Various expression

1. Use to + the base verb to express purpose.

We need more time to brainstorm.
We worked until late to hit our deadline.
We developed the product to make shopping easier.

2. Use in order to, before or after the main clause, to express purpose in more formal business situations.

In order to generate sales, we created these new advertisements/ We created these new advertisements in order to generate sales.
In order to compete, we need to lower prices.
We need to take breaks in order to be more creative.

3. Use so that to express purpose. It can also come before or after the main clause.

We changed the schedule so that we now have time for innovation/ So that we have time for innovation, we changed the schedule.
Can you explain the plan so that I can help you?
We need downtime so that we can plan future projects.
Let's have a good look so we can see any problems.
Let's work late today so we can leave early tomorrow..

Use the verb wish to express regret that things are not different. For present situations, use the present tense of the verb wish + past tense verb. Note that with the verb wish, the only simple past form of the verb be is were.

He wishes that he were more organized.
She wishes that she had a better technical background.

You can also use wish + the past modals could or would + present tense verb to express regret.

I wish (that) I could speak French.
I wish (that) my son would study harder.

For past situations, use the present tense of the verb wish + past perfect verb.

Sally wishes (that) she had studied something different in college.
I wish that I hadn't gotten married so young
He wishes he had gone to Europe with Ellie last summer
I wish that I had taken the chance to travel when I was younger.

Generally, your employee review was very positive. You have strong communication skills, and you're extremely organized. You work very well with the team. One thing: I wish that you had a stronger technical background. I think you should take some night classes. It won't be easy, but you can definitely do it. Everyone needs to think about professional development. The company will pay. It won't be easy, but you can definitely do it. We believe that you have a lot of potential and we will do all we can to help you succeed.  

Choose “used to” to say that something existed or happened repeatedly in the past but does not exist or happen now: subject + used to + base verb

The negative of “used to” is “did not use to” or the more common “didn’t use to.” Notice the word “use” does not end with the letter -d in the negative. That is because “did” is already the past tense.

Ex: Sacha used to live on Atlantic Avenue near Vanderbilt Street. He didn’t use to believe in ghosts. But he said he saw one at his grandmother's house.

Choose “be used to” to say you are accustomed to something, and so it seems normal or usual. If you are used to something, it is not difficult, new or strange.

In “be used to,” the verb “be” can take the present, past or future tense (though future is less common): subject + be + used to + gerund, noun or pronoun

The negative for “be used to” is “be not used to.”

Ex: She doesn’t think Dami is strange. She is used to him. Look, the bird is frightened. It is not used to large crowds.

Get used to is related in meaning to “be used to.” The difference is that “get used to” means someone is, was or will become accustomed to something. So, the verb “get” in the phrase can take the present, past or future tense: S + get used to + gerund, noun/pronoun

The negative of “get used to,” which is “not get used to.”

Ex: I hated this haircut at first. But I got used to it. I like it now! The baby will not get used to the new sitter. I think she misses her dad.

On Saturday, I got up early to go to my 7 o’clock yoga class. Most of my friends like to sleep late on weekends. But I've been going to this class for a year now. So I am used to waking at sunrise. 

A few weeks ago, I finally persuaded my friend Tania to come. She is not a morning person. But after a month of our new routine, she is getting used to the early hours.

After class, we like to get breakfast at a café down the street. Every week, she orders the same thing: banana pancakes. I used to eat pancakes. But now I enjoy something lighter, like yogurt and fruit.

I absolutely hate TV, I'm crazy about sitcoms, He generally likes dramas, I never watch soap operas, We don't care for sitcoms, I can't stand reality shows, I'm really into documentaries, I almost watch sports, I'm addicted to the news, I love this game show, it's my favorite program.  

Which commercial would you rather watch?
I'd rather watch the first one than the second
I like the third one to the first
We prefer the third one to the first.
For me, humor is the best way to advertise.
I'm not crazy about the jingle.
He's not keen on humor in advertising.

You can use both because and because of to give reasons. Because is followed by a clause; because of, by a noun.

