[B+] Discussing Issues II

LET'S UNLOCK WORDS AND PHRASES 🔐

revamp

[ ree-'vamp ]

verb

- to change or arrange something again, in order to improve it

The department is revamped to try to improve its performance.

sue

[ soo ]

verb

- to take legal action against a person or organization, especially by making a legal claim for money because of some harm that they have caused you

He was so outraged by the article about him that he decided to sue the newspaper.

aggravation

[ ag-ruh-'vey-shuhn ]

noun

- the act of making something such as a problem or injury worse

The drug may cause an aggravation of the condition.

brush off

phrasal verb

- to refuse to listen to what someone says, or to refuse to think about something seriously

They brush off the criticisms without any comment.

lose it

phrase

- lose control of one's temper or emotions

I'd been trying so hard to stay calm but in the end I just lost it.

LET'S UNDERSTAND! 📚

A. breach the contract

break the contract

DI_LU-6

Dialogue

Icon_Anna Happy

Anna

Haven't you heard? The workers who were laid off are planning to sue the company for a breach of contract.

Icon_Cindy

Cindy

Where did you hear that? That's completely untrue. The management and the workers actually reached an out-of-court settlement, so no legal action will be taken.

Icon_Anna Happy

Anna

Oh, I must have received incorrect information. That's great news, though. It's a win-win situation where both parties benefit.

B. betray someone's trust

to do something very bad and hurtful to someone that causes a loss of respect

DI_LU-7

Dialogue

Icon_Alex

Alex

It's been a month since the company brought in the new operations manager. What are your impressions of him?

Icon_Ken

Ken

Based on what I've seen, he establishes good relationships with his subordinates. He's mindful not to betray the trust of his team members and co-managers.

Icon_Alex

Alex

He is indeed a great addition to the company.

C. confront someone with something

to approach one with the intention of presenting or discussing something unpleasant.

DI_LU-8

Dialogue

Icon_Alex

Alex

I'm on the verge of losing it. Our customers are already expressing their frustration about the lengthy system maintenance. I've been bombarded with calls all day regarding this matter. Have you heard anything from our IT department yet?

Melly_Happy Icon

Melly

I've been trying to get a hold of them, but they seem too busy to resolve the issue as well. I don't have the nerve to confront them with the same issue, fearing further aggravation.

Icon_Alex

Alex

I really hope they can resolve this by the end of the day. I'm trying my best to brush off the complaints and not let them bother me.

D. have bigger fish to fry

to have something more important to do

MEETING

Dialogue

Melly_Happy Icon

Melly

I think we should start looking for a new marketing staff for the upcoming project next month.

Icon_Cindy

Cindy

While that's important, we have bigger fish to fry right now. We need to address the budget constraints before we can proceed with any new hiring.

Melly_Happy Icon

Melly

You're right, we should prioritize resolving the budget issues before tackling additional hiring.

E. cut to the chase

to talk about or deal with the important parts of a subject and not waste time with things that are not important

business partners

Dialogue

Icon_Alex

Alex

So, I've been analyzing the data and conducting some research on our sales figures.

John_Happy Icon

John

Thank you, Alex. Now let's cut to the chase . What are the key findings and recommendations you have for improving our sales performance?

Icon_Alex

Alex

Ah, right. Well, it seems that we need to revamp our marketing strategy and focus on targeting a younger demographic to boost sales.

LET'S PRACTICE! 📝

Part I

Direction: Choose the appropriate idioms to complete each of the sentences.

cut to the chase	have bigger fish to fry
breach of contract	confront someone with
betray someone's trust

The freelancer was sued for after failing to complete the project according to the agreed-upon terms.
The employee was fired for the company's by leaking confidential information to a competitor.
The manager had to the employee the evidence of their unauthorized use of company resources.
Instead of worrying about minor disagreements, the manager emphasized the importance of focusing on the main project as they .
The negotiators realized that time was running out, so they agreed to and discuss the key terms of the contract without further delay.

Part II

Direction: Listen as your mentor reads the statements twice. Then, repeat after your mentor.

🔊
🔊
🔊

Part III

Direction: Paraphrase the following sentences. Make sure to paraphrase the underlined idiomatic expressions.

Legal action was taken against the company for breaching the contract and failing to fulfill their contractual obligations.
.
It is important to maintain confidentiality in professional settings to avoid betraying the trust of clients or colleagues.
.