Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction
We often hear that it is not the one who participates in some form of training that has to adapt to
the school system, but, on the contrary, it is the school system itself that has to adapt to the one
who is trained. With this project we envisaged the creation of an interactive training system that
could offer the user, irrespective of level (undergraduate or graduate), the possibility to develop
linguistic self-awareness as they learn general and economic English, especially for the
petroleum field.
With the interactive system the users can learn at their own pace, the system being capable of
adapting to the users individual needs. By means of numerous self-assessment units (Controlled
Practice within each of the fifteen units, the initial and the final tests), the system can offer the
user items of information that are to be processed as well as the possibility to obtain and
consolidate knowledge.
Each unit has the following structure: Pre-reading, Reading (each Reading contains Listening: a
native speaker reads the texts, so that the user can familiarise themselves with the right English
pronunciation), Ways with Words (based on vocabulary exercises), Grammar Reference (that
contains theoretical explanations), followed by Controlled Practice, made up of one to four types
of assessment units. The user interested in completing the exercises contained in Ways with
Words is asked to fill in the answers and send them as attachment to their teacher of English. The
user may also use the chat module and make searches in the databases containing (EnglishRomanian dictionary, English-English dictionary, several phrases, lists of verbs, prepositional
verbs and adjectives, etc.) from: http://www.informatica.upg-ploiesti.ro/engleza/
Contents
Unit 1 ............................................................................................................. 4
Pre-Reading Tasks ...................................................................................................................... 4
Reading ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Ways with words......................................................................................................................... 5
Grammar Reference .................................................................................................................... 8
The verb to be ......................................................................................................................... 8
The demonstrative pronoun and adjective .............................................................................. 8
Question forms ........................................................................................................................ 8
Controlled practice ...................................................................................................................... 8
Unit 2 ........................................................................................................... 10
Pre-reading tasks ....................................................................................................................... 10
Reading ..................................................................................................................................... 10
Ways with words....................................................................................................................... 11
Grammar reference ................................................................................................................... 13
The personal pronoun ........................................................................................................... 13
Mood, tense and aspect ......................................................................................................... 13
Present Simple ...................................................................................................................... 13
Present Continuous ............................................................................................................... 14
Controlled practice .................................................................................................................... 14
Unit 3 ........................................................................................................... 17
Pre-reading tasks ....................................................................................................................... 17
Reading ..................................................................................................................................... 17
Ways with words....................................................................................................................... 17
Grammar reference ................................................................................................................... 20
Verbs which do not take a continuous aspect in English ...................................................... 20
The Imperative ...................................................................................................................... 21
The possessive pronoun and the posessive adjective ............................................................ 21
Controlled practice .................................................................................................................... 21
Unit 4 ........................................................................................................... 23
Pre-reading tasks ....................................................................................................................... 23
Reading 1 .................................................................................................................................. 23
Ways with words 1.................................................................................................................... 23
Reading 2 .................................................................................................................................. 24
Ways with words 2.................................................................................................................... 24
Grammar Reference .................................................................................................................. 25
Classification of nouns .......................................................................................................... 25
Number of nouns................................................................................................................... 26
The Genitive.......................................................................................................................... 26
Controlled practice .................................................................................................................... 26
Unit 5 ........................................................................................................... 29
Pre-reading tasks ....................................................................................................................... 29
Reading ..................................................................................................................................... 29
Ways with words....................................................................................................................... 29
Grammar Reference .................................................................................................................. 34
Past Simple............................................................................................................................ 34
Past Continuous .................................................................................................................... 35
Past Simple and Past Continuous.......................................................................................... 36
Expressions of quantity ......................................................................................................... 36
The Adjective ........................................................................................................................ 36
The order of adjectives in a series......................................................................................... 37
Controlled practice .................................................................................................................... 37
Unit 1
Pre-Reading Tasks
Whats your name?
How old are you?
Where do you live?
What do you specialise in?
Reading
Read the following text about Mihaela Vlad, a student in Romania:
My name is Mihaela Vlad and I am a student in the Faculty of Economic Sciences at Petroleum-Gas University of
Ploieti. I come from Arad, a town in the West of Romania. I came here to study because I have always been keen
on economics and I really hope to learn many useful things here.
Im studying Spanish and English, and I can speak Spanish well and a little English. I improved my Spanish when I
went on a two-month holiday to my aunt in Spain. I also hope that in a short time I will improve my English, as, on
the one hand, it is very useful to speak foreign languages and on the other hand, I might need it for my future job. In
Romania there are lots of foreign companies where I can work if I am fluent in one or two foreign languages.
Today, when English is one of the major languages in the world, it doesnt require too much effort of our
imagination to realise that this is a relatively recent thing - that people started to import English in the seventeenth
century, with the first settlements in North America. As I could read in an article, one person in seven of the worlds
entire population speaks English nowadays and most of them are quite fluent in it. Incredibly enough, due to the
extension of computerized systems and software which are mostly in English, 75% of the worlds mail and 60% of
the worlds telephone calls are in English. Again incredibly, yet true is the fact that 200 million people speak
English and every year there are twenty million beginners. International literary, scientific and economic
publications are very often printed in English.
So, the quicker I learn it, the more opportunities I may have to read interesting materials connected to my field and
to get a good job in the future.
Everyday English
Practise saying the letters of the alphabet according to the vowel sounds:
/ei/
a
h
j
l
k
/i:/
b
c
d
e
g
p
t
v
/e/
f
l
m
n
s
x
z
/ai/
i
y
/u/
o
/u:/
q
u
w
/a:/
r
c) Thanks
9. You thank me for holding the door open and my response may be, .
a) Its nothing
b) c) Please
d) Nothing
10. You meet a friend at the airport on arrival and you may say, ..London!
a) Welcome to
b) Be welcome to
c) Welcome in
d) I wish you welcome to
11. Someone asks you how you are and you answer, , thanks.
a) Good
b) Very good
c) Fine
d) Very fine
12. Your friend is waiting for you to finish what you are doing and you say, ..
a) One moment
b) A moment
c) One minute
d) Just a minute
13. You are attending an interview and the interviewer says, .
a) Sit yourself
b) Take a seat
c) Sit
d) Sit you
14. The class stands up as you enter the room and you say,
a) Sit yourselves
b) Take a seat
c) Sit down
d) Sit
15. This is what you say to a friend on January 1st: .New Year!
a) Lucky
b) Happy
c) Merry
d) Good
5. In the text about Mihaela Vlad, you learned the expression on the one hand .... on the other hand which means pe
de o parte ... pe de alt parte.
