Comments

Hello Samantha! In fact some of this words are a bit new to me. Therefore I have to do a little research, wich I enjoyed it very much. Here are my answers: 1- negative; 2- positive; 3- positive; 4- positive; 5- negative; 6- negative. If you permit me, I´d like to ask you a question that it isn´t related to this topic. Do you think that it´s valid to get a idioms dictionary in order to learn them and in this way make our English more fluent, or do you think that have a dictionary like this it isn´t relevant in our learning, because we can learn idioms at films, books and internet? I´d like to know your opinion about it. I´m looking foward to your next entry. Regards, Ana Paula.

Hello, Samantha. Today in Beijing it’s cloudy, but your blog makes me feel happy in the morning. First of all, I want to ask you two questions. First, in your first paragraph, you wrote a sentence: I wish I had a rolec thingy… I didn’t know what’s the meaning of ‘rolec’ and I looked it up in a dictionary but found no answer. Can you kindly explain it if you see this comment? Second, you corrected Juliette’s sentence: Dealing with news makes your days looks always different. You said the verb should be look, as the subject (your days) is plural. I think we should use ‘look’ not because the subject is plural, but the verb is ‘make’. I learn a phrase ‘ make sb./sth. do’. I’m a little confused and don’t know whether I’m right. Samantha, thanks for the descriptions of the position of adverbs. I’m always frustrated with it and now I feel I have some measurable improvements.

Hello, Samantha. I’m afraid it’ll be a too long comment if I send my comments at one time. So, I separate them into two. This is my continuing comment. Now, get down to the tasks you left. (1). I know what’s the meaning of ‘glass’ and ‘ceiling’, but I really don’t know the meaning of the phrase ‘glass ceiling’ as well as whether it’s positive or negative. But I want to take a guess. Is this negative? Hope I’m right. I’m waiting to read your answers. (2.) ‘offer an increment’ means increase. But is it an increase of salary or workload? I think both will be positive. (3.) ‘Perks’ means allowance, and it’s positive. I wish I could have lots of perks with my job. (4.) ‘ receive commission’ means that you have been offered some important jobs by the boss or the leader. I feel it’s positive. It means that the leader have more confidence on you and put you in a very important position. (5.) ‘challenging working environment’ means that the working environment asks you to have more skills. There’re so many excellent employees. You must continue learning in order to make yourself have a place in your company. It’s positive. (6.) ‘sick building syndrome’ means that you feel sick because you have a long time at your office. It’s negative. You should go out and breathe some fresh air. Work is important, but healthy is much more important. ‘Work’ likes the number ‘0’, healthy likes the number ‘1’. If you don’t have ‘1’, no matter how many ‘0’s you have, it’s zero! If you have ‘1’, it will be ten, hundred, one thousand, ten thousand… so, keep healthy!

Hi Samantha, hard task you gave us this time. I'd never heard of any of these expressions. Maybe glass ceiling... Here we say someone has a glass ceiling when they have something to be criticized in their own life and they criticize other people forgetting their own faults. In this case it would be something negative. But I don't think that's the meaning in your sentence. I will risk saying something about numbers 4 and 5 too. I'd say they are both positive as "receive a comission" would be get a reward for something you did at your job and a "challenging working environment" would be one that demands the best of you to keep up. I'm eager to know the answers. I'd like to say something about what Jill Huang from Beijing said in his or her comment (I'm not sure if Jill is a man or a woman's name in Chinese). I think he/she is right because if you used your day instead of your days, the verb form would still be look, wouldn't it? Samantha, thanks again for the lessons, I'm sure I'm making a lot of progress reading your blogs. Best wishes.

Dear Samantha, How are you?As Juliette, I feel that my written English is improving measurably day by day.Let me come to the task first. 1) If you encounter a glass ceiling mean (my guess) you ignore your encounter looking up the ceiling-it is negative. 2)If you are offered an increment-it is positive (mustbe salary increment) 3) If you have lots of perks with your job- it is positive ( lot of benefits)4)If you receive commision-it can be positive or negative depends on the task.Some get commision for bad things.5) If your work in a challenging working inviorment -It can be positive or negative because it is depends on the person who take that as easy it will be positive otherwise it will negative. 6) If you experience sick building syndrome- negative.

Hi Samantha,thanks for your nice questions.This is the first time i'm attending your virtual environment.I searched for some of these expretions and the resault was as follows: 1-It is negetive,"a block on the women's progress up the hierarchy" 2-It fully depends on the "increment". sometimes others intention of increment doesn't worth a penny.3-I guess it is possitive.4-I have no idea about this one!5-full use of your abilities or resources is positive unless it causes stress 6-This one is negetive.

Hi Samantha, Mauricio, Ana Paula,Jill and all the others, I've just come back from a different entertainment, just for a change. At lunchtime, I went to an alternative cinema,Sesc Arsenal, to see "Maids" and what's more, free of charge. It's a film by the same director of "Constant Gardener", Fernando Meirelles.Really nice stuff. I had some good laugh with the hillarious stories of the maids, who are still very common in our country , work really hard and usually encouter difficulty in shattering the glass ceiling(-). Poor girls! Moreover, they don't often benefit from an increment(+).Just the lucky ones get that regular increase, the ones who work with generous people.As for perks(+), they get free meals if you can consider this as one! Commission (+)? No way, they may not even know what it means!For sure some of them face a very challenging working environment(+) where they have to prepare special dinner parties for posh people.And to conclude, I guess that hardly ever they get sick building syndrome(-)That may be possible though, if they look after old people and have to be house chained or if they spend long hours cooking so they may feel cooker chained.I hope I got all the answers right.Well, that's all for today.See you tomorrow.

