The Adventures of LOLA BADIOLA

Park is becoming paranoid as suspicious things start happening both at the office and in his apartment. Let’s engage in some interactive exercises to help you master INTERROGATIVES. In the vocabulary section we cover some advanced business English. When was the last time you felt OVERWHELMED. Do you know the difference between FUNCTIONARIES and CIVIL SERVANTS? How long is your DAILY COMMUTE? And d...

Park tries to focus on his work, but he is under increasing pressure from his supervisor Kang. We review the pronunciation of the “I” VOWEL in words such as a “priority”,  “Wi-Fi” and “bilingual”. We also review the pronunciation of the “U” VOWEL in words such as “vulnerability”, “multinational” and “publicity”. We cover a couple of items of advanced vocabulary, namely the verb TO EXPEDITE and the...

Back in North Korean, Park arrives at work and discovers something that fills him with fear. In this chapter we start off with a review of some confusing grammar points - how and when to use the SAXON GENITIVE, and the difference between “FEW” and “A FEW”. In the vocabulary section we continue to encourage you to use more advanced adjectives. We focus on the word DODGY which is particularly popula...

Lola returns to the office to find JBlock in a state of chaos because their systems have just been hacked by a mysterious intruder. Let’s review four types of IMPERATIVES - the direct, polite, informal, and the royal! Let’s also discuss some interesting expressions. Do you think that one day you may become a DIGITAL NOMAD? Will that help you avoid having a NERVOUS BREAKDOWN? We take another look a...

Lola visits the Retiro Park in Madrid, to meet with her mother who may have some valuable information for her. In this chapter we cover some fundamental business terms including REVENUE and PROFIT and the role of a BOARD OF DIRECTORS at a company. We explain two very important and challenging pronunciation points, the VOICED “S” SOUND and the SCHWA VOWEL SOUND. We discuss five relevant common expr...

As Kim starts to implement his secret plan, Park focuses on his work and discovers something surprising while researching his targets. We continue to add to your knowledge of phrasal verbs with the following three examples - TO DRAG ON, TO CATCH UP and TO POP UP. We explain the idiom TO BE A SHADOW OF YOUR FORMER SELF. And we discuss several key business concepts. What is the normal TRIAL PERIOD f...

Back in North Korea, Park faces a life-threatening dilemma.  In this chapter we continue to enrich your vocabulary with words such as STUNNED and RECKLESS. We cover two common phrasal verbs to HANG OUT and to SINGLE OUT. We discuss two common expressions that are often used in business. Would you consider yourself to be a PEOPLE PERSON? And what is your SKILL SET? And finally, we make sure that yo...

The CyberStory magazine article about Lola is published with many details about her personal life. In this chapter we discuss the business concepts of MONOPOLY POWER, HOSTILE ACQUISITIONS and MARKET DISRUPTION. We also explain a typical TWO-YEAR ROTATION program for graduates joining big companies. We cover a couple of related common expressions. How do you progress FROM RAGS TO RICHES? And what m...

Lola reveals everything to her lawyer Gonzalo who points out the mistakes that she made when she quit TechSpania. Let’s review the grammar of MODAL VERBS, more specifically can, could and would. We talk about the legal implications of resigning from the company. What are the rules regarding CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION? What is a NONCOMPETE CLAUSE? And what happens if you BREACH YOUR CONTRACT? We cove...

Lola contacts an old friend for legal advice as her situation becomes ever more vulnerable.  In this chapter we make sure that you are familiar with THE FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF and THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS.  In the vocabulary section we focus on the words SOULMATE and CHILDHOOD SWEETHEART. And we discuss the modern-day concepts of GHOSTING, TROLLING and SPAMMING. And finally, we cover two common phrasal...

Outside the offices of Banco Cantábrico, Lola is approached by a journalist and realizes that she needs a lawyer. Throughout this chapter we continue to enrich your vocabulary with advanced adjectives such as CUNNING, RUTHLESS, RELENTLESS, PUSHY and BEWILDERED. We discuss the idiom TO SKIN SOMEONE ALIVE. We describe what a NEMESIS is. And we explain how difficult it is to receive a degree that is...

Kim explains his secret plan in precise detail to Park who is left speechless. We continue to encourage you to expand your vocabulary particularly when describing people. We include positive adjectives such as OUTGOING, RADIANT and OPTIMISTIC, and negative adjectives such as DEPRESSED, PARANOID and UNSTABLE. We explain the activities of the multinational institutions such as INTERPOL, EUROPOL and...

