Page 14 - Perfect Phrases ESL Everyday Business

Preface

ing your own phrases and thoughts to the ones already in the book.
It is, for example, impossible to anticipate what someone on the other
end of the telephone will say. Every situation is unique. Customize this
book to your needs.

Idioms and Other Vocabulary

Abstract: summary of important points of a longer text
As-needed basis: refer to only what you need only when
you need it
At your fingertips: simple and easily available, handy
Dog-ear pages: to turn down the corner of a page to mark
a place
Embark on: start, begin
Feel free to: allowed to, may, not required
Pocketbook: a cloth or leather bag used to hold papers,
money, and other necessities, also called a purse or
handbag
Post-it Notes: the trademark name for a small piece of
paper that sticks, used for notes

Culture Hints: In many cultures people reading a book or
taking an exam start at the beginning and go through in order
(A–Z) to the end. In the case of a test, Americans go through
and answer what they know first and then they go back to work
on what they need to figure out. In the case of a book, unless it
is fiction, Americans read what they need to read initially and,
often, that is all they read of the book.
Post-it Notes have developed into notes of every color, shape,
and size with a sticky back. They are widely used in offices and
homes.

xiii