Lets learn more expressions containing the preposition on:
to be on duty = a fi de serviciu;
on account of = pe baza, din cauz c, lund n consideraie c;
on and on = fr ntrerupere, la nesfrit;
and so on = i aa mai departe;
on this ground = din acest motiv;
to turn on/ to switch on (the light, the radio, etc.) = a deschide/ a aprinde (lumina, radioul,etc.);
on this assumption = pe baza acestei presupuneri;
on the basis of = pe baza;
on behalf of sb. = n numele cuiva, din partea cuiva;
on the contrary = din contr;
on record = cunoscut;
on the score of = ca rezultat;
on the verge of = pe punctul de, pe cale, n pragul;
on the whole = n general, n ntregime;
on demand = la cerere;
on condition that = cu condiia;
Grammar Reference
The verb to be
Affirmative
I am
Im
You are
Youre
He is
Interrogative
am I?
are you?
is he?
Hes
She is
Shes
is she?
It is
Its
We are Were
is it?
are we?
You are
Youre
are you?
They are
Theyre
are they?
Negative
I am not
You are not
You arent
He is not
isnt
She is not
isnt
It is not Its not
We are not
arent
You are not
arent
They are not
They arent
Im not
Youre
Plural
these
those
Question forms
Look at the following question words:
What do you do for a living? - Im an accountant.
Who is your teacher of English? Joan Smith is.
Where is Madrid? - In Spain.
When do you start the meeting? - On Friday, May, 2nd.
Why are you learning English? - Because I need it for my job.
How do you come to Ploieti? - By train.
Whose are these papers? - They are Victors.
What and which can be followed by a noun.
What time is it?
What kind of chemistry do you study?
Which pen do you want, the blue one or the green one?
How can be followed by an adjective or an adverb.
How old are you?
How often do you play football?
Controlled practice
1. Translate into English:
Hes not / He
Form
Short answer
Are you a student in Management?
Yes, I am. No, Im not.
Is she an accountant?
Yes, she is. No, she isnt.
The demonstrative pronoun and adjective
Form
Reference
Singular
near reference
this
distant reference
that
not
not
Unit 2
Pre-reading tasks
Have you ever written a case study? What parts does it include?
Reading
Read the following case study on Fournier et CIE. Then read and
translate the article on Fournier et CIE published in an economic
magazine. Pay attention to the present tenses:
Fournier et CIE is a medium-sized company producing for export handmade shoes and gloves in natural materials. They obtained good prices
for their fashionable designs. Yet customers are dissatisfied with the
standard of the materials which seem to be too loosely woven. Another
complaint is that deliveries are not prompt, which makes impossible for
the customers to maintain satisfactory stock levels and fulfil their sale
schedules.
In order to solve their problems, they had a meeting with one of their
most important clients, Mr. Jacobson. The general manager was not
present due to health problems.
Here is the minutes of the meeting.
Today, April, 26, 2002, we had a short meeting in order to solve the problem of delivery and the complaints
concerning the standard materials.
Mr. Jacobson explained that the moment his company saw the samples of our hand-made lines, he was authorized to
discuss the terms of an order with us and negotiate a contract. Yet the quality of the standard materials was much
better at that time, as he showed us two different types of gloves and shoes, and consequently the difference in
texture.
Mrs. Higgins, our production manager explained that due to the extended needs of materials, we changed the
supplier of materials, yet Mr. Jacobson had been told about this two months before this change, and he had been also
sent the standard materials at that time, when he approved their quality.
Mr. Jacobson mentioned that delivery order no. 3425 had a problem, in the sense that the material of the summer
shoes seemed to be too loosely woven and was inclined to pull out of shape. He said that his representatives relied
on the high quality of the materials we sent them and they were all the more disappointed in the case because we
supplied the cloth to new customers.
Mrs. Higgins assured him of a better quality in the future.
The problem of delivery will also be solved, as we had to solve out problems of cloth delivery last week. As we
couldnt possibly allow this situation to continue, we had to make our supplier understand that unless they could
guarantee to deliver supplies by the dates specified in future orders, we would be forced to look for another supplier.
No longer excellent merchandise for their customers?
Several weeks ago we published an incredible story of a medium-sized company producing for export hand-made
shoes and gloves in natural materials which amazingly succeeded in attracting customers, due to their excellent
products.
Yet it seems that every dream is over sooner or later. Fournier et CIE experiences difficulties with their biggest
customer, R&T Lines. Today they obtained good prices for their fashionable designs. In a meeting today, the
representative of R&T Lines explained that his staff is dissatisfied with the standard of the materials which seem to
be too loosely woven. How could this happen? Higgins, the one in charge of production seems not to know. Yet the
answer is very simple: the moment Fournier et CIE extended, they realized that they needed more suppliers of
materials, and due to good prices they also accepted lower offers, as well as lower quality. The truth is somewhere in
the middle, as Jacobson answered our questions in a very ambiguous manner: Yes, I knew about the change of the
supplier. He also admitted that he had approved the standard material for order no 3425.
Yet it seems that indeed they are experiencing problems, as this is not the only unsatisfied customers. The problem
of delivery will be solved, according to Higgins: We had to solve out problems of cloth delivery last week. Yet,
should we really believe that? Clients are quite fed up with promises. They want facts. It seems that the great boon
the company had in the beginning has changed a lot nowadays, unfortunately. Probably they need a new company
policy and a new board.
step up
pick up
Now replace the words in italics in the following sentences with the following phrasal verbs.
a. Before preparing the contract, may I go over one or two points again, please?
b. We have to increase our work-rate if we are going to get the accounts finished in time.
c. If Im going to have any chance of becoming a member of the Board, Ill have to start playing golf.
d. Id like to mention the subject of expense claims at our next meeting.
e. (Chairman, at a meeting).Your point is interesting, Donna, but Id like to discuss it later, if I may.
f. We must consider all the possibilities before we decide which market to enter.
g. I start my new appointment next month.
h. We didnt get many orders last quarter but now sales have improved.
4. Choose the colour (you will need to use some words more than once)
black
green
red
blue
grey
white
brown
pink
yellow
a. In most countries, goods that are scarce are usually freely available on the market
provided you have the money to pay for them.
b. You can argue with her until youre in the face, but once shes made up her mind she
wont listen to you, no matter what you say.
c. After several weeks of discussions, the group were given the . light, and could finally go
ahead with the new project.
d. Theres no point in asking my boss for a day off next week. Im in her . books at the
moment so shes bound to say no.
e. She had only recently had lunch with her cousin, so the news of his death came as bolt from the
f. Although we got a lot of nice wedding presents, we also got one or two elephants.
g. There is a common prejudice that girls who are very beautiful must automatically be lacking in
. matter so-called dumb blondes.
h. Next Friday is a .-letter day for my sister and her husband; its their 25th anniversary.
i. After sunbathing for two hours every day, Joanna was as as a berry.
j. The managing directors reference to the forthcoming sales conference was a . herring. He just
wanted to get off the subject of this months poor sales figures.
k. She went as . as a sheet when she heard about the accident.
l. If there was a war, I dont think Id fight. Ive got too much of a .. streak. Id be terrified of
getting killed.
m. Im sorry, James, I refuse to believe it unless you can show it to me in .. and !
n. Ever since Tom got that huge order with Saudi-Arabia hes been the bosss ..-eyed boy.
o. Dont mention the present government in front of my father; its like a . rag to a bull.
p. I was with envy when my neighbour drove up in a brand-new Jaguar.
q. By the way, Joyce, my husband was tickled .. at your asking him to judge the flower
show.
r. For some reason, Swedish films are often synonymous with . films, which is very strange
as there is relatively little pornography in Sweden.
s. Sometimes it is better to tell a . lie than to hurt someones feelings.
t. My wife always goes bright whenever she gets embarrassed.
