📚 End of Training Report
✨ Lesson Summary — 6 Key Points
- The Student described a recent weekend, including a concert and sports activities, to practice fluent small talk in English.
- The Trainer introduced and reinforced vocabulary for genres of music and film, helping the Student classify and describe preferences more precisely.
- The pair compared French, American and other cultural habits around gifts, wrapping, receipts and Secret Santa, building intercultural awareness and polite language.
- The main grammar focus was on modal verbs such as must, mustn’t, should, shouldn’t to express obligation, rules and advice at work.
- The Trainer introduced business idioms and expressions like devil’s advocate, rebuttal and put your finger on something to strengthen the Student’s ability to argue and defend ideas.
- The Student practiced giving diplomatic rebuttals, rephrasing the other person’s opinion before disagreeing, which supports clearer and more respectful professional communication.
✨ Areas for Improvement — 4 Observations
- Clarify sentence structure by reducing repetition and finishing sentences more confidently when explaining opinions at work.
- Use a wider range of modal verbs (especially shouldn’t and mustn’t) to express advice and prohibition more precisely.
- Improve pronunciation of difficult consonant clusters and final sounds to increase intelligibility when speaking quickly.
- Gain fluency when giving rebuttals by using the diplomatic phrases naturally and avoiding long pauses while thinking of vocabulary.
✨ Recommendations for Future Lessons — 3 to 4 Goals
- By the next lesson, the Student uses must, mustn’t, should, shouldn’t correctly in at least 10 short sentences about work situations.
- Within 3 lessons, the Student can explain one complex work scenario using at least 3 diplomatic rebuttal phrases (for example I understand that…, but you need to realize that…).
- Over the next month, the Student keeps a short vocabulary list of new business expressions (e.g. devil’s advocate, rebuttal) and reuses each one in a personal example at least twice.
- By the end of the current training cycle, the Student handles short role-plays about disagreements at work with clear opinions, polite tone and limited hesitation.
✍️ Vocabulary — 6 Key Words
genre
Meaning: a particular type or category of art, music, film or literature.
Synonyms: type, kind, category, style.
Chunk/Idiom: favourite genre; musical genre; film genre.
Example: My favourite music genre mixes rock, jazz and African rhythms.
Morphology: noun; usually countable; plural genres.
Self-practice: Describe three film genres you enjoy and why.
wrapped
Meaning: covered in paper or other material, especially as a gift.
Synonyms: covered, packaged, enclosed.
Chunk/Idiom: a beautifully wrapped gift; wrapped in fabric.
Example: In my family, every Christmas present is carefully wrapped.
Morphology: past tense and past participle of wrap; also adjective.
Self-practice: Explain how you like to have gifts wrapped for colleagues.
receipt
Meaning: a printed document that shows what you bought and how much you paid.
Synonyms: proof of purchase, sales slip.
Chunk/Idiom: keep the receipt; gift receipt; original receipt.
Example: In many offices you should include the receipt with clothing gifts.
Morphology: noun; countable; related verb receive.
Self-practice: Describe a situation where a receipt was important for you.
Secret Santa
Meaning: an office or group game where each person secretly buys a small gift for someone.
Synonyms: gift exchange, anonymous gift game.
Chunk/Idiom: Secret Santa budget; Secret Santa at the office.
Example: Our team set a Secret Santa limit of twenty euros this year.
Morphology: fixed expression; capitalized; used as a noun phrase.
Self-practice: Explain how Secret Santa works in your company or culture.
devil’s advocate
Meaning: someone who argues the opposite view to test ideas, not because they believe it.
Synonyms: challenger, critical voice.
Chunk/Idiom: play devil’s advocate; acting as devil’s advocate.
Example: The Trainer played devil’s advocate to help the Student defend ideas.
Morphology: noun phrase; often used with the verb play.
Self-practice: Write one situation where you could play devil’s advocate at work.
rebuttal
Meaning: a response that disagrees with another person’s argument and explains why.
