Vocabulary 1
Goal: Replace the underlined word with a vocabulary word.
"We need to check the network logs to see what happened." →
"The client's request was amazing and very interesting." →
"I need to verify the meeting time for tomorrow." →
"I'm sorry, I have to refuse your invitation to the conference."
"Is the new 5G router dependable?" →
"We need to check the network logs to see what happened." → Look into
"The client's request was amazing and very interesting." → Fascinating
"I need to verify the meeting time for tomorrow." → Confirm
"I'm sorry, I have to refuse your invitation to the conference.→ Decline
"Is the new 5G router dependable?" → Reliable
Rule: Every employee _________ (wear) an ID badge in the data center.
Advice: You _________ (check) your spam folder if you don't receive the password reset email.
Obligation: We _________ (not / use) personal laptops for client data. It's against policy.
No Obligation: You _________ (not / attend) the meeting if you are busy with the outage.
Rule: Every employee _________ (wear) an ID badge in the data center. (Must / Has to)
Advice: You _________ (check) your spam folder if you don't receive the password reset email. (Should / Ought to)
Obligation: We _________ (not / use) personal laptops for client data. It's against policy. (Must not)
No Obligation: You _________ (not / attend) the meeting if you are busy with the outage. (Don't have to)
Context: A landlord (tenant) wants to sign a 15-year lease for a mobile tower site with a fixed price.
Financial Stability / Inflation risk
Discussion Prompt: "If you were the leasing manager, would you prefer a 5-year or a 15-year lease? Why?"
Advantages
Financial Stability: The company can figure out long-term budgets because the costs are fixed.
Disadvantages
Inflation Risk: If the economy changes, the residual value of the agreement might weaken.
"Companies should allow all employees to work remotely forever to save money on office rent."
Commute, Policy, Provide
"I agree because employees don't have a long commute, so they are happier. The company should provide a good laptop and a clear work-from-home policy."
Goal: Use a formal greeting and state the purpose using Confirm.
Scenario: You are writing to a tenant to verify a meeting time.
Dear Mr. Smith, I am writing to confirm our appointment on Tuesday to discuss the new lease.
Goal: Fill in the blanks with the correct phrasal verb.
"We need to _________ (install/arrange) a new server in the Madrid office."
"The technician is trying to _________ (solve/understand) why the signal is dropping."
"Can you _________ (get information) what time the site survey starts?"
"I will _________ (check progress) that email I sent to the vendor last week."
"Due to the budget cuts, we have to _________ (delay) the fiber installation."
Goal: Fill in the blanks with the correct phrasal verb.
"We need to _________ (install/arrange) a new server in the Madrid office." → Set up
"The technician is trying to _________ (solve/understand) why the signal is dropping." → Figure out
"Can you _________ (get information) what time the site survey starts?" → Find out
"I will _________ (check progress) that email I sent to the vendor last week." → Follow up on
"Due to the budget cuts, we have to _________ (delay) the fiber installation." → Push back
Goal: Describe changes in technology and specific achievements.
Habit: People _________ (rely) on landlines, but now everyone uses VoIP.
Specific Success: Even though the server crashed, we _________ (restore) the data in ten minutes.
Future Ability: With the new 5G update, users _________ (download) large files in seconds.
General Past Ability: Ten years ago, most people _________ (not / stream) 4K video on their phones.
Goal: Describe changes in technology and specific achievements.
Habit: People _________ (rely) on landlines, but now everyone uses VoIP. (Used to)
Specific Success: Even though the server crashed, we _________ (restore) the data in ten minutes. (Managed to)
Future Ability: With the new 5G update, users _________ (download) large files in seconds. (Will be able to)
General Past Ability: Ten years ago, most people _________ (not / stream) 4K video on their phones. (Couldn't / Weren't able to)
The Situation: Should we pay the tenant all the rent today, or pay a little every month?
Discussion Question: If a tenant asks for 5 years of rent today, should we give it to them?
Advantages (The Good)
No Monthly Work: You don't need to confirm the payment every single month.
Better Relationship: Tenants are usually very happy to get the money instantly.
Disadvantages (The Bad)
Big Cost: The company must provide a lot of money at one time.
Risk: If the tower breaks, the tenant might not want to help because they already have the money.
"It is better to postpone a project and make it perfect than to finish it on time with small errors."
