Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5

CV5- Reads and Respond to Written Materials in English Language- Teaching Guide
Session: English for Accounting

I. Reading and Comprehension task

Fundamental of accounting

What is accounting?

Pre-reading

1. What do you think are the main purposes of accounting?

2. Does accountancy only describe the past or it is useful in dealing with the future?
3. Is accounting completely objective or does it involve subjective judgments?

Skim and scan

Skimming and scanning are reading techniques that use rapid eye movement and keywords to move quickly
through text for slightly different purposes. Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview
of the material. Scanning is reading rapidly in order to find specific facts. While skimming tells you what
general information is within a section, scanning helps you locate a particular fact.

 Activity 1: Read the text quickly to say whether the following statements are true (T) or false
(F). Do not worry about any word you do not understand.

What is accounting?

Accounting contains elements both of science and art. The important thing is that it is not merely a
collection of arithmetical techniques but a set of complex processes depending on and prepared for
people. The human aspect, which many people, especially accountants, forget, arises because:
1. Most accounting reports of any significance depend, to a greater pr lesser extent, on
people’s opinion and estimates.
2. Accounting reports are prepared in order to help people make decisions.
3. Accounting reports are based on activities which have been carried out by people.

But what specially is accounting? It is very difficult to find a pitchy definition that is all-inclusive
but we can say that accounting is concerned with:
The provision of information in financial terms that will help in decisions concerning resource
allocation, and the preparation, and the preparation of reports in financial terms describing the
effects of past resource allocation decision.

Examples of resources allocation decisions are:

Should an investor buy or sell shares?
Should a bank manager lend money to a firm?
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
How much tax should accompany pay?
Which collective farm should get the extra tractor?

As you can see, accounting is needed in any society requiring resource allocation and its usefulness
is not confined to “capitalist” or “mixed” economies.

An accountant is concerned with the provision and interpretation of financial information. He does
not, as an accountant, make decisions. Many accountants do of course get directly involved in
decision making but when they do they are performing a different function.

Accounting is also concerned with reporting on the effects of past decisions. But one should consider
whether this is done for its own sake or whether it is done in order to provide information which it
is hoped will prove helpful in current and future decisions. We contend that knowledge of the past
is relevant only if it can be used to help in making current and future decisions, for we can hope that
we shall be able to influence the future by making appropriate decisions but we cannot redo the past.
Thus the measurement of past results is a subsidiary role, but because of the historical development
of accounting and, perhaps, because of the limitations of the present state of the art, “backward
looking” accounting sometimes appears to be an end in itself and not as a means that will help in
achieving a more fundamental objective.

Foundation in Accounting, Lewis, R. and Gillespie, I. (Pentice Hall, 1986)

Comprehension
1. (a) How many reasons does the author give to support the idea that accounting involve a
human element?
(b) Which of the following reasons does the author give as showing human influence on
accounting?
(i) Accounting summaries describe human action.
(ii) Accounting system are artificial creations.
(iii) Accounting is affected negatively by human judgment.
(iv) Accounting is based on the subjective ideas.

2. In the definition of accounting given in the text , which of the following are said to be
its two main functions?
(i) Providing general information to aid immediate decision-making.
(ii) Providing financial information to help with the future division of resources.
(iii) Providing financial information that will ensure that decisions made are correct.
(iv) Providing financial information to show the results of past use of resources.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5

 Activity 2: Text organization

The statements below express the main ideas of the last paragraph. Number these statements so that they
are in the same order as the ideas in the text. The first one is done for you.

Statement Order

(i) Financial information about the past is only useful if it helps future decisions
(ii) The history of accountancy has made it appear to concentrate on the past.
(iii) Accounting can indicate the results of past actions. 1
(iv) Showing the financial results of past actions can be an aid to decision-making
(v) Showing the financial results of past actions can be just to record what happened
(vi) Describing the past is a less important role of accountancy.
(vi) We can affect the future but we cannot change the past

Grammar Function

Topic: Forming nouns from adjectives and verbs

Many words in English can be adapted to be used for different grammatical functions. We often use prefixes
and suffixes (extra parts of the word added at the beginning or the end) to change the meaning of a word for
a variety of purposes.

1. Add –ness to form nouns from adjectives

The suffix –ness forms nouns from adjectives. Not all adjectives can have –ness added to them, but it is a
common form – especially with adjectives ending in y (though note the spelling change, to –iness), hard
consonant sounds like d, and many adjectives ending in ful. Common examples are:
 ready – They questioned her readiness for the test.
 happy – It is important to create happiness for everyone.
 weak – Eating too much cake was a major weakness of his.
 sad – The closure of the post office brought sadness to the community.
 mad – The decision to drive in the snow was pure madness.
 forgetful – Forgetfulness comes with old age.

