Professional Documents
Culture Documents
START
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INTRODUCTORY UNIT
I. The alphabet
These are the letters of the English alphabet and their phonetic transcription:
Exercises:
II. Numbers
Write the missing numbers:
1 one 11 eleven 21 twenty-one 31
2 two 12 twelve 22 twenty-two 32
3 three 13 thirteen 23 twenty-three 33
4 four 14 fourteen 24 twenty-four 34
5 five 15 fifteen 25 twenty-five 35
6 six 16 sixteen 26 twenty-six 36
7 seven 17 seventeen 27 twenty-seven 37
8 eight 18 eighteen 28 twenty-eight 38
9 nine 19 nineteen 29 twenty-nine 39
10 ten 20 twenty 30 thirty 40 forty
41 51 61 71
42 52 62 72
43 53 63 73
44 54 64 74
45 55 65 75
46 56 66 76
47 57 67 77
48 58 68 78
49 59 69 79
50 fifty 60 sixty 70 seventy 80 eighty
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81 91 1,000 one / a thousand
82 92 10,000 ten thousand
83 93 100,000 one hundred thousand
84 94 1,000,000 a / one million
85 95
86 96
87 97
88 98
89 99
90 ninety 100 one / a hundred
Ordinal numbers
1st first 11th eleventh 21 st twenty-first
2nd second 12th twelfth 22 nd twenty-second
3rd third 13th thirteenth 23 rd twenty-third
4th fourth 14th fourteenth
5th fifth 15th fifteenth
6th sixth 16th sixteenth
7th seventh 17th seventeenth
8th eighth 18th eighteenth
9th ninth 19th nineteenth
10 th tenth 20th twentieth
II.Articles
Indefinite articles: a / an
We use “a” if the word begins with a consonant and “an” if the word begins with a
vowel.
e.g. a manager
an Englishman
It is used in the following situations:
when we mention someone or something for the first time in our conversation
or text - e.g. I finally found a job.
To refer to a particular member of a group or class -e.g. He wants to be a
dancer.
To talk about price, weight, speed, etc - e.g. It is 10 euros a kilo.
In front of certain numbers - e.g. a thousand
In exclamations - e.g. What a busy day!
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e.g. The United States of America; The Rocky Mountains; The west of
Australia; The Thames; The Black Sea; The Pacific Ocean; The Sahara
Desert
When both the speaker and the listener know what is being talked about
e.g. Where is the bathroom?
When we define or identify a person or object - e.g. My house is the one with
blue door.
Before superlatives and ordinal numbers - e.g. the highest building; the first
c) No article
We don’t use an article in the following situations:
Names of towns, streets, airports, continents, countries, mountains
e.g. Bucharest, Bond Street, Heathrow, Europe, Romania, Mount
McKinley
Names of languages, meals, days of the week, colours, seasons
e.g. French, lunch, Monday, red, summer
Titles and names
e.g. Prince Charles
Uncountable nouns and plural words used generally
e.g. Milk is often added in tea in England.
Books are quite expensive nowadays.
In some fixed expressions
e.g. by car (by + means of transport)
on foot - on holiday - at school / work - in church / prison/ bed
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e.g. How far is Brasov from here?
HOW LONG
e.g. How long will it take?
HOW MANY
e.g. How many cars do you have?
HOW MUCH
e.g. How much money do you have?
HOW OLD
e.g. How old is your secretary?
IV. Pronouns
a) Personal pronouns:
Subject Object pronoun
pronoun
I Me
You You
He (male) Him
She (female) Her
It (animals, It
objects, things)
We Us
You You
They them
Examples (in each case, the first example shows a subject pronoun, the second an object
pronoun):
I like coffee.
John helped me.
Do you like coffee?
John loves you.
He runs fast.
Did Ram beat him?
She is clever.
Does Mary know her?
It doesn't work.
Can the engineer repair it?
We went home.
Anthony drove us.
Do you need a table for three?
Did John and Mary beat you at doubles?
They played doubles.
John and Mary beat them.
We often use it to introduce a remark:
It is nice to have a holiday sometimes.
It is important to dress well.
It's difficult to find a job.
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Is it normal to see them together?
It didn't take long to walk here.
We also often use it to talk about the weather, temperature, time and distance:
It's raining.
It will probably be hot tomorrow.
Is it nine o'clock yet?
It's 50 kilometres from here to Cambridge.
b) Demonstrative pronouns
A demonstrative pronoun represents a thing or things:
near in distance or time (this, these)
far in distance or time (that, those)
near far
c) Possessive pronouns
We use possessive pronouns to refer to a specific person/people or thing/things
belonging to a person/people (and sometimes belonging to an animal/animals or thing/things).
