EBE 1 ADINA OANA NICOLAE

UNIT 1 INTRODUCING YOURSELF AND OTHERS

Contents: Page

1.1. Speaking skills 2

1.2. Boost your vocabulary 2
1.3. Reading skills 5
1.4. Grammar practice 8
1.5. Spelling, pronunciation and listening skills 11
1.6. Writing skills 11
1.7. Food for thought 12
1.8. Summary 13
1.9. Key to exercises 13
1.10. Bibliography 14

Objectives:
After you have completed the study of this unit, you should be able to:
• use adequate and wide-ranging vocabulary related to first encounters in a typical every
day or business communicative exchange;
• comprehend the message and react appropriately, verbally and non-verbally, in
situations where introducing yourself and others is required, in spoken or written form;
• correctly use the verb to be in the present tense simple, the basic pronoun forms and
the demonstratives;
• write a thank you note.

Average unit completion time: 2 hours

Keywords: introduction, personal details, formal/informal communication, thank you note,

to be, pronouns, demonstratives.
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1.1. Speaking skills

• Are you nervous when you meet new people? Why (not)?
• How do you introduce yourself and others? Do you always follow the same pattern?
• When do you have to write/give your personal data?
• What is a form?
• Have you ever sent a thank you note?

1.2. Boost your vocabulary

introduction = a formal presentation of one person to another, in which each is told the other's name
name = a word which designates a specific person, thing or place
first name = a personal name given to someone at birth or baptism
surname/last name = a hereditary name common to all members of a family
maiden name = the original surname of a married woman
nickname = a familiar or humorous name given to a person or thing instead of or as well as the real
name.

Exercise 1. Fill in the blanks with a suitable word. Choose from name, first name, surname/last
name, maiden name, nickname:
a. Please write your full ... and address on the form.
b. She talks so fast, her … is Speedy.
c. Her … is Sarah but I don't know her ….
d. She abandoned her … when she got married to John.

Mr., Mrs., Ms. and Miss are titles that are used before surnames or full names as a sign of respect.
They are always capitalized (i.e. spelt with a capital letter, mr. is incorrect!)
Mr. is a title used before a surname or full name of a male; it is an abbreviation for Mister.
Mrs. is a title used before a surname or full name of a married female.
Ms. is a title used before a surname of full name of a female whether she is married or not.
Miss is a title used before a surname or full name of an unmarried female.

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Exercise 2. Fill in the blanks with a suitable word. Choose from Mr., Mrs., Ms. and Miss:
See that man over there? It’s … Darcy, and those are his wife, … Darcy, his daughter, … Darcy, and
his cousin, … West.

birthday = the day of a person's birth

age = the period of time someone has been alive
place of residence = place where someone lives
nationality = the official right to belong to a particular country
spouse = a husband or wife, considered in relation to their partner
marital status = the fact of someone being married or not
single = unmarried
divorced =no longer married because the marriage has been legally dissolved.
widowed = having lost one's spouse by death and not married again
height = the particular distance that something is above a surface:
weight = a body's relative mass
religion = the belief in and worship of a god or gods
address = the number of the house, name of the road, and name of the town where a person lives
or works

Exercise 3. Fill in the blanks with a suitable word. Choose from birthday, age, place of residence,
nationality, marital status, height, weight, religion, address:
What … are you?
She's about average ...
She has strong opinions about ...
I guess she's about my ...
My … is on a Friday this year.
I’ve lost … after a week of dieting.
Please send the articles to the … given above.
She left her … for good, she has found a new home.

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Nationality is the status of belonging to a particular nation. In English, nationalities are

typically derived from names of countries and ALWAYS BEGIN WITH A CAPITAL LETTER. So do
names of languages, the days of the week and the months of the year.
e.g. Iran (country) → Iranian (nationality); China (country) → Chinese (nationality); Italy(country) →
Italian (nationality); Denmark (country) → Danish (nationality); the Netherlands (country) → Dutch
(nationality); Great Britain (country) → British (nationality) etc.
Nationalities are adjectives, but there are corresponding nouns that denote a citizen having the
respective nationality:
e.g. Canadian (nationality)→ a Canadian (a citizen)
He is Canadian.
I‘ve met a Canadian at the conference.

