Using English at Work：45 Meeting with the Boss(4)

A "heads up" is information that you receive before anyone else does.

A "heads up" is an advanced notice.

If you're a good customer at a clothing store, the store might give you a heads up about a sale that's going to start in a few days - they're giving you information in advance, before other people get it.

In this case, my promotion¹ hasn't happened yet, but now I have a heads up on it and I won't be surprised if it does happen. I hope it does!

My boss says that the promotion would give me a new title.

A "title" is the name of your job, basically².

Common titles include Customer Service Representative, Finance⁴ Director, Vice³ President of Marketing⁵, or perhaps Senior Accountant.

In addition to getting a new title, I'm also going to get a small raise.

A "raise" is an increase in your salary, the amount of money that you earn for doing your job.

Many people get a small, 2 to 3% raise at the end of the year to cover the high cost of living; but they can also get larger raises, maybe 5 or 10%, for doing their jobs very well.

When we get a promotion, as I mentioned earlier, we usually get a raise because the new position is often more difficult and has more responsibility.

My boss says that the most important thing about the promotion is not the title or the raise, but that it will put me in line to eventually become a regional manager myself.

"To put someone in line" means to help someone prepare for something in the future, especially for a personal or professional success.

Doing more than your boss asks of you or perhaps doing it faster than other people may put you in line for a promotion;

it's a way of preparing you for a promotion.

Getting this promotion will prepare me to be a regional manager someday in the future, so it will put me in line to become that manager.

Next, my boss praises me for my hard work.

"To praise" someone means to say good things about what that person has done, to compliment⁶ him or her.

1 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

2 basically   

adv.基本上，从根本上说

参考例句：

• His heart is basically sound.他的心脏基本上健康。
• Basically I agree with your plan.我基本上同意你的计划。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 finance   

n.财务管理，财政，金融，财源，资金

参考例句：

• She is an expert in finance.她是一名财政专家。
• A finance house made a bid to buy up the entire company.一家信贷公司出价买下了整个公司。

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 compliment   

n.[pl.]问候，致意；n./v. 称赞，恭维

参考例句：

• The manager paid her a compliment on her work.经理赞扬了她的工作。
• Your presence is a great compliment.承蒙光临，不胜荣幸。