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Look at these pictures. Mine is the big one. (subject = My picture)
I like your flowers. Do you like mine? (object = my flowers)
I looked everywhere for your key. I found John's key but I couldn't find yours. (object
= your key)
My flowers are dying. Yours are lovely. (subject = Your flowers)
All the essays were good but his was the best. (subject = his essay)
John found his passport but Mary couldn't find hers. (object = her passport)
John found his clothes but Mary couldn't find hers. (object = her clothes)
Here is your car. Ours is over there, where we left it. (subject = Our car)
Your photos are good. Ours are terrible. (subject = Our photos)
Each couple's books are colour-coded. Yours are red. (subject = Your books)
I don't like this family's garden but I like yours. (subject = your garden)
These aren't John and Mary's children. Theirs have black hair. (subject = Their
children)
John and Mary don't like your car. Do you like theirs? (object = their car)
d) Reflexive pronouns
We use a reflexive pronoun when we want to refer back to the subject of the sentence
or clause. Reflexive pronouns end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural).
reflexive pronoun
singular myself
yourself
himself, herself, itself
plural ourselves
yourselves
themselves
Examples:
I saw myself in the mirror.
Why do you blame yourself?
John sent himself a copy.
Mary sent herself a copy.
My dog hurt itself.
We blame ourselves.
Can you help yourselves?
They cannot look after themselves.
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V. Adjectives
Adjectives usually come in front of the noun or pronouns that they describe and do not
change their form.
a) opinion: good, pretty, right, wrong, funny, light, happy, sad, full, soft, hard, beautiful,
important, cheap etc.
2) Possessive
Examples:
My hobby is collecting coins.
Is that your phone?
I think his car is very expensive.
What happened to her sister?
I bought a new carpet. What attracted me was its design.
Our aim is to increase the sales figures.
Your office will be renovated soon.
Their participation was not confirmed.
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Degrees of comparison
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UNIT 1
Key vocabulary
Most people work because they need to earn a salary, but money is not the only motivation
or reason why people work. People get job satisfaction from different factors, such as social
interaction with colleagues. Status, that is your professional position, and achievement,
doing something well, can be important. Some companies really value their employees and
see them as the company’s main asset. Managing people well can lead to better results and
higher productivity for the company, but this can be difficult to do. People respond
differently to different styles of management. Some organizations give their workers
freedom to develop their roles and others don’t.
1. The following text is about the different styles that men and women have in the
workplace. Read the text and solve the task below.
Men and women do things differently. There are, of course, exceptions to every
generalization, including this one.
Cristina Stuart is a managing director of Speakeasy training, a consultancy that runs courses
for men and women working together. Here she describes a few key differences between the
sexes in the workplace.
1 Working together
The male approach to business is competitive, direct and confrontational. The end justifies the
means*. Personal status and a focus on the individual are important.
The female method is collaborative. Collective action and responsibility are more important
than personal achievement. Lateral thinking*, as well as goodwill and the well-being of the
individual,
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2 Tackling problems
The male approach is to go to the heart of the problem, without taking into account secondary
considerations. The female preference is to look at various options.
3 Body language
Male body language tends to be challenging. Female body language tends towards self-
protection. A stereotypical female pose is sitting cross-legged; the male sits with legs apart to
give an impression that he is in control.
Male behavior can include forceful gestures for example banging a fist on the desk for effect.
The female style does not usually include aggressive gestures.
4 Language
The male way of speaking does not encourage discussion. Women tend to welcome others’
opinions and contributions more.
5 Conversation
Men like to talk about their personal experiences and achievements or discuss ‘masculine’
topics such as cars or sport. Women tend to talk about staff problems and personal matters.
6 Meetings
If a woman does not copy the male confrontational style, she is often ignored.
7 Self-promotion
Men find it easy to tell others about their successes. Women tend to share or pass on the credit
for a success.
8 Humour
Men’s humour can be cruel – a man’s joke usually has avictim. Female humour is less hurtful.
A woman often jokes against herself.
HABITS-STYLES
Many men have a female style of working. Equally many women have a male approach.
*the end justifies the means: it doesn’t matter what methods you use; success is the only
important thing
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*flatter organizations: organizations in which there are fewer managers and people have
equal status
According to the text, which of these phrases are typically used by men and which by
women?
Example:“It’s very simple. The point is…” (men- go to the heart of the matter)
2. Look at the photos and say which figures you think represent men and which
represent women?
in control collaborative
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welcome contributions talk about personal matters
hysterical
WORD BUILDING
1. Complete the table with words from the text:
VERB NOUN ADJECTIVE
1 to compete competition competitive
2 to confront confrontation __________
3 to collaborate collaboration __________
4 to control ___________ controlling
5 ___________ encouragement encouraging
6 to achieve ____________ achieving
2. Complete the following sentences using one of the words from the table:
1. It was a great _______ to win the company’s prize for excellence.
2. This is a really difficult job at times. I’d like a bit of ________ from my
boss occasionally.
