This is the Business English Podcast, Episode 457.
All sorts of great English expressions. Welcome to the Business English podcast from All Ears English.
Get the English skills you need to achieve your dreams in global business.
For a presentation, a meeting, or your office party, this is Real Business English with your favorite American hosts, Lindsay and Michelle coming to you from New York City and Colorado, USA.
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Hey there, Michelle. How's it going today?
Good, Lindsay. How are you? Good. What are we talking about today?
Yeah. Well, Lindsay, have you ever had a job of sorts that was very casual, like a babysitting gig or something like that?
Oh, I would say I worked at Dunkin Donuts when I was a teenager and I worked at a tennis club and both were I wouldn't say in that sense they were casual.
There were specific things I had. had to wear.
So I would say no. What about you? Yeah, I did babysitting.
I guess that was my most casual one. That's interesting that you thought of it in terms of what you have to wear because I was a camp counselor so I had to wear the camp shirt.
I was a waitress. I had to wear... Yeah.
There's a uniform. Right. Yes. Right. It's still casual in a way, but it's just not free and open.
Like you can't wear cut off jean shorts or something.
Right. Right, right, exactly. So today we are going to answer a listener question about when you say of sorts.
Because I did say that to you in my question.
I didn't say, have you ever had a job that was very casual?
I said, of sorts. So that's interesting.
Yeah. So let's see what you're even saying here.
But first, let's see what Carlos's question was.
Again, this came in on YouTube, guys. I think we're getting we are getting new listeners on YouTube every day.
I know we are. So if you prefer to consume the podcast on YouTube. go check it out and hit subscribe right there.
Type in All Ears English. All right. Michelle, would you read the question?
Yeah. For business English. Oh, no. Sorry.
Yes. Unfortunately, you're right. I always forget that.
Business English is not on YouTube. All Ears English is.
So go over and check it out there. Yeah.
Check out All Ears English on YouTube. Exactly.
Exactly. All right, Michelle, what's the question?
All right. So Carlos Galvan H8H says, Hello, girls.
My name is Carlos Galvan and I love your podcast.
Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, Carlos, for listening.
So he says, I need help to understand the expression of sorts like.
We had a vacation of sorts last week. Can you help me?
Greetings from Mexico. Awesome, Carlos. Thank you so much.
Great question. Yeah, this is a really good one.
I love the questions also that are about something so small that you wouldn't think of it, but it really is important, right?
Like of sorts. Maybe it's not the sexiest thing to talk about, but it's important and it's helpful.
So I really, I think that that's a great question.
It's not like a buzzword. word or something like that.
But all of our questions I love. Exactly.
I 100% agree, Michelle. I mean, anything someone utters to you, we want to know what it means, right?
If you've heard someone say this to you.
And we want to be able to respond because it kind of does change your response a little bit or it changes what you think they want to know.
Right. Um, so we're going to get into it, but first hit follow right here on business English.
All right. Hit follow on the podcast. All right.
Awesome. So yeah. Of sorts. I mean, what does it mean, Lindsay?
Yeah. Basically, it just means kind of or not completely, right?
Something that is not completely. So A sort of something is kind of something.
Right. A sort... A sort of something is a kind, like a type, right?
Would be another word. So when we say of sorts, we mean a kind of something, a type of something.
It might not be the exact thing, but it might be close or related to it, right?
Right. Right. Exactly. So let's do some examples to show what this means.
So here's the first one. I had a flu of sorts that kept me out of the office for two weeks, right?
Yes. So maybe it was a flu. Maybe it was.
COVID, we don't know. Yeah, you didn't really know what it was.
You never went and got tested, right? You don't really know.
It was just something. Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
Or we have a marketing team of sorts, but we could use something more official.
Yeah. We kind of have a marketing team, you know, maybe it's like a few people that are also doing other things and they're busy and maybe they're not trained in marketing, but we're just patching it all together.
