Break Rules VOCAB.pdf

Break Rules Vocabulary Text

Hello, welcome to the vocabulary lesson for ÐBreak Rules.Ñ LetÓs begin.

First is the word obedience. Obedience means following the rules, right? The verb is

obey. To obey means to follow rules; to do what you are told to do. So obedience is

the noun. ItÓs the action; itÓs the situation of following rules.

So he says ÐObedience works fine, if you work in a factory.Ñ So following the rules

works fine, if you work in a factory. If you work in a factory you need to have

obedience. You need to follow the rules because you have to do an exact little job,

again, again, again, again. If you change it then it can destroy everything. So

obedience, following the rules, doing what youÓre told is good, if you work in a factory.

He says ÐObedience works fine in a standardized factory.Ñ Stan-dar-dized,

standardized means organized. It means everything is the same. So standardized

means everything is standard, everything is the same.

For example, we have standardized tests. A standardized test means a test that is

always the same. It always is the same. It means if I take it or you take it or someone

else takes it, itÓs the same result, the same test. It measures the same thing. ItÓs

always a very similar test or always exactly the same test, a standardized test.

Next he talks about collars. He talks about blue collars and white collars, blue-collar

and white-collar. And this is in idiom in English and it describes a kind of work. It

describes a kind of job. So we have blue-collar jobs and white-collar jobs. A blue-

collar job is a factory job, okay, so blue collar means factory.

Why do we say blue collar? Well, itÓs because in the past a lot of factory workers they

wore blue uniforms, all right, so we say a blue-collar job. ItÓs a factory job. YouÓre

using your hands, your using your body in the job, a blue-collar job.

Then we have white-collar jobs. White-collar jobs are office jobs. TheyÓre intellectual

jobs, mental jobs, youÓre using your head, mostly, your mind. And, again, of course,

itÓs because, you know, most businesspeople who work in an office they have white

shirts, right? They wear white shirts.

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The collar Î the part around the neck Î is white, so a white-collar job is an office job or

a business job. ItÓs a job where you use your brain, mostly, not your hands. YouÓre

not building stuff, youÓre not in a factory, youÓre thinking. ItÓs your brain thatÓs most

important, thatÓs a white-collar job.

Okay, so heÓs talking about white-collar jobs. For a white-collar job you need to break

the rules, itÓs the opposite of a blue-collar job. A blue-collar job, you must follow the

rules because factories need everything to be the same.

But a white-collar job, usually the company wants you to do something new,

something great, to make improvements, to do better and better and better, to be more

productive, which is our next word, productive or productivity. Productivity is the noun,

productive is the adjective. Productive means efficient. It means doing more work

with less effort or less time, so doing more with less effort. ThatÓs productive.

So, for example, letÓs say youÓre building a car or building cars and we have two

teams. One team builds five cars in one day. Another team builds 10 cars in one day.

The second team is more productive, right? Same time, but they did more work, so

thatÓs productivity.

Productivity is the amount of work you do in a certain time or with a certain amount of

effort. So more productivity means you do more in less time or with fewer people or

with less effort. So more for less, thatÓs productivity. And thatÓs what most companies

what for white-collar workers, they want more productivity. More results for less effort

or less time.

Next he talks about examples of Ðclerks who have every keystroke measured.Ñ What

heÓs saying is that in some white-collar jobs, in some offices, itÓs like a factory, right?

They measure every keystroke. It means youÓre typing on your computer and the

computer has keys, right? Keystroke means every time you hit a key on your

computer.

HeÓs exaggerating, but heÓs saying that some jobs, even office jobs, itÓs like a factory.

The company is measuring everything you do. TheyÓre watching you all the time. He

said ÐThatÓs not really a white-collar job, thatÓs just a factory job where you stay clean.Ñ

ItÓs just a factory job where youÓre in an office, but the mentality is still like a factory.

TheyÓre watching you. TheyÓre measuring everything you do. You donÓt have

freedom. You donÓt have creativity. YouÓre not really using your brain.

