📅 Sunday, March 22 · Morning Session · Topic: Weekly Review — Top 5 Words & Phrases ⏱ ~20 minutes · 🎯 Intermediate
Welcome to Sunday Review! 🎉 This week you covered five powerful topics — Technical, AI & Machine Learning, Architecture, Professional Communication, Career & Growth, and Social English. Today we consolidate the best of the best. Review each highlight, say it aloud, and use it once today.
🏆 Top 5 Highlights of the Week
1️⃣ Merge conflict (Monday — Technical)
/mɜːrdʒ ˈkɒnflɪkt/ 🇻🇳 Xung đột merge — khi hai nhánh Git thay đổi cùng một dòng code, Git không thể tự gộp chúng lại.
Why it matters: Every developer faces this weekly — being able to describe and discuss merge conflicts in English is essential for remote standups.
3 natural uses:
- “I’ve got a merge conflict on the auth branch — give me 10 minutes to resolve it.”
- “Always pull before you push to avoid merge conflicts with the main branch.”
- “The merge conflict was in the config file — two people changed the API endpoint at the same time.”
🔗 YouGlish — “merge conflict” | Atlassian Git Guide
2️⃣ Inference (Tuesday — AI & Machine Learning)
/ˈɪnfərəns/ 🇻🇳 Suy luận / chạy mô hình — quá trình một mô hình AI tạo ra kết quả từ dữ liệu đầu vào mới (khác với training).
Why it matters: You’ll hear this word constantly in AI/ML discussions — understanding the training vs. inference distinction sets you apart.
3 natural uses:
- “We optimized the model for inference speed so it responds under 200ms.”
- “Inference costs are much lower than training costs — we only train once a month.”
- “This LLM runs inference on-device, which means no data leaves the phone.”
🔗 YouGlish — “inference” | Cambridge Dictionary
3️⃣ Scalability (Wednesday — Architecture)
/ˌskeɪləˈbɪlɪti/ 🇻🇳 Khả năng mở rộng — hệ thống có thể xử lý tải tăng dần mà không cần thiết kế lại.
Why it matters: System design interviews always ask about scalability. Using this word fluently shows senior-level thinking.
3 natural uses:
- “We chose Kubernetes for scalability — it auto-scales pods based on traffic.”
- “The monolith worked fine at 1,000 users, but scalability became a real issue at 100,000.”
- “Horizontal scalability means adding more servers; vertical means upgrading existing ones.”
🔗 YouGlish — “scalability” | Cambridge Dictionary
4️⃣ Deliverable (Thursday — Professional Communication)
/dɪˈlɪvərəbl/ 🇻🇳 Kết quả bàn giao / đầu ra cụ thể — sản phẩm hoặc tài liệu cụ thể cần hoàn thành và giao cho khách hàng/stakeholder.
Why it matters: Used constantly in project meetings, status updates, and client emails. Sounds professional and precise.
3 natural uses:
- “What are the key deliverables for this sprint? I want to make sure we’re aligned.”
- “The main deliverable by end of Q1 is a working prototype with auth and dashboard.”
- “Let’s document the deliverables so everyone agrees on the definition of done.”
🔗 YouGlish — “deliverable” | Cambridge Dictionary
5️⃣ Catch up (Saturday — Social English)
/kætʃ ʌp/ 🇻🇳 Gặp để hàn huyên; cập nhật tin tức cho nhau — dùng cả trong xã giao lẫn môi trường làm việc.
Why it matters: One of the most natural, versatile phrases in everyday English — equally at home in a coffee chat or a team standup.
3 natural uses:
- “Let’s catch up after the demo — I want to hear how your project is going.”
- “Can you catch me up on what was decided in yesterday’s meeting? I missed it.”
- “It was great catching up with the team at the offsite — feels like we really reconnected.”
🔗 YouGlish — “catch up” | Cambridge Dictionary
📋 Weekly Vocabulary Table — Quick Reference
| Word / Phrase | Vietnamese | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| merge conflict | xung đột merge (Git) | 💻 Technical |
| inference | suy luận / chạy mô hình AI | 🤖 AI & ML |
| scalability | khả năng mở rộng hệ thống | 🏗️ Architecture |
| deliverable | kết quả bàn giao cụ thể | 💼 Professional |
| catch up | gặp gỡ/cập nhật tin tức | 🗣️ Social |
🎤 Pronunciation Focus — Word of the Week
“Deliverable” is the trickiest word this week. Many learners stress the wrong syllable.
