Learn how to form adjective and preposition combinations
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Intro |
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| Barbara: Good afternoon! |
| Braden: Braden here. Use the Right English Preposition Combinations for Effective Negotiations. In this lesson, you’ll learn about Adjective and preposition combinations, part 1 and Negotiation. |
| Barbara: This conversation takes place in the afternoon, on the phone. |
| Braden: And it’s between Sarah and a hotel manager |
| Barbara: Sarah has never met the hotel manager, so things start off professionally but then take a turn. |
| Braden: Let’s listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
| Sarah: My name is Sarah Walker, and I'm calling from the University of Indiana. |
| Hotel Manager: Ah yes! You guys are famous for that international seminar you do every year. |
| Sarah: Thank you! We're very excited about this year. |
| Hotel Manager: Excellent. How may I help you? |
| Sarah: This year we're organizing the seminar in March, and we're going to need rooms for fifteen delegates. |
| Hotel Manager: I can help you with that. What are the dates? |
| Sarah: I'd like to know the daily rates first. |
| Hotel Manager: Then I need to know what kind of rooms you are looking for. |
| Sarah: Each delegate will have their own room so there will be fifteen, single rooms. It would also be nice if they were quiet rooms. Last year some of the delegates were irritated by being too close to the pool and not being able to sleep. |
| Hotel Manager: That will be just fine. We have some very quiet rooms on the 5th floor overlooking the river. |
| Sarah: Those sound expensive. We're on a university budget, mind you. |
| Hotel manager: Don't worry too much about that. The daily rates in March are different from other times of the year. What are the dates exactly? |
| Sarah: It will be for four days during the first full week of March; the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Braden: So, we wanted to talk a little bit about Negotiation |
| Barbara: Negotiation is defined as a dialogue between two or more individuals or parties, with the intent of reaching an understanding, resolving a point of difference, or gaining some advantage in the outcome of dialogue. |
| Braden: In the dialogue, Sarah negotiates reserving rooms for the delegates with the hotel manager. |
| Barbara: Even though the hotel manager is very friendly and positive about reserving the rooms to Sarah, she is still careful about the details she needs to have addressed. |
| Braden: It's important that Sarah have this mindset because, even though the hotel manager is friendly, the conversation may turn at any moment. |
| Barbara: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| Vocabulary and Phrases |
| Braden: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| : The first word we shall see is: |
| Barbara: behalf [natural native speed] |
| Braden: in the interests of another |
| Barbara: behalf [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Barbara: behalf [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Barbara: may [natural native speed] |
| Braden: expressing probability or permission |
| Barbara: may [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Barbara: may [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Barbara: rooms [natural native speed] |
| Braden: a part of a structure enclosed by walls, floor, and ceiling |
| Barbara: rooms [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Barbara: rooms [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Barbara: delegate [natural native speed] |
| Braden: a person who represents others in a conference |
| Barbara: delegate [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Barbara: delegate [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Barbara: date [natural native speed] |
| Braden: day of the month specified by the number |
| Barbara: date [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Barbara: date [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Barbara: vary [natural native speed] |
| Braden: differ in quality compared to something else |
| Barbara: vary [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Barbara: vary [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Barbara: slightly [natural native speed] |
| Braden: to a small degree |
| Barbara: slightly [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Barbara: slightly [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Barbara: negotiate [natural native speed] |
| Braden: attempt to reach an agreement |
| Barbara: negotiate [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Barbara: negotiate [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES |
| Braden: Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Barbara: In the dialogue, we heard the phrase I can help you with that. |
| Braden: Grammatically, this is a simple phrase. We point it out because of the context. In a phone call like this one, where Sarah is calling an organization, she could very easily contact someone who doesn’t have the authority to help her. |