I don't watch 'The Tenors' because it's so violent.
Why do you like that show so much? I like it because the plot's complex and exciting.
'Fallen Love' wasn't shown on TV because of the violence.
I watch this show with my kids because of the PG rating.

Use expressions like these to give an opinion:

• I was surprised at how complex the rating system is.
• In my opinion, there's too much violence on TV.

Use feels strongly to give your opinion emphatically.

• Brent feels strongly that TV should be educational, not just entertaining.

After giving an opinion, you can support it with a reason or an example.

• Brent feels strongly that TV should be educational, not just entertaining, because children are watching.
• I was surprised at how complex the rating system is. For example, there are more than 35 possible ratings!
• In my opinion, there's too much violence on TV. In 'Heat Wave' last night, three people were murdered, and there was a car accident – all in five minutes.

When you read someone's opinion, you may find the following sequence of thoughts.

The opinion: In my opinion, TV can help educate children.

Support for the opinion: For example, TV can show children countries and places they may never visit.

An action step or suggestion: We need to help our children choose the right shows. Watch TV with them.

I'm amazed at how violent TV is in the US. Some detective programs show all the details of people getting shot. You see fighting on the news every day. Some cable channels even show real people getting murdered. I feel strongly that the rating system doesn't always help, because children are sometimes home by themselves and can watch what they want. Basically, TV is violent, but I think we can make it better. We need to stop watching these violent programs and demand more educational ones.

I feel strongly that there should be a limit on how much violence is shown on TV. For example, lots of crime shows have killings, shootings, and other violent crimes, all right around the time that families eat dinner together. In my opinion, this is not suitable for family entertainment. I dont thing we should eliminate violence from TV altogether, but we need to move the more violent shows to a latter time, when younger viewers are likely to be asleep.

Supporting Someone's Opinion

CHELSEA: So, congratulations! You finished the Balboa project. Honestly, that was the worst project. You should totally relax on your vacation.

AIDEN: Thanks. I couldn't have said it better myself. Olivia and I need a real break.

CHELSEA: I know exactly what you mean. I'm thinking of taking some days off too.

AIDEN: Cool. We actually bought tickets to fly to Koh Rong, Cambodia. We can go diving in the morning and swimming at night.

CHELSEA: Excellent. You should spend lots of time on the beach.

AIDEN: Yeah, I'm totally with you there. All this snow we've been having is depressing.

CHELSEA: I couldn't agree more. I'm ready to move to Hawaii!

AIDEN: Hey, we should get a couple of sundaes to celebrate the project.

CHELSEA: I was just about to say the same thing. Sundaes and espressos!

The obvious advantage is that the instructor will teach wherever we want.
The primary disadvantage is cost -$ 1 month is way too much!
One good thing is that we know what their reputation is.
It's pretty far away. That's a drawback.
A benefit is that the schedule is flexible.
A bad thing is that they dont have online classes.

I'm all for the teacher who give feedback.
I'm against testing. He against raising cost. I'm against the cost of books, It's not unusual to pay $100
I'm in favor of public education. I totally support e-books, you can read the on the tablet.
I think that it's wrong to test kids.
I disagree with weekly tests. She disagree with large classes.

• Typical: it's normal, it's the usual story
• Not typical: It's surprising, It's unusual, It's uncommon

It's common for older people to go back to school.
It's pretty normal to start college at 18.
It's the usual story: work all day, study all night
It's not uncommon for classes to start at 2 p.m.
It's not unusual to study all night before a test.

I'm in favor of technology in education and, in fact, it's quite common for US colleges to use technology. For example, it's not unusual for students to get degrees online. I'm not surprised, because you can study whenever and wherever you want. Another trend is that students are buying electronic books, or e-books. I totally support the use of e-readers. You can read them on a mobile device – paper books are too heavy to carry! Also, I think it's wrong that paper books cost more than e-books. It's not unusual to pay $100 for a paper book. I'm all for technology in education. I just wish that technology could help me pass Monday's test in math class!

