinking about it much or doing any
research on the subject.

on a roll If someone is "on a roll," it means that he or she Our profits have been above our projected
has had several successes in a row. numbers for five months in a row. We're really
on a roll.

on the ball To be "on the ball" means to be alert and aware My new personal assistant is working out well.
of things. He's really on the ball.

on the same page page If two people are "on the same page," they are in Let's go over the details of what we agreed on to
agreement about something. make sure we're on the same page.

on top of something To be "on top of something" means to be in I read a lot to stay on top of the latest changes in
control of a situation and aware of changes. my industry.

on your toes To be "on your toes" means to be alert. Stay on your toes. Anything can happen.

out in the open If something is "out in the open," it is public I think it's good to do things out in the open
knowledge and not hidden from people. because people get suspicious if you do things
in secret.

out of the loop To be "out of the loop" means to not know I felt like I was out of the loop after being on
(opposite: in the loop) something that a select group of people knows. vacation for two weeks.
The opposite, to be "in the loop," means to be
part of a select group with knowledge that
others do not have.

pink slip Someone who gets the "pink slip," has been They gave him the pink slip. He wasn't
fired by their employer. performing very well.

play hardball To "play hardball" means to be competitive in a He played hardball to get where he is, so I
cruel and merciless way. Playing hardball would be careful what you say and do around
means doing anything possible to win. him.

put all one's eggs in To "put all one's eggs in one basket," means to It's not good to only invest in the stock market.
one basket rely on only one thing to bring success. You don't want to put all your eggs in one
basket.

put the cart before the To "put the cart before the horse" means to do They were trying to find investors without even
horse or think about things in the wrong order. having a business plan. They were putting the
cart before the horse.

raise the bar To "raise the bar" means to set the standards or The new software is getting great reviews. It
expectations higher, usually by achieving or looks like the bar has been raised for the
creating something better than what had competition.
previously existed.

read between the To "read between the lines" means to He didn't say that he wants to leave the
lines understand something that isn't communicated company, but I can read between the lines. He's
directly. Reading between the lines involves not happy here.
understanding what someone is implying or
suggesting but not saying directly.
IDIOM MEANING EXAMPLE

red tape "Red tape" refers to excessive rules, procedures, The new law is going to create a lot of red tape,
and regulations that make it difficult to and we're going to have to pay our lawyers a lot
accomplish something. We usually use "red more money.
tape" to talk about government requirements
that create difficult, time-consuming barriers
for people and businesses.

rock the boat To "rock the boat" means to cause problems or I'd ask for a raise, but I don't want to rock the
disrupt a peaceful situation. boat.

round-the-clock "Round the clock" means 24 hours a day. We have round-the-clock production at all our
manufacturing facilities.

run/go around in To "run (or go) around in circles" means to do Everyone kept restating their opinions but
circles the same thing over and over again without nothing was agreed on. We were running
getting any results. around in circles.

safe bet A "safe bet" means something that will probably It's a safe bet that smartphones will be much
happen. more advanced in 10 years.

same boat If people are in the same situation, they are in We're all worried about losing our jobs. We're
the "same boat." in the same boat.

second nature When someone does something so well that it She's been a computer programmer for ten
seems like they were born knowing how to do years. At this point, programming is second
it, we say that the activity is "second nature" to nature to her.
that person.

see eye to eye To "see eye to eye" with someone means to We don't always see eye to eye, but I respect
agree with that person. her opinions and appreciate her honesty.

see something To "see something through" means to do I told my boss that I really wanted to see this
through something until it is finished. project through before taking on another
project.

sever ties To "sever ties" means to end a relationship. We had to sever ties with several of our
suppliers due to late shipments.

shoot something To "shoot something down" means to reject It's best not to shoot down people's ideas
down something, such as a proposal or idea. during a brainstorming session. The goal is to
generate ideas, not to criticize them.

sky's the limit "The sky's the limit" if there is no limit to what With their commission structure, the sky's the
can be achieved. limit to what you can earn.

small talk "Small talk" is conversation about unimportant We typically spend about 15 minutes making
topics that do not offend people (the weather, small talk before we start our meetings.
for example).

smooth/clear sailing "Smooth sailing" is a term used to describe a Once our largest competitor went out of
situation where success is achieved without business, it was smooth sailing.
difficulties.

snail mail "Snail mail" is the term used for the traditional If you want to fill out form 52-E and send it to
mail that goes through the post office. the government, you have to do it using snail
mail. They don't allow you to scan the
document.

stand one's ground To "stand one's ground" means to not change We tried to change the dress code, but Human
IDIOM MEANING EXAMPLE

one's opinion or position. Resources stood their ground.

start off on the right To "start off on the right foot" means to start We offered them a very generous price on their
foot something in a positive way. first order and everything shipped on time. We
really started off on the right foot.

start off on the wrong To "start off on the wrong foot" means to start I just switched cable companies. They
foot something in a negative way. overcharged me for the first month's service.
They really started off on the wrong foot.

state of the art Something that is "state of the art" is modern We have a brand new, state-of-the-art facility.
and technologically advanced.

take something lying To "take something lying down" means to The proposed law would kill our industry, but
down accept something unpleasant without fighting we're not going to take it lying down. We're
back. going to fight back and make sure the law isn't
passed.

take the bull by the To "take the bull by the horns" means to One of our mid-level managers wasn't very
horns directly confront a difficult situation. popular and was causing some problems, so we
took the bull by the horns and replaced him
with somebody else.

talk someone into To "talk someone into something" means to I was hesitant to redesign our website, but my
something convince someone to do something. employees talked me into it. I'm glad they did.
The new site looks great.

talk someone out of To "talk someone out of something" means to I wanted to make a real estate investment, but
something convince someone not to do something. my financial adviser talked me out of it.

the elephant in the "The elephant in the room" refers to an obvious We should have been talking about our huge
room problem or controversial issue that no one debt, but no one wanted to talk about the
wants to talk about. elephant in the room.

think big To "think big" means to have ambitious goals I'm not content with just opening one or two
and big plans for the future. more stores. I'm thinking big -- I think we can
open 10 stores in the next five years.

think outside the box To "think outside the box" means to think of Creating a product that no one has sold before
creative, unconventional solutions instead of is an example of thinking outside the box.
common ones.

throw in the towel To "throw in the towel" means to quit. I was trying to learn Portuguese, but I got
frustrated and threw in the towel.

time's up "Time's up" means that the time for something I think his time's up as the CEO. They're going to
or someone has ended. replace him as soon as they find a suitable
candidate.

touch base To "touch base" means to make contact with Let me make a few phone calls to try to get an
someone. answer to your question. I'll touch base with
you later today.

twist someone's arm To "twist someone's arm" means to persuade or The owner thought the budget was a little high.
convince someone to do something that he or We had to twist his arm to get him to agree to it.
she does not want to do.

under the table Something done secretly (and usually illegally) To avoid paying taxes, they paid some of their
in the business world is done "under the table." employees under the table.
IDIOM MEANING EXAMPLE

up in the air If something is undecided, it is "up in the air." We're looking for a test market right now, but
nothing has been decided yet. Everything's still
up in the air.

uphill battle Something that is difficult to achieve because of Winning the election is going to be an uphill
obstacles and difficulties is an "uphill battle." battle. He doesn't have much support at the
moment.

upper hand If someone has an advantage over someone John is more experienced and well respected, so
else, he or she has the "upper hand." he had the upper hand in the argument.

white collar A "white collar worker" is someone who works There are mostly manufacturing positions here.
in an office (customer service, management, There aren't many white-collar jobs.
sales, etc.). The opposite of a white collar
worker is a "blue collar worker." A blue collar
worker is someone who works with his hands
(manufacturing, construction, maintenance,
etc.). "White collar" (and "blue collar") can also
be used to describe a job, position, or place.

win-win situation A "win-win situation" is a situation where We were happy to get the contract, and they
everyone involved gains something. were happy to get such a good price. It was a
win-win situation.

word of mouth If something spreads by "word of mouth," Many local restaurants rely on word of mouth
people hear about it through informal to get new customers.
conversation with friends, family members,
acquaintances, etc.

writing on the wall The "writing on the wall" refers to the evidence I'm going to get my resume ready. I can see the
and clues that something (usually negative) is writing on the wall.
going to happen.

yes man A "yes man" is someone who always agrees The company isn't looking to hire someone who
with his or her superiors. is going to try to make a lot of changes. They're
just looking for a yes man.
Ref: https://www.businessenglishresources.com/learn-english-for-business/student-section/business-
vocabulary/most-common-business-idioms/

Expressions for Making and Receiving Phone Calls at Work

Below are some expressions we use for making and receiving phone calls at work. These phrases will help you
prepare for telephone conversations in English.

Making Phone Calls

Introducing yourself

Good morning/afternoon/evening. This is Mike at (company name)/Mike from (department name). Could I speak
to (person you’re calling for)?
Good morning/afternoon/evening. This is Mike at (company name)/Mike from (department name).I’m calling
about/because…

When the person you want to speak to is unavailable

Can I leave a message for him/her?

Could you tell him/her that I called, please?
Could you ask him/her to call me back, please?
Okay, thanks. I’ll call back later.

Dealing with bad connections

I think we have a bad connection. Can I call you back?

I’m sorry, we have a bad connection. Could you speak a little louder, please?
I’m sorry, could you repeat that please?

Ending the call

Thank you very much. Have a good day.

Thanks for your help. Have a good day.

Receiving Phone Calls

Answering the phone

Company ABC, this is Mike. How may I help you?

Good morning/afternoon, Company ABC. How may I help you?
Purchasing department, Frank speaking.
Note: If we are taking an external call and talking to a customer, “How may I help you?” is common. If we are taking
an internal call, we normally do not say “How may I help you?” For internal calls, saying your name and your
department is usually sufficient.

Getting the name of the caller if he/she doesn’t give it to you

May I have your name please?

Who am I speaking with?
May I ask who’s calling?

Responding to a caller’s request

Sure, let me check on that.

Let me see if she’s available.
Sure, one moment please.

Asking someone to wait on the line

Can I put you on hold for a minute?

Do you mind holding while I check on that? (or “handle that for you,” “check to see if he’s available,” etc.)

Taking a message

He’s/she’s not available at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?
He’s/she’s out of the office right now. Can I take a message?

Dealing with bad connections/wrong numbers

I’m sorry, we have a bad connection. Could you give me your number and I’ll call you right back?
I think we have a bad connection. Could you speak a little louder, please?
I’m sorry, could you repeat that?
I’m sorry, you have the wrong number.

Ending the call

Is there anything else I can help you with?…Okay, thanks for calling. Have a great day.
Is there anything else I can do for you?…Okay, have a good day.

Expressions for Starting, Continuing, and Ending a Conversation

Below are some useful expressions for conversation in a business setting. These expressions will help English
language learners socialize with coworkers, colleagues, and other business contacts.

Greetings

Neutral:
Hi/Hey, (name). How’s it going? (often reduced to “How’s it goin’?”)
Hi/Hey, (name). How are you? (often reduced to “How are ya?”)
Good morning/afternoon/evening, (name). (“Good morning” is often reduced to “Morning.” Also note that “Good
morning/afternoon/evening” is more formal than the first two greetings.)

Casual:
Hey, (name). What’s up?
Hey, (name). What’s going on? (often reduced to “What’s goin’ on?”)
Hi/Hey, (name). Long time no see. (if you haven’t seen the person in a while)

Responses to Common Greetings

How’s it going?/How are you?

Good, How are you?
Fine, and you?
Just fine, thanks. How about yourself?
Doing all right. And yourself? (often reduced to “Doin’ all right.”)

What’s up?
Not much. What’s up with you?
Not much. You?
Hi/Hey. How’s it going?
Hi/Hey. How are you?
Notice that we often reply to “What’s up” with another greeting. This often happens when we greet someone who is
walking past us. It can be awkward to say “Not much. What’s up with you?” to someone walking away from you.

Transitioning from a Greeting to Small Talk

Note that we often say the word “so” followed by a pause.

What’s new?
So, how have you been?
What have you been up to?
Keeping busy?
How was your weekend?
Do you have any plans for the weekend?
So, how’s it going with (a project, initiative, etc.)…?
So, what do you think about (current event or something new at work)…?
So, did you hear that…?
So, I heard that you are/you’re…?

Transitioning from Small Talk to Something Work Related

Talking about something your conversation partner isn’t expecting:

Before I forget, I wanted to talk to you about…
By the way…
Since you’re here, let me ask you about…
I actually wanted to talk to you about… Do you have a few minutes?
While I have you on the line, let me ask you about… (if speaking on the phone)
Ending small talk and starting a meeting:
Well, let’s get started…
Shall we talk about (the topic of the meeting)…?
Anyway, let’s talk about (the topic of the meeting)…

Changing the Topic

Anyway… (followed by a pause — an all-purpose expression for changing the subject)

So, you mentioned earlier that…
Earlier you said that…
Getting back to… (returning to a previous topic)

Continuing on your Partner’s Conversation Thread

That reminds me of…

Something similar happened to me…
I know exactly what you mean…

Getting your Conversation Partner to Elaborate

This article lists some strategies for encouraging a conversation partner to elaborate. We can repeat what the other
person said, ask a follow up question, or quickly state how we feel about something.

Continuing a Conversation after an Interruption

Where were we?

Anyway, you were saying…
So as I was saying…

Ending a Conversation

Note that we often say the word “well” followed by a pause.

Ending a casual conversation:

Well, I’d better get back to (what you were working on)…
Well, I’ll let you get back to (what the other person was working on)…
Well, I’ll let you get back to work.
Well, I know you’re busy. I won’t take up any more of your time.
I should get going. It was nice talking to you.
Well, I have to run. It was nice talking to you.
Well, it was nice seeing you. Say hello to (name) for me.
Well, I have a meeting in a few minutes. I better get going.
I have to call one of my clients. I’ll catch up with you later.

Ending a work-related conversation:

To end a work-related conversation, we often mention what the next steps are.
Okay, I’ll talk with my team and I’ll give you a call tomorrow morning.
So, we’ll wait for Joanna’s response and then go from there.
Okay, I’ll work on the proposal and send it to you by the end of the week.
Note that we would also say “bye,” “goodbye” or something similar after these expressions.

Expressions for Agreeing, Disagreeing, Suggesting Alternatives, and Interrupting

Below are some useful expressions for agreeing, disagreeing, suggesting alternatives, and interrupting.