Synonyms: counterargument, response, reply.
Chunk/Idiom: a strong rebuttal; prepare a rebuttal.
Example: The Student gave a polite rebuttal using diplomatic phrases.
Morphology: noun; related verb rebut.
Self-practice: Create a short rebuttal to a colleague’s opinion about remote work.
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1) Modal verbs for obligation and advice
Rule: Use must for strong obligation, mustn’t for prohibition and should for softer advice and recommendations.
Examples: You should wrap the gift carefully.; You must include the receipt for clothing.; You mustn’t talk badly about your boss at work.
Common pitfall + fix: Many learners say you don’t must. Use you mustn’t for prohibition or you don’t have to for lack of obligation.
In Secret Santa, you ______ spend more than the official budget.
Tip: Think about a strong rule that forbids something.
Fill with one word: You ______ keep the receipt in case they need to change the size.
Tip: Use the modal verb for friendly advice.
2) Universal “you” for general truths
Rule: The pronoun you can mean people in general, not one specific person, when we talk about rules, habits or advice.
Examples: You should open a gift in front of the person in France.; You don’t include the price on a gift receipt.; You always need a receipt if you want to exchange clothes.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes think the speaker is criticising them personally. Remember that universal you is impersonal and often replaceable by people.
In many cultures, you ______ say “thank you” when you receive a gift.
Tip: Replace you with people to check the meaning.
Fill with one word: In Secret Santa, ______ never know exactly who chose your gift.
Tip: Use the pronoun that expresses “people in general”.
3) Diplomatic rebuttal phrases
Rule: To disagree politely, first show you understand the other view with phrases like I understand that… or I will admit that…, then introduce your different opinion.
Examples: I understand that budgets are tight, but we still need quality gifts.; I will admit that changing the plan is risky, but the current one feels weak.; Granted, the boss is under pressure, but the team also needs support.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners jump directly to but and sound too direct. Adding a diplomatic phrase before but softens the rebuttal.
Choose the most diplomatic start to a rebuttal.
Tip: Look for empathy first, disagreement second.
Fill with one word: ______, this plan is ambitious, but we still need a backup option.
Tip: Use the single-word phrase the Trainer highlighted for polite disagreement.
4) “Can’t put your finger on something” for intuition
Rule: The expression can’t put your finger on something means you feel something is wrong or special but cannot explain exactly why.
Examples: I can’t put my finger on it, but this business plan feels risky.; She seems very trustworthy, though I can’t put my finger on the reason.; I can’t put my finger on why, but this gift feels inappropriate.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes say touch the problem. Use the fixed idiom put your finger on to sound natural.
What does “I can’t put my finger on it” mean?
Tip: Think of instinct and intuition, not clear evidence.
Fill with one word: I can’t put my ______ on the problem, but this plan worries me.
Tip: Think of a part of the body used in this idiom.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
At work, you ______ tell HR if you see serious harassment.
Tip: We need a modal verb that expresses strong obligation.
If you get off on the wrong foot with colleagues, you ______ try to repair the relationship.
Tip: Use a modal verb for friendly, practical advice.
Fill with one word: You ______ tell everyone that you are glad your boss left.
Tip: Use the negative form of must to express prohibition.
Fill with one word: You ______ ignore your intuition if a business plan feels wrong.
Tip: Choose the softer negative advice form of should.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
What does a “rebuttal” do in a discussion?
Tip: Think of the moment when you answer and defend your position.
In a Secret Santa game, what is usually true?
Tip: Remember the office example discussed with the Trainer.
Fill with one word: Playing devil’s ______ helps colleagues test and strengthen their ideas.
Tip: Think of the second word in the expression the Trainer explained.
Fill with one word: In France, gifts are usually ______ before you give them to colleagues.
Tip: Use the past participle linked to covering a present in paper or fabric.
🎉 Great job! Keep up the good work and see you in the next lesson! 🚀
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