Improving your Business English with Yes Minister

It struck me the other day how perfect the original “Yes Minister” and “Yes Prime Minister” series are as a resource to improve your English at work. After all, the action takes place in an office setting (Whitehall and Number 10) and uses an educated English. The series aired in the ‘80s, and admittedly some of the English is somewhat old-fashioned – “My dear fellow!”, “Good lord, man, that was weeks ago!”, “I say!” etc.

So the other day I binge-watched the first few programmes, pen in hand, to collect some nice phrases. Specifically I went through the first series (“Open Government”, “The Official Visit”, “The Economy Drive”, “Big Brother”, “The Writing on the Wall”, “The Right to Know”, “Jobs for the Boys”) as well as a few later episodes – “The Compassionate Society”, “The Quality of Life”, “A Diplomatic Incident”, and the Christmas Special (which I only found on YouTube, not in my DVD box set).

Rather than building up your business English from series like this, you could of course try to compile some useful notes directly. For example, you could start by addressing projects and prepare a list such as shown below. You could also include the equivalents in any other languages you might need to use too – I give French and Japanese here:

launch a project, kick off a project, initiate a project, set a project in motion [Lancer un projet, démarrer un projet, initier un projet // purojekuto o hajimeru, purojekuto o tachiageru, purojekuto o kaishi suru]
delay a project, postpone a project, push back a project, put a project on hold [retarder un projet, reporter un projet, mettre un projet en attente // purojekuto o enki suru, purojekuto o atokai ni suru, purojekuto o hochi suru]
behind schedule [en retard sur le calendrier, en retard par rapport au planning // sukejuuru yori okurete iru, keikaku yori okurete iru]
ahead of schedule [en avance sur le calendrier, en avance par rapport au planning // sukejuuru yori hayai, keikaku yori hayai]
complete a project, conclude a project, wrap up a project [terminer un projet, achiever un projet, conclure un projet // purojekuto o oeru, purojekuto o kansei suru, purojekuto o shu’ryo’ suru]
abandon a project, scrap a project, call off a project, shelve a project, a project has been discontinued [abandonner un projet, laiser tomber un projet, mettre fin à un projet, mettre un projet au placard, mettre un projet de côté, mettre un projet en suspens // purojekuto o chu’shi suru, purojekuto o akirameru, purojekuto o hokatsu suru]

But I think that basing notes on a series like “Yes Minister” is infinitely more enjoyable than any such dry lists without context. I also hope with this guide that you can enjoy these fantastic early programmes again.

It goes without saying that the examples I’ve collected here are far from comprehensive. But if you find this approach useful, you can always continue the project (there are 38 episodes in total!), adding more examples under the same headings – though for the later episodes there will be plenty of repeats.

Nothing here is original – it’s all pretty much daily English. You might even wonder why I’ve listed some of the more basic expressions at all. But it’s sometimes worthwhile highlighting commonplace phrases which deserve a little more attention to really appreciate how they are put together and how you might use variations of them. Nicely put phrases help us think properly.

SHORT SIMPLE PHRASES

Quite so!
No question!
Out of the question!
Indeed?
I think not!
Which was?
Well?
Certainly!
Such as?
So it is!
Precisely!
Quite impracticable!

“MAY”/”MIGHT” RATHER THAN “CAN”

May I remind you that…
May I see?
May I speak frankly…
May I change the subject…
May I show you..

Here “may” is used to ask for permission in a polite way. You can’t really use “might” in these examples, that would indicate a slimmer possibility (compare “it may rain later” and “it might rain later”). At one point Humphrey says “we thought the paper might be called …”

SOME WORK TOPICS AND SITUATIONS

I tried to allocate the phrases I jotted down roughly under different headings, without spending too much time on it and in no particular order:

Career

career is going down the drain
a jump up for him

Making requests

Polite:

I wonder if you could…
will you be so good as to…
would you care to comment on…? (“would you care to…” is just a formal way to request someone does something, though sometimes as here there can be a touch of reproach, just like “I shall have to ask you to explain this”)

But mainly just with the imperative mood:

tell me, …
let him find it near the bottom of the pile
get it to him today
always remember, …
see that that goes straight to the press, won’t you (“won’t you” softens the instruction a bit)

Hierarchy and rôles

directly responsible to me
falls within the purview of the department
a roving brief
functions can be subsumed by other departments
empire-building
redeploy them
allocation of executive responsibilities
devolving the managerial functions to…
not in my sphere of influence
I have been entrusted with…
Is a highly specialized skill, that few outside can master
a high flyer (“your reputation as a high flyer, such as it is, will be hit for six”)
the menial chore of running a department
one of the prime functions (of the department)
such a demeaning title

But there are some terms from YM perhaps best to avoid:

other assorted underlings
their ministerial overlords
housetrained

Office politics

buck-passing and back-biting, you know what committees are like
hush it up, suppress it
go through a charade of discussions
a cynical smokescreen
puts him in a very difficult position personally
you carry more weight
bloody-minded
We can guide them to the correct conclusion
Rig it

“Sound” also comes up a lot, as in the following exchange:

it all depends on who the chairman is. He absolutely has to be sound
how do you mean “sound”?
Well, a sound man will know what is required

It’s employed here to mean trustworthy in the ‘right’ way – not necessarily morally upright but supporting the policy line, not rocking the boat, understanding ‘how things are done’.

