Setting an agenda – 20 – English at Work sets the meeting agenda

source: BBC Learning English    2016年11月15日
For more English at Work and other great content::

Denise: Here you go Anna, it's a print-out of the agenda for the meeting.
Anna: Thank you. Oh dear, I'm not sure if I know the right words to start meetings.
Narrator: Well, you can say something like:
Anna: Items?
Narrator: It's a fancy way of saying 'things'. Then you list them:
Anna: Yes, that's easy.
Narrator: At the end there is often something called 'any other business'.
Anna: Any other business?
Let's wrap up. It means let's finish.
Anna: To wrap up. OK, I'll do my best. Ooh, it's time, everyone is gathering.
(The meeting starts)
Thank you… thank you for coming. Paul will be here soon, but he asked me to start the meeting. There are (counting to herself) one, two, three, four items on the agenda today.
Firstly, the stock management systems. Secondly, plans for a team-building activity (collective groan). After that, the colour of our new apples and finally any other business, before we can wrap up.
Paul: (arriving) Oh golly gosh, there you are, here I am, good. Hello everyone. Sorry I'm late.
Anna: I'd just opened the meeting.
Paul: Great. Remind me what the first item on the agenda is?
Anna: Stock.
(quiet murmur of surprise)
Anna: Me? You want me to be in charge of the stock management systems?
Narrator: Well, that was good news for Anna, but not surprising, after all her hard work. She opened the meeting well, too. Here's a reminder of the phrases she used:
Anna: Thank you for coming.
There are four items on the agenda today.
After that...
And finally...
Any other business.
And then we can wrap up.

Let's Learn English Lesson 48: Have You Ever...?

source: VOA Learning English 2017年3月10日
Anna meets a tourist and helps her find interesting museums. Then the tourist helps Anna learn more about Washington, D.C.
See the whole lesson at:

Let's Learn English Lesson 48 Speaking Practice

source: VOA Learning English    2017年3月8日
Use this video to learn how to say the new words. The learn about how to use the present perfect verb tense.
See the whole lesson at

Let's Learn English Lesson 48 Pronunciation Practice

source: VOA Learning English    2017年3月8日
Use this video to learn how Americans pronounce the word "been" - the past participle of the verb "BE."
See the whole lesson at

Learn and practice 5 BACK VOWELS with Emma

source: Learn English with Emma [engVid]    2017年3月8日
You want to sound like a native speaker, but you don't know how to improve your pronunciation! Here's a little secret: the fastest way to get better pronunciation is to work on your vowel sounds. In this video, I will teach you how to pronounce four vowels that are common in both British and American English. We'll be looking at back vowels. You'll learn by seeing what my mouth, lips, and tongue are doing when I pronounce these vowel sounds, then you'll practice saying them by doing the same with your mouth. Often, English learners don't notice the difference between these sounds, and that might be why you aren't saying them correctly. We'll compare these similar vowel sounds to make those differences clear. I will show you the different spellings of these sounds in English and you will learn what the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols for these vowels are. You should also watch my other video on FRONT VOWEL SOUNDS: Those are just as important!

35 words that begin with the letter O

source: LearnAmericanEnglishOnline     2017年2月28日

Slang Words Starting With J

source: EnglishAnyone    2012年5月29日

To jabber is to talk for a long while, saying things that listeners don't really want to hear. If you're talking for a long time about your Pokémon collection and everyone else is reading something, there's a good chance you're jabbering.
Stop jabbering already and get to the point!

To jip someone is to cheat them out of their fair share or intentionally take money that belongs to them. If everyone else gets two cupcakes and you only get one, you get jipped. Didn't get the correct change at the grocery store? If the cashier had a sneaky smile, you probably got jipped.
That newspaper vending machine jipped me! I put in my money and it wouldn't give me a paper or my money back!

To jack something is to steal it. Cars, jewelry, shoes and anything else that can be taken quickly can be jacked. Large-scale theft that requires time and planning is usually a heist.
Did you see who came in here? Someone just jacked all my new phones.

