Practice expressions used to talk about work, projects and other people. Try each recording before opening the explanation.
Use satire for a work or comment that criticizes people, ideas, or institutions through comic or indirect techniques. Its tone may be playful, dry, sharp, or uncomfortable, depending on the target and purpose.
A skeleton in the closet is a concealed matter that could embarrass someone or damage their reputation if it became known. It often appears in stories, journalism, and casual conversation. In a real sensitive situation, name the relevant fact only when it is necessary and appropriate.
Use a stance adverb when you want to comment on the whole message. Put it at the beginning with a comma when it introduces your view, or use a natural middle position with some certainty adverbs such as probably and certainly.
Use swan song for a person's final notable performance, work, or act. It often has a reflective tone because it looks back at the end of a period in that person's life or career.
A sycophant is a person who uses excessive, insincere praise to gain favour from someone powerful or important.
Use that to introduce a reported statement when it helps the reader hear where the report begins. You can often omit that after common reporting verbs when the sentence remains clear. Do not use that to introduce a reported yes-or-no question or an instruction.
Use a transitive verb with a direct object. Use an intransitive verb without a direct object. Some verbs can work in either pattern, depending on the meaning of the sentence.
Trauma means serious physical injury or lasting emotional harm caused by a deeply distressing experience. Use it carefully because it is stronger than upset, stress, or inconvenience.
Vain usually means too proud of your appearance or achievements. In the phrase in vain, it means without success.
A verb particle is a short word that works with a verb. It can add a direction or change the whole meaning. Learn common verb-particle phrases as complete units, then check whether the object can move between the verb and particle.