Author: Xela

Northern Ireland – A Useful Guide

Posted on by Xela

If you are hoping to move to the UK for work or visit, or even work with people from the UK it is important to understand the countries that make up the United Kingdom. Learning English is very useful but knowing a little about the countries is important too. Here is our very useful guide to Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland is one of the 4 countries in the United Kingdom, the others are England, Scotland and Wales. Ireland is important to understand for a few reasons but one is that it is different from the Republic of Ireland even though it is on the same island next to the mainland. Northern Ireland is north of the Republic which is not part of the UK.

General Information

There are around 1.8 million people in Northern Ireland which is only around 3% of the population of the UK. The capitol city is call Belfast. It is a country filled with rolling green hills, mountains and beautiful beaches. A number of big movies have been filmed there as well as Game of Thrones. It is also the home of the world famous Giant’s Causeway which is an amazing bit of coastline made up of columns of rocks that look like they have been created by man.

History

Northern Ireland was once a place of conflict. The disagreement was between people who wanted to be part of the UK and people who wanted to be part of the Republic of Ireland. For many years there were bombings and violence in and outside of the country. But in the 1990s there was a peace agreement which still stands today. It is important to be aware that people from Northern Ireland still have different feelings about the UK and could be offended by discussing these things.

Language

English is the most common language in Northern Ireland and almost everyone will and can speak it. Irish Gaelic is a traditional language that is known by a lot of people but not spoken very widely.

Music, Food and Sport

Traditional Irish music is common right across Northern Ireland and it is often very similar to the music from the Republic. This folk style music is still enjoyed by all ages even though modern popular music is available.

Much of the food is similar across both parts of Ireland and a lot of it is very common across the UK. However, Northern Ireland has a special type of breakfast called an Ulster Fry. This is very similar to a traditional English breakfast with sausages, eggs and bacon. However, in Northern Ireland, it is served with soda bread.

Gaelic football is very popular in Northern Ireland. This is very similar to Rugby. Most other sports are common in the country including football, rugby and even pastimes like mountain climbing. For most major events both Northern Ireland and the Republic join together, but they do have separate teams for football.

Northern Ireland is a beautiful country to visit. If you work with or speak to people from this country remember not to assume Ireland is all one country as this could offend someone.

If you are looking for an online English course Perfectly Spoken offers a wide range of options and allows you to study when and where you like.

 

Work Language – Idioms and Sayings

Posted on by Xela

It is very common for people to use different words and sayings around friends and family to when they are a work or School. This is something that is very natural when speaking your native language but it can be very hard if you are learning English at any level.

Bad Taste

Using the wrong word or phrase at work can be very bad. It can be rude if the terms is simply something you would only use with close friends or for humour. But if the timing is wrong it can also be in what is called “bad taste”. This describes something that is not rude but is also not very nice. It is not the same as simply insulting someone, it is more subtle. Think of a food that doesn’t taste very good and then image a phrase or word being just like that.

Swearing

It is certainly common in English to swear among friends, or in anger. A lot of British humour uses rude words and many jobs will be filled with people who use swear words. It is VERY important to understand when swearing is OK and when it can be so rude it could mean losing your job. The best thing to do is simply not to use swear words. This is the only way to be sure you will not offend someone. But, in some cases swearing a small amount can help with working relationships. Until you are very confident at speaking English, avoid swearing. If you need help, ask a friend. If you have heard a word you should test it out with someone who knows the language and ask when it is OK to use. Using the wrong word with the boss could be a very big problem.

Idioms and Sayings

Idioms are a big part of the English language, but they must be used properly. Using them at the wrong time can simply be funny, and if other people know you are learning English they will not be offended. But in some cases, they can cause problems.

Below are some examples of idioms that are fine to use at work

  • Bark up the wrong tree
  • The straw the broke the camel’s back
  • Sitting on the fence
  • A night owl
  • An early bird

These all describe things that are not offensive and could easily fit into a work conversation.

Below are some idioms that may not work so well at work

  • To cost a bomb
  • Up the creek without a paddle
  • Has the cat got your tongue?
  • Too big for your boots

These idioms are all potentially a little rude or are related to rude words. To cost a bomb is very casual and not appropriate for work. The last two are normally used when telling someone they have done something wrong and also not very common at work and certainly not good to use when speaking to the boss.

