This is the Business English Podcast Episode 296.
This is quote unquote not a great phrase for work.
Welcome to the Business English Podcast from all years 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 Michelle, how's it going today?
Good. How are you? Do you remember being in college and doing citations all the time?
Yes. What a pain. Did you mind doing those?
I mean, I've got to do a lot about citations.
I minded it a lot. I, I minded it a lot because I, I never felt that it was that clear.
It's always a APA and the MLA and the different ones and the internet certainly helped a lot because you can, I'm going to plug them in, but sometimes it's unclear about when you should use it and for some reason that always stressed me out.
What about you? It is stressful.
It's true. There were different styles, as you said, and learning how to do it properly was not easy.
But today we're getting into something that is somewhat related to citations, but the more verbal form of a citation, a very casual citation.
Yes. Yes. Exactly. We're going to talk about a list and we're going to answer a listener's question.
It's a really great one about a specific expression dealing with quotes.
Yes. Very cool. So I'm going to go, well, first our listeners, guys, go over and check out episode 291 of this podcast.
That is four ways to declare your priorities at work.
Important to be able to do that to know how to say what matters today, this week, this year, what you're working on.
Right? Yes. Right. Absolutely.
So this question, unfortunately, I don't have this listener's name, but, and I think the listener asked an extra question.
So we're going to answer one of them today.
But I'm so sorry, we don't have your name.
Okay. So I'm going to read it.
Here we go. So hello, Lindsay Michelle Lindsay and all the others at all ears English.
I'm a huge fan of your channel on YouTube.
And it really helps to have my finger on the pulse with all of the trends in the English language.
Guys, hey, subscribe on all ears English over on YouTube.
More than that, you often answer questions from your listeners, which many of us have.
I'm sure your audience will continue to increase as your contribution to spreading English all over the world is incredible.
Wow. That's very nice. Thank you, Hissie.
Thank you, Hissie. Yes.
And actually, I also have a couple of questions that I would really appreciate if you could explain these ones.
Number one, I sometimes hear the words quote unquote by native speakers.
As I understand, it is used mainly to introduce someone's quote, but I was interested if that's also used figuratively as if you would be showing those special quote marks with your fingers if you were talking.
Oh, Michelle, I love this question.
I love it. Yes, this is a good one.
And thank you so much for your nice words.
It really means a lot very much really.
Thank you. And yeah, we love answering your questions.
We absolutely. Because yeah, we want to hear from you.
So definitely keep them coming, keep sending your specific questions over.
And where can they email those, Lindsay?
You can send them into support at all earsenglish.com.
And we will make sure those questions get to our team.
And if you have a good question, a very specific question like this one, we will feature it on the show.
And we'll call out your name if your name is included there.
So guys, sorry. Yes, send it in.
All right. So let's talk through quote on quote.
So we use this as our listener says, said when you are saying something someone else said, saying something someone else said, okay, got it.
Right. In general, okay.
So let's do an example. Okay, here's an example.
The teacher told us to have the paper in by, quote unquote, Tuesday at the latest.
Okay. Yes. Right. So you don't say quote and then at the end say, unquote, you say it all at the beginning.
That's interesting. That is interesting.
Because that's not how it would work if you are physically putting quotations around it.
But maybe it's just too disjointed to do it that way or something.
Okay. Quote Tuesday at the latest, unquote.
Yeah, it just doesn't work.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
And I also think there's a little, well, maybe we'll get into this as we explore this topic a bit more today.
So let me give the next example.
I'm looking at the paper and it says we need quote unquote, 50 people at the minimum for this task.
Right. So it can also just be, it doesn't have to be something that someone actually said.
It could be something you're reading and you're just saying, it's a way of saying I didn't choose this.
I didn't say this. This is from somebody else.
Yeah. Maybe, maybe it's something that somebody won't like what you're saying.
And so yeah, basically saying quote unquote.
This is what it's that. Yeah, it's a way of saying you're about to say something that might be a little bit loaded.
Right. A little loaded, a little bit controversial in one way or another.
Yeah. There's something here.
So that's why it opens that up.
I'd like to see him more, but he's quote unquote too busy.
I don't like that. Or he says he's too busy.
And literally I might do the quotes, right?
If you have the video, right?
Quote unquote too busy.
He's too busy. The fingers.