On the bus ride to work Kim reveals a secret to Park that will change both of their lives forever. We focus on adjective enrichment, encouraging you to use more colourful and precise vocabulary. For example, instead of saying "thin" say SKINNY or EMACIATED. Instead of saying "fat", say CURVY, BEEFY or CHUBBY. We discuss the difference between PROPAGANDA and ADVERTISING. We expl...

A nervous Park goes on his first date with the Girl with the Almond Eyes.  In this chapter we discuss CORRUPTION around the world using the work of Transparency International and their Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). We talk about BRIBERY, BLACK MARKETS and THE SECRET POLICE. We also have three really useful common expressions. Nobody should believe that they are ABOVE THE LAW. Never TURN A BL...

Lola visits Banco Cantábrico for her sales meeting and discovers that dark forces are working against her. We explain the grammar of numbers more specifically how to use COMPOUND NUMBER ADJECTIVES and how to express ORDINAL NUMBERS. We talk about business lunches and how you order a steak in a New York restaurant. Would you prefer it WELL DONE, MEDIUM, RARE or BLUE. And finally, we explain the usa...

Lola goes to Concha’s home for Sunday lunch and is excited and nervous about who else has been invited. Let’s do some work on pronunciation. More specifically, we look at how words of FRENCH and SPANISH origin are pronounced in English.  We explain some common expressions and idioms. Do you remember what it was like when you had A CRUSH at high school? Did this person give you BUTTERFLIES IN YOUR...

Lola finally makes some professional progress by booking a sales meeting with one of the biggest companies in Spain. There is an explosion of phrasal verbs in this chapter, all of them are related to business situations. We explain each of them with examples. They include the following - TO END UP, TO DEAL WITH, TO MOVE FORWARD, TO ROLL OUT, TO RAMP UP, TO CATCH UP and TO HANG UP We also have seve...

As Park reflects upon the economic situation in North Korea, he starts to worry about his forthcoming date with the Girl with the Almond Eyes. Let’s review some important household vocabulary such as FRIDGE FREEZER, ELECTRIC HOBS, MICROWAVE, DISHWASHER and WASHING MACHINE. We introduce some fundamental economic concepts. How does the STANDARD OF LIVING differ between countries? What has been the i...

Kim secretly organises a date for Park with a beautiful girl who travels on their bus to work.  In this chapter we review the commonly misunderstood concept of COMPOUND NUMBER ADJECTIVES. We discuss the PROPERTY LADDER in capitalist economies and offer our own personal experience of climbing up it.  We expand the abbreviations FBI, CIA, NSA, terms that most people who watch Hollywood movies and Ne...

Meanwhile in North Korea, Kim and Park are upset and angry that their cyber-attack was neutralised. They plan their revenge. Let’s start by explaining the key business concepts in this chapter. What is the difference between a PUBLIC and a PRIVATE COMPANY? It may surprise you! What happens at an ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING or AGM? How much GENDER INEQUALITY exists in modern business life and what can b...

JBlock receives a surprise visit from two agents from Interpol who are investigating the recent cyber-attacks. We focus on three advanced phrasal verbs in this chapter - TO CLAM UP, TO BOIL OVER and TO BREAK DOWN. We explain the difference between the active voice and the PASSIVE VOICE in English grammar and highlight situations where the passive voice should be used. We differentiate between the...

After a night out with her blind date, Lola wakes up the next morning and is not exactly sure where she is, or what has happened. In this chapter we review interrogatives, in fact we test you on the five most frequently confused interrogative structures, namely - WHOSE? WHICH? HOW OFTEN? WHAT DOES HE LOOK LIKE? WHAT IS HE LIKE? We examine three interesting expressions. What does it mean when you a...

Lola needs to distract herself from all the pressure in her life, so she agrees to go on a blind date with a mysterious new man. Let’s focus on the related phrasal verbs TO LOOK OUT, TO LOOK ON and TO LOOK OVER. We offer advice on how to dominate this very challenging grammar point. We discuss two interesting items of vocabulary. How do you define HOT PROSPECTS  when you are classifying potential...

TechSpania organizes a press conference, and shocks everybody when they state who was to blame for the recent cyberattack. In this chapter we focus on some fundamental concepts related to public speaking. How do you prepare yourself to make a speech in front of a HOSTILE AUDIENCE? What rhetorical techniques can you use to be more persuasive? What is the RULE OF THREE? And why is conscious REPETITI...

JJ meets a journalist from CyberStory magazine to discuss both his past successes and his future challenges.  In the vocabulary section of today’s class, we discuss LOGISTICS and ALGORITHMS in detail.  We also cover two phrasal verbs combinations, SPEED UP vs. SLOW DOWN, and DROP OFF vs. PICK UP. We use specific examples to differentiate between HARD SKILLS and SOFT SKILLS, and discuss which are t...