2. Add –ity to form nouns from adjectives

The suffix –ity forms nouns from adjectives. Again, this is only for certain adjectives, though it is common
adjectives ending in –ble or with soft –s sounds. To form nouns with –ity, changes in spelling often occur,
such as replacing the last few letters of the adjective. Common examples are:
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
 responsible – Your children are not my responsibility.
 possible – Nuclear war seemed like a real possibility.
 scarce – The scarcity of drinks became problematic during the party.
 hilarious – They reacted to the joke with much hilarity.
 probable – It’s hard to guess the probability of her passing the test.

3. Add –ance or –ence to form nouns from adjectives or verbs

The suffix –ance (or –ence) can be added to either adjectives or verbs to form nouns. This is particularly used
for adjectives ending in –ent or –ant (where the spelling changes to replace t with -ce) and various verbs.
Common examples include:
 independent – Having a car has improved my independence.
 important – Never underestimate the importance of studying.
 silent – Enjoy the silence while the children are away.
 appear – The appearance of a second singer improved the concert.
 resist – The home team put up a strong resistance against their opponents

4. Add –ment to form nouns from adjectives or verbs

The suffix –ment can be added to either adjectives or verbs to form nouns. It is mostly used with verbs, of
many kinds, but occasionally also with adjectives with soft endings (such as y endings). This suffix normally
does not change the spelling of the core word (though y may change to i). Common examples include:
 appoint – I need to make an appointment with my doctor.
 assign – The final essay was a very big assignment.
 enjoy – Don’t let the rain affect your enjoyment of this walk.
 merry – The children found a lot of merriment in the clown’s antics.
 replace – Our replacement teacher was much better than the first one.

5. Add –tion or –sion to form nouns from verbs

The suffix –tion (or –sion) can be added to verbs to form nouns. They follow many different verb forms, and
often change spellings to fit comfortably (for example adding an additional vowel or changing a consonant to
sound more natural).
 inform – There is not enough information about foxes in our area.
 decide – The committee will make a formal decision this Friday.
 describe – The police have a good description of the thief.
 multiply – I like addition and subtraction but multiplication is difficult.
 admit – The criminal’s admission of guilt got him in trouble.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5

Note that a lot of the changes from adjective or verb to noun will need to be learned individually, and spelling
rules will not always help you – even if you know how to choose the right suffix, the spelling to connect it to
the core word may not be simple.
Admit is a good example of this, as it can be used as a verb with two different meanings, and each one forms
a noun with a different suffix:
 Admit – to confess – The criminal’s admission.
 Admit – to give access – Admittance to the top floor is prohibited.

6. Use –ship or –hood to form nouns from other nouns

The suffixes –ship and –hood can be used to create nouns from other nouns. Nouns with –ship added to the
end create an abstract noun that shows a relationship (relationship itself is an example!).
 friend – Our friendship is very strong.
 partner – We are in partnership with a major organisation.

Nouns with –hood added to the end are abstract nouns to show groupings, which can refer to grouped people,
areas or, more abstractly, periods of time:
 priest – Entering the priesthood is a very serious commitment.
 neighbour – Our neighbourhood is thankfully very quiet.
 child – My childhood was a fun and productive time!

Topic: Business Etiquette

Top ten tips on business etiquettes

 Good manners are essential

 Always dress appropriately
 Never be late for a meeting
 Watch your language
 Don’t talk on your cell phone during a meeting
 Greet everyone by name
 Pay attention to what other people say
 Always be friendly and positive
 Don’t sit or stand too close to other people
 Don’t yawn, stretch or sleep during meeting
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5

 Activity 3: Read the ten top tips again and find synonyms for these words. The synonym may
consist of more than one word.

a) Suitable or correctly b) say hello c) take notice of

d) Use peoples name e) the way you behave

Is it ethical?
Read the following case studies.

A. Sandra is a journalist and works for a newspaper. Read what happened to her at work

I love being a journalist and I try to do my job as well as I can. But sometimes it is quite difficult too.

Last month a new manager was appointed to head up the new team. He seemed very competent and pleasant
at first, and he encouraged me in what I was doing. The he started to bring me small presents – and to phone
me at night. I was surprised because I knew that he was married and had kids. Then he asked me to go out
with him one night. I was flattered by all the attention, I think, and I accepted.

But after that, things go too personal. He started to touch me every time he spoke to me at work. The he invited
me to go away for a weekend. I refused. He asked me again a few days later. I refused again and said that I
thought it was not appropriate.

He got very angry with me. He said that, I I refused, he would make sure that I was fired. He criticized
everything I did! Talk about sexual harassment!

He is the one who should be fired!

B. Paul works for a government department. This department regularly puts out tenders to the
private sector for building new roads and bridges.

Last month we put out a new tender for rebuilding a section of one of our major highways. I won’t mention
the name! We received tender bids from about 35 different companies. Just after the tender closed, I had a
few `visitors`.

The one group of visitors brought me a case of whisky. The next group of visitor offered me a trip to
London – all expenses paid. They seemed to thin that they would be awarded the tender if they managed to
corrupt me. If I had accepted their bribes, I could have been fired for corruption!

