Advanced English Conversations (2) - Robert Allans, Matt Edie, A. Mustafaoglu 2020

Set 82 - known for thinking outside the box

Boss: What names would you like to put up for the vacancy?

Ivana: Well, I think Martha has been with the company for twenty years, so she knows the business inside out; plus she gets along with everybody. But she’s conservative and serious.

Katie: Martha isn’t known for thinking outside the box. What’s more, we’d start to see our current customer base fall off, simply because our competitors have enthusiastic new people and innovative programs.

Personally, I nominate Juliette for the position. She’s got a PhD.

Boss: Anybody else want to put their two cents in?

Ivana: Look, if Juliette gets this job, it will be a total disaster for the company. In the first place, her fancy degree isn’t worth squat because she has zero experience. Besides, we don’t even know her very well.

Good grief, she’s only been here since March, and to top it all off, we all know that she was fired from her last job.

Tim: Really. I’ve also heard that her coworkers think she’s a bit uppity, like she thinks she’s the queen of the office. Her personality could cause friction among the employees.

Boss: Obviously, we haven’t found the ideal person to handle this job. I’ll expect your suggestions—and they’d better be more promising!

Vocabulary;

put someone up: to nominate or offer someone for some office or task.

know something/someone inside out: to know about something/someone thoroughly.

get along with: to have smooth relations.

conservative: (Adjective) not usually liking or trusting change, especially sudden change.

think outside the box: to think imaginatively using new ideas instead of traditional ones.

What’s more: additionally; moreover; furthermore; on top of that.

fall off: drop; decline; decrease.

put one’s two cents in: to share one's opinion or point of view for whatever it may be worth.

not worth squat: worthless; not worth anything.

good grief: an exclamation of surprise, alarm or frustration.

top it all off: To finish or complete an experience or situation in an especially positive or negative way.

friction: disagreement or unfriendliness caused by people having different opinions.

Exercise;

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate phrases or words;

1. I just think you should know a person .......... out before you decide to marry them.

2. James is so full of himself and funnily enough he’s driving a car that isn’t .......... squat.

3. Our date was fantastic! We went for dinner, saw a great film, and then we .......... it off with some salsa dancing!

4. Politics is a source of considerable .......... in our family.

5. We .......... up Shannon for treasurer. He has every qualification to meet the requirements.

6. Orders have definitely .......... off in the past quarter due to the restrictions imposed by foreign countries.

7. Good ..........! And our hopefully temporary, filthy rich, public schooled, upper crust, better-than-us leaders intend to make cuts in services.

8. .......................... I find Jeff's husband a bit nosy at times. He always insists on putting in his two .......... whether we want his opinion or not!

9. I don’t find any justifiable reason for leaving the company as long as you get .......... well with everyone around.

10. The decorations were absolutely beautiful and what's .........., the children had made them themselves.

11. Older people tend to be more .......... and a bit suspicious of anything new.

1. inside 2. worth 3. topped 4. friction 5. put 6. fallen 7. grief 8. cents 9. along 10. more 11. conservative