“Cutting Edge”
In today’s world, companies are looking for excellent employees. They want to hire the best worker for each position. It can be difficult to find the perfect job because companies want the most innovative employees. They are looking for people who know about the newest technology and the latest skills. Your resume must be very impressive in order to find the perfect job today. You need to have skills that are on the cutting edge.
When something is on the cutting edge, it is the newest and best. It is very common to hear people talking about cutting-edge technology. This might include the latest computer or a new computer program. People can also be on the cutting edge. If you’re on the cutting edge, you know about the newest ideas in your industry. In order to be on the cutting edge, you need to study new information and practice new skills. This can help you find a wonderful job, and you will feel very pleased.
In today’s lesson, you will meet four new characters who want to be on the cutting edge of things.
Kelsey: Hello! Are you Dominique?
Dominique: Hi! Yes! You must be Kelsey. It’s great to meet you!
Kelsey: Thank you!
Dominique: So, I read your resume. It’s very impressive. I want my company to be on the cutting edge of things. The latest, the greatest, the best. I have a few ideas, but I want to make sure my employees are ready for that. Do you think you’re ready for that?
Kelsey: Absolutely! In fact…
Dominique: Oh!
Dominique: There are several people interested in the position, but I was really impressed with your resume. What do you think your strengths are?
Andy_H: Organization. For sure. I am very organized. In fact, I brought this….
Dominique: I am very impressed…
Sheila: By my resume. Absolutely. I know. I’m very impressive.
Kelsey: I really like to travel, and I like to meet people, and I want to work for you and your new company. So, if you hire me, I’d be very pleased… very pleased. Please, hire me.
Andy_H: And that brings us here.… Here, you’ll see how I used the extra time and money to build even more bookshelves for my office. And I became even more organized.
Sheila: I see. I have just a few more questions for you the job. And how long have you enjoyed travelling?
Dominique: Since I was a kid. My family used to go on trips during the summer. I just love seeing new things.
Kelsey: It sounded better this morning.
Dominique: Thank you. That was an innovative and new way to answer my questions. Very cutting edge!
Dominique is starting a new company, and she wants it to be on the cutting edge. Today, she is interviewing possible employees. First, she meets with Kelsey, who is very excited about this opportunity. She even wrote a song because she hopes Dominique will hire her. Dominique enjoys Kelsey’s innovative interview style.
Next, Dominique meets with Andy. Organization is Andy’s greatest skill. He is very happy to share his organizational abilities with Dominique. He explains how he can save her both time and money. Finally, it is time for Dominique to interview Sheila. However, Sheila interviews her instead. Dominique thinks that Sheila’s resume is very impressive.
What was your best interview experience? Do you like working on the cutting edge?
Count and Noncount Nouns
Dominique asks Andy what his skills are, and he says, “Organization. For sure. I am very organized.” He uses a noncount noun.
Count nouns are nouns you can count. They are individual units, and they can be cut into parts. Some examples of count nouns include tree, house, boy, girl, country, city, or idea.
Count nouns can be pluralized. We can have three trees, two girls, or many ideas. It is possible to use the articles a and an with count nouns, when there is only one of them. For example, “I met a cute boy today,” or, “That’s an interesting idea.”
Noncount nouns are nouns that can’t be counted or broken into parts. These nouns cannot be pluralized. They have no plural form. Liquids such as coffee or water, concepts such as love or peace, and collective nouns such as furniture or luggage are all examples of noncount nouns.
Noncount nouns cannot be used with the articles a or an. To show the quantity of a noncount noun, we use expressions like some, much, less, a lot of, a little of, etc. For example, “I have a lot of furniture in my house,” or, “This guidebook doesn’t have much information about French culture.”
When Andy talks about organization, he is using a noncount noun that describes a concept. This concept is the ability to be organized and neat. But be careful! The word organization has a different meaning, too. It can also describe a business or group of people. This version of the word is a count noun. There can be many different organizations or businesses.
Which is correct, “Organizations is my greatest skill as a worker,” or, “Organization is my greatest skill as a worker”?