Exercise 4. Insert the correct nationality and the corresponding language:

Country Nationality Nationality (noun) Language
(adjective)
Spain
Brazil
England
Egypt
Greece
Iraq
Japan
Norway
Scotland
Turkey
Romania
Thailand
Russia
Mexico

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1.3. Reading skills

Read the following text to find out more about introductions:

Is it frightening to meet new people? If your answer is yes, you should know that you are not
the only one – many people find it terrifying to introduce themselves or others. They are nervous
about first encounters because they worry about saying or doing something wrong. This section
offers valuable advice that you can confidently put into practice in a way that makes a positive first
impression.
In order to create the right impact, there are some factors you need to take into account:
• Which is the setting, i.e. where does the communication take place? It could be at the
office, at a party, in a meeting, etc.
• Who is involved? Who is introduced to whom? What is the relationship between them –
are they co-workers, business partners, manager and direct report, etc.? Are they
male/female, is there an age difference? Is it a one to one introduction (one person meets
another) or a group introduction (a person is introduced to a group of persons)?
• Does the communicative exchange take place orally or in writing (e.g. via email)?
• Is it expected to be a brief introduction (for example, because you need to get down to
business right away) or can it be part of a longer unplanned conversation?
When all these factors have been worked out, you may decide to follow either a formal or an
informal protocol. Remember, however, that the etiquette for introductions can vary a lot.
Informal communication Formal communication
• Casual and spontaneous • Carefully prepared
• In informal settings (e.g. at home, at • In organizational /business settings
a pub) (e.g. at a meeting)
• Lack of conventions and ceremonial • Rules and conventions apply
attitude • More accuracy and accountability
expected

• Verbal or written
• Body language

Do’s and don’ts of Introductions

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o Keep it simple and provide the basic information cordially, with confidence and respect.
Don’t try to over-impress!
o Introduce the older or the higher-ranking person first!
o Out of respect, introduce a man to a woman, a guest to the host!
o Make eye contact and use confident body language – use the right tone of voice, shake
hands and stay open!
o Add a conversation starter (a safe topic) to the introduction itself!
Introducing people informally Introducing people formally
f. Hello Mr. Gable, it´s really a pleasure to meet
a. Hi, I’m Amy. (Shake hands.) Nice to you. I´m Karen, from the Milan accounting
meet you. team.
g. Mrs. Dean, it´s really great to meet you after all
b. Guys, I’d like you to meet Ben. Ben is by this time. My name is George, we haven´t
far one of the funniest people I know. formally met yet, so I just wanted to take a
moment to introduce myself to you in person.
c. Robin, this is Ted. Did you know that Ted h. Mellissa, I would like you to meet Doris Mayer,
was my deskmate in primary school? our Systems Engineer. Doris, Melissa Hoffmann
is from Marketing. She is the Account Manager
d. Frida, I’d like you to meet Sam. Sam is for Metro.
an incredible gardener. i. Hello Ms. Nicholas, thanks for hiring me to your
team. I really look forward to working together
e. Sandra, this is Matt, my brother. Like with you in the future.
you, he has been playing tennis for j. May I introduce Dr. Hopkins? He is the man who
years. has saved my life.
k. My name is Amanda Smith, I have just been
hired as the new sales assistant here at
Jennings. I´m enthusiastic about joining this
team I look forward to meeting everyone in
person.

Exercise 5. Which of the samples a-k above refers to introducing oneself and which to introducing
someone else?

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Post-reading. Focus on real English in context

A. A Dialogue
Peter: Hello.
Jane: Hi!
Peter: My name is Peter. What's your name?
Jane: My name is Jane. Nice to meet you.
Peter: It's a pleasure. This is a great party!
Jane: Yes, it is. Where are you from?
Peter: I'm from Amsterdam.
Jane: Amsterdam? Are you German?
Peter: No, I'm not German. I'm Dutch.
Jane: Oh, you're Dutch. Sorry about that.
Peter: That's OK. Where are you from?
Jane: I'm from London, but I'm not British.
Peter: No, what are you?
Jane: Well, my parents were Spanish, so I'm Spanish, too.
Peter: That's very interesting. Spain is a beautiful country.
Jane: Thank you. It is a wonderful place.
Peter: Goodbye, Jane. See you tomorrow!
Jane: Bye-bye, Peter. Have a nice evening.
Peter: Thanks, you too!

Exercise 6. Answer the following questions about the dialogue above:

a. Which is the setting (=place)?
b. Have Jane and Peter met before?
c. What nationality are they?
d. Do they communicate formally or informally?

