In this Business English News lesson, we follow up on Facebook’s recent IPO.
After a long wait, and even more hype, Facebook joined NASDAQ on May 18th; although it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Zuckerberg and friends. After opening 30 minutes late, and climbing briefly from the opening price of $38 a share; reality set in.
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Welcome back to Business English Pod for this lesson on English idioms. Today we’re going to be talking about English idioms related to color.
What do I mean by ‘colorful idioms’? I mean expressions that either use the word ‘color’, or mention a specific color. English is full of these expressions. We have color idioms that describe people, moods, situations, activities, and frequency. We even have some that relate specifically to money and finances.
That’s right. Color is important in all parts of life, including business. Just ask your tailor. He might advise you to wear a dark blue suit to show authority, a grey suit to convey security, or a brown suit to show openness. So, just as you should pay attention to color in your clothes, you should be mindful of color in your speech.
In today’s lesson, we’ll continue with a conversation between Mike and Rachel. They’re talking about the possibility of Rachel changing positions, and her interview experience. In their conversation, you will notice that both Mike and Rachel use several business English idioms related to color. Make a note of these idioms, and we’ll go through the conversation again and look at what they mean.
Listening Questions
1. Why was Rachel embarrassed at her interview?
2. What did Rachel accomplish that Mike is impressed by?
3. What does Mike think Rachel should decide about the job offer?
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In this Business English Pod lesson we’re going to look at business English idioms related to colors.
Every culture attaches special meaning to different colors. But different cultures attach different meanings. Take the word “red” for example. In English, when we say “in the red,” we mean in debt or operating at a loss. But to Chinese, “red” indicates good luck or gains in the financial markets. So, in English it’s negative, but in Chinese it’s positive. It could be pretty easy to make a mistake, either in speaking or in understanding.
In English, we can find idioms related to almost any color. But two colors are more common than others: black and white. In most cases, black comes with a negative meaning and white comes with a positive meaning. In most cases, that is. In this series we will see one idiom using the word “black” that has a positive meaning.
In today’s lesson, we’ll hear a conversation between Mike and Rachel, two colleagues at a large company. We will hear them casually discussing some of their recent experiences at work. And in their conversation, you will notice many idioms related to color. Try to keep a mental note of the idioms you hear, and we’ll go through them in the debrief to explain what they mean and how you can use them.
Listening Questions
1. What kind of mood was Mike in earlier in the day?
2. What did Dan do at a party?
3. What does Mike say is one positive outcome of the situation?
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Not long ago, learning was different. It occurred in a classroom furnished with just the basics – a chalkboard and chalk, textbooks, pen and paper, the students and the teacher. Now, thanks to mobile learning (or mLearning), we’re in the midst of a paradigm shift in the way people learn.
Do you think mobile learning is the future? We’d love to hear what kind of experiences you’ve had with mLearning. You can share your thoughts in the comments section below or answer the question poll on our Facebook page.
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Previously, we looked at some of the main ideas and vocabulary for bonds, including such terms as yield, coupon, and maturity. In this financial English lesson, we’ll look at the different types of bonds. And we’ll explain some of the key terms related to how bonds are priced and traded.
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