Decision, Extension, Reliable
I disagree. In telecom, we need to be reliable. If we always ask for an extension, it looks unprofessional. It is a better decision to launch and then fix small bugs later."
Goal: Use Look into or Find out to explain a delay.
Scenario: The 5G installation is late because of a software bug.
Currently, we are trying to find out why the system is offline. Our engineers are looking into the server error now.
Goal: Identify the word that fits the specific business situation.
Scenario: The client wants 10 more days to sign the contract. What are they asking for? →
Scenario: Your company only works on satellite technology, not mobile. You... →
Scenario: There is a "No Personal Phones" rule in the data center. This is a company... →
Scenario: The team has two different ideas that cannot both be true. There is a... →
Scenario: You live in Madrid but your office is in Barcelona. You have a long... →
Scenario: The client wants 10 more days to sign the contract. What are they asking for? → An extension
Scenario: Your company only works on satellite technology, not mobile. You... → Specialize in
Scenario: There is a "No Personal Phones" rule in the data center. This is a company... → Policy
Scenario: The team has two different ideas that cannot both be true. There is a... → Conflict
Scenario: You live in Madrid but your office is in Barcelona. You have a long... → Commute
Goal: Express uncertainty about technical problems.
High Certainty: The signal is 0%. The tower _________ (be) down.
Low Possibility: I'm not sure why the internet is slow; it _________ (be) a hardware issue or a cable problem.
Negative Possibility: This _________ (not / be) the right password; I've tried it three times.
Future Possibility: If we don't renew the license, the service _________ (stop) working next week.
Goal: Express uncertainty about technical problems.
High Certainty: The signal is 0%. The tower _________ (be) down. (Must be)
Low Possibility: I'm not sure why the internet is slow; it _________ (be) a hardware issue or a cable problem. (Might / Could)
Negative Possibility: This _________ (not / be) the right password; I've tried it three times. (Can't)
Future Possibility: If we don't renew the license, the service _________ (stop) working next week. (May / Might)
The Situation: Another company wants to put their antenna on our tower for a fee.
Discussion Question: Is it a good decision to share our technology with a competitor?
Advantages (The Good)
Extra Money: It is a fascinating way to make more profit without doing much work.
Shared Costs: Both companies can arrange to pay for the repairs together.
Disadvantages (The Bad)
Crowded: There might be a lack of space on the tower for our own equipment.
Signal Problems: Their antenna might weaken our 5G signal.
Companies should always decline a tenant's request for a rent increase, even if it causes a conflict."
Renew, Lack of, Approval
I agree. If we have a lack of budget, we cannot give approval for more money. If the tenant doesn't want to renew, we can find a new site.
Goal: Use Arrange or Approval to ask for the next step.
Scenario: You need the manager to sign a document so you can start working.
Could you please provide your approval on the attached file? When It is signed, I will arrange the site visit.
Goal: Create one logical business sentence using BOTH words provided.
Words: Postpone & Approval
Words: Remotely & Instant
Words: Feedback & Provide
Words: Decision & Lack of
Words: Renew & Reply
Goal: Create one logical business sentence using BOTH words provided.
Words: Postpone & Approval (e.g., "We must postpone the launch until we get approval.")
Words: Remotely & Instant (e.g., "Working remotely allows for instant communication via Slack.")
Words: Feedback & Provide (e.g., "Please provide your feedback on the new software.")
Words: Decision & Lack of (e.g., "The decision was delayed due to a lack of data.")
Words: Renew & Reply (e.g., "I am waiting for their reply so I can renew the lease.")
Goal: Choose the correct form based on the duration or result.
Duration: I _________ (try) to fix this bug since 9:00 AM, and I'm exhausted!
Result: Good news! The technician _________ (finish) the installation of the new towers.
Ongoing: They _________ (work) with that Spanish vendor for six months now.
Experience: _________ you ever _________ (manage) a team of remote developers before?
Goal: Choose the correct form based on the duration or result.
Duration: I _________ (try) to fix this bug since 9:00 AM, and I'm exhausted! (Have been trying)
Result: Good news! The technician _________ (finish) the installation of the new towers. (Has finished)
Ongoing: They _________ (work) with that Spanish vendor for six months now. (Have been working)
Experience: _________ you ever _________ (manage) a team of remote developers before? (Have / managed)
The Situation: The tenant wants more money or they will postpone our repair work.
