Category: Class

Extreme Employees

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In some countries, they are trying to maintain their workers’ work-life balance by experimenting on different work styles. However, there remains a lot of people who has no choice but to work very long hours.

Find out more about “extreme employees” through this article:

Although some countries like France and Australia have begun to experiment with additional vacation time to balance work and personal happiness, the worldwide trend has progressed in the opposite direction. For example, Japan has long been known for its excruciating workweeks. Employees in other countries are falling victim to longer and longer hours at the office in recent years, too. The result is a new type of employee, called the “extreme employee.”

From a pool of more than two million surveys of high-salaried employees in the US, it’s clear that you need to work more if you want to advance up the corporate ladder. The extreme employee demonstrates more than simple dedication to the company, though. He believes in the proposition that there’s always more he could–and should!–do. If you count the time it takes to commute to the office, then 70-hour workweeks are common. He makes himself available to clients and office emergencies 24-7 as well. He also takes far fewer vacation days than he’s allotted, roughly ten days or less per year.

Worse, however, and perhaps more exasperating, is the fact that most extreme employees admit dissatisfaction. More than half believe they would be physically healthier with less work. A lack of free time also harms the relationship with their children. Slightly less than half complained that the long hours had a detrimental effect on spousal relations.

Experts advocate discovering ways to get the seventy-hour workweek down to a more modest forty-five hours. Although corporations haven’t yet accomplished this feat for high-impact jobs, some major corporations are trying. American Express, Johnson & Johnson, and more than thirty others are working towards ways to reduce the pressure on managers to perform and produce.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:
1. What are the effects of being an extreme employee?
2. What do you think are reasons some people work too much?
3. Should companies strive to have extreme employees or well-balanced ones?
4. Talk about your experience of a toxic work day or workweek.
5. Do you think workers in your country should be given more vacation days?

Emojis in Work Emails

B1 – Intermediate

There are do’s and don’ts of writing work emails. Should employees refrain from including smiley face emojis in their emails?

Read more about the use of emojis in work emails.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1708/170816-smiley-face-emojis-5.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion about putting emojis/smileys in work emails?
  2. What email writing rules do you know of?
  3. What’s the importance of knowing proper emailing etiquette?
  4. If you could set the rules, should emojis be used as part of professional emails? Why or why not?

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Are Friends Better Than Family?

B1 – Intermediate

For most people, friends are just as important to them as their families while others can easily choose one over the other.

A study shows that one between these two types of relationships is a better predictor of health and happiness, so which one do you think is it?

Let’s find out:

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/health-lifestyle-friends-or-family/3952739.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of the study?
  2. Do you feel that, “Blood is thicker than water.”? Or do you feel that friends are more important? Or do you think both are equally valuable? Explain.
  3. How do members of a family support each other? / How do friends support each other?
  4. Do you prefer to have many friends or just a few close ones? Explain your choice.
  5. What are the benefits of having just a few close friends? How about the benefits of having many friends? Are there disadvantages for both too?
  6. How close are you to your family? How about your extended family? (cousins, aunts, great uncles etc.) Why is this the case?

How to Become More Disciplined?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We all have bad habits that we want to get rid of. Have you ever tried changing your behavior and end up going back to it again after few days or months? Then, perhaps you are not doing it right.

There are certain tricks we can employ in order to be more disciplined. Willpower is the key in this case.

Let’s watch this video and learn from the life story of Lucas. Prepare to discuss your thoughts after watching.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How did Lucas become more self-disciplined?
  2. What kind of behaviors do you want to change and be more disciplined in?
  3. Would you consider yourself disciplined. How did you become so?
  4. Are you consistent with your good habits? If no, why? If yes, then how do you remain consistent?
  5. How can one resist temptations so we may be able to stick to our habits?

Adverbial Phrases of Time, Place, and Frequency

We use adverbial phrases of time, place, and frequency to describe where, when, or how often an action takes place.

