“Further” — means more or to a greater degree. It’s often used in more formal English.
-
Distance: “This is further away than that.” → Describes something that’s at a greater physical distance.
-
Degree or detail: “Let’s discuss this in further detail.” → Means in more depth or more precisely.
-
Extent / continuation: “Further meetings or reviews are needed.” → Refers to something that continues or develops.
-
Time: “We need to look further back in time.” → Means to look deeper into the past.
-
Progress / advancement:
- “This internship will further my career.” → Means to advance or help develop.
- “This event furthers my interests.” → Means it helps promote my goals or values.
- “The war furthers Russia’s interests.” → A formal, academic use meaning to serve or promote someone’s interests.
- Further can be an adverb, adjective, or verb.
- It’s more formal than more, especially in writing or professional speech.
- Common in academic, political, or professional discussions.
- Sounds polished and sophisticated — good for presentations, writing, or reports.
-
“I bet!” → Expresses empathy or agreement.
- “It’s been a long week.” — “I bet!” (= I can imagine!)
-
“I’ll have a think.” → Polite British way to say I’ll think about it later.
- Softer than “I’ll think about it.”
- “Would you consider joining the meeting?” — “I’ll have a think.”
- Great for friendly or professional chats.
- “I bet” = empathy; “I’ll have a think” = polite hesitation.
-
To put someone to bed → To help someone (often a child) go to bed.
- “Let’s get Lucia ready for bed.”
-
To get someone to sleep → To make them fall asleep.
- “We can’t get her to sleep!”
-
“Get someone to do something” = make or persuade someone to do it.
- “I can’t get my laptop to start.”
- “She got her son to clean his room.”
- Common in family contexts.
- Also useful for workplace delegation: “I’ll get John to send that email.”
Perfect 🌿 Here’s Batch 2 (August → July 2025) — continuing backward in time and keeping the same clear, detailed format.
-
“Let’s take advantage of that.” / “Let’s make the most of it.” → Used to enjoy or use an opportunity well.
- “It’s sunny today, let’s make the most of it.”
-
“Let’s enjoy it while it lasts.” → Suggests something good may not last long.
-
“Leverage” → To use something to your advantage.
- “We can leverage our experience in this project.”
-
“Advantage” → A benefit or edge over others.
- “They have the advantage when it comes to speed.”
- “We have an unfair advantage.” → Implies it’s not deserved or equal.
-
Leverage can be both noun and verb.
- Verb: “We can leverage data.”
- Noun: “We have strong leverage in negotiations.”
- “Make the most of it” = friendly/personal.
- “Leverage” = professional/business English.
-
“You’ve got a lot going on.” / “You’ve got a lot on your plate.” → Empathetic phrases when someone’s very busy.
- “You’ve got a lot on your plate with work and the kids.”
-
“It must be tricky / hectic / difficult right now.” → Soft, supportive ways to show understanding.
-
Processes / Prevent → Vocabulary practice (likely tied to work-related English).
- Excellent for empathetic communication in both professional and personal conversations.
- Sounds understanding and emotionally intelligent.
-
“...does me a lot of good.” / “X does me good.” → Means it benefits me or it’s good for me.
- “Going for a walk does me good.”
- “This break will do you good.”
-
Structure: Subject + does + object + good.
- “That weekend away did me good.”
- Common in everyday conversation, especially about rest, health, or wellbeing.
- Sounds natural and idiomatic.
-
MOVE → /muːv/
- Vocal larga “oo” (como en food o room).
- Evita pronunciarla como “mof” o “muv” — alarga el sonido.
- Ejemplo: “I move to a new city next month.”
-
HAVE → /hæv/
- Vocal corta “a” y consonante “v” fuerte (no “b”).
- Asegúrate de hacer vibrar el labio inferior contra los dientes superiores.
- Ejemplo: “I have a lot of work today.”
-
Other words sent by Max → indicaba palabras adicionales para practicar pronunciación o entonación.
