Commute English

• I’m driving to the company.
  更自然：I’m driving to work. / I’m on my way to work.
• There’s a little bit of traffic, but I don’t think there’s an accident. There are just a lot of cars on the road.
• Friday is usually a little busy, but on Saturday and Sunday there’s almost no traffic.
• My estimated arrival time is 6:39. That’s only a little later than usual.
• Don’t rush. Take it easy.
• If public transportation were cheaper and faster, I would consider taking it to work. But right now, I still prefer driving.

Useful vocabulary

• determined — 已經下定決心、唔容易放棄
  • I’m determined to improve my English.
• out of service — 暫停服務／唔使用得
• passenger — 乘客
• frustrating — 令人煩躁、挫敗

Funny story — Day-old bread

A guy walks into a bakery and asks:

“Do you have any day-old bread?”

The baker says:

“Yes.”

The guy replies:

“Great. I’ll take some tomorrow.”

Why it’s funny

「day-old bread」即係放咗一日嘅麵包。個男人明明今日已經可以買到 day-old bread，但佢話「聽日先嚟買」，咁今日啲麵包到聽日又會變成 day-old bread。個笑位係佢將件簡單嘅事搞到好似特登要等麵包變舊。

實際上真係有人會買 day-old bread，因為通常會平啲，而且可以用嚟整 toast、breadcrumbs 等。

Speaking practice

• I don’t want that to happen to me.
• It’s funny but frustrating.
• I know what “out of service” means, but I didn’t know “determined.”
• Determined means you’ve made up your mind and you’re not going to give up.

HH-vault 原始筆記（需要 GitHub 存取權限）

Customer service: canceled order and price increase

Scenario: an order was placed earlier, then canceled after the price increased by about $400.

Useful sentences:

• “Hi, I placed an order in June, but it was canceled. Now the same item costs $400 more. Is there any way to honor the original price or offer a credit?”
• “I understand policies can change, but this feels unfair. Is there anything you can do to help me today?”
• “My order was canceled after the price went up. Can you reinstate my order at the original price?”

Key vocabulary:

• reinstate = restore / put something back（恢復原本訂單）
• honor the original price = 按原本價錢處理
• credit = 店舖提供嘅金額補償／credit
• the price went up = 價錢升咗
• canceled = 被取消

Corrections:

• “My order get canceled.” → “My order was canceled.”
• “The price get increasing.” → “The price went up.” / “The price increased.”
• “This feel unfair.” → “This feels unfair.”
• “Offer an credit.” → “Offer a credit.”

Funny story 1: The giant cake

A guy was at a grocery store buying a giant cake. The cashier looked at the cake and asked, “Oh, big party?”

He replied, “No, it’s just for me.”

Everyone waiting in line suddenly got quiet. After a short pause, he said, “Just kidding. It’s for my mom’s birthday.”

Everyone laughed.

Vocabulary:

• giant = very large
• cashier = 收銀員
• in line = 排隊中
• pause = 停一停
• just kidding = 講笑啫 / I’m joking
• wink = 眨一隻眼，通常表示講笑或暗示

Funny story 2: The cat-food lunch mix-up

A woman decided to meal prep. She spent Sunday cooking food, putting it into plastic containers, labeling them, and stacking them in the fridge.

On Monday morning, she grabbed a container without looking carefully. At lunchtime in the office kitchen, she proudly opened the lid and discovered that she had packed her cat’s food by mistake.

She did not eat the cat food. She just stared at it, sighed, and joked:

“Well, at least the cat eats better than I do.”

The funny part is that she accidentally grabbed the wrong container.

Details discussed:

• container here means a plastic food container, not a can / 罐頭.
• The cat food had been put into a similar container, so she mixed them up.
• The story does not establish whether the cat later ate her lunch.

Vocabulary:

• meal prep = 預先準備幾餐食物
• label = 貼標籤 / 標示
• stack = 疊起
• container = 容器；呢度係膠食物盒
• grab = 隨手攞
• peel back the lid = 打開／揭開個蓋
• by mistake = 不小心、誤咗
• mix up = 搞亂／攞錯
• sigh = 嘆氣

Ordering pizza and fast food

Useful pizza order:

• “Can I get one slice of pepperoni, please?”
• “Can I get one slice of this, please?” — 唔知 pizza 名時可以直接指住。
• “Can I get one slice of pepperoni and a six-piece order of Buffalo wings, please?”

