DAILY CONVERSATION
Lesson 6: Traveling Arrangements
18/2D THICH QUANG DUC, P.5, Q.PN
Thứ Tư, 3 tháng 11, 2010
Confusing Words
FAULTS, FLAWS, WEAKNESSES AND DRAWBACKS
Faults
Fault is not so much used to talk about someone’s character. Instead we talk about electrical, mechanical or technical faults:
Fault is not so much used to talk about someone’s character. Instead we talk about electrical, mechanical or technical faults:
· There was a fault in the wiring, and I had no idea how to correct it.There was a delay in the broadcast of the programme, and this was due to a technical fault.A mechanical fault caused the train to come off the rails.
A fault then describes a weakness in something, primarily. But sometimes it is used to describe a weakness in someone’s character:
· She has her faults, but, on the whole, she’s a nice person.We all have our own faults, I suppose.
We also have the frequently used expression: It’s (not) my/your/his/etc fault. This is a more idiomatic way of saying: I am (not) to blame or I am (not) responsible (for this unfortunate situation).
· It’s not my fault he’s late. Don’t blame me.I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I forgot to pass on the message.If you don’t get enough sleep, it’s entirely your own fault.It was partly the teacher’s fault for giving them too much homework.
Flaws
We use flaw mainly to talk about a minor fault or weakness in something which make it less effective or valuable. We talk about flawed arguments, for example.
- There’s a flaw in your argument. I agree with you up to a point, but the last part doesn’t make complete sense to me.
- There was a tiny flaw in the necklace and it certainly wasn’t worth all the money we had paid for it.
- She attributed her flawless complexion to the moisturising creams she used.
However, we can also talk about serious or major flaws:
- There are major flaws in the way we train teachers in this country.
- There were serious flaws in the construction of the pedestrian bridge.
And, yes, we can also use flaw to describe a fault in someone’s character:
- The only flaw in his character was his short temper – he tended to fly off the handle at the slightest provocation.
Weaknesses
Weaknesses generally describe the state or condition of being weak and of lacking strength or resilience.
- The main weakness of this government is that it keeps changing direction on key policy issues.
- He showed great weakness in not owning up to his part in the bad behaviour.
Weaknesses can also refer to faults or problems that make something less attractive or effective:
- They were keen to know how well it would sell in
- The only weakness in her character that I could spot was that she seemed to be over-dependent on others.
Note that if you have a weakness for something, you are very fond of it:
- I have a great weakness for chocolate. I can never refuse it.
We use drawback to refer to a feature of something which makes it less useful or acceptable than it could be. Drawback is often synonymous with disadvantage. However, drawforward does not exist as an alternative to advantage!
- The main drawback of this examination is that it takes two months before the results are released.
- The only drawback / disadvantage with this accommodation is that it’s a fifteen-minute walk to the bus-stop.
We can refer to faults, flaws and weaknesses in someone’s character, but we are less likely to talk about drawbacks in someone’s character.
Thứ Ba, 2 tháng 11, 2010
Job Application
SAMPLE JOB APPLICATION LETTER
Speak Up
25 November, 2010
Mr. George Gilhooley
XYZ Company
(909) 555-5555
Dear Mr. Gilhooley,
I am writing to apply for the programmer position advertised in the Tuoi Tre Newspaper dated on 20 November, 2010. As requested, I am enclosing a completed job application, my certification, my resume and two references.
The opportunity presented in this listing is very interesting, and I believe that my strong technical experience and education will make me a very competitive candidate for this position. The key strengths that I possess for success in this position include:
I have successfully designed, developed, and supported live use applications
I strive for continued excellence
I provide exceptional contributions to customer service for all customers
With a BS degree in Computer Programming, I have a full understanding of the full life cycle of a software development project. I also have experience in learning and excelling at new technologies as needed.
Please see my resume for additional information on my experience.
I can be reached anytime via my cell phone, 0908.756.657. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you about this employment opportunity.
Sincerely,
Nguyen Van Speak Up
Introduction
SPEAK UP ENGLISH CAFÉ
(92 Dien Bien Phu , Q.1)
INTRODUCTION
SPEAK UP is a place where people of different backgrounds can get together, come and practice English with others, while enjoying a cup of drink. We welcome everyone even those who are not confident with talking in English. The most important thing is to try to talk and listen in English. Our staffs are kind and friendly and will help you have fun conversations as well as improve your English. We are looking forward meeting you at SPEAK UP.
SPEAK UP is similar to normal cafes, except that you talk and everyone shares the same table. Only English is used for the conversation. Even in the conversations among Vietnamese, the English language is used. People from all over the city get together at SPEAK UP. The SPEAK UP staff is also English Speakers. Let's improve our English in an enjoyable and educational atmosphere together.
A special feature of the SPEAK UP is that the English Cafe and English school have been combined. Of course you can choose to only use the cafe, but we also have very affordable English environment on the second floor. At SPEAK UP, we are planning to have several different levels of English groups everyday. We believe learning English in lessons and then using English in free conversation at SPEAK UP will be very effective for improving your English. Importantly SPEAK UP's drink fee is also very cheap compared to the others.
“SPEAK UP” COFFEE SHOP
(92 Điện Biên Phủ, Quận 1)
Quán cà phê SPEAK UP tạo một sân chơi Anh ngữ bổ ích và thú vị cho các bạn học sinh, sinh viên cũng như mọi người,có nhu cầu rèn luyện kỹ năng giao tiếp tiếng Anh.,
Đến với SPEAK UP, bạn sẽ có một môi trường thật vui tươi và bổ ích, được trau dồi kỹ năng nghe nói tiếng Anh, đặc biệt đối với những người mới bắt đầu tập nói.
SPEAK UP luôn tạo một không gian thật độc đáo với những trò chơi Anh ngữ sống động, những buổi hướng dẫn kỹ năng nâng cao trình độ Anh ngữ một cách nhanh nhất và những buổi Public Speaking đầy hào hứng của các bạn.
Được trò chuyện cùng tất cả các bạn khác trong một không gian thư giản thoải mái và được hướng dẫn tận tình những kỹ năng nâng cao trình độ tiếng Anh của bạn là những gì SPEAK UP hân hạnh mang đến cho bạn.
Mọi chi tiết các bạn có thể liên hệ theo địa chỉ:
Thứ Hai, 1 tháng 11, 2010
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