- Probablemente incluían sonidos similares (por ejemplo, combinaciones con V, O, o long vowels).
- Este tipo de práctica se centra en precisión fonética y claridad al hablar inglés.
- Las palabras move y have parecen simples, pero son fundamentales para sonar natural — especialmente para evitar errores comunes de hablantes nativos de español.
- Ideal para reforzar consistencia de sonido antes de introducir frases más complejas.
-
“Most of the time...” → Means usually or in general.
- “Most of the time, I work from home.”
- Softer and more natural than saying “always.”
- Common in everyday English and professional updates when describing habits or routines.
- Makes your tone sound calm and conversational.
- “What did you get up to on the weekend?” / “Did you do anything interesting?” → Friendly small-talk openers.
- “Can I help you in any way to move the project forward?” / “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to support you.” → Cooperative, proactive language for teamwork.
- “It’s been so long since we’ve spoken face to face.” / “It’s good to see you!” → Warm reconnection phrases.
-
Practice vowel contrasts:
- Bought / fought / raw / pork → aw / or sounds.
- Boot / tuna / beetroot → long oo sounds.
- Balanced between casual chat and professional collaboration.
- These are great for starting or maintaining positive relationships at work.
-
Checking / confirming plans:
- “Just wanted to confirm we’re meeting at 2?”
- “Are we still on for this afternoon?”
- “Does tomorrow still work for you?” → Frases naturales para confirmar reuniones sin sonar insistente.
-
Cancelling / rescheduling politely:
- “Sorry for the late notice — I have to cancel today’s meeting.”
- “Would it be OK to postpone until next week?”
- “I won’t be able to make it today, unfortunately.” → Suenan empáticas y profesionales al reprogramar o cancelar.
-
Clarifying attendance / involvement:
- “Was there something you wanted me to help with?”
- “If it’s just for awareness, I’ll catch up later.” → Expresiones muy útiles para priorizar reuniones y no sobrecargarte.
-
To be up for something → significa estar dispuesto o tener ganas de hacer algo.
- “Are you still up for going out later?”
- “I’m not really up for a big meeting today.”
- Ideal para gestionar tu agenda profesional, confirmar compromisos y comunicar cancelaciones de forma amable.
- Refuerza un tono claro, responsable y colaborativo en contextos de trabajo.
-
Talking about current projects:
- “My main priority at the moment is…”
- “In addition, I’m working on…”
- “I’m tracking this other project too.”
- “I’m keeping an eye on…” → usado para indicar supervisión o seguimiento sin implicación total.
- “The other project is also on my radar.” → modismo natural para estoy al tanto.
-
Setting goals and expectations:
- “We’ve agreed to deliver X by next week.”
- “Our current goal is to complete this phase.”
- “We’re aiming to make good progress before the review.”
- “We’ve committed to finishing this by the end of the month.”
- “This sparked my interest, so I decided to explore it further.”
- “There were a few things I wanted to explore more.”
- “It caught my attention.” → describe algo que llamó tu interés brevemente.
- Ideal para actualizaciones de estado y reuniones de seguimiento de proyectos.
- Muestra una comunicación organizada, reflexiva y profesional.
- Estas estructuras te ayudan a sonar proactivo y preciso al hablar sobre tus responsabilidades o avances.
Arranging a meeting
- “Just wanted to confirm we’re having a meeting at…?”
- “Does tomorrow still work for you?”
- “Are we still on for this afternoon?” → Polite, natural ways to check or confirm plans.
Cancelling or rescheduling
- “Sorry for the late notice — I have to cancel today’s meeting.”
- “Would it be OK to postpone to next week?”
- “I won’t be able to make it.” → Courteous phrasing that keeps a professional tone.
Participation
- “Was there something you thought I could help with?”
- “If it’s just for awareness, I’ll catch up on the output later.”
-
To be up for something → willing or interested.
