Thursday, July 29, 2010
Ask about English: Notwithstanding
Listen to radio:
Hello Naresh. It is good to hear from you and to be asked about the word 'notwithstanding', which, although a little unusual because it is quite formal, is a very useful word.
Notwithstanding is a synonym of despite or in spite of something, and so we use it to indicate an aspect of contrast.
Do you know how we use despite and in spite of? We use them in sentences which have two parts, or clauses, to indicate a particular relationship between the two clauses. We use them to show that our main clause, or statement, is surprising or unlikely, because of the information in the 'despite' clause. Look at this example:
- Despite the bad weather, we had a picnic at the beach.
Having the picnic was surprising, because the weather was bad. Here is another example:
- In spite of the fact that he was very unwell, David came first in the Maths exam.
In both of these examples, we could use notwithstanding:
- Notwithstanding the bad weather, we had a picnic at the beach.
- Notwithstanding the fact that he was very unwell, David came first in the Maths exam.
Importantly, notice that we use a noun phrase after notwithstanding. We also generally start the sentence with the notwithstanding clause, and remember that I said that this is a formal word, so better examples might be as follows:
- Notwithstanding the global financial crisis, China's economy continues to grow at an impressive rate.
- Notwithstanding his youth, Picasso's early pictures were technically accomplished and mature in perspective.
Once again Naresh, thank you for your question. Notwithstanding the brevity of my answer, it is to be hoped that your understanding is clearer now.
Source: BBC Learning English
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Idioms connected with: MY WORK
to have the devil’s own job (level: advanced)
to spend a lot of time and make a lot of effort to do something difficult and demanding
He had the devil’s own job to finish this project on time.
to land a job (level: upper intermediate)
to find a job
After being unemployed for 3 years, he finally landed a job.
It’s more than my job’s worth. (level: upper intermediate)
I can’t do it because I could lose my job.
Sorry, I can’t share this information with you, it’s more than my job’s worth.
nine-to-five job (level: upper intermediate)
a typical 8-hour job
She found her nine-to-five job too monotonous and boring, so she is self-employed now.
to be snowed under with work (level: advanced)
to have a lot of work to do, more than usually
Sorry, I can’t go out tonight… I need to stay at work, because I’m snowed under with work.
no gain without pain (level: upper intermediate)
no money, other benefits without making effort
I often stay at work until late to earn some extra money. It’s tiring, but no gain without pain, after all.
to spend a lot of time and make a lot of effort to do something difficult and demanding
He had the devil’s own job to finish this project on time.
to land a job (level: upper intermediate)
to find a job
After being unemployed for 3 years, he finally landed a job.
It’s more than my job’s worth. (level: upper intermediate)
I can’t do it because I could lose my job.
Sorry, I can’t share this information with you, it’s more than my job’s worth.
nine-to-five job (level: upper intermediate)
a typical 8-hour job
She found her nine-to-five job too monotonous and boring, so she is self-employed now.
to be snowed under with work (level: advanced)
to have a lot of work to do, more than usually
Sorry, I can’t go out tonight… I need to stay at work, because I’m snowed under with work.
no gain without pain (level: upper intermediate)
no money, other benefits without making effort
I often stay at work until late to earn some extra money. It’s tiring, but no gain without pain, after all.
Source: http://speaking24.com/conv/my_work.html
Useful vocabulary connected with: MY WORK
full-time job (level: intermediate)
a job in which the employee works the full number of hours
I went back to my full-time job only after my children had gone to school.
part-time job (level: intermediate)
a job in which the employee may work for fewer hours than in the full-time job, as it is defined by the employer
Part-time jobs are a chance for women who’d like to have children and work at the same time.
to be self-employed (level: intermediate)
to work for oneself rather than for someone else
Some people can’t stand working for somebody else and doing what they are told to do, so they finally become self-employed.
sole trader (level: upper intermediate)
a business ran by one individual
Although sole traders are fully independent, they find it difficult to go on holidays, because running their own business is time-consuming.
job advertisement (level: intermediate)
information on TV, in press or in the Internet that tells you where you can find a job, where an employer needs new employees
I’ve found an interesting job advertisement in the newspaper and I’m going to apply for that job.
competitive (level: upper intermediate)
involving competitors (people with similar goals and needs)
It was really difficult to get this job. It’s very competitive and many people came to the job interview.
self-fulfillment (level: upper intermediate)
a pleasant feeling that you’ve achieved what you wanted
She’s finally found self-fulfillment in teaching children.
promotion (level: intermediate)
being raised to a higher, more important position
What I like about my job is the possibility to get a promotion soon.
remuneration (level: upper intermediate)
money that you get for your work or services
We resigned from their services, because the remuneration they expected was too high for us.
salary (level: pre-intermediate)
a fixed amount of money that an employee gets from the employer every month
The salary for the job is not worth the effort you have to make there.
colleague (level: pre-intermediate)
a person that you work with
He’s organizing a party for colleagues from his last job.
work flexitime (level: intermediate)
to be able to change the time when you start or finish your work
The possibility to work flexitime is a big advantage of my new job.
work overtime (level: intermediate)
to work after the time normally expected in your job
I gave up my job, because I often had to work overtime and they paid me nothing for that.
to fire (level: intermediate)
(informal) to remove an employee from a job
He was fired, because he was not as efficient as other workers.
to dismiss (level: intermediate)
to remove an employee from a job
The boss dismissed her, because she was unwilling to accept the new dress code of the company.
white-collar job (level: upper intermediate)
a job in offices that needs mental effort
It’s not easy to get a white-collar job without good education in such a competitive job market.
blue-collar job (level: upper intermediate)
a job that needs physical effort
Despite higher education, many young Polish people leave their country to take up a blue-collar job in the West.