3. I hate having meetings with Alan. He’s always aggressive and _________.
4. I don’t like working on my own, I need other people to _________ with.
5. It’s impossible to _______ events, but you can influence them.
We usually form the names of people and their jobs by adding ‘-er’ or ‘-or’ to the verb
describing their activity. Examples:
Operate – operator
Inspect – inspector
Manage – manager
Supervise – supervisor
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1 Form job titles by adding the necessary ending:
1. Drive – 11. Plan -
2. Work – 12. Administrate -
3. Coordinate – 13. Translate -
4. Lead – 14. Recruit -
5. Design – 15. Train -
6. Observe – 16. Employ -
7. Clean – 17. Install -
8. Assemble – 18. Control -
9. Build – 19. Advise -
10. Write – 20. Examine -
2 We often use a/ an in front of the job names. Study the examples and
complete the rules below, then complete the sentences with a/ an.
a) I’m an engineer.
b) Julie is a sales manager.
1 We use ___ before words that start with consonant sounds (b, c, d, f, g,
h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z).
2 We use ___ before words that start with vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u).
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b) Introducing yourself:
I don’t think we have met. May I introduce myself?
Hello. My name is (first and last name).
Hi. I’m (first name).
c) Interrogative:
DO/ DOES + SUBJECT + VERB?
Example: Do you want a coffee?
Yes, I do./ No, I don’t.
Adverbs of time:
a) every day/ week/ month/ year/ Sunday/ summer etc (placed at the beginning or ending
of the sentence)
Example: I check my emails every day.
b) Always/ usually/ often/ frequently/ sometimes/ rarely/ seldom/ never (placed before the
verb)
Example: My boss always drinks a black coffee in the morning.
Use:
a) To talk about facts or permanent activities
Example: The company has 1,000 employees.
b) To talk about habits
Example: I go to work by bus.
c) To talk about activities which are part of a fixed programme.
Example: The meeting begins at 10 am.
!!! We add –es for 3rd person singular for verbs ending in: -ch, -ss, -sh, -x, -zz, -o,
consonant+y (y-i)
Examples: watch- watches
miss – misses
finish-finishes
fix-fixes
buzz-buzzes
go-goes
fly-flies
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!!! TO BE
Affirmative: I am (I’m)
You are (You’re)
He is (He’s)
She is (She’s)
It is (It’s)
We are (We’re)
You are (You’re)
They are (They’re)
Negative: I am not
You are not (You aren’t)
He is not (He isn’t)
She is not (She isn’t)
It is not (It isn’t)
We are not (We aren’t)
You are not (You aren’t)
They are not (They aren’t)
Interrogative: Am I?
Are you?
Is he?
Is she?
Is it?
Are we?
Are you?
Are they?
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5. Include -
6. Publish-
7. Increase -
8. Work -
9. Develop -
10. Do –
WRITING EMAILS
Email is much less formal than a written letter. Emails are usually short and concise.
If you are writing to someone you don't know, a simple "Hello" is adequate. Using a
salutation such as "Dear Mr Smith," is too formal.
When writing to someone you know well, feel free to write as if you are speaking to
the person.
Use abbreviated verb forms (He's, We're, He'd, etc.)
Include a telephone number to the signature of the email. This will give the recipient
the chance to telephone if necessary.
It is not necessary to include your email address as the recipient can just reply to the
email.
When replying eliminate all the information that is not necessary. Only leave the
sections of text that are related to your reply. This will save your reader time when reading
your email.
MODEL
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Now write an email to your colleague in the sales department to inform him/ her about
the meeting which takes place the following day (include information about the subject,
place, time, materials that will be presented.)
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UNIT 2
CHANGING TO COMPETE
Key Vocabulary
READING
1. Read the following article. Which of these sentences summarises Ratan Tata’s
ideas?
Mr Tata does not drink or smoke and he does not like publicity. He became
chairperson in 1991. At that time, Tata was a difficult organization to manage. There were
more than 300 different companies in the group and some were old-fashioned. Today, there
are only 96 companies and the group is more modern.
In the past, it was difficult for Tata to trade outside India because of competition from
other countries. Now it exports internationally. The Tata Group is also buying companies in
different countries. At the moment, one of the companies in the group, Tata Steel, is trying to
buy Corus, a European steel company. But it has a competitor: CSN, a Brazilian company,
also wants to buy Corus.
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Ratan Tata is making changes to the company. Many of these changes help make the
group more competitive. But he isn’t changing all the group’s traditions. For example, the
Tata Group still tries to help its workers – the children of Tata’s steelworkers first started to
have free education in 1917. Two thirds of the Tata Group is owned by charitable
foundations, and today they are still helping people in India. Investors sometimes ask: “Is
Tata doing the right thing? Is charity good for business?” But Mr Tata thinks it is possible to
help people and be competitive at the same time.
