ESL Podcast 496 - Driving a Company Car
Shall we? - a polite, formal phrase used to ask someone whether he or she would like to join one in what one is doing; used to ask someone to do something with oneself
This is one of my favorite songs! Shall we dance?
company car - a car owned by a business, but that is used mostly or only by one employee, and is usually driven to that employee's home each night
I'd let you borrow my car, but it's a company car and I'm the only person who's supposed to drive it.
perk - something that one receives from one's job in addition to money
This company offers some nice perks, including free parking, free coffee, and free gym memberships.
to call for - to need; to require
Her new job calls for a lot of evening and weekend meetings.
regional - covering a large area
The company used to have a regional office in the Pacific Northwest, but it was closed last year.
to cover (an area or place) - to be responsible for a certain area; to affect a particular area
He's a police officer who covers downtown and the northern part of the city.
territory - an area that is assigned to one person or group; an area that is the responsibility of one person or group
If you do your job well, we'll consider giving you a larger territory next year.
affiliate - a person, business, or organization that is connected with another person, business, or organization in some way, but not necessarily part of it
The company's Alaskan affiliate is opening a new office next month.
official business - something that is required by one's job and directly connected to one's work; not personal
The company pays all our expenses when we're traveling on official business.
standard mileage allowance - the amount of money that is paid to a person for each mile that he or she drives
In the second half of 2008, the standard mileage allowance for calculating U.S. taxes was $0.585 per mile.
to account for - to explain; to have an explanation for something
What accounts for the fact that women, on average, make less money than men do, even if they're working in the same job?
to log - to write down something as it happens over time; to create a written journal of something
Some people who are trying to lose weight log everything they eat and drink each day.
to fudge - to change a number slightly, especially in a dishonest way
The accountant was arrested for fudging the organization's expenses and stealing the extra money.
or so I've heard - a phrase used to show that the thing one just said is simply being repeated, and isn't known first-hand (on one's own)
Owning your own business is the best path to financial independence, or so I've heard.
accessory - a person who helps someone break the law; a person who helps a criminal
Claire became an accessory to her brother's crime when she lied to the police and said she didn't know where he had been the night of the robbery.