Asking what the issue is

What’s all this about?
Then what’s going on?

Clashing

crossed swords over …
gave a grilling over …
fight you all the way along the line for this

Objections

formidable administrative problems

Raising the problem

excuse me, minister, something’s come up…
I’ve been made aware that…
that’s what I wanted to talk to you about
what are we going to do about St Edward’s Hospital?

An unacceptable situation

it won’t do
inadvisable (or “not optimal”)

Following instructions

as you wish
if you insist
very well, it shall be done

Following up on something

will do absolutely nothing unless you chase him

Guidelines / Edicts

the maximum tolerable height being…
rescind
they will decree that…

Soon

after a discrete interval (“discreet” also a very important word – I’m sure it came up in later episodes!)

Negotiations

a bargaining counter
I wonder if there’s anything that might persuade the minister to reconsider recasting that sentence…
that’s the negotiating position. In reality, we would accept…
before you make your final decision… (even when it already sounds like the decision with which you disagree has already been made!)

Putting foot down

but I must insist that…
got to put a stop to
I can’t take the risk
it’s a matter of principle

The big picture

looking at it by and large

Something emerging

it transpired we needed another 500 people
if it were to emerge
hasn’t just materialised over night

Clarifying

ah, our contract with the construction company, you mean?
what I mean is that…
am I to infer that… (for once this verb being used correctly!)

Frameworks

within the framework we have laid down (adopt a more flexible posture…)
rigid

Make change mind

head him off this open government nonsense
talk him out of it

Getting someone’s input

sound him out about

Rethinking something

a development which could precipitate a reappraisal of the situation
reconsider my decision / my position

Success

would be rather a coup for the PM

Listing

There are one or two more things…
… Moreover, …
In the first place, … In the second place…
Two points: …
in conjunction with…

Being cynical

…, the normal thing!

Workload

they’ve done a snow job on you
seriously overworked
some lightening of the load
swamped by work
still hard at it
idle (“we have idle shipyards…”)

Drawing attention to

but you must realise that…
aware (“are you aware that…?”, “as you are well aware…”)
perhaps I should remind you that…
but you must know that…
but you need to understand that…
you don’t seem to realise how much work is involved
it may have escaped your notice but…

Explaining

allow me to…
well briefly, …

Project work

the paperwork (“minimize the paperwork so that you need only take the major decisions”)
the background papers
a temporary setback
to examine the feasibility of…
all views will be taken into consideration
what are the outstanding points?
but of course you have anticipated that
be there to state your case
then let’s start with that
table questions
formulate and implement polices
a civil service mouthpiece
thinktank

Waste of time

ghastly waste of time

Proposals / reports

do you have any specific proposals?
glance at this entirely fresh proposal
ket’s see your proposals… (“see” a nice alternative to discuss, examine etc)
now, how does that strike you?
draft proposal for your approval
this outlines…
totally unintelligible report
draft, promulgate and enact
put the finishing touches to my speech

Uncertain outcome

It could go either way, frankly
It doesn’t look hopeful

Putting other opinions

there are those who have argued that…
It used to be said that there are two kinds of chair… (passive rather than active – ie not “people used to say…”)

Repeating

Well as I say, …

Agreement

I agree with Frank. …
I would be whole-heartedly in favour
my point exactly
that should find favour with the PM
I see your point
I think we can come to terms after all
“we are fully seized of the need for reform”, “I am fully seized of your requirements, and…” – “seized” here means “aware of and considering” but sounds rather formal. Alternatives include “cognisant of”, “mindful of”, “apprised of” (eg “we are fully apprised of the need for reform”) , “recognise”, “committed to addressing”
he does have quite a good case
the PM is smiling on the plan

Disagreement

on the contrary (there’s all the difference in the world…)
oh I wouldn’t say that…
but surely (open government demands that we include our colleagues in…)
I think you’ve made the wrong decision, minister
… Nevertheless, …
what’s he got against the idea?
implacably opposed to it
I ought to warn you that I have misgivings about it
the Treasury wouldn’t wear it
. and no
does counter all their arguments