2. Do the following refer to the Tata company in the past or at the moment? One
thing refers to both.
1 producing a cheap car
2 300 companies in the group
3 96 companies in the group
4 helping its workers
5 a Brazilian competitor
VOCABULARY
1. Find words in the article to complete the table.
Verb Noun (person) Noun (thing)
trainer/ trainee training
compete competitor
invest investment
manager management
trader trade
publicise publicist
exporter export
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2. Complete the sentences with the correct words in italics.
1 Shell and Esso are competition/ competitors in the oil market.
2 Did they publicise/ publicity the launch date of their new product range?
3 Giles is working as a trade/ trader on the Japanese stock market.
4 We lost a lot of money – it was a bad investment/ investor.
5 Westfern run training/ trainer courses for financial organizations.
6 How long did you work as a management/ manager al Dell?
7 Do Lancome export/ exporter to Taiwan?
3. We use market to describe any area where we can sell products or services. All
the words in the box can be used with the word market. Decide if they go before
or after market.
Form
Affirmative: SUBJECT + TO BE (present) + VERB-ING
Example: Tata Steel is trying to buy Corus.
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Adverbs of time:
- now
- at the moment
- today, tonight
- this week/ month/ summer/ year etc
Use:
1. to talk about things that are happening now (at the moment of speaking)
2. for temporary actions (things that are happening around now)
3. definite plans for the near future
!!!! Verbs ending in consonant + vowel + consonant double the last consonant
Example: to cut – I am cutting
to swim – I am swimming
to travel – I am travelling
1. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in italics.
1 I work / am working for Corus plc. I started here seven years ago.
2 What do you do/ are you doing at the moment?
3 I organize / am organizing a project in Rotterdam this month.
4 What time do they have/ are they having breakfast in the morning?
5 Martina finishes/ is finishing a report at the moment.
6 How do you usually travel / are you usually travelling to work?
7 I’m driving/ drive at the moment, but usually I’m taking/ take the train.
8 Are they sending/ Do they send the report now?
2. Study these examples. Do they refer to something that is happening now (N)
or in the future (F)? How do you know?
A I’m starting work again next September.
B I’m just finishing work now.
C Then in July I’m staying with my brother in New Zealand.
D At the moment, I’m having fun looking at maps and imagining the journey.
E I’m not enjoying work very much at present.
F After a fortnight in Thailand, I’m taking a train to Malaysia.
3. Rewrite the sentences using the present continuous of the verbs in brackets.
Decide if they are about now (N) or the future (F).
1 We (export) ________________a lot of rice to Europe this month.
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2 I (fly) _____________ to Munich the day after tomorrow.
3 You (go) ____________ to the Tokyo trade fair in July?
4 He (have) ___________ a meeting later this afternoon.
5 They (not look) _____________ for a new supplier.
6 What time he ______________ (arrive)?
7 I (take) __________ my car to work next week.
8 We (prepare) _____________ the presentation at the moment.
Dates
The UK and most European countries put the day before the month: 21st July
In the US and some other countries, the month comes first: July 21
We can say dates in two ways:
10th December The tenth of December
December the tenth
Years
We write: 1807 1995 2008
We say: eighteen oh seven
Nineteen ninety-five
Two thousand and eight
Times
English speakers don’t often use the 24-hour clock, but prefer am and pm.
Morning = am
Afternoon / evening = pm
The conference starts at 10 am.
The meeting finishes at 5pm.
We use am and pm when we say the hour before the minutes:
Example: five ten am, five fifteen am, five forty pm, five fifty-six pm etc.
We can say five pm but not five o’clock pm.
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The 24-hour clock is used for travel.
Example: My plane leaves at 14:45 and arrives at 18:20.
Note that we don’t usually write: o’clock or half past, quarter to, etc. We usually use
these expressions when we are speaking.
Prepositions of time
on in at
Friday 2009 7:30 (seven
the sixteenth of May two hours thirty)
Monday morning the evening night
July the weekend
the spring New Year
Telephone numbers
We usually say telephone numbers as smaller groups of numbers.
We write: 36288 419005
We say: three six two, double eight, four one nine, double oh five
Telephone numbers can also have a country code or an area code.
There are some differences in the way we usually say telephone numbers in the UK
and the USA.
040
UK oh-four-oh
USA zero four zero
3557
UK three double five seven
USA three five five seven
WRITING – MEMO
Here is a sample memo:
MEMO
Sales conference
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G We recommend staff to contact the travel office as soon as possible to book
accommodation for the conference.
