Focused listening library
Business English listening
Practice the phrases and phrasal verbs that make workplace conversations easier to follow.
Look up to
A role model does more than impress you. You look up to that person because their character or achievements earn your respect.
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Make up
Friends can make up after an argument, but one of them might also make up an excuse. The object and situation reveal whether something is repaired or invented.
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Measure up
A product can have impressive features yet still fail the test that matters. If it does not meet the required standard, it does not measure up.
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Narrow Down 3
Ten reasonable choices can make a decision harder. Narrowing them down removes the less suitable ones until the best options are easier to compare.
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Pay off
Months of practice can pay off when you finally succeed. Monthly payments pay a loan off only when the remaining balance reaches zero.
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Phase out
Replacing every old device today may disrupt users. Phasing the devices out lets an organisation remove them in planned stages.
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Pick up
You can pick up a parcel, pick up some Spanish while travelling, or pick up a conversation after lunch. The words around the phrase reveal its meaning.
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Pull out
A company may pull out of a deal, a parent may pull a child out of a team, and a car may pull out into the road. The grammar shows who chooses to leave.
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Put behind
A mistake may still be part of your history, but it does not have to control your next decision. You can learn from it and put it behind you.
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Put off
Rain can put off a picnic until Friday, while an unpleasant smell can put you off your lunch. One meaning changes the time; the other changes how you feel.
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Put on
Before guests arrive, you might put on a clean shirt, put the lights on and put on some music. The object tells you which action happens.
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Put out
You can put out a candle, a company can put out a statement, and a late request can put someone out. The object changes the meaning.
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Put up with
A neighbour's music may be annoying, but you might accept it for one evening. If you continue accepting the annoyance, you put up with it.
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Rip off
A dishonest seller might rip you off, while you might rip a label off a parcel. A person object signals cheating; a physical object often signals quick removal.
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Rule out
A test may rule out one illness, but a doctor who cannot rule it out still thinks it is possible. The negative form reverses the practical message.
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Run into
You might run into an old friend, run into a technical problem, or run into another car. The object tells you whether the meeting is pleasant, difficult or physical.
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Run out of
If we run out of coffee, the coffee has run out. Both sentences describe an empty supply, but the subject and grammar are different.
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Show off
Someone can show off without an object to attract attention, or show off a new skill so other people admire it. One describes behaviour; the other highlights what is displayed.
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Sign up
You sign up for a photography course, but you sign up to bring snacks to its first meeting. The next word decides the pattern.
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Sink in
You can hear important news in one second but need much longer to feel that it is real. During that delay, the news is sinking in.
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Stand out
A yellow umbrella stands out in a crowd because it is easy to see. An excellent application stands out because its quality is better. Both attract attention for different reasons.
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Take after
You may have your father's smile but your grandmother's patience. When a family similarity comes from an older relative, you can say you take after that person.
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Take it easy
Take it easy means to rest and avoid hard effort. It means to calm down and stop worrying. It also means goodbye between friends.
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Take part in
You can watch a race from the side, or you can enter it and take part. The phrase means joining the activity, not simply being nearby.
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How this practice helps
Practise expressions used when people discuss work, make decisions, or explain a problem.
Choose a workplace topic, read the examples, and listen for the details in a complete sentence.