The third group was a bit more sinister. They talked politely about the tenders, and then said that they knew
where my children and my parents lived. They said that, I I loved my family, I would favor their tender bid.

 Activity 4: Discuss the case studies that you have read

a) What could Sandra do in this situation? Give her some advice

b) Do you think that Paul acted in an ethical way? Explain your answer.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5

 Activity 5: Complete the gaps with words from the box

Behaviour bribes corrupt ethical

flattered harassment refuse tempting

Unfortunately sexual _______________ still takes place in many business. Some women are _____________
by the attention that men give them but most women think that this sort of __________is not appropriate.

Not all officials are___________. Some officials will _________ accept bribes but it is ____________ to earn
a bit of extra money.

 Activity 6: Match the words on the right column with the definition on the right column

a) Etiquette 1. To welcome or say hello to someone.

b) to greet 2. To do or say something that disturbs somebody else in what he or she does.

c) to be polite 3. Impolite

d) corrupt 4. Rules about how to behave in certain situations.

e) a bribe 5. To have good manners, to speak and act in an appropriate way.

f) rude 6. Very pleased and happy.

g) delighted 7. Not honest

h) to interrupt 8. A dishonest gift to someone, to get him or her to do something for you.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5

Topic: Revising the Conditional forms

 Activity 7: Write the verbs in these conditional sentences in the correct form

a) My manager____________ (to be) angry if I _______________(not to greet) customers politely.

b) if you_____________ (to attend) the class, you ____________ (to know) what this is about.

c) If I _____________ (to realise) that you were trying to bribe me, I ___________ (no to accept) the gift.

d) She____________ (to interrupt) if it_____________ (to be) important.

e) He____________(to replay) to my letter if he _____________ (to want) my order.

f) If I __________ (to refuse), he ____________ (to fire) me! - Said the woman
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5

Topic: Phrasal Verbs

What are Phrasal Verbs?
A phrasal verb is a combination of words (a verb + a preposition or verb +adverb) that when used
together, usually take on a different meaning to that of the original verb.

Phrasal verbs are generally used in spoken English and informal texts. Examples of such verbs include: turn
down, come across and run into.

Phrasal verbs consist of a verb and a preposition or an adverb:

Verb Preposition/adverb
get Up
go Through
write Down
take After
Sometimes phrasal verbs consist of three elements:

Verb Preposition / adverb 1 Preposition / adverb 2

look Forward To
put Up With
sit In For
When added to the verb the preposition or adverb may change completely the meaning of the verb. Here are
some examples:

Phrasal
Meaning Example
verb
look for search/seek He is looking for his keys
look up to have a great deal of respect for a person His father is his model. He is the person
he looks up to.
look await eagerly/anticipate with pleasure She is looking forward to visiting Paris.
forward to
look up to try to find a piece of information by looking She didn't understand the word. So she
in a book or on a computer: looked it up in her dictionary
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
Phrasal Verb Exercises

 Activity 8: Choose the correct phrasal verb from the parenthesis at the end of the sentence.

1. Someone broke into my car last night and stole the stereo. (broke down/broke into)
2. Will you be able to get by this month with the little you have?(get off / get by)

1. His father always taught him not to _____ those people with less. (look up to / look down on)
2. Stop complaining and _____ your work! (get on with / get over)
3. The boss wants you to _____ your figures for this month to him. (hand out / hand in)
4. We’re going to have to _____ our trip to Spain until September. (put up/ put off)
5. I _____ Amir today at the supermarket. It was great to see him. (ran out of / ran into)
6. I’m so tired of Sophie _____ her engagement ring all the time. (showing off, showing up)
7. The police would not _____ to the kidnapper’s demands. (give up/ give in)
8. I thought I would _____ for a cup of coffee. Is that okay? (drop off/ drop in)
9. Have you ever _____ such an unusual piece of art? (come forward/come across)
10. It’s important to _____ on time. (show up / show off)
11. _____ your feet when walking; you don’t want to trip! (uplift / lift up)
12. The tree was _____ by the wind. (blown up / blown over)
13. He _____ his hat to show me his new haircut. (took off / took up)
14. I just can’t seem to _____ this book. (get off / get into)

List of Phrasal verbs with meanings

Phrasal
Meaning Example
Verb

To take action because of The police were ACTING ON a tip from

Act on something like information an informer and caught the gang red-
received. handed.

Perform something with actions

Act out They ACTED OUT the story on stage.
and gestures..

My computer’s ACTING UP; I think I

Act up Behave badly or strangely.
might have a virus.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
You have to ADD the VAT ON to the
Add on Include in a calculation.
price they give.

We ADDED UP the bill to check it was

Add up To make a mathematical total.
correct.

Affect- usually used in the negative

Agree to show that something has had a I feel terrible- that food didn’t AGREE
with negative effect, especially is it WITH my stomach.
makes you feel bad.

Aim at To target. The magazine is AIMED AT teenagers.

Include something in a plan or You should ALLOW FOR delays when

Allow for
calculation. planning a journey.

The rules don’t ALLOW OF any

Allow of Make possible, permit.
exceptions.

