Hi, I'm Rebecca from www.engvid.com . Good to see you again!
In today's lesson, we're going to learn ten business expressions, and these are quite
advanced expressions, and they will help you in two different ways.
First, they'll help you to understand more of what people are saying around you because
they are advanced expressions, and second, if you learn them and start to use them, you
will sound a lot more advanced in your English, okay?
And definitely, these are expression that, once you start to use them, people will notice.
Oh, she's using better English!
He's using an advanced expression.
Okay?
And they will realize that.
So, let's learn what they are.
Okay?
Here we go.
So, what's interesting about all of these expressions?
They all happen to be about, like, three words, "a something something".
So, they are basically a, an adjective, and then a noun.
So, what's interesting here is that you probably already know the noun, okay?
So, if I say "option" or "discussion" or "opportunity" or "issue", you probably know what those words
are.
But, what happens is that, in these business expressions or collocations, as they're called,
there's an adjective, which is a little bit more advanced, and that makes it a little
bit more challenging and maybe it leaves you a little bit unsure about what the actual
meaning is.
But, if somebody uses the expression, then you really need to know that, because that
adjective is critical to understanding it, okay?
So, let's go through them one by one and then you will know them.
So, here we go.
So, the first one is: "a viable option".
So, option is what?
Like, something you can do - you can do this, you can do that, okay?
But viable, what does viable mean?
Viable just means possible, okay?
It's a viable option, means it's a possibility.
That's what it means.
That's all.
For example, let's say you have to get downtown so you could take public transportation, you
could take a taxi, you could drive, these are all viable options.
Okay?
Possible options.
That's it.
Alright.
The next one: "a fruitful discussion".
So, you know, especially if you're in business, what a discussion is, when two people are
speaking and discussing an idea or a possibility.
So, here, the adjective is a "fruitful" discussion.
So, what is fruitful?
Something to do with fruit?
No.
Fruitful does mean, like, full of fruit, but fruit here has a different meaning.
Fruitful discussion is a useful discussion.
A discussion that had a good result, a good option, a good outcome, okay?
So, it was fruitful, it was a very useful discussion, it was a good discussion, it was
a helpful discussion, okay?
So, that's the meaning of "a fruitful discussion".
Now, you will see that, here, I have a smiley face, so why's that?
Because the first three expressions are all kind of on the positive side, okay?
The next three are neutral, and the last four are a little bit on the negative side.
So, let's get back.
The next one: "a golden opportunity".
An opportunity by itself is a positive thing, but if something is a golden opportunity,
what does that mean?
It's an amazing opportunity.
It's a wonderful opportunity.
It's a great opportunity.
For example, let's suppose there's a bright student and then he or she gets a scholarship,
a fully paid scholarship to go and study at a very well-known university.
That's a golden opportunity, okay?
To improve his life or her life.
So now, say them after me, because you want to be able to also say them and use them comfortably,
and we will be using them in sentences in the next board, but let's also master the
pronunciation, so repeat after me: a viable option, a fruitful discussion, a golden opportunity.
Okay?
Now, are you just going to be saying that phrase?
No, of course it will be in a sentence.
For example, "That's a viable option.", "That's a fruitful discussion.", or "That was a fruitful
discussion.", "That's a golden opportunity.", okay?
So, you could use it in many ways, but that's a really simple way.
Next, now these next three are kind of neutral.
They're not good or bad, they're just sort of factual.
So, we have here: "a tentative appointment".
Appointment you know, because you make appointments all the time, but if you say, "We have a tentative
appointment to meet on Monday at 3:00.", so tentative means not certain.
Not fixed.
It's kind of just for now, that's what we've said but it might change, it's not confirmed,
alright?
So, that's tentative.
Say it after me: a tentative appointment.
Good.
Next, this is quite advanced actually, this next one: "a foregone conclusion".
Conclusion, you probably know, alright?
A foregone conclusion means a conclusion that everybody kind of already knows what that's
going to be.
For example, let's suppose there are some elections going on and everybody knows already
who is going to win.
And then the election happens and that party wins.
So, it's no surprise, right?
Everybody already knows it.
So, that would be a foregone conclusion.
It was a foregone conclusion that that party was going to win the elections.
Say it after me: a foregone conclusion.
Good.
Next: "a stopgap measure".
A measure is just, here, meaning like, an action, okay?