Giving an Opinion
In my opinion… Asking for an Opinion
I think… What do you think?
The way I see it… Do you agree?
According to… What are your thoughts on this?
As far as I’m concerned…

Agreeing
I completely agree. (strong) Disagreeing
You’re absolutely right. (strong) I completely disagree. (strong)
I couldn’t agree more. (strong) I totally disagree. (strong)
Exactly. I disagree.
You’re right. That’s not always true.
I agree. That’s not always the case.
I guess so. (weak) I’m not so sure about that. (weak)
You could be right. (weak) I don’t know if I agree with you. (weak)
You may have a point there. (weak)

Acknowledging someone’s argument and presenting yours

I agree with you, but…
That may be true, but…
I see your point, but…
I guess so, but…
That’s not necessarily true because…
Not necessarily because…

Countering Directly
But…
But why…?
But if…
But what about…
Interrupting
Sorry to interrupt, but…
Can I add something?
Sorry, you were saying… (after interrupting someone)
Please let me finish. (after being interrupted)

Redirecting
Let’s get back to…
Getting back to…
You were saying that…

Business Email Closings: How to End an Email

There are an almost infinite number of ways to end an email depending on context. Here are just a few examples:

 Making an Announcement – Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

 Making a Request – I look forward to your reply.
 Responding to a Request – Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.
 Apologizing /Responding to a Complaint – Once again, we apologize for…
 Extending an Invitation – I hope to see you there.
 Requesting a Meeting – I look forward to our meeting.
 Brief Sign off – Many thanks.

Business Email Closings: How to End an Email

Making an Announcement

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. (formal)
Should you have any questions, please contact me. (formal)
Should you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. (formal)
If you have any questions, please contact me. (neutral)
If you have any questions, please let me know. (neutral)
If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. (neutral)
If you have any questions, please call us at…(neutral – email to external contact)
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. (neutral – email to external contact)
Thank you for your patience and understanding. (formal – announcing a delay)
Thank you for your understanding. (formal)
Thank you for your patience. (neutral – announcing a delay)
Thank you for your cooperation. (neutral – usually for announcements to many people)

Making a Request

Thank you for giving this request your consideration. (formal)

Thank you for your consideration. (formal)
I look forward to your reply. (formal)
I appreciate your assistance. (formal)
I appreciate your help. (neutral)
Thanks for your help. (neutral)
I look forward to hearing from you…(neutral – expecting a response from external contact)
I hope to hear from you soon. (neutral – expecting a response from external contact)
Thank you for your time. (formal)
Please contact me at your earliest convenience. (formal)
Thank you in advance for your prompt reply. (formal – to express urgency)
Please get back to me as soon as possible. (neutral – to express urgency)

Responding to a Request

Let me know if I can be of assistance in any way. (formal)

Let me know if there’s anything else I can do. (neutral)
Let me know if you need anything else on my end. (neutral)
Hope this helps. (neutral/informal, often used as a sign-off as well)

Apologizing /Responding to a Complaint

Once again, sincere apologies for…

Once again, we regret…
We apologize for the misunderstanding.

Extending an Invitation

I sincerely hope you can attend. (formal)

I hope you can attend. (neutral)
I hope to see you there. (neutral)

Requesting a Meeting

I look forward to meeting with you…(formal)

I hope to see you soon…(neutral)

Other Ways to End an Email

Thank you for your continued business. (formal email to a regular customer)
Thank you for choosing…(acknowledgement of an order)

Sign-offs

With some of the above expressions, an additional sign-off may be unnecessary. Most times, however, it is
appropriate to include a sign-off as well. Below are some of the safest/most common.
Warm regards, (formal)
Best regards, (formal)
Best, (neutral)
Regards, (neutral)
Thank you, (neutral)
Thanks, (neutral)
Thanks again, (neutral)

Other sign-offs:
Have a great weekend.
Have a great night.
Hope this helps.
See you tomorrow morning.
Keep up the good work. (from a supervisor to an employee)
Good job! (from a supervisor to an employee)
Business Email Openings: How to Start an Email
It can be difficult to find the right opening sentence for an email. Below are some common expressions for starting
business emails. Also see these business email closings.

Making an Announcement
Please be advised that…(formal)
Please be aware that…(formal)
Please note that…(neutral)
We are pleased to announce…(for good news)
We are proud to announce…(for good news)
Effective immediately…
As of (date)…
Due to recent events…
As you know…(announcing something people are aware of)
We regret to announce…(for bad news)

Note that we can also start an announcement with an infinitive.

To address our issues with…
To better serve our customers…

Making a Request

I am writing to request…(formal)
I am writing in reference to…(formal)
I am writing to inquire about…(formal — requesting information)
I would appreciate it if you could…(formal request)
I was wondering if you could…(formal request)
Do you think you might be able…? (formal request)
I am interested in finding out more about…(neutral — requesting information)
I would like to know if…(neutral — requesting information)
Do you think you could…? (neutral)
Would you please…? (neutral)
Could you please send…? (neutral)
Could you please…? (neutral)
Can you please…? (neutral)

Following up on a Conversation

As per our discussion…(formal)

Per our discussion…(formal)
In reference to our earlier conversation…(formal)
This is to confirm that…(confirming something the writer stated during a conversation)
As we discussed on (date/day)…(neutral-formal)
Regarding our conversation on (date/day)…(neutral-formal)
As I said on (date/day)…(informal)
Like I said on (date/day)…(informal)

Apologizing

Please accept our apologies for…(formal)

We would like to apologize for…(formal)
We sincerely apologize for…(formal)
I am deeply sorry for…(formal)
I’m sorry, but…(informal, used for minor transgressions — ex. I’m sorry, but I have to reschedule the meeting)
I’m afraid that…(used for minor transgressions or softening bad news)

Extending an Invitation
We would like to cordially invite you to…(formal)
You are cordially invited to attend…(formal)
We would be delighted if you joined us…(formal)
We would like to invite you to…(neutral)
You are invited to attend…(neutral)

Note that for invitations to a well-known business contact, less formal language is acceptable.
Would you like to go…?
Any chance you’d like to…?
I’d like to invite you to…

Congratulating Someone

Congratulations on your…
Congratulations on being…
I was pleased to hear about…
I was happy to hear about…

Reminding Someone

Just a friendly reminder that…

Just a quick note to remind you about…
Just a brief reminder that…
Have you had a chance to…? (gently reminding someone to finish a task)
Just checking on the status of…(gently reminding someone to finish a task)

Delivering Bad News

We are sorry to inform you…

We regret to inform you…
We regret to announce…

Note that we can also use expressions with due to, after, and despite to communicate bad news.
Due to (reason) we are unable to…
After consulting with…,
After evaluating…
Despite our best efforts,…

Responding after a Delay

Please excuse the delay in responding to your last email…(formal)

I apologize for the delayed response. (formal)
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. (neutral-informal)

Requesting Payment

Our records show…

According to our records…
This is a reminder that…
Note that if multiple emails are needed, the tone typically gets progressively more direct. See the examples here.

Responding to a Complaint
Thanks for letting us know about…
Thank you for informing us about…
Thank you for sharing your experience with…
Thank you for taking the time to write to us…
Thank you for your email…

Note that many experts recommend starting these responses by thanking the customer. The actual apology usually
comes later in the email. Some common expressions we use to apologize in response to a complaint include:
We’re sorry for any frustration this may have caused.
We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.
We sincerely apologize for…

Acknowledgement

Thank you for your prompt reply…(formal)

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly…(neutral)
Thank you for the detailed response…(formal)
Thank you for your order of…(neutral)
Thank you for completing…(neutral)
This is to confirm that we have received…(neutral)
Thank you for your email…(neutral)

Conversation Starters
Below are some conversation starters for business English classes. The questions can be used as a warm-up or full
conversation lesson.

If you had to start your own business right now, what type of business would you start? Why?

What was the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received? How did it help you?

What is the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? Did you take the person’s advice?

Are people more stressed out than they were 30 years ago? Why or why not?

Have you ever purchased anything from an infomercial? What was it? Was it a good purchase? Did you get ripped off?

Is your career the career you thought you’d have when you were in high school?

Have you ever had to give a speech in front of a large group of people? How did it go?

Have you ever made an embarrassing mistake in English? What was it?

Agree or disagree: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

Have you ever worked for a company that offered unusual perks to its employees? Explain.

Do you know anyone who is very disorganized but still able to be successful? Tell your partner(s) about this person.

Who is the most organized person you know?

Have you ever forgotten about an important event? What happened?

If you had $1,000,000 to invest, how would you invest it?

What book has influenced you the most? How has it influenced you?

Can someone be taught to be a leader?

What was the best business trip you’ve ever taken? The worst?

Who was your favorite college professor? How did this person influence you? How would your life be different if you
hadn’t taken a class with this professor?

Is it okay for companies to not pay their interns? Why or why not? Did you have an internship? Was it a paid position?

Are dress codes important? Is there any benefit to having a formal dress code?

What is the biggest goal that you’ve already achieved? How were you able to achieve this goal?

What is a good age to retire? When you retire, do you think you’ll still work as a consultant or have a part-time job?

What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing right now? How are you responding to this challenge?

Tell us about a time you got ripped off? Did you try to get your money back?

Tell us about something you bought that was a terrific bargain?

Do you think friends make good business partners? Why or why not?

What is the best customer service experience you’ve had? The worst?

What is the most controversial law in your industry? Why is it controversial? Do you think it will ever be changed?

Have you learned from your failures? If so, how?

Are you a multitasker? Do you think people multitask too much?

Do you think the office is a good place to get work done? Why or why not?

Does business jargon bother you? Are there any particular expressions that bother you? Is jargon common in your
industry?

What is the most useful website for professionals in your industry? Why?

Who was more influential, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs?

Are people in your industry accurately portrayed in movies and TV shows? Explain.
Do you know of any cases of businesses being sued for strange reasons? What happened?

Have you ever met one of your heroes? What was it like?

Do you think we should regularly disconnect from technology? Do you normally try to do this or are you always
connected?

Do you think it’s better to be lucky than good? Why or why not?

If you didn’t have your current job, what would you be doing?

Did you have part-time jobs when you were in high school in college? What did you do? What was the worst part-time job
you’ve ever had?

Do you think it’s important for high school and college students to work part-time jobs or do you think students should
concentrate 100% on their studies? Explain.

What do you think is the hardest college major? Why? Do you know anyone who graduated with a degree in that field?

Would you describe yourself as an optimist, pessimist, or realist? Which type of people do you think tend to be the most
successful?

Tell us about a time you solved a problem by coming up with a creative solution.

Agree or disagree: We should use translators and interpreters more instead of insisting on English.

What unusual skill or skills have come in handy at your current job?

What recent technological advancements have made your job easier? Have any technological advancements made your
job harder?

Agree or disagree: It’s okay to exaggerate and not be 100% truthful on your resume.

Are you an extrovert, introvert, or somewhere in the middle? Are most people in your industry extroverts or introverts?

What’s the best decision you’ve ever made in your professional life? The worst?

Do you have any unusual ways of coping with stress? What are they? Do you know anyone who copes with stress in an
unusual way?

What countries would you not mind relocating to? Why?

Common Mistakes in Emails

Read the email excerpts below. Each excerpt has at least two common mistakes that English language learners make
when writing emails. Identify and correct the mistakes. The answers are listed after the activity.

Correct the Mistakes

1. I would like to remember everyone that Mr. Lewis, a prospective client, will be visiting the office next Tuesday.
He’ll be in the office since 9 a.m. until about noon. I will appreciate it if everyone could dress in business professional
attire during his visit. We want to make sure everyone make a good impression.

2. I called to Sandra’s office and talked to her secretary. She said me that Sandra wasn’t in the office, but that she
would be back at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. Do you wish me to call her again this afternoon to discuss about the new
proposal?

3. Thanks for inviting me to the event. Would you mind to send me the address so I can get directions? Thanks – I’m
looking forward to see you.

4. Thanks for send me the potential travel itineraries. It doesn’t mind to me which flight I take. Regards hotels, let’s
choose the hotel in the city center. I’ll like to be close to where the convention is being held.

5. I am writing regarding to order number CS4789. It seems that the amount due is unusual high. Please see the
attach copy of the invoice. Could you please to review it and ensure the amount is correct?

6. Have everyone had the chance to review all the informations in the employee handbook? If you need anything
clarified, please contact to your manager.

7. I’ve been working like a freelance software developer since the last few years. After be self-employed for many
years, I am very interesting in finding a full-time position with your company.

8. We are pleased to inform that we have started making business with a new client. Starting on February, we’ll be
handling customer service calls for a cable company in United States. We’re very pleased that our company is
continuing to grow up.

9. Do you think you would send me some information about shipping options? I’m wondering how can we insure the
products arrive soon. We need these items until the end of the month at the latest.

10. Jerry, I’m forwarding you a question from one of our customer. Could you respond him as soon as possible?

11. After careful reviewing your application, we regret informing you that you have not been selected for the position.
We thank you for your interest in our company, and we wish you the better of luck with your search.

12. I’m not pretty sure I can end this project by the end of the day. I’d appreciate it if you can help me later this
afternoon.

13. Farther to our discussion, we’ll be offering full-time positions to our interns. Could we plan to meet in Friday to
discuss compensation packages?

14. Regard our year-end celebration, I’m agree that we should hold the event in the city. If I’m not wrong, I think
many people complained last year about having to drive so far to the event.

Answers

1. I would like to remember remind everyone that Mr. Lewis, a prospective client, will be visiting the office next
Tuesday. He’ll be in the office since from 9 a.m. until about noon. I will would (I’d)appreciate it if everyone could
dress in business professional attire during his visit. We want to make sure everyone makes a good impression.
2. I called to Sandra’s office and talked to her secretary. She said told me (or said (that)…) that Sandra wasn’t in the
office, but that she would be back at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. Do you wish want me to call her again this afternoon to
discuss about the new proposal?

3. Thanks for inviting me to the event. Would you mind to send sending me the address so I can get directions?
Thanks – I’m looking forward to seeing you.

4. Thanks for sending me the potential travel itineraries. It doesn’t mind matter to me which flight I take (or I don’t
mind which flight I take). Regards Regarding hotels, let’s choose the hotel in the city center. I’ll I’d (I would) like to be
close to where the convention is being held.

5. I am writing regarding to order number CS4789. It seems that the amount due is unusually high. Please see the
attached copy of the invoice. Could you please to review it and ensure the amount is correct?

6. Have Has everyone had the chance to review all the informations in the employee handbook? If you need anything
clarified, please contact to your manager.

7. I’ve been working like as a freelance software developer since for the last few years. After being self-employed for
many years, I am very interesting interested in finding a full-time position with your company.

8. We are pleased to inform you (or We are pleased to announce) that we have started making doing business with a
new client. Starting on in February, we’ll be handling customer service calls for a cable company in the United States.
We’re very pleased that our company is continuing to grow up.

9. Do you think you would could send me some information about shipping options? I’m wondering how can we we
can insure ensure the products arrive soon. We need these items until by the end of the month at the latest.

10. Jerry, I’m forwarding you a question from one of our customers. Could you respond answer him (or respond to
him) as soon as possible?