5. Put each of the following phrases in its correct place in the sentences below.
out of the blue
in black and white
once in a blue moon
a black sheep
to have green fingers
green with envy
in the red
to catch someone red-handed
red tape
a. The offer of a job sounded very good on the phone but I wont believe it till I have it
b. I must remind you that this is a non-smoking office. I suspect that some of you have been smoking. If I
happen Im afraid it will mean dismissal.
c. To import firearms into Britain youll have to fill in a lot of forms. Theres a lot of
Grammar reference
The personal pronoun
The nominative. Form
Person
First person
Second person
Third person
Singular
I
you
he - masculine
she - feminine
it - objects and animals
The accusative/The dative. Form
Person
First person
Second person
Third person
Plural
we
you
they
Singular
(to) me
(to) you
(to) him
(to) her
(to) it
Plural
(to) us
(to) you
(to) them
Present Simple
Present Simple is used to express:
a repeated action or habit (it is often used with adverbs of frequency such as: always, constantly, continually,
ever, frequently, forever, hardly, never, normally, occasionally, often, rarely, regularly, seldom, sometimes,
usually, etc.):
I usually get up at 7.30.
Japanese people like to travel.
Most evenings we stay in.
a fact which is always true (general truths and states):
Wood floats on water.
The Earth moves round the Sun.
The Danube floats into the Black Sea.
a fact which is true for a long time
I live in Ploiesti.
She works in a bank.
Present Simple is used in explanations, demonstrations and stage directions:
Her drawing shows two parts of a hyperbolic curve.
I add flour to the egg yolks and place the basin into the oven.
The door bell rings. She listens quietly. A window opens and a masked man enters the room.
Form
Affirmative Interrogative
Negative
I work
Do I work?
I do not (dont) work
You work
Do you work?
You do not (dont) work
He works
Does he work?
He does not (doesnt) work
She works
Does she work? She does not (doesnt) work
It works
Does it work?
It does not (doesnt) work
We work
Do we work?
We do not (dont) work
You work
Do you work?
You do not (dont) work
They work
Do they work?
They do not (dont) work
Short answer
Do you like spring?
Yes, I do.
Does he speak French?
No, he doesnt.
Present Continuous
Present Continuous is used to express:
an activity happening now or around now
They are watching TV in their bedroom now.
I am living with my parents this week.
a planned future arrangement:
Im meeting them at 11 oclock tomorrow.
Form
Present Continuous is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb be followed by the indefinite participle of
the main verb (verb+-ing).
Affirmative
Interrogative
Negative
I am working
Am I working?
I am not working
You are working
Are you working?
You are not (arent) working
He is working
Is he working?
He is not (isnt) working
She is working
Is she working?
She is not (isnt) working
It is working
Is it working?
It is not (isnt) working
We are working
Are we working?
We are not (arent) working
You are working
Are you working?
You are not(arent) working
They are working
Are they working?
They are not (arent) working
Short answer
Are you coming?
Yes, I am. No, Im not.
Is she watching TV?
Yes, she is. No, she isnt.
Controlled practice
1. Translate the following sentences into English:
a. El este contabil la o companie important.
b. Ei nu vorbesc engleza, dar noi i putem ajuta.
c. Pe ea o vd la curs, dar pe el nu l vd.
d. mi ofer o carte de contabilitate, pentru c el are dou exemplare.
p. Jack often (go) to the theatre but his wife (not go) very often. He (like) all sorts of plays. She (prefer)
comedies.
q. Professor Brown (be) the perfect linguist. He already (speak) seven foreign languages. Now he (learn) an
eighth.
r. My dog always (bark) at the postman. But look at that! For once, he (be) friendly to the poor man.
s. They left for London an hour ago. I (wonder) whether they (travel) by airplane or by train.
t. He (walk) very slowly because the bottle he (carry) (hold) nitro-glycerine and nitro-glycerine (explode) if it
(be) shaken.
v. Let me explain what you have to do. First you (take) the photos and (sort) them into categories. Then you
(file) them according to subject.
w. The play is set in London in 1890. The action (take) place in Marys living-room. When the curtain (go)
up, the hero and heroine (sit) down. They (argue).
x. Dear Jane, sorry to hear about your problem at work. I (think) you (do) the right thing, but I (doubt)
whether your boss really (know) his job from what you (tell) me.
y. The house is a mess because weve got the workmen in. The plumber (put) in a new bath. The
electricians (rewire) the system and the carpenter (build) us some new bookshelves.
6. Translate into English:
a. Nu cred c te pot ajuta.
b. Mama gust ciorba s vad dac mai e nevoie de sare.
c. Nu beau cafea de obicei, dar astzi fac o excepie.
d. El merge cu autobuzul la coal n fiecare zi.
e. Noi nu nvm dect vinerea, smbta i duminica.
Unit 3
Pre-reading tasks
How did you hear about the distance learning department? Why have you chosen this specialisation?
Reading
Read the following presentation which was part of a project by which our university inaugurated courses within the
distance learning department. Pay attention to the aspect of the verbs (simple/ continuous aspect). Translate the text
into Romanian:
The specialisations in the Distance-Learning Department within Petroleum-Gas university of Ploiesti are:
Economic engineering in the mechanical field
Fiability of Petroleum and Petrochemical Equipment
Drilling-Production and Reservoir Engineering
Engineering of Environment Protection and Chemical and Petrochemical Industry
Petroleum Technology and Petrochemistry
Romanian Language and Literature- English Language and Literature
Accountancy and Administration Informatics
Primary School- Teachers: English/French
For the above-mentioned specialisations we identified three categories of potential candidates:
persons who want to improve their knowledge in the field of petroleum industry and refining, yet the
daily work programme and the distance from the only petroleum-gas university in Romania does not
allow them to enroll in a training programme (day courses, evening courses)
persons who want to specialise in very important fields such as accountancy, informatics, foreign
languages
primary school-teachers who, in order to compete with the new undergraduate educational system,
compatible with the European system, must attend the specialisation Primary School- Teachers:
English/French.