Pizza vocabulary:

• cheese pizza = cheese + tomato sauce，冇其他 topping
• pepperoni pizza = 上面有圓形薄片 pepperoni，通常有少少辣
• sausage pizza
• mushroom pizza
• veggie pizza
• Hawaiian pizza = ham + pineapple
• Supreme pizza = 通常有多種 meat + vegetables
• slice = 一件 pizza
• topping = pizza 上面嘅配料

Correction:

• “Six piece of Buffalo wing.” → “A six-piece order of Buffalo wings.”
• wing → wings when ordering several.

Ordering at Popeyes / asking about sides

Useful sentence:

• “What sides do you have?”
• “I’ll have fries, please.”

Sides discussed:

• fries
• mashed potatoes and gravy
• red beans and rice
• coleslaw
• biscuit

Correction:

• “What side do you have?” → “What sides do you have?”

Quick speaking pattern

A natural full order:

“Can I get one slice of pepperoni and a six-piece order of Buffalo wings, please?”

If the employee confirms the order:

“Yes, that’s right.”

HH-vault 原始筆記（需要 GitHub 存取權限）

Indoor bike mat / PLENY folding bike

• Bike: PLENY 5-in-1 Folding Exercise Bike.
• For this relatively light folding magnetic exercise bike, a 3 mm high-density mat is generally enough for:
  • floor protection
  • anti-slip
  • sweat protection
  • light vibration reduction
• If using it on the 2nd floor and worried about vibration/noise downstairs, add rubber anti-vibration pads under the bike feet. This is more effective than relying only on a thicker full-size mat.
• No strong need to replace a 3 mm mat with a 10 mm mat for normal seated cycling.

English practice — Funny story

Story summary

A woman went outside her apartment/building to pick up a package, but she forgot to bring her key. She got locked outside and had to wait for someone to come back into the building. After about 40 minutes, a neighbor arrived and helped her get back in. She felt embarrassed, so later she gave the neighbor some cookies. They eventually became friends.

Useful corrected sentences

• She went outside to pick up a package.
• She forgot to bring her key.
• She got locked outside.
• She waited for about 40 minutes.
• Her neighbor came back to the building and helped her get in.
• She felt embarrassed.
• She gave her neighbor some cookies.
• They became friends.

Vocabulary

• pick up a package = 拎／領取包裹
• get locked outside = 被鎖喺門外
• neighbor = 鄰居
• embarrassed = 尷尬
• eventually = 最後／後來

HH-vault 原始筆記（需要 GitHub 存取權限）

Morning commute English practice

Driving

• 今日遇到一次差啲追尾嘅情況：前車突然停低，因為車速唔快，所以及時煞停；後車亦及時停低。
• Useful corrections:
  • The car in front of me suddenly stopped.
  • Luckily, I wasn’t driving very fast, so I was able to brake in time.
  • The car behind me was going very fast and almost hit the back of my car.
  • If someone is driving aggressively, I’ll just let them pass and move into the slower lane.

Vocabulary

• 矛盾 → contradiction
  • There’s a contradiction: I want to take public transit, but I also want to save time.
• 公共交通工具 → public transit / public transportation
  • public transit 較簡潔自然。
• 不幸中之大幸 / 因禍得福 → a blessing in disguise
  • 指一件事起初睇落係壞事，但最後帶來好結果。

