VIP Class Notes (Joe)

Practice using the continuous tense to talk about things which you feel are temporary. For example, ‘I’m living in a small apartment’. Practice using the simple tense to talk about things which are more permanent. For example, ‘I live in Shanghai’.

Your pronunciation of ‘price’ and ‘prize’ could lead to confusion. Make sure you practice these words and hear the difference clearly.

Grammar

I came here when I go to university
I came here when I went to university
I came here to go to university

My job is consultant
I’m working as a consultant (indicates something temporary)
I work as a consultant (indicates a more permanent situation)

I can engage different client
I can engage different clients

It’s a very challenge job
It’s a very challenging job

At work, I write a report in English
At work, I write reports in English

I work in pharmaceutical consulting firm
I work in a pharmaceutical consulting firm

Most of the product is about drugs
Most of the products are about drugs

I want to know your department organization
I want to know about your department organization

How many people in your department?
How many people are in your department?

What their role and responsibility?
What are their roles and responsibilities?

Which regions they are responsible in?
Which regions are they responsible for?

Vocabulary

What’s the pain point of your department? (the phrase ‘pain point’ is business terminology that may not be familiar to most people)
What’s the biggest challenge your department faces? (This is something that anyone can understand)

Know something
This usually means that you have comprehensive knowledge of someone or something. For example, ‘I know that game’ = ‘I know all the rules and I can play that game’.

Know about something
This usually means that you have some knowledge but it’s not complete. For example, ‘I know about that game’ = ‘I have heard about the game but I don’t know the rules and I can’t play’.

Pronunciation

Faces (ay sound)
Feces (ee sound)
Access (ak ses)
Excess (ek ses)
Price /s/ sound
Prize/z sound
Competitors (kom pe ti tis) (the last 3 syllables are very quick)