This lesson will focus on using a variety of expressions related to ease.
You will learn 6 idioms describing ease. You will also get a chance to talk about your own experiences.
The topic is ease, which should be a familiar subject for most students.
Guide to Business Idioms
Why idioms?
Idioms bring up a lot of pre-packaged imagery. They are emotive and they resonate with native speakers.
Don't over-use them, but on the other hand, a well-placed idiom will bring your language to life.
Warm Up
- Be quick & interesting.
- Note idioms the student uses unprompted.
- You may say, "That was a clear answer, but it wasn't very natural. Let's add some natural expressions using the phrases in the Language section."
- Praise or recommend good spoken grammar:
- use of contractions (it isn't, they're, etc...);
- short, active sentences (clear spoken English often employs such language);
- emphatic language.
Language section
You may take multiple classes for this.
- Encourage short answers, but don't move too quickly (find a balance).
- Focus on the phrase at hand.
- Make sure the student is confident with each one before moving on.
- Encourage the student to express themselves using their own experiences or knowledge as much as possible.
- Model the target language as much as possible.
What do you find easy in your job?
This warm-up should take 2–3 minutes.
Example:
That's an interesting one. There are many aspects of my job that aren't particularly easy, such as my project management responsibilities and frequent team and client meetings. The one part of my work that I find simpler to deal with relates to my mentoring activities. I have 2-3 mentees at any one time and I relish the opportunity to interact with them, not only in terms of passing on my knowledge and experience, and giving advice, but also from the point of view of encouraging and motivating them. It's a real pleasure to deal with young and eager professionals. I don't find it at all hard to do.
Please consider each expression. Your instructor has an example and a question regarding each one, so please practice it.
- a piece of cake—very easy.
- a walk in the park—very simple and easy.
- nothing to worry about—not difficult; not a problem.
- no big deal—not important or serious.
- as easy as one-two-three—very easy.
- child’s play—very easy.
A. |
B. |
C. |
D. |
E. |
F. |
Spend as long or as short a time as necessary on each phrase, but make sure the student can use it smoothly before moving on. The student should rephrase the "Practice" sentence with the target idiom, and then answer the "Question" using the target idiom.
1. (E) a piece of cake
E.g.: The interview was really easy and I got the job. It was a piece of cake.
Practice: The exam was incredibly easy.
→Example answer: The exam was a piece of cake.
Question: How easy is it to get into the best university in Japan?
→Example answer: There is a very hard entrance test. It's not a piece of cake, I can tell you.
2. (D) a walk in the park
E.g.: The presentation wasn't difficult to prepare. In fact, it was a walk in the park.
Practice: I was really nervous before the Q&A session at the conference, but it turned out to be quite easy because I knew the answers to all the questions.
→Example answer: I was really nervous before the Q&A session at the conference, but it turned out to be a walk in the park because I knew the answers to all the questions.
Question: What is the easiest thing you have had to do on a project?
→Example answer: I was given the task of arranging the meetings for the team. That was a walk in the park.
3. (A) nothing to worry about
E.g.: The drop in sales is nothing to worry about. Things will improve next month, I'm sure.
Practice: I don't think the delay is a problem.
→Example answer: The delay is nothing to worry about.
Question: What are the chances of an alien invasion of Earth in the near future?
→Example answer: I suppose it's possible, but I'd say we have nothing to worry about.
4. (C) no big deal
E.g.: Jake was two minutes late for the meeting, but it was no big deal so nobody said anything.
Practice: I left my glasses in the taxi, but it's okay because I have a spare pair.
→Example answer: I left my glasses in the taxi, but it's no big deal because I have a spare pair.
Question: Is there a recent news story which you think people take too seriously?
→Example answer: There was a story about a problem with the preparations for the Olympic Games, but it was no big deal. It was just the media trying to make a story sound important.
5. (F) as easy as one-two-three
E.g.: Learning the new accounting software was as easy as one-two-three for our experienced staff.
Practice: With Google maps it's easy to find your way around town.
→Example answer: With Google maps, finding your way around town is as easy as one-two-three.
Question: Describe something which you found easy to learn.
→Example answer: When I was in my first year at university, I studied the same things as I studied at school, so the exams were as easy as one-two-three.
6. (B) child’s play
E.g.: Advising a small start-up is child's play compared to managing a merger between two huge companies.
Practice: Installing this app on your phone is really simple.
→Example answer: Installing this app on your phone is child's play.
Question: Can you compare your job to another job?
→Example answer: My job really isn't very complicated. Compared to quantum physics, it's child's play.
A. Complete the anecdote
Read each section and choose an appropriate idiom from the list above.
- He thought he discovered a potentially serious problem in the plans for the new plant, but as he wasn’t an expert, he decided to consult the chief engineer and ask her opinion. She took a look and said that construction should continue because there was…
- You might think the new contract is vital to the continuing success of the brand, but the CEO doesn’t see it that way at all. There will be bigger contracts and better clients in the future. This one is…
- Gary had never made a presentation before and he was worried that he would make a mistake or give a bad impression, so it was a pleasant surprise when he found that he had a natural talent for presenting, and the whole thing was…
-
On her first day on the production line, Margaret was really confused with all the technology and machinery she had to learn to deal with. One of her new colleagues, Edwina, told her that it wasn’t as hard as it looked. In fact, she said, it was…
-
Jack had to do three interviews for the job, and he had heard they were really difficult and lots of candidates failed them, so imagine his surprise when they turned out to be…
-
Older people sometimes struggle to understand new technology This is quite hard to understand if you are younger because to you, a new tablet might seem like…
B. Discussion
Use idioms to discuss the following topics.
- What do older people find confusing about technology today?
- Should we take global warming seriously?
- What solutions can you offer to the growing energy crisis?
—
Images:
K8 via Unsplash
Carlos Angulo via FreeImages
Jim Black via Pixabay
Thiébaud Faix via Unsplash
Education photo via Freepik
Esi Grünhagen via Pixabay