ESL Podcast 316 - Business Emails and Abbreviations

re: - regarding; related to; on the subject of

Did you read Fern's memo re: the change in the vacation policy?

headway - progress; advancement; the process of moving a task or project forward

Even though Jimmie has a private teacher, he hasn't made much headway in learning French.

settled - planned; arranged; organized; decided

The company has settled on a list of 200 guests to invite for the conference.

e.g. - exempli gratia (Latin); for example; for instance

Bernard is excited about the benefits of the new position (e.g., better pay, a longer vacation, and a new office).

venue - place; the location where something will happen

Have you considered the Grand Hotel as a venue for the company's New Year's party?

agenda - a list of things that will be discussed in a meeting, for how long, and in what order

According to this agenda, we're going to talk about that issue for only an hour.

i.e. - id est (Latin); that is; in other words

Everyone was angry at Jack (i.e., no one thought he was a good manager).

free rein - freedom to do what one wants; liberty; ability to make the decisions

Rachelle was given free rein on the project, as long as it didn't cost more than $15,000 in total.

as (one) sees fit - as one wants; as one likes; with whatever details one chooses

Kelly likes to spend money as she sees fit and never hesitates to buy expensive things.

to hammer out - to decide or determine the final details of something

Most of the work is finished, and now, they're just hammering out the final report.

etc. - et cetera (Latin); used to show that other things could be placed in a list; used to show that the list is not complete

At the park, people were playing baseball, volleyball, Frisbee, soccer, etc.

et al. - et alii (Latin); and others; used at the end of a list of people to show that other people's names could be included in the list; used to show that a list of names is not complete

This book was written by five authors, but I only see Hall et al. listed here.

remaining - things that still need to be done or addressed; things that haven't been finished yet

The only remaining thing we need to do to buy that house is to sign the papers.

in line with (one's) thinking - in agreement; with the same opinion

Sammy isn't in line with his boss's thinking, but he has to do what she says anyway.

ASAP - as soon as possible; as soon as one can

Please let me know ASAP whether you'll be able to finish the report by Friday.

P.S. - post script; used to add another message at the end of a letter or email, below one's name

I can't wait to see you at the show tonight. Love, Janice P.S. Don't forget to bring your umbrella!

to wrap up - to finish; to complete; to end

Cynthia is trying to wrap up the project so that she can go on vacation.