📚 End of Training Report
✨ Lesson Summary — 6 Key Points
- The Student talked about a recent weekend and a concert to warm up fluency and build confidence in small talk about free time.
- The Trainer introduced the word genre and practised vocabulary for types of music, shows and gifts to broaden everyday vocabulary.
- The pair compared gift-giving habits in different cultures to practise speaking about customs, politeness and office traditions.
- The main focus was using modal verbs (must, should, mustn’t, shouldn’t) to give opinions, advice and rules in workplace situations.
- The Student practised business idioms such as “blow up in your face”, “on the crest of a wave” and “get off on the wrong foot” to sound more natural in professional conversations.
- The Trainer helped the Student build “diplomatic rebuttals” (polite disagreement) using frames like “I understand that…, but you need to realize that…”, which supports clearer, more confident participation in meetings.
✨ Areas for Improvement — 4 Observations
- Grammar: the Student sometimes mixes past and present (“I know him since some years”); more practice with present perfect vs. present simple will improve accuracy.
- Lexis: when searching for words, the Student occasionally uses French-influenced structures; expanding business vocabulary will help express opinions more precisely.
- Pronunciation: final consonants and linked speech are sometimes dropped, which can reduce clarity when using new idioms and longer phrases.
- Fluency: during rebuttals the Student hesitates while building long sentences; using prepared sentence frames will make responses smoother and more confident.
✨ Recommendations for Future Lessons — 3 to 4 Goals
- Over the next 4 lessons, practise present perfect vs. present simple in short discussions about work experiences until error rate is noticeably reduced.
- Build a personal mini-glossary of at least 20 business idioms and modal verb expressions and recycle 3–4 of them in each session.
- In every lesson, perform one short role play where the Student gives a polite rebuttal in a meeting, using at least one diplomatic frame correctly.
- Record and re-listen to short monologues about workplace situations once a week to self-check pronunciation of key idioms and sentence stress.
✍️ Vocabulary
genre
Meaning: a particular type or category of art, music, film, or literature.
Synonyms: type, kind, category, style.
Chunk/Idiom: a popular music genre.
Example: This artist mixes several music genres in one album.
Morphology: noun; plural: genres.
Self-practice: Describe which film genres you enjoy and why.
wrapped gift
Meaning: a present covered in paper or fabric so that its contents are hidden.
Synonyms: packaged present, covered gift.
Chunk/Idiom: open a wrapped gift.
Example: At the office party, everyone opened their wrapped gifts together.
Morphology: adjective + noun; wrap is the base verb.
Self-practice: Explain how you usually prepare wrapped gifts for colleagues.
receipt
Meaning: a printed or digital document that shows what you bought and how much it cost.
Synonyms: proof of purchase, sales slip.
Chunk/Idiom: keep the receipt.
Example: In many offices you must keep the receipt to exchange a gift.
Morphology: noun; verb: to receipt (rare).
Self-practice: Say when you would include a receipt with a present.
Secret Santa
Meaning: a gift exchange game where people anonymously give presents, usually at work.
Synonyms: anonymous gift exchange.
Chunk/Idiom: organise a Secret Santa.
Example: Our team set a price limit for the Secret Santa gifts.
Morphology: proper noun phrase; often capitalised.
Self-practice: Describe one Secret Santa rule you think is important.
devil’s advocate
Meaning: someone who argues the opposite side on purpose to test ideas.
Synonyms: challenger, critic, opposing voice.
Chunk/Idiom: play devil’s advocate.
Example: The Trainer played devil’s advocate to challenge the Student’s opinion.
Morphology: noun phrase; verb phrase: to play devil’s advocate.
Self-practice: Give one situation where you might play devil’s advocate at work.
rebuttal
Meaning: a response that argues against someone’s opinion or statement.
Synonyms: counterargument, reply, response.
Chunk/Idiom: give a rebuttal.
Example: The Student gave a polite rebuttal using a diplomatic sentence frame.
Morphology: noun; verb: to rebut.
Self-practice: Write a short rebuttal to a statement you disagree with.
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
👉 Modal verbs for advice and obligation
Rule: Use should for advice, must for strong obligation, and mustn’t/shouldn’t to say something is not a good idea.
Examples: You should include the receipt with the gift; You must follow the office rules; You mustn’t tell everyone the price limit.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners often say “you must to follow the rules”. Remove to: “you must follow the rules”.
Tip: should is softer than must.
Fill with the best answer: You ______ share private salary information with colleagues.
Tip: Use the negative form of should for polite advice.
👉 Universal “you” for general rules
Rule: We use you to speak about people in general, not about one specific person.
Examples: You should open the gift in front of colleagues; You never know how people will react; You must show respect in every culture.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners think “you” means only the listener. Remember it can mean “people in general”.
Tip: Look for a general rule, not a personal situation.
Fill with the best answer: ______ never know how expensive a gift is without the receipt.
Tip: Think of “people in general”, not just one person.
👉 Diplomatic rebuttal frames
Rule: To disagree politely, first show you understand the other person, then introduce your different view with a linking phrase.
Examples: I understand that you want to save money, but we need quality; I will admit that the rules are strict, but they are fair; Granted, it is risky, but the opportunity is excellent.
Common pitfall + fix: Saying “you are wrong” sounds too direct; replace it with a softer frame such as “I understand that…, but…”.
Tip: Combine empathy + “but” + your clear point.
Fill with the best answer: I ______ that you like the idea, but we should test it first.
Tip: Use a verb that shows empathy before “that”.
👉 “Can’t put your finger on something”
Rule: Use can’t put your finger on when you feel something is wrong or special but you do not know the exact reason.
Examples: I can’t put my finger on it, but this plan feels risky; I can’t put my finger on why I trust this colleague; We can’t put our finger on the problem yet.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes say “I can’t put my finger”. Add on it or on why to complete the expression.
Tip: Use it for intuition without clear evidence.
Fill with the best answer: I can’t put my ______ on it, but this plan worries me.
Tip: Think of the body part used in the full expression.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Which sentence gives polite advice, not a strict rule?
Tip: Look for should when giving advice.
Choose the best universal “you” sentence.
Tip: General rules often describe typical situations for people.
Fill with the best answer: You ______ include a receipt if the gift is clothing.
Tip: Use a strong modal verb when it is a rule, not just advice.
Fill with the best answer: I will ______ that the limit is low, but the rule is fair.
Tip: This verb shows you recognise part of the other person’s point.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
Which sentence describes playing devil’s advocate?
Tip: Think of challenging ideas, not attacking people.
What is one advantage of wrapping gifts in fabric instead of paper?
Tip: Think of the environmental aspect mentioned during the lesson.
Fill with the best answer: Rock, jazz and pop are different types of music ______.
Tip: Use the French-looking word that was explained in English.
Fill with the best answer: If you want to exchange a shirt, you need the store ______.
Tip: It shows what you bought and the price.