[Kerin]

Hi @tatiana.aguilar

How are you?

Could you try again with the images? It looks like they didn’t upload correctly,

thanks!

[Kerin]

Great work here @Manuela.Lelli

> instead of tasteful, use tasty

> I think spicy is neutral (unless you really hate spicy food!)

[Kerin]

Thank you for your thoughts @Davide.Mattesini – this was well written.

I have two suggestions for you:

The number of online meetings I do since the pandemic broke out has practically doubled.

This isn’t wrong grammatically, but it sounds a bit unnatural. We would use either the present continuous- to show it is a temporary action or something happening int his moment:

▶️ The number of online meetings I’m doing since the pandemic broke out has practically doubled.

or, the present perfect continuous to show that something started in the past and is continuing at the present time.

▶️ The number of online meetings I’ve been doing since the pandemic broke out has practically doubled.

Then,

In fact, before remote meetings were only used for outsiders, now they are used to communicate with all colleagues as well.

When you use before you need to stipulate ‘what’ so you can say either:

▶️In fact, before Covid, remote meetings were ….

▶️ In fact, beforehand, remote meetings were …

▶️ In fact, pre-Covid, remote meetings were

Let me know if you need anything clarified!

[Kerin]

Great stuff @so.lee 💪

I would suggest in scenario 2 adding: Do you mind saying it again for me a bit more slowly? Just to reiterate that speed is the issue rather than understanding the actual words

Scenario 7

(Would this also work? : Sorry, increase sales by how many percent?) – you’d need to use

Sorry, increase sales by how MUCH percent?

You could also say, Sorry, by how much?

[Kerin]

Excellent work @so.lee

(I can’t find the word stack, sorry can’t help you there!)

[Kerin]

@so.lee these are perfect examples, you’ve got it 💪

I especially like this: Sorry, I’m still not familiar with acronyms we use. Was it DPT? Do you mind reminding me what it stands for?

and

Did you say threw shade? I don’t think I heard that expression before. What do you mean?

🤗👍

[Kerin]

This is a really thorough check list @so.lee – well done.

I really like your point about telling them ahead of time that you may not get some specific terms. I always do this when, for example, I visit the doctor or the vet here in Italy. I warn them that I might not understand medical vocabulary. I find doing this makes them aware and they change the way the explain things.

👍

[Kerin]

Thank you for your 5 facts @Valentina.Chessa

ps. you need to use an article with your job:

I work for Sintra and I’m an HR assistant.

👍

[Kerin]

This is so well written @Wanda (and also interesting. I couldn’t really put it better myself!)

The only word I think needs to be change is ‘well’ –

> I think I tend to crave change when I don’t feel well in a certain situation or a place.

When we say I don’t feel well, it means physically (So, I feel unwell / I feel sick)

Better to say one of these:

– when I don’t feel right

– when I feel uneasy

– when I feel uncomfortable

– when I feel unsettled

👍

[Kerin]

Hi @wanda, I totally agree with you! It is a natural and healthy process. I think I am coming to terms with that now 😂 I was perhaps mourning a little bit my ‘youthfulness’ but now nine times out of ten I prefer staying home … and I’m quite happy about it!

I’m also happy to see you are using some excellent vocabulary here – great!

Here are a few tweaks to make:

> … but being alone it’s become extremely important. (we don’t need to use it here)

> … but being alone has become extremely important. ✅

> I also noticed that my habits about the sport … (‘sport’ doesn’t need the definite article)

> I also noticed that my habits about sport... ✅

> Outgrowing certain things and branch out others …. here you use the gerund form with outgrowing, so you have to use the same form with ‘branch’. We also need to add the preposition into: to branch out into something

> Outgrowing certain things and branching out into others … ✅

🤗

[Kerin]

👍☺

Notes:

> Now it’s time the address the issue of THE English course costs.

> Who wants to get the ball rolling BY asking for more participants?

[Kerin]

😅 You were right! Never trust a native speaker when it comes to grammar!

I should point out (just to be clear!) that it is correct to say ‘How much?’ in this situation because you are checking a number that you didn’t catch.

However, you couldn’t say for example: By how much percent did the sales rise?

Instead you would say: What percent(age) did the sales rise by?

‘Percent’ relates to an entity being divided into 100 equal parts and taking a portion of those parts as a measured amount. Percent IS that amount.

“How many/much percent of” makes no standard English sense. In other words ‘Percent’ itself relates to a single measure, therefore it cannot be ‘many’!

That’s why you can say “WHAT percent[age] of [an entity]….”. So, if you say ‘Half’ then that is “50 percent”.

Hope that is clear!

[Kerin]

@cristina.fernandez

You’ve nailed it! This dialogue is perfect, well done.

[Kerin]

You’re very welcome! 👏

[Kerin]

Great! 🤗