• It's crucial that we find a solution
• It's urgent the company fine a buyer
• It's essential that he attend the meeting
• It's vital no one discuss this information
• It's critical that we meet the deadline
• It's imperative all staff understand the situation

These fairly formal expressions are generally followed by the base form of the verb. Notice in the examples that there is no subject-verb agreement: The verbs attend and report don't end in s. After certain strong or emotional verbs like these, the second verb is in a special form, called the subjunctive.

• It's essential that he attend the meeting.
• It's vital she report to us immediately.

Use the adverb absolutely to increase the sense of urgency:

• It's absolutely critical that we meet the deadline.
• It's absolutely crucial we find a solution.

Language note: Be careful how you use modifiers like absolutely, completely and totally; if the situation is not as urgent as your language suggests, you might be accused of exaggerating.

Thank you all for coming today. First, let me say that it is absolutely essential that nothing I discuss here today go outside this room. That said, I think you all understand how urgent it is that we find a solution to the problem of our decreasing market share. It's imperative that we increase sales in the fastest-growing region for our products – Asia. Because of this, we have decided to purchase our biggest competitor. It's vital that this deal be successful. We have the financial strength, and it's crucial that we take advantage of this opportunity.

In general, phrasal verbs are quite informal. For example, you can ask someone if they can come to a meeting. But a more formal way to say this is attend a meeting. Let's look at some more examples.

• Here are informal and formal ways to discuss postponing a meeting: We have to put off the meeting; It's necessary to postpone the meeting.
• Here are informal and formal ways to talk about looking at options: We'll look into all the alternatives; We'll investigate all the alternatives.
• Here are informal and formal ways to discuss dealing with an issue: We need to deal with this issue; We need to resolve this issue.
• Similarly, language that contains a lot of idioms is usually quite informal. Look at the examples. The first one means you're busy, the second that something is annoying or difficult, and the third is a nice way to thank someone for their help: I'm rushed off my feet!; It's a pain in the neck; Thanks so much. You're a star!

There are several common ways to prepare someone for bad news. Notice the use of the word but to introduce the actual information in the second and third examples.

• Unfortunately, there is a big problem.
• I wish I had better news for you, but we have to cut staff.
• I'm sorry to tell you this, but we didn't get the contract.

When the news is mixed, that is, there is some good news and some bad news, you can use the following expression.

• I have some good news and some bad news. 
• Which would you like to hear first?

Preparing appropriate response

• Which would you like to hear first? I dont know. The bad news, I guess. Let's start with the good news.
• Bad news: Oh, no. What is it? You had better tell me. Oh, that's really too bad.

Use the words worry and concern to talk about bad things that could happen.

Use that when the next part of the sentence is an independent clause (a phrase with a noun and a verb that can stand alone as a sentence).

• I'm worried that we'll fall behind the competition.
• I'm concerned that we won't be able to compete.

Use about when the next part of the sentence is a noun or a gerund (verb + ing). Notice that, in these examples, concerned is an adjective and concerns is a noun.

• I'm worried about the competition.
• I'm concerned about losing so much money.
• I have some serious concerns about the deal.

Another expression you can use to express concern is in danger of. In danger of is always followed by a gerund or a gerund phrase.

• We're in danger of falling behind the competition.

Use the following questions to ask someone about their concerns.

• What are you concerned about?
• Are you worried that we'll fail?

To show sympathy with someone's worries, you can use this expression.

• I can see why you're worried about that.

Here are some phrases you can use to describe the effects of actions.

• It made a lot of people feel very worried about the future of the company.
• The news about layoffs made everybody nervous
• It had quite a bad effect on staff morale.
• It caused several people to quit.
• The result was that we started to think differently about our customers.

You can use the past perfect – had + past participle – to give a sense of what happened previous to a story you are telling.

• We had lost a lot of money the first year, and nothing we'd tried to do had made any difference.
• We'd had problems with the new manager, but they were later resolved.

If you want to indicate that the action had been going on for an extended period, use the continuous form: had + been + verb + ing

• Well, we'd been struggling to innovate for a while.
• We found a solution to a problem that had been frustrating us for a while
• We'd been trying to solve the problem for months, and nothing had worked.
• We'd been trying to work out what to do for a while, and when the answer came, it was a surprise.
• We'd been finding it hard to hire good engineers

Here are some phrases you can use when you're describing solutions.

