VIP Class Notes (Nick – Carrie M)

Try to do some immediate correction.

Review your new vocabulary, and be ready to talk about your travel plans in December (or January).

Vocabulary

Set in / Takes place in – where a story happens
e.g. The Good Wife is set in Chicago.
e.g. The Good Wife takes place in Chicago.

The same universe – when stories take place in the same world; when they have the same history and the same rules
e.g. In comics, there are different universes related to the different companies (DC universe; Marvel universe)

Stand out vs. Go out – stand out is something that calls the attention, or to be special; go out is to leave the house
e.g. She stands out from her peers for her ability to communicate firmly and effectively.
e.g. When her husband got sick, she had to go out of the house to look for work.

Advance – to go forward or up; at work, to have more authority; to be promoted
e.g. Since joining our firm, she has advanced rapidly. She began as a clerk, and now she is a store manager.

Group vs. Movement – we can know who is in a group; a movement is when some individuals cause society as a whole to change
e.g. Citi Group manages large amounts of money.
e.g. The #MeToo Movement has changed American society.

Assist – to help
Two noun forms: assistant is the person who helps, usually of lower authority; assistance is the act of helping

Rank – your position in a hierarchy
e.g. My rank? I’m at the bottom.

Aura – the feeling, usually very strong, that comes simply from seeing something or someone, or being in a place; but, you still have to describe what kind of feeling it is
e.g. She has an incredibly powerful aura when she speaks.
e.g. This place has a real aura of evil.

Grammar

Decide don’t launch – decide not to launch
— When a verb is the object of the sentence, you don’t need to use “don’t”

Sales target or target of sales
— Usually they are the same, but in English we prefer the shorter version.

So is for adjectives; such is adjectives + nouns; really is for nouns
e.g. He is so nice.
e.g. He is such a good guy.
e.g. It is really a miracle.

Stand out – go out

When you have two verbs with subjects, they often have to be connected by a conjunction (that, which, who, but, and)

Always not so easy in their career – never / usually not; why? compared to whom?
It’s not so easy for women to advance in their careers.
It’s more difficult for women to advance than for men.
It’s usually more difficult for women to advance.

They always told me – they always tell me / they told me

I don’t like Trump. Me too – me (n)either / I don’t like him either

When Chinese superstar – superstars

Someone for stylish (adj) – someone to help her with her clothes/makeup
— We actually want to talk about what these assistants are there to do.
They are her stylists.

Everyone of our brand – from

Pronunciation

Assistance vs. Assistants – the “t” sound is the only difference, so it must be clear
— The “t” sound is behind your top teeth, and must be firm
— The “s” sound is behind your bottom teeth
So, you must have a firm “t” and then drop your tongue (like Chinese “c”)