White-collar jobs require you to use your brain, require you to be creative, require you

to make decisions. So heÓs saying ÐThese jobs theyÓre just factory jobs in an office

and you can get carpel tunnel syndromeÑ at that job. Carpel tunnel is a problem with

your wrist, right, in your hand. It means you get pain, a lot of pain in your wrist and

your hand because youÓre typing too much on a computer.

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So people who just type, type, type on the computer a lot, sometimes they have this

problem where they get terrible pain in their hands because they never rest, theyÓre

just typing, typing, typing all day, every day. So that pain is called carpel tunnel

syndrome or just carpel tunnel. ItÓs that pain itÓs that problem that people get from

typing too much.

Our next word is petrified, petrified. He said ÐMost workers are petrified to break the

rules.Ñ To be petrified means to be very scared, to be super scared. TheyÓre scared to

break the rules. TheyÓre super scared, they are petrified, so to be petrified means to

be very, very scared, to be very, very, very afraid. To be petrified, petrified, very

afraid, very scared, petrified.

He said ÐMost workers are afraid to blow it.Ñ TheyÓre afraid to blow it. To blow it

means to fail or make a big mistake. So if weÓre talking about the past you say ÐMan, I

blew it! I really blew it.Ñ It means I really made a mistake. I made a big mistake. I

made a big mistake, I blew it. So Ðto blow itÑ, that phrase, that whole phrase means to

make a mistake and really to make a big mistake.

So he says most workers are afraid to blow it. TheyÓre afraid to make a big mistake.

Most people, in general, are afraid to blow it, theyÓre afraid to make mistakes. So

theyÓre careful, so they follow the rules because theyÓre afraid, because theyÓre

petrified.

He said ÐMost workers want to be given instructions. They donÓt want to invent

instructions.Ñ And, of course, invent means to create something new. So to invent

means to create something new, to make something thatÓs totally new. So if you

invent instructions you make new instructions, so he says thatÓs what you need to do.

DonÓt follow the old rules make new rules. Invent new ways of doing things. Invent,

create something new, to invent. So, again, to invent is to create something new, to

invent.

Next we have the word myth, myth. He said ÐWe, we workers, we invented the myth.

We created the myth that doing what your boss says is the best way to keep your job.Ñ

A myth is a story thatÓs not true. ThatÓs one meaning, it actually has several meanings.

It has other meanings, also, but in this situation it means an untrue story. ItÓs not real,

itÓs a story or a belief thatÓs not true, thatÓs not real.

So he says ÐWe believe that we should follow the rules. We should follow our boss to

keep our job. We believe that thatÓs the best way to keep a job, but itÓs a myth.Ñ ItÓs an

untrue story. ItÓs an untrue idea. ItÓs not true. ItÓs not the best way to keep your job.

ItÓs not the best way to improve in your career. ItÓs a myth, a myth. ItÓs an untrue

story, it is a myth. So, again, a myth is an untrue story or an untrue belief, a myth.

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Our next word is reflex. He said ÐNine times out of ten,Ñ so 90% of the time, Ða white-

collar workerÓs reflex is to ask ÒWhat do you think I should do?ÓÑ A reflex is an

automatic reaction. ItÓs a fast, automatic reaction. No thinking about it, itÓs automatic.

It happens automatically. So itÓs a reaction, right? Something happens and then you

react, you do something. ItÓs a reaction thatÓs automatic, a reflex, a reflex.

So heÓs saying most workersÓ reflex is just to ask ÐWhat do you think? Tell me what to

do.Ñ ThatÓs their natural reflex. ItÓs their first automatic reaction. So, for example, their

boss says ÐWell, what should we do?Ñ Most workersÓ reflex, most of them will react

and theyÓll say ÐAh, I donÓt know. What do you think we should do?Ñ

They ask the boss. ThatÓs their reflex, itÓs their first reaction. ItÓs their first action that

they do automatically. TheyÓre afraid to give their opinion. TheyÓre afraid to just do

something without asking. So thatÓs a reflex, an automatic reaction; your first

automatic reaction, reflex.

And thatÓs all. That is all of our vocabulary for ÐBreak Rules.Ñ

Next is the mini-story. I will see you next time, bye-bye.

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