Jackass is a general insult English speakers use to talk about anyone that is being loud, rude, dumb, unpleasant, argumentative, disrespectful and/or obnoxious. The TV show and movies of the same name are about people performing stunts, getting injured and doing other things only a jackass would be caught doing.
Don't be a jackass! Stop turning on the TV and let me read in peace!

Jack Of All Trades
A jack of all trades is someone who is good at many things but not a specialist in one particular thing. Depending on how this phrase is used, it can have both good and bad meanings. You can call someone a jack of all trades in praise of their well-rounded set of talents, or use it to belittle them when special mastery is required.

A jock is a sports athlete who usually plays multiple, and often rough, sports like football and hockey. Jock also has the slightly negative meaning of someone who is not very intelligent and only capable of playing sports and doing physical activities. Women who play lots of sports can also be called jocks or tomboys.
My dad was a jock in college. He played football and baseball, and ran track.

Just Off The Boat
Someone who's just off the boat is someone who is new and inexperienced. This expression comes from the idea of a traveler stepping off a boat for the first time in a brand new country. Such a person looks around confused and awed by strange new things. Anyone new to a group or organization like a school can be just off the boat. "Fresh off the boat" is also commonly used.
Look at that guy over there with the smile and the backpack. He must be just off the boat.

A jam is another word for trouble. The difference between trouble and jam is that a jam is usually not very serious and doesn't put you in physical danger. A car crash is trouble, but forgetting your lunch is more of a jam. Jams are usually fixed with a phone call or some easy help from someone else.
I seem to be in a bit of a jam here. I left my airplane ticket at home, so could you print me a new one?

A junkie is someone who is hooked on, or addicted to, something. People addicted to drugs are junkies, but so are people addicted to FarmVille. People who love to skydive and do other extreme sports often call themselves "adrenaline junkies" because they are addicted to the rush they feel when their bodies are excited.
My uncle was a video game junkie but finally gave it up when his wife threatened to leave him.

Jerk Someone Around
To jerk someone around is to tease or play with them. If you call customer service and they keep transferring you to different people, then you're being jerked around. If a woman isn't really interested in dating a guy but keeps him around anyway, she's jerking him around.
I didn't buy the boat because the dealer kept changing the price and jerking me around.

A joint is a casual place, like a fast food restaurant, where people can come and go easily. A local hamburger restaurant can be called a burger joint.
Let's go to that chicken joint you like. They have really good hot sauce!

Writing - Transitions - Therefore, Thus, Consequently

source: English Lessons with Adam     2013年6月11日 Learn how to use "therefore" and "thus" to show you have reached a conclusion. These transitions will improve your writing by helping you link ideas. In this lesson, we will look at transitions of conclusion and consequence to help ideas flow and improve our writing styles. I'll also teach you how you can use words like "so", "then", "hence", and "as a result" for the same purpose. Watch the lesson, then take the quiz:

# click for more videos on
1) prepositions, conjunctions, and transitions that express cause and effect
2) Cause and Effect Paragraphs
3) Cause and Effect Essays

Phrasal Verbs - GET ALONG

source: Espresso English    2017年2月15日
Phrasal Verbs in Conversation Course:
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10 Valentine’s Day Slang Words you'd Love. – Niharika

source: Learn English with Let's Talk     2017年2月13日
Watch a video on - Why is your English not improving? -

To have the hots for – To be extremely attracted to someone
Eg- He’s got the hots for my cousin.

Mack on – To hit on someone or to flirt with someone
Eg- All he knows is macking on the girls.

Puppy love – young love or infatuation. Many young kids these days get the feeling of love and romance but it is just an infatuation.
Eg- It’s just puppy love; you need to start concentrating on your projects.

Trophy wife – The young and attractive wife of a wealthy, famous or important man. She is more like a Status symbol for her husband.
Eg) I spotted John with his new trophy wife at the concert last week.

To go Hogging – To go out seeking less desirable women, or to pursue overweight women with the intentions of just having sex with them.
Eg) let’s give the fat ladies a chance, let us all go hogging.

Manicorn – The elusive perfect man who is charming, attractive, successful, and funny but he doesn’t exist.
Eg- I’m still single, still holding out for my manicorn.