Source: http://speaking24.com/conv/my_work.html
a job in which the employee works the full number of hours
I went back to my full-time job only after my children had gone to school.
part-time job (level: intermediate)
a job in which the employee may work for fewer hours than in the full-time job, as it is defined by the employer
Part-time jobs are a chance for women who’d like to have children and work at the same time.
to be self-employed (level: intermediate)
to work for oneself rather than for someone else
Some people can’t stand working for somebody else and doing what they are told to do, so they finally become self-employed.
sole trader (level: upper intermediate)
a business ran by one individual
Although sole traders are fully independent, they find it difficult to go on holidays, because running their own business is time-consuming.
job advertisement (level: intermediate)
information on TV, in press or in the Internet that tells you where you can find a job, where an employer needs new employees
I’ve found an interesting job advertisement in the newspaper and I’m going to apply for that job.
competitive (level: upper intermediate)
involving competitors (people with similar goals and needs)
It was really difficult to get this job. It’s very competitive and many people came to the job interview.
self-fulfillment (level: upper intermediate)
a pleasant feeling that you’ve achieved what you wanted
She’s finally found self-fulfillment in teaching children.
promotion (level: intermediate)
being raised to a higher, more important position
What I like about my job is the possibility to get a promotion soon.
remuneration (level: upper intermediate)
money that you get for your work or services
We resigned from their services, because the remuneration they expected was too high for us.
salary (level: pre-intermediate)
a fixed amount of money that an employee gets from the employer every month
The salary for the job is not worth the effort you have to make there.
colleague (level: pre-intermediate)
a person that you work with
He’s organizing a party for colleagues from his last job.
work flexitime (level: intermediate)
to be able to change the time when you start or finish your work
The possibility to work flexitime is a big advantage of my new job.
work overtime (level: intermediate)
to work after the time normally expected in your job
I gave up my job, because I often had to work overtime and they paid me nothing for that.
to fire (level: intermediate)
(informal) to remove an employee from a job
He was fired, because he was not as efficient as other workers.
to dismiss (level: intermediate)
to remove an employee from a job
The boss dismissed her, because she was unwilling to accept the new dress code of the company.
white-collar job (level: upper intermediate)
a job in offices that needs mental effort
It’s not easy to get a white-collar job without good education in such a competitive job market.
blue-collar job (level: upper intermediate)
a job that needs physical effort
Despite higher education, many young Polish people leave their country to take up a blue-collar job in the West.
Source: http://speaking24.com/conv/my_work.html
Talking about: MY WORK
Here you can find some questions you can ask your partner during conversation about my work:
Source: http://speaking24.com/conv/my_work.html
1. Do you have a job?
If so:
- What do you do in your current job?
- What kind of job is it?
- How did you get this job?
- Is your job competitive
?
- What opportunities does your job give?
- Do you like your job?
- Do you like your boss?
- Do you like your colleagues?
- Do you like the atmosphere in your workplace?
- Is your job stressful?
- Would you like to change anything in your job?
- Do you have to work overtime? How often? Does your boss pay you more for overtime work?
If not:
- What was your last job?
- What kind of job was it?
- How did you get this job?
- Was your job competitive?
- What opportunities did your job give?
- Did you like your job?
- Did you like your boss?
- Did you like your colleagues?
- Was your job stressful?
- Why don’t you work there anymore?
- Are you looking for a new job?
- What do you do in your current job?
- What kind of job is it?
- How did you get this job?
- Is your job competitive
?- What opportunities does your job give?
- Do you like your job?
- Do you like your boss?
- Do you like your colleagues
?- Do you like the atmosphere in your workplace?
- Is your job stressful?
- Would you like to change anything in your job?
- Do you have to work overtime
? How often? Does your boss pay you more for overtime work?If not:
- What was your last job?
- What kind of job was it?
- How did you get this job?
- Was your job competitive?
- What opportunities did your job give?
- Did you like your job?
- Did you like your boss?
- Did you like your colleagues?
- Was your job stressful?
- Why don’t you work there anymore?
- Are you looking for a new job?
2. At what age do people (in your country) normally begin to work? At what age do they usually retire?
3. At what age would you like to retire? What would you like to do after the retirement?
4. What was your first job? Did you like it?
5. When you were a child, what was your dream job?
6. What is your dream job now?
7. What do you think is the worst job?
8. Do people usually get jobs related to their educational background? How about you?
9. Does a university degree guarantee success in the future career?
10. What is the most important in your job?
11. Would you like to run your own business?
12. Is it better to work for someone else or be self-employed?
13. Should women and men be paid the same?
14. Is/was your boss a man or a woman?
15. Who do you think make better bosses, men or women?
Source: http://speaking24.com/conv/my_work.html
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