Try to get something indirectly, by He’s been ANGLING FOR an

Angle for
hinting or suggesting. invitation, but I don’t want him to come.

Her mother was shocked when she

Answer To reply rudely to someone in
started ANSWERING her BACK and
back authority.
refusing to help.

Argue Beat someone in a debate, The teacher tried to ARGUE the girl
down discussion or argument. DOWN, but she couldn’t.

Argue Persuade someone to drop the price

She ARGUED him DOWN ten percent.
down of something they’re selling.

Argue Argue about a problem to find a If we can’t ARGUE our differences

out solution. OUT, we’ll have to take them to court.

Ask how someone is doing,

Ask
especially professionally and in He ASKED ABOUT my father.
about
terms of health.

Enquire about someone’s health, Jenny rang earlier and ASKED AFTER
Ask after
how life is going. you, so I told her you were fine.

Ask Ask a number of people for I have no idea, but I’ll ASK AROUND
around information of help. at work and see if anyone can help.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
To invite somebody into your
Ask in Jon’s at the door.’ ‘ASK him IN.’
house.

He wanted to ASK her OUT but was too

Ask out To invite someone for a date.
shy.

They have ASKED us OVER for drinks

Ask over Invite.
on Friday.

Ask
Invite someone. We ASKED John ROUND for diner.
round

Auction They AUCTIONED OFF their property

Sell something in an auction.
off as they were heavily in debt.

Back The crowd BACKED AWAY when the

Retreat or go backwards.
away man pulled a knife.

Back Retract or withdraw your position She refused to BACK DOWN and was
down or proposal in an argument. fired.

Enter a parking area in reverse He prefers to BACK his car INTO the
Back into
gear. garage.

The police told the protesters to BACK

Back off Retreat.
OFF.

Fail to keep an arrangement or He BACKED OUT two days before the

Back out
promise. holiday so we gave the ticket to his sister

Back out Fail to keep an agreement, She BACKED OUT OF the agreement
of arrangement. at the last minute.

You should always BACK UP important

files and documents so that you won’t
Back up Make a copy of computer data.
lose all your work if something goes
wrong with the hardware.

Don’t bag out BAG OUT Australian

Bag out Criticise.
English.

Confuse or make things The new project has BALLED me UP- I

Ball up
complicated. have no idea what to do.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
Bargain Persuade someone to drop the price I BARGAINED her DOWN to half what
down of something they’re selling. she originally wanted.

Bash If you BASH your monitor ABOUT like

Mistreat physically.
about that, it won’t last long.

The burglars BASHED the door IN to

Bash in Break, damage or injure by hitting.
enter the house.

Write something quickly without I BASHED the essay OUT the night
Bash out
much preparation. before I had to hand it in.

The police ARE AFTER him because of

Be after Try to find or get.
the theft.

The next bus should BE ALONG in the

Be along Arrive.
next quarter of an hour or so.

She’s AWAY on business for three

Be away Be elsewhere; on holiday, etc..
weeks.

Be cut Be suitable, have the necessary She’s not CUT OUT FOR this kind of
out for qualities. work.

She was very CUT UP about coming

Be cut up Be upset. second as she thought she deserved to
win.

He’s BEEN DOWN since his partner

Be down Be depressed.
left him.

Be bored, upset or sick of

Be fed up I AM FED UP of his complaints.
something.

Be taken I WAS very TAKEN WITH the

Like something.
with performance- it was superb.

Be up Be out of bed. She’s not UP yet.

Bear She spotted him on the other side of the

Move towards.
down on room and BORE DOWN ON him.

The judge’s character may well BEAR

Bear on Influence, affect.
ON the final decision.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
Statistics BEAR OUT the government’s
Bear out Confirm that something is correct.
positions on the issue.

How are you BEARING UP under the

Bear up Resist pressure.
strain?

Bear up Cope with something difficult or He’s BEARING UP UNDER the

under stressful. pressure.

Please BEAR WITH me a moment

Bear with Be patient.
while I finish this email.

Beat The sun WAS really BEATING DOWN

Strong sunshine.
down and we couldn’t stay outdoors.

The marathon runner barely BEAT OUT

Beat out Narrowly win in competition.
his rival at the tape.

The mugger BEAT him UP and stole his

Beat up Attack violently.
wallet.

Belong Be in the correct or appropriate Does this disc BELONG WITH those on
with location with other items. the shelf?

Bend I BENT DOWN to pick it up off the

Lower the top half of your body.
down floor.

Big up Exaggerate the importance. He BIGS himself UP all the time.

Bitch up Spoil or ruin something. I BITCHED UP the interview.

He BLACKED OUT and collapsed on

Black out Fall unconscious.
the floor.

Leave the ground- spaceship or The space shuttle BLASTED OFF on

Blast off
rocket. schedule yesterday.

I couldn’t drive here this morning

Block in Park a car and obstruct another car. because someone had BLOCKED me
IN.

