Learning Business English Online

Read the vocabulary, watch the video, and then answer the questions.

Video: http://www.ted.com/talks/laura_vanderkam_how_to_gain_control_of_your_free_time/transcript?language=en 

Vocabulary:

Word	Type	Pronunciation	Definition
tardiness	noun	/ˈtɑrdinəs/	arriving or doing something late
Used in a sentence: Your tardiness is becoming a big problem.
speech	noun	/spitʃ/	a formal occasion when someone speaks to an audience
Used in a sentence: He began his speech by outlining his plans for the coming year.
irony	noun	/ˈaɪrəni/	a situation that is strange or funny because things happen in a way that seems to be the opposite of what you expected
Used in a sentence: It was a tragic irony that he made himself sick by worrying so much about his health.
bits	noun	/bɪtz/	a small piece of something
Used in a sentence: There were broken bits of glass all over the floor.
premise	noun	/ˈpremɪs/	a statement or idea that is accepted as being true and that is used as the basis of an argument
Used in a sentence: The basic premise of the argument was that quality is more important than cost.
errands	noun	/ˈerəndz/	a short journey that you take to do or get something
Used in a sentence: I have to run some errands for my mom this afternoon.
judicious	adjective	/dʒuˈdɪʃəs/	having or showing good judgment
Used in a sentence: Judicious planning now can prevent problems later.
basement	noun	/ˈbeɪsmənt/	the part of a building that is entirely or partly below the ground
Used in a sentence: Basements are very common in houses in the United States.
sopping	adjective	/ˈsɑpɪŋ/	completely or thoroughly wet
Used in a sentence: His clothes were sopping from the rain.
aftermath	noun	/ˈæftərˌmæθ/	the period of time after a bad and usually destructive event
Used in a sentence: In the aftermath of the fire, many people were in need of shelter.
mentor	noun	/ˈmenˌtɔr/	someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person
Used in a sentence: After college, her professor became her close friend and mentor.
elastic	adjective	/ɪˈlæstɪk/	able to be changed
Used in a sentence: The plan is elastic, so we can make changes as we go.
intrigued	verb	/ɪnˈtriɡd/	to make someone want to know more about something
Used in a sentence: She was intrigued by what he had to say.
priority	noun	/praɪˈɔrəti/	something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first
Used in a sentence: Exercising is not very high on her list of priorities.
wretched	adjective	/ˈretʃəd/	very poor in quality or ability
Used in a sentence: That movie was positively wretched.
scintillating	adjective	/ˈsɪntəlˌeɪtɪŋ/	very clever, amusing, and interesting
Used in a sentence: I had a scintillating conversation with my friend last night.
doable	verb	/ˈduəbəl/	able to be done
Used in a sentence: It will be difficult, but it’s still doable.
5K	noun	/faɪv keɪ/	a race that is five kilometers long
Used in a sentence: I am training to run a 5K.
opportunity cost	noun	/ˌɑpərˈtunəti kɔst/	the amount of money or time that you lose by deciding to do one thing instead of another
Used in a sentence: There are opportunity costs associated with each decision we make.
side hustle	noun	/saɪd ˈhʌsəl/	a job that you do in addition to your main job, a part-time job
Used in a sentence: I have two jobs: a full-time job and a side hustle.
puttering	verb	/ˈpʌtərɪŋ/	to spend time in a relaxed way doing small jobs and other things that are not very important
Used in a sentence: He spent his vacation puttering around the house.

Questions:

1. The speaker claims she is “always on time.”

True ◻ False ◻

2. She explains how to find 32 extra minutes in the day to watch television.

True ◻ False ◻

3. The speaker did a study where she looked at 1,001 days in the lives of other busy women.

True ◻ False ◻

4. She found that even busy people can make time for important things. 

True ◻ False ◻

5. When people say “I don’t have time” what they really mean is “It’s not a priority to me.” 

True ◻ False ◻

6. She suggests writing a performance review for next year stating 5-8 things you achieved.

True ◻ False ◻

7. Breaking things down into doable steps is a good way to make your goals achievable.

True ◻ False ◻

8. Friday afternoons are a good time to plan out your next week.

True ◻ False ◻

9. There are 172 hours in a week.

True ◻ False ◻

10. Many people who claim to work 75 hours per week are incorrect.

True ◻ False ◻

11. Small moments of time can make a big difference.

True ◻ False ◻

Discussion:

How do you spend most of your free time? What are your top personal priorities? Do you schedule time in advance to take care of these priorities? What can you do during the “bits” of time you find? 

Answers:

1. false
2. false
3. true
4. true
5. true
6. false
7. true
8. true
9. false
10. true
11. true

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