Right. Yes. And that's what one of the things that our listener was asking about was using it figuratively or showing special quote marks.
Now, that's a whole other question about how to do these quotation marks.
Yeah. They can be used for sarcasm.
They can be used in a lot of ways.
So, but the quotation marks to me, they have a little more judgment to them.
Maybe they're showing sarcasm.
Maybe they're showing disbelief.
So saying he is quote unquote too busy, right?
Yeah. Or if I just didn't say quote unquote and I did the, he's too busy that even more showing a little bit of an attitude.
Right. He's too busy. Yeah.
So there's a lot here. There's a lot that we're saying just in the phrase quote unquote.
Okay. Right. Yeah. And so that's why that's actually the reason why we bother to do it because it's saying more than just he's too busy, right?
Right. Right. And you, but you wouldn't, to me, you wouldn't do the quotes.
And if you were just, for example, the second one, I'm looking at the paper and it says we need quote unquote 50 people at the minimum.
I wouldn't necessarily do that just for something you're reading and you're not, you're really just repeating information.
I would only do it if you have some sort of feeling behind it.
What do you think? It totally.
This is not for actual citations like a, a listen to this health and science and nutrition podcast a lot.
And every time there are scientists that come on doctors, they're quoting research, they wouldn't say, you know, they say quote unquote, ozempic causes weight loss right now.
We know the research said that they're quoting actual research, right?
And so that's not what it makes sense.
No, that's funny. No, no, it's about making a statement that you're either kind of showing your protest to what's being said, right?
Your disagreement. That's really what it is.
Like this is ridiculous that this is being said.
But quote unquote, here it is.
Kind of. Right. Exactly.
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Thank you. Okay, what else Michelle?
There are other ways we use the word quote to me.
For example, with the research, there could be ways to actually introduce that research.
Right. Right. Exactly.
Okay, so let's go through them.
So you could say, and I quote.
Yeah. Right. And I quote.
Okay, how does that sound, Lindsay?
He's never coming again.
And he doesn't. And I quote, think he has a future with our company.
Okay, so this is more serious, more grave situation.
Way to use this would be yesterday.
There was a now we're recording this in the beginning of July, Michelle.
There was a big Supreme Court decision that came down yesterday around presidential immunity in the United States.
And one of the justices, Soto Mayor, made a statement about democracy and she's concerned.
And that would have been a time that the newscasters could have brought in.
Right. They're coming very blah, blah, blah.
And then Soto Mayor made a statement.
And I quote, X, Y, Z. And then comes the quote, right?
Right. Yes, exactly, exactly.
And another thing you could say is to quote, blank, right?
So to quote the famous William Shakespeare and then say, whatever quote you want to include.
And this is fun to use this beyond just writers.
Use it for singers. Use it for just actors that have made statements in the political zeitgeist, right?
Just sort of going beyond just literally you're quoting a book.
Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah.
Yeah. Exactly. Lindsay, do you have any favorite quotes?
Anything you really like?
I'm asking that question.
And then if you throw it back at me, I'm not going to be able to think of something.
I wish I had died to prepare this, Michelle.
I know. Sorry, guys. We didn't.
Yeah, there's so much. Oh, my gosh, what an opportunity.
And I don't have something.
But I think I am always inspired by travel quotes.
There was one quote I had on my wall as a teenager.
It's something about not being afraid to leave the shore, something along those lines, and exploring, adventuring, seeing the world.
So those always inspire me.
That kind of quote. Well, yeah, I was just thinking of the road not taken by Robert Frost.
Yeah. Sure. That's a, like, oh, there's a lot of quotable things in there, you know, about which path you're taking in life.
And so I would say that's one that I think about sometimes.
Yes. I love that. Yeah. Yeah.
And as far as formal or informal, you can use these at work.
What do you think? Yeah, I think you can.
And I think we can do more episodes on all our English about how to tie in quotes.
But maybe not share the whole thing.
Share parts of the quote or make sure people know what you're saying by referring to the speaker or the writer or the thinker, but not fully quoting it.
That's a real art form. That's now we're getting into some real super high level fluency here for our list.
Absolutely. So yeah. Yeah.
I wouldn't do the sassy quotation marks.
No, at work. Yeah. I agree.
Oh gosh. Yeah, I would just stay away from it.
