Unit 19: Expressions

1. Baseball Expressions inBusiness

Baseball is an important part of American culture, and its influence is so strong that many expressions have entered informal and business language. Understanding these idioms is crucial for B1 learners to navigate professional conversations.

Key Expressions:

  • Touch base: To make contact with someone briefly.
  • Ballpark figure: A rough numerical estimate.
  • On the ball: Alert, efficient, and competent.
  • Play hardball: To act aggressively to get what you want.
  • Right off the bat: Immediately; from the very beginning.
  • Home run: A highly successful achievement.
  • Cover one’s bases: To be prepared for every possibility.
  • Big league: A high level of professional competition.

For example, if you want to update a client, you might say, “I’d like to touch base with you regarding the project.” If a deal is very successful, you might say, “Jenny hit a home run with that deal.”

2. Expressions of Increase

English offers a rich variety of verbs to describe how things increase. Choosing the right word allows you to bespecific about the speed and intensity of the change.

  • General Increase: To rise, To climb (e.g., Share values rose steadily).
  • Gradual/Slow Increase: Tocreep up, To edge up, To inch up (e.g., Prices are inching up due to inflation).
  • Sudden/Sharp Increase: To take off, To skyrocket, To shoot up, To soar, To go through the roof (e.g., Stocks are skyrocketing).

Using these specific verbs makes your language more descriptive. Instead of just saying “sales went up,” you can say “sales soared” to indicate a rapid rise, or “expenses crept up” to imply a slow, perhaps unnoticed, increase.

3. Grammar Focus: To Be Likely

We use the expression “to be likely” to predict future events or express probability. It is often followed by an infinitive.

Structure: Subject + be + likely + to + infinitive

Examples:
– He is likely to pass the exam.
– The meeting is likely to be very long.

Negative: Subject + be + unlikely + to + infinitive (e.g., He is unlikely to come).

Exercise A: Match the Meaning

Match the baseball expression onthe left with its correct definition on the right.

  1. Touch base          a. A rough estimate
  2. Ballpark figure      b. To act aggressively
  3. Big league           c. Immediately
  4. Play hardball         d. To contact someone briefly
  5. Right off the bat    e. Alert and efficient
  6. On the ball           f. Professional/high level
  7. Home run            g. Be prepared foreverything
  8. Cover bases         h. A great success

Exercise B: Categorize the Verbs

Classify the following verbs into “Slow/Gradual Increase” or “Fast/Sudden Increase”.

skyrocket, inch up, soar, creep up, shoot up, edge up, take off, go through the roof

Slow/Gradual: 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______

Fast/Sudden: 5. _______ 6. _______ 7. _______ 8. _______

Exercise C: Multiple Choice

  1. Our attorney is very sharp; she is really on the ______.
    a) bat b) ball c) base
  2. Can you give me a ______ figure of the cost?
    a) ballpark b) stadium c) dugout
  3. Profits ______ suddenly after the new product launch.
    a) crept up b) inched up c) skyrocketed
  4. We need to ______ base with the client tomorrow.
    a) hit b) touch c) cover
  5. The company is moving into the ______ league now.
    a)big b) wide c) high
  6. Prices are ______ up slowly this month.
    a) soaring b) shooting c) creeping
  7. He started criticizing right off the ______.
    a) glove b) bat c) field
  8. Make sure to ______ your bases before signing the contract.
    a) cover b) hide c) run

Exercise D: Sentence Transformation

Rewrite the sentences using “to be likely” or “unlikely”.

  1. It will probably rain later. (The rain…)
  2. She probably won’t arrive on time. (She…)
  3. The prices will probably rise next year. (Prices…)
  4. He probably forgot about the appointment. (He…)
  5. Success is probable if we workhard. (We…)
  6. They probably won’t finish the project today. (They…)
  7. It is probable that the meeting will end early. (The meeting…)
  8. The team probably won’t win the championship. (The team…)

Exercise E: Context Matching

Complete the sentences with the correct word from the box: stake, sake, forward, left, get, inching, soaring, figure.

  1. I can only give you a ballpark ______ right now.
  2. We must finish this for the ______ of the company’s reputation.
  3. There are only two tickets ______ for the show.
  4. Inflation is causing prices to go ______ up.
  5. Our financial stability is at ______ if we don’t act.
  6. I look ______ to hearing from you soon.
  7. It is starting to ______ dark outside.
  8. The eagle was ______ high in the sky.

Exercise F: Cloze Text

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the target vocabulary.

Our company is ready to enter the (1) ______ league. Sales have been (2) ______ up slowly all year, but last month they suddenly (3) ______. The boss wants to (4) ______ base with every department head. He thinks our reputation is at (5) ______. He wants to be sure we (6) ______ our bases before the audit. If we do this, we are (7) ______ to succeed. I look (8) ______ to the results.

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