Espresso English Blog

accountant (n.)

An accountant is a person who works with the company’s money and financial records.

• My brother’s an accountant. He’s always had a talent for math.

across the board (idiom)

If something happens “across the board,” it means that it affects everybody.

• Salaries were raised by 5% across the board. Everyone in the office was happy!

adequate (adj.)

If there are adequate resources, it means there are enough resources. “Adequate” is just a fancy word for enough or sufficient.

• Does she have adequate training for the job?

adjust (v.) / adjustment (n.)

If you adjust something, it means you make a small change.

• We made a few adjustments to the budget – we cut spending on advertisement by 1% and raised the budget for recruitment by 3%.

advertising campaign (n.)

An advertising campaign (also ad campaign) is an organized program of publicity that can include TV commercials, outdoor advertising like signs and billboards, online ads, etc.

• The marketing department is preparing a huge ad campaign for Christmas.

afford (v.)

If you can afford something, it means you have enough money to pay for it.

• We can’t afford the new equipment – it’s very expensive, and sales have been down this month.

allow (v.)

To allow is to permit or to let happen.

• My boss allows me to work from home one day a week.

analyze (v.) / analysis (n.)

If you analyze something, it means you examine or study it methodically. The result of this study is called an analysis.

• I’m doing a market analysis to find out if there’s a demand for our new product.

approve (v.) / approval (n.)

If you approve something, it means you say it is good. The action or result of doing this is called an approval.

• Our department can’t spend more than $10,000 without the manager’s approval.

approximately (adj.)

If you say there are approximately 100 people in the company, it means that the true number is close to 100 (but not exactly).

• Last year, the company made approximately $3 million in sales.

assessment (n.)

An assessment is an evaluation. It is often used in evaluating the financial value of something (such as for tax purposes).

• Before buying property, it’s important to do an assessment of its value.

assign (v.) / assignment (n.)

If your boss assigns you some work, it means he or she gives you the work for you to do. The work that your boss made you responsible for is called an assignment.

• The manager assigned me a new project.

attorney (n.)

An attorney is a person who can legally act as the agent of another person or company, especially in legal processes.

• The company’s attorney signed the documents.

audit (n. and v.)

An audit is an official check of financial records to confirm that they are correct.

• Our company’s records are audited every year.

authorize (v.) / authorization (n.)

If the president of the company authorizes you to do something, it means he or she gives you the power to do it. This power or permission is called authorization.

• The director authorized me to work with the confidential information.

average (adj.)

The average is the number in the middle of a group of numbers. For example, the average of 5 and 10 is 7.5.

• The average age of our customers is 40.

Many English learners want to speak English fluently – but what exactly is “speaking fluent English”? There are many students who can read and write in English at an advanced level, but they are not fluent when it comes to speaking and listening.

From my experience as both a teacher and a language learner myself, I see three general levels of fluency:

1. Communication with difficulty

Speaking: At this level, you can speak in isolated words and a few sentences that you have memorized (“Nice to meet you”), but creating your own complete sentences is difficult. You can communicate basic things in a simple way (for example: “Where bathroom?”)

Listening: Native speakers must change their speech to help you understand – speaking slower and simpler English – and you may need to ask them to repeat things. If you listen to a conversation between two native English speakers, you can identify a few individual words, but you can’t follow the conversation.

2. Functional proficiency

Speaking: At this level, you speak in full sentences, although they may have some mistakes. You have an accent, but native speakers can understand you. You can use English successfully in daily life, and you would be comfortable in an English-speaking country. It’s sometimes difficult for you to express more complex thoughts or ideas.

Listening: You can understand most conversations between native English speakers, though there may be a few things you don’t catch, and you only occasionally have to ask a person to repeat something.

3. Fluency

Speaking: At this level, you can speak English fluidly (without hesitations) and correctly, including speaking for a long time and having deep discussions on any topic. Native English speakers can understand you perfectly. You are confident in your English ability and you can speak at any time and in any situation (including on the telephone) without fear.

Listening: Sometimes you’ll hear a slang word you don’t know, but you can often figure out its definition from the context. You can understand movies, TV and radio shows, and native conversations perfectly at any speed.

What level of fluency are you?

“Get” is a great word in English! It is used in so many different ways.

GET + adjective

get married

We’re getting married next year – the wedding will be in August.

get divorced

Brenda got divorced ten years ago, and she hasn’t seen her ex-husband since!

get angry

My sister gets really angry when I borrow her clothes without telling her.

get tired

It’s late and I’m getting tired. Let’s go home.

get dark

The theater’s getting dark – I think the movie is starting!

get lost

Philip got lost in the NYC subway and had to ask for directions to Times Square.

GET + comparative

get better

Larissa’s getting better at dancing. She practices every day.

get worse

If your headache gets worse, you should see a doctor.

get more expensive

It’s getting more and more expensive to buy an apartment in Rio de Janeiro.

get safer

Buying things online has gotten safer with tools like PayPal.

get more important

It’s getting more important to speak multiple languages in today’s globalized world.

get deeper

Be careful – the water gets deeper quickly on that side of the pool.

GET + preposition (phrasal verbs)

get up

My alarm clock goes off at 6:30, but I don’t get up until 7:15.

get along with

I get along really well with my colleagues. They’re a pleasure to work with.

get into

How did the dog get into the house? He’s supposed to stay outside!

get out

Randall got out of the car to check the tires.

get around

It’s very easy to get around Berlin – there’s a great subway system.

get together

My family always gets together for major holidays like Christmas and New Year’s.

GET + a place = arrive

get to the office

My boss always gets to the office by 7:30 AM.

get home

I had to work overtime, so I didn’t get home until midnight.

get to school

Sarah got to school late and missed her first class.

get to the train station

When they got to the train station, they realized they’d left their tickets at home.

get to the store

Hurry up! I want to get to the store before it closes.

get there

I don’t know exactly where the post office is. Could you tell me how to get there?

GET = receive

get an e-mail

Did you get my e-mail?

get a present

I got lots of presents for my birthday this year.

get grades

If you get good grades in high school, you can get into a good college.

get a certification

I got my scuba diving certification last year.

get an award

Ted got an award for being the best salesperson in the company.

get a shipment

We got a large shipment of books today – what should I do with them?

GET = buy / obtain

get a job

Tanya moved to Los Angeles because she got a job there.

get an apartment

“Have you found a place to live?”
“Yeah, I just got a great apartment right in the city center!”

get a computer

I got this computer just last month, and it’s already broken.

get a jacket

That’s a really nice jacket! Where did you get it?

get shoes

I got these shoes in Barcelona.

get [something] for a good price

We got this TV for a good price during the spring sale.

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