Breakdown:
| Syllable | Sound | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| de- | /dɪ/ | Short “di” sound, like “did” without the -d |
| -LI- | /ˈlɪ/ | Stressed syllable — say this one louder and longer |
| -ver- | /vər/ | Reduced schwa — quick, soft “ver” |
| -a- | /ə/ | Schwa — almost disappears |
| -ble | /bl/ | Quick “bl” at the end |
✅ Correct: dih-LI-ver-uh-bul
❌ Common mistake: DEL-i-ver-able (wrong stress on first syllable)
🗣️ Practice Sentence — Read Aloud 3×
“Before we close the sprint, let’s confirm all deliverables, catch up on any blockers, and make sure the inference service has the scalability we need.”
✏️ Exercise 1 — Fill in the Blank
Choose the correct word: merge conflict / inference / scalability / deliverable / catch up
- “We need to discuss the project __________ — what exactly are we delivering to the client by Friday?”
- “The system lacks __________ — it crashes whenever we get more than 500 concurrent users.”
- “There’s a __________ in the feature branch. Two engineers edited the same function.”
- “The model’s __________ latency dropped from 800ms to 180ms after we switched to quantization.”
- “Let’s __________ on the design decisions — I was out sick and missed the meeting.”
✅ Click to reveal answers
- deliverable
- scalability
- merge conflict
- inference
- catch up
✏️ Exercise 2 — Translate to English
Translate these sentences into natural English using this week’s vocabulary:
- “Hệ thống của chúng ta thiếu khả năng mở rộng — chúng ta cần thiết kế lại kiến trúc.”
- “Tôi đã bỏ lỡ cuộc họp hôm qua, bạn có thể cập nhật cho tôi không?”
- “Kết quả bàn giao chính của sprint này là API hoạt động được với đầy đủ tài liệu.”
✅ Click to reveal suggested answers
- “Our system lacks scalability — we need to redesign the architecture.”
- “I missed yesterday’s meeting — can you catch me up?”
- “The main deliverable for this sprint is a working API with full documentation.”
💡 Idiom of the Week
”Get the ball rolling”
/ɡɛt ðə bɔːl ˈroʊlɪŋ/ 🇻🇳 Bắt đầu / khởi động mọi thứ — dùng khi muốn bắt đầu một dự án, cuộc họp, hoặc quy trình.
2 examples:
- “I’ve drafted the initial scope — let’s get the ball rolling on this project before the end of the week.”
- “Who wants to get the ball rolling on the weekly review? I’ll start if no one objects.”
📺 Recommended Watching — Weekly Review Picks
- Pronunciation with Emma — Word Stress Masterclass — Perfect for nailing multi-syllable words like “deliverable” and “scalability”
- English with Lucy — Business Vocabulary — Natural business English phrases in context
- TechLead — Developer Communication Tips — Real senior-engineer vocabulary in action (merge conflicts, architecture discussions)
🎯 Sunday Challenge
Pick any 3 of this week’s 5 words and:
- ✍️ Write one original sentence with each in your notes or a chat message
- 🗣️ Say each word aloud 5 times — check your pronunciation with YouGlish
- 📱 Use at least one of them naturally in a real conversation today (Slack, WhatsApp, a standup, or even a text to a friend)
💬 Bonus challenge: Try to use “get the ball rolling” in a sentence at work or with friends this week!
📊 Your Week in Review
| Day | Topic | Key Word |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 💻 Technical | merge conflict |
| Tue | 🤖 AI & ML | inference |
| Wed | 🏗️ Architecture | scalability |
| Thu | 💼 Professional Communication | deliverable |
| Fri | 🚀 Career & Growth | (keep building!) |
| Sat | 🗣️ Social English | catch up |
| Sun | 🏆 Weekly Review | all of the above |
🌅 Great work this week! Consistency beats intensity — 20 minutes a day compounds into fluency. See you Monday for a new week of Tech English! 💪