Learning English

Session 1

enthusiastic
showing a lot of interest and enjoyment

face-to-face
in person

administrative support
help with tasks like writing reports and organising meetings

leading
(here) one of the best

innovative
introducing new ideas or original thinking

liaising
meeting or working with

internal departments
other departments in the same organisation

drafting
writing the first version of something

ideal
perfect

results-orientated
thinking about and working towards the best possible results

fluent
(here) able to use language well

dynamic
positive and full of energy

keen
showing enthusiasm

committed (to something)
willing (to do something)

professional skills
the skills you need to do a job

NQTs
stands for: Newly Qualified Teachers: teachers in their first year of teaching

key role
an important part

in short
basically

turn your hand to something
try something, do a task that you don't normally or regularly do

replenishing
(here) replacing items on the shelves of a shop when they have been sold

team player
someone who works well in a team

blue-sky thinking: having ideas which are very original, even if they are not practical or realistic
Our blue-sky thinking gave us some totally new ideas

push the envelope: to  go even further than others and do things that might be new or even risky
We’re not just a normal airline. We’re going to push the envelope and offer balloon flights.

think out of the box: to be creative and not limit your thinking
Jayne’s so good at thinking of solutions to problems. She manages to think out of the box.

read from the same page: think about or understand a situation in the same way as other people
Pat wants the Middle East to be our target market, but I think we should aim for the Far East. I don’t think we’re reading from the same page.

take the helicopter view: look at the general view of a situation and not the details
Taking the helicopter view, we can see that the company has steadily expanded over the last few years, but this month’s sales figures are rather low.

action (verb): deal with
I had 100 emails in my inbox this morning. I’ve actioned 80 of them so far. 

effect (verb): bring about a change or influence
The company effected many changes in the pay and conditions of their employees last year.

low-hanging fruit: the easiest targets
To cut energy consumption, we need to reduce worldwide air traffic, rather than making petrol and car tax more expensive – these are just the low-hanging fruit.

Session 3

froze
(here; informal) forget what you were thinking, saying or doing

bumped into someone
met someone by chance

cross paths with someone
meet, especially by chance

tweet
a message on the social networking site, Twitter

viral
extremely popular, especially when circulated quickly and broadly on the internet

reconstruction
an attempt to recreate an event from the information that you have about it

tube
an informal name for the London Underground

shove
push

swear
say something rude

role
(here) job, position in an organisation

push the envelope
go even further than others and do things that might be new or even risky

think outside of the box
be creative and not limit your thinking

blue-sky thinker
someone who has ideas which are very original, even if they are not practical or realistic

I can’t put my finger on it
(phrase) I can’t discover why there is something strange about this situation

Northern Line
a line on the London Underground that runs north to south

interviewee
someone being interviewed

Session 4

stand out from the crowd
be different from the rest; get noticed

nerve-racking
making you feel nervous and worried

daunting
making you feel nervous about doing something

woo
charm and impress; try to get their support

interviewers
the people who give the interview and ask the questions

field
(here) area of work of study

person specification
the description of the person they want to employ

out loud
so it can be heard

pronounce
make the sound of a word with your voice

word stress
emphasis given to one part of a word

mispronounce
make the sound of a word in the wrong way

impression
thoughts and feelings you get about somebody or something

familiar
well-known to you

achievements
things that someone has done successfully

volunteer
someone who offers to work without being paid

evidence
facts that make you think something is true

teamwork
working together well in a group

punctual
not late; doing things on time

calm and composed
relaxed and in control of your feelings; not rushed

first impressions count
the first idea people get about something is very important

outfit
a set of clothes worn together

valuable
important; worth a lot of money

atmosphere
(here) the feeling at a place or in a situation

brightly
(here) in a lively, happy way

vary
change so that something is not always the same

tone
(here) the way your voice rises and falls

monotone
talking without raising or lowering the sound of your voice

rephrase
say something again using different words to make it clear

going off on a tangent
(idiom) talking about something not connected to the main topic

focused
with attention directed to something

truthful
saying what is true; being honest

make things up
invent/say things that are not true

see through
(here) realise that you are not telling the truth

be open about it
don’t keep it hidden

address
(here) deal with a problem or issue

salary
the money paid for doing a job

Alice In Wonderland Part 7

dormouse
a kind of small mouse that lives in the countryside and sleeps a lot in the daytime

raven
a kind of big, black bird

riddles (singular: riddle)
a question that seems difficult or silly, but has a clever or interesting answer

rude
not polite