H FM
A memo (full name: “memorandum”) is a short, official note. It is usually sent from
one person to other people in the same company.
We send memos:
To give information (e.g. about events, activities, changes)
To ask for information (e.g. about holiday dates)
To give instructions or remind people to take action (e.g. new procedures)
To make recommendations (e.g. how to solve a problem)
To send a report, summary, notes from a meeting, etc.
Layout
This is the usual way to organize a memo:
A name of person / people who will receive the memo
B name of person / people sending the memo
C the subject of the memo
D date
E note that no opening is necessary
F main message
G action or recommendation
H name or initialts of the person sending the memo, but this is not necessary
No closing is necessary.
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Making recommendations
I / We think it is best to change supplier.
I / We recommend the new design.
Asking for action
Please send your sales figures to Gillian by Tuesday.
Do…
Write…
Phone…
Contact…
Now write a memo asking the chief of your department about the date of the following
holiday.
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UNIT 3
TRAVEL
Key Vocabulary
Business today is international. Business people often have to travel a lot. They have to plan
an itinerary for a foreign business trip to make good use of their time. On a business trip
people may meet colleagues and business partners for the first time. It is usual for colleagues
from different countries to experience cultural differences. In other words, they may be
surprised by foreign social conventions, that is the different ways that other nationalities or
different cultures do things.
READING
Read the following text about business travel and solve the tasks below:
Business travel is not like a vacation. Sure, it can involve exotic places, a variety of cultures
and customs, and introductions to new people, but it can also be tiring and stressful, whether
you are going abroad for a meeting or flying to a nearby city to meet your staff or boss.
A Whether you will travel to Bankok or Rome, go online and read about the area and its
points of interest. Also, if you ask the person you will meet some questions about it you will
prove that you are interested in more than just business. Understanding local practices, food
specialities and other specific things will help you to make a positive impression with your
customers or associates. There are many cultural differences in the handling of business cards,
the use of first names, the importance of being on time, and the significance of certain
gestures.
B Plan your schedule with plenty of time between your expected arrival and your first
meeting. Flight delays happen, also do traffic delays on the way to the airport. A smart
business professional will allow extra time into the schedule for unexpected delays.
C Before leaving, make sure that you have all the necessary documents: passport, ID card,
visa, tickets. Your professional image will suffer if you cancel a meeting or presentation
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because you forgot your documents at home. Also, if you have important business documents
put them in your baggage.
D Have some cash in your pocket for immediate needs like taxis or tips. Check before if
your ATM card will work in the country you will be in. This will avoid problems with money
in case you need to pay at the restaurants or when you go shopping.
E No matter what type of industry you’re in, business travel will usually be necessary as
you climb the corporate ladder. Even if you detest travelling, you should not refuse without a
very strong reason.
Focus on the long-term benefits, accept the assignment and make the most of your trip. By
planning ahead, you’ll reduce the chances of unexpected problems, increase your personal
enjoyment and enhance your professional image. Have a nice trip!
Carry Cash
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VOCABULARY
Means of transport
a) Air: airplane, aircraft, plane
Useful phrases:
Travel by ….. (means of transport)
Go by…(means of transport)
Arrivals/ departures
Where is the nearest bus stop?
Here is the entrance.
Here is the exit.
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I would like a ticket to….
How much is the ticket to…?
What bus goes to…?
I am lost.
Go straight ahead.
Turn left/ right.
When does the next bus/ train leave?
What time do we arrive at …?
Adjectives of nationality
Adjectives of nationality have five different types of ending:
1. –ese
Examples: Japan – Japanese
China – Chinese
Portugal – Portuguese
2. –an
Examples: America – American
Germany – German
South Africa – South African
Europe – European
3. –ian
Examples: Australia – Australian
Russia – Russian
Nigeria – Nigerian
Asia – Asian
4. –ish
Examples: Sweden – Swedish
Spain – Spanish
Turkey – Turkish
5. –i
Examples: Saudi Arabia – Saudi
Kuwait – Kuwaiti
Pakistan – Pakistani
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h. Bahrain - ____________
i. Ireland - _____________
j. Oman - __________
k. Italy - ___________
l. Malta - __________
m. Mexico - ________
n. Poland - _________
o. Singapore - ________
p. Vietnam - ___________
!!! Never use Future Tense in temporal clauses. Use instead Present
Tense:
Example: I will call you as soon as I have an answer.
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____________________________________________________
d) Esti obosit? Iti fac o cafea.
_____________________________________________
e) Va fi o alta conferinta saptamana viitoare.
_____________________________________________
f) Sedinta va avea loc pe 20 mai la ora 10 dimineata.
_____________________________________________
g) Va termina documentele in 20 de minute.
_____________________________________________
h) Cred ca maine va ploua.
