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Showing 595–612 of 695 lessons
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Describing lost property
Describing lost property means providing a set of precise factual details that distinguishes your possession from other similar items in storage.
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Medicine instructions
Medicine instructions tell you the amount to take each time and how often to take it. Words such as before, with, and after connect the instruction to food. A warning with if gives a condition and tells you what to do in that situation.
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Project status update
In these updates, already helps report completed work, still shows that a situation continues, and once connects a next step to something that must happen first.
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Confirming an appointment
Confirming an appointment means checking an arrangement that already exists, rather than making a new booking. The written example below changes Monday to Wednesday, with a 2:15 p.m. appointment and a 2:10 p.m. arrival. It illustrates the situation; it is not the recording's transcript.
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Understanding an indirect refusal
An indirect refusal communicates that the speaker cannot or does not want to accept the current invitation without directly saying no. Appreciation can soften the message, while a reason explains why the proposed plan will not work.
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Train platform change
In this announcement, the train still goes to York, but its departure time and platform change. The sixteen ten train is delayed by fifteen minutes, so the revised departure is sixteen twenty-five from platform seven instead of platform two.
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Checking a café order
In an order such as two soups, but one without cream, the customer wants two portions and changes only one. With introduces something included; without introduces something excluded. An allergy explains why an ingredient must be avoided.
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Delivery voicemail corrections
A delivery message can correct an arrival time, part of a reference code or a collection location. Listen for the replacement detail and keep the words that define the time window. The written examples and separate recordings use different details, so do not assume every message has the same time or code.
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Changing a plan
A changed plan keeps an activity but alters a detail, such as its time or place. A canceled plan does not go ahead as arranged. Listen to the whole exchange to find out what the friends decide and whether they accept a replacement plan.
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Word of mouth
Word of mouth describes information, recommendations, or news passed directly from person to person through informal conversation rather than paid advertising or official announcements.
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Video · 5 min When it comes to
'When it comes to' means 'about this particular subject'. You name the subject and then say something about it. For example: 'When it comes to sewing, I need help.'
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The upper hand
Having the upper hand means holding a clear advantage or stronger position compared to another person. It does not refer to someone's physical hand. Instead, it describes who has more control or influence in a particular situation.
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Video · 8 min Up to speed
'Up to speed' means fully informed about recent developments or capable of performing a task at the required operational standard. It describes practical readiness rather than physical movement.
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Up to scratch
Up to scratch means good enough for the task or purpose. It does not mean perfect. Come up to scratch means reaching the required standard, while bring something up to scratch means improving it so it meets that standard.
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Video · 8 min Up in the air
The idiom 'up in the air' means that a matter, plan, or decision is not yet certain or decided, often because additional facts or choices are needed. It does not mean the event is cancelled, impossible, or literally high above the ground; rather, it describes a situation that remains unsettled until a resolution arrives.
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Touch a nerve
To touch a nerve means to say something that causes an immediate sensitive, defensive, or upset reaction because it mentions an uncomfortable topic.
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Torn between
To be torn between two possibilities means to find choosing very difficult because both have strong attractions or important consequences.
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Video · 8 min To put someone on the spot
To put someone on the spot means to place a person in an awkward position by demanding an immediate answer, explanation, or decision, especially when they are unprepared or prefer not to answer in public.
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