Right. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Or we can have a disagreement of sorts, but we have to find a way to come to conclusions.
Okay. Yeah. So, you know, we can have some kind of disagreement, right?
And you could... have taken of sorts out of all of these, right?
I had a flu that kept me out of the office for two weeks.
We have a marketing team, but we could use something more official.
You can take it out, but what do you think it adds? it adds a sense of vagueness.
I think, you know, it adds well, a sense of vagueness and openness.
Right. We don't really you're not isolating one specific thing or how this solution is going to look or what exactly the issue is, but you're keeping it kind of open.
Yeah, right. Yeah, exactly. So do you use this in your conversations?
Not too much, but I definitely understand it when I hear it and I think it's useful.
So I endorse it. What about you? Lindsay approved.
Yeah, exactly. I don't think it's super common, but I do think it is pretty useful when you do want to be a little bit vague. when something isn't exact.
So I think it's really helpful, especially in business is really a good place to use it.
So I wanted to take this idea for this podcast.
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Terms and conditions apply. All right, Michelle, we are back.
So tell us more of what we need to know here.
Yeah. So sort. in general can be a really useful word.
So we're gonna give you some expressions that can be helpful for business and outside of business.
Um, the first one is sort of, and Lindsay, do we say sort of?
No, we don't, Michelle. That would be too slow.
And we're a fast moving. I don't know. We like fast conversations.
So we say sorta, we say sorta, right? We take sort of, we write sort of.
And we say sorta, right? So I'm glad we're covering this because this could be quite confusing for our listeners.
The difference between of sorts and sort of.
Right. I sort of think or I sort of think we should just focus on the first two spreadsheets before moving on.
And why would someone use this, Michelle?
Even in business, like why would we put this in front of instead of just saying I think?
It's like a double softener. Double softener.
Right? You could say, I think, I mean, because think is already.
You know, you're kind of pulling back and then sort of you're saying, oh, I don't completely think this.
I kind of think it. So, you know, you don't want to say this all the time.
Right. Because you want to sound, you know, strong.
But if you want to show flexibility, you want to show you're open.
Right. This could be a good tool. A double softener.
It sounds like laundry detergent. to me.
Double softener. I love it. Yeah, no, that's true.
So it is kind of a double softener when, yeah, the sorta is a softener and then think.
Let's see the next one because it means something completely different the next one, Michelle.
This one is totally different. Yeah. Geez.
What is it? So the next one is out of sorts.
So maybe this is not typical. Maybe you're not feeling quite right, like normal or out of the usual.
So you could say, I felt... so out of sorts this morning.
I think I'm still jet lagged from the business trip.
Yes, exactly. Love it. So you just don't feel good.
You don't feel normal. This is how I feel when I do a red eye flight or something that feels like a red eye.
Um, I just feel like my legs are heavy and everything's I'm dizzy during the day.
It's just not good. Right. That's the worst feeling.
Really? Oh, it's the worst. Yeah. And then we have another totally different phrase.
Oh, my gosh. This topic should be on All Ears English on the main podcast, too, because it's so important to know the differences here.
All sorts of is the next one. All sorts of.
Yeah. So this is many different kinds of.
Right. So we have all sorts of exciting projects coming up down the pipeline.
We will go over them in our meeting next week.
Yeah, and you can even make that more simple and you could just say coming down the pipeline, right?
Yeah. Instead of coming up down the pipeline, right?
It's kind of combining two expressions. You're really combining two expressions.
And then down the pipeline. Yeah, yeah. So you can just bring that together, coming down the pipeline.
Right. Um, so why are these useful? What's the point of, I mean, they're all different, right?
Yeah, they are all different. Yeah, definitely.
Um, would be good for All Ears English.
Maybe we can do some follow up over there.
We can, where we can, or maybe we'll just on All Ears English, we'll direct them to this. episode so nobody misses it um yeah i mean it's they're all totally different it can be used to soften, double soften, talk about many different kinds of something, your laundry, all that good stuff.