_____________________________________________
i) Promit ca voi ajunge la timp la tine la birou.
_____________________________________________
j) Nu ma cauta martea viitoare, voi fi la o conferinta la Paris.
_____________________________________________
3. Ask questions for the underlined words. Use WH- questions from the
Introductory Unit.
a) They will buy a new fax machine next week.
_____________________________________________
b) It will be a difficult year for all of us.
_____________________________________________
c) The secretary will postpone all my meetings next week.
______________________________________________
d) My assistant will help you with everything.
______________________________________________
e) You will write the letters first thing tomorrow morning.
______________________________________________
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USEFUL LANGUAGE – Making arrangements
In business, we often have to make arrangements to meet clients and colleagues. Look
at these ways of making arrangements and decide which phrases are used to do the
following.
suggest a date or time (X 4) politely say yes (X 2)
politely say no (X 2) confirm the arrangement (X 1)
Telephone Message
To: Danny Randall Name of caller: Brett Sinclair
Date: 7th April Time: 10.15 am
Message: Meeting place with Adriana changed from Grappa’s to Café Continental.
Be there at 9.00 pm
Action: Call back if problems 01699 720 7743
Signed: Frank Churchill
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Tips: For a telephone message, write down only the important information. Use
note form. Make sure you write the correct telephone number of the caller. Include
your name as well.
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UNIT 4
PASSION INTO PROFIT
Key Vocabulary
A start-up is a new business. Many people decide to start up their own business because
they have what they think is a good business idea and they want to become entrepreneurs.
But it is important to prepare a good business plan before you start. You need to know if
there is a demand for the products or services you want to offer. If you can finance the
operation, find customers and beat the competition, you have a good chance of making a
profit. Then you can call your business a success.
READING
1. Read the article below. Why do you think PJ Smoothies is a successful company?
A Harry Cragoe first tried a fruit smoothie in California in the early 1990s. He had no
idea then that he was on the road to corporate success. Now he heads a multi-million-pound
company – and it’s all because of his passion for healthy
eating.
B “When I arrived in Los Angeles, I rented an
apartment near the beach,” he remembers. “I was very
English, very white and overweight. Everyone was
focused on looking good and being healthy. There were
juice bars that sold drinks called smoothies and I loved
them.”
C When he returned to Britain, he found they weren’t
available. “All you could find were cartons of apple or
orange juice. I could see there was a real opportunity.”
D Cragoe sold his flat, car and investments and flew back
to California. He returned with a cool box packed with frozen drinks and persuaded a friend,
Patrick Folkes, to help him import and sell them.
E They founded PJ Smoothies in 1994. Initially, the firm imported frozen smoothies
from America, but the business grew quickly and they didn’t have the stock to meet demand.
“Up to then, we just imported the finished product,” Cragoe says. “If a store ordered 200
bottles, we began defrosting.”
F In 1996 Cragoe decided to set up production in Britain. He found a factory site in
Nottingham, equipped it and began production. Since then, PJ Smoothies has gone from
strength to strength. The company is now Britain’s market leader in the fresh drinks sector,
controlling just under 50% of the market. Cragoe sells more than 250,000 drinks a week in
summer to big supermarkets.
G There have been problems along the way. Cragoe lost £30,000 when his distributor
went bankrupt, leaving him with hundreds of boxes of juice to distribute. But he has never
lost confidence in his concept.
H “Most of all, you’ve got to have fun,” he says. “You must feel really passionate about
what you’re doing.”
Glossary
35
Smoothie a mix of fruit juice and fruit puree which is thicker than normal juice
Defrost make frozen goods warmer so that they are not frozen
2. Read the article again to find out when these things happened.
a) Harry Cragoe lived in California.
b) Harry Cragoe and Patrick Folkes founded PJ Smoothies.
c) Cragoe and Patrick Folkes imported smoothies from America from … to ….
d) They started production in the UK.
VOCABULARY
1. Opposites Find words in the article with the opposite meaning to these words
and phrases.
1 failure (paragraph 1)
2 slim (paragraph 2)
3 became smaller (paragraph 5)
4 weakness (paragraph 6)
5 earned (paragraph 7)
2. Business failure Complete the text with the following words and phrases.
bankrupt distribute sold cool
equipped order set up
Snack 2U was a small firm that produced fresh snack foods and (1) _______ them to
shops, cafes and bars in the region. To (2) _______ the snacks, it used trucks which it
(3) ______ with refrigerators to keep the food (4) _______. The business was a
successful until one day a new producer (5) _______ in the same area. It supplied
exciting new snack foods at a lower price. Shops and cafes started to (6) _______
products from the new company. Snacks 2U wasn’t able to compete, and six months
later it went (7) _______.