Hello Samantha, I have just read about your and Juliette work occasions with real pleasure. Jurnalists and treachers are so individalistic, and in my opinion it is one important adventages that this occupation let people behave in this manner. With regard to your six questions I suppose that: (1) negative - which means that one has no possibility to be promote in an organization, (2) positive - there has been made an increase possibilty for someone, (3) positive - one has many addision benefits, (4) positive - one receives amount of many as a percentage of ones effects for example, (5) positive - ambitious aims at work, (6) negative - to stand for unconfortable work enviroment typical for office buildings. I wish for all of you any more satisfaction and fun from your job, greetings,

Hello Samantha, here comes my answer: 1- Negative. It is what I call a societal obstacle for women nowadays that should improve measurably. 2- Positive. I would accept with a smile in my lips. 3- Positive if it is for me. I think the politicians have a lot of perks. Too much in my opinion. In this case, it's negative. 4- Positive. We should receive comission for writing comments. It would be a great idea! 5- Positive for me. It's the kind of work I like. 6- Negative. We are lucky because we have never developed this condition in my work environment or we would have a sick building migration there. All in all, I agree that Juliette's writing is divine. ,therefore, I feel as I had two teachers this month. Good night, Samantha. I will not wait up for your next blog today. It's bed time for me.

To: Mauricio from Brazil. Hello, Samantha. I want to say something to Mauricio if you permit me. Hi, Mauricio. Thanks for your mentioning of my comment and thanks for your reading. I’m female. Jill is my English name and my Chinese name is Huang Jingjing, we Chinese always put our family name first. Jill is the English name I chose. Hope one day I can succeed in the monthly blog competition of BBC Learning English and share much more things about my country and my life with all teachers and readers around the world. Thanks for our teacher Samantha and other previous teachers here as well as the student bloggers. It’s you that make us readers find the interests and usages of learning English. Thanks. All the best. Jill.

Hello Samantha, How are you? I am fine the weather is pleasantly cold and we have rain from time to time. You are a very good but strict teacher as you never forget to give us the homework. I do not want to encounter a glass ceiling because it would harm me and by doing so I would hurt myself. I have been waiting for a long time to get an increament. However, recently I am offered an increament in my salary as I have got a promotion in the next grade. I am very much pleased to get it believe me. Although, I am working in a government organization and my salary is good but as compared to private sector it is nothing. Private organizations are offered much higher salaries for the same job with lot of perks. These include extra allowances, free medical facilities, conveyance e.t.c. However, the enviornment of private organizations is very challenging and one has to prove him/herself as the most suitable and productive candidate for the position. The competition is also very high so you can only survive in that environment if you show you capabilities in doing an assignment or task with full devotion and skills requried for the task. If you are qualified, have technical skills, management capacity and team work experienc you can take the challenge. The challenging working environment is good for learning, and improving your capacities. Recently, one of my relative has got commission in army and he was very happy as from childhood it was his dream, which has come true. Sick Building syndrome (SBS)is used to describe situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified. The complaints may be localized in a particular room or zone, or may be widespread throughout the building. The causes of SBS may be inadequate ventilation, chemical contaminants from outdoor or indoor sources, and biological contaminants. In contrast, the term "building related illness" (BRI) is used when symptoms of diagnosable illness are identified and can be attributed directly to airborne building contaminants. Excuse me for the long comments. Take care. Farida

Hello, Samantha and everyone, The phrases in the work-related sentences you have given to us must be idioms. As I don’t know their exact meaning, I can only guess what they can mean. So, 1. ‘a glass ceiling’ may be an invisible or unexpected obstacle in work (so the answer is negative). 2. If you are actually ‘offered an increment’, it's positive as you have just been offered a salary increase. 3. (Negative) ‘Perks with someone’s job’ may stand for fuss or mess. 4. (Positive) if you receive commission in the meaning of receiving more power. 5. (Rather positive than negative) because a challenging working environment can be stimulating. 6. (Negative) as ‘sick building syndrome’ sounds like nothing good. Is it the continuing feeling of tiredness from work? Olga, Russia

Hi Samantha, Let me join the task;- 1. negative 2. positive 3. positive 4. positive 5. positive 6. negative

Dear Samantha,How are you? I haven't seen your post yet. Are you busy with your work and children.Take one day break from writting blog. Yesterday I write comments for your blog, but I forget to write my name. Thank you for your task which I expect every day in your blog. Recently at my job I got 2% salary increment but it is not good enough to adjust the inflation. Hi Anita,(Brazil) As you I have a daughter in college. Last week she got flu it was very painful,she couldn't get from bed. Her room mate took her to the doctor who said she has got lung infection. Oh my god it was very pain feeling. Her university is three hours drive from our place, My husband and I rushed to her town immeadiately, with necessary things she need. As you Anita I took honey , lemon and ingredients for good chicken soup. As soon as she saw us she was little better. We spent three days at that down and took care of her. Thanks god, she is much better. I am very sorry for you,as me you couldn't go and take care of daughter. How is she now? Mykind regards.

Hello Everyone! Hello Monica! I have to apologise to you because I didn´t say... Welcome back! What a mistake! As I could read in one of your comments, you have a great time at the beach, and you could recharge the batteries, that´s good! I enjoy Fernando Meirelles´ films too. Actually I love it films, and the whole movies universe. It´s an amazing world, isn´t it? Welcome back! I wish you all the best, Ana Paula.