Dismissing objections

these are a few isolated examples. In general, …
that’s ancient history
there have been less likely … (a nice construction)

Stonewalling

you sone-walled superbly
I wasn’t standing any arguments

Giving approvals

if you can just ok the speech
I will consent to…

Giving up

resign (“resigned to it”, “you better resign yourself to that”)
I won’t pretend to have an answer…
off hand, I can’t think of what else to suggest
we have no choice, minister

Keep going

still undeterred
a bit defeatest

Persuasion

xxx, it’s common sense
must be persuaded to withdraw

Use of “sure”/”surely”:

but surely we shouldn’t…?
surely you can talk him out of it?
but can you be sure of that?

Told off

tick me off

Discussions and Meetings

Identifying the basic problem/question:

the problem is that…
the nub of the problem is…
hasn’t answered my basic question
the point is what are we going to do now?
anyway, to get back to our original point

Other expressions:

briefed a group of civil servants…
could you develop that point please
well I was coming to that, …
in practical terms we have 6 options…

Being vindicated

exonerate us

Teamwork

have to think kindly towards (ie put yourself in others’ shoes)
real teamwork
mobilise the press

Economies

economy drive
economy begins at home
painful personal economies
pursing further economies
examples of wastage
grossly overmanned
a phased reduction
cutbacks

Stalling

stalling technique, delaying tactics
then I should play for time
the home office is stalling
nothing precipitate
propose await developments
(Without the money) it’s a function we cannot pursue. Perhaps in 18 months or so…

Criticisms

the system isn’t working – it’s just a hotchpotch, you have the CRP, ORY, HTO…
just making work for each other
well it’s not for me to criticize…
it’s not my place to say, but…
it’s a harsh thing to say about anyone, but…
…, on which I cannot comment
making all possible allowances

Putting your point across

But all the same, …

Consulting with others

if you’d like to take it up with the cabinet
sound him out about…

Confidences

he is very close to the PM
take into my confidence
in confidence, of course
betray confidences

Viewpoint

I need to know where you stand on this

Being misled

we are being fobbed off with..
not wholly reliable

Excuses

there were extenuating circumstances

Defending

defend you up to the hilt

Confidence in someone

I think he knows what he’s doing

Decisions taken

come down against (the department)

Thinking through problems

now wouldn’t that mean…
supposing it were possible to…
in that case…
the base of comparison (eg calendar year vs financial year)
in any case, …
is a case in point

Question judgement

it’s not that I’m questioning your judgement

Compromising

with appropriate give and take
that sounds very even handed

Passion

I am appauled
I’m aghast
oh, marvellous
but I personally believe that…
this is something I feel very deeply to be true
I talked very enthusiastically about the project

A FEW KEY WORDS

Grave (“a grave embarrassment”, “he takes a very grave view of…”, “I need hardly say how grave the matter is”)
Unfortunately (“Unfortunately, …”, “That is unfortunately true”)
Hardly (“I hardly think that…”, ‘I need hardly say how grave the matter is”)
Serious/seriously (“are you seriously telling me that there is no way to…”, “I’m serious about it, what are you going to do?”)
Matter (“but the PM is another matter”)
Quite (“I’m quite prepared to leave the routine paperwork to you”)
Nonsense (“got this economising nonsense under control”, “trendy middle-class anti-establishment nonsense”)
Obscure (might obscure your main point)
Overlook (we could overlook…)
Mean (in the sense of ‘intend’ – we mentioned this in an earlier blog but worth giving more examples: “They can’t mean to abolish…?”, “You mean to seriously tell me that..”)
Assurance / Reassurance (“I am happy to give that assurance”, “assurance of a full independent enquiry” – nicer than “promise”; “pledge” can also be useful here; “That’s very reassuring”, “I have been asked to reassure the home office that this won’t happen again”)
Rather (“do you mind if I ring you back, I’m waiting for a rather important call”)
Dispose (“dispose of the difficult bit in the title”)
Repercussions (“repercussions too hideous to contemplate”)
Impairing (“without impairing the conceptual integrity of the theme”)
Engender (ie cause – “engender a certain ambivalence”)
Pointless (“a pointless journey”)
Accordance (“in accordance with his predecessor’s arrangements”)
Authority (“could you have spoken with the same authority”)
Handle (“handled that very well”)

SUBSTITUTIONS

hope -> anxious that (“he is anxious that the visit will result in a…”)
negative -> adverse (“adverse press reaction”)
like -> care for (“I don’t care for this chair very much…”)
worried -> fear (“I fear that…”)
suggest -> propose (“are you proposing that…?”)
think -> feel (“I sometimes feel that…”)
predict -> foresee, foresight (“we can’t foresee…”)

