Business English Idioms

You have studied English grammar and have a wide vocabulary. The problem is that you find it difficult to communicate effectively in English at work. Native English speakers use lots of idioms which can be confusing. You might understand the individual words in each idiom, but you don’t understand what the expressions actually mean. For example, if your boss tells you that you are working in a ‘dog eat dog’ industry, what is he trying to tell you? You understand the words but the idiom surely means something else.

Understanding and using English idioms at work will help you express yourself more effectively in your job. Idioms are often used as a short cut, a way to express a concept or idea in a short and memorable way. Humans use idioms to engage their listeners and emphasise their ideas and opinions. If you use idioms, you will be able to express yourself in a more colourful and natural way. 

This course will teach you lots of common English idioms used at work. You’ll be able to build rapport with your English-speaking colleagues and clients by using the language they speak.

Each video is about 3 minutes long and gives you a definition and an example of the idiom used in a business context. There are a couple of questions about each idiom. Think about these questions to help you remember the idioms. Finally, idioms are generally fixed expressions – you cannot change the words or the order because that will make the idiom sound strange. At the end of each lesson, you will be asked to decide if the idiom is used correctly or not in an example sentence.

Who this course is for:

• Adult learners of English as a second language.
• Professionals who need to use English at work.