11. After carefully reviewing your application, we regret informing to inform you that you have not been selected for
the position. We thank you for your interest in our company, and we wish you the better best of luck with your
search.

12. I’m not pretty sure I can end finish this project by the end of the day. I’d appreciate it if you can could help me
later this afternoon.

13. Farther Further to our discussion, we’ll be offering full-time positions to our interns. Could we plan to
meet in on Friday to discuss compensation packages?

14. Regarding our year-end celebration, I’m I agree that we should hold the event in the city. If I’m
not wrong mistaken, I think many people complained last year about having to drive so far to the event.

Correct the Mistakes

1. I want to inform that our offices will be closed next Thursday in celebration of a national holiday. If you have any
question, please let me know.

2. On the behalf of MegaCorp Enterprises, we’d like to welcome you to our team. We hope this is the start of a long-
term relation.

3. I have been a satisfied customer since three years. However, I’m writing to express my dissatisfaction for the order
we made on March 6.
4. I talked to Stan about the sales quote. He mentioned about wanting a better discount or free shipping on his order. I
think we should give him a better discount. Even though we lower the price by another 10%, we’ll still be making a
significant profit.

5. Could you please confirm us your participation to the event? We hope to have a list of all the participants during
next week at the latest.

6. Please let me to know if you have any questions about the documentations I provided.

7. Rather offering the candidate more money, could we offer her more vacation days?

8. If you have questions, please call me at the office next week. I would be in the office within normal business hours.

9. I am writing in regards the position of Senior Java Developer. I have a lot of experiences with this technology and
feel I would be a good fit for the position.

10. I apologize for not responding your mail sooner. I was attending customers all morning and didn’t have time.

11. Thank you for bringing this to my notice. I hope we can quickly solve this issue.

Answers

1. I want to inform you that our offices will be closed next Thursday in celebration of a national holiday. If you have
any questions, please let me know.

2. On the behalf of MegaCorp Enterprises, we’d like to welcome you to our team. We hope this is the start of a long-
term relationship.

3. I have been a satisfied customer since for three years. However, I’m writing to express my
dissatisfaction for with the order we made placed on March 6.

4. I talked to Stan about the sales quote. He mentioned about wanting a better discount or free shipping on his order. I
think we should give him a better discount. Even though if we lower the price by another 10%, we’ll still be making a
significant profit.

5. Could you please confirm us your participation to the event? We hope to have a list of all the
participants during by next week at the latest.

6. Please let me to know if you have any questions about the documentations I provided.

7. Rather than (or Instead of) offering the candidate more money, could we offer her more vacation days?

8. If you have questions, please call me at the office next week. I would will (I’ll) be in the office within during normal
business hours.

9. I am writing in regards regarding (or in regard to) the position of Senior Java Developer. I have a lot of
experiences with this technology and feel I would be a good fit for the position.

10. I apologize for not responding to your email sooner. I was attending assisting/helping/takingcare of/attending
to customers all morning and didn’t have time.
11. Thank you for bringing this to my notice attention. I hope we can quickly resolve this issue.

Common Mistakes in Emails 3: Collocation Errors

Collocations are word partners that sound natural to native speakers. For example, raise awarenessis a collocation,
but elevate awareness isn’t. In the exercise below, the words in red are collocation errors that English language
learners make in emails. Replace the red text with natural-sounding collocations. The potential answers are listed
below.

Correct the Collocation Errors

1. Thank you for bringing this to our notice. We’re working to solve this issue as quickly as possible.

2. I’m writing to show my dissatisfaction regarding the order I made on April 20. I am still anxiously waiting for the
products to arrive. Please ship my order immediately or I will be forced to abandon my order.

3. As asked for, I have attached a copy of your purchase order. Please let me know if you require extra assistance.

4. Our records display that there is an outstanding balance of $150 on your account. Please send us your payment as
soon as possible. If you have already sent your payment, please neglect this message and accept our thanks.

5. Just a kind reminder that today’s meeting has been suspended until next Wednesday at 11 a.m.

6. As you have been a faithful customer for years, we’ve decided to eliminate the late fee.

7. We warmly invite you to attend our annual holiday party. Your invitation is attached. We will have more details
about the event in the approaching weeks. If you have any questions, feel free to be in touch with us.

8. In my former email, I forgot to communicate that I will be out of the office this Thursday, August 26.

9. Thank your for your fast response. Your comments and advice are deeply appreciated.

10. Pricing depends of the size of your order. If you plan to order a big quantity of widgets, you may be eligible for a
quantity discount.

11. As I have recently ended my studies, I am currently searching a new position. I was wondering if you could write a
letter of recommendation in my behalf.

12. Our hours of work are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. However, the store is shuttomorrow in
observance of a national holiday.

13. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has generated. Thank you for your steady business.

14. We regret to notify you that your application has been denied. We thank you for your interest on ABC corporation,
and we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

Potential Answers

1. Thank you for bringing this to our notice bringing this to our attention. We’re working to solve this issue resolve
this issue as quickly as possible. (Note that we solve a problem and resolve an issue.)
2. I’m writing to show my dissatisfaction express my dissatisfaction regarding the order I made order I placed on
April 20. I am still anxiously waiting for the products to arrive. Please ship my order immediately or I will be forced
to abandon my order cancel my order.

3. As asked for As requested, I have attached a copy of your purchase order. Please let me know if you require extra
assistance further/additional assistance.

4. Our records display Our records show/indicate that there is an outstanding balance of $150 on your account.
Please send us your payment as soon as possible. If you have already sent your payment, please neglect this
message disregard/ignore this message and accept our thanks.

5. Just a kind reminder Just a friendly reminder that today’s meeting has been suspended meeting has been
postponed until next Wednesday at 11 a.m.

6. As you have been a faithful customer loyal customer for years, we’ve decided to eliminate the late fee waive the late
fee.

7. We warmly invite cordially invite you to attend our annual holiday party. Your invitation is attached. We will have
more details about the event in the approaching weeks coming weeks. If you have any questions, feel free to be in
touch feel free to get in touch with us.

8. In my former email previous email, I forgot to communicate forgot to mention that I will be out of the office this
Thursday, August 26.

9. Thank your for your fast response prompt response. Your comments and advice are deeply appreciated greatly
appreciated.

10. Pricing depends of depends on the size of your order. If you plan to order a big quantity large quantity of
widgets, you may be eligible for a quantity discount.

11. As I have recently ended my studies finished my studies, I am currently searching a new position seeking/looking
for a new position. I was wondering if you could write a letter of recommendation in my behalf on my behalf.

12. Our hours of work hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. However, the store is
shut the store is closed tomorrow in observance of a national holiday.

13. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has generated inconvenience this has caused. Thank you for
your steady business continued business.

14. We regret to notify regret to inform you that your application has been denied. We thank you for your interest
on interest in ABC corporation, and we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

Common English Mistakes

Below are 40 common English mistakes that beginners make. Correct the errors in each sentence and then see the
answers and explanations below.

For more error correction exercises, see:

Exercise 1A (intermediate)

Correct the Mistakes

1. Do you like it? No, I don’t like.

2. On Sunday, I always go to the church.

3. On Saturdays, I always go to movies.

4. I love listening music.

5. I born in 1962.

6. I could to go to the store tomorrow.

7. The last year I didn’t know much English.

8. Are you agree with me?

9. I’m afraid to the dark.

10. Always, I study before I go to bed.

11. I can’t eating when it’s late at night because I get sick.

12. I’m not very good for cooking.

13. After class, I always go to home.

14. My uncle John is funner than my uncle Mike.

15. These pants are more cheaper than the other ones.

16. Probably he likes soccer.

17. I love that movie because is funny.

18. I’m thinking of to go home because I’m tired.

19. I’m a doctor. So do I.

20. I go every day to school.

21. Do you have a dog? Yes, I have.

22. Do you like to go to the movies tomorrow night?

23. What are you doing? Right now I cook dinner.

24. I don’t dance good.

25. Where did you went yesterday?

26. When did you born?

27. What did you do yesterday? I did go to the mall.

28. There is much noise here.

29. How much restaurants are in your neighborhood?

30. Is very windy today.

31. I love Brazil because it’s too beautiful.

32. What you can do in New York City?

33. I have a daughter. I am too.

34. I’m glad we’re practicing grammar because I do a lot of mistakes.

35. Before make a presentation, you should practice a lot.

36. Things went really good today at work.

37. My mother always told me a bedtime history when I was a kid.

38. There isn’t a lot of cars on the road today.

39. Class today was really bored.

40. I don’t have no money.

See Answers and Explanations..

Answers and Explanations

1. Do you like it? No, I don’t like it.

Like is a transitive verb. This means that it must have an object. If we use the verb like, we have to say what the
person likes.

Examples:
I don’t like him.
I don’t like.
We like it.
We like.
They really like us.
They really like.
Do you like this?
Do you like?

Some other common transitive verbs are bring, cost, give, buy, make, show, and tell.

2. On Sunday, I always go to the church.

When we talk about attending church, we do not use the article the.

3. On Saturdays, I always go to the movies.

The expression is to go to the movies. We need the article the.

4. I love listening to music.

Between the verb listen and the object, we need the word to.

Examples:
Listen to your mother.
Listen your mother.
I listen to a lot of different types of music.
I listen a lot of different types of music.

5. I was born in 1962.

The verb is to be born. We need the verb to be.

Examples:
My mom was born in 1965.
My mom born in 1965.
The baby will probably be born in April.
The baby will probably born in April.
They were born on the same day.
They born on the same day.

6. I could to go to the store tomorrow.

After all modals verbs (can, would, could, must, may, might, will, should, and shall), we use the base form of the verb
and not the infinitive.
Examples:
I can swim.
I can to swim.
She might go to the movies
She might to go to the movies.
You must have a passport to travel to Canada
You must to have a passport to travel to Canada.

7. The Last year I didn’t know much English.

We do not use the before expressions like last year, next year, last night, last week, next week, last month, next month,
etc.

Examples:
I will see you next Friday.
I will see you the next Friday.
I went to Cancun last year.
I went to Cancun the last year.
Henry saw that movie last weekend.
Henry saw that movie the last weekend.

8. Are Do you agree with me?

To agree is a verb. We do not use the verb to be with agree.

Examples:
I agree with you
I am agree with you.
Mike agrees with me.
Mike is agree with me.
Does she agree with us?
Is she agree with us?

9. I’m afraid to of the dark.

The expression is to be afraid of something.

10. Always, I always study before I go to bed.

In general, adverbs of frequency (always, almost always, usually, often, sometimes, hardly ever, almost
never, and never) go before the main verb or after the verb to be.

Before the main verb:

I always study before I go to bed.
I study always before I go to bed.
Always I study before I go to bed.
I almost always drink coffee in the afternoon.
I drink almost always coffee in the afternoon.
Almost always, I drink coffee in the afternoon.

After the verb to be:

They’re always late for class.
They’re late always for class.
Always, they’re late for class.
I’m almost never awake at midnight.
I’m awake almost never at midnight.
Almost never I’m awake at midnight.

Sometimes is a bit different. It follows the same rules as the other adverbs of frequency, but can also go at the
beginning of a sentence.
I sometimes go to the beach on Saturday.
Sometimes I go to the beach on Saturday.
I go sometimes to the beach on Saturday.

11. I can’t eating eat when it’s late at night because I get sick.

After all modals verbs (can, would, could, must, may, might, will, should, and shall), we only use the base form of the
verb. We don’t use the gerund or the infinitive form of the verb.

Examples:
I might go to the play.
I might going to the play.
I might to go to the play.

12. I’m not very good for at cooking.

We say good at + gerund, not good for + gerund to talk about things people do well.

Examples:
He is good at cooking.
He is good for cooking.
Karly is good at ice skating.
Karly is good for ice skating.

13. After class, I always go to home.

The correct expression is to go home. Go to home is incorrect.

14. My uncle John is funner more fun than my uncle Mike.

Fun does not follow the rule for one-syllable adjectives. The comparative form of fun is more fun.

15. These pants are more cheaper than the other ones.

The comparative form of one-syllable adjectives (except for the irregulars good, bad, far, and fun) is formed by adding
“er” to the adjective.

Examples:
Which movie is longer?
Which movie is more long?
I am taller than my brother.
I am more tall than my brother.

16. Probably He probably likes soccer.

We don’t normally start a sentence with probably. Probably usually goes before the main verb or after the verb to be.

Before the main verb:

Your dog probably wants to go outside.
Probably, your dog wants to go outside.
I probably have a cold.
Probably, I have a cold.

After the verb to be:

He’s probably sick.
Probably, he’s sick.
We’re probably going to be late because of all this traffic.
Probably, we’re going to be late.

17. I love that movie because it is funny.

After because we need a noun and a verb.

Examples:
I like you because you are such a nice person.
I like you because are such a nice person.
I moved to Florida because it was too cold in New Jersey.
I moved to Florida because was cold in New Jersey.

18. I’m thinking of to go going home because I’m tired.

If we use a verb immediately after a preposition, we need the gerund. We can never use the infinitive immediately
after a preposition. Some common prepositions are on, of, before, after, to, in, about, and with.
Examples:
I’m reading a book about starting your own business.
I’m reading a book about to start your own business.
After studying all day, I was tired.
After to study all day, I was tired.
Besides running, I also like playing soccer.
Besides to run, I also like playing soccer.

19. I’m a doctor. So do I. So am I.

To agree with a statement which has the verb to be, we use the verb to be in the short response (or simply say “yes”).

Examples:
He’s hungry. Response: So am I.
He’s hungry. Response: So do I.

20. I go every day to school every day.

In general, we put frequency expressions (every day, once a month, three times a year, twice a day,etc.) at the end of
the sentence.

Examples:
I go to the gym three times a week.
I go three times a week to the gym.
Some people clean their house every day.
Some people clean every day their house.
We have English class twice a week.
We have twice a week English class.

21. Do you have a dog? Yes, I have do.

The chart below shows how to form short affirmative and negative responses to yes or no questions.

Question Affirmative Negative

do or does

Do you like your job? Yes, I do. No, I don’t.

Does he like his job? Yes, he does. No, he doesn’t.

Do we have to work today? Yes, we do. No, we don’t.

Do they have to work today? Yes, they do. No, they don’t.

to be

Are you Michael? Yes, I am. No, I’m not.

Is he Spanish? Yes, he is. No, he isn’t. or No, he’s not.

Are you and your wife American? Yes, we are. No, we aren’t. or No, we’re not.

Are they managers? Yes, they are. No, they aren’t. or No, they’re not.

modals (respond with same modal in

question)

Can you swim? Yes, I can. No, I can’t.

Can he swim? Yes, he can. No, he can’t.

Should we invite him? Yes, we should. No, we shouldn’t.

Will they help us? Yes, they will. No, they won’t.
22. Do Would you like to go to the movies tomorrow night?

There are two main ways to invite someone to go somewhere in English.