Adverbial Phrases of Frequency

  • In describing how often something happens, you need an adverbial phrase of frequency.

every day (daily); every week (weekly); every month (monthly); every year (annually); once a day; twice a year; five times a month; all the time

Form

He hunts rabbits every weekend.

They train every other day.

She takes classes five times a month.

Adverbial Phrases of Time

  • To talk about when something happens, you need an adverbial phrase of time.

today; tomorrow; tonight; yesterday; nowadays; now; first of all; beforehand; soon; afterwards; later; next; then

Forms

  • Adverbial phrases of time usually go either at the beginning or the end of a sentence or clause.

Tomorrow afternoon, I’m going to the free cities.

I’m going to the free cities tomorrow afternoon.

First of all, let’s have ale at an inn.

Let’s have ale at an inn first of all.

I’m going to the flea market and afterwards, I’m going to the citadel.

I’m going to the flea market and I’m going to the citadel afterwards.

  • Use then at the beginning of a sentence or clause.

Then, we saw the pier.

She’s going to finish cooking and then she’s going to sew some dresses.

  • Use soon and now at the end of a sentence.

She’s going to quit her job soon.

Arya is calling home now.

Adverbial Phrases of Place

  • To describe where something happens, you need an adverbial phrase of place.

outside; inside; indoors; outdoors; upstairs; downstairs; (over) here; (over) there; abroad; overseas

Forms

  • Adverbial phrases of place usually go after a verb.

They were exiled in another country.

Let’s keep them under this desk.

  • They also go after the object of the sentence.

The maester works in the library upstairs.

Your horse is on the stable over there.

Adverbial Phrases Exercise

Answer this exercise on adverbial phrases.

1. She sees him ______.

a. always

b. once in a while

c. hardly


2. Jake plays football ______.

a. every week

b. all the days

c. Saturdays


3. His family lives ______.

a. in the flat upstairs

b. in the upstairs flat

c. in the above flat


4. Mrs. Jones ______ late for lessons.
a. never is

b. is never
c. always are

5. I hardly ever go shopping _______.

a. soon

b. these days

c. today


6. I _____ my homework on time. 
a. do always

b. always do

c. do never


7. She ______ her mobile phone.

a. almost always leaves

b. always almost leaves

c. leaves always

8. Tim always goes cycling ___ Sundays.

a. every

b. all the

c. on

9. I’m going to visit my family ______.

a. tomorrow tomorrow

b. the day after tomorrow
c. next next day


10. They only go out ______.

a. during occasions

b. on occasions

c. on special occasions

Find the answers to this exercise here.

See also: Adverbial Phrases of frequency, time and place and Inversion with Negative Adverbials.

For additional information on this topic, check out this Cambridge Grammar Lesson.

For other English grammar lessons, go to this page.

Relative Pronouns

 

SubjectObjectPossessive
whowho(m)whose
whichwhichwhose
thatthat
  • who and whom for people
  • which for things.
  • that for people or things

Usage

  • after a noun:

– The chapel that Baelor built.

– The person who discovered the prisoner’s secret .

– An eighth-grader who attempted to skip school.

 

  • to tell more about a person or thing:

– My sister, who studied abroad, has always been insightful.

– Lord Frey, who was 98, has just died.

– We had lemon cakes, which are Sansa’s favorite.

 

  • do not use that as a subject:

 

  • whose as the possessive form of who:

– This is Gregor, whose brother went to war with me.

 

  • whom / who as the object of a verb or preposition:

– This is Robb, whom you met at my daughter’s wedding. / This is Robb, who you met at my daughter’s wedding.

 

  • whom or which after a preposition:

– I had an uncle in Westeros, from who[m] I inherited a castle.

– We brought an axe, with which we cut up all the firewood.

or

  • preposition at the end of the clause:

– I had an uncle in Westeros who[m] I inherited a castle from.

– We brought an axe, which we cut all the firewood up with.

or

  • that at the beginning of the clause:

– I had an uncle in Westeros that I inherited a castle from.

– We brought an axe that we cut all the firewood up with.