B. An email introduction
Dear Mr. Leon,

My name is Anthony Mason, I have just been hired as the new legal assistant at Dalroy. I am
sending this email to introduce myself to you and give you my contact information, if you should

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need to reach me for any reason. My email address is amason@dalroy.com and my internal line
is #17.
I genuinely look forward to having the opportunity to meet you in person and am excited about
the projects we will be working on together in the future.

Kind Regards,

Anthony Mason

Exercise 7. Answer the following questions about the email above:

a. Who is the sender of the email?
b. Who is the addressee?
c. What is the purpose of the email?
d. Which closing formula does Anthony use?
e. Is this an example of formal or informal communication?

1.4. Grammar practice

The Verb To Be - Present Simple
Positive Questions Negative
I am am I ? I am not
you are are you ? you are not
he is is he ? he is not
she is is she ? she is not
it is is it ? it is not
we are are we ? we are not
they are are they ? they are not

The short forms, which appear in informal language, are given below:

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Positive Negative
I’m I’m not
You’re You aren’t
He’s he isn’t
She’s she isn’t
It’s it isn’t
We’re we aren’t
They’re they aren’t

Exercise 8. Insert the right form of the verb to be:

a. Where … you now? We … just in front of the City Hall.

b. Is your partner at work? No, he … at work today.
c. … they at the wrong airport? I hope not.
d. Why … she ready for the presentation? She .. sick in bed, I’m afraid.
e. These reports … updated, as I expected.

English Demonstratives
Demonstratives show where an object, event, or person is in relation to the speaker. They
can refer to a physical or a psychological closeness or distance. Demonstrative adjectives precede
a noun, demonstrative pronouns replace a noun.
Demonstrative adjective Demonstrative pronoun
This (one object near This time I won't be late. I'll never forget this.
the speaker)
That (one object far We really surprised you that That has nothing to do with
from the speaker) time. me.
These (several objects These potatoes are delicious. I didn't ask for these.
near the speaker)
Those (several objects Those days are long gone. Those aren't mine.
far from the speaker)

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Exercise 9. Insert the appropriate demonstrative:

a. We’re going to play tennis _____ morning.

b. Shall I wear this shirt or _____ one?
c. Can I have a look at _____ trousers?
d. Let’s go to _____ new club in the centre.
e. … days are gone.

English Pronouns
Subject Possessive Possessive Reflexive
Object Pronoun
Pronoun Adjectives Pronoun Pronoun
I Me My Mine Myself
You You Your Yours Yourself
He Him His His Himself
She Her Her Hers Herself
It It Its Its Itself
We Us Our Ours Ourselves
You You Your Yours Yourselves
They Them Their Theirs Themselves

Subject pronouns are pronouns that replace the subject in the sentence. Object pronouns
replace the object in the sentence, or what is being done to, from, or with the action.
e.g. I (subject pronoun) told her (object pronoun) about it (object pronoun).
Possessive adjectives modify a noun to show possession. Possessive pronouns replace a
noun showing possession.
e.g. These are our brands. (possessive adjective followed by a noun)
e.g. These ideas are ours. (possessive pronouns replace a noun)
Reflexive pronouns are words ending in -self or -selves which refer back to the subject of the
sentence:
e.g. I believe in myself. Mary sent herself a copy.

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Exercise 10. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate pronoun:

a. We blame … for our careless mistake.

b. … went to the bookshop yesterday. (Samuel)
c. Who has eaten my chocolate bar? … did, said the twins.
d. Could you pass the coffee to …? (your wife)
e. … new teacher is friendlier than …. (the one we’ve got, the one you’ve got)
f. All the students have passed the exam except …

1.5. Spelling, pronunciation and listening skills

Nota bene! Use an online dictionary (e.g. Cambridge Dictionary , available at
https://dictionary.cambridge.org, or Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, available at
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com) whenever you do not understand a word or you want to
check your understanding.
Task 1. Check the pronunciation of each letter in the English alphabet at
http://www.languageguide.org/english/alphabet/. It may be useful when you are asked to spell your
name (i.e. to pronounce each letter in the word in the correct order).
Task 2. Check the pronunciation of any difficult words.

