ESL Podcast 728 - Describing One's Skill Level

intern - a person, usually who is still a student, who works in an organization for a short period of time to learn how to do something and prepare for a future career

Last summer, Jezra was a finance intern on Wall Street and learned a lot about the stock market.

cubicle - a small work area within a larger office space, with a desk, computer, and telephone surrounded by four short walls that do not reach up to the ceiling

I hate making phone calls from my cubicle, because my co-workers can hear everything I say.

basic - the minimum or standard type of something, without anything additional or impressive

We were going to buy the basic model of this car, but then we started adding features like leather seats and a fancy stereo.

adept at - very good at doing or using something

To improve our website, we need to hire someone who is adept at Java.

up to snuff - meeting the standards or expectations for something; at a satisfactory level

Make sure your essay is up to snuff or the teacher will give you a failing grade.

proficient - very good at doing something; an expert; with an advanced level

How many years did you have to work before you became proficient in making fancy wedding cakes?

photocopier - a machine that makes many copies of the text or images that appear on a piece of paper

The photocopier was working fine yesterday, but now that I need to make copies of the agenda for today's meeting, it won't even turn on!

fax machine - a machine that uses phone lines to send the text or images on a piece of paper to another fax machine in a different location, where it is printed out onto a piece of paper

I don't have a fax machine in my home office. Can I scan the document and email it to you instead?

expert - someone who has a lot of knowledge on a topic; someone who knows almost everything about something

Beth is an expert in ancient Greek and Roman art.

one hand tied behind (one's) back - able to do something very easily, without any difficulty

Daryl has been building homes for more than 20 years, and he can almost do it with one hand tied behind his back!

body part - one section of one's body, such as an arm, leg, hand, or foot

Tae-young chose to get a tattoo on his back, rather than a more visible body part.

to master - to become very good at doing something so that one doesn't have any doubts about it

It can take many years of practice to master the violin.

to get the hang of - to learn how to do something; to become familiar enough with something to use or do it correctly

Cooper is a good skier, but it took him a while to get the hang of snowboarding.

break room - a room in an office building where workers go to eat and/or rest for short periods of time during the day

I wish it were quieter in the break room so we could take a quick nap before going back to work.

vending machine - a large machine that people put coins into to receive small packages of food or drinks

The sodas in this vending machine cost $1.25 each!

to know inside and out - to know something very well; to have knowledge about all parts or aspects of something

Hinton grew up in New York City, so he knows the city inside and out.

to excel - to do something very well; to be a master at doing something

Wei excelled in her graduate courses in marketing.