3 British Sayings You Can Use Anywhere

Posted on by Xela

Just like every other language, there are sayings in English that are used to say things differently. These sayings are often called idioms. They are common across all countries and are often funny, or they are a simple way of describing something complicated. Nearly all sayings come from history, many were created a long time ago and some use historic language too.

Understanding Sayings

Being able to understand saying is an important part of learning English. Using them at the right time can make people laugh, it can also really show you understand English and it can help build relationships with friends, new family and people at work.

Below are just 3 English sayings that may be useful at work, home or school.

Open a can of worms

This is a very common saying. It is quite a complicated saying. A can of worms is a very messy subject that once started may end up being a lot of work, trouble, effort or time. For example; you may suggest at work that someone tidies the office cupboard. But people who have worked there a long time know that if you start trying to do that you will find more and more things to tidy and it could take all day. They might say “do not do that, it’s a can of worms” or “do not open that can of worms”. It can also be used when talking about people who may get upset or want to talk a lot about something. You may think it is best not to mention a certain subject as it is a can of worms.

Don’t Shoot the Messenger

Again, this is a very common saying and one that it can be very useful to understand. It is quite a simple one to understand. It is something a person may say if they tell you something bad and you are angry with them. However, they were not the person that did anything wrong; just the person that told you. They may say “hey, don’t shoot the messenger”. By this they mean do not be angry at the person who told you the bad news as they are just the messenger.

Skeleton Staff

This is a very useful saying for word. A skeleton staff is a way of describing having very few people working. In fact, it means having the least amount of people working somewhere while still keeping it going. So this might be used over a holiday period perhaps. When no customers are coming in, the manager may suggest running a skeleton staff of just 2 people to make sure the shop is OK. Normally there maybe 10 people working but a skeleton staff is enough when it is not busy.

 

 

Word of the Day – December

Posted on by Xela

If you follow us on Facebook, you will know we often have a word of the day. This is a fun post that highlights and teaches followers a single useful word. We normally do this right through the month but because of all our Christmas fun posts, we did less than normal in December. Below is a list of the words we did look at. Following us on Facebook can be a great way to get extra help with learning and to have some fun.

If you are not following us on Facebook then click this link to join in – https://www.facebook.com/spokenperfectly

 

 Overcast

We often talk about how British people like to talk about the weather. Overcast is a very commonly used weather term describing a cloudy day. The cloud is low and grey and there is no sun on an overcast day. The weather person may say the day is going to be overcast which means you will probably not see the sun at all that day. It is important not to think a day is overcast if there are clouds in the sky because there are different sorts of clouds. An overcast day is dull, grey and the sky is all one colour.

Sibling

In one of our free Facebook live lessons our teacher talked about vocabulary used to describe family. The word sibling is used to describe a brother or sister. This word is not used when talking about other relatives like mother, father, aunty or uncle. An example of how this could be used is if you were asked “Do you have any siblings?” You could answer “yes I have 2 sisters”. This word could be very useful if you are filling out forms or being interviewed for any reason.

Predict

This word is used as a way to describe what you think will happen in the future. It is normally used when you are sure something will happen. For example “I predict my team will win the football match”. If you did not think they will win, you could say “I hope my team will win”. Predict is a stronger word used when you are confident something will happen.

If you would like to learn English with us then visit THIS PAGE for more information

Is Learning English Good for My Career?

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The answer to this question is yes, it really is. Learning English is useful for many reasons but if you want to work in different countries to likelihood is that knowing English will mean you can communicate with most people.

Getting Ahead

Before you even start thinking about working and speaking English as part of your job it is worth thinking about how English may help you get a job in the first place. If you are looking for work in the UK, USA or even across Europe and into the Far East you are likely to find being able to speak English during the interview will be helpful. It may actually mean you can get ahead of other people going for the job and it just might be the reason you get it!

Customer Service

One of the basic rules of customer service is being able to understand the customer and them being able to understand you. If you are working or looking to work in any kind of customer facing role then the being able to speak English well will really help. Taking the time and effort to learn English will mean companies with English speaking customers will be much more likely to employ you. Customer support and service jobs make up a huge part of the global job market using both spoken and written English. Getting good at using English will mean getting a chance at a getting a lot of different jobs.

English for Certain Business Types

As mentioned, customer support and care for the vast range of digital products and services as well as mobile phones and TV is one major sector where English is useful. But there are also other sectors where it would also be needed.