Formal: Would you like + infinitive………..?

Informal: Do you want + infinitive……..?

Both forms are correct, but we cannot combine the forms.

Examples:
Would you like to go to lunch?
Do you want to go to lunch?
Do you like to go to lunch?
Would you want to go to lunch?

23. What are you doing? Right now I cook am cooking dinner.

To talk about something that is happening right now, we use the present continuous.

Examples:
I’m eating lunch right now. I’ll call you later.
I eat lunch right now. I’ll call you later.
She’s walking the dog at the moment.
She walks the dog at the moment.
We’re paying attention right now.
We pay attention right now.
Note that some verbs are not normally used in the continuous tenses. We call these verbs stative verbs. Stative verbs
include want, depend, remember, believe and agree. Stative verbs do not involve actions. They are verbs which
communicate feelings, beliefs, or mental states. For a complete list of stative verbs and examples of their use, see this
page.

24. I don’t dance good well.

Good is an adjective. We use it to modify a noun.

Examples:
This is a good book.
This is a well book.
I had a good day yesterday
I had a well day yesterday.

Well is an adverb. We use it to modify a verb or adjective.

Examples:
He plays soccer very well.
He plays soccer very good.
How well do you cook?
How good do you cook?
I did very well on my test.
I did very good on my test.
Exception: If we are talking about a verb involving some type of sensation (feel, smell, hear, for example) we
use good instead of well.

Examples:
That idea sounds good.
That idea sounds well.
It smells really good in here.
It smells really well in here.

25. Where did you went go yesterday?

In general, the formula for forming questions is:

Questions Word + Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Other (QwASVO)

When the auxiliary is do, does, did or any modal, the main verb needs to be in the base form. The main verb is never in
the simple past for questions with did.

Examples:
What did you eat for breakfast yesterday?
Did you sleep well last night?
What did you ate for breakfast yesterday?
Did you slept well last night?

26. When did were you born?

The verb is to be born. We always use the verb to be before born. We need the auxiliary to be in the question form.

Examples:
Where were you born?
Where did you born?
Where were they born?
Where did they born?
What time was I born?
What time did I born?

27. What did you do yesterday? I did go went to the mall.

We mostly use did for:

1. questions in the simple past tense

Where did you go yesterday?
2. short answers in the past tense
Did she go to work yesterday. Yes, she did.
If we want to make a statement in the simple past tense, we do not use did unless it is a short answer to a question (or
to express emphasis).

Examples:
I saw a movie yesterday.
*I did see a movie yesterday.
I talked to my boss last night.
*I did talk to my boss last night.
I watched TV on Sunday.
*I did watch TV on Sunday.
* These sentences would be correct if we’re expressing emphasis. See this page for an explanation.

28. There is much a lot of noise here.

For affirmative statements with non-count nouns, we use a lot of.

29. How much many restaurants are in your neighborhood?

We use How many… for count nouns (things that we can count).
We use How much…for non-count nouns (things we can’t count).
For more information, see this guide to count and non-count nouns.

30. It is very windy today.

Unless we are using the imperative, sentences in English need a subject.

We use it as the subject for statements about the weather, times and dates, and opinions about places.

Examples:
It is raining really hard right now.
Is raining really hard right now.
It’s 3:35 in the afternoon.
Is 3:35 in the afternoon.
It’s too crowded here. Let’s leave.
Is too crowded here. Let’s leave.

For more information see this page from the British Council.

31. I love Brazil because it’s too really/very beautiful.

We use too before an adjective when there is a greater quantity or number of something than we want. In the above
sentence, the speaker is talking about something good (the beauty of Brazil). Therefore, we can’t use too.

The words very and really are neutral. They intensify the adjective and can be used to communicate something good
or bad.
32. What you can can you do in New York City?

In general, the formula for forming questions is:

Questions Word + Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Other (QwASVO)

In this example, can is the auxiliary verb. The auxiliary verb needs to go before the subject.

33. I have a daughter. I am do too.

See the explanation to number 21.

34. I’m glad we’re practicing grammar because I do make a lot of mistakes.

We make mistakes. We don’t do mistakes. Make and do, can be confusing. This is an excellent make vs. do
chart which explains some of the tendencies. Also see these business collocations with do and make and this practice
activity.

35. Before make making a presentation, you should practice a lot.

See the explanation to number 18.

36. Things went really good well today at work.

See the explanation to number 24.

37. My mother always told me a bedtime history story when I was a kid.

The difference between history and story can be confusing. A history explains a chronological collection of events that
shows how something has progressed, changed, or developed over time (the history of the world, a person’s medical
history, the history of the Vikings, etc.) A historyusually deals with political, social, or economic topics and often
includes an explanation of the events.
A story is a description of an event or series of events (real or fake) and is often told with the intent to entertain the
listener.

In the example above, we’re talking about something that isn’t real and which is designed to entertain the listener.
Therefore, story is the correct word.
38. There isn’t aren’t a lot of cars on the road today.

We use there is to communicate the existence of a singular noun. We use there are to communicate the existence
of plural nouns. In the example above, we have a plural noun.

39. Class today was really bored boring.

Some adjectives have “ed” and “ing” forms.

annoying/annoyed
boring/bored
confusing/confused
depressing/depressed
exciting/excited
frightening/frightened
frustrating/frustrated
satisfying/satisfied
shocking/shocked

The two forms of the adjectives are not the same. The “ing” adjectives are used for nouns that cause a feeling or
emotion. The “ed” adjectives are used to describe nouns that receive a feeling or emotion.

40. I don’t have no any money.

Some languages use double negatives. In English, we do not use double negatives. If we want to say that the speaker
has $0.00, we can say I don’t have any money or I have no money.

Examples:
He doesn’t have any experience.
He has no experience.
He doesn’t have no experience.
There aren’t any parking spaces.
There are no parking spaces.
There aren’t no parking spaces.

Common English Mistakes – Error Correction Exercise 2A (Intermediate)

Below are 25 common English mistakes that intermediate students make. Correct the errors in each sentence and
then see the answers and explanations below.

For more error correction exercises, see:

Exercise 1 (beginner)
Exercises 2B (intermediate)
Exercise 2C (intermediate)
Exercise 3A (advanced)
Common Mistakes in Emails
Common Mistakes in Emails 2
Error Correction for Spanish Speakers
Correct the Mistakes

1. We are only five on our team.

2. I would rather to work from home than come to the office.

3. We’re used to have a lot of work to do, so meeting the deadline won’t be a problem.

4. My client sent me an email but I haven’t replied her yet.

5. Maybe I’m going to finish this today.

6. Please borrow me your badge so I can get into the storage closet.

7. I can’t finish this by the end of the day. Even though I spend all day on it, I won’t finish on time.

8. Probably, I’ll go to the beach on Saturday.

9. The Old Man and the Sea was written for Ernest Hemingway.

10. Our office is near to the airport, so it will be easy for you to get here.

11. We have many stuffs to do this week, so I don’t know if I can go to English class.

12. Despite I was tired, I came to work today.

13. If we had a gym here, I can work out after work.

14. I always try to do things very careful and make sure I do them correct. (two mistakes)

15. We have people from all over the world here: India, United States, Venezuela, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany,
and France. (two mistakes)

16. Are we going to have to work overtime again this week? I hope no.

17. Yesterday, he told me that he will send the email after lunch, but he didn’t do it.

18. My schedule often changes, but I normally work since 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

19. I thought you were still with Microsoft. When did you stop to work there?

20. I’m not pretty sure about what we should do.

21. How long time did you work in the public sector?
22. Do you know where is the restaurant?

23. He is well-experienced, so we know that he can do the job.

24. Who is in charge to decide which printer to buy?

25. I had a hard time getting in touch with my supervisor. After calling for hours, I finally could get in touch with her.

Common English Mistakes – Error Correction Exercise 2A (Intermediate)

Answers and Explanations

1. We are only five There are five of us on our team.

We say there are five of us, there are seven of them, there are three of you, etc. We don’t normally say We are five, they
are seven, etc.

Examples:
There are five of us working on this project.
We are five working on this project.
There are six of you in your department, correct?
You are six in your department, correct?

2. I would rather to work from home than come to the office.

After rather, we use the base form of the verb (I’d rather go/work/eat/see, etc.).

3. We’re used to have having a lot of work to do, so meeting the deadline won’t be a problem.

To talk about something that someone is accustomed to doing, we use the following formula:

Subject + verb to be + used to + gerund

Examples:
I’m used to getting up early, so I don’t mind coming in at 7 a.m.
I’m used to get up early, so I don’t mind coming in at 7 a.m.
She’s not used to speaking English on the phone, so it sometimes makes her nervous.
She’s not used to speak English on the phone, so it sometimes makes her nervous.

Note that we often use this grammatical structure to talk about why something is (or isn’t) a problem.
4. My client sent me an email but I haven’t replied her yet.

We use reply without an object or followed by “to” + what/who we are replying to.

Examples:
I received an invitation from John, but I haven’t replied yet.
I received an invitation from John, but I haven’t replied him yet.
I haven’t replied to his email yet.
I haven’t replied his email yet.

Note that the same rule applies to the verb respond.

5. Maybe I’m going to I might finish this today.

We don’t use Maybe + subject + I’m going to to communicate a future possibility. Instead, we use might and the base
form of the verb.

Examples:
She might go to the meeting.
Maybe she’s going to go to the meeting.
They might not finish the project on time.
Maybe they’re not going to finish the project on time.

Note that we can also use Maybe +subject + will + base form to communicate a future possibility that the speaker is
thinking about at the moment of speaking. Maybe I’ll watch the game tonight, for example.

6. Please borrow lend me your badge so I can get into the storage closet.

The person who owns the item lends it, and the person who uses the item for a short period of time borrows it.

7. I can’t finish this by the end of the day. Even though Even if I spend all day on it, I won’t finish on time.

We use even though or although for something that is true. We use even if to talk about a hypothetical condition.

Examples:
We’re going to the beach tomorrow even if it rains. (hypothetical condition)
We’re going to the beach tomorrow even though it rains.
Even though it rained, we had a great time at the beach. (something that is true)
Even if it rained, we had a great time at the beach.

8. Probably, I’ll probably go to the beach on Saturday.

Probably typically goes before the main verb or after the verb to be.
Note that the negative would be I probably won’t go to the beach on Saturday.

9. The Old Man and the Sea was written for by Ernest Hemingway.

In the passive voice, we use by to talk about who created something (a painting, a book, a story, etc.).

10. Our office is near to the airport, so it will be easy for you to get here.

We say close to or near, but not near to.

11. We have many stuffs a lot of stuff to do this week, so I don’t know if I can go to English class.

Stuff has no plural form. It is a non-count noun.

12. Despite Even though/Although I was tired, I came to work today.

We use despite/in spite of before a noun or gerund. We use even though/although before a subject and a verb.

Examples:
Despite being sick, I came to work.
In spite of being sick, I came to work.
Despite I was sick, I came to work.
In spite of I was sick, I came to work.
Although I was sick, I came to work.
Even though I was sick, I came to work.
Although being sick, I came to work.
Even though my sickness, I came to work.

13. If we had a gym here, I can could work out after work.

This is an unreal conditional (also called the second conditional). We use the unreal conditional to talk about
hypothetical or unreal situations in the present or future. For more information, see this guide to conditionals.

14. I always try to do things very careful carefully and make sure I do them correct correctly. (two mistakes)

In this sentence, we need to use adverbs instead of adjectives because we are modifying a verb.
15. We have people from all over the world here: India, the United States, Venezuela, Canada, theUnited Kingdom,
Germany, and France. (two mistakes)

We use the in the names of certain countries:

the United States

the United Kingdom
the Czech Republic
the Dominican Republic
the Netherlands
the Philippines
the Bahamas
the Maldives
the United Arab Emirates
the Sudan

General rules for when we use the in the name of a country:

a. if the country or area is a collection of islands (the Maldives, the Canary Islands).
b. If we are using the complete name of the country with the word “of.” The People’s Republic of China, for example.

16. Are we going to have to work overtime again this week? I hope no not.

The expression is I hope not, not I hope no.

17. Yesterday, he told me that he will would send the email after lunch, but he didn’t do it.

In reported speech, will becomes would or was/were going to.

Examples:
On my first day, they told me that we would have orientation at the end of my first week.
On my first day, they told me that we were going to have orientation at the end of my first week.
On my first day, they told me that we will have orientation at the end of my first week.
On my first day, they told me that we are going to have orientation at the end of my first week.

18. My schedule often changes, but I normally work since from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For schedules, we use from….to….

19. I thought you were still with Microsoft. When did you stop to work working there?

We use stop + gerund to communicate that an action has finished.

Examples:
I stopped working at 6 p.m. last night.
I stopped to work at 6 p.m. last night.

We use stop + infinitive to communicate that we stopped one action in order to start another action.

Examples:
I was working this morning, but I stopped to run some errands.
I was working this morning, but I stopped running some errands.

20. I’m not pretty sure about what we should do.

We don’t use pretty sure in the negative. We can say I’m pretty sure, but I’m not pretty sure is incorrect.

21. How long time did you work in the public sector?

We say How long… for questions about duration of time, not How long time…

22. Do you know where is the restaurant the restaurant is?

After expressions like Do you know…, Could you tell me,.. and I was wondering if… we use statement order,
not question order. These are called indirect questions.

Examples:
Could you tell me what time it is?
Could you tell me what time is it?
Do you know who she is?
Do you know who is she?

23. He is well-experienced He has a lot of experience, so we know that he can do the job.

We can’t use well before all adjectives. Sometimes it works (well-paid, well-educated), but sometimes it does not (well-
knowledgeable, well-interpreted).

24. Who is in charge to decide of deciding which printer to buy?

We say in charge of + gerund.

25. I had a hard time getting in touch with my supervisor. After calling for hours, I finally could was able get in touch
with her.

We use was/were able to to talk about one successful event in the past. We use could or was/were able to to talk about
what was generally possible in the past.

Examples:
We were able to outbid out competitors. (we outbid them and won the contract)
We could outbid our competitors. (incorrect if we are talking about one successful event in the past)
When I was younger I could work out every day. (generally possible in the past = was/were able toor could)
When I was younger, I was able to work out every day. (generally possible in the past = was/were able to or could)

Note that in the negative form we can use both forms.

Examples:
We weren’t able to outbid our competitors.
We couldn’t outbid our competitors.

Common English Mistakes – Error Correction Exercise 2B (Intermediate)

Below are 25 common English mistakes that intermediate students make. Correct the errors in each sentence and
then see the answers and explanations below.

