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

"To entertain clients" 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 verify 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 obligations 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 reminder.

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 reminders of the things they need to do.

I thank Andrea for offering to send a reminder.

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