A B
36
Heads demand
Rent fun
Meet an apartment
Lose a company
Have money
a) The person who _______________ usually has the title of CEO.
b) Companies sometimes ________________ when the economic situation is bad.
c) More and more people wanted to buy the new snack food. The company had to
increase production to ____________.
d) When Patrick moved away from home to start work, he had to ______________.
e) Running your own business is hard work, but you can ____________ too.
Adverbs of time:
yesterday
last week/ Monday/ month/ year/ summer etc
five minutes ago
in 1990
NOTE: For more irregular verbs, see appendix A at the end of the course.
We use Past Tense Simple to talk about completed actions in the past.
37
1. Put the following regular verbs into past tense simple, then turn them into
negative and interrogative:
a) The manager _______ (talk) to the employees about the new strategy.
N: _____________________________________________________
I: ______________________________________________________
b) We _______ (wait) for two hours to hear the results.
N: _____________________________________________________
I: ______________________________________________________
c) Our new secretary _______ (study) French in college.
N: _____________________________________________________
I: ______________________________________________________
d) She ______ (work) a lot at the presentation last week.
N: _____________________________________________________
I: ______________________________________________________
e) They ______ (stop) to admire the paintings.
N: _____________________________________________________
I: ______________________________________________________
2. Put the following irregular verbs in the past tense simple, then turn them into
negative and interrogative: (You may use the list at the end of the course)
a) They ______ (meet) to discuss some important issues.
N: _____________________________________________________
I: ______________________________________________________
b) Our company ______ (buy) office supplies last month.
N: _____________________________________________________
I: ______________________________________________________
c) The Jones ______ (sell) their house two years ago.
N: ______________________________________________________________
I: _______________________________________________________________
d) They ______ (break) the agreement last month.
N: ______________________________________________________________
I: ______________________________________________________________
e) She ______ (lose) all her money after a bad investment.
N: _____________________________________________________________
I: ______________________________________________________________
38
a) flied b) flew
5 They ___ a presentation on their products last week.
a) maked b) made
6 I ____ everything in detail.
a) prepared b) preparing
7 Last week we ____ 500 units – a record!
a) selled b) sold
8 The special deals ____ two months ago.
a) ending b) ended
9 The goods ___ the warehouse on 28 th February.
a) leaved b) left
10 They ____ hard on the sales campaign from February to November.
a) working b) worked
Target market
Who is it for? It’s for people with/ who…
What’s the target market?
Colours
What about colours? It comes is four colours.
It’s available in four colours.
Features
Does it have any special features? It has an unusual design.
It’s easy to use.
It’s very reliable.
Price
How much is it/ are they? The trade price is ….
Delivery
What about delivery? We can deliver within three days.
We offer free delivery within three
days.
39
Imagine you are at a trade fair. Role-play this situation.
A Store manager
You are the manager of a diving equipment store and you want to buy some divers’
watches. Ask the manufacturer about:
the most popular model
the features
the colours
the price
the delivery
the guarantee
B Watch manufacturer
Read the description of a divers’ watch. Answer the Store Manager’s questions. Add
any other details you wish.
Your most popular model: Quartz watch, Model P1005
Features: waterproof to 600 feet; very reliable; smart design
Colours: silver with black dial and black strap
Price: $450
Delivery: usually ten days
Guarantee: five year
Imagine you are the owner of a company renting offices. Write your company profile.
40
UNIT 5
A COMPLAINT IS A GIFT
Key Vocabulary
41
READING
1. Read the following article and choose the sentence, a or b, that best describes the
main point.
42
Australians call the British “whingeing Poms” because they complain so
much. But a new study suggests that Brits should whinge more, not less. A team led
by Chris Voss of the London Business School found that service quality in Britain is
typically worse than in America. One reason, the research suggests, is that British
customers complain less about bad service than hard-to-please Americans do.
The result, Mr Voss finds, is that Brits suffer. But so do companies in Britain’s
service industries: they do not receive much feedback, and so lose a chance to
improve service quality. Indeed, they may spend more than they need on service-
quality improvements, because they do not get direct help from customers.
When Brits finally complain, they get what they want. Mr Voss told his doctor
that he would like to have the results of test more quickly. “The next time, I got them
sooner,” he says, in surprise.
VOCABULARY
1. Match the steps from the LEARN routine with the explanations a-e.
1 LISTEN a Show that you understand how the customer is
feeling.
2 EMPATHISE b Tell management about the problem.
43
3 APOLOGISE c Don’t interrupt when customer explains the
problem.
4 REACT d Promise to do something.
5 NOTIFY e Say “Sorry”.
2. Choose the word or phrase that has a similar meaning to the ones in
italics.