• We dealt with the problem by hiring more creative people.
• We dealt with the issue by doing better planning
• Well, the way we got around the issue was to reduce the length of the meetings.
• And that solved the problem?
• We solved the problem by having weekly meetings
• Yes. It was an effective solution, and I was pleased with it.
• The solution was to hire another sales manager.

In a social situation, where you want to avoid giving a very short response, you can add extra information using words like when.

• Do you guys often go out for dinner? Yes, when there's a special occasion, like a birthday

To give a less positive answer, you can use a phrase like but only when.

• Do you ever go to that park? Yes, but only when it's not too cold.

You may choose to split but and only when.

• Are you on Friendface? Yes, but I don't use it much, only when I'm bored.
• Do you usually go out for lunch? Sometimes, if it's sunny.

You can also say what our normal behavior is and contrast it with exceptions.

• Did you come in on the subway? I usually do, but today it was sunny, so I walked.
• Are you going to the staff party? Maybe, but I don't generally like that kind of thing.

Use me, too to agree with a positive statement. For a negative one, use I don't either.

• Are you going to the staff party? Maybe, but I don't generally like that kind of thing. Uh-huh, I know what you mean. I dont either. 

Before you ask about a product, use an expression like this to get the sales assistant's attention .

• Excuse me. Can I just ask you something about this tablet?

You then might need to confirm what it is you're looking at.

• This is a Jupiter, is that right? 

You might also want to know if the product is top of the range or not.

• And how does this compare with other tablets?
• I want a middle-of-the-range model - not too expensive, not too cheap.
• This one's too expensive. Do you have a budget option? 

Finally, you might want to ask about the color, accessories and other extras.

• Does it come in other colors?
• Is it available in blue? is it available in a larger size?
• Is it available with a keyboard?
• Does it come with all the accessories? 
• Does its come with any accessories, like case or cables? 
• What accessories does it come with?
• Does it come with instruction so I know how to use it?

At the start of a negotiation, it's important to state clearly your opening position. Use expressions like these:

• Let me begin by saying we need 75 machines over the next six months.
• To begin with, you have to understand we have tough budget limitations.
• I'm confident that we can work something out.
• We were expecting a better offer from you.
• We have certain limitations, but we'll try to be flexible.

There is a lot of back and forth in negotiations. Use these expressions to talk about offers and proposals:

• Your preliminary offer is higher than we expected.
• I propose that you buy a different model.
• What do you propose that we do?
• My offer is 300 units at $250 each.

Use these expressions to reject an offer or proposal:

• I'm afraid that price is out of the question.
• I'm sorry, but we can't offer that kind of discount.
• There's just no way we can accept your offer.

Use these expressions to make a counteroffer:

• I have a counteroffer for you. How about 20%?
• What would you say if I offered $500?
• Would you consider increasing the quantity?

Use a sense verb + as if or as though to talk about your perception of a situation.

• I feel as if I don't have enough time off.
• It looks as though I'll be compensated well.
• He looks as though something annoying has just come up
• It sounds as if you worked a lot of overtime.

In informal conversation, you will hear like used instead of as if or as though. This is technically incorrect but very common.

• It seems like he's been off for a month.
• It looks like we'll have to work on the weekend.

• I'd like to keep doing the same thing.
• I'm pretty happy with what I'm doing.
• I'd like to stay in the same industry.
• I have no plans to make a change for now.
• I wouldn't mind a change in my career path.
• I'd like to move back to the north.
• I want to live nearer to my family.
• It'd be great to spend more time with the kids.
• I don't want to keep doing the same thing again and again.
• I don't plan to change my career path, for now.
• Once I've been in this role for a couple of years, I wouldn't mind switching careers.
• I think one day it'd be nice to move nearer to my family, and maybe do something a bit less stressful.
• By the end of this year, I'll have been with Western for eight years.
• I hope by that time I'll have retired.
• By next year, I'll have visited 10 countries