Hi there,

Welcome to Terminology Tuesday. In today’s newsletter, I want to discuss my favourite business English phrasal verb - deal with.

Strictly speaking, this is not just business Engish terminology but it is particularly useful so let’s discuss it today.

Terminology Tuesday - Deal with

‘Deal with’ is a very common phrasal verb not only in business English but also in general English.

Let’s look at some examples from business English

• Problem-solving: "The marketing team is currently dealing with a negative social media campaign."

• Negotiation: "We're still dealing with the supplier to finalise the new contract terms."

• Crisis Management: "The company is dealing with a product recall due to a faulty component."

• Delegation: "I'll deal with Mr Jones, while you focus on the presentation."

• Follow-up: "I'll deal with sending out the meeting minutes after the discussion."

NOTE: The minutes of a meeting are a written record of what was discussed in the meeting

The examples above show that we can deal with something or deal with people.

Deal with something

to take action in order to achieve something or in order to solve a problem

“Most of my time is taken up dealing with problems”

Deal with someone

to talk to someone or meet someone, especially as part of your job

“I am used to dealing with difficult customers”

We can also use ‘deal with’ for discussing topics:

• Presentations: "Today's presentation will deal with the new sales strategies."

• Reports: "This report deals with the feasibility of expanding into a new market."

• Meetings: "The agenda for our next meeting deals with project deadlines and resource allocation."

• Emails: "This email deals with the confirmation of your order and expected delivery date."

Past - dealt with

“I dealt with Mr Smith’s problem - he is happy that I solved his technical problem”

Future - will deal with

“We will deal with finalising the accounts statement before the end of the week”

Can you think of an example sentence with ‘deal with’? Who or what do you regularly deal with?

Common Mistakes - Sensible:

Sensible is a false friend in Italian and English.

Sensible - adjective - based on or acting on good judgement and practical ideas or understanding.

Sensible describes someone who makes practical and well-considered decisions.

“He follows a very sensible investment strategy”

Sensitive - adjective - easily upset by the things people say or do.

Sensitive refers to being aware of and responsive to feelings – both your own and others'“Some employees are very sensitive to criticism.”

Do you have any Business English questions?

Please email me and I will do my best to answer them in future newsletters.

Until tomorrow - have a great day!

Iain.

www.communicateenglish.com

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