For more error correction exercises, see:

Exercise 1 (beginner)
Exercise 2A (intermeidate)
Exercise 2C (intermediate)
Exercise 3A (advanced)
Common Mistakes in Emails
Common Mistakes in Emails 2
Error Correction for Spanish Speakers

Correct the Mistakes

1. I never traveled internationally. I might next year, though.

2. I really enjoyed to be there yesterday.

3. If you want to be successful, you need to believe in you.

4. She’s really selfish. She only cares about her.

5. They’ve been married during ten years.

6. Is important to be polite and respectful.

7. I wish I have more time to finish the proposal.

8. I work here since 2010.

9. I’ve been studied a lot lately.

10. The TV is too loud? Okay, I turn it down.

11. When I was a kid I used to playing sports with my friends.

12. Waking up early was hard at first, but now I’m used to do it.

13. This office isn’t as big than the other office.

14. They didn’t think that the house was enough big.

15. I had to think about the problem for a while, but I finally figured out it.

16. I got here late because the traffic.

17. They’re looking forward to go on vacation next year.

18. We need to analyze more deeply this problem.

19. If we hire more people, we wouldn’t be so busy.

20. Today we discussed about potential strategies.

21. This will allow us to concentrate on our business and don’t worry about our IT infrastructure.

22. They gave him more responsibilities due to he is handling his current responsibilities very well.

23. They wouldn’t let me to leave early today even though I had something really important to take care of.

24. In the meantime John prepared breakfast, I worked on putting the finishing touches on my presentation.

25. I wish to have a relaxing vacation this December.

Answers and Explanations

1. I never I’ve never traveled internationally. I might next year, though.

If we’re talking about not having experienced something that we might experience in the future, we normally use the
present perfect.

Examples:
I’ve never seen a movie in Spanish.
I never saw a movie in Spanish.
I’ve never eaten broccoli.
I never ate broccoli.

Note that we use the simple past if we are talking about not having experienced something that we will never have
the chance to experience.

Examples:
I didn’t go to my high school graduation.
I haven’t gone to my high school graduation.

2. I really enjoyed to be being there yesterday.

After certain verbs, we use the gerund instead of the infinitive. Enjoy is one of these verbs. Some other verbs that are
followed by the gerund are consider, delay, dislike, finish, imagine, mind, miss, practice, risk, and tolerate.

Examples:
I miss being a college student.
I miss to be a college student.
We finished working on the project around 2:00.
We finished to work on the project around 2:00.
They don’t mind staying late if they have a lot of work.
They don’t mind to stay late if they have a lot of work.

For more information, see this guide to using use two verbs together.

3. If you want to be successful, you need to believe in you yourself.

When the subject and the verb of a sentence are the same, we use reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, yourselves,
himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves).

Examples:
You need to believe in yourself.
You need to believe in you.
He emailed the document to himself.
He emailed the document to him.
They have to cook for themselves.
They have to cook for them.

4. She’s really selfish. She only cares about her herself.

See the explanation to number 3.

5. They’ve been married during for ten years.

We use during to say over what period of time something happened in the past. To communicate how long
an unfinished action has been happening, we use for or since. We use for for a duration of time (four months, five
years, 26 minutes, nine days, etc.) and we use since for specific moments in time (9 AM, Thursday, 1963, etc.).

6. It is important to be polite and respectful.

Unless we are using the imperative, sentences in English need a subject.

We use it as the subject for statements about the weather, times and dates, and opinions about places.

Examples:
It is raining really hard right now.
Is raining really hard right now.
It’s 3:35 in the afternoon.
Is 3:35 in the afternoon.
It’s too crowded here. Let’s leave.
Is too crowded here. Let’s leave.

For more information see this link from the British Council.

7. I wish I have had more time to finish the proposal.

With wish statements in the present tense, we use the simple past tense.

Examples:
I wish I were taller. (For wish statements in the present, we prefer were for all subjects.)
I wish I am taller.
She wishes she still worked at her old job.
She wishes she works at her old job.

8. I work I’ve worked here since 2010.

To talk about something that happened in the past and continues in the present, we use the present perfect or
present perfect continuous.

Examples:
I’ve been here since 10 a.m.
I’m here since 10 a.m.
I’ve been working on this project for three weeks.
I’m working on this project for three weeks.

9. I’ve been studied studying a lot lately.

We need the present perfect continuous here. We can use this form to talk about something that has happened a lot
recently. The form is subject + have/has + been + ing.
Examples:
I’ve been working out a lot lately.
I’ve been worked out a lot lately.
She’s been bringing her lunch every day.
She’s been brought her lunch every day.

10. The TV is too loud? Okay, I I’ll turn it down.

We use will to respond to a request.

Examples:
Oh, do you need the report? I’ll send it right away.
Oh, do you need the report? I send it right away.
Oh, do you need the report? I’m going to send it right away.

11. When I was a kid I used to playing play sports with my friends.

We use used to + base form to talk about something that was true in the past but no longer true. For more information,
see this lesson on using used to correctly.

12. Waking up early was hard at first, but now I’m used to do doing it.

We use to be + used to + gerund to talk about something we are accustomed to doing. For more information, see this
lesson on using used to correctly.

13. This office isn’t as big than as the other office.

We use as + adjective + as for these comparisons, not as + adjective + than

Examples:
The United States isn’t as big as Russia.
The United States isn’t as big than Russia.
Our company is just as strong as it was a year ago.
Our company is just as strong than it was a year ago.

14. They didn’t think that the house was enough big big enough.

Enough goes after an adjective or before a noun.

Examples:
We were worried that our bid wasn’t competitive enough.
We were worried that our bid wasn’t enough competitive.
I don’t know if we have enough people working on this.
I don’t know if we have people enough working on this.

15. I had to think about the problem for a while, but I finally figured out it it out.

Most phrasal verbs are separable (the phrasal verb can be separated by its object). With separable phrasal verbs, the
object pronoun must go between the verb and the preposition.

Examples:
We will send someone to pick you up.
We will send someone to pick up you.
Thank you for backing me up during the meeting today.
Thank you for backing up me during the meeting today.

16. I got here late because of the traffic (or because there was a lot of traffic).

Because is followed by a subject and a verb. Because of is followed by a noun or gerund.

Examples:
They lost some clients because of the scandal.
They lost some clients because the scandal.
They lost some clients because they handled the scandal poorly.
They lost some clients because of they handled the scandal poorly.

17. They’re looking forward to go going on vacation next year.

To is a preposition here, not part of the infinitive. We need the gerund form of the verb after a preposition.

18. We need to analyze more deeply this problem more deeply.

In general, we don’t place adverbs between a verb and its object.

Examples:
We need to pursue this opportunity aggressively.
We need to pursue aggressively this opportunity.
They treat their employees poorly.
They treat poorly their employees.
19. If we hire hired more people, we wouldn’t be so busy.
or If we hire more people, we wouldn’t won’t be so busy.

If we are speaking hypothetically, we need the second conditional.

If we hire hired more people, we wouldn’t be so busy.
If we are talking about something that is likely to happen, we need the first conditional.
If we hire more people, we wouldn’t won’t be so busy.
For more information, see this guide to conditionals.

20. Today we discussed about potential strategies.

We do not use about after the word discuss.

21. This will allow us to concentrate on our business and don’t (to) not worry about our IT infrastructure.

We need the negative infinitive of the verb to worry. The word to is optional because we have already used the
infinitive to concentrate after the verb allow. Don’t is incorrect because this is not an imperative.

22. They gave him more responsibilities due to since/because he is handling his current responsibilities very well.

Due to is followed by a noun, not a subject + verb. Since and because are followed by a subject + verb.

Examples:
She was chosen for the position due to her experience.
She was chosen for the position due to she has a lot of experience.

23. They wouldn’t let me to leave early today even though I had something really important to take care of.

After let, help, make, and have (when have is used to communicate that someone is being told to do something), we
use the base infinitive, not the infinitive form of the second verb.

Examples:
He had his secretary reserve a table for two.
He had his secretary to reserve a table for two.
They made us feel welcome.
They made us to feel welcome.
My niece helped me set up my computer.
My niece helped me to set up my computer.

24. In the meantime While John prepared breakfast, I worked on putting the finishing touches on my presentation.
To talk about two actions happening simultaneously, we use while. We use in the meantime to communicate that we
are doing something while we are waiting for something else to happen.

Examples:
I reviewed my notes one last time while I waited for my name to be called.
I reviewed my notes one last time in the meantime I waited for my name to be called.
John can help us with this, but he’s on vacation until Monday. In the meantime, we’ll have to do the best we can.
John can help us with this, but he’s on vacation until Monday. While we’ll have to do the best we can.

25. I wish hope to have a relaxing vacation this December.

We normally use wish to talk about something hypothetical. For something we want to happen in the future, we can
use hope and want.

Examples:
I wish I had more time. (hypothetical)
I hope I had more time.
I hope to retire at age 65. (something the speaker wants in the future)
I wish to retire at age 65.

Note that I wish to retire at age 65 isn’t technically wrong, but it sounds old fashioned and formal. Hope is the better
choice.

For more error correction exercises, see:

Common English Mistakes – Error Correction Exercise 2C (intermediate)

Below are 25 common English mistakes that intermediate students make. Correct the errors in each sentence and
then see the answers and explanations below.

For more error correction exercises, see:

Exercise 1 (beginner)
Exercise 2A (intermediate)
Exercise 2B (intermediate)
Exercise 3A (advanced)
Common Mistakes in Emails
Common Mistakes in Emails 2
Error Correction for Spanish Speakers

Correct the Mistakes

1. He’s the one which has the blue tie on.

2. We like very much the new secretary.

3. Could you tell me how can I get in touch with Mr. Yamamoto?
4. We’re not sure he is enough experienced for the position.

5. She’s very sick and has been at the hospital for two weeks.

6. We talked during three hours this morning.

7. We’re using all the informations we have to make an informed decision.

8. They change often our seats at work.

9. They don’t let us to send our clients gifts without getting approval from management first.

10. Do we have some coffee or tea to offer our guests?

11. I called Kate this morning and she told me she’ll call me back in a half an hour.

12. We regularly conduct emergency drills for ensuring that we are prepared for an emergency.

13. Brad is 32 now. He completes 33 years in October.

14. These are the most cheap gas prices I have seen in my life.

15. Yesterday, I must sent a very important email to a client.

16. We knew there was a gas leak because it smelled really badly inside the house.

17. My parents always told me that it’s important being positive.

18. For the economy, we haven’t been able to hire any new people.

19. He says that he’s been really tired since several weeks ago.

20. A friend of us is going to pick us up at the airport.

21. I’ve worked like a waiter in the past, but I wouldn’t want to do it again.

22. To sleep at work is acceptable in some cultures.

23. Because these problems, we shouldn’t move forward with this proposal right now.

24. I’m going to take my lunch break and then to make some phone calls.

25. I’ve asked everyone to help me with my college admissions essay. Even I asked someone I met on the bus.
Answers and Explanations

1. He’s the one which who/that has the blue tie on.

We use the relative pronoun which to refer to things. To refer to people, we use who or that. In formal writing, who is
a better choice.

Examples:
He was the one who/that recommended this solution.
He was the one which recommended this solution.

2. We like very much the new secretary very much.

We don’t normally place an adverb between a verb and its object.

Examples:
I like sports a lot.
I like a lot sports.
The doctor patiently described the surgical procedure.
The doctor described patiently the surgical procedure.

3. Could you tell me how can I I can get in touch with Mr. Yamamoto?

After expressions like Do you know…, Could you tell me,.. and I was wondering if… we do not invert the subject and the
verb. These are called indirect questions.

Examples:
I was wondering if you could help me with something.
I was wondering if could you help me with something.
Could you tell me how I should do this?
Could you tell me how should I do this?

4. We’re not sure he is enough experienced experienced enough for the position.

Enough goes after an adjective or before a noun.

Examples:
Do we have enough food?
Do we have food enough?
Is the conference room big enough for 10 people?
Is the conference room enough big for 10 people?
5. She’s very sick and has been at in the hospital for two weeks.

To communicate that someone is a patient at the hospital, we say in the hospital. If someone is not a patient, we use at
the hospital.

Examples:
The surgery went well. She was only in the hospital for two days.
The surgery went well. She was only at the hospital for two days.
I think Stephanie’s at the hospital visiting her great aunt.
I think Stephanie’s in the hospital visiting her great aunt.

6. We talked during for three hours this morning.

We use for to communicate a duration a time. We use during to communicate over what period of time something
happened.

Examples:
I slept for three hours, and I woke up just in time for dinner.
I slept during three hours, and I woke up just in time for dinner.
No one interrupted during his presentation.
No one interrupted for his presentation.

7. We’re using all the informations we have to make an informed decision.

Information is a non-count noun. There is no plural form of information. Other non-count nouns students frequently
misuse include evidence, advice, stuff, and furniture. There is no plural form of these words.

8. They often change often our seats at work.

We put adverbs of frequency (always, usually, never, etc.) before the main verb or after the verb to be.

Examples:
Mike never talks about his ex-wife.
Mike talks never about his ex-wife
Mike talks about his ex-wife never.

9. They don’t let us to send our clients gifts without getting approval from management first.

After let, help, make, and have (when have communicates that someone is being told to do something), we use the
base infinitive of the second verb, not the infinitive form.

Examples:
He had his secretary reserve a table for two.
He had his secretary to reserve a table for two.
They made us feel welcome.
They made us to feel welcome.
My niece helped me set up my computer.
My niece helped me to set up my computer.

10. Do we have some any coffee or tea to offer our guests?

In general, we use some with affirmative statements and any with questions and negative statements.

Examples:
We’ve had some difficulty getting approval.
We’ve had any difficulty getting approval.
Have you had any difficulty getting approval?
Have you had some difficulty getting approval?
We didn’t have any difficulty getting approval.
We didn’t have some difficulty getting approval.

For practice and a complete explanation, see this some vs. any practice exercise.

11. I called Kate this morning and she told me she’ll she would (or she’d) call me back in a half an hour.

When reporting what someone said, will becomes would and won’t becomes wouldn’t. We can leave it as will if it’s
something that is still going to take place in the future.

Examples:
Before the election, both candidates promised they wouldn’t raise taxes.
Before the election, both candidates promised they won’t raise taxes.
The meeting went well. Mike said he would consider our proposal.
The meeting went well. Mike said he will consider our proposal.

Note that They said they will consider our proposal would be correct if the meeting ended very recently and Mike still
hasn’t considered the proposal.

12. We regularly conduct emergency drills for ensuring to ensure that we are prepared for an emergency.

To describe the purpose of something, we can use the gerund. To describe the purpose of someone, we use the
infinitive. This page does an excellent job describing the difference.

13. Brad is 32 now. He completes turns 33 years in October.

To communicate the someone is becoming a year older, we use turn, not complete. Also, we do not say years after the
number unless we say years old.
Examples:
I can’t believe my youngest sister is turning 20 this year.
I can’t believe my youngest sister is completing 20 this year.
Let’s have a big party when you turn 40.
Let’s have a big party when you turn 40 years.

