Diamond market -- Irena -- 08/29/2015 We talked about the amazing facts about diamonds. ****Serious issues**** crab & crabpot: I tend to drop the first consonant when two consonants are next to each other. It can cause serious issues such "crabpot" might be heard as "crappot" (which is a *big" problem!) in a taxi: not "on a taxi". I think I confused "on a taxi" with "on a bus". It is ok to say "on a bus", but it would throw people off if I say "on a taxi" (no one can be on a taxi very long when a taxi is moving.) ************************: Corrections: wide-spread: not "wide-spreaded". One can use this phrase to say "wide-spread flu". A similar word would be "epidemic". conquer/enter the market: more natural than "to match into the market" in the context "De Beers entered the American market in 1938". The difference seems to be nuance, but "conquer the market" has a very clear purpose, while "to match into the market" sounds less purposeful. 0/2/3 times vs. 1 time: 0 times is a very weird way to use "times". Unless it is a specific one thing (1 time), "times' is usually used for 0, 2, 3 times. (ok, 0 times...) Amazed with: not "amazed by". Vocabulary: summer/winter bug: An infection got in summer or winter. to propose vs. to do/make a proposal: to propose with a diamond ring. combine vs. merge vs. consolidate: Multiple companies consolidated into one entity. "Consolidated" is especially a good word in this sentence. In fact, the full name of De Beers was De Beers Consolidation Ltd. cartel: an agreement reached by multiple parties. crash vs. impact: De Beers tried to inhibit buyers from selling diamonds to reduce the crash/impact from secondary market. inculcate: repeatedly feed something into the brain. High school girls were inculcated into believing diamonds were what they needed from their future brides. groom: The groom and the bride were high schools classmates. Pronunciation: real estate: "es" as in "east" (US). Others: American Dream sounds like another coax to make people believe spending their money on cars and houses are worthwhile. The next one next: (hmm, I can't remember when this phrase was used).