A step, or an action.
But what does it mean, a stopgap measure?
It's something that you just do temporarily.
For example, let's say you work in an office and you've got some really important work
to do and suddenly, your computer stops working and you don't have a computer.
Well, you can't be without a computer, right, these days, but somebody then realizes that
John just two desks away is away on holiday this week, and his computer is available.
Therefore, they say, "Hey, why don't you just work on John's computer this week and, in
the meantime, we'll get your computer repaired?", alright?
But, it's not for always.
You're not always going to use his computer, it's just what?
A stopgap measure.
It's just a temporary measure.
Alright?
That's that one.
Now, let's look at some that are a little bit more on the negative side, talking about
things which are more serious.
For example: "a pressing issue".
An issue is, like, a big problem, right?
A pressing issue, right, it's pressing, means it's urgent, it's really important.
For example, many people would consider healthcare a pressing issue, or climate change, a pressing
issue, okay?
Something that you need to solve, it's urgent, it's important, it's a pressing issue.
Okay?
Next, well, say it after me: a pressing issue.
Good.
It's important to say it aloud whenever you can, because once you've said it aloud, it
becomes that much easier for you to say it aloud again, okay?
If you never said it aloud, it's going to be very hard for you to use it at work, but
if you've said it and you've practiced it, you've practiced it with me, you've practiced
it afterwards, you've practiced it when you wake up in the morning or after dinner, then
you've heard yourself using it, it becomes familiar, and you'll feel more confident using
it.
Okay?
So, do that when I say practice it, really try to do that, unless you're somewhere like
a library where you have to be really quiet, okay?
Next: "a moot point".
Now, that sounds a little bit weird.
This word "moot" is kind of a strange sounding word.
A point, you know, but what is moot point?
So, a moot point, first I'll give you the meaning, a moot point is kind of like an unimportant
point, okay?
It's not relevant - it's not so relevant, it's really unimportant at this stage.
So, for example, let's say you go to the airport and you and your team have to fly somewhere
for a very important meeting with a client, but there's a huge storm and there are lots
of cancellations of the flights, so you're trying to rearrange your flights and everything,
right?
And then, you finally manage to do that and then one of the people on your team says "Okay,
but then when we get there, how are we going to now get to the - get from the airport to
the hotel?" and you say "You know what, that's a moot point.
Right now, the most important thing is that we get there, then once we get there, we'll
figure out the rest of it."
So, a moot point is an unimportant point, okay?
Next, oh, do you want to say that weird word, okay?
Try it: a moot point.
It's exactly like it sounds, a moot point.
Good.
Let's go to the next two.
So this one is: "a stumbling block".
A block is like a brick, like, you know, Lego blocks, that maybe you played with when you
were a child, but a stumbling block, what does it mean to stumble?
To stumble is like, to kind of trip and fall.
So, a stumbling block is like an obstacle.
Something that's in your way, something that's preventing you from going forward, okay?
For example, I don't like to give this example, but it's kind of true, I know, from teaching
so many students, that many students find that prepositions are kind of like a stumbling
block to making progress in English, because they - it's like every time you're trying
to use it, you have to think a lot and you might make a mistake.
So, it's a little bit of an obstacle, you can get over them like any obstacle, but it's
a stumbling block, okay?
It's something that prevents you from moving forward and may make you fall or fail in that
sense, okay?
It's a stumbling block to your progress.
Okay.
Next: "a short-sighted view".
A short-sighted view.
A view, you know, but a view in this case doesn't mean something that you can see, a
view in this case means your opinion.
Just like we could ask somebody, right, "What's your opinion?", or "What are your views on
this?"
View here means opinion in this expression, but a short-sighted view, what's that?
Okay, so there are two things, thinking about what's in front of you in life, or thinking
about what's going to happen later.
So, let's suppose there's a young student and a young person and he's in university
and he gets a great part-time job in the summer, a great job in the summer, and he's all excited
and tells you "You know what, I'm going to make like 10,000 dollars this summer!", and
he's very happy, and you're happy for him, but then he says "So, I've decided to drop
out of university because, look, I can make 10,000 dollars."
So you, let's say, being perhaps a more mature person may say to him "You know what, I think
you're taking a bit of a short-sighted view.
