Sunday Morning: Weekly Review & Best Of
Sunday is the best day to consolidate what you’ve learned this week. Instead of studying new content, review is how words move from short-term to long-term memory. When you revisit vocabulary in a new context, your brain strengthens the neural pathways that store it — and that’s how “I sort of know this word” becomes “I use this word naturally.” Let’s run through this week’s best words and make sure they stick.
Top 5 Words of the Week
1. concise /kənˈsaɪs/ — ngắn gọn, súc tích
From Thursday: Professional Communication — Email Writing
Say it slowly: con-SICE. The stress is on the second syllable. The final “s” is voiced like a “z” sound.
Fresh example:
“His technical spec was incredibly concise — one page, three diagrams, zero ambiguity. The whole team shipped it without a single clarification meeting.”
Why it matters: In tech, concise writing saves hours of back-and-forth. Every PR description, Slack message, and email is a chance to practice.
2. leverage /ˈliːvərɪdʒ/ — tận dụng lợi thế
From Friday: Career & Salary Negotiation
Say it slowly: LEE-ver-ij. Three syllables. The first is long. Don’t say “lev-rage” — that’s a common mistake.
Fresh example:
“She leveraged her experience building microservices at her previous company to negotiate a Staff Engineer title from day one.”
Why it matters: This word appears constantly in performance reviews, job interviews, and leadership conversations. Mastering it signals professional maturity.
3. mingle /ˈmɪŋɡəl/ — giao lưu, trò chuyện
From Saturday Morning: Social English & Networking
Say it slowly: MING-gəl. The “ng” is one sound — like the end of “ring.” Don’t separate it into “min-gul.”
Fresh example:
“The engineering all-hands ended early, so we had 30 minutes to mingle with the product and design teams — I finally put faces to Slack names.”
Why it matters: Tech conferences, team offsites, and company events all involve mingling. Knowing this word — and doing it — builds cross-functional relationships.
4. vibe /vaɪb/ — không khí, cảm giác
From Saturday Noon: Social Phrases
Say it slowly: VIBE. One syllable. Rhymes with “tribe.” It’s casual but extremely common in modern English.
Fresh example:
“The new open-plan office has a totally different vibe — more collaborative, louder, but somehow more energizing than the old setup.”
Why it matters: Native speakers use “vibe” constantly in both casual and professional contexts. Knowing it helps you sound natural and understand what colleagues are saying.
5. unwind /ʌnˈwaɪnd/ — thư giãn, xả stress
From Saturday Evening: Weekend Social English
Say it slowly: un-WIND. Stress on the second syllable. The “wind” here rhymes with “find” — not the weather “wind.”
Fresh example:
“After three weeks of crunch mode before the release, the whole team took Friday afternoon off just to unwind — no meetings, no tickets, no standups.”
Why it matters: Work-life balance conversations use this word all the time. It’s also great for talking about your weekend plans in English.
Vocabulary Table: Idioms & Phrases of the Week
| Phrase | Vietnamese | This week’s context |
|---|---|---|
| break the ice | phá vỡ sự ngại ngùng | starting conversation at a networking event |
| on the same page | hiểu nhau, đồng thuận | aligning the team before a sprint begins |
| hit it off | hợp nhau ngay từ đầu | meeting a new collaborator for the first time |
| call it a night | kết thúc, về nghỉ | ending a team outing or late working session |
| it’s a wrap | xong rồi, kết thúc | finishing a sprint, demo, or project milestone |
Pronunciation Quick-Fire Round
Read each sentence aloud 3 times, as fast as you can while staying clear. Record yourself on the third try and listen back.
- “Let’s leverage this weekend to mingle with other tech teams and unwind.”
- “The vibe was great — we hit it off and got on the same page immediately.”
- “Concise communication is key — now let’s call it a night and wrap up the sprint.”
Tip: If you stumble on the same word every time, slow down and say just that word 5 times in isolation. Then rebuild the full sentence.
Exercise 1: Choose the Right Word
Fill in the blank with the correct word: concise / leverage / mingle / vibe / unwind
- “The conference had a fantastic _____ — everyone was open to collaboration.”
- “Can you _____ your frontend experience to help with this React migration?”
- “After a long sprint, I need a few hours to _____ before reviewing the code.”
- “Don’t just stand in the corner — go _____ with the other teams.”
- “Please keep your PR description _____ — two sentences max.”
Answers
- vibe — atmosphere/feeling of an event
- leverage — use your advantage strategically
- unwind — relax and decompress
- mingle — socialize and meet people
- concise — short and clear
Exercise 2: Fill in the Idiom
Complete the sentence with the correct idiom from this week.
- “Before we start the meeting, let’s _____ with a quick round of introductions.” (break the ice)
- “We need to make sure we’re all _____ before the demo tomorrow.” (on the same page)
- “Great work this week, team — let’s _____ and celebrate properly tomorrow.” (call it a night)
Answers
- break the ice — ease the tension and start conversation
- on the same page — everyone understands and agrees
- call it a night — end the session and go rest
Bonus Idiom of the Week
“Touch base” /tʌtʃ beɪs/ — Vietnamese: liên lạc lại, check in ngắn
This is one of the most common phrases in professional English — you’ll hear it in meetings, emails, and Slack every single week.
Examples:
“Let’s touch base after the weekend to make sure we’re still aligned on the roadmap.”
“Can you touch base with the client before Thursday? Just a quick 15-minute check-in.”
“I’ll touch base with the design team and loop you in on what they say.”
Note: “Touch base” comes from baseball, but today it’s purely a business phrase. It means a brief, informal check-in — not a full meeting. Use it when you want to sound professional without sounding formal.
Week Ahead Preview
Next week brings a full rotation of new topics:
- Technical vocabulary — terms engineers use daily in architecture and code review
- AI/ML terms — vocabulary for talking about models, agents, and pipelines
- Communication phrases — language for async collaboration and feedback
- Career skills — vocabulary for performance reviews and growth conversations
Best way to prepare: Tonight, before you sleep, read through the 5 words above one more time. Just 2 minutes. That final review before sleep is one of the most effective memory consolidation techniques known to researchers.
Sunday Challenge
Write a 3-sentence summary of your week in English, using at least 2 words from today’s review.
For example:
“This week was intense — I had to leverage my backend skills to unblock two teammates. The team vibe stayed positive despite the pressure. On Friday, we called it a night early and finally got to unwind.”
Options for where to write it:
- Voice note to yourself (speaking practice bonus)
- Private journal or notes app
- Sticky note on your desk
No one needs to read it. The goal is to activate the words in your own brain, in your own sentences, about your own life. That’s when vocabulary truly becomes yours.
See you tomorrow — Monday means a fresh set of words and a fresh start. Good luck!