Synergising the Paradigm Shift
Grammar: Idioms
A Level 6 English lesson exploring work.
What's in this lesson
A Level 6 (proficiency) ESL lesson on work, practising idioms. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: Synergising the Paradigm Shift
In 2019, a recruiter at a London marketing firm sent an internal memo that instantly went viral on LinkedIn. It contained 47 words. Not one of them said anything. Colleagues were invited to leverage their core competencies to drive synergistic value creation across omnichannel touchpoints, with an eye on moving the needle before the next deep dive. The recruiter, who later admitted she had written it in four minutes using a browser plugin called Jargon.io, described it as a joke. Her CEO framed it and hung it in the boardroom.
Vocabulary
- deeply contested
- politically charged
- precisely calibrated
- routinely described
- buy into
- circle back
- drill down
- reach out
- roll out
- sign off on
Grammar: Idioms
- Idiom — literal vs.
- We need to move the needle before Friday. — figurative only; never physically true
- Idiom — fixed form
- Let's think outside the box. — never 'think outside the boxes'; idioms don't inflect
Discussion questions
- Have you ever sat in a meeting and understood nothing that was said?
- Which is worse: someone who talks too much or someone who says nothing clearly?
- Does using complicated language make a person seem smarter or just harder to trust?
Synergising the Paradigm Shift
Grammar: Idioms
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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