Johnny’s ESL Podcast

I have been having a hard time dealing with my co-worker Daniel for the past year.  Initially, I thought that maybe he was just a slow learner or that he was just green.  I decided that I would cut him some slack and that eventually he would get the hang of how things were done at the office.  He would make mistakes which I would brush off even though they were hurting our bottom line.  I have raised this matter with my boss repeatedly, but he just says that it takes time to learn the ropes of the financial industry.  I see where he is coming from to a point, but when is enough enough.   I guess the part that bothers me most is not just the fact that Daniel is inept, but he also has a nonchalant attitude which makes me crazy.  I guess I might have to go over my boss’s head to get this situation resolved.  However, If I do that my boss might give me the cold shoulder if I need him in the future.  I’ll keep you posted on what I decide to do.

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I had to do the most difficult thing I have ever done as a boss yesterday.  I had to fire an engineer who was not performing up to par.  The part that was the most difficult was that I had to fire him right before the Christmas holidays.  I really felt like Scrooge, but I knew what I was getting into when I took this job.  The meeting was scheduled to start first thing in the morning because I wanted to get it over with.  However, there was a problem that arose at our our office in New York that I had to deal with.  This put back the meeting for a few hours which only put me on edge even more.   So, at around one Jim came into the office looking extremely uptight.  I think he knew that the writing was on the wall.  He had not been performing well and he had received several warnings regarding his performance.  I told him that I had to let him go and that I wished him the best.  After listening to him tell me his side of the story, he ended with telling me he understood and thanked me for the opportunity.  It was such a weight off my mind to finally have the meeting over and with that I left work early.  On my way home, I decided to treat myself so I stopped at an electronics shop and bought myself a 45 inch LCD TV.  I quickly forgot about the day I had at work.

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My colleague Jake continuously asks me if our firm has any plans to merge in the near future.  I have told him repeatedly that I have to keep that information close to the vest.  He told me yesterday that I was always being tight lipped about corporate issues.  He said that according to the rumor mill, an announcement was imminent.  I told him that the only thing I knew was that nothing had been set in stone.  I also informed him that the situation regarding the merger was in flux and that no announcement would be made until we had crossed all of our T’s and dotted all the I’s.

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Opening Remarks:

Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to thank all of you for being here.  There are some very important decisions we need to make as to how we are going to stop the bleeding.  There is no reason for me to sugarcoat anything.  If we want to stem the tide , we are going to have be disclose everything to our stockholders, customers, media, and investigators.  We received confirmation this morning that the problem with the products originated in our factory.  I feel that we need to be completely transparent here.  By being transparent, we will show that we are cooperating in good faith and trying to get to the root of the problem.  If we all chip in and do our part, hopefully this will all blow over quickly. Does anybody have anything they would like to add?

B) I’d like to offer my two cents……………..

stem the tide— to stop a very strong (usually negative trend)

to blow over—  to subside, wane, or pass over with little lasting effect.

disclose— to share everything openly.

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1) I think I deserve a pat on the back for the presentation I gave at the conference.

2) I burned the midnight oil for two weeks to get ready for the exam, however I just passed by the skin of my teeth.

3) Have you found  why Jim and Jason had that big falling out a week ago?

4) It has been over a month since she called you, you need to get the hint that she doesn’t want to see you anymore.

5) When was the last time you were floored by something?

6) I can drop you off at the mall on my way to work.

7) I appreciate you taking me under your wing.  The knowledge I have obtained from watching you work will be invaluable to me.

8) I felt like a fish out of water when I first visited Japan.

9) I got into hot water with my boss because I didn’t meet the deadline.

Dictation:

I am writing to inform you that we have not yet received payment for the web design work that we did for your company.  The final payment of 345.27 is now two months past due.  We request that final payment be made promptly.  We feel that the work we did for your company was professionally and promptly done.  Moreover, we have also received a letter stating that your company was pleased with our performance.  If payment has already been made, please disregard this notice.

Pronunciation tip:

see 

she

ship

sheep

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White lies are the keys to success in every marriage or relationship.  We all tell white lies on a daily basis.  I can not imagine ever always telling the truth.  I know that everyone out there listening, especially the guys knows what I’m talking about.  Your wife or girlfriend comes home from the hairstylist and asks how her hair looks.  Even if you thought that her hair didn’t look that great, you would never say it.  All guys would say, “it looks great baby.”  What about the “do I look fat in these jeans” question.  What man in his right mind would ever say yes.  What man would want to be responsible for telling his wife or girlfriend that she is hitting the wall.  These are examples of white lies.  The small, vital lies we tell each other because we don’t want to rock the boat.   In most  work situations or when  a  student asks me  how their  English  is  progressing ,  I  like to be a straight  shooter.  However , when it comes to  affairs of the  heart,   remember that you can always count on  a white lie to save the day.

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