Obstruct an exit to prevent people The police BLOCKED OFF the road
Block off
from leaving. after the murder.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
Blow
Impress greatly. Her first novel BLEW me AWAY.
away

Blow When the wind forces something to A tree was BLOWN DOWN in the
down fall. storm.

Arrive, sometimes suddenly or He BLEW IN from Toronto early this

Blow in
unexpectedly. morning.

We were going to meet last night, but

Blow off Not keep an appointment.
she BLEW me OFF at the last minute.

The bomb BLEW UP without any

Blow up Explode.
warning.

The anger BOILED UP in me when I

Boil up Feel a negative emotion strongly.
saw what they had done.

Bone up I need to BONE UP ON my French

Study hard for a goal or reason.
on grammar for the test.

WE took a taxi from the airport to the

Book in Check in at a hotel.
hotel and BOOKED IN.

I CALLED him UP as soon as I got to a

Call up Telephone.
phone to tell him the news.

Calm Stop being angry or emotionally When I lose my temper, it takes ages for
down excited. me to CALM DOWN again.

Have an opposite effect on The airport taxes CANCELLED OUT

Cancel
something that has happened, the savings we had made on the flight
out
taking things back to the beginning. tickets.

Finish or complete, often with She CAPPED OFF the meeting with a
Cap off
some decisive action. radical proposal.

I don’t CARE FOR fizzy drinks; I prefer

Care for Like.
water.

The team got CARRIED AWAY when

Carried Get so emotional that you lose
they won the championship and started
away control.
shouting and throwing things around.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
Carry They hope the new management will be
Make something progress.
forward able to CARRY the project FORWARD.

She CARRIED OFF the first prize in the

Carry off Win, succeed.
competition.

CARRY ON quietly with your work

Carry on Continue.
until the substitute teacher arrives.

Jane spent a long time looking at houses

Decide
Choose, select. before she bought one, but eventually
upon
DECIDED UPON one near her office.

Become quieter or inaudible (of a The last notes DIED AWAY and the
Die away
sound). audience burst into applause.

When the parts of a plant above

Die back ground die, but the roots remain The plant DIES BACK in the winter.
alive.

It was on the front pages of all the

Die down Decrease or become quieter. papers for a few days, but the interest
gradually DIED DOWN.

I’m DYING FOR the weekend- this

Die for Want something a lot.
week’s been so hard.

Most of the elm trees in the UK DIED

Die off Become extinct.
OFF when Dutch elm disease arrived.

Some scientists say that the dinosaurs

Die out Become extinct or disappear. DIED OUT when a comet hit the earth
and caused a nuclear winter.

We were starving so we really DUG IN

Dig in Start eating greedily.
when the food finally did arrive.

She DUG INTO her handbag and pulled

Dig into Reach inside to get something.
out a bunch of keys.

Praise someone in an excessive She FAWNED OVER the inspectors in

Fawn
way to get their favour or the hope that they would give her a good
over
something from them. grade.

Eat a food as part of an animals The gecko FEEDS OFF mosquitoes and
Feed off
diet. other insects.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
Feed on Give someone a particular food. He FEEDS his cat ON dry food.

Give someone a lot of food to

She’s been ill for a fortnight so we’re
Feed up restore their health, make them
FEEDING her UP.
bigger, etc.

Someone FELT me UP in the club as I

Feel up Touch sexually, grope.
was trying to get to the bar.

Feel up I’m so tired. I don’t think I FEEL UP

Feel capable of doing something.
to TO going out tonight.

Get Nowadays, you need IT skills if you

Progress.
ahead want to GET AHEAD.

Get I work at home in the evening to GET

Move in front of.
ahead of AHEAD OF schedule.

It’s late; we must be GETTING

Get along Leave.
ALONG.

Stop doing something that has been I GAVE UP taking sugar in tea and
Give up
a habit. coffee to lose weight.

Hit on Have an idea. I suddenly HIT ON the solution

Stop someone from attacking or Chelsea couldn’t HOLD their opponents

Hold off
beating you. OFF and lost the game.

Could you HOLD ON for a minute;

Hold on Wait.
she’ll be free in a moment.

Hook up Meet someone. We HOOKED UP at the conference.

It took me ages to HUNT OUT the

Hunt out Search until you find something.
photos.

They have JACKED UP the price of oil

Jack up Increase sharply.
this month.

Apply or operate something Jack JAMMED ON the brakes when the

Jam on
forcefully. rabbit ran in front of his car.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
That shows that your interest is not in
Talk just for the point of talking
Jaw away helping the student, but in JAWING
rather than having anything to say.
AWAY.

Make something more interesting The show was getting stale so they
Jazz up
or attractive. JAZZED it UP with some new scenes.

Keep I KEEP a dictionary AROUND when

Keep something near you.
around I’m doing my homework.

She found the course hard but she KEPT

Keep at Continue with something difficult.
AT it and completed it successfully.

Keep Don’t allow someone near Medicines should always be KEPT

away something. AWAY from children.

