The Adventures of LOLA BADIOLA

Lola and her companions enter the boardroom of TechSpania as the deal to buy JBlock is being finalised.In this chapter we have some interesting vocabulary related to DRESS CODE in an office. Is it important to be IMPECCABLY DRESSED? Have you ever bought a TAILOR-MADE SUIT? Do you know how to create a WINDSOR KNOTTED TIE? We also explain some relevant terms in dealmaking. Do you know how to keep a POKER FACE when negotiating? And who does the final PROOFREADING of the contract?We do some ...

Lola and her team arrive at the headquarters of TechSpania, but they still need to pass the security guards to reach the boardroom on the 51st floor.There are a couple of interesting common expressions in this chapter. Why do people make LAST-MINUTE CHANGES to agreements? And what does it mean to be in the EYE OF THE STORM?We discuss the role of a company’s BOARD OF DIRECTORS.We consider the philosophical question of whether THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS.And finally, we offer some GOOD BUSINESS...

Lola has a plan to stop JJ selling the company to TechSpania, but she needs to act fast!Let’s examine the advanced grammatical structure of QUESTION TAGS. You know what they are, don’t you?In the vocabulary section we explain the verbs TO REBOOT, TO PATCH and TO GATECRASH. We also illustrate what a BINDING CONTRACT is.We focus on a very common mistake in Business English , the confusion over BORROW vs. LEND,.And finally, we discuss two common expressions. Do you prefer it when people GE...

Park reveals his true identity to the secret agent and his wife, causing confusion and conflict.There are plenty of colorful expressions and idioms in this chapter. What makes the HAIRS ON THE BACK OF YOUR NECK STAND ON END? Have you ever STROKED THE EGO of your boss? And is it best to do a sales pitch via webinar or IN THE FLESH?We do some pronunciation work using the VOICED “S” CONSONANT. Make sure you play the game with me! (*Whoops! I made a mistake in this game! Thanks to the perce...

The secret agent brings Park to his home in Madrid and introduces him to his suspicious wife. In this chapter we give examples of words that differ depending on whether you are using BRITISH ENGLISH or AMERICAN ENGLISH for example, apartment vs. flat, and elevator vs. lift.We cover several everyday expressions. Do you have to WEAR DIFFERENT HATS at work? What MAKES YOUR HEAD SPIN? And what kind of event TAKES YOUR BREATH AWAY?Finally, we continue our discussion of CAPITALISM, using the s...

The secret agent delivers Park to the headquarters of Interpol and receives an unexpected reaction from the agency. There are loads of interesting everyday expressions in this chapter. Do you know what a DESK JOCKEY is? Do you expect other people to DO YOUR DIRTY WORK? When was the last time you were IN A DAZE?We explain the word DUMBFOUNDED and discuss the meaning of IRONY - why do some people use it, and other people misunderstand it.Finally, we analyse a controversial business issue, ...

With the help of the secret agent, Park completes his journey to the West, unsure of what awaits him there. In this chapter we explain three phrasal verbs, TO TOUCH DOWN, TO SETTLE DOWN and TO BREEZE THROUGH.We also make sure you understand some advanced vocabulary. What is a PAYDAY? When do you need a COVER STORY? And what is your BACKSTORY?We discuss three useful expressions. Have you ever experienced a CULTURE SHOCK What kind of things BLOW YOUR MIND? Have you ever taken a VOW OF...

Lola has a conversation with a mysterious man in a bar that makes her reconsider events in the past.In this chapter we explain three everyday expressions. When do you need to be ON YOUR GUARD at work? What activities are your BREAD AND BUTTER? And do you expect to get a promotion SOONER RATHER THAN LATER?We discuss an appropriate idiom for international professionals - WHEN IN ROME DO AS THE ROMANS.However, most of this class is focused on CORRUPTION. We look at the work of Transparency Inter...

Lola meets JJ Thompson for dinner and receives some shocking news.This chapter is full of interesting and relevant business expressions and idioms. Let’s go through them one by one.Is there somebody in your company who you consider to be a BAD APPLE?Have you recently received a COLD CALL from a mobile telephone salesman? What would be the best-case scenario for your career at the moment? And what would be the WORST-CASE SCENARIO?Do you have an EQUITY STAKE in in the company that you work...

Lola confronts Cayetano at the offices of JBlock in front of all the programmers.There are several common expressions that we need to explain in this chapter. What happens when you PULL THE TRIGGER on a deal? When do you need to CALL IN FAVOURS from your colleagues? And have you ever been LOST FOR WORDS in a discussion.In the vocabulary section, we discuss legal words such as LAWSUIT and TO SUE. Then we examine some words that English borrows from French such as FACADE and COUP DE GRACE. ...

Park reaches the Chinese border, but how will he cross the freezing cold waters of the Yalu River, and what will be waiting for him on the other side?This chapter is full of fascinating vocabulary, interesting expressions and colourful metaphors. Let’s start off with some of the advanced vocabulary.Are you familiar with the verbs TO GRUNT, TO WRITHE AROUND and TO PERISH? These are all appropriate verbs considering the predicament that Park finds himself in. Also relevant are the nouns ONSLAUG...

Park meets the Old Grey Man and discovers the terrible truth about Dead Man’s Highway.Let’s do some pronunciation work focusing on words that have fewer syllables than most non-native speakers think, for example, COMFORTABLE, VEGETABLE, CHOCOLATE, RESTAURANT, INTEREST RATES.We review some fascinating vocabulary to test your WITS. If you’ve watched the Netflix series squid games, you’ll know what a TUG-OF-WAR is.We discuss a very common business expression, namely a WIN-WIN SCENARIO.And we con...

Park evades the authorities on his journey to Banshori station until he reaches a police checkpoint. As advanced speakers you know all the basic vocabulary related to the family but are you familiar with STEPMOTHERS and STEPFATHERS, are you familiar with the WIDOWS and WIDOWERS and, most interestingly, do you know what a SUGAR DADDY and a MILF are?There are many words that the English language borrows from French. They tend to be intellectual and sophisticated. In the business world they...

Back in North Korea, Park is on the run from the secret police. His first stop is the Tomb of the Glorious Farmer to pay his respects to his dead relatives.In this chapter there is an explosion of adjectives. As an advanced speaker you should be challenging yourself to choose colorful interesting and precise adjectives to communicate your ideas more effectively. Here are some alternatives to the common adjectives we hear too often.Instead of saying that your colleague works very hard, use the...

Lola goes out for dinner with her best friend Concha to distract herself from the crises in her life and receives some wonderful news!This chapter is packed with phrasal verbs and expressions. We are going to focus on five of each. Let’s start with the phrasal verbs.If you need to motivate and encourage your team, how do you FIRE them UP, how do you SPUR them ON? At the end of a long intensive week of work what do you do at the weekend to WIND DOWN? Do you like to GO OUT with a large group of...