Step 50: At Work
Professional basics — Meetings and office English
📖 Read — Lisa's Office Day
Lisa works for a software company in Seattle. At nine, her department has a meeting. Her manager opens the agenda. “Let's get the ball rolling,” she says. “First, the new customer project. What's the deadline?” — “Friday,” says Lisa. “I'll send the report by Thursday.”
After the meeting, Lisa gives a short presentation to two new colleagues. Then she writes emails and checks her schedule. In the afternoon, a customer calls with a problem. Lisa is polite: “Could you send me the details, please? I'll call you back in an hour.” At five, her task list is finished. A good day at work!
🧩 Grammar — Office English — Meetings and Polite Requests
In meetings, use set phrases: Let's get started. · What do you think? · Let's move on to… For polite requests at work, Could you…? and Would you mind + -ing? sound professional: Could you send me the report? Would you mind checking this? Talk about deadlines with by + day (by Friday = on or before Friday).
- Let's get started, everyone.
- Could you send me the file by Friday?
- Would you mind opening the window?
- What do you think about this idea?
🏗️ Key structures
- Let's get started / Let's move on to ___ — Let's move on to the next point.
- Could you ___ by ___? — Could you finish this by Thursday?
- I'll ___ by ___ — I'll send the report by Friday.
⭐ Idiom & natural phrases
Okay everyone, let's get the ball rolling!
🔤 New words
the list of things to talk about in a meeting
The first point on the agenda is the budget.
the last day or time to finish something
The deadline is Friday at five.
a talk where you show and explain your work to people
She gave a presentation to the team.
a written document that tells what happened or what you found
I'll send the report by Thursday.
a person who works with you
My colleagues are friendly and helpful.
one part of a company (sales, IT, marketing…)
He works in the sales department.
a person who buys things from a company
The customer is always important.
one job or piece of work you must do
My last task today is writing emails.
🎧 Say it with me
Let’s get the ball rolling. Could you send me the report by Thursday? I’ll finish it by Friday — that’s the deadline.
🎤 Your turn to speak
Run a mini-meeting out loud: open it (Let's get started), ask for an opinion (What do you think?), and make one polite request with Could you… by + a day.
Say it out loud three times. Even better: record it on your phone and listen — your ear is your best teacher.
✍️ Your turn to write
Write a short work email (5 sentences): greet your colleague, give news, make a polite request with a deadline, and close.
See a model answer
Hi David, I hope you're well. The customer project is going well, and the presentation is ready. Could you check the last page and send me your notes by Wednesday? The deadline for the report is Friday. Thanks a lot! Best, Lisa
Self-check: capital letters? Full stops? Did you use the grammar of this step?
📝 Quick check
🎉 Saved in your progress!