1 It’s a significant problem and a lot of people are complaining about it.
a minor b typical c important
2 Our business is suffering as a result of poor service.
a doing badly b recovering c failing
3 If the service is poor, the company will reimburse you.
a ask you for money b recover the money c refund your
money
4 The hotel has a good reputation.
a has had a good report b is known to be very good c is very
expensive
5 You need to improve this field of activity.
a make better b make worse c work
3. Cross out the noun in each group which does not go with the verb.
1 make a complaint/ a customer/ an apology
2 deal with a service/ a customer/ a problem
3 handle a query/ a need/ a complaint
4 offer a refund/ an apology/ a complaint
5 satisfy a need/ a customer/ a complaint
44
We had _______ service from first enquiries on the telephone to
arrival at the resort. Staff very ______ and efficient.
Very _____ to receive the receipt and confirmation the day after
booking.
We were very _____ with the service at the hotel. Our room was
_______ and the hotel receptionist was _____.
When you have a problem, you have to look at all the possible options and
find the best solution. The following phrases are useful for discussing
problems. Match the five steps in problem-solving with the phrases a-e.
An office worker (A) phones a technician (B). Put the dialogue in the correct
order.
B OK, but if we send someone to you, you may have to wait till this afternoon.
B Fine. Then I’ll arrange for someone to come to you.
A I’ve got a problem with my laptop – it isn’t working.
A That’s OK, I can wait.
B Right. Well there are two possibilities: we could send someone to you to look at
it, or you could bring it to us.
A I can’t bring it to you very easily – it’s connected to other equipment at my
desk.
45
WRITING – A LETTER OF COMPLAINT
It is now 5 July. Jonathan Webb has just received a copy of the latest issue of
Ambition magazine with the advertisement in it. He has noticed that the
advertisement did not appear as requested.
Read the letter that he sends to Rachel Levy, pointing out the mistakes and
refusing to pay the agreed price.
Executive Golfing Ltd
25 Holland Park Avenue
London
W11 2KL
Rachel Levy
RL Media
West View Rd
London
W1 6PL
5July
Dear Rachel,
I have just received the latest issue of your magazine and checked our advertisement. I’m
sorry to tell you that a number of mistakes have been made by RL Media. I wrote to you on
15 May saying the details of the advertisement. Unfortunately the following mistakes
occurred:
The advertisement appeared in the issue of 4 July instead of 27 June.
It was on a left-hand page instead of a right-hand page.
It was placed in the last part of the magazine. We specified that it should be in the
front part.
We made it clear that the correct position of the advertisement was the most important thing.
As you can imagine, the incorrect placing of the advertisement has caused us great
inconvenience and will no doubt affect sales of our new product range. Due to all these errors,
we feel unable to pay the full cost of the advertisement. I am, however, prepared to pay 40%
of the cost and trust that you consider this acceptable.
I look forward to receiving your comments as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Jonathan Webb
Marketing Director
46
Study the expressions in the Useful language box, then choose one of the
situations below and write a letter of complaint.
USEFUL LANGUAGE
Suggesting action
1. You have booked a holiday in a five-star hotel but the services were poor
and the staff unfriendly. Write a letter to the travel agency asking for a
refund.
2. You have purchased a product and you are not satisfied with it. Ask the
company to replace it.
Use:
A) Action in progress in the past interrupted by another past action
Example: I was sending an email when the computer broke down.
B) Two or more simultaneous actions in progress in the past
Example: The manager was presenting the project while the sales representative was
taking notes.
47
1. Choose the correct alternative:
1. The secretary ______ on the phone when the manager called her.
a) was talking b) were talking
2. The workers _____ the products while the supervisor was checking the
boxes.
a) were packing b) was packing
3. The phone operator ____ a message when the connection was interrupted.
a) was taking b) were taking
4. The agent _____ to the shop owner when the fire started.
a) was talking b) were talking
5. The manager _____ some documents when he received an important fax.
a) was filing c) were filing
48
UNIT 6
CORPORATE CULTURE
Key Vocabulary:
Read this quiz to find out what kind of company culture is best for you. Circle
A for agree or D for disagree.
Section A
1. I like taking time to have a chat with colleagues even if this means spending more
time at work. A/D
2. It’s nice when people at work celebrate birthdays or special occasions. A/D
3. I prefer people to fix a time to meet me rather than come to my office or my desk
at any time. A/D
4. I don’t like working in an open space with everyone’s desk in the same area. I
work better in an office of my own. A/D
49
Section B
7. I prefer to receive a formal report about my work, not just casual comments.
A/D
8. When my boss gives me something to do, I like to get detailed instructions that I
can follow. A/D
A/D
10. A company should have standard procedures and policies that everyone must
follow, not ones which change with people’s situations or personalities. A/D
Section C
13. When planning a strategy, it is useful to look at what has worked well in the
past. A/D
Section A
Questions 1 to 5 are about