Cupcake – To stay home romancing with your lover rather than going out.
We had planned a dinner out for valentines, but we just cupcaked.

Up one’s butt- Being obsessed with another person and always being glued.
Eg – She’s totally up James butt these days.

Whipped – Extremely obedient and being true to your partner.
Eg – His girlfriend has him whipped.

Bugaboo – An annoying person especially one making unwanted sexual advances.
Eg- That bugaboo keeps texting me all day long.

BBC News Review: Olympics closing ceremony

source: BBC Learning English    2016年8月23日
The 2016 Olympic Games have finished with a spectacular closing ceremony. Join Sian and Catherine in News Review as they bring you this exciting story and the language you need to understand it.
For exercises, visit our website:

The story
The Olympic Games have officially ended with a colourful ceremony in the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. The entertainment included Brazil's world-famous samba music. The president of the Rio organising committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman said he was proud of his city, his country and his people. Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic committee, said they had been a marvellous games in a marvellous city.

Tim Allman - BBC commentator

Like the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony had plenty of fireworks and lots of vibrant colour.

As Carmen Miranda played, the athletes arrived. This time instead of separately, nation by nation, they came in as one, what was described as the spirit of togetherness, the Olympic spirit.

Then the symbolic handing over of the Olympic flag. Japan, the hosts four years from now, getting the chance to hint at what might be coming in 2020. The country's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, kicking things off dressed as one of the Super Mario Bros.

Key words and phrases

kick off
begin or cause sth to begin

pass the baton
give responsibility for something important to another person or group

wrap up
finish something

Collocations In English - Vocabulary Lesson

source: Oxford Online English    2014年11月10日
See the full lesson (with text and exercises) here:
Why we say 'make a mistake' and not 'do a mistake'? When someone eats a lot, we say he/she is a 'big eater', but when someone smokes a lot, they aren't a 'big smoker' but a 'heavy smoker'? Why?
The answer is collocations. Collocations are words which just 'fit' together. There isn't always a logical or clear reason. Collocations are very common in English, so it will help your English greatly if you learn about them. In this free English video lesson, you can learn more about collocations, how you can learn them, and why you need them.

1. Every language has collocations, but collocations are often different between languages

Let's look at an example: do you know the verb 'catch'? How do you say it in your language?

Now, think about the phrase: 'catch a bus'. How do you say it in your language? Do you use the same verb? Maybe you do, but most probably, you use a different verb.

What about 'catch a cold'? Do you use the same verb as 'catch a bus'?

This is one of the reasons why collocations can be difficult: when you think in your language, you'll use certain collocations. When you speak English, you have to learn to use different collocations.

2. Collocations are easy to understand, but can be hard to guess

If you hear the collocation 'strong coffee', it's easy to understand even if you've never heard it or used it before. Many collocations are like this: you can understand them easily when you hear them.

For example: how could you complete this sentence?

- There was some __________ rain, but it stopped after five minutes

'Light' is the only real possibility which makes sense. Did you get the right answer?

If you don't know the collocation, it can be very hard to guess. That's because collocations aren't really logical or regular; either you know them or you don't.

3. Different types of collocations

There are many different types of collocations. The most common are:

Verb + noun:
- catch a bus
- make a mistake

Adjective + noun
- strong coffee
- heavy traffic

Adverb + adjective
- terribly sorry
- absolutely awful

Verb + adverb
- talk softly
- fall heavily

Verb + preposition
- depend on
- talk about

Adjective + preposition
- interested in
- angry with

4. Advice for learning collocations

Generally, learning collocations is like learning any other vocabulary. However, here are some tips which are specific to learning collocations:

- Remember that collocations are not usually logical or regular—it's not helpful to ask why something is this way and not that way.
- Most learner's dictionaries will give examples of collocations after the explanation of a word. For example, if you look up the word 'make', you can find examples of common collocations with 'make'.
- Focus on collocations which are different in your own language. For example, where English has two verbs 'make' and 'do', many languages have one verb which has both of these meanings. Because of this, collocations with 'make' and 'do' are difficult to remember for many English learners.