1.6. Writing skills

In the business world, courtesy is not optional. In fact, more often than not, good manners
coincide with wise business practices. The classic thank-you note is a perfect example of such an
instance, where a nice gesture doubles as a great way to strengthen relations, stand out, and be
remembered in a competitive business context.
The reasons for writing a thank you note are diverse. Sending a thank you card to a business
contact is perceived as customary. 86% of those that do send a message of gratitude do so by email.
People may choose to write thank you notes to co-workers, employees, customers, partners etc. It
is also possible to send a thank you message after the interview to leave a long-lasting impression.

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The following suggestions of thank you card messages are popular among senders and can be
used to inspire your own unique message.
• A note of thanks to let you know your business association is much appreciated.
• I appreciate your skills and attitude to work. It seems like there will be no problem that you
can’t solve. Thank you for everything. You’re simply the best.
• Thank you for your business, your trust and your confidence. It is
• our pleasure to work with you.
• Thank you very much for all your assistance. Your expertise in organizing the event were
greatly appreciated.
• You are very important to us. Thank you for the trust you have placed in us. Please call us
anytime with any questions or concerns.
Your loyalty as a customer is greatly appreciated.
• We know you have a world full of choices. Thank you for selecting us.
• Thank you. As we strive to excel in our industry, we are honored to have clients like you.

Exercise 11. Fill in the blanks of these thank you messages with an appropriate word:
a. Just wanted to let you know that I appreciated the pay increase …. month. The vote of
confidence …. a lot to me and has inspired me to work even harder.
b. Thanks for giving us the … to serve you. We greatly value your business. I look … to meeting
you when the job is completed.
c. I very much … our conversation yesterday about the opportunity on your team. After our time
together, I am positive that my experience can … a measurable impact on your department’s
deliverables. I hope to speak with you again in the new future, regarding this opportunity or
others.
d. It was a pleasure meeting you yesterday to learn more about the position with Tesco. I am …
in learning more and continuing our conversation. I feel my … is a strong fit for your team. Thank
you for the opportunity to meet and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

1.7. Food for thought

• What is your name/ surname? Do you have a nickname?

• Are you married / single? What is your partner's name?

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• How old are you? When is your birthday? Where were you born?
• Where are you from? What is your address? What is your phone number? What is your e-
mail address?
• What languages do you speak?
• Describe yourself using only two words.
• Which are the do’s and don’ts of a successful introduction in your opinion?

1.8. Summary
In this unit, you have practised:
✓ How to introduce yourself in person or in writing;
✓ How to provide your personal data when needed;
✓ The present simple of the verb to be, the demonstratives and some of the English
pronouns;
✓ Why, when and how to write thank you messages.

1.9. Key to exercises

1. a.name, b. nickname, c. first name, surname/last name, d. maiden name.
2. Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms.
3. nationality; height; religion; age; birthday; weight; address; place of residence
4.
Country Nationality Nationality (noun) Language
(adjective)
Spain Spanish a Spaniard Spanish
Brazil Brazilian a Brazilian Portuguese
England English an Englishman.an English
Englishwoman
Egypt Egyptian an Egyptian Arabic
Greece Greek a Greek Greek
Iraq Iraqi an Iraqi Arabic, Kurdish
Japan Japanese a Japanese Japanese
Norway Norwegian a Norwegian Norwegian
Scotland Scottish a Scot English
Turkey Turkish a Turk Turkish
Romania Romanian a Romanian Romanian
Thailand Thai a Thai person Thai
Russia Russian a Russian Russian
Mexico Mexican a Mexican Spanish

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5. Introducing oneself: a, f, g, i, k. Introducing someone else: b,c,d,e,h,j.

6. a. a party; b.no; c. Jane is Spanish and Peter is Dutch; e. informally.
7. a. Anthony Mason; b. Mr. Leon; c. Anthony introduces himself; d. kind regards; e. formal communication.
8. a. are, are; b. isn’t; c. are; d. isn’t, is; e. are not.
9. a. this; b. that; c. these; d. that; e. those.
10. a. ourselves; b. he; c. we; d. her; e. our, yours; f. me.
11.a. this, means; b. opportunity, forward; c. enjoyed, make; d. interested, background.

1.10. Bibliography
Hoffmann, Hans G. and Hoffmann Marion. Engleza tematică. Bucureşti: Niculescu, 2004.
Turai, Ioana Maria. Gramatica limbii engleze. Bucureşti: Corint, 2008.

Web resources
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com
http://www.languageguide.org/english/alphabet/

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