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Comprehension Activity, Convincing Language PDF
Comprehension Activity, Convincing Language PDF
English III
ID 646173
Teacher’s name
Reporter: Hi and welcome to business talk. There is so much jargon these days
in the workplace. But what characterizes Business Buzzwords?
Expert: Well, these are words that might not mean that much literally, but have
a kind of hypnotic power. For instance, the word: empowerment. People use it
a lot in companies, but companies have hierarchy and structures of power. Most
employees don’t really have that much power. You want to give people the
illusion of power by using big powerful words.
Reporter: Exactly. So if you use a fancy expression, it makes some people feel
powerful. Like if you say I’m really ‘in the loop’ or if you have your ‘ear to the
ground’. These expressions mean that you are really conscious and aware, but
the literal meanings are quite strange. So tell me, why are these expressions so
hard to translate or understand for learners of English?
Expert: Many of them come from specific situations or from sports. Let’s look
at the example of the word ‘ballpark’. A ballpark is a field for watching a
baseball game with seats for the spectators. We can, however, be ‘in the ballpark
of’ one million dollars, which means an approximate amount or estimate. If you
know nothing about baseball, this doesn’t make much sense does it? It’s
important to understand and know what these words mean, but they shouldn’t
be overused.