Conversation Overview
We started by talking about work habits. JT mentioned that he only works at a desk 2–3 hours a day now, since he is retired. SD shared that as a software engineer, he often works 10–12 hours a day in front of a computer.
JT explained that he has worked from home since 2015, so the quarantine period didn’t change much for him. He also introduced himself, talked about moving to Uruguay, and explained that Uruguay is a small social democracy in South America, near Brazil and Argentina.
JT described his background in publishing and editing and mentioned his ESL website: eslallstars.com, which has pronunciation tools and class notes.
SD is from the capital of a province in northern China. He works as a software engineer for a company that develops apps like Amazon and PayPal. He said they also use WeChat and sometimes PayPal for payments, possibly connected to Alipay.
Topics Covered
- Sports and Interests:
SD enjoys watching the NBA and follows the Golden State Warriors. He also likes investing and has bought stocks like Google, Microsoft, and Apple in the past. He sold his Apple stock due to the impact of trade wars and a perception that Apple has lost some creativity. - Business and Politics:
SD and JT discussed how business decisions are often made by cost-cutting CEOs, like Tim Cook. They also discussed Tesla’s volatility, Elon Musk’s political issues, and the difficulty of buying BYD cars in the U.S. due to trade restrictions. - Technology and AI:
SD uses AI daily, including ChatGPT and DeepSeek. He commented that DeepSeek, though useful, has limitations due to government ties and smaller development budgets. JT agreed and said he often compares answers from different models. - Daily Habits:
SD eats out every day and is currently single. JT discussed how dating and relationships have changed and told a story about bringing his daughter to work in the past. They also talked about “bring your child to work” days.
EF Lesson Content
We transitioned to a structured lesson on workplace problems and solutions, especially about:
Problem: Too much time spent in meetings.
Vocabulary Focus:
- Overtime
- Exhausted
- Deadline
- Cause and effect
- Passive and active voice
Sample Phrases Practiced:
- “There is a general feeling that we have a lot of meetings.”
- “It seems like a big problem in our department.”
- “Due to the time spent in meetings, we are finding it difficult to meet deadlines.”
JT explained the difference between cause and effect using an example:
“If I drop my phone, that’s the cause. If it breaks, that’s the effect.”
They also practiced recognizing active and passive voice:
- Meetings cause fatigue. (Active)
- Fatigue is caused by meetings. (Passive)
Solutions to the Problem
SD suggested:
- “We could consider reducing our meetings.”
- “Only have necessary meetings.”
JT explained the grammar difference between:
- “We should consider reducing the number of meetings.” (verb + gerund)
- “What if we reduce the number of meetings?” (question using base verb)
- “How about reducing the number of meetings?” (suggestion using gerund)
This turned into a deeper grammar discussion about gerunds and sentence structure. JT promised to post a full written explanation on eslallstars.com, under a new entry titled “We Should Consider Reducing Our Meetings”, which SD was advised to look for the next day.
Ending Notes
JT showed SD how to leave questions and comments at the bottom of any article on his website. SD followed along and located the feature. JT thanked SD for asking insightful questions and for encouraging a deeper grammar explanation. The session ended with mutual appreciation.
Advanced Vocabulary from the Lesson
Exhausted (ex-HAUS-ted) – very tired
Deadline (DEAD-line) – the final time something must be done
Volatile (VOL-a-tile) – unstable or likely to change quickly
Gerund (JER-und) – a verb ending in -ing used as a noun
Reduce (re-DUCE) – to make smaller or fewer
Passive voice (PAS-siv VOICE) – sentence structure where the subject receives the action
Consider (con-SID-er) – to think about something carefully
Cause (CAWZ) – the reason something happens
Effect (ef-FECT) – the result of a cause
Tactful (TACT-ful) – polite and careful not to offend
