🎯 Lesson Goal
Learn common phrasal verbs and fixed expressions used in American remote-work communication. These phrases are especially useful in Slack messages, emails, standups, and Zoom meetings.
🌎 Culture Comparison
| Situation | Mexican instinct | American expectation |
|---|---|---|
| You disagree with a deadline. | Say “I’ll try” or stay quiet. | Politely push back and explain the risk. |
| You need an answer. | Wait because you don’t want to bother them. | Follow up after a reasonable time. |
| You have a blocker. | Try to solve it alone for too long. | Speak up early so the team can help. |
| You need approval. | Be indirect or wait for someone to notice. | Ask clearly: “Can I run this by you?” |
🧭 How to Use This Lesson
- Study the phrasal verbs in Tab ②.
- Study the fixed expressions in Tab ③.
- Complete the interactive practice in Tab ④.
- Write your own replies in Tab ⑤.
📚 Phrasal Verb Word Bank
These phrasal verbs are common in software teams, remote work, and American business communication.
🧩 Fixed Expressions for Remote Work
These are not all phrasal verbs, but they are very common workplace chunks. Learn them as complete expressions.
⚠️ Usage Notes
✅ Correct: “Let me run it by Maya first.”
❌ Wrong: “Let me run by Maya it.”
✅ Practice A — Multiple Choice
Choose the best phrase for each remote-work situation.
✏️ Practice B — Email Gap-Fill
Type the missing phrasal verb or fixed expression.
🔍 Practice C — Odd One Out
Choose the phrase that does not fit the situation.
✍️ Your Turn — Write Professional Replies
Read each workplace message and write a short reply. Use at least one phrasal verb or fixed expression. Your teacher can review your answers.
📌 Useful Sentence Frames
“I’ll look into it and get back to you by EOD.”
“I wanted to follow up on my last message.”
“Can I run this by you before I merge it?”
“Just a heads-up: the deploy may be delayed.”
“Could you loop in DevOps?”
“I want to push back a little on that timeline.”