Pearson Brown English Lesson - about

We can use about to mean ‘concerning’
I have heard all about it.
There is nothing we can do about it.
The great thing about her is that she never gives up.

We can use about to mean ‘approximately’. We can also use around for this but about is less formal.
About six hundred people were present.
About half the people agreed.
Come round at about six.

We can use How about and What about to make suggestions.
What about asking Tom?
How about leaving that for the time being?
What about a break?

We can also use What about ( but not How about) for more genuine questions.
What about the workers? Have you thought about them?
What about the dog? What do we do with her?

We use about and on to talk about the subject of a discussion. We use on for more formal situations.. 
They talked about the bad economic situation.
He gave a lecture on the economy.

About can mean ‘here and there’.
She is always out and about.
He sits about doing nothing.
They go about interviewing the public.

Just about means ‘almost’.
I have just about finished.
I have had just about enough of him and his patronizing tone.
The money we get will just about pay for the new equipment.

Be about to means that something is on the point of happening.
I am about to change jobs.
He is about to give in his resignation.
Please listen carefully. i am about to say something important.

Here are some useful expressions using about

no doubt about
 There is no doubt about his ability but he doesn’t work well with other people.

bring about change
We need to bring about change quickly or the company will go bankrupt.

everybody is talking about it
Everybody is talking about the argument they had.

be asked about
I am often asked about how I became so successful.

speak to them about
You need to speak to them about this and make sure they never do it again.

anything I can do about it?
Is there anything I can do about my financial situation?

concerned about
i’m concerned about Simon. He is acting very strangely.

speculate about
We can only speculate about what happened. We will never know for sure.

about to change
I am not happy with what has been happening. I must warn you that things are about to change around here.

know a lot about
Ask Sally. She knows a lot about that.

talking about
What are you two whispering about?

known about
Little is known about what happened.

hear about
I know you have just been to Hawaii. I want to hear all about it.

keep your wits about you
Be very careful. There are lots of thieves around. Keep your wits about you.

EXERCISES:

http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/about/exercise1.html
http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/about/exercise2.html
http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/about/exercise3.html
http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/about/exercise4.html

Pearson Brown English Lesson - HR Phrasal Verbs

More Human Resources Phrasal Verbs

‘get on’ = to have a good relationship

• I don’t like my boss. We just don’t get on.
• The atmosphere is terrible. He doesn’t get on with his co-workers.

‘follow up’ = to find out more about or take further action on something.

• Before we offer her the job, we need to follow up on her references.
• The training is followed up by regular refresher courses over a six-month period.

‘set up’ = to arrange for an activity or event to happen

• I’d like to discuss it further. Can we set up a meeting?
• I’ve set up interviews with the remaining three candidates.

‘make up’ = do or pay extra to cover a difference.

• I’d like to leave early on Friday. I’ll make up the time next week.
• There was an error in your expenses. We’ll make up the difference next month.

‘hand in’ = to give something

• He’s leaving at the end of the month. He has handed in his resignation.
• I haven’t handed my time sheet in yet. I must do it now.

‘work out’ your notice = to continue working through the period after you have resigned.

• They asked him to leave immediately. He didn’t have to work out his notice.
• He negotiated a deal so he didn’t have to work out his notice and could leave sooner.

‘sort out’ = to resolve

• We don’t know who is going to replace Sue. We have to sort it out soon.
• I have finally sorted out the error on the time sheets. It’s all correct now.

‘carry on’ = to continue

• We still haven’t found a suitable candidate. We’ll have to carry on looking.
• Until we get the new software installed, we’ll have to carry on using the old.

‘back out’ = to decide not to do something previously agreed.

• They had agreed to do it but then backed out.
• He had accepted the post but backed out at the last minute so we’re considering other
•  

‘go with’ = to adopt or support an idea or plan.

• I think your idea is a good one. I think we should go with it.
• We’re not really sure which agency to go with. We don’t think any of them are really what we are really looking for.
• candidates.

Exercises

http://www.hrenglish.com/phrasals2/exercise1.html
http://www.hrenglish.com/phrasals2/exercise2.html
http://www.hrenglish.com/phrasals2/exercise3.html 

Pearson Brown English Lesson - 'softening your language 2'.

Softening 2

This is a very simple idea but we find that our students have a lot of problems doing it.
So the explanation is very short but we are giving a lot of practice activities.

If you use a negative adjective, it can sound aggressive and insulting.
You are small.
It’s dirty.
He is stupid.

It is often much better to use not very plus a positive adjective.
You are not very big.
It is not very clean.
He is not very intelligent.

As I said, a simple idea that can make you sound much more professional.

Exercises:

http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/softening2/exercise1.html
http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/softening2/exercise2.html
http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/softening2/exercise3.html
http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/softening2/exercise4.html
http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/softening2/exercise5.html

Pearson Brown English Lesson - 'softening your language'

Softening 1

Sometimes you want to soften the impact of what you are saying and give it less importance. Here are some ways to do that:

Little
The quality could have been a little better.
The speaker should have spoken a little louder.

Slight
There is a slight problem we need to deal with.
I have a slight doubt about John’s suitability for the job.

Minor
I have a minor reservation about this plan.
There are a few minor problems still to be dealt with.

Fairly
There are some fairly important changes still to be made.
I think that I have a fairly good understanding of your problems.

Quite
I quite like it but no more than that.
This is quite a good way to do this.