Keep The police told the crowd to KEEP

Maintain a safe distance.
back BACK from the fire.

Plan things to fit or suit people or Promotions are KEYED TO people’s

Key to
situations. abilities.

Key up Make someone excited or nervous. The noise got us KEYED UP.

Kick We KICKED the idea ABOUT at the

Discuss.
about meeting.

Her hayfever didn’t feel half as bad once

Kick in When a drug starts to take effect.
the antihistamines had KICKED IN.

The family KICKED the au pair OUT

when they found out that she was
Kick out Expel.
planning to move to work for another
household.

Knock We KNOCKED OFF early on Friday to

Finish work for the day.
off avoid the rush hour queues.

Lash Secure something with ropes or We LASHED the tarpaulin DOWN to

down cords. stop the wind blowing it away.

He LASHED INTO them for messing

Lash into Criticise someone strongly.
thins up.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
He LASHED OUT and broke the man’s
Lash out Suddenly become violent.
nose.

They LAID ON a buffet lunch at the

Lay on Organise, supply.
conference.

They LAID OUT thousands of pounds

Lay out Spend money.
on their wedding reception.

The doorstaff didn’t LET him IN the

Let in Allow someone to enter.
nightclub because he was wearing jeans.

The judge LET him OFF with a fine

Let off Not punish. rather than a prison sentence since it was
his first offence.

We have LINED UP a lot of meetings

Line up Arrange events for someone.
for them.

Link up Connect, join. The train LINKS UP the cities.

Follow a belief system to guide

Live by He tries hard to LIVE BY the Bible.
your behaviour.

Live Stop being embarrassed about If I fail the test and everyone else passes,
down something. I’ll never be able to LIVE it DOWN.

It’s hard to LIVE WITH the pain of a

Live with Accept something unpleasant.
serious illness.

Enter a restricted area on a I had forgotten my password and

Log in
computer system. couldn’t LOG IN.

Enter a restricted area of a I LOGGED INTO the staff intranet to

Log into
computer system. check my email.

When she’d finished working on the

Log off Exit a computer system. spreadsheet, she LOGGED OFF and left
the office.

He entered his password for the college

Log on Enter a computer system.
intranet and LOGGED ON.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
Danny closed the programs and
Log out Exit a computer system. LOGGED OUT when it was time to go
home.

Consult a reference work

I didn’t know the correct spelling so I
Look up (dictionary, phonebook, etc.) for a
had to LOOK it UP in the dictionary.
specific piece of information..

He MAGICKED the bill AWAY and

Magic
Make something disappear quickly. paid for us all before I could get my
away
wallet out.

Make The police MADE AFTER the stolen

Chase.
after car.

Make
The thieves MADE AWAY WITH the
away Steal.
painting.
with

I thought you weren’t coming, so I was

Make it Arrive or get a result.
really pleased you MADE IT.

Make it Try to compensate for doing He tried to MAKE IT UP TO her, but

up to something wrong. she wouldn’t speak to him.

Make of Understand or have an opinion. What do you MAKE OF your new boss?

They MADE OFF when they heard the

Make off Leave somewhere in a hurry.
police siren.

Mix sources of audio, video or She MASHED UP the songs into a

Mash up
other computer sources.. single track.

Melt Heat something solid, especially They MELTED the gold statue DOWN
down metal, until it becomes liquid. and turned it into gold bars.

Mess Not be serious, not use something The children were MESSING ABOUT
about properly. with the TV remote control and broke it.

I always MIX those two sisters UP

Mix up Confuse.
because they look so like each other.

Move They MOVED INTO the house as soon

Start living in a place.
into as it was ready.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
Could you MOVE UP and let me sit
Move up Move to make space.
down?

Nail They are having trouble NAILING

Succeed in getting, achieve.
down DOWN the contract.

Name Give someone a name to remember I was NAMED AFTER my uncle who
after another person. died in the war.

I am not sure which university to apply

Narrow Remove less important options to
to, but I have NARROWED my list
down make it easier to choose.
DOWN to three.

I’m going to NERD OUT and not go on

Nerd out Play safe and avoid taking a risk.
the river trip.

I OPTED FOR an endowment mortgage

Opt for Choose.
and lost a lot of money.

Choose to be part or a member of If you want them to notify you of

Opt in
something. updates, you have to OPT IN.

Choose to be a member or part of

Opt into I OPTED INTO the scheme.
something.

The UK OPTED OUT of a lot of EU

Opt out Choose not to be part of something. legislation on working hours and
conditions.

Pack in Stop doing something. I’m trying to PACK IN smoking.

His boss PACKED him OFF to a

Pack off Send someone away.
regional office.

Pack out Fill a venue. The stadium was PACKED OUT.

Pack up Stop doing something. You should PACK UP smoking.

I’m too tired to come home; can I PAD

Pad down Sleep somewhere for the night.
DOWN here tonight?

Make a text longer by including I couldn’t think of much to write, so I

Pad out extra content, often content that PADDED the essay OUT with a few
isn’t particularly relevant. lengthy quotes.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
Pal Be friendly and spend time with
We PALLED AROUND at university.
around someone.