You're only thinking about what's immediately in front of you and right now, 10,000 dollars
seems like a lot of money, but if you continue in university, you have a chance to do much
better", okay?
So, a short-sighted view is when you're just looking at what's right in front of you and
not thinking of the long-term benefits or implications of something that you've decided
to do.
Okay?
So, repeat it after me: a short-sighted view.
And this one we didn't say: a stumbling block.
Good.
So now, I know they're kind of new, I know there are a lot of new words, but you can
get it, okay?
You'll definitely get it, I know that for sure, I work with lots and lots of students,
and once you start to use it, you'll feel much more comfortable, and you'll probably
find some that you like more than others, so start to use that, start to try to apply
it to your own life, okay?
Think of - are you facing any stumbling blocks right now in your life?
Are there any golden opportunities waiting for you that you could take advantage of?
Is anything that you know a foregone conclusion?
Okay?
Think about it when you apply something you learn to something you already know, you can
learn it and remember it much more effectively.
Okay?
But now, let's try to apply these into some real sentences.
Okay, so now, let's practice.
Okay?
So, here we have the adjectives that are part of the expression that we learned, and here
we have some sentences.
So, let me just go over which adjectives we have and then you can help me to fill them
into the sentences.
The first one: tentative.
Now, there are two ways to pronounce this word, by the way, you can say these t's: tentative,
or "tenative", okay?
Next: foregone, pressing, viable, golden, fruitful.
Okay?
Alright.
Let's get started.
Number one: We have an unconfirmed appointment.
So, let's replace this word with one of the words that we learned which means the same
thing.
What is that?
If you need more time to think, you can pause the video, think, and then continue, or just
stay with me.
So, the expression should be "We have a tentative appointment.", good.
Okay?
We have a tentative appointment.
We don't usually say we have an unconfirmed appointment, you can say that, these aren't
wrong, but this is like a professional expression, okay?
We have a tentative appointment.
And, by the way, it's not only for appointments.
You could have a tentative plan, you could have a tentative meeting, okay?
So, we use this expression in various ways.
Next: They had a great discussion.
That's not wrong.
What's a better way to say it?
Let's upgrade it.
They had a - which of those words?
They had a fruitful discussion, okay?
Fruitful.
Useful, very successful, very good, very helpful, alright?
Next: That's not a possible option.
What could we say instead of that?
That's not a - yes - That's not a viable option, okay?
That's not a viable option.
See how it sounds so much more professional?
So much more advanced, okay?
Immediately, you will just sound like you're really comfortable using English, which is
what you want.
Okay.
Number four: The speaker discussed urgent issues.
What's another way to say "urgent"?
Which of our words?
Okay, pressing.
The speaker discussed pressing issues, or, a pressing issue, okay?
It's like "urgent".
Next: That's an obvious conclusion.
What's another way to say that?
That's a - not too many options left now.
That's a foregone conclusion, okay?
Good.
That's a foregone conclusion.
I guarantee you that if you use this expression at work, people will be impressed, okay?
It's a - it's not just a way of expressing yourself differently, it's a way of thinking
differently, and that's why these expressions are so valuable, okay?
Next, number six: You have a super opportunity to optimize your English with these expressions!
So, what do we want to say instead of "a super opportunity?
You have a - yes - you have golden opportunity to optimize your English with these expressions.
Okay.
Great.
So, of course here, you saw that we just did six of them.
We did learn ten today, so what you should do now is, you know, go to www.engvid.com
, there you can do a quiz on all of the expressions that we learned and, even though we did a
little bit of review here, it might not be enough for your brain to really remember it
well.
The brain loves practice, okay?
So, go to our site and do the quiz.
It will really help you master those expressions and take them forward with you, because otherwise,
you're watching but you're not taking away, and what you really want to do is to take
away and start to apply what you've learned, okay?
And, what else can you do?
Well, if you haven't already, do subscribe to my YouTube channel and ring the bell so
you will be notified every time I have a new lesson and, if you're really interested in
taking your English to a higher level, check out my English course, it's an online course
called "Correct Your English Errors in 10 Minutes a Day" ( https://10.bexenglish.com
). It's an easy, quick system to correct lots of mistakes in pronunciation, expressions,
grammar, vocabulary, and so on, okay?
I think you'll really like it; we're getting really great feedback from a lot of our students.
So, thanks very much for watching and all the best with your English.
Bye for now.