5. Learning collocations is much more useful than learning single words

If you just learn a single word, by itself, that doesn't help you to use the word. Generally, if you try to learn a word but you can't/don't use the word, you'll forget it again.

When you learn collocations, it gives you some context and meaning which will help you to use the words in your speaking or writing. There's another big advantage to learning collocations: it can help your spoken fluency, by allowing you to remember language in chunks.

English Slang / Idioms: I'm Broke

source: Shaw English Online     2014年1月28日
Follow Shaw English:
Poor Robin has no money. He is broke! 'Broke' is a very common idiom to know and use. Robin will teach this idiom using a lot of easy to understand example sentences.

Stingy vs Frugal

source: Shaw English Online    2014年1月27日
Follow Shaw English:
Stingy and Frugal are very important English words. They have similar meanings, but are used differently. These words are good to know when learning English.

Flowers for Girlfriend (Learn English 53)

source: EF podEnglish     2007年7月5日
In this intermediate English lesson you will see a man ordering flowers for his girlfriend on the phone. He and the flower shop both ask questions to find out what types of flowers he should buy and how much they cost.

How to describe and share your opinion

source: Go Natural English    2014年1月23日
This video talks about the intensifiers. These are very useful when you're describing some experiences or feelings or you just want to describe some things or objects. Some very commonly used intensifiers are: "So", "Really", and "Such". Intensifier usually appears right before the adjective.
Watch this video next:

Shopping for a New TV

source: Twominute English    2013年2月24日
Buying a new TV is a very time consuming exercise because you need to figure out a lot of things like the TV size, features, sound quality, display quality, and so many others factors. In this lesson we are going to learn some key phrases and words that will help you talk in English when you shop for a TV the next time.
Exercise section for this lesson:
App for your Android Device:

0:18 Hi, how are you?
0:20 I’m good sir. How can I help you today?
0:24 Well, I want to buy a 42-inch TV for my living room. What do you recommend?
0:29 Let me take you around the store. I’ll show you the various models and the specs.
0:34 That will be great. Thank you!
0:43 Peter, I need a new TV, but there are so many options. I can’t decide!
0:48 I like the new range of Smart TVs from Samsung. They’ve got Android!
0:54 Really? That means they are almost as smart as a computer!
0:58 Yep, and there’s HDMI, support for USB movies, and lots of other stuff.
1:05 Well, I was planning to buy either Samsung or Toshiba. Do you know about the features of Toshiba?
1:12 Nope, I am sorry. I’ve got a Samsung TV that’s why I know about them. Maybe you should ask the vendor.
1:22 Alright, I will find out more about it.
1:31 How much does this TV cost?
1:34 It’s for $900. It’s a great TV for this price.
1:39 Maybe. But I can’t pay all that money in one go. Can I buy it in installments?
1:45 Yeah, sure. But that will cost you about 2% more.
1:50 Hmm.. That’s not too much. How can I get it on EMIs?
1:55 Well, you’ll need to pay 20% of the cost, and you can pay the rest in 3, 6 or 9 instalments as per your preference.
2:05 What about the interest?
2:07 There’s no interest. We’ll just charge you 2% over the cost of the TV as processing fee.
2:14 That’s pretty good. Okay, I want to opt for 6 instalments.
2:19 Excellent! Let me get the billing done.
2:29 Well, I was wondering if you can offer me a discount on this TV.
2:33 A discount? We have it on sale right now. It’s already 20% down on the MRP.
2:41 I know, but it’s still too expensive. This is an old model and there are newer and better models available.
2:48 Yes we know that. That’s why we offered 20% rebate on this, but if you pay us through cash we’ll give you a further 10%.
2:58 10% is good, but I can only pay through credit card.
3:02 Hmm.. That’s fine. I will give you the discount. I just want to make space for the new TVs we are bringing this week.
3:12 Alright, I will buy it.
3:17 10% is good, but I can only pay through credit card.
3:26 I was wondering if you can offer me a discount on this TV.
3:34 But I can’t pay all that money in one go. Can I buy it in installments?
3:43 I want to buy a 42-inch TV for my living room. What do you recommend?
3:52 I was planning to buy either Samsung or Toshiba. Do you know about the features of Toshiba?