See these collocations exercises to practice using correct word partners.

14. These are the most cheap cheapest gas prices I have seen in my life.

To form the superlative form of most one-syllable adjectives, we add “est” to the end of the word.

Examples:
Are you sure this is the newest release?
Are you sure this is the most new release?
Kevin is the oldest person here.
Kevin is the most old person here.

15. Yesterday, I must sent had to send a very important email to a client.

We don’t use must to communicate a past obligation or necessity. Instead, we use had or needed.

Examples:
To travel to Indonesia, I had to get a visa.
To travel to Indonesia, I must got a visa.
Marilyn will be right back. She needed to take an important call.
Marilyn will be right back. She must took an important call.

16. We knew there was a gas leak because it smelled really badly bad inside the house.

We use bad, not badly to modify states of being (look, smell, taste, feel, etc.). Similarly, we use good, not well to modify
states of being.

Examples:
This coffee tastes bad.
This coffee tastes badly.
Do you think the decorations look good?
Do you think the decorations look well?

17. My parents always told me that it’s important being to be positive.

The correct form is It’s + adjective + infinitive. We can add for + object before the infinitive.
Examples:
It’s impossible for us to complete this on time.
It’s impossible for us completing this one time.

18. For Because of/Due to the economy, we haven’t been able to hire any new people.

To introduce a reason, we typically use because of or due to, not for. Both because of and due to must be followed by a
noun or a gerund.

Examples:
Because of its negative side effects, the medication was banned.
For its negative side effects, the medication was banned.
I was late because of the traffic.
I was late for the traffic.

19. He says that he’s been really tired since several weeks ago for the last several weeks.

We use since with a point in time (9 AM, Tuesday, 1994, etc.). We use for to talk about a duration of time (three days, 12
seconds, two months, five years, etc.).

Examples:
They’ve been in the lobby for two hours.
They’ve been in the lobby since two hours.
They’ve been in the lobby since 10 AM.
They’ve been in the lobby for 10 AM.

20. A friend of us ours is going to pick us up at the airport.

We use the possessive pronouns mine, yours, his, hers, theirs, and ours in these type of statements. If we are using
someone’s name, we use the possessive (Brad’s, Kate’s Leonard’s, etc.).

Examples:
I saw a friend of yours last night at the party.
I saw a friend of your last night at the party.
Didn’t you say that a friend of Mike’s works at the post office?
Didn’t you say that a friend of Mike works for at post office?

21. I’ve worked like as a waiter in the past, but I wouldn’t want to do it again.

We say someone works as + occupation to communicate what someone’s job is.

Examples:
He used to be a full-time employee, but now he’s working as a consultant.
He used to be a full-time employee, but now he’s working like a consultant.

22. To sleep Sleeping at work is acceptable in some cultures.

When the name of an activity is the subject or object, we normally use the gerund.

Examples:
Fishing is a good way to relax.
To fish is a good way to relax.
My job involves writing technical documents.
My job involves to write technical documents.

23. Because of these problems (or Due to these problems), we shouldn’t move forward with this proposal right now.

Because of and due to are followed by a noun or gerund. Because is followed by a subject and a verb.

Examples:
I was late because of the traffic.
I was late because the traffic.
I was late because there was a lot of traffic.
I was late because of there was a lot of traffic.

24. I’m going to take my lunch break and then to make some phone calls.

If we use two different verbs after going to, we do not use the infinitive form of the second verb. Instead, we use the
base infinitive (infinitive without to).

Examples:
Management is going to look at the bids and decide on a vendor.
Management is going to look at the bids and to decide on a vendor.
Monica told me she was going to stop at the bank and deposit the money.
Monica told me she was going to stop at the bank and to deposit the money.

25. I’ve asked everyone to help me with my college admissions essay. Even I I even asked someone I met on the bus.

We can use even to emphasize something surprising or extreme. The correct form is subject + even + verb.

Examples:
I’ve looked everywhere for my keys. I’ve even looked in the refrigerator!
I’ve looked everywhere for my keys. Even I’ve looked in the refrigerator!
They said they’re doing everything they can to save money. They even sold their car.
They said they’re doing everything they can to save money. Even they sold their car.
For more error correction exercises, see:

Common English Mistakes – Error Correction Exercise 3A (Advanced)

Below are 20 common English mistakes that advanced students make. Correct the errors in each sentence and then
see the answers and explanations below.

For more advanced grammar, see this advanced English grammar test.

For more error correction exercises, see:

Exercise 1 (beginner)
Exercise 2A (intermediate)
Exercise 2B (intermediate)
Exercise 2C (intermediate)
Common Mistakes in Emails
Common Mistakes in Emails 2
Error Correction for Spanish Speakers

Correct the Mistakes

1. She recommended me that I take a few days off from work.

2. I tried to explain him the problem, but he had difficulty understanding me.

3. I don’t know why you didn’t go. If I were you, I should have gone.

4. Kate claims that if she got an MBA after finishing her bachelor’s degree, she might have been considered for the
position.

5. Kevin says he stopped to travel internationally because of his family.

6. We regret informing you that your application has been denied.

7. The interview was broadcasted live over the internet.

8. I’m so glad that he spoke in my behalf because I felt awful that I couldn’t make it to the event.

9. At first I studied engineering in college, but I ended getting a marketing degree.

10. It was a frustrating situation because we were uncapable of helping.

11. When the check came, I tried to pay but John told me to put away my wallet and insisted that he paid for dinner.

12. They had managed a few crisises in the past, so they were able to handle this situation fairly well.

13. If you would’ve told me, I would have given you my honest advice.
14. The four participants discussed it between themselves.

15. We thought we were going to expand this year, but we actually have less people now than we did two years ago.

16. She’s trying to concentrate herself on finishing her degree.

17. Unfortunately, the species has gotten extinct due to human activity.

18. I’m a little afraid to do this by my own.

19. He told me that he had never been in that restaurant before.

20. Never before I had seen something quite like that.

Common English Mistakes – Error Correction Exercise 3A (Advanced)

Answers and Explanations

1. She recommended me that I take a few days off from work.

We need to use the subjunctive in this example. An excellent explanation of the English subjunctive can be found here.
The subjunctive form in this example is the infinitive without “to” (go, eat, do, run, etc.).

Common expressions followed by the subjunctive:

recommend that
insist that
demand that
request that
asked that
suggest that

Examples:
They demanded that we lower the price.
They demanded us that we lower the price.
They demanded that we lowered the price.
My boss requested that I use my vacation days before the end of the year.
My boss requested me that I use my vacation days before the end of the year.
My boss requested that I used my vacation days before the end of the year.

For practice, try these subjunctive exercises.

2. I tried to explain him the problem the problem to him, but he had difficulty understanding me.

Some verbs can be followed by the indirect object and then the direct object. For example, we can say I gave John the
book. John is the indirect object and book is the direct object. However, not all verbs follow this pattern. Recommend,
explain, and describe are three common verbs that take the following form:
recommend/explain/describe + what + to whom

Examples:
We explained the situation to the client.
We explained the client the situation.
Could you describe the problem to our IT manager?
Could you describe our IT manager the problem?

3. I don’t know why you didn’t go. If I were you, I should would have gone.

To talk about a hypothetical past, we can use would/might/could + have + participle. We do not use should to talk
about a hypothetical past. We use should to criticize past actions or express regret.

4. Kate claims that if she got had gotten an MBA after finishing her bachelor’s degree, she might have been considered
for the position.

To talk about a hypothetical past, we need to use the past perfect in the if clause. For more information on
conditionals, see this conditionals guide.

Examples:
What would you have said if you had been there?
What would you have said if you were there?

5. Kevin says he stopped to travel traveling internationally because of his family.

We can use the verb stop with both the gerund and the infinitive. When we use stop with the gerund, it means
that someone was doing something and then stopped. When we use stop with the infinitive, it means that someone
stopped an action in order to start doing something else.

Examples:
Kevin stopped working at 6 p.m. last night.
Kevin stopped to work at 6 p.m. last night.
At 10 AM, Lucy and Fernando always stop to take a coffee break.
At 10 AM, Lucy and Fernando always stop taking a coffee break.

For more verbs that can be used with both the infinitive and the gerund, see this page.

6. We regret informing to inform you that your application has been denied.

Regret is normally used with the gerund. However, to communicate bad news (usually in writing) we use regret +
infinitive. For more verbs that can be used with both the infinitive and the gerund, see this page.

7. The interview was broadcasted live over the internet.

Broadcast is an irregular verbs. It doesn’t change in the simple past and participle form, just like the verbs let, bet, set,
put, cut, and shut.

8. I’m so glad that he spoke in on my behalf because I felt awful that I couldn’t make it to the event.

This is a collocation with on that students typically have difficulty with. We say speak on someone’s behalf. For
practice, try this in vs. on collocations exercise.

9. At first I studied engineering in college, but I ended up getting a marketing degree.

We use end up instead of end to talk about something that eventually happened after other things happened first.

Examples:
We couldn’t decide on where to go for dinner, so we ended up eating at home.
We couldn’t decide on where to go for dinner, so we ended eating at home.

10. It was a frustrating situation because we were unincapable of helping.

Overusing the prefix “un” is a common mistake. See this page for a more complete explanation of how to correctly use
negative prefixes.

11. When the check came, I tried to pay but John told me to put away my wallet and insisted that he paid pay for
dinner.

See explanation to number 1.

12. They had managed a few crisises crises in the past, so they were able to handle this situation fairly well.

Many words that end in “is” have an irregular plural form that ends with “es.” The plural form rhymes with the word
“cheese.”

Examples:
crisis – crises
diagnosis – diagnoses
hypothesis – hypotheses
analysis – analyses

For more irregular plurals, see this page.

13. If you would’ve had told me, I would have given you my honest advice.

To talk about a hypothetical past, the if clauses takes the past perfect. We use would/might/could + have +
participle in the result clause.

Examples:
What would you have done if you had been there?
What would you have done if you would have been there?
If I had known the weather was going to be so bad, I might have chosen a different day for the party.
If I would have known the weather was going to be so bad, I might have chosen a different day for the party.

Note that we could also use the inverted form of the third conditional here (Had you told me, I would have given you
my honest advice).

14. The four participants discussed it between among themselves.

We need to use among here because we are talking about more than two things that are not distinct items. For a good
explanation on when to use between and when to use among, see this page.
Note that amongst would also be correct, but it is not as commonly used as among.

15. We thought we were going to expand this year, but we actually have less fewer people now than we did two years
ago.

Although using less before count nouns (cars, people, resources, etc.) is becoming more acceptable, the rule is that we
use fewer before count nouns and less before non-count nouns (time, patience, determination, etc.).

Examples:
We have fewer candidates for this position than we expected.
We have less candidates for this position than we expected.
Carl has less stress now that he has started working out after work.
Carl has fewer stress now that he has started working out after work.

16. She’s trying to concentrate herself on finishing her degree.

We don’t use reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, etc.) after the verb concentrate.

Examples:
We need to concentrate on the task at hand.
We need to concentrate ourselves on the task at hand.

17. Unfortunately, the species has gotten become/gone extinct due to human activity.
We can often use get to communicate that something has changed or transformed (get angry, get depressed, get
scared, get excited, etc.). However, we can’t always use get (get famous, , get available,for example). See this page to
learn about using turn, become, get, and go to talk about changes and transformations.

18. I’m a little afraid to do this by on my own (or by myself).

We have the expressions by myself and on my own. By my own does not exist.

19. He told me that he had never been in to that restaurant before.

We say been to, not been in to communicate places that we have visited (countries, cities, towns, restaurants, stores,
etc.). Note that If we are talking about a specific room, we would use in.

Examples:
Have you been to Italy?
Have you been in Italy?
I can’t believe you’ve lived in Paris for 10 years but haven’t been to the Louvre.
I can’t believe you’ve lived in Paris for 10 years but haven’t been in the Louvre.
I’ve been to his house, but I’ve never been in the basement. (specific room = in)
I’ve been to his house, but I”ve never been to the basement.

20. Never before I had had I seen something quite like that.

We use subject-verb inversion when we start a sentence with a negative adverb (never, hardly, seldom, etc.). For more
examples of when to use subject-verb inversion, see this page.

Business English Scattergories Lists

Scattergories is a board game by Milton Bradley in which players need to fill out their category list with answers that
start with the same letter. Below are some Scattergories lists suitable for business English classes. These cards work
great as a warm up for business English classes. Students can compete individually or in teams. In addition to the
cards provided here, students can also generate their own lists.

Business English Scattergories List 1

reason to cancel a meeting ____________________________________________

reason to have a meeting _____________________________________________

excuse for being late for work _____________________________________________

positive adjective for a manager ________________________________________

negative adjective for a manager _______________________________________

well-known person in your field (first or last name) __________________________

something people keep on their desks ___________________________________

department in a company _____________________________________________

Business English Scattergories List 2

something you do at work every day _____________________________________

job title _____________________________________________________

idiom used in the workplace ___________________________________________

technology company ________________________________________________

way to relieve stress ________________________________________________

cause of stress _____________________________________________________

common workplace complaint _________________________________________

reason to make a phone call ___________________________________________

Business English Scattergories List 3

reason to quit your job ______________________________________________

weekend activity ___________________________________________________

word related to banking/finance _______________________________________

perk/benefit _____________________________________________________

something that gets you in trouble with HR _______________________________________

reason to ignore a phone call _________________________________________

something people lie about at work ____________________________________

item in this room ___________________________________________________

Business English Scattergories List 4

something you take on a business trip ____________________________________

multinational company _______________________________________________

invention that changed the world _______________________________________

something you shouldn’t bring to work ___________________________________

valuable professional skill _____________________________________________

delicate situation ___________________________________________________

college major ______________________________________________________

way people waste time at work ________________________________________

Business English Scattergories List 5

country ___________________________________________________

something you have to do today ________________________________________

retail store _________________________________________________

reason to request a refund ____________________________________________

something your manager should do ______________________________________

way to stay organized _________________________________________________

word related marketing/advertising _____________________________________

world leader _______________________________________________

Business English Game: Being Tactful and Polite

Linguistic deficiencies can cause non-native English speakers to come off as rude or offensive. In this game, students
practice being tactful and polite. The cards below describe delicate situations that might arise in the workplace.
Students take turns choosing cards and saying what they would say to handle the situation.

For more lessons related to being polite and tactful in the workplace, please see:

 Writing Polite Emails

 Using Softening Phrases to Make Polite Requests
  Saying “No” Politely

Situation:
Situation: Situation:
You are about to leave for your lunch
You’re walking in the hallway and a You own your own business and one of
break when one of your coworkers stops
coworker stops and starts a conversation your clients has just paid you. You just
you. He wants to know if you can review
with you. You have to take care of an received the check and realized that you
some financial documents with him before
urgent issue and don’t have time to stop were paid $1,500 instead of the $2,000
you leave for lunch. You’re really hungry
and chat. What would you say to your that you had agreed on. What would you
and need a break. How would you tell him
coworker? say to the client?
that his request will have to wait?