- “Are you still up for going out later?”
- Essential for meeting management and remote work communication.
- Makes you sound polite, reliable, and organized.
Focus on improving clear English consonant sounds — especially H, V, and TH.
- H sound: “He, have, happy, home.” — light breath, not silent.
- V sound: “Very, voice, video.” — top teeth on lower lip, with vibration.
- TH sound: “Think, this, that.” — tongue between teeth, soft airflow.
- R sound: Soft and relaxed — avoid rolling (e.g., “WordPress,” “verify,” “process”).
- Great for presentations and calls — improves clarity and professionalism.
- Especially useful for speakers whose first language tends to roll Rs or blur Vs.
-
J sound — as in job, join, project, juice.
- Start with a “d” position, then release a “zh” sound.
- ❌ “Yob” → ✅ “Job.”
-
Purpose → noun meaning the reason something exists or is done.
- “The purpose of this meeting is to plan next steps.”
- Pronounced PUR-pus — stress the first syllable.
- Helps refine technical or formal speech, especially for meetings.
- Prevents mixing “J” and “Y” sounds — a common issue for Spanish speakers.
- D sound — voiced and firm. Practice: dapper, daily, doctor, dependable, dynamic. → Make sure to tap the tongue behind the teeth — not too soft.
- THE — pronounced thuh before consonants (the cat) and thee before vowels (the apple).
- Stores → no rolled R; British pronunciation sounds like stawz.
- Word / Are / Handbook → soft, light R sounds — avoid flicking or rolling.
- B sound — strong and made with the lips; not like a “V.” Example: bar, pub, better.
- Purposes → stress on PUR.
- Project → clear “J” sound (PRO-ject), not “proy-ect.”
- Drills focused on clarity and articulation — especially useful for speakers who mix B/V or roll Rs.
- Essential for sounding confident and polished in meetings or technical talks.
-
“Do you follow...?” / “Are you following what’s happening...?” → Check understanding.
- “Are you following what’s happening with the economy?”
-
“Are you keeping track of...?” → Means staying up to date.
- “Are you keeping track of what’s happening in Ukraine?”
-
“Have you seen what’s happened in X?” → Opens discussion about recent events.
-
“We’re living in scary times.” → Expresses shared concern or empathy.
-
“How do you find time to relax and unwind?” → Friendly question showing interest.
-
“What else is on the agenda?” → Used to transition topics smoothly.
- Excellent for small talk or meetings.
- Helps maintain a natural, conversational rhythm while sounding professional.
- “I have a lot of questions, I’ll try to go through them quickly.” → Shows time awareness.
- “We’re ready to take this forward.” / “Let’s move this forward.” / “We’re ready for the next steps.” → Motivating project language.
- “Let’s move forwards with this.” → Slightly more formal, proactive tone.
- Perfect for leading meetings or giving updates.
- Expresses confidence and structure without sounding pushy.
Starting / Progressing
- “Let’s move this forward.” / “We’re ready for the next steps.” / “I think we can get going on this now.” → Positive, motivating phrasing to encourage action.
Time management
- “Sorry to cut you off, but we’re short on time.”
- “We do have a schedule with other items to cover.”
- “Let’s move on to the main agenda.”
Wrapping up
- “We’ve covered all our agenda items. Is there anything else anyone wanted to raise?”
- “That’s everything for today. Feel free to email me if anything else comes up.”
Delegating / Priorities
- “My main priority at the moment is...”
- “I’m keeping an eye on...”
- “I’m also tracking this project.”
- Excellent for chairing or participating in professional meetings.
- Keeps tone organized, clear, and collaborative.
-
Describing your current focus:
- “My main priority at the moment is…”
- “In addition, I’m doing…”
- “I’m tracking this other project too.”
- “I’m keeping an eye on…”
- “The other project is also on my radar.” → significa estoy al tanto de ese proyecto, aunque no esté implicado activamente.
