Learn what to say when you leave the office before a holiday
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Becky: The Last Day Before a Holiday in an American Office. Becky here. |
| John: Hi, I'm John. |
| Becky: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to wish your co-worker a great vacation. The conversation takes place at an office. |
| John: It's between Linda and Thomas Gray. |
| Becky: The speakers are co-workers, therefore, they will speak informal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Linda: Have a good holiday. |
| Thomas Gray: Thank you! Happy Easter to you too! |
| Linda: I actually don't celebrate it. I'm Muslim. |
| Thomas Gray: Oh right!...In that case, enjoy the days off! |
| Linda: Will do! You have a nice holiday too! |
| Becky: Listen to the conversation one more time, slowly. |
| Linda: Have a good holiday. |
| Thomas Gray: Thank you! Happy Easter to you too! |
| Linda: I actually don't celebrate it. I'm Muslim. |
| Thomas Gray: Oh right!...In that case, enjoy the days off! |
| Linda: Will do! You have a nice holiday too! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Becky: What are the most important celebrations and holidays in the US? |
| John: There are ten federal holidays in the US. Along with New Year's Day and Christmas Day, which are observed internationally, other major American holidays include Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday in November, and Independence Day on July 4th. |
| Becky: There are also days honoring Martin Luther King in January, George Washington in February... |
| John: ...Memorial Day in May, which is to remember the members of the armed forces that died in battle. |
| Becky: Is there any rule for holidays that fall on a Saturday or a Sunday? |
| John: If a holiday falls on a Saturday, it’s observed on the Friday before instead. If a holiday falls on a Sunday, it’s observed the following Monday. |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Becky: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| John: Easter [natural native speed] |
| Becky: a holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ |
| John: Easter [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: Easter [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, we have... |
| John: actually [natural native speed] |
| Becky: in truth, in reality |
| John: actually [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: actually [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, there’s... |
| John: to celebrate [natural native speed] |
| Becky: to observe with festivities or ceremonies |
| John: to celebrate [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: to celebrate [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next up is... |
| John: Muslim [natural native speed] |
| Becky: a person who follows Islam |
| John: Muslim [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: Muslim [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Then, we have... |
| John: case [natural native speed] |
| Becky: circumstance, situation |
| John: case [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: case [natural native speed] |
| Becky: And lastly... |
| John: day off [natural native speed] |
| Becky: a day without work or school |
| John: day off [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: day off [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is... |
| John: to celebrate |
| Becky: This is a verb that means to take part in activities to mark a special day or occasion. |
| John: The past tense and past participle are "celebrated." This can be used at any time. For example, you can say “It's my birthday tomorrow, so let's celebrate!” |
| Becky: There is also the noun "celebration." |
| Becky: Okay, what's the next phrase? |
| John: in that case |
| Becky: In this phrase, "case" means "situation." The phrase is used to refer to a specific situation and “due to” that situation. |
| John: You can use it at any time. Here is a short dialogue, "-Mr. Jones said he would be late for the meeting. -In that case, let's start a little later." |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Becky: In this lesson, you'll learn how to wish your co-worker a great vacation. As we already said, America has ten federal holidays. |
| John: The vast majority of businesses close for these days, and employees may choose to spend their holiday doing something fun with their family or friends. |
| Becky: Let’s see how to wish someone a good vacation. |
| John: You can wish your co-worker a good vacation by saying “Have a good...” followed by the name of the holiday. |
| Becky: You can also say “I hope you have a good...” and the name of the holiday. |
| John: Both of these phrases use the words "have" and "good," and they are both wishing the other person a good day off. |
| Becky: Let’s give some sample sentences. |
| John: Sure, for example you can say “Have a good Columbus Day!” or simply “I hope you have a good holiday!” |
| Becky: You can sometimes say “Happy” followed by the name of the holiday. |
| John: This doesn’t just wish your co-worker a good holiday, but also celebrates that the holiday exists and is happening at that time. |
| Becky: Right, for example you’ve probably heard “Happy new year” and “Happy birthday” before. |
| John: There is one exception. For Christmas we usually say “Merry Christmas.” |
| Becky: Okay, now let’s talk about vacations. |
| John: As well as public holidays, there are also vacation days. |
| Becky: These are days that an employee can take whenever they wish. These types of holidays are usually reserved for vacations, when people and their family or friends travel. |
| John: If you know where your co-worker is going, you can say “I hope you have a good time in...” followed by the name of the destination. |
| Becky: You can also say “Enjoy yourself in...” and the name of the destination. Notice that each time, the preposition “in” goes before the destination, to show where the co-worker is going. |
| John: Here are some examples, “I hope you have a good time in New York!” or “Enjoy yourself in Spain!” |
| Becky: You can also follow this with a light comment about where they are going. You can jokingly ask for a souvenir or recommend a place to visit. |
| John: You can say “Don’t forget my souvenir!” or “I recommend going to the Eiffel Tower at night.” |
| Becky: This kind of small talk creates a good atmosphere in the office, and as long as it is kept light and short, it isn’t rude or intrusive. Okay, now let’s see how to politely correct information. |
| John: There are a few ways that you can do this. If you can do it smoothly, repeating the information correctly is a good way to do it. |
| Becky: This way, you correct the information without drawing attention to the error, especially for minor misunderstandings. What about bigger or complex errors? |
| John: A polite way to correct bigger mistakes is to act like you’re not sure yourself. Instead of saying “This is the correct information,” say “I’m not sure, but I think this is the correct information.” |
| Becky: Right. Usually, if you introduce doubt like this, your co-worker will double-check the information and find the correct information themselves. |
| John: Here is a sample sentence, “I’m not sure, but I thought the meeting was on Tuesday?” |
| Becky: It’s best to avoid directly telling someone that they’re wrong, but sometimes you may need to. |
| John: Try not to be confrontational, and if possible, correct the information in private as it can be embarrassing to be corrected in front of other people. |
Outro |
| Becky: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| John: See you! |
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