  • Tourism
  • Medicine
  • Legal
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Finance

All of these sectors have businesses who have offices all over the world and many that will use English as the main language.

Travelling the World with Work

Travelling is something many people dream of but there are different ways to do it. The idea of backpacking is certainly appealing to a lot of people but travelling around and working in different offices around the world while getting paid may seem a lot more interesting for others. The idea of taking a promotion and moving to a new country and a great salary is a real option for those who can speak more than one language. Learning English will open doors around the world for people who want to work in business.

Ways To Learn

There are many different ways to learn English. Many people attempt to learn themselves by using online videos without any structure. Others pay for expensive college courses which can be very good but not many people can afford them. Perfectly Spoken offers a way to take a full course but by doing it online make it far cheaper. Click Here for more information about our online English courses and lets us help you improve your career by learning English.

7 Top Business English Vocabulary Terms

Posted on by Xela

Learning English has many different parts and much of the basic learning is all about day-to-day life. However, as students get more advanced they may start wanting to learn more specific terms aspects of the language. For many students learning English for work and business purposes is a big factor so below we have got 10 important business English words we think everyone should know.

Competitor

This is a word used to describe another business selling or offering the same thing as the business you work for. They are trying to do better and be more successful and so are competing with you.

 

Marketing

This term describes the way companies advertise themselves. Marketing can be TV commercials, websites, social media pages and more. In many jobs, it is important to be aware of what marketing your company does and your competitor companies.

 

eCommerce

This is a type of business that sells things through a website. Some businesses use a shop or shops others just use a website. Some companies use both. But a company selling anything online is considered at least partly an eCommerce business.

 

Client

Client is another word for customer. It is used when customers are very important as a way of making them different. You might be a customer in a supermarket but you would talk about clients if you worked for a marketing company. Client is an important term in many types of business.

 

Appraisal

The word appraisal can be used in many different ways. It means to look at something and see if it was done well or badly or how successful it was. In business and the workplace, in general, an appraisal is a meeting where a member of staff talks with the boss or bosses about how well they are doing. It is a very important part of work in the UK and other countries.

 

Agenda

An agenda is a list of things that need to be talked about at or in a business meeting. You may be asked to create an agenda ready for a meeting. But you may also be sent one before a meeting so you know what the meeting is about.

 

Notice

Notice is a term used when someone is leaving a job. The notice period is the amount of time the company gives you to find another job if you are asked to leave. It is also the amount of time you have to carry on working if you want to leave, so they can find someone to replace you. It is important to understand your notice period when you take a job.

If you found this useful why not check out our ultimate guide to business English vocabulary.

 

PRACTICE. TEST YOURSELF. FILL IN THE GAPS

  • I didn’t get the ___1___ so I wasn’t very well prepared for the meeting.
  • I’m a bit worried. I’ve been at the company for 6 months and I’ve got (a/an) ___2___ with my boss tomorrow.
  • In the legal profession, the ___3__ period tends to be 6 -12 months depending on the seniority.
  • We’ve got an important lunch with ___4__ today. I hope they renew their contract and stay with us and don’t go to the ___5__.

(Answers: 1 agenda/ 2 appraisal/ 3 notice/ 4 clients/ 5 competition)

How Learning Better English Can Help With Linkedin

Posted on by Xela

LinkedIn is a powerful tool and one that is used right across the business world. It is great for people looking for new jobs, people learning more about their own careers and much more. However, how people communicate on LinkedIn can have a very big impact on if they are successful. Approaching people with badly written messages in the hope of getting a job does not work very well, and the same goes for commenting and joining in with discussions. For many people, LinkedIn is a great way to look for work in the UK and other English speaking countries but to be successful you need to make sure your English is good enough.

Conversations and Comments

One way to be successful on LinkedIn is to join in with discussions, comment of articles and posts and join groups. This is a great way of interacting with other users in a less formal way and also being noticed. It is really important to say useful and interesting things in comments so that people reply to you and engage with you. If your English is not as good as you would like you may notice people do not comment and reply as much as they do with other people. This may be because they are not sure what you meant, or they feel you may not understand their reply. By improving your English and earning more your comments and discussion points will get more response and help you build more connections.

