B1 · Module 07 · Class 27 — The Marco Conversation
Narrative Scene
The Last Conversation
Marco had done well. Santiago believed that. The fieldwork had been thorough, the Chilean interviews had been better than anyone expected, and Marco had grown significantly over the six months.
But Marco had also made three errors that Santiago had absorbed quietly: a stakeholder briefing sent to the wrong contact list, a risk estimate that Santiago had recalculated before it reached Claire, and a field report that had overstated Isabel Fuentes's level of commitment.
Santiago had not forgotten covering for him. He had not stopped thinking about whether it had been the right call.
He decided to address it now — not punitively, not in front of anyone else, and not by email. In person. Before Phase 3 began.
"I want to talk about the engagement," he said when Marco sat down. "What went well, and what I need you to work on going into Phase 3. And I need to be honest with you about some things I handled that you should have handled."
Marco was quiet. "The field report," he said. "I knew you'd changed it."
"Yes," Santiago said. "Let's talk about why."
Vocabularycover (for sb) — to take responsibility for someone else's mistake without telling others field error — a mistake made during on-site or client-facing work, not in the office constructive feedback — criticism given with the intention of helping someone improve Phase 3 role — the specific responsibilities assigned to a team member for the next project phase calibrate (expectations) — to adjust what someone expects to make it more realistic performance note — a formal written record of feedback given to a team member, kept on file overstated — presented as more significant or certain than the evidence supports recalibrate — to adjust a professional approach or expectation based on new evidence independently verified — confirmed by a separate source, not just the original reporter going forward — from this point on; used to introduce a new expectation or protocol |
No-Change Pairs + Full Integration
Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive with no difference in meaning. These are worth knowing because learners often over-correct and avoid one form unnecessarily.
No-Change Pairs — Gerund or Infinitive: Same Meaning
Verb | With gerund | With infinitive |
begin | He began reviewing the report at nine. | He began to review the report at nine. |
start | She started addressing the team directly. | She started to address the team directly. |
continue | Santiago continued covering for Marco. | Santiago continued to cover for Marco. |
intend | I intend raising this before Phase 3 starts. | I intend to raise this before Phase 3 starts. |
like | She likes working with structured processes. | She likes to work with structured processes. |
hate | He hated admitting the error out loud. | He hated to admit the error out loud. |
prefer | Marco preferred working independently. | Marco preferred to work independently. |
Note: With "like / hate / prefer" in conditional or hypothetical contexts, the infinitive is more common: "I'd like to discuss this privately" (not "I'd like discussing").
Meaning-Change Pairs — Reminder and Extension
Verb + gerund (past event recalled) | Verb + infinitive (remembered / forgot duty) | Key test |
He remembered covering the error. (He covered it — he recalls doing this.) | He remembered to cover the error. (He did not forget his responsibility to cover it.) | Did the action happen BEFORE or AFTER the remembering? |
He forgot mentioning the overstated commitment. (He mentioned it — but forgot he had.) | He forgot to mention the overstated commitment. (He never mentioned it at all.) | Did the action happen at all? |
She stopped reviewing after page ten. (She was reviewing — she stopped the activity.) | She stopped to review the report. (She interrupted something else in order to review it.) | Did "stopping" end the action, or enable it? |
Try softening the language — see if it helps. (Experiment with an approach.) | I tried to soften the language but it still felt blunt. (Made an effort — difficult or unsuccessful.) | Is "try" an experiment or a struggle? |
Integration — Using All Three Verb Patterns Together
Professional writing and speech at B1 level uses all three patterns fluidly. Study how they combine in a single paragraph:
"I want to start by acknowledging [gerund] what went well. You managed to complete [infinitive] all thirteen interviews without missing a single contact. I recommend continuing to use [infinitive] that approach in Phase 3."
"But I also need to stop covering [gerund — meaning: end the activity] for errors that affect the client relationship. I forgot to tell [infinitive — duty not performed] you about the field report change at the time. I should have told you. Going forward, I expect you to flag [obj+inf] any uncertainty before it reaches the client." |
Phrasal Verbsown up to (sth) — to admit responsibility for a mistake openly: "Marco owned up to the field report error without being prompted." iron out (sth) — to resolve a small but persistent problem: "They spent thirty minutes ironing out the expectations for Phase 3." move on from (sth) — to leave a problem or difficult event behind and continue: "Santiago wanted to address the errors once, then move on from them." |
Santiago's Written Performance Note + Marco's Reply
After the conversation, Santiago writes a brief performance note and sends it to Marco for acknowledgement. Marco replies the same day. Read both — notice how all three verb-pattern categories appear throughout.
FROM: [email protected] SUBJECT: Vantage Engagement — Performance Note (for acknowledgement)
Marco,
Following our conversation this afternoon, I want to document the feedback I gave you and the commitments we both made. This note is for your file.
WHAT WENT WELL You managed to complete the full fieldwork programme on schedule. I continue to consider your Chile interviews among the strongest outputs of this engagement. I intend to ask you to lead the Phase 3 operational track.
AREAS TO DEVELOP Three outputs required revision before reaching the client: the stakeholder distribution list, the risk estimate in the interim brief, and the Chile field report. I made those revisions without telling you at the time. I should have raised them directly — I recommend being more transparent about corrections going forward, and I expect you to flag any uncertainty before submitting.
Specifically: the field report overstated Isabel Fuentes's level of commitment. Try using language like "indicated willingness to consider" rather than "confirmed support" unless you have independently verified the position.
GOING FORWARD I am asking you to stop submitting client-facing documents without a second read. I will offer to review anything uncertain before it goes out. I would like you to start treating client commitment language as a separate category that always requires verification.
Please acknowledge receipt by return.
Santiago Reyes |
FROM: [email protected] SUBJECT: RE: Vantage Engagement — Performance Note (for acknowledgement)
Santiago,
Acknowledged. I appreciate you taking the time to raise this directly.
I remember changing the language in the final Chile report before sending. I did not remember making it stronger than the evidence supported — I thought I was just making it more confident. I can see the difference now.
I agree to flag any uncertainty on commitment language before submission. I will try to be more careful about the distinction between "indicated" and "confirmed." And I will stop submitting without a second read — understood.
Thank you for handling this the way you did.
Marco |
Practice Exercises
5 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
I intend ___ (raise) this directly because I believe you can develop from it.
I recommend ___ (use) verified language before
I forgot ___ (tell) you about the revision at the time.
I expect you ___ (flag) any uncertainty directly. Do not stop
I will continue ___ (support) your development, provided you start
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