Using English at Work：40 Scheduling a Meeting(5)

"To entertain clients¹" means to take important customers for your business to dinner or perhaps to a play or some entertainment.

This is supposed to improve their relationship with your company, or your relationship with them.

Usually managers are given a certain amount of money to entertain clients, taking them out for lunch or dinner, especially if they work in sales.

Since I have to entertain clients on Wednesday night, I need to leave the office early that day, and that's why I would prefer to meet with Andrea earlier in the afternoon.

Andrea suggests 1 p.m. I check my schedule again, meaning that I look at my calendar to confirm that 1 p.m. on Wednesday is free and clear.

To "confirm" means to verify² something, or to say that something is correct or true based on the information that you have.

We often confirm appointments to make sure that the people we're supposed to have a meeting with still have time to meet with us.

Doctors' and dentists' offices usually call their patients to confirm their appointments to make sure that

they will be coming at the scheduled time, often calling the day before, for example.

When I say I'm "free and clear," that's just another way of saying I am open, I don't have any meetings or other obligations³ during that time.

I'm looking at my calendar to confirm, or check, that 1 p.m. on Wednesday is free and clear.

It is free and clear, so Andrea and I agree to meet at 1:00 on that day.

Andrea says that she will send me an email Wednesday morning as a reminder⁴.

A "reminder" is something that is said or written so that the other person doesn't forget about something important.

So, when the dentist or doctor's office calls you to confirm your appointment, they're really giving you a reminder.

Andrea doesn't want me to forget our meeting, so she's going to send me an email as a reminder.

Many people write notes for themselves, for example, as reminders⁵ of the things they need to do.

I thank Andrea for offering to send a reminder.

After all of that back and forth⁶, we finally have a meeting set for next week.

1 clients   

n.顾客( client的名词复数 )；当事人；诉讼委托人；[计算机]客户端

参考例句：

• a lawyer with many famous clients 拥有许多著名委托人的律师
• She understood the importance of establishing a close rapport with clients. 她懂得与客户建立密切和谐的关系的重要性。

2 verify   

vt.核实，查对；证明，证实

参考例句：

• Men were sent out to verify whether it was true. 几个人被派去查清事实。
• We will verify this with a copy of payment schedule.我们将按付款程序的副本进行核实。

3 obligations   

n.债务( obligation的名词复数 )；义务；[法律]债券；合约

参考例句：

• Belgium replied that she had always been faithful to her international obligations. 比利时政府答复说，比利时一贯忠实履行其国际义务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It would never do to neglect official obligations. 玩忽职守是绝对不行的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

5 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。

6 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。