Linking with People

If you have a shared interest or you frankly want to work with someone you can just request to connect. Along with this connection, you can add a message. Once again, if the message is written in poor English this may put the person off, and they may not accept your request. Do not forget, most people get connection requests every day and a lot of them are from salespeople or others whom they have no connection with. If your message is well written and it uses really good English you are far more likely to succeed.

After the Connection

If someone does accept your request it is really important to follow it up with something useful and engaging. If you just connect in the hope they will offer you a job, you are going to be disappointed. Once they have accepted you perhaps comment on some of their posts, get involved with discussions and become a useful connection yourself. Think about posting interesting articles you have read and information about your work. Once again, in order for this to work and to attract English speaking managers, recruiters and business owners you will need to make these posts count, and they need to be well written.

Learning English

By building on your English skills and learning more all the time you will find you become more successful in connecting and engaging with potential employers. Learning English is a powerful tool to have if you want to work in the UK or English speaking countries like the USA. We offer a range of courses and access to many hours of video lessons so you can make sure your English is as good as it can be. It is something you should always keep working on and keep trying to get better at in order to give yourself the best chance at success in working in an English speaking environment.

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The British Christmas Dinner

Posted on by Xela

Christmas is celebrated in a number of countries and often in different ways. In the UK it is celebrated over 3 days – Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Christmas Eve is the 24th of December, Christmas Day which is the main day of celebration is the 25th and Boxing Day is the 26th. Boxing was traditionally the day to open presents but this is no longer common and presents are opened on the 25th.

One of the main points of celebration on the 25th is the traditional Christmas Dinner. For many, this is the highlight of the whole festive season. Knowing what the dinner involves can be important if you are going to be living or working in the UK or with people from the UK so here is our guide to everything you need to know about a British Christmas Dinner.

What Time is it Served?

In the UK the word Dinner is a difficult one. For some people, it means a meal in the evening, but when talking about a Sunday Roast type meal it is called dinner but served at lunchtime. The actual time served varies but it is normally around 1.00pm however Christmas Dinner can be as late as 3.00pm or later.

Main Course

As a meal, it is similar to a Sunday Roast however the meat is traditionally Roasted Turkey. This is meat rarely eaten at other times of the year in the UK. The meat is served with roasted root vegetables like Parsnips and Potatoes. Added to these are boiled carrots, cabbage and brussel sprouts (see below). Alongside these main vegetables can sit a range of other foods from braised red cabbage and something called cauliflower cheese. As well as the Turkey it is traditional to serve pork sausages wrapped in bacon (called pigs in blankets) and roasted as well as something called stuffing. Stuffing is made of herbs, sausage meat and breadcrumbs mixed together and then traditionally stuff inside the turkey during roasting and sliced onto the plate. On top of all of this food, it is very common to pour a liquid gravy which is a meat based sauce and cranberry sauce which tastes great with turkey.

Dessert

The traditional sweet food at the end of the meal is called Christmas Pudding. This is a very heavy and dark fruit pudding. It is made up of a wide range of dried fruits as well as brandy and sometimes other types of alcohol. It can be eaten with cream or a white sauce made from brandy. It is not eaten at any other times of the year and is a very strong tasting dessert.

Brussel Sprouts

This vegetable needs a special discussion because it is something a lot of people may talk about. It is a vegetable much like a very small cabbage and is really only ever eaten at Christmas. For many people, it is something they really do not enjoy but eat because it is tradition. For others, it is something they look forward too. It is something that is often said to cause bad gas when eaten and it is used in humour a great deal. If you are invited to enjoy a Christmas dinner in the UK or with people from the UK you must try a sprout!

 

Crackers

Alongside all of the food, there is another traditional item called a cracker. This is a cardboard tube that is decorated in bright shiny colours. Inside there is a small tape that makes a bang sound when the cracker is pulled apart. It is traditional to take one end of the cracker and offer the other to someone sitting near you. You both pull and the cracked breaks in two pieces with a loud bang. These crackers contain written jokes, small gifts and party hats that are then worn throughout the meal.

Black can mean many things

Posted on by Xela

The word black is not simply a description sued when talking about the colour of something. It is a word that carries lots of meanings and uses from describing someone’s mood to the biggest online sales day of the year. Knowing how and when to use this word is important as it is easy to learn and to write but can be very powerful in conversation and written communication.

 

What is the Colour Black

The actual meaning of the word black when talking about colour is to describe an absence of colour not a colour itself. This means when something is black it actually has no colour at all and it appears black because it doesn’t reflect any light. When something is green it is because the surface of that object only reflects green light. So when something is black…it reflects nothing at all!