-
Describing your tasks clearly:
- “I’m currently working on…”
- “My main tasks at the moment are…”
- “I’m also looking at…”
-
“I thought this would be useful to explore further.”
-
“This sparked my interest, so I decided to explore it further.”
-
“There were a few things that I wanted to explore more and work on.” → Todas expresan iniciativa y curiosidad profesional.
-
“It caught my attention” — se usa cuando algo te llama la atención en un momento concreto. Ejemplo: “That point during the meeting really caught my attention.”
- “What kind of timeframes should we agree on for this?”
- “Should we try to complete X output per week and share it?”
- “We aim to…” / “Our current goal is…” / “We have committed to…”
- “We want to make good progress on this and deliver by next month.” → Estas frases ayudan a sonar organizado y profesional al hablar de plazos y planificación.
- Ideal para reuniones de seguimiento, planificación de proyectos, o cuando describes tu carga de trabajo.
- Este tipo de vocabulario transmite claridad, proactividad y sentido de responsabilidad.
- “I’m heading off / I’m heading home.” → Friendly, casual way to say you’re leaving.
- “I’m logging off / signing off for the day.” → Ideal for remote work.
- “I’m finishing for the day.” / “I’m calling it a day.” → Common idioms for ending work.
- “Have a good one!” / “I hope you all have a nice weekend.” → Warm, upbeat closings.
- “If there’s nothing else right now, I’m going to log off.” → Graceful and polite.
- “Toodles.” → Light-hearted and informal — use with friends or close colleagues.
-
Parameters → means boundaries or conditions.
- “We need to define the parameters of the project.”
- Pronounced puh-RA-muh-tuhz (UK) or PAIR-uh-meh-terz (US).
- Perfect for wrapping up calls, Slack chats, or workdays.
- Adds personality while keeping a professional tone.
-
“Thank you, I really appreciate that.” / “That means a lot.” → Warm, genuine ways to show gratitude.
- Softer and more personal than just “Thanks.”
-
“I was nervous about it, but thanks!” / “I’m glad it’s done, thank you!” → Expresses relief or appreciation after a task.
-
“I’m happy to wrap this up.” → Means I’m ready to finish or close this discussion/project.
- Focus words: role, mole, product, part, haven’t. → Emphasize vowel clarity and final consonants.
- Distinguish course (long “or”) vs cause (shorter “o”). → Subtle difference but common in workplace English.
- Great for collaborative or project-based communication.
- Helps express gratitude naturally and confidently when closing a task or meeting.
- “We have a viewing of a house.” → Common expression when visiting a property.
Health-related expressions:
- “My daughter is sick.”
- “She has a build-up of mucus and congestion.”
- “She has bad flu symptoms.”
- “She has a bit of a fever / high temperature.”
- “Her temperature is 38 degrees.” → In English, we use has (not is with): ✅ “She has a fever.” ❌ “She is with fever.”
Other phrases
- “We’ve been doing nasal flushes.” → Means cleaning the nose with water/saline.
- “She hung up on us.” → To end a phone call abruptly, often out of frustration.
- “How is it being back in England?” → Friendly small-talk question.
- “People are sharp / blunt / unhelpful / cold.” → Describing communication styles.
- “We get passed from one person to another.” → A natural way to describe poor service.
- Combines health, daily life, and emotional tone vocabulary.
- Great for storytelling and expressing frustration or care naturally.
-
Replace “A lot of years ago” → ✅ “A long time ago.”
-
Replace “For some time” → ✅ “For a while.”
-
Practice B sounds: bar, better, pub. → Strong “B,” not soft like “V.”
-
“I plugged the device into the socket.” → Correct phrasing for connecting to power.
- Socket = outlet (US English).
- “A long time ago, I used to play and perform music.” → Smooth, natural storytelling phrasing.
- Helps make your spoken English more idiomatic and fluent.
- Perfect for storytelling, small talk, and improving pronunciation rhythm.