Listening practice

聽咗一個短故事：有人落樓拎已送到嘅 package，忘記帶鎖匙，被鎖喺門外約 45 分鐘；鄰居最後幫佢入返去，佢送 cookie 多謝對方，之後兩人成為朋友。

理解重點：

• pick up a package = 去拎/領取包裹
• get locked out = 因冇鎖匙等原因被鎖喺門外
• 最後能夠完整重述故事內容。

HH-vault 原始筆記（需要 GitHub 存取權限）

English practice + CCNA / commute notes

• CCNA progress: 最大問題係「難開始」同「開始後容易分心」，常見 distraction 包括 YouTube、彈 piano、食嘢。
• 建議用極細步開始：只做 5 分鐘，開 material、skim 一小段，完成就停，重點係降低開始阻力。
• Housing: 想開始了解買屋，即使而家 salary 未必夠高，都可以先研究可行性。
• Bus vocabulary:
  • vehicle number = 車輛編號；例如巴士車身上的 6016 多數係 vehicle number，唔一定係 route number。
  • The bus in front of me. = 我前面嗰架巴士。
  • I saw a bus with the number 6016. Is that the route number, or just the bus number?
• Public transit: 想研究由屋企去 Secaucus 公司嘅 bus / train 路線、車費同通勤時間。
• FedEx / iPhone return:
  • 如果 Apple 提供 prepaid FedEx label，一般可以放入 FedEx drop box。
  • 但 iPhone 價值較高，較穩陣做法係去 staffed FedEx location，攞 drop-off receipt 作證明。
  • Natural phrase: drop it off in the FedEx drop box。

Useful English corrections

• I should be doing more, but I didn't.
• It's hard for me to start, and it's hard to stay focused.
• There are so many things that distract me.
• I'm trying to find a new house.
• I don't think my salary is high enough right now, but I still want to try.

HH-vault 原始筆記（需要 GitHub 存取權限）

• 「補假」可按語境講：

  • make-up day：口語、易明，但唔一定係最正式 HR 用語。
  • day in lieu / comp day：較接近「補假／補休」。
  • substitute holiday：如果係用另一日代替原本假期。

• 今日練習句：

  • Yesterday was a make-up day.
  • Most people didn't come into work because they prefer time off to extra pay.
  • Only a few of us showed up.

• 較自然講「最近成日發惡夢」：

  • I've been having a lot of bad dreams lately.
  • Why do you think I've been having so many bad dreams lately?

• 睡眠表達可改自然啲：

  • 與其講 I dreaming every time，可講 I've been dreaming a lot lately.
  • 如果想表達惡夢令自己較易醒，可以講：One small benefit is that it's easier for me to wake up after a bad dream.

HH-vault 原始筆記（需要 GitHub 存取權限）

English practice — driving to work

Useful sentences

• This bike actually follows the rules and doesn’t cut the line.

  • follow → third-person singular should be follows.
  • follow the rules = 守交通規則。
  • cut the line = 插隊；開車情境亦可講 cut in front of someone。

• The bridge is closed, so I had to take a different route.

  • route 比 road 更適合表示「路線」。
  • had to = 因為情況而「要／不得不」改路。

• Now I’m back on my regular route.

  • regular route = 平時慣常行嘅路線。

• It’s not a big deal.

  • 表示「其實冇乜大不了／算啦」。

• It’s not worth getting angry. I just focus on driving safe.

  • It’s not worth + -ing = 唔值得為某件事而做某動作。
  • 更標準寫法可用 I just focus on driving safely.

Driving discussion

• 路上每日都可能遇到亂切線、唔守規矩嘅司機；如果每次都嬲，基本上日日揸車都會嬲。
• 重點唔係享受返工車程，而係安全到達目的地：慢少少通常唔係大問題。
• Practical mindset: Don’t let other drivers make you angry. Focus on getting there safely.

HH-vault 原始筆記（需要 GitHub 存取權限）

Key vocabulary

• puddle：水氹；細至一般路面積水都可以用。
• deep puddle：較深嘅水氹。
• flood / flooding：水浸；當成條路或一大片地方都有積水，比 puddle 嚴重。
• splash：濺起水花。
• skid：車輛打滑、失去抓地力。

Corrected sentence

When there are deep puddles on the road, I slow down because the car might splash or skid.

較自然口語亦可以講：

When I see deep puddles on the road, I slow down because the car might skid.

Usage notes

• When there has deep puddle ❌
• When there are deep puddles ✅
• When there’s a deep puddle ✅（單數）
• When there are floods everywhere 文法上可以，但日常講路面情況更自然係：There’s flooding everywhere.

Spelling

• skid = S-K-I-D

HH-vault 原始筆記（需要 GitHub 存取權限）