You know, there, depending on your company culture, you know, there, it could be okay.
But until you see other people doing it and how it's done, I just, I would play it safe because it does have an undertone to it.
Has an undertone of defiance, disagreement that you disagree, right?
Yeah. And you may be quote, unquote, something your boss said.
You don't want to do that.
Right. Stay away from that.
Okay. Yeah. I'll get back to people for sure.
Okay. Shall we ask our listeners to hit that follow button, Michelle, because they don't want to miss these great episodes that are coming out this summer.
Yes. Yes. Exactly. Make sure that you hit that follow button on the business English podcast so that you never miss anything.
Let us come to you. Make it easy.
The episode just pops up for you.
Yes. And you don't have to go looking.
Make it easy. Build it into your fluency routine and just know that we are focused is human connection at work in this case, right?
In the business English world, we'll show you how to get there.
How to connect with people.
A confidence is important, but I actually believe that connection is the next step up in terms of fulfillment, right?
And success in life. We show you how to be confident.
We show you how to be fluent and then confident, but ultimately connected.
Because that's what actually makes us happy, right, Michelle?
Yeah. Don't you think? Yeah.
Of course, we have to be connected.
That's going to help us.
You guys say so much. So many different ways.
So let's go ahead and do a role place.
Throw some of these together.
Lindsay, you and I are co-workers, and we are talking about our launch party.
Oh, I thought I said launch party, but it's launch for you.
Okay, I guess you're getting hungry.
I am getting hungry. All right, here we go.
Okay, so the venue told me we can have no more than 30 people.
What? No way. Yes. They said it's too many people for the space.
And I quote, they don't have enough chairs.
That's bizarre. When I spoke to them at first, they said they quote, unquote, would be happy to host a large party.
I guess they think 30 is large.
Well, to quote my mom, everything works out in the end.
We'll figure it out. Yeah, you're right.
Nice. Yes. Is that an actual quote from your mom?
Does she say that? No. Okay, just checking.
No, she's just checking.
All right, so here I said yes.
They said it's too many people for the space.
And I quote, they don't have enough chairs.
Yes. Right. Okay, so you even at work, I guess you could, you could use the quotation marks because it sounds like we're complaining about this a little bit.
But again, if you want to play it safe and not show that undertone, you're already kind of showing it.
I think the danger with that is just if you're quoting someone in your company, this sounds like just a venue, right?
It's just a venue outside vendors that, but in general, it's not good to, it's kind of gossiping or speaking negatively about others in general.
That's not a great vibe.
But if you have to do it, do it about some outside vendor, or someone totally disconnected to your everyday work life.
Exactly. Yes, exactly.
No, right. It's not going to get back to that person.
But in general, we, you know, it does, if you start to do those kinds of things and have that sarcasm all the time, you're going to build a reputation.
And if you don't want that reputation, I mean, maybe you want that reputation, but if we just want you to know that.
No, I totally agree. It could slip into now quoting your co-workers.
And that's not good. Yes, completely.
Try to be positive if you can.
All right, so then you said that's bizarre.
When I spoke to them the first time, they said they quote unquote would be happy to host a large party.
Okay. Right. Yeah. Right.
So, and then you said, I guess they think 30 is large.
And then I said, oh, well, to quote my mom, everything works out in the end.
We will figure it out. Nice.
Good attitude. Yes. All right, where should our listeners come away today?
How should we be thinking about today's episode as we finish up today, Michelle?
Yeah, well, again, these are, this is different from a formal citation, written citation, right?
So these are very interesting because you can cite someone formally or informally.
Yeah. And you can also have a little bit of an undertone to them.
And so you have to think about how you're using them.
If I were your, our listeners, I would choose one to start with.
And try and throw it in. And just start with one at a time and see how it goes.
And see, but quote on quote, that's definitely a good one.
And this was such a good question.
Oh my gosh, such a good question.
So guys, if you have a burning question, a great question, specific question, please send it into support at all earsenglish.com.
We'd love to hear from you.
And we want to answer your questions.
Not the questions we think are in a textbook.
We want your questions from your experiences with English and with human connection.
Okay. Good stuff. Perfect.
All right. Okay, Lindsay, well, this was fun.
And guys, go ahead and use this and let us know how it goes.
Yes, talk to you soon, Michelle.
Take care. All right. Bye.
Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.
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