Yes. Yeah. So they're just they're just very useful.
They're very good for also just kind of the day to day.
I mean, they're not too... out there, right?
These can just fit in and they're everywhere.
I mean, between the three or four that we taught today, these expressions are all over the place, all over the English language, right?
So got to know him. Michelle, let's do a role play here as we finish up the episode.
Here we go. All right. Now, everybody, before we say it, of course, it's going to sound a little funny because we're going to say... them a lot we're gonna say the word yeah yeah be ready be ready okay here we go so we're co-workers talking about this project coming up okay okay so are we done Sort of.
We still have to check all the bags and make sure they're ready to go.
Oh, right. Well, I put a flyer. I put together a flyer of sorts.
It's not perfect, but we could edit it together if you want.
I think it looks good. I think we are all out of sorts because our whole team has been sick this week.
Oh yeah, this has been rough. We have had all sorts of sicknesses around the office this season.
Right. We probably wouldn't hear it quite so frequently.
Right. Exactly. But good to know. Good to know.
Yes. Absolutely. Absolutely. You said, are we done?
And I said, sorta. Yeah. And I'm seeing it's written sort of, but you actually said sorta, right?
Even though we're at work. And we said that before, even though we're at work, it is okay just to pronounce that as sorta most of the time.
Right. Yeah. Exactly. And then I said, all right, well, I put together a flyer of sorts.
It's not perfect, but we could edit it together.
Right. Of sorts means it's not exactly a flyer.
And maybe I'm saying that because I'm a little embarrassed by it.
Right. There could be a lot here emotionally.
Right. You could be trying to say. You're kind of hiding your flyer.
You know it's not a good flyer. You have some insecurities about the flyer.
This flyer brings up a lot of emotions. No, but it is true.
When you use it in this way about something you've produced...
Or you're thinking it does kind of does weaken it a little bit, right?
Why can't you just say I put together a midifier?
Yeah, period. Right, right. Exactly. Yeah, so you are speaking to a little bit of insecurity about the flyer.
Yeah, this flyer. Wow. And then I said, I think we are all out of sorts because our whole team has been sick this week.
So out So we're kind of, you know what word this makes me think of, like discombobulated, right?
Oh, big word. Which is a good bonus word, discombobulated, just blah, all over the place.
That's a good one. Yes, we're out of sorts.
We're disorganized. We're discombobulated.
Things are not running as usual, right? Yes.
And then I said, yeah, this has been rough.
We have had all sorts of sicknesses. And this means all different kinds of sicknesses, right?
Maybe COVID, maybe the flu, who knows what, right?
Who knows? Yeah. So yeah, really useful, lots of different definitions, things to work with, but they're so common that you're just gonna hear them everywhere.
Now that we've talked about it, We brought it to your attention.
I'm pretty sure you'll hear some one of these today.
Oh, for sure. It's everywhere. another good episode to check out, guys, is episode 450, how to use versus and whereas in professional English.
Really important to know that. kind of the grammatical building blocks of English, right?
Yeah, absolutely. All right. Well, takeaway for today.
This is... I mean, this question was just incredibly useful.
Yes. It brought up... whole lot of extra expressions and different ways to hear it, which this could all be very confusing because they do, everything kind of has a little bit of a different meaning and,
We also talked about the pronunciation, which is something that could have been a stumbling block.
So we're kind of trying to get you guys to anticipate what you might hear. how you might want to say it.
So yeah, I would say a good idea might be to use one, right?
Try one at a time. Say, okay, tomorrow I'm going to use Um, sort of or right.
Um, but again, you're right. Yeah. So try one at a time and also.
Keep in the back of your mind about how it could sound, the insecurities that could come out if you use it too frequently, some of these.
Love it. Good stuff, Michelle. Great times being on Business English together.
And I'll see you back here next week. All right.
Have a good have a good week. All right.
Bye bye. All right. Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.
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