| Barbara: In business settings, this is very common. Often the first person you talk to is the receptionist. Receptionists are rarely allowed to make deals on behalf of the company. |
| Braden: Because of this, the hotel manager points out that he can help Sarah with this problem. This is a courtesy to Sarah so that she doesn’t waste time explaining her situation or negotiating with someone that, in the end, cannot give her approval. |
| Braden: Could you break this down? |
| Barbara: I can help you with that (slowly) |
| Braden: And one time fast? |
| Barbara: I can help you with that (fast) |
| Braden: Our next phrase is daily rates |
| Braden: “Daily rates” is a phrase that refers to the price for each room per day. |
| Barbara: She could have said, “How much does a room cost per day?” However, it’s much more natural to say “What are your daily rates?” |
| Braden: Depending on the hotel and your length of stay, you could also ask for the weekly or monthly rates. Could you break this down? |
| Barbara: daily rates (slowly) |
| Braden: And one time fast? |
| Barbara: daily rates (fast) |
| Braden: Our last phrase is "mind you." This phrase is interesting because it’s actually very casual. You will often hear mothers use this phrase when talking to their children. |
| Barbara: At the beginning of the phone call, Sarah and the hotel manager did not know each other. Therefore, they used formal or respectful language when talking to each other. |
| Braden: The hotel manager was very relaxed in his conversation. This allowed Sarah to also relax in the way she expressed herself. And that’s why such a casual phrase can be used in a conversation that just seconds before was quite formal. |
| Braden: Could you break this down for us? |
| Barbara: mind you (slowly) |
| Braden: And one time fast? |
| Barbara: mind you (fast) |
| Braden: Perfect! Let’s take a look at the grammar point. |
Lesson focus |
| Barbara: The focus of this lesson is adjective and preposition combinations, part 1 |
| Braden: In the dialogue, we heard the phrase |
| Barbara: My name is Sarah Walker, and I’m calling from the University of Indiana. |
| Braden: Let’s explain a bit about the structure of this lesson. First, we’re going to specify a preposition. Then we’re going to give you a short list of adjectives and a sample sentence using that adjective preposition combination. |
| Barbara: Also, each group of adjectives has the same or related meanings and use patterns. |
| Braden: First we’re going to look at the preposition ABOUT. Use the following adjectives followed by 'about'. |
| Barbara: Use the verb 'to be' with these expressions. Our adjectives are “angry, “annoyed,” “furious about something.” |
| Braden: For example, “I'm really angry about our losses on the stock market!” |
| Barbara: Next we have “excited about something” For example, “He's excited about his birthday party next week.” |
| Braden: Next is, “worried,” or “upset about something” For example, “He's worried about his upcoming examinations. |
| Barbara: Next is, “sorry about something” For example, “I'm very sorry about losing your book.” |
| Braden: Now let’s look at the adjective that uses the preposition “AT.” Again, each group of adjectives has the same or related meanings. Use the verb 'to be' with these expressions. |
| Barbara: Our first adjectives are “good,” “excellent,” “brilliant at something” OR “at doing something.” For example, “They are excellent at planning fun parties.” |
| Braden: The next set of adjectives are “bad” and “hopeless" as in "hopeless at something” OR at doing something” For example, “Unfortunately, I'm hopeless at being on time.” |
| Barbara: There is a small subset of adjectives that can use either AT or BY. Again, use the verb 'to be' with these expressions. |
| Braden: Those adjectives are "amazed,” “astonished,” “shocked,” “surprised at” OR “by something” For example, “I was amazed at his stamina.” or “I was amazed by his stamina.” Same meaning. |
| Barbara: Our last preposition is the word “FOR.” Use the following adjectives followed by 'for.' Use the verb 'to be' with these expressions. |
| Braden: First we have “famous for something.” For example, “She's famous for her watercolor paintings.” |
| Barbara: Next we have “responsible for something.” For example, “You'll have to speak to John, he's responsible for customer complaints.” |
| Braden: Next is “Sorry for doing something.” For example, “He says he's sorry for shouting at you.” |
| Barbara: A similar combination is the (to feel or be) sorry for someone For example, “I really feel sorry for Pam.” |
| Braden: Last, we have the preposition “FROM.” Use the following adjectives followed by 'from.' different from someone,” “something.” |
| Barbara: For example, “His photographs are very different from his paintings.” |
Outro |
| Braden: That just about does it for today. |
| Barbara: Thanks for being here. |
| Braden: Thanks for listening! |
| Barbara: Bye-bye! |
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