We PALLED UP when I started

Pal up Become friends.
working with her.

Pass Sadly, Georgia’s uncle PASSED

Die.
away AWAY yesterday after a short illness.

I felt awful when the teacher started to

Pass back Return.
PASS BACK the exam papers.

I was just PASSING BY when I saw the

Pass by Go past without stopping.
accident.

I tried to PATCH things UP after the

Patch up Fix or make things better. argument, but they wouldn’t speak to
me.

I PAID BACK the twenty pounds I’d

Pay back Repay money borrowed.
borrowed.

Their patience PAID OFF when he

Produce a profitable or successful
Pay off finally showed up and signed the
result.
contract.

Peel Leave a group by moving in a Some of the crowd PEELED AWAY to

away different direction. get out of the crush.

I PEGGED the washing OUT after it

Peg out Put washing outside to dry.
stopped raining.

They are PHASING IN the reforms over

Phase in Introduce gradually.
the next two years.

They have introduced a compact edition

of the newspaper and are PHASING
Phase out Remove gradually.
OUT the broadsheet edition over the
next few months.

I wasn’t very hungry so I just PICKED

Pick at Eat unwillingly.
AT my food.

While you’re in town, can you PICK UP

Pick up Collect.
my trousers from the Dry Cleaner?
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
The food was great, so I really PIGGED
Pig out Eat a lot.
OUT.

Work just keeps on PILING UP and I

Pile up Accumulate.
really can’t manage to get it all done.

Discover exact details about The government can’t PIN DOWN

Pin down
something. where the leak came from.

The police tried to PIN the crime ON

Pin on Attach the blame to someone.
him.

Fix something to a wall, or other

Pin up I PINNED the notice UP on the board
vertical surface, with a pin.

He’s been PINING AWAY since his

Pine Suffer physically because of grief,
wife died and is a shadow of his former
away stress, worry, etc.
self.

Pipe The lecturer asked the students to PIPE

Be quiet (often as an imperative).
down DOWN and pay attention.

At first, no one answered, then finally

Pipe up To speak, raise your voice.
someone PIPED UP.

Pretend to agree or accept

I disagreed with the idea but I had to
Play something in order to keep
PLAY ALONG because everyone else
along someone happy or to get more
liked it.
information.

Play The children were PLAYING AROUND

Be silly.
around and being annoying.

The children PLAYED UP all evening

Play up Behave badly.
and drove the babysitter mad.

Connect machines to the electricity He PLUGGED the TV IN and turned it

Plug in
supply. on full blast.

Plump Put something in a place without He PLUMPED his bag DOWN and
down taking care. kicked his shoes off.

Plump
Choose. I PLUMPED FOR the steak frites.
for
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
Make someone aware of He POINTED OUT that I only had two
Point out
something. weeks to get the whole thing finished.

Poke Move things around or search in a I POKED ABOUT in my CD collection

about casual way to try to find something. to see if I could find it.

Poke Move things around or search in a I POKED AROUND in my desk to see

around casual way to try to find something. if the letter was there.

She POLISHES OFF half a bottle of gin

Polish off Finish, consume.
every night.

I need to POLISH UP my French before

Polish up Improve something quickly.
I go to Paris.

He POPPED IN for a coffee on his way

Pop in Visit for a short time.
home.

He’s always POPPING OFF when

Pop off Talk loudly, complain.
things don’t suit him.

Turn a computer or electronic I POWERED UP my laptop and started

Power up
device on so that it is ready to use. work.

In rural areas where they have a

Price up Charge more for something. monopoly, some garages PRICE UP fuel
because there’s nowhere else to buy it.

Pull The lorry was going slowly but we

Overtake, move in front.
ahead managed to PULL AHEAD.

The traffic was so bad that it took me

Pull out Move into traffic.
ages to PULL OUT.

Topic: Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are special verbs that we use in combination with another verb. In fact, most modal verbs
have no real meaning without another verb. Each modal verb describes either how, why or when an
action happens. There are ten modal verbs:

 will
 would
 shall
 must
 should
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
 ought to
 can
 could
 may
 might

How to Make Sentences with Modal Verbs

The great thing about modal verbs is that they all follow three simple rules to make affirmative, negative
and interrogative sentences. Affirmative sentences are the same for all subjects with modal verbs, which
means you don’t need to add -s to the third person singular:

To make negative sentences, we add ‘not’:

To make questions we invert the subject and the modal verb:

 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5

Having now looked at structure, let’s look at the different situations in which we use modal verbs.

1. Making Requests

In English there are several ways we can make requests and with different levels of formality:

Here are some more examples:

- Can you open the door for me?