Situation:
You are a manager and one of your
Situation: Situation: employees has just asked to take next
You are a manager and one of your You’ve been invited to go out with some Friday off. Unfortunately, some important
employees struggles with English. You’d coworkers on Friday night after work. You clients are going to be visiting the office
like him to enroll in an English class. What really don’t want to go. What would you that day and you feel that everyone in the
would you say to this employee? say to decline the invitation? department should be in the office. How
would you tell this employee that she
needs to be in the office next Friday?

Situation:
Situation:
Situation: Your supervisor offers you overtime this
You’re working on something that
Your supervisor wants to change the weekend to finish a particularly
requires a lot of concentration, but some
daily meeting from 8:30 AM to 7:30 AM. demanding project. You have plans for the
of your coworkers are laughing and
You think this is entirely too early. What weekend and would rather not work the
making a lot of noise. How would you tell
would you say to your manager? extra hours. What would you say to your
your coworkers to keep it down?
manager?

Situation:
Situation: Situation:
You’re working on a project with a
One of your coworkers has sent you a You work as a software developer. A
coworker. You need a document that he
draft of an email. He wants to know what coworker approaches you with a business
was supposed to be finished with
you think of the email. There are opportunity. She wants you to design an
yesterday. You want to tell him that there
numerous mistakes and it needs to be app with her and split the profits. You
is a real sense of urgency and that you
revised. How would you politely explain aren’t interested in the opportunity. How
need the document as soon as possible.
this to your coworker? would you tell her you aren’t interested?
What would you say to him?

Situation:
Situation: Your company policy states that all Situation:
You promised one of your clients that you employees must request vacation time One of your coworkers volunteers for a
would have something finished by the end two weeks in advance. However, you have local charity. He asks you if you’d like to
of the week. Now it looks like you’ll need a personal issue that you need to take care make a donation. You aren’t interested in
an additional day or two to finish. What of tomorrow. How would you ask your contributing to the charity. What would
would you say to the client? supervisor if you can take a vacation day you say to your coworker?
on short notice?
Writing Polite Emails: How to be Indirect and Polite
In this lesson, students practice being indirect and polite in emails. Go over the chart with your students and then
have them do the practice activities.

Writing Polite Emails

Sometimes we want to be direct and brief in our emails (giving status updates, summarizing meeting minutes,
describing technical issues, etc.). Other times, we want to be polite and indirect. The chart below provides examples
of situations in which we normally write in an indirect, polite way.

Situations Language Notes

For simple requests, we can be fairly

direct. Keep in mind that Would you
-Asking an employee or mind is a bit more polite than Can/could
Simple Requests
coworker to do Could/can you…please? you…? Also, could is a little more polite
(the reader has an obligation to
something that he/she Would you mind…? than can. Remember that mind is
comply with your request)
normally handles followed by the gerund (ing). For
example, Would you mind taking to
take a look at this.

Favors and big requests require “softer”

I was hoping you could… language. One way to make language
Favors and Big Requests -Getting help with
I was wondering if you softer is by using past tenses (I was
(the reader does not have an something that you
could… hoping, I was wondering, I wanted to,
obligation to comply with your normally handle yourself
Do you think you might etc.) Another way we make language
request) -Special requests
be able to…? softer is by using modals (might, could,
etc.).

I was hoping I could…

I was wondering if I
-Vacation requests Just like with favors and big requests,
could…
Permission -Time off requests we use softer language to ask for
Would it be okay if I…?
-Borrowing something permission (past tenses, modals, etc.).
Do you think I might be
able to…?

-Offering your point of What about if…?

view Maybe we could…? Using these expressions sounds more
Suggestions
-Suggesting a better way I thought it might be a polite than Well, I think we need to…
of doing something good idea to…

-Rejecting Expressions like I’m not sure

I’m not sure that…
Rejecting/Refusing/Declining offers, suggestions, that…, and I don’t know if… are
I don’t know if…
proposals/ideas more polite than That won’t work.
 It looks like… These introductory statements help to
Pointing out a Mistake -Billing mistakes
It seems… make the message softer.

-Finding out if something

is finished
Have you had a chance to finish/work
Checking on the Status of -Gently reminding Have you had a chance to
on… is much more polite than Are you
Something someone that you need finish/work on…?
finished yet? or Is it ready yet?
something he/she
is working on

Language we use to sound more polite

Modals
might, can, could, would
Distancing phrases (not using the present tense)
I was hoping…, I was wondering…, I wanted to…
Tentative language
Maybe…, Perhaps…, I’m not sure if…, I don’t know if…, might
Introductory phrases
It looks like…, It seems like…, Actually…,To be honest…Well…, I see what you’re saying (but…),
Positive language (avoiding negative expressions like “bad,” “won’t work,” “ineffective,” etc.)
It might not be the best approach.

Practice

Make the following more polite and indirect:

There is a problem.
___________________________________________________________________________

I completely disagree with your proposal.

________________________________________________________________________

We can’t do that in three days.

________________________________________________________________________

We need more time.

________________________________________________________________________

It will be better to ask Brad.

________________________________________________________________________

Can you give me a ride home?

________________________________________________________________________

You made a mistake on the invoice.

________________________________________________________________________

That’s more than we are willing to pay.

________________________________________________________________________
Can I have Friday off?
________________________________________________________________________

We should wait. Now isn’t the right time.

________________________________________________________________________

Let’s cancel the project.

________________________________________________________________________

It’s a bad idea.

________________________________________________________________________

Did you finish the report yet?

________________________________________________________________________

Writing Practice

Write emails for the situations below. Be polite and indirect. Use the language in the chart above (modals, distancing
phrases, tentative language, introductory phrases, positive language).

1. You have some suggestions about how to get more business. You want to meet with one of the managers and talk
about this business opportunity. Write a polite email requesting a 30-minute meeting.

2. You have some personal issues you need to take care of on Tuesday morning. You’d like to take Tuesday morning
off and make up the time later in the week. Write a polite email to your supervisor explaining the situation. Ask for
permission to take the time off and make it up later in the week.

3. Your own situation: Are there any situations you regularly deal with that require polite, indirect emails? Think of a
situation and write a polite email.

Using Softening Phrases to Make Polite Requests

In this lesson, students learn some softening phrases for making polite requests.

Warm-up

Write the following on the board. “Can I have Friday off?” Ask your class if this is an appropriate way to ask a
supervisor for a day off (assuming the supervisor isn’t a friend or someone the student has known for a long time).
Then, put students in pairs and have them come up with a more polite way to make this request. Give students a few
minutes and then put their ideas on the board.

Intermediate students usually come up with something like this:

Could I have Friday off?

Could I have Friday off, please?

Softening Phrases
 Explain that using “could” instead of “can” does make a request more polite but that there are phrases we use to be
less direct and more polite when we make requests. Explain that we mostly use these phrases in the following
situations:

1. When the person to whom we are making the request does not have an obligation to say yes.
2. When we are making a big request.
3. When we are making a request to someone who is at a higher level within the company.

I was hoping you/I could… I was wondering if you/I could… Do you think you/I might be able to..?
I was hoping you could work this I was wondering if you could cover my shift Do you think you might be able to help me out with
Saturday. next Tuesday. these reports?
I was hoping I could take Friday I was wondering if I could take an extended Do you think I might be able to leave a few minutes
off. lunch break to run some errands. early so I can pick up my child from school?

Practice 1

Have students look at the following scenarios and write an appropriate request for the situation. Remind them to use
softening phrases.

1. You need to give a presentation in two weeks. Someone you used to work with has recently written an excellent article
on the same topic that you have to present on. You would like to print the article and hand it out to the attendees at your
presentation. How would you ask your former coworker for permission to do this?

2. Your company has just purchased a new projector for the conference room. You don’t know how to use it yet, but a
coworker of yours has already used it several times. You would like your coworker to show you how to use the projector
on his lunch break. How would you ask him to help you?

3. Your car is in the shop and you had to take the bus to work. It’s raining really hard, and you don’t want to take the bus
home. One of your coworkers lives a few miles from you. You want her to give you a ride home. How would you ask her
for a ride?

4. You own a construction company. Your company has just completed an addition to a customer’s house. The job was
finished on time and the customer is happy. You’d like to put a small promotional sign outside of your customer’s house
that says “Another quality job done by (your company’s name).” How would you ask your customer if you can do this?

Go over the possible answers with the class. Emphasize that all 5 of these examples probably require softening
phrases because of one or more of the following reasons:

1. The person to whom we are making the request does not have an obligation to say yes.
2. We are making a big request.
3. We are making a request to someone who is at a higher level within the company.

Practice 2

Now, break students into groups. Give each group a copy of the scenarios below. Tell the class that they need to do
the following:

1. Read the scenarios.

2. Decide if the situation calls for a softening phrase or not.
3. Make an appropriate request and say it out loud for the group.
Walk around the class and listen to their requests. Make sure that students are using softening phrases when
appropriate and using simple requests with “can” or “could” when a softening phrase is unnecessary.

Scenarios:

1. You have a conference call in English tomorrow. You’d like your English teacher to stay after class and help you
prepare for the call. How would you ask her to help you?

2. You are at a restaurant and would like the check. How would you ask the waiter to bring the check to you?

3. Someone from outside the company visited your office and gave a presentation. You thought it was a great
presentation and you would like a copy of the Power Point slides. How would you ask the presenter for the document?

4. Your daughter has a championship soccer game tonight. Unfortunately, the game starts at 4:30 p.m. and you don’t get
off work until 5:00 p.m. How would you ask your supervisor to leave an hour early so that you can see the start of the
game?

5. Something unexpected happened this morning and you are late for work. You realize that you do not have your
supervisor’s phone number. You decide to call a coworker and ask her to tell the boss that you will be late. How would
you ask your coworker to do this for you?

6. You work in sales. A customer has just called you and complained about always receiving his shipments late. He’s very
upset and wants you to expedite his current order. The computer system shows that your customer’s order won’t ship
until tomorrow, so you decide to call the warehouse manager and ask if she can make sure the order ships by the end of
the day. How would you ask her for this favor?

7. Some members of your team are having some technical issues with their computers. You decide to ask Gary, the
company’s network administrator, to come by and see what the problem is. How would you ask Gary to do this?

8. You are looking for a new job and are sending applications to prospective employers. You would like to supplement
your applications with letters of recommendation from previous employers. You decide to call Carol, your former
supervisor, and ask her to write you a letter of recommendation. What would you say to Carol?

9. Your department has a company car. Typically, only senior members of your team can use the car. However, you have
an important meeting with a client, and you want to use the company car to make a good impression. How would you
ask your supervisor to use the car for your upcoming meeting with your client?

Answers: Numbers 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9 would most likely require softening phrases. Numbers 2, 5, and 7 would
require a more direct request.

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Softening Phrases to Make Polite Requests

Business English Lessons: Saying No Politely

In this lesson students learn some basic expressions for politely declining offers, invitations, and requests. Students
then practice using the expressions.

Warm-up

Put students in small groups. Tell them to discuss the following with their group:

1. Has anyone ever offended you by accident? How?

2. Have you ever offended anyone by accident? How?
Give students a few minutes to discuss, and then meet as a class to get some quick feedback.

Polite Ways to Say No

Explain that one way to accidentally offend someone is by being too direct when saying no. Explain that in English we
decline requests, offers, and invitations in a certain way, and that simply saying “no” or “no thanks” isn’t always
acceptable.

Explain that we often do three things to politely say no in English:

1. Make a statement of regret.

(I’m sorry…, I’d really like to, but…I appreciate the offer, but…, etc.)
2. Explain why the answer is no.
(I’m really busy right now, We aren’t available that weekend, etc.)
3. Offer an alternative, if possible.
(I might be able to do it next week, John might be able to help you with that, etc.)

Give your class some examples of expressions we use to say no.

Polite ways to say no to a request Polite ways to say no to an offer Polite ways to say no to invitations to
social events
I appreciate the offer, but…
I’d love to help you, but right now I’m That would be great, but I’m already That sounds great, but….
really busy with… working on… I’m sorry I can’t that night. I have to….
I wish I could, but right now I need to Thank you for the offer, but my schedule I really appreciate the invite, but…
focus on… is full at the moment.
Normally I’d be able to, but right now I
have to….

Practice 1

Have your students practice the expressions for saying no politely. Give them the following in a handout:

Directions: Read the following situations. For each situation, write what you think would be a good way to say no.

1. One of your coworkers has just asked you to go out for drinks on Friday night after work. You don’t drink and don’t
like going to bars.
2. You are about to leave for your lunch break when one of your coworkers stops you. He wants to know if you can review
some financial documents with him before you leave to take your break.
3. You are a graphic designer working as a private contractor. One of your former clients calls you on the phone. She
wants to know if you would be interested in doing another job for her. You are busy and don’t want the assignment.
4. You work in sales. Mike, one of your coworkers, has a conference call with an important customer. Since you know
more about the product than your coworker, Mike asks you to join the conference call and help him make the sale. You
are busy and don’t have the time to help Mike.
5. Two of your coworkers approach you and ask if you want to be on the company softball team. You don’t like softball
very much and like to spend your free time with your family.
6. An acquaintance of yours has just started his own business. He wants to hire you to design his website. You don’t think
it would be worth your time.

Practice 2

Break students into pairs. Tell students to write five questions for their partner. The five questions should be either
offers, requests, or invitations to social events. When students have finished writing their questions, tell them to ask
their partner the questions they wrote. Student A asks the question, and student B has to politely say no. Students
then switch roles. Walk around the room to make sure that students are declining the requests in an appropriate way.

Wrapping up

Follow up the lesson with this article about saying no to your boss. Have students read the article for homework and
answer the following questions:

1. What advice in the article do you agree with? Why?

2. What advice in the article do you disagree with? Why?
3. When do you think it’s okay to say no to your boss?

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English Lessons: Saying No Politely

Expressions for Describing your Job/Company

Below are some useful expressions for describing your job/company.

Describing your Job Describing your Company

I’m a (job)… We’re based in (country/city)…

I work as a (job)… We’re located in (country/city)…
I’m currently working as a (job)… Our headquarters is in (country/city)…
I just started at (company)… The company was founded in (year)…
I just started working as a (job)… We’re in the _______ industry.
I’ve been with (company) since/for… We produce/manufacture…
I’ve been a (job) since/for… We sell…
I work for (company). We distribute…
I work in (field/industry)… We offer/provide…
I’m self-employed. We’re a multinational company.
I own my own company. We’re a local company.
I’m responsible for (+ ing)… We’re a small business.
I ensure… We’re a start-up.
I deal with… We have branches/subsidiaries/offices in (country).
I manage… We have (number) employees.
I direct… We’re a privately owned
I supervise… company/corporation/government organization/non-
I oversee… profit.
I advise… We do business with…
I handle… Our clients/customers include…
My role is….
My responsibilities include (+ing)…
I report to (person/people).
I work with/collaborate with (person/people).