Discussion Question: What should we do if a tenant says "No" to our repair team?
Advantages of Paying
Fast Work: We get approval to enter the site immediately.
Reliable Service: The customers will have a reliable signal because we fixed the problem fast.
Disadvantages of Paying
Bad Policy: If we pay one tenant, other tenants will ask for more money too.
High Budget: We might not have enough money if we always say "yes."
It is more important to specialize in one specific technology than to know a little bit about everything.
Fascinating, Figure out, Weaken
I agree. It is fascinating to be an expert. If you don't specialize in one area, your skills might weaken when technology changes fast."
Goal: Use Decline or Lack of to deliver bad news politely.
Scenario: A landlord wants a rent increase, but the company says no.
Unfortunately, we must decline your request for a higher rent at this time due to a lack of budget for this project.
Goal: Read the informal email and rewrite the underlined parts using the target vocabulary words.
The Informal Draft
Email A: "Hi Team, we need to (1) find the reason for the slow internet. We will (2) move the meeting to later until we (3) get the 'yes' from the boss."
Target Vocabulary to Use
(1) Look into
(2) Postpone / Push back
(3) Approval
Email B: "To the Client: We can (4) give you a new router. Please (5) write back so we can (6) say the time is okay for the visit."
(4) Provide
(5) Reply
(6) Confirm
Email C: "The contract is ending. We don't want to (7) sign it again because there is a (8) shortage of support. We are seeing a (9) drop in quality."
(7) Renew
(8) Lack of
(9) Decline
Email D: "I am working (10) from home. I will (11) check again later on that problem. I need to (12) solve the login error."
(10) Remotely
(11) Follow up on
(12) Figure out
Email E: "Our company (13) is an expert in 5G. We need to (14) plan a meeting because there is a (15) fight between the two teams."
(13) Specializes in
(14) Arrange
(15) Conflict
Possible Answers (The "Fixed" Professional Version)
Email A: "...we need to look into the slow internet. We will postpone the meeting until we get approval from the boss."
Email B: "We can provide you a new router. Please reply so we can confirm the time for the visit."
Email C: "We don't want to renew the contract because there is a lack of support. We are seeing a decline in quality."
Email D: "I am working remotely. I will follow up on that problem. I need to figure out the login error."
Email E: "Our company specializes in 5G. We need to arrange a meeting because there is a conflict between the two teams."
Goal: Complete the sentence using the correct "If" structure or tense.
Type 1 (Realistic): If the client _________ (sign) the contract today, we _________ (start) the project on Monday.
Type 2 (Imaginary): If I _________ (be) the CEO, I _________ (provide) free fiber internet to all employees.
Mixed Tenses: While the team _________ (test) the software yesterday, they _________ (find) a major security flaw.
Mixed Case: We _________ (already / send) the feedback by the time the manager _________ (arrive) this morning.
Goal: Complete the sentence using the correct "If" structure or tense.
Type 1 (Realistic): If the client _________ (sign) the contract today, we _________ (start) the project on Monday. (Signs / will start)
Type 2 (Imaginary): If I _________ (be) the CEO, I _________ (provide) free fiber internet to all employees. (Were / would provide)
Mixed Tenses: While the team _________ (test) the software yesterday, they _________ (find) a major security flaw. (Was testing / found)
Mixed Case: We _________ (already / send) the feedback by the time the manager _________ (arrive) this morning. (Had already sent / arrived)
The Situation: Should we hire a different company to fix our towers, or use our own team?
Question: If a tower breaks at midnight, is it better to have your own team or an outside company?
Advantages (The Good)
Experts: We can hire a team that specializes in the exact brand of hardware we use.
Flexibility: We don't need to pay them if there are no repairs to arrange.
Disadvantages (The Bad)
No Control: It is harder to figure out why a repair is taking so long.
Communication: There might be a delay when we need to confirm an emergency fix.
Artificial Intelligence will soon be able to look into and fix all network problems without human help."
Find out, Follow up on, Instant
I disagree. AI can find out the problem with an instant scan, but a human still needs to follow up on the repair to make sure the physical hardware is okay."
Goal: Use Follow up on and Reply to end the email.
Scenario: You are waiting for more information and will write back soon.
I will follow up on this matter with the technical team tomorrow. I look forward to receiving your reply soon. Sincerely, [Name].