 

Black Friday

Black Friday began as a sale event in the USA where stores would offer huge discounts on items on and offline. The original idea was to have a sale day just after the US holiday of Thanks Giving which is the 3rd Thursday in November.  It has now moved to many other parts of the world who do not celebrate thanks giving. It is certainly popular in the UK where 1000s of people prepare for online deals and to head out to the shops to grab some discounted items. It is a great time to sign up for subscription services, buy new games, TVs or clothing.

 

Black Mood

Black is often used to describe emotions that are sad or angry. Someone might say they were in a black mood; this would mean they were very unhappy and perhaps very angry too.

 

In The Black

It may sound like something negative but when it comes to money being “in the black” is a very good thing. The black describes a situation where you have money in your bank account. If you run out of money and have to use a loan or some of the bank’s money it is described as being in the red. If you work in sales or business being in the black in terms of customers, business targets or money being made by the company is a very good thing!

 

Black and Blue

The term black is often used in English to describe someone who has been injured. In some cases it can refer to someone suffering an attacked or having a fight; someone might say he was beaten black and blue. But it is also used to describe someone who may have fallen over; someone might say “they are ok but they are black and blue”. This would mean the person is fine but has a few bruises. If someone has a bruised eye this is often called a “Black eye”.

 

Black as Pitch?

Pitch is a tar like substance used in making roofs and roads. Often the term Pitch Black is used to describe something that is very very black. The most common place this is used is when describing how dark the night is outside. Someone might say “Don’t go out there, it’s pitch black” or “turn the light on, it’s pitch black in here”. It is a very useful term to use when you want to describe not being able to see because the room or place is very dark.

 

Blacked Out

If someone passes out or faints this is often called blacking out. This can happen if someone is too hot, feels unwell or perhaps gets hit on the head. If someone blacks out they would be unconscious for a short while and you should seek medical help for them.

 

The Black Sheep of the Family

This is a saying, or idiom used to describe a member of the family who is often in trouble or not very friendly to others. To be described as the black sheep of the family is normally negative but if someone wants to be very different from their family it can sometimes be a positive term for them.

 

 

 

A Quick Guide to Seasons in the UK

Posted on by Xela

People across the UK love to talk about the weather so knowing a little bit about the different weather to expect at different times of year could be helpful. This could help when visiting the UK but also if you are doing business with someone in the UK and you have an understanding of the season and weather.

Summer

Summer always means hot weather right? Well not exactly. In the UK the weather is certainly warmer than at any other time of year but there is a strong part of British culture that expects rain. A typically British summer would involve a number of days of rain and this has an effect on holidays, outdoor celebrations like weddings and much more. There is a lot of British humour based around the “great British Summer” often being wet and not as hot as everyone wants. The sun doesn’t set until late in the evenings during the summer as it does in many places and long evenings are something the British enjoy; a great time to head to the pub! Summer is a very green season with all of the trees covered in fresh leaves, long grasses are everywhere and lots of birds and insects are visible.

Autumn

Autumn is a time for change. The leaves on the trees go brown and fall off, this create large piles of leaves children love to play in. The evenings get shorter very quickly and it is often windy and it rains a lot more. Autumn is a time for storms and it is the season the UK sees the most unsettled weather. Coats are put on for the first time since before the summer and the British will chat a lot about the summer and if it was good or bad.

Winter

Winter in the UK can be varied but it is always very wet. Rain fall is expected a lot but there are also some very bright and cold days in the later parts of winter. In some areas to the North snow is very common but in the South and South West it is rare. Because of this when it does snow the UK basically stops. The roads are blocked and many people take a day off work. In mid-winter it gets dark around 16:00 even in the south. As is always the case, the British people love to discuss the winter and how cold or wet it is compared to last year.

Spring

Spring is a beautiful season, it is another period of change where the sun seems to come back after the winter. It is still very cold by UK standards but it is a very happy time as people look ahead to the summer. Daffodils are a popular yellow flower that symbolises spring for many people as it grows annually at this time. Bluebells are another spring flower that covers woodland areas in a stunning blue blanket.

Whatever, the season a discussion about the weather will always be well received by someone in the UK but do not be put off if they sound unhappy about it; this is part of the culture and is a humorous discussion.