English vocabulary: pointer

Transcript

Welcome to 2-minute English — real-life authentic examples that teach you business English vocabulary, slang, idioms, and more! All in just two minutes a day.

Today’s word is "pointer."

Many of my students ask me for advice and pointers about how to improve their English.

Pointer

Meaning
A pointer is useful piece of advice about something. Pointers are often short and simple. Synonyms for pointer include “tip” and “bit of advice”

Examples

Could you give me a few pointers about how to set up my spam filter in Outlook?

Julie asked her boss for some pointers about dealing with difficult customers.

Pointer

Authentic example

Today’s authentic example comes from CNN:

[Mark Horstman] has co-founded a free web site called Manager Tools (http://www.manager-tools.com) that offers down-to-earth, step-by-step pointers on what he calls “the blocking and tackling of management: how to coach, how to give feedback, how to run meetings, how to interview job applicants.” It’s a great resource for anyone seeking specific, detailed guidance — refreshingly free of buzzwords — on these and many other aspects of being a boss.

That’s all for 2-minute English for today. We’ll see you next time!

Look up pointer in the dictionary!

See how the word pointer is used.