- Will you come to my party?
- Would you send the material as soon as possible please?
- Could you bring us the bill please?
2. Asking and Giving Permission

We can also ask and give permission with varying levels of formality:

Here are some examples:

a. Excuse me, could we sit here? – Certainly.

b. Can I get myself a glass of water, John? – Sure, help yourself.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
c. May I wear jeans to the office? – I’m afraid you may not because we have a strict dress
code.
d. Can my kids play here?
3. Describing Abilities and Possibilities

There are two modal verbs we use to describe ability – ‘can’ and ‘could’. We use ‘can’ to refer to present
and general abilities, and ‘could’ to refer to past abilities. For example:

a. Jose can swim really well.

b. Can they play football? Yes, but not very well.
c. I can’t use Excel. Can you teach me?
d. They can speak English.
e. When I was younger I could play the piano.
f. My brother and I could ski as teenagers.
g. She couldn’t do the Maths homework so she asked her friend for help.
h. They couldn’t see much in the fog.
4. Making Predictions

We can use a range of modal verbs to describe the future, depending on how probable we think the event
or situation is. For example:

a. It will be hot tomorrow. 100% sure

b. It should be hot tomorrow. 80% sure (According to the weather forecast.)
c. It may be hot tomorrow. 50% possibility
d. It might be hot tomorrow. 50% possibility
e. It could be hot tomorrow. 30% possibility

Here are some other examples:

f. We might go to the beach this weekend. It depends on the weather.

g. I think we could win this match but it’ll be hard.
h. Harry should be home by now.
i. It won’t rain this afternoon. Look at the clear blue sky.
j. They may come round later if they have time.
5. Describing Obligations

The main modal verb we use to describe obligations is ‘must’. We can use it in the affirmative form to
say something is mandatory, and in the negative form to say something is prohibited. For example:

a. You mustn’t enter this room without permission.

 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5
b. They must prepare the order by 5pm.
c. I must start doing some exercise. I’m really unfit.
d. We mustn’t park here. It’s forbidden.

When we want to describe a milder obligation (something important but not necessarily mandatory) we
can use ‘should’. We often use ‘should’ and ‘shouldn’t’ to give advice. For example:

e. He should study a bit more. He’s doing ok but he could do better.

f. You should stop drinking so much coffee.
g. What time should we leave?
h. I think we should go at 4pm to avoid the rush-hour traffic.
6. Making Suggestions

To make suggestions we can use ‘can’, ‘could’, ‘shall’ and ‘should’. For example:

We can have a game of tennis later.

We could meet at 3pm.

Shall we have a drink afterwards?

We should invite Rick and Olga too.

7. Making Deductions

When you are almost certain something is true (or not true) you can use the modal verbs ‘must’ and
‘can’t. For example:

- You haven’t eaten all day. You must be hungry. (I’m 95% certain.)

- He’s got three Ferraris. He must be very rich.

- You can’t be tired. You’ve just slept all morning! (It’s not possible in my opinion.)

- They can’t be at home yet. They only left five minutes ago!

8. Making Conditional Statements

We also use modal verbs to make conditional sentences. In the first conditional we can use several modal
verbs:
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5

In the second conditional (which we use to describe improbable situations), we use ‘would’ or ‘could’:

In the third conditional (which we use to describe impossible situations in the past), we can use ‘would’
and ‘could’:

Topic: Present Perfect (simple and continuous form) - Review

We use both the present perfect simple (have or has + past participle) and the present perfect continuous
(have or has + been + -ing form) to talk about past actions or states which are still connected to the present.

Present Perfect + ever, never, already, yet

Ever

 The adverbs ever and never express the idea of an unidentified time before now(Have
you ever visited Berlin?)'Ever' and 'never' are always placed before the main verb (past
participle). Ever is used:
 In questions

Examples

Have you ever been to England?

Has she ever met the Prime Minister?
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5

 In negative questions

Examples

Haven't they ever been to Europe?

Haven't you ever eaten Chinese food?

 In negative statements using the pattern nothing+ever or nobody+ever

Examples

Nobody has ever said that to me before.

Nothing like this has ever happened to us.

 With 'The first time'

Examples

It's the first time that I've ever eaten snails.

This is the first time I've ever been to England.

Never

 Never means at no time before now, and is the same as not ..... ever: (I have never visited Berlin)

BE CAREFUL!You must not use never and not together

I haven't never been to Italy.

I have never been to Italy.

Already

 Already refers to an action that has happened at an unspecified time before now. It suggests
that there is no need for repetition.

Examples

I've already drunk three coffees this morning. (= and you're offering me another one!)
Don't write to John, I've already done it.
 Título do Módulo: Ler e Responder Materiais Escritos na Língua Inglesa – LRMELI – CV5

 It is also used in questions:

Have you already written to John?
Has she finished her homework already?

 Already can be placed before the main verb (past participle) or at the end of the sentence:
I have already been to Tokyo.
I have been to Tokyo already.

Yet

 Yet is used in negative statements and questions, to mean (not) in the period of time between
before now and now, (not) up to and including the present. Yet is usually placed at the end of the
sentence.

Examples

Have you met Judy yet?

I haven't visited the Tate Gallery yet
Has he arrived yet?
They haven't eaten yet