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to jump ship: meaning and explanation

To jump ship = to leave an organisation, usually in order to get a better position elsewhere. This expression  is informal and has slightly negative connotations as it communicates the idea of abandoning your responsibilities. e.g. Companies are having to resort to expensive loyalty schemes to reduce the number of people jumping ship.

Have a go at these micro-dictation exercises to hear this expression being used in context – how much can you understand?

Listening exercises

Micro-listening #1

Accent: Australia

.
If continues for I wouldn’t see more .
If the freeze continues for another then I wouldn’t be to see more people ship.

About the sentence

…I wouldn’t be surprised to see

I wouldn’t be surprised is a good alternative way of saying that you think something is a likely or probable outcome. e.g. I wouldn’t be surprised to see our costs go down even further over the rest of the year.

Micro-listening #2

Accent: England (RP)

Micro-listening #3

Accent: North America

 

Extra practice

Here are some questions/links to help you learn the new vocabulary:

  • Can you remember a time when you decided to jump ship? Was it the right decision?
  • What factors that might influence an individual’s decision to jump ship from a job, project, or commitment? How do personal and professional considerations play a role?
  • How can a team or an organisation be affected by someone’s decision to jump ship?

Photo by Patrick Bald on Unsplash

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