Questions for Asking about Someone’s Job/Company

What do you do for a living?

What do you do?
What company do you work for?
How long have you been with (company)?
How long have you been a (job)?
Have you always worked in (industry)?
Have you always worked as a (job)?
What did you do before that?
What does your company do?
When was the company founded?
Has the company been around for a while?
 Business Collocations with Do and Make
Make and do cause a lot of problems for English language learners. Instead of memorizing rules and trying to apply
them to every situation, students should learn make and do collocations. Below is a collection of
some make and do collocations that are likely to come up in a business context. Also try this make vs. do practice
activity.

make a choice make a request make the best of a job well done
make a comparison make a suggestion something do a crime
make a complaint make a telephone call make the most of do an experiment
make a connection make an appointment something do business
make a contribution make an attempt make time do damage
make a decision make an effort make sense do good/bad
make a demand make an exception make sure do harm
make a difference make an excuse do research
make a fortune make an offer do right/wrong
make a living make changes do someone a favor
make a mess make clear do something/anything
make a mistake make ends meet do well
make a noise/sound make money do your best
make a point make payments do your duty
make a profit make plans do your part
make a promise make progress

Business English Abbreviations and Acronyms Guide

Below is a list of some common abbreviations and acronyms used in business.

ABBREVIATION OR
MEANING
ACRONYM

401k a common type of retirement savings plan in the US

acct. account

ad advertisement (American English)

advert advertisement (British English)

approx. approximately

APR annual percentage rate (the interest rate for a whole year on a credit card, loan, mortgage,
etc.)

ASAP as soon as possible

ATTN attention (used to indicate who a letter is for -- ATTN Rick Cutts, for example)

B2B business to business

BA Bachelor of Arts degree

BBA Bachelor of Business Administration degree

BS Bachelor of Science degree

cc carbon copy (means that a duplicate copy has been sent to another person)

CEO Chief Executive Officer

CFO Chief Financial Officer

Co. Company (as in John Smith and Co.)

COD cash on delivery

corp. corporation

CPA Certified Public Account

CSR customer service representative

dept. department

div. division

e.g. example given

ea. each

EST Eastern Standard Time

ETA estimated time of arrival

FAQ frequently asked question

fwd. forward

GDP Gross Domestic Product (the value of all goods and services produced within a country
within a period of time)
GNP Gross National Product (the value of all goods and services produced by the nationals of a
country)

govt. government

HQ headquarters

i.e. in other words

Inc. Incorporated (an organization that is its own legal entity)

ISO International Organization for Standardization (an international organization that develops
standards for things such as quality management, food safety management, and
environmental management)

Jr. Junior

lb. pound (weight)

LLC limited liability company (a type of business in which the owners are normally not
responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business)

max. maximum

MBA Master of Business Administration degree

memo. memorandum (a short note written as a reminder)

mfg. manufacturing

min. minimum

mo. month

N/A not applicable (means that information is not given because it is unnecessary or irrelevant)

no. number

pkg. Package

PO purchase order
PR public relations
PS post script (a short message at the end of a letter)
Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter
qty. quantity
 R&D research and development
re in regard to, regarding
recd. received
ROI return on investment
RSVP Répondez s'il vous plaît, French for "please reply"
SWOT strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
(a SWOT analysis evaluates the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats of a company, business venture, or project)
TBD to be determined
temp temporary secretary
ROI return on investment
TBD to be determined
temp temporary secretary
VP vice president
w/ with
w/o without
yr. year
yrly. yearly

Signposts for Presentations

Signposts are words or phrases that guide the listener during a presentation. They let the listener know what has
happened so far, and what is going to happen next. Below is a guide for using signposts during a presentation. It is
divided into three sections: signposts for the introduction of a presentation, signposts for the middle of a
presentation, and signposts for the conclusion of a presentation. The first column contains signposts for a formal
presentation, and the second column contains signposts for an informal presentation.

Signposts for the Introduction of a Presentation

Formal INFormal
Signposts for the start of a Presentation

Introducing yourself: •Good •Hi everyone, I’m (name and title). Thanks
morning/afternoon/evening. On for coming.
behalf of (company, department,
etc.), I’d like to welcome you.
My name is (name) and I am
(position).

Introducing the topic: •I’m going to give you an overview •I’m going to talk to you about…
of... •I’m going to be talking a little bit about…
•The focus of today’s presentation •I’m here today to talk to you about…
is…

Outlining your presentation: •The presentation today is divided •I’m going to talk about three things today.
into three parts. First, I’ll... I’ll start with… Then I’ll talk a little bit
Following that I’ll... Finally, I’ll… about… I’ll finish with…

Inviting questions: •Please don’t hesitate to interrupt •If you have any questions during the
me if you have any questions. presentation, please ask.

Signposts for the Middle of a Presentation

Introducing the first section of your •I’d like to start/begin by… •Let’s start/begin by looking at…
presentation:

Finishing a section and starting a new one: •Well, we’ve looked at... Now, I’d •Well, I’ve told you about… Now I’ll move on
like to discuss… to…
•Having discussed… I’d like to •Well, we’ve looked at… Now, let’s talk
move on to…. about…
•So, that was... Now, let’s…
Expanding or elaborating: •I’d like to expand on… •Let me tell you a little more about…
•I’d like to elaborate on… •Let me give you some more
•Let’s consider this in more detail. details/information about...

Talking about earlier or later points in your later: later:

presentation: •I will elaborate on this later in •More on this later.
the presentation. •I’m going to talk more about this later.
•I’ll provide you with a more earlier:
detailed explanation later in the •Do you remember I said...?
presentation. •As I said earlier…
earlier:
•To repeat what I said earlier…
•As I mentioned earlier…

Recognizing your listeners' prior knowledge: •As you may be aware of… •You might already know that…
•As you may know… •I’m sure a lot of you know that…
•I know many of you are familiar •I’m sure a lot of you know about…
with… •I’m sure a lot of you have heard…

Focusing audience's attention on visuals: •May I focus your attention on •Take a look at this slide/chart/graphic etc.
the…You will notice that… You can see that…
•Please direct your attention to •Okay, here we can see that…
the slide/chart/etc.

Signposts for the Conclusion of a Presentation

Summarizing and concluding the presentation: •Finally, let’s summarize some of •Let’s summarize/recap what we looked at
the main points. today.
•To conclude, I’d like to •Finally, let’s look back at what we covered
summarize. today.
•So, to remind you of what we looked at
today...

Inviting final questions: •Does anyone have any questions •Does anyone have any final questions?
or comments before we conclude •Okay, does anyone have any questions or
today? comments?
•If you’d like me to elaborate or
clarify anything we covered today,
please ask.

Responding to tough questions: a question you don’t have the a question you don’t have the answer to:
answer to: •I don’t have that information with me. Can
•I want to answer your question you give me your email and I’ll send you an
completely, but I don’t have that answer later today?
information with me right now. a question you didn’t understand:
Could you give me your email •Could/Can you repeat that, please?
after the presentation so I can •Sorry, I didn’t catch that.
send you a complete response? •Are you saying that…?
a question you didn’t understand:
•Could you repeat that, please?
•Could you rephrase that, please?
•Let me make sure I understand
you completely. Do you mean
that…?

Finishing and saying goodbye: •If there are no further questions, •Well, I think that’s about it. Thanks for
I’d like to thank you very much for listening. Please contact me later if you have
your attention. If you think of any any additional questions or want more
additional questions, please feel information.
free to contact me.

Summarizing and concluding the presentation: •Finally, let’s summarize some of •Let’s summarize/recap what we looked at
the main points. today.
•To conclude, I’d like to •Finally, let’s look back at what we covered
summarize. today.
 •So, to remind you of what we looked at
today...

Inviting final questions: •Does anyone have any questions •Does anyone have any final questions?
or comments before we conclude •Okay, does anyone have any questions or
today? comments?
•If you’d like me to elaborate or
clarify anything we covered today,
please ask.

Responding to tough questions: a question you don’t have the a question you don’t have the answer to:
answer to: •I don’t have that information with me. Can
•I want to answer your question you give me your email and I’ll send you an
completely, but I don’t have that answer later today?
information with me right now. a question you didn’t understand:
Could you give me your email •Could/Can you repeat that, please?
after the presentation so I can •Sorry, I didn’t catch that.
send you a complete response? •Are you saying that…?
a question you didn’t understand:
•Could you repeat that, please?
•Could you rephrase that, please?
•Let me make sure I understand
you completely. Do you mean
that…?

Descriptive Words

[x] Accurate: I am precise. I don’t make mistakes

[] Active: I like to keep myself busy

[ ] Adaptable: I can easily fit into new routines and situations.

[ ] Adventurous: I like to try new things

[ ] Affectionate: I am warm toward others and prefer personal contact.

[x] Ambitious: I want to succeed at everything I do. I want to do well

[ ] Artistic: I am creative and like to use my imagination.

[ ] Assertive: I stand up for myself.

[x] Attentive: I am never daydreaming when I need to pay attention.

[x] Calm: I don’t feel out of control even when I am under stress. I stay cool.

[x] Capable: I am able to do my job.

[x] Careful: I take good care of my work and try not to make mistakes.

[ ] Caring: I care about people and many things.

[ ] Cautious: I am aware of dangerous situations and try to avoid them.

[ ] Charming: My outgoing manner makes people like me and want to be near me.

[ ] Cheerful: I am usually in a good mood and see things in a positive way.

[ ] Clever: I approach things in new and interesting ways.

[x] Competent: I get the job done well and on time.

[ ] Competitive: I like to be challenged by others to do my best in whatever I do.

[ ] Confident: I believe in myself and in what I can do.

[x] Conscientious: I know and do what’s right.

[x] Consistent: I always do things the same way.

[ ] Constructive: I am able to build and put things together. I am positive.

[x] Co-operative: I am able to work and get along with others.

[ ] Courageous: I am brave.

[ ] Creative: I like to create things.

[x] Curious: I am interested in learning and discovering new things.

[x] Dependable: Others can rely on me.

[x] Detailed: I pay attention to the small things.

[x] Determined: When I decide to do something, I do it, no matter how hard it is.

[x] Disciplined: I am focused and can make myself stay doing a task even if something more interesting comes along.

[ ] Discreet: I can keep secrets and don’t gossip.

[ ] Dynamic: I have a lot of energy, enthusiasm and new ideas.

[x] Eager: I’m always willing and ready to get started on things.

[x] Efficient: I do things quickly, usually in the fastest, simplest way.

[ ] Empathetic: I can feel other people’s pain and understand what they are feeling.

[ ] Energetic: I have a lot of energy.

[ ] Enterprising: I am someone who is likely to start my own business. I motivate myself.

[x] Enthusiastic: I get excited and motivated.

[ ] Expressive: I get my message across to others clearly.

[ ] Forgiving: I don’t hold grudges.

[ ] Friendly: I make an effort to include and talk to others.

[ ] Generous: I am giving to others, either of emotional support or gifts.

[ ] Gentle: I handle things and people with care.

[x] Good-natured: I’m easygoing and don’t get angry often.

[x] Helpful: I like to help others.

[x] Honest: I always tell the truth.

[ ] Humorous: I am funny and make others laugh.

[ ] Imaginative: I am full of thoughts and ideas.

[x] Independent: I do not rely or depend on other people. I work well on my own.

[ ] Industrious: I put effort into my work

[x] Innovative: I always have new ideas.

[ ] Inspiring: I motivate others to act, behave or do something positive.

[x] Integrity: I understand and act upon my moral – what is right and wrong.

[ ] Intuitive: I can sense how others feel or what they’re thinking; I can sense how to solve a problem.

[x] Kind: I am good to other people.

[ ] Likable: I am easy to like.

[x] Logical: I am able to think step by step.

[ ] Loyal: I am true and faithful to others.

[ ] Mature: I am mentally and physically developed. I am responsible for my age.

[x] Meticulous: I am into the details of things and may be a bit of a perfectionist.

[ ] Modest: I don’t brag about myself and my accomplishments.

[x] Open-minded: I am open to new and different ideas.

[x] Optimistic: I look on the bright side of things and always try to find the good side.

[x] Orderly: I like to follow step-by-step processes and do things in an organized and logical manner.

[x] Organized: Everything has a place and an order.

[ ] Outgoing: I am friendly and feel comfortable and excited by new situations. I am not afraid of crowds.

[x] Patient: I don’t lose my temper quickly and am good at teaching people new things.

[ ] Perceptive: I notice what’s going on around me and how people get along.

[ ] Persevering: Even though a job may be hard, I’ll keep at it until it’s done.

[ ] Playful: I have a joking and teasing personality.

[ ] Polite: I always remember my manners and am tactful.

[x] Positive: I think there is a good side to everything.

[x] Practical: I think before I act and look for the simplest way to do things.

[x] Productive: I am focused and use my time wisely.

[ ] Progressive: I am forward-thinking and don’t cling to the old way of doing things.

[ ] Punctual: I make a point of being on time.

[ ] Rational: I don’t go into a panic in crisis time. I calmly try to think things through for a solution.

[ ] Realistic: I see things as they really are.

[ ] Reasonable: I make fair decisions.

[ ] Reflective: I like to think about things I’ve done after they’re finished, and see how I might do them better
next time.

[ ] Relaxed: Stress and tension don’t get to me.

[x] Reliable: People know they can always count on me to be there when they need me.

[x] Resourceful: I can find things and may be good at doing research.

[ ] Respectful: I treat everyone with respect.

[ ] Self-reliant: I do things for myself and don’t count on others to do them for me.

[ ] Sensitive: I am in tune with others’ feelings as well as my own. I care about what others think of me.

[ ] Sincere: When I give compliments, I mean them. I am not a fake.

[ ] Sociable: I like to be around people a lot. I might prefer working in groups.

[ ] Spontaneous: I do things when I feel like it. I don’t need a plan.

[ ] Sympathetic: I feel for others when they are sad or when something bad happens to them.

[ ] Tactful: I don’t just blurt out criticisms. I try to think of a nice way to say things politely.

[ ] Tenacious: When I’ve got a good idea, I hold onto it and fight for my cause until others listen.

[x] Thorough: I don’t miss things. I do a job completely and think of all sides of the problem.

[ ] Thoughtful: I think of others, not just myself. For instance, I remember birthdays, names and important dates.

[ ] Thrifty: I am good at saving money.

[x] Tolerant: I don’t lose my cool easily and try to get along with everyone.

[ ] Understanding: I forgive people for making mistakes and don’t hold grudges because of them.

[ ] Versatile: I know how to do and learn to do many different things.