LATIN

Often quoted of course in YM, but mostly straightforward phrases that everybody knows:

they are happy to do it as a quid pro quo for a deal over the butter mountain
there’s no prima facie reason why… (pronounced /ˈpraɪ.mə ˈfeɪ.ʃi/, meaning “at first sight” – ie something that appears valid based on initial evidence, before closer examination)

GRAMMATICAL IDEAS

Preferring nouns to active verbs

that speech is causing the PM some distress (not “distressing the PM”)
give thought to… (not “think about…”)
and that is my recommendation to the PM (not “that is what I recommend…”)
The arrogance of these politicians! (just a noun here with no verb at all)

Prefer positive to negative statements

I have heard absolutely nothing (not “I haven’t heard anything”)
which have nothing whatever to do with…

Double negatives

This is not unalike…

Throw in adjectives and adverbs

Nice to colour your conversation with adjectives and adverbs, even if they don’t necessarily add much to the meaning. Some examples from these episodes:

under active consideration; actively pursuing further economies
points out most astutely that
the vexed question of…
widely regarded as…
refusing our very reasonable proposal of…
cause profound resentment
two unanswerable reasons
I unaccountably forgot to
damning criticisms
invaluable paper
unimpeachable integrity
our present intention
galloping bureaucracy
put excessive strains on the
had meaningful discussions
profoundly embarrassing
a shining example of
if that is your express wish
if we do nothing, we implicitly agree with the speech
shocking indictment of (this is a stock epithet)

Twin adjectives

Stringing together two adjectives can be much more impactful:

a civil and reasonable request
widespread and effective opposition
we live in strange and disturbing times
all sensible and reasonable of course, but…

Linking phrases

It is folly to increase your knowledge at the expense of your authority
withdraw in favour of a compromise candidate

About

insofar as xxx is concerned, …
the document concerning…

Daren’t

Not really a special structure, but nice to note it anyway – “I daren’t leave the phone”. Also used when you can’t leave something to others.

Giving reasons

A couple of nice phrases to employ:

but in view of your wish to…
in the light of your knowledge, we suggested you…

Too xxx a

On too lavish a scale

You have only to…

Nice to insert the “only” after rather than before the “have” – “you have only to apply”.

xxx-wise

Napoleon-prize-wise

The most xxx of xxxs

“make a clean breast of it” -> “not the happiest of phrases in the circumstances”

EXPRESSIONS

Some of these are full-blown idioms, ie figurative expressions whose meanings are not obvious just based on the individual words. Others are just set phrases to be learnt as a block.

All hell’s broken loose
Between the devil and the deep blue sea (ie both options are bad)
There is one fly in the ointment: …
That’s a tall order
Got hold of the wrong end of the stick
The wheels are in motion / I’ll set the wheels in motion
With an eye for the main chance
Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Didn’t cotton on to his technique
He will shift his ground
Nose to the grindstone
If not, heads will roll
Flap around like a lot of wet hens
The writing on the wall
Modesty forbids…
Made a complete pig’s breakfast of the whole thing
A laughing stock
He’s going up the wall, hitting the roof
All go through on the nod
This may well blow over, but…
You can’t win – it’s catch 22
The ends justifying the means
Trouble at mill?
When the chips are down
Come what may, …
taken it on board
Puts him in a bit of a spot
Be briefer! -> would that I could (meaning “I wish I could” since “Would that” is an old-fashioned literary way of waying “I wish that” or “If only it were so”)
Worth his salt
Who’s up to scratch
A national slap in the face
When the chips are down
You were dropped in it there sir
I don’t hold out much hope
Talking off the top of his head (same as thinking out loud)
Perish the thought!
squares with
it rings true

English is steeped in idiomatic expressions like these. For further examples, see “Humble Pie and Cold Turkey – English expressions and their origins” by Caroline Taggart.

MISCELLANEOUS

Here are the rest of the expressions I noted down but couldn’t find a home for above:

I’ll take a bet:…
will you give me a straight answer to a straight question?
yes and no
you’ll forgive me if I say this, but…
I suspect that you are concealing something from me
more or less
not sullied by evidence
outside scrutiny
very polished performance
without wishing to overstate the case, …
to foreclose (the company)
untimely
the bank is hesitant
brandishing a document
one is not a mind-reader
it’s been contrived to (look like a building site)
the run-in period
when the financial situation has eased up a bit
odious
don’t quibble
look at the uproar over…
you talk as if…
I don’t quite qualify on that score
what’s that in aid of?
throttle business
they are adamant
overwrought

Study these notes, and keep rewatching the episodes for further consolidation. What do you think of this approach of learning English?!