Within our university we could say that we have experience in such programmes due to the fact that we had a
project Leonardo da Vinci, in which we worked with our colleagues from Minho University from Portugal.
In the beginning the Distance-Learning Department will make use of the resources offered by the new IT Centre
(developed within the project 76/1999) which offers internet access, video-conference systems
Part of the course-books for our future students is already on magnetic support, as a result of the grant CNFIS
39691/2000. Some books which were previously published were up-dated last year. This will allow us to start
such a project in autumn. At the same time on the web www.ttr.lc.com (within the project of distance-learning
trainers training) we elaborated a course on informatics and communicational technologies which are necessary
in the training process as well as a course on pedagogical strategies which may be adapted to such distancelearning. A Plei@d Programme has been recently elaborated by a university from CNAM, Nantes, France.
There is a legal basis on distance learning organization and functioning: Romanian Government Decision no.
1214/07.12.2000. At the same time the standards for Authorizing the functioning of distance learning are
elaborated by C.N.E.AA (National Council of Authorizing and Academic Assessment), standards which may be
fulfilled by our department.
a) boss
b) chauffeur
c) chef
d) colleague
e) college
f) conductor
g) doctor
h) engineer
i) job
j) manager
k) mechanic
l) medicine
m) owner
n) police
o) policeman
p) professor
q) teacher
r) typist
s) typewriter
t) work
Grammar reference
Verbs which do not take a continuous aspect in English
There are verbs in English which generally are not used in the continuous aspect:
verbs of the senses (verbs of perception): see, hear, smell, taste, notice, recognize, etc.
I smell gas.
verbs of thinking: think, realize, know, understand, suppose, expect, remember, forget, mind, etc.
I dont remember your name.
verbs of having and being: have, own, owe, belong to, possess, be, contain, matter, hold, etc.
The house belongs to my mother.
I have a very good lathe.
verbs of emotion: love, hate, like, dislike, refuse, want, wish, forgive, etc.
I hate people calling me late at night.
He wants to buy a new tool.
The Imperative
The imperative is a mood which expresses an order, a command, a wish, a greeting, a piece of advice, a threat:
Come here!
Leave me alone!
Watch your step!
Lets go!
Form
The imperative has forms only for the second person singular and plural.
Affirmative
Negative
Get ready!
Dont get ready!
Start working!
Dont start working!
The possessive pronoun and the posessive adjective
The possessive pronoun. Form
Person
Singular
Plural
First person
mine
ours
Second person
yours
yours
Third person
his
theirs
hers
its
The possesive adjective. Form
Person
Singular
First person
my
Second person
your
Third person
his
her
its
Plural
our
your
their
Controlled practice
1. Translate into English:
a. Aceast sticl conine ap mineral.
b. Creionul Rotring este al Mariei.
c. Ursc s mi se cear s fac o lucrare de azi pe mine.
d. Ea are doar un curs de statistic i dou de finane.
e. Acest curs conine 14 capitole.
2. Decide which is the most appropriate form of the verb in the following sentences:
a. Im thinking/ I think of you.
b. She smells/ is smelling gas.
c. Mother is tasting/ tastes the soup to see if it needs more salt.
d. We have/ are having dinner now.
e. Could you call him back in twenty minutes as he has/ is having a bath right now.
3. Translate the following into English:
a. Servete-te i servete-i i pe ceilali!
b. Vino, te rog, la noi s ne ajui s rezolvm o problem de statistic.
c. i dai un deget i i ia toat mna!
d. Scrie tu proiectul la calculator, pentru c dup aceea trebuie s-l folosesc i eu.
e. Luai loc, v rog, doamn!
f. Nu pleca, pentru c nu am terminat proiectul!
g. Nu te apropia de firele acelea pentru c sunt sub tensiune.
h. Nu ncerca s m faci s m rzgndesc, pentru c o faci degeaba.
i. Du-te i vezi dac au terminat cursul.
Unit 4
Pre-reading tasks
What information should your CV contain?
What information should your letter of application contain?
Reading 1
Read the following CV. Can you find any improvements? Work with your mates and report your findings to the rest
of the class:
CURRICULUM VITAE
PERSONAL DETAILS
Name: Mihaela Vlad
Address: 23 Bvd. Bucureti
Ploieti 2000 Prahova
Telephone: 044165342
Date of birth: 1 January 1974
Nationality: Romanian
Languages: Fluent English; Conversational French
Computer literacy: Wordperfect, Lotus 1-2-3, Windows 2000, Math-Cad; Math-Lab.
EDUCATION
2000-2002: Master of Business and Administration - Petroleum-Gas University of Ploieti- CNAM Paris
1995-2000: Petroleum-Gas University of Ploieti- Faculty of Economic Sciences
A levels: Mathematics, Economy
WORK HISTORY
Sept. 2000-Sept. 2001: accountant at GPS Arad
Summer 1999-Summer 2000: college position: required to prepare accounts
Summer 1998: Bucharest Chemical Services - assistant
INTERESTS: cinema, theatre, reading
REFERENCES: available on request.
d. For the Work History section, it is vital to highlight your student activities.
e. Dont make up a list of names and addresses in your reference section. You should mention references
only if they are very impressive.
Reading 2
Here is the letter of application Mihaela Vlad has written. Skim through the letter and see what information the
applicant is conveying about himself:
23 Bvd Bucureti
Ploieti 200 Prahova
Mr A. D. Vlad
Personnel Manager
Petrom Bucureti
Ref.: chief accountant vacancy
Dear Mr. A. D. Vlad
I am writing to apply for the position of chief accountant that you advertised in Bursa on 5 October 2001, as I
believe it offers the career challenge which I am seeking.
As you will see from my enclosed Curriculum Vitae, I graduated from Petroleum-Gas University of Ploieti last
year, and then I have had a successful year working in a scientific environment with GPS Arad.
I would like to highlight the following skills which I believe would add value to your organization:
Organizational skills - developed in my current job with GPS Arad.
Accounting skills - developed in my role as university officer where I prepared annual reports and accounts and I
was responsible for a budget of 1,000,000,000 lei per annum.
Interpersonal skills - developed through working in a team environment in my current role and through a number
of holiday positions when I was a student.
I have a keen interest in accountancy and would appreciate the opportunity of an interview to discuss why I believe I
am good match for your requirements.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Mihaela Vlad
CONSTRUCT Ltd.
Romanian-Canadian company providing
expertise, human resources and equipment
for the construction industry
requires
Human Resource Officers
Applications are accepted from recent graduates of Sociology or Business Studies with some background in income
tax laws and computer literacy, or company management.
Applicants should be willing to work in teams and should be able to meet deadlines. Applicants should be fluent in
English and French.