Not quite
He isn’t quite as good as he thinks he is.
I’m not quite sure that we are on the right lines. 

Partially
He has been partially successful with his demands but he didn’t get everything he wanted.
It is partially finished but there is still a lot to do.

Occasional
There are occasional errors in his work.
Everybody makes occasional mistakes.

Rather
He is rather aggressive.
This is rather too complicated. It is difficult to understand.

More or less
The report is more or less finished. I just need to read through it again.
He is more or less useless. Cannot get anything right.

Excercises: 

http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/softening/exercise1.html
http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/softening/exercise2.html 
http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/softening/exercise3.html 
http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/softening/exercise4.html 

Pearson Brown English Lesson - Adjective Intensifier

There are some words which can be used to ‘intensify’ many adjectives – ‘very’ ‘really’ ‘totally’ ‘absolutely’ ‘completely’ ‘utterly’ ‘entirely’.

It’s very tall.
We’re really happy.
She’s totally exhausted.
I’m absolutely horrified.
He’s completely hopeless.
You look utterly miserable.
I’m entirely satisfied.

Certain adjectives have their own ‘special’ intensifiers which are often used with them. Here are some common ones:

blind drunk

He was blind drunk and behaved really badly.

bone dry

I must have a drink. I’m bone dry.

brand new

I’ve just bought a brand new car.

crystal clear

The sea near Rhodes is crystal clear.

dead easy

That exam was dead easy. I’ve certainly passed.

He’s won three lottery prizes this year. He’s dead lucky.

dead right

I agree entirely. You are dead right.

dirt cheap

I bought my car for a dirt cheap price from an old lady who had hardly driven it.

fast asleep / sound asleep

I was in bed and fast asleep by nine.
I was sound asleep and I didn’t hear anything.

paper thin

These office walls are paper thin. You can hear everything said in the next office.

pitch black

There’s no moon. It’s pitch black out there.

razor sharp

Be careful with that knife- it’s razor sharp.

rock hard

It’s impossible to dig this soil – it’s rock hard.

stark naked

The hotel door slammed behind me and I was left standing stark naked in the middle of the corridor.

stone deaf

He can’t hear a thing. He’s stone deaf.

wide awake

I was wide awake by six.

wide open

Who left the door wide open?

Exercises:

http://business-english.com/businesslanguage/adjectiveintensifiers/exercise1.html
http://business-english.com/businesslanguage/adjectiveintensifiers/exercise2.html
http://business-english.com/businesslanguage/adjectiveintensifiers/exercise3.html
http://business-english.com/businesslanguage/adjectiveintensifiers/exercise4.html
http://business-english.com/businesslanguage/adjectiveintensifiers/exercise5.html

Pearson Brown English Lesson -"For" 2

We can use for to mean ‘because’. We only use this in very formal English.

• The divers have to be careful for a sudden change in conditions could be dangerous.
• Read the instructions carefully for you will only get one chance to enter the information.

We can use for to talk about a purpose or a reason.

• What did you that for?
• What is that for?
• Thank you for your letter.
• I don’t have enough money for the ticket.
• I need treatment for my bad back.

For can mean that you are in favour/favor of something.

• He is for the idea of cutting taxes.
• I am for this change in the way we do things.
• You need to stand up for what is right.

We can use for with expressions of time and distance.

• I walked for miles.
• I waited for a long time.
• We will be away for the next week.

Sometimes we can omit the for completely in these expressions without changing the meaning.

• I walked miles.
• I waited a long time.

With the present perfect, for refers to a length of time. Since refers to the starting point.

• I have studied English for seven years.
• I have studied English since I was 12.

Here are some useful expressions using for

• I enclose a cheque/check for 100 euros
• What’s another word for stupid?
• I’ve known him for ages.
• I am all for making this change.
• Get ready. -What for? -Anne is coming.

Exercises:

http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/for2/exercise1.html
http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/for2/exercise2.swf
http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/for2/exercise3.swf
http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/for2/exercise4.swf

Pearson Brown English Lesson -"For" 1

We can sometimes use for + ing to talk about the purpose of a thing. When we do, it means the same as to + infinitive.

• What is that for? It is for opening envelopes
• This bell is for calling the waiter.
• This bell is to call the waiter.

When we talk about the purpose of somebody’s actions, we cannot use for + ing.

• I went there to ask for help.
• To get tickets, you will have to queue for hours.

However, it is sometimes possible to use for + noun for this.

• I went there for help.
• You will have to queue for hours for tickets.

We can also use for + object + infinitive to talk about a purpose.

• I gave her a notebook for her to write down new English words she found.
• They sent a form for me to sign
• 
  
• We also use the pattern for + object + infinitive in sentences after is or was.

• The plan is for us to get to Barcelona by lunchtime.
• The objective was for them to get the work finished by the end of last month..

We can add details to a noun by using the pattern for + object + infinitive

• That is an expensive place for them to stay.
• There is a lot of work for us to do.
• There is no need for you to be so aggressive.

We also use the pattern for + object + infinitive after certain verbs and adjectives.

• I am waiting for him to make the first move.
• I have arranged for you to see the bank manager tomorrow morning.
• We are keen for you to take the job.
• I think it would be good for you to take a break now.

Exercises:

http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/for/exercise1.swf

http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/for/exercise2.swf

http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/for/exercise3.swf

http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/for/exercise4.swf