This idiom means a search that is completely unsuccessful and a waste of time because the person or thing being searched for does not exist or is somewhere else:
Sample Sentence:
“After one hour spent wandering in the woods looking for the end of the rainbow, I realized we were on a wild goose chase.”
NOTE: Business English etc.
can be found below the translation exercises.
Translate the Text: Übersetzen:
Susann, Faten, Rico, Heike, Simone and Frank.
Müssen wir immer samstags arbeiten?
Haben Sie einen Führerschein?
Haben Sie eine E-Mail-Adresse?
Ja, ich arbeite heir.
Arbeitet ihr freitags?
Arbeitet ihr morgens?
Warum sind eure Büros so klein, Tom und Leslie?
Wo sind eure Büros Jim und Michael?
Die Büros sind modern und hässlich.
Mein Kollege will Urlaub Machen.
Mein Kollege spielt Gitarre und singt im Büro.
Ich arbeite nicht gern allein.
Meine Kollegin heißt Nina, sie ist eine nette Frau.
Meine Kollegin singt immer und arbeitet nicht.
Warum sind eure Büros so weit weg, Jake und Amy?
Ihr arbeitet gut zusammen.
Mein Chef Michael will eine Party im Büro machen.
Ist deine Kollegin freundlich oder micht?
Mein Buch ist wirklich lang aber gut.
Ich gehe in meiner Pause joggen.
Oh, das Buch ist wirklich kurz.
Raucht unsere Chefin?
Wie viele Bücher kannst du in deiner Pause lesen?
Ich will nicht mehr arbeiten, ich will nur lessen.
Die Pause dauert fünf Minuten, das ist nicht lang!
FYEO = For Your Eyes Only (James Bond film and main song.) meaning that this information is very private.
Private – Strictly private.
Law English word of the Week:
Gesetz Englisches Wort der Woche:
Legally binding
In common legal practice, once a contract has been signed by all parties it becomes legally binding or enforceable by law (that is, able to be punished by law).
Sample Sentence:
“This contract won’t be legally binding until the C. E. O. signs it.”
Vocabulary for Contracts:
Wortschatz für Verträge:
Legal expert
Someone with a deep knowledge of the law and whose job is to advise on legal matters and conduct lawsuits in court, such as a lawyer. (In the US, a lawyer is also called an attorney.)
Sample Sentence:
“You’d have to consult a legal expert for advice on how to solve that customer complaint.”
Vocabulary for Negotiations
Wortschatz für Verhandlungen:
A.S.A.P. or ASAP
You might’ve come across this very popular abbreviation for As Soon As Possible. The Americans actually say A.S.A.P. as a WORD = ASAP.
Sample Sentence:
“The Sales Director needs to see our sales budget forecast A. S. A. P.” (B. E.)
“I want to know the enemy’s strength and position ASAP!” (A. E.)
gullible means adjective: gullible easily persuaded to believe something; credulous, naive, or trusting.
Sample Sentence:
“An attempt was made by the Government to persuade a gullible public to spend their money on electric cars!”
Phrase of the day: Satz des Tages:
Easy does it means to slow down used to tell someone to do something slowly and carefully. To pay attention and to be careful.
Sample Sentence:
“Now, when you overtake these horses, easy does it as we don’t want to frighten them.“
Idiom of the day: Redewendung des Tages:
“On a wild goose chase”
Definition of a wild-goose chase a complicated or lengthy and usually fruitless pursuit or search.
Sample Sentence:
“The most obvious was that a number of fire engines and dozens of firefighters were sent on a wild-goose chase and did not get to the fire for many minutes.“
“When I was a child at the funfair I loved to have pink-coloured Candy Floss!” B.E.
“When I was a kid at the funfair I loved to have pink-colored Cotton Candy!” A.E.
Special Grammar tip of the week:
Spezieller Grammatik-Tipp der Woche:
Keep Your Homophones Straight
Using too when you mean to is a common — and avoidable — mistake. Make sure you know the difference between common homophones (Homophones are pairs of words that sound the same, but have distinctly different meanings and different spellings. Understanding homophones is an essential part of mastering the English language, both for vocabulary building and spelling.) to keep your meaning clear.
two vs to vs too
See vs sea
cell vs sell
won vs one
your vs you’re
for vs fore
there vs their vs. they’re
sun vs son
except vs accept
then vs than
Mail vs male
Panda vs Pander
Read vs read vs red
Some common examples of homophones, including the words used in a sentence, are:
brake/break: When teaching my daughter how to drive, I told her if she didn’t hit the brake in time she would break the car’s side mirror.
cell/sell: If you sell drugs, you will get arrested and end up in a prison cell.
cent/scent: I won’t spend one cent on a bottle of perfume until I know that I love the scent.
die/dye: If you accidentally drink a bottle of fabric dye, you might die.
flour/flower: To bake a flower-shaped cake, you’ll need some flour.
for/four: I purchased four new pairs of shoes for my upcoming holiday.
heal/heel: If the heel breaks on your shoe, you might fall. However, your injuries will heal over time.
hear/here: I wanted to sit here so I could hear the singer performing without any distractions.
hour/our: We have one hour before our appointment with the estate agent.
idle/idol: Being idle makes me unhappy, but listening to my idol Eirc Clapton makes me happy.
knight/night: The knight is on his way to the castle, but travelling at night is very dangerous.
knot/not: I do not know how she learned to tie the knot to make that necklace.
poor/pour: I pour drinks at a bar every night. I am poor because I have too many bills and not enough money.
right/write: There is no right way to write a great novel.
sea/see: At my beach house, I love to wake up and see the sea.
sole/soul: I need to get a new sole to put on my favourite pair of running shoes. Jogging is good for my soul.
son/sun: My son is 22 years old. He likes to spend time outside in the sun.
steal/steel: Someone who decides to steal a car has committed a crime, but car parts are made of steel.
tail/tale: My cat was crazily chasing his tail while I read a fairy tale to my children.
weather/whether: I don’t know whether to bring a jacket or not. The weather looks unpredictable today.
These aren’t the only commonly confused words in English. Find the ones that confuse you the most and learn how to tell them apart.
Pronunciation tip: Aussprachetipp:
“English can be understood through tough thorough thought, though.“
Try and say this sentence ten times quickly without a mistake.
Versuchen Sie, diesen Satz zehnmal schnell und fehlerfrei zu sagen.
False Friends Tip of the Week:
Falsche Freunde Tipp der Woche:
GermanTranslationFalse Friend (F.F.)Meaning of F.F.
Chef boss chef (French) Küchenchef
Wit, Wit, Wit Business examples:
Witz, Witz, Witz Geschäftsbeispiele:
“An act of God designation on all insurance policies means roughly that you cannot be insured for the accidents that are more likely to happen to you.”
(Quote by Alan Coren)
Slang word of the day: Slangwort des Tages:
Mug
If you’ve been called a mug, it means you’re gullibleand will go along with anything.
Sample Sentence:
“You’re a mug if you think Putin will attack Poland next!”
Colloquial / Colloquialisms:
Umgangssprache / Umgangssprache:
Leg it.
To run away from something, usually a bad situation or trouble.
Sample Sentence:
“Oh blimey that ball just broke my neighbour’s window, quick guys leg it before he comes out!”
Cockney rhyming slang: Cockney Reimender Slang:
Bread and Honey = money
Sample Sentence:
“Almost everyone in Germany is making a little bit of Bread and Honey on the side according to a Government report on tax evasion!”
Quote of the week: Zitat der Woche:
“A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money.” W. C. Fields
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