Please enclose a current CV and your letter of application addressed to Mr Ion Pop, Human Resources
Manager, Construct (Romania) Ltd., 13, Piaa Roman, Bucharest.
3. Vocabulary building
An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another. For example, the opposite of short is long, the opposite of
old is young.
Complete the following sentences with words opposite in meaning to the words in italics.
e.g.
interesting He does not like his job because it is uninteresting.
a. satisfied
Workers become if their jobs offer no challenge.
b. conclusive Since the report was so no recommendations were made.
c. responsible
behaviour by staff can be costly to an organisation.
d. popular
Managers become if they fail to pay bonuses.
e. respect
No manager likes a subordinate to be .
f. secure
A worker who feels. in his job will probably not be committed to the firm he
works for.
g. social
People who work hours, for example at night-time, generally receive extra
pay.
h. efficient
Nowadays, it is not easy to get rid of an employee who is
4. Complete the following sentences with one suitable word meaning the opposite of the word in capital letters:
a. Jack much prefers being EMPLOYED to being ....
b. Alex did a number of TEMPORARY jobs before he managed to find a .... position.
c. The first shop he opened was a big SUCCESS but the second was a total ....
d. Many people would rather work .than FULL-TIME.
e. The management said salaries had INCREASED, but official reports showed that as a matter of fact they
had ..
Grammar Reference
Classification of nouns
Countable nouns
Uncountable nouns
a girl
water
a man
sugar
a tool
milk
a cup
music
an apple
weather
a guitar
money
a pound
oil/ petroleum
a car
coal
a well
gas
We can say two cups, four girls, ten pounds, twenty cars. We can count them. We cannot count sugar, water or oil.
Countable nouns can be singular or plural:
This cup is empty.
These cups are full.
Uncountable nouns can only be singular:
The water is cold.
The weather is fine.
Number of nouns
Form
Variable nouns form the plural in the following way:
-s is added to the singular:
books-books, tool-tools
-es is added to the singular nouns ending in -s, -z, -x, -ch, -sh, nouns ending in -y preceded by a consonant (-y
changes to i), nouns ending in -o:
bus-buses, box-boxes, match-matches, brush-brushes, city-cities; potato- potatoes (But: photo-photos)
-(e)s is added to nouns ending in -f(e) (which changes to -v):
knife-knives, leaf-leaves, shelf-shelves (But: roof-roofs)
Irregular plural nouns:
man-men, woman-women, foot-feet, tooth-teeth, goose-geese, louse-lice, mouse-mice, child-children, ox-oxen
Foreign plurals
stimulus-stimuli, larva-larvae, stratum-strata, basis-bases, criterion-criteria, phenomenon-phenomena, datum-data,
etc.
The Genitive
The analytical genitive is used with the preposition of, used with neuter nouns:
the tower of London, the colour of oil, the cover of the book, etc.
The synthetical genitive (s genitive) is used after:
nouns denoting persons or other beings:
Johns lecture, my parents advice
nouns denoting measurement, time, space, quantity, value:
a two months practice, yesterdays newspaper, a pounds worth of pears
collective nouns:
the governements decisions, the Parliaments laws
geographical names, vehicles, natural phenomena, etc.:
Englands mountains, the spaceships crew, the afternoons heat.
Controlled practice
1. Complete this newspaper article. Choose the correct singular or plural form in the brackets:
Johnson Factory for Milchester
The Johnson Clothing Company is going to build a new factory in Milchester. (This/These) news (was/were)
announced by company chairman Mr David Johnson yesterday. Mr Johnson spent the morning in Milchester
before returning to the Johnson headquarters at Edinburgh.
The Johnson company (has/have) been in existence for 100 years and (is/are) famous for its
(product/products). The slogans Youre never alone with a pair of Johnson (trouser/ trousers) and Johnson
(jean/jeans) (is/are) the (one/ones) for you are well known. The companys profit last year of two million
pounds (was/were) the highest in the clothing business.
Mr Johnson will not say how (much/many) new (job/jobs) there will be, but the information that there will be
(work/works) (is/are) hard to find at the moment, and 2,000 unemployed people (is/are) a high figure for a
small town.
2. Complete the following passage with the correct form of the words in the box below.
strategy
right
venture
personnel
finance
planning
drawback
expertise set up
delegate innovative
trust segment
skill
The problems of small high-tech firms have attracted a lot of attention recently. Research shows that many
of these firms are (1) by talented, creative scientists. Their owners have no trouble coming up
with (2) products but they often cant build on their early success.
One reason for this is that they dont have much management ..(3). Therefore, they are
unable to develop the (4) which are necessary for their companys growth. They are in a rush to
develop products, and dont think enough about how to market them. When they do try to sell their products, they
spend too much time trying to gain the (5) of potential customers. Another mistake they make is to
underprice their products so that they have no (6) for future development.
Once the firms begin to grow, their owners underestimate the future costs of developing and marketing new
products. Lack of financial (7) is a major weakness of such companies. It is difficult for the hightech firm to attract the right (8) because it cannot offer the same job security as a large
organisation.
The high-tech firm can get round some of these problems by developing a specialist image. It can aim at a
particular (9) of the market. Customers then start seeking out the firm, so its marketing costs are
reduced. The only (10) is that it may take some time before customers accept the firms new
technology.
As soon as the high-tech business has reached a certain size, it will be a good idea to bring in professional
management. The founder of the firm can then(11) responsibility for activities like marketing and
finance. If a high-tech firm needs money very badly, it may arrange a link-up with a larger company. It will offer
that company exclusive (12) to its technology.
Enthusiasm, bright ideas (13) capital and technology are not enough to ensure success.
Basic management. (14) - especially financial and marketing ones - are also vital.
3. Supply the blanks with suitable nouns from those in brackets. Use the plural forms:
a. He threw a stone at the rock and ..... came back. (piano, volcano, echo)
b. The ship was sunk by well-aimed ..... (potato, torpedo, dynamo)
c. Winter fodder for cattle is kept in ..... (calico, casino, silo)
d. The opera company was advertising for ..... (octavo, soprano, cuckoo)
e. The delegates carried their ..... (portfolio, photo, piano)
f. The ..... hit the island with tremendous force.(tornado, hobo, albino)
g. They threw rotten ..... to show their disgust. (tomato, canto, halo)
h. He was bitten by ..... and got malaria. (hero, soprano, mosquito)
i. There are hundreds of ..... along the Mediterranean coast. (hero, casino)
j. How many...(hero, cargo, kilo) of ..... (tomato, piano, photo) do you need to make 1 liter of juice?
