Focused listening library
Business English listening
Practice the phrases and phrasal verbs that make workplace conversations easier to follow.
Talk into
You may not plan to join a trip, but a friend's reasons can change your mind. If the conversation persuades you, your friend talks you into going.
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Turn down
You can turn down a job because it is unsuitable, or turn down the music because it is too loud. One reduces an opportunity; the other reduces a level.
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Turn out
A difficult recipe can turn out well, and a rumour can turn out to be false. The phrase often reveals a final result that was uncertain or surprising.
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Turn up
A late guest can turn up at your door, lost keys can turn up under a sofa, and you can turn up the heating. Context separates arrival, discovery and a higher level.
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Work out
You can work out a bill, work out why a device failed, work out at the gym, or hope a plan works out. The object and subject reveal the meaning.
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A ballpark guess
A ballpark guess is a rough numerical estimate based on general knowledge to help people make early plans.
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Above board
Above board describes actions or deals that are honest and legal, with nothing hidden.
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At first glance
At first glance introduces how something appears when first seen before a closer look reveals new facts.
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Backlog
You answer five old emails, but twelve more are still waiting. What do you call the work that has built up behind you?
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Bend the rules
Bend the rules means to relax or ignore a standard regulation slightly for someone in a harmless situation.
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Breathing down my neck
Breathe down someone's neck means to watch someone closely in a stressful way, or to approach quickly as an urgent deadline.
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By the book
Following set rules, laws, or standard steps strictly without taking shortcuts.
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Come out of your shell
Come out of your shell means to become less shy and more willing to talk with other people.
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Corner the market
One company sells nearly every reusable bottle in a city, and competing shops struggle to attract buyers. How can you describe the company's position?
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Crossed wires
You arrive for a meeting on Tuesday, but your colleague expects you on Thursday. Neither person meant to cause a problem. How can you describe what happened?
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Cut to the chase
Cut to the chase means to stop wasting time on minor details and talk directly about the most important subject.
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Easier said than done
Someone tells you to stop worrying before an important interview. The advice is sensible, but following it feels much harder than giving it. How can you respond?
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Expressions with get
Get in touch means start communicating with someone. Get rid of means remove or throw away something unwanted. Get used to means become familiar and comfortable with a new situation.
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Eye to eye
Two team members have different working styles, but both want to delay the launch until the product is safer. How can you describe the opinion they share?
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For the time being
Your office is being repaired, so you are working from a library until another arrangement is ready. The plan is temporary, but there is no exact end date. What phrase fits?
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From scratch
A damaged spreadsheet cannot be repaired, and there is no clean copy. You open a blank file and recreate every part. How did you start?
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From the ground up
A company does not make a few changes to its service. It redesigns the basic rules, the technology, and every customer step. How can you emphasise the complete rebuild?
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Get it out of your system
You keep thinking about an unfair decision. After telling a friend exactly how you feel, the frustration becomes easier to leave behind. What have you done?
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Give it a miss
Your friends invite you to a late film, but you are tired and have an early start. How can you casually say that you will not go this time?
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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.
