Group Class Notes (Vocabulary)(Raph)

Original:

A Bad Day at Work

Jason is having a terrible day at the office today. He has piles of paperwork to do and his coworker called in sick. Also, his boss is out of town on a business trip and unreachable. Some clients have been calling all day trying to talk to him, and Jason just doesn’t know what to tell them. What a terrible day!

Upgraded:

A / One Bad / Terrible / Troublesome / Awful Day at Work / Job / the Office 

Jason is having a terrible / bad / horrific / horrible / awful day at the office / work / the company / his job today. He has piles / lots / a lot / a huge amount / a great number of paperwork / documents / forms / files / reports to do / complete / finish / work on and his coworker / colleague / teammate / peer / workmate / fellow called in sick / asked for a sick leave / asked for a leave / is absent / didn’t come / is out of the office / didn’t show up. Also / Additionally / In addition to that / Furthermore / What’s more / Moreover / Plus /, his boss / manager / supervisor / director / superior is out of town / left / is away / went on a business / corporate / corporation / commercial / company / work / firm / trade trip / journey / tour / excursion and is unreachable / impossible to be contacted / uncontactable. Some / A few / A handful of / Several clients / customers / stakeholders / buyers / consumers have been calling / contacting / trying to reach all day trying / attempting / aiming to talk / speak / have a conversation with / communicate to him, and Jason just / simply doesn’t know what to tell them / how to handle them / what to say to them. What a terrible day!

Vocabulary

Unreachable (adj): 1- impossible to be contacted.
E.g.: He tried to call her all day, but she was unreachable.
E.g.: Jason’s boss is unreachable at the moment.

Troublesome (adj): 1- causing a lot of problems for someone:
E.g.: Her leg has been troublesome for quite a while, and she’ll probably need surgery on it.
E.g.: The negotiations have proven more troublesome than any of us expected.
E.g.: Some of my clients are very troublesome.

Horrific (adj): 1- very bad and shocking.
E.g.: A horrific car accident just happened on Jiaozhou Road.
E.g.: They just saw a horrific movie.

Add (v): 1- to put two or more numbers or amounts together to get a total. 2- to put something with something else to increase the number or amount or to improve the whole. 3- to say another thing.
E.g.: If you add (= calculate the total of) three and four you get seven.
E.g.: Beat the butter and sugar together and slowly add the eggs.
E.g.: She was sad, she said, but added (= said also) that she felt she had made the right decision.

Addition (n): 1- the process of adding numbers or amounts together. 2- something that has been added to something else.
E.g.: Twice a week the children are tested in basic mathematical skills such as addition (= calculating the total of different numbers put together) and subtraction.
E.g.: A secretary would be a welcome/useful addition to our staff.

Additional (adj): 1- extra.
E.g.: There will be an extra charge for any additional passengers.
E.g.: You need to do additional tests before your system goes live

Additionally (adv): 1- also.
E.g.: Additionally, we request a deposit of $200 in advance.
E.g.: Traffic is usually very bad in Shanghai. Additionally, it’s been snowing today, so traffic is even worse!

Subordinate (n / adj): 1- having a lower or less important position:
E.g.: He has a subordinate role at the company
E.g.: She’s one of my subordinates.
E.g.: I don’t have a subordinate at the company, but I hope in the future I can have one.

Tour (n): 1- a planned visit to several places in a country or area made for a special purpose, such as one made by a politician, sports team, or group of performers.
E.g.: The Queen is making a two-week tour of Australia.
E.g.: The band will have a world tour in the summer.

Excursion (n): 1- a short journey usually made for pleasure, often by a group of people:
E.g.: This year’s annual excursion will be to Lincoln.
E.g.: Next week we’re going on an excursion.

Handful (n): 1- an amount of something that can be held in one hand, or a small number of things / people.
E.g.: He pulled out a handful of coins from his pocket.
E.g.: She invited all her friends to her party, but only a handful of them turned up.

Contactable (adj): 1- able to be contacted.
E.g.: Is he contactable at his home number?
E.g.: My boss is contactable on his cell right now.

Stake (n): 1- a share or a financial involvement in something such as a business:
E.g.: He holds (= owns) a 40 percent stake in/of the company.

Stakeholders (n): 1- a person or group of people who own a share in a business or a person such as an employee, customer, or citizen who is involved with an organization, society, etc. and therefore has responsibilities towards it and an interest in its success.
E.g.: All of the villagers were stakeholders, because the activities of the company affected them all.

Attempt (v): 1- to try.
E.g.: I attempted to learn how to drive, but I found it very difficult.
E.g.: She attempted to get there on time, but was stuck in traffic and ended up late anyway.
E.g.: When I moved to Shanghai, I attempted to learn how to cook.

Movie: Moulin Rouge