The English Breakfast ☕
Hi there,
Welcome back to The English Breakfast — the newsletter for Italian professionals who want to feel more confident in English at work.
Today we’re focusing on how to describe quantities and amounts in English. For example, how would you say la maggior parte or nella media in English?
If your answer is the major part and in the medium, this edition is for you. 😉
Let’s get started with your weekly dose of phrasal verbs. Can you get all 5 correct? Only one way to find out!
Quantities ⚖
How do you say una quantità importante in English? Take a look at these useful phrases that help you to describe quantities. How many did you already know?
Phrase | Meaning | Common mistake / When to use |
|---|---|---|
The vast majority (of) | Almost all of a group; a very large percentage. | ❌ The major part (Literal translation of la maggior parte) |
A great deal of | A large quantity of something (used with uncountable nouns like time, money, or effort). | Use this phrase instead of A lot of / Much in more formal settings |
On average | The typical or normal amount, calculated by adding quantities and dividing by the total. | ❌ In the medium (Literal translation of in media) |
A significant amount of | A large, or meaningful quantity (used with uncountable nouns). | ❌ An important quantity (Literal translation of una quantità importante) |
A fraction of | A very small part or percentage of a total. | ❌ A small piece of |
More and more | An increasing number of people or things over time. | ❌ Always more (Literal translation of sempre più) |
Project paradise
That’s Laura. She works for a company based in London, and she’s got a very interesting idea for increasing efficiency in the office.
Read her presentation to the board of directors below and try to imagine which of the phrases we saw in the table above would make sense in the gaps.
Scroll down for the answers 👀
"Good morning, members of the board. Thank you for giving me ten minutes today to discuss our corporate efficiency and employee wellness.
Let’s look at the data. As you know, (1)………………. of our workforce has been working remotely over the last two years. Our internal surveys show that our team spends (2)………………. time daydreaming about sunny weather and a better work-life balance. In fact, (3)………………. employees are reporting burnout from our gloomy city winters.
Now, look at this next slide. By officially relocating our main headquarters to Nassau, Bahamas, we can save (4)………………. money on commercial real estate taxes. Renting a beachfront co-working space will cost just (5)……………….what we currently pay for our grey, concrete office in the city centre .
I know what you are thinking: Will anyone actually work? The answer is yes. Data from other tropical startups shows that, (6)………………., productivity actually increases by fifteen percent when employees can answer emails from a hammock.
Board members, let’s trade our morning traffic jams for morning swims. Let's approve Project Paradise."
⬇ Here are the answers. How many did you get right? ⬇
"Good morning, members of the board. Thank you for giving me ten minutes today to discuss our corporate efficiency and employee wellness.
Let’s look at the data. As you know, the vast majority of our workforce has been working remotely over the last two years. Our internal surveys show that our team spends a great deal of time daydreaming about sunny weather and a better work-life balance. In fact, more and more employees are reporting burnout from our gloomy city winters.
Now, look at this next slide. By officially relocating our main headquarters to Nassau, Bahamas, we can save a significant amount of money on commercial real estate taxes. Renting a beachfront co-working space will cost just a fraction of what we currently pay for our grey, concrete office in the city centre .
I know what you are thinking: Will anyone actually work? The answer is yes. Data from other tropical startups shows that, on average, productivity actually increases by fifteen percent when employees can answer emails from a hammock.
Board members, let’s trade our morning traffic jams for morning swims. Let's approve Project Paradise."
🛠 Quick fix: Ordinal numbers
In this week’s quick fix, we’re looking at ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) and how to pronounce them properly!
Spoiler alert: they’re not easy! 😅
Watch this week’s mini-lesson to find out how to master them.
Collective nouns
How do you say una mandria di mucche or un gregge di pecore in English? Watch this clip from a game show to find out the answers, and also learn why you’ll never look at crows the same way again! 😄
All right, that’s it for this week’s edition.
Have a great long weekend if you’re in Italy, and are lucky enough to not be working.
See you next time.
All the best,
Dan
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