4. Fill in the correct forms of the nouns in brackets:
a. The (deer) have left their usual pastures.
b. They dont even try to hunt (lion); it is too dangerous.
c. There is no (mean) of learning what is happening.
d. They say (fish) are good for the brain.
e. They raise lots of (duck) on their farm.
f. Despite their size (giraffe) are harmless creatures.
g. The (Navaho) were almost completely destroyed.
h. He made a living by raising (goose).
i. A (series) of unexpected events prevented him from going on holiday to Scotland.
j. Its not allowed to hunt (bear). But still many (bear) are killed.
5. Fill in the correct plural form of the words in brackets:
a. Do other planets revolve on their ..... like the Earth? (axis)
b. It can be dangerous if chemists make mistakes in their ..... (analysis).
c. ...... are rare in the desert. (oasis)
d. A great deal of ..... was collected by the scientist. (datum)
e. All good reference books contain ..... (index).
f. The consul sent several ..... back to London. (memorandum)
g. He spent his time playing with mathematical ..... (formula).
h. Geologists search the rock ..... for valuable minerals. (stratum)
i. There are not many types of ..... around the British coast. (alga)
j. There have been many international ..... since the war. (crisis)
k. The ..... of these lenses are perfect for distance photography. (focus)
l. What are the ..... of success? (criterion)
m. Ive always found the idea of ..... in algebra rather difficult.(index)
n. There are many ..... of animals. (genus)
o. ..... are exact positions of things. (locus)
p. The ..... of theorists must conform to the real world. (hypothesis)
q. Post-graduate students have to write ..... to obtain their Ph.D.s (thesis)
r. The optician found that both his patients eyes had defective .....(retina)
s. They were all well trained and so they responded like ..... (automaton)
t. Two ..... to the resolution were proposed. (addendum)
6. Decide which of the two verb forms should be used in the following sentences:
a. Physics (was/were) my most difficult subject in high school.
b. Ballistics (is/are) the study of the motion of projectiles.
c. Athletics (has/have) been virtually abolished from smaller schools.
d. His motives may be good, but his tactics (is/are) deplorable.
e. In every group, politics (is/are) a subject that arouses interest.
f. Radical politics (was/were) offensive to the Federalists.
g. Acoustics (is/are) a branch of science that is growing fast.
h. The acoustics of this room (is/are) not all they might be.
i. Economics (doesnt/dont) require extensive knowledge of mathematics.
j. His ethics (leave/leaves) a lot to be desired.
k. Classics (take/takes) a back seat these days.
l. Einsteins mathematics (was/were) a revelation.
m. Tactics (is/are) really short term strategy.
n. Your heroics (is/are) worthy of a better cause.
o. Her hysterics (does/do) not move anybody that knows her.
Unit 5
Pre-reading tasks
Have you ever written a business letter? What are the basic rules in composing a business letter?
Reading
Read this text about composing business letters. Look at the tenses of the verbs. Translate the text into Romanian:
Business letters
Business letters are usually typed on notepaper bearing a specially designed heading which provides the reader of
the letter with the essential information about the organisation sending it. Normally the heading will include the
companys name and address, its telephone numbers and telegraphic addresses, the type of business it is engaged in,
its telex code and V.A.T. number, and in many cases the names of the directors. It is becoming increasingly
common for firms to print an emblem or trademark on their stationery.
Read the following business letter and try to distinguish the parts it contains:
a. GRAJO LEEDS
Leeds 978653
GRADEN &JONES LIMITED
Home and Overseas Merchants
Directors:
Upper Bridge Street
L. L. Graden, P.G. Jones
Leeds 2
b. JAS/DS
c. 13 June 2003
d. Oliver Green and Co., Limited\25 King Edward VII. St.
Manchester M24 5 BD
e. Dear Sirs
We understand from several of our trade connections in Bolton that you are the British agents for Petrou and
Galitopoulous AE of Athens.
Will you please send us price-lists and catalogues for all products manufactured by this company, together with
details of trade discounts and terms of payment,
We look forward to hearing from you.
f. Yours faithfully,
Graden and Jones Ltd.
g. J.A. Stevens
Chief buyer
filling system of the firm in question. It is usual to quote the reference initials of the addressee company in a
reply.
c. The date
The form in which the date is written in this letter -13 June 2003 is probably the simplest and clearest of all the
current forms used in the English-speaking world, but there are alternative ways of writing the date:
June 13 20003
13th June 2003, and
June 13th 2003
d. The inside address
A few points concerning the name and address of the firm written to need to be made. Firstly, they are typed on
the left, normally against the margin. The diagonal granding of the name and address is rare nowadays, and the
style shown in the example is neater, as well as being quicker for the typist.
e. The salutation
Below the address a double space at least is left, and the words Dear Sirs are typed. This is the usual
salutation in British business letters addressed to a company rather than to an individual within the company.
Very often a comma is typed after the salutation, but an increasing number of firms are eliminating this,
considering the spacing to fulfil the function of traditional punctuation.
f. The complimentary close
This is typed above the name of the firm sending the letter, then a space is left for the signature. If the salutation
is Dear Sirs or Dear Sir, the complimentary close will read Yours faithfully or, less commonly, Yours
truly. If the correspondent is addressed by his or her name, Dear Mr. Brown, Dear Miss Prism etc. the
complimentary close will take the form Yours sincerely.
g. The signature
It often happens that the person who has dictated a letter is unable to sign it as soon as it has been typed. Since it
is often essential to send a letter as soon as possible, the typist or some other employee connected with the letter
in question will sign it instead: in such cases he or she will write the word for or the initials p.p.
immediately before the typed name of the employee responsible for the letter, The name of the person signing
the letter is typed below the space left for the signature, and is followed on the next line by his position in the
company or by the name of the department he represents.
Traditionally the complimentary close and signature have been typed in the middle of the page, but it is
becoming more and more common for firms to place them against the left-hand margin.
If an enclosure accompanies the letter, this fact is indicated both in the text itself and by the word Enclosure
(often reduced to Enc. or Encl.) typed against the left-hand margin some distance below the signature. There are
other ways of referring to enclosures the use of adhesive labels, for instance, or the typing of lines in the lefthand margin beside the reference in the text to the document or documents enclosed but typing the word
Enclosure at the bottom of the letter is by far the most common.
Now
look
at
the
following
letters
and
try
to
write
reply.
Grammar Reference
Past Simple
Past Simple is used to express
a finished action in the past (it is often used with past time expressions: last year/ month/ week/, five years/ two
days/ four weeks ago, yesterday, yesterday morning/ evening, in 1985, etc):
They protested against that law in the late eighteenth century.
The chemists reported the results obtained yesterday.
habitual, repeated actions in the past (with verbs denoting a permanent characteristic);
She always wore red.
I met him every day on my way to the office.
Past Simple is used to describe a series of actions which follow one another in a story (narrative past)
Tom came into the room. He took off his shirt, put on a T-shirt and sat down in the armchair. Suddenly he
remembered something. He stood up and went out of the room.
The form of the Past Tense Simple is the same for all persons.
Affirmative
The positive of regular verbs ends in -ed.
There are many common irregular verbs. In order to create this tense you need the second form of the verb (see the
list on page 239 Appendix 1)
I
You
He/She
We
You
They
arrived
went to Sinaia
yesterday.
Negative
The negative of the Past Tense Simple is formed with the auxiliary did+not (didnt).
I
did not (didnt) arrive
yesterday.
You
did not (didnt) go to Sinaia
He/She
We
You
They
Interrogative
The question in the Past Tense Simple is formed with the auxiliary did.
When did
I
arrive?
Where did
you
go?
he
she
we
you
they
Short answer
Did you go to work yesterday?
Yes, I did. No, I didnt.
Did she report the results obtained?
Yes, she did. No, she didnt.
Past Continuous
Past Continuous is used to express:
an action in progress at some time in the past
What were you doing at 10 oclock yesterday?
I was calculating the balance sheet when you came.
When she arrived, he was sleeping.
past activity happening over a period of time
I was reading from 4 to 6.30 yesterday.
Form
was/ were (past tense of to be)+ verb+-ing (present participle)
Affirmative and negative
I
was
working.
He
was not (wasnt)
She
You
We
They
were
were not (werent)
Interrogative
What
was
were
I
he
she
you
we
they
doing?
Short answer
Were you working at this time yesterday?
Yes, I was. No, I wasnt.
Was she studying when you entered the room?
Yes, she was. No, she wasnt.
Expressions of quantity
some/any; much/many, a lot of/ lots of, few (a few)/ little (a little)
1. Countable nouns are used with some+ a plural noun in affirmative sentences, and any+ a plural noun in negative
and interrogative sentences:
Ive got some tools.
Are there any books of Economy in the house?
We dont need any apples for this pie.
Uncountable nouns are used with some in affirmative sentences and any in interrogative and negative sentences, but
only with a singular noun:
There is some ink in this pen.
Is there any paper in the printer?
We havent got any butter in the house.
2. Countable nouns are used with many in interrogative and negative sentences:
How many lawyers work for this company?
We havent discovered many interesting data.
Uncountable nouns are used with much in interrogative and negative sentences:
How much money have you got?
There wasnt much sugar left in the jar.
3. Both countable and uncountable nouns are used with a lot of and lots of:
Weve got a lot of uniforms.
There are lots of letters here.
Theres a lot of paper in this printer.
Hes got a lot of money.
4. Countable nouns are used with few/ a few, while uncountable nouns are used with little/ a little:
Ive got a few problems at the moment.
We only need a little money to buy this.
The Adjective
Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence.
Position of adjectives
Adjectives appear before the noun or noun phrase that they modify (e.g. an interesting course, a difficult exercise, a
strange coincidence). Sometimes they appear in a string of adjectives, and when they do, they appear in a set order
according to category. As after you finish this course you may write articles on economy or management in English
it is of major importance for you to know the correct order of adjectives in a sentence.
The order of adjectives in a series
It would take a linguistic philosopher to explain why we say little yellow house and not yellow little house or why
we say blue Italian sports car and not Italian blue sports car. The order in which adjectives in a series sort
themselves out is perplexing for people learning English as a second language. It takes a lot of practice with a
language before this order becomes instinctive, because the order seems quite arbitrary. There is however a pattern.
The categories in the following table can be described as follows:
Word
Types of adjectives
Examples
order
I.
Determiners articles and other limiters four people, the
(numerals,
possessive sixth chapter, her
adjectives, demonstrative story, this tool
adjectives, etc.)
II.
Observation
postdeterminers
and real, perfect
limiter adjectives
adjectives
subject
to interesting,
subjective measure
beautiful,
gorgeous
III.
Size
and adjectives
subject
to large, small, short,
shape
objective measure
round, square
IV.
Age
adjectives denoting age
young, old, new,
ancient
V.
Colour
adjectives denoting colour
red, black, yellow,
blue,
green,
brown,
orange,
violet
VI.
Origin
denominal
adjectives French, English,
denoting source of noun
American,
Spanish, Polish,
Romanian
VII.
Material
denominal
adjectives wooden, metallic,
denoting what something woolen
is made of
VIII.
Qualifier
final
limiter,
often hunting
cabin,
regarded as part of the passenger
car,
noun
book cover
Controlled practice
1. Decide which is the correct verb form:
a. I saw/was seeing a very good programme on TV last night.
b. While I was learning/ learnt for my Economy exam, somebody was knocking/ knocked at the door.
c. How did you hear/ were you hearing about their wedding? While I was listening/ listened to the news on
the radio, it struck/ was striking me as odd to hear their names.
d. I was listening/ listened to the news on the radio when the phone was starting/ started to ring.
e. An American jet pilot was taking off/ took off from Washington, but the jets engines went/ were going
wrong.
f. We produced/ were producing 10 different types of leather jackets last year.
g. Agriculture played/ was playing an essential part in the development of the Romanian economy 20 years
ago.
h. Our crew included/ was including an accountant, two quality supervisers and one soft engineer.
i. When the programme was completed, the crew moved/ was moving in.
j. The first important commercial product from crude petroleum was kerosene, which quickly was replacing/
replaced whale oil in the kerosene stoves in the 50s.
2. Find the correct action for each person and make a sentence:
Example:
Copernicus- studying the planets
Copernicus studied the planets.
People
Actions
Michael Jackson
going to the moon
Marlowe
inventing the electric light
Picasso
writing Doctor Faustus
Neil Armostrong
singing pop music
Americo Vespucci
playing tennis
Artur Aish
discovering America
Martin Luther King
painting Guernica
Charles Dickens
working for Black peoples rights
Edison
creating novels
3. Supply the simple past tense or the continuous past tense of the verbs in brackets:
I (walk) along Piccadilly when I (realize) that a man with a ginger beard, whom I had seen three times already that
afternoon, (follow) me. To make quite sure, I (walk) on quickly, (turn) right, then left and (stop) suddenly at a shop
window. In a few minutes the man with the beard (appear) and (stop) at another shop window. I (go) on. Whenever I
(stop), he (stop), and whenever I (look) round he (be) still there. He (look) a very respectable type and (wear) very
conventional clothes and I (wonder) if he was a policeman or a private detective. I (decide) to try and shake him off.
A 74 bus (stand) at the bus stop just beside me. Then the conductor (come) downstairs and (ring) the bell; just as the
bus (move) off, I (jump) on it. The man with the beard (miss) the bus but (get) into another 74, which (follow) the
first. Both buses (crawl) very slowly along Knightsbridge. Every time the buses (pull) at a stop, the man (look) out
anxiously to see if I (get) off. Finally, at some traffic lights, he (change) buses and (get) into mine. At Gloucester
Road Underground, I (leave) the bus and (buy) a ticket at a ticket machine. As I (stand) on the platform waiting for a
Circle Line train, my pursuer (come) down the stairs. He (carry) a newspaper and when we (get) into the same
compartment, he (sit) in one corner reading it, and I (read) the advertisements. He (look) over the top of the
newspaper at every station to see if I (get) out. I (become) rather tired of being shadowed like this, so finally I (go)
and (sit) beside the man and (ask) him why he follow me. At first he (say) he (not follow) me at all but when I
(threaten) to knock him down, he (admit) that he was. Then he (tell) me he (be) a writer of detective stories and (try)
to see if it was difficult to follow someone unseen. I (tell) him he hadnt been unseen because I had noticed him in
Piccadilly and I (advise) him to shave off his ginger beard if he (not want) his victim to know he (be) followed.
Peter and Ann (decide) to redecorate their sitting-room themselves. They (choose) cream paint for the
woodwork and apricot for the walls. When John (look) in to see how they (get) on, Ann (mix) the paint, and Peter
(wash) down the walls. They (be) glad to see John and (ask) if he (do) anything special that day. He hastily (reply)
he (go) to the theatre and (go) away at once, because he (know) they (look) for someone to help them.
They (begin) painting, but (find) the walls (be) too wet. While they (wait) for the walls to dry, Ann
(remember) she (telephone), and (do) a whole wall before Ann (come) back. He (grumble) that she always
(telephone). Ann (retort) that Peter always (complain).
They (work) in silence for some time. Just as they (start) the third wall, the doorbell (ring). It (be) a friend
of Peters who (want) to know if Peter (play) golf in the following weekend. He (stay) talking to Peter in the hall
while Ann (go) on painting. At last he (leave). Peter (return), expecting Ann to say something about friends who
(come) and (waste) valuable time talking about golf. But Ann nobly (say) nothing.
Then Peter (think) he would do the ceiling. He just (climb) the step ladder when the doorbell (ring) again.
Ann (say) she (get) tired of interruptions but (go) and (open) the door. It (be) the postman with a letter from her aunt
Mary, saying she (come) to spend the weekend with them and (arrive) that evening at 6:30.
4. Put the verbs in brackets in the simple or continuous past tense according to the meaning.
a. He (recognize) the voice that (shout) the loudest as that of the landlady.
b. I (go) to ask you to help me, but you (sleep) so peacefully when I (look) into your room that I (decide) to
do it alone.
c. He (not keep) his appointment with you last Tuesday morning because at the time of the appointment he
(be seen) by the Personnel Manager about a new job.
d. When the dog (bite) Mary again, mother (prepare) dinner and we (listen) to the radio. Mary (shout) blue
murder and (have) hysterics again.
e. We (have) to go round the back door because Grandfather (have) his front door painted.
f. I (see) that the Browns (have) a lot of alterations made to their house, but I (not know) if the parents (go) to
pay for them.
g. I (walk) down the street some minutes ago when I (see) a curiously dressed man. He (wear) a sports-coat
with black trousers, and one of his shoes (be) black and the other (be) brown).
h. When they (get married) he (find) a job as a caretaker on a large estate.
i. She (wear) green and it (suit) her very well. Her face (be) mildly pretty but, because she (cry) and mascara
(run) down her cheeks, she (not seem) as attractive as I (expect).
j. The person who (drive) the car on the day of the accident (no be) insured.
k. While she (wonder) whether to buy the suit or not, someone else (come) and (buy) it.
l. Ann (work) in the branch where the big robbery (take) place. She actually (work) there at the time of the
raid?
m. While the schoolmaster (write) on the blackboard, he (not notice) that the boys in the back row (steal out)
of the room on tiptoe.
n. He (come) into the room, (light) a cigarette, (open) the window and (lean) out.
o. A traffic warden just (stick) a parking ticket to my windscreen when I (come) back to the car. I (try) to
persuade him to tear it up but he (refuse).
5. Put the verbs in the brackets into the simple past and the past continuous:
a. I lit the fire at 6:00 and it (burn) brightly when Tom came in at 7:00.
b. When I arrived the lecture had already started and the professor (write) on the overhead projector.
c. I (make) a cake when the light went out. I had to finish it in the dark.
d. I didnt want to meet Paul so when he entered the room I (leave).
e. Unfortunately when I arrived Ann just (leave), so we only had time for a few words.
f. He (watch) TV when the phone rang. Very unwillingly he (turn) down the sound and (go) to answer it.
g. He was very polite. Whenever his wife entered the room he (stand) up.
h. The admiral (play) bowls when he received news of the invasion. He (insist) on finishing the game.
i. My dog (walk) along quietly when Mr. Pitts Pekinese attacked him.
j. When I arrived she (have) lunch. She apologized for starting without me but I said that she always (lunch)
at 12:30.
k. He always (wear) a raincoat and (carry) an umbrella when he walked to the office.
l. I (like) it very much.
m. I (share) a flat with him when we were students. He always (complain) about my untidiness.
n. He suddenly (realize) that he (travel) in the wrong direction.
o. He (play) the guitar outside her house when someone opened the window and (throw) out a bucket of
water.
p. I just (open) the letter when the wind (blow) it out of my hand.
q. The burglar (open) the safe when he (hear) footsteps. He immediately (put) out his torch and (crawl) under
the bed.
r. When I (look) for my passport I (find) this old photograph.
s. You looked very busy when I (see) you last night. What you (do)?
t. The boys (play) cards when they (hear) their fathers steps. They immediately (hide) the cards and (take)
out their lesson books.
6. Complete the following sentences with some or any:
a. Would you like .. more tea?
b. Could you give me .. information about the train times?
c. If you have .. trouble, just give me a ring.
d. Have you attended .. good conferences recently?
e. I tried to buy .. Rotring pencils, but I couldnt find ......
2. Put much, many, or a lot of into each gap:
a. Have you got ... homework?
g. ...... policy is ...... science of the possible and ...... art of the impossible. ...... money policy of this bank is
very strict.
h. ...... animals are content to eat and sleep. He wanted to see all ...... animals on the farm.
i. Do you like ......English literature? Yes, I do. But I prefer ...... English literature of the eighteenth
century.
j. Which would you prefer ...... tea or ...... coffee? ...... coffee you are drinking comes from Brazil.
k. He was conscious of ...... impending danger. ...... danger he was in didnt make him lose heart.
l. She put ...... roses that I brought her in a vase. ...... roses are her favourite flowers.
m. ...... honesty is the best policy. ...... honesty of Jane is admirable.
n. ...... beauty is ...... truth is a line from a poem by Keats. Its much easier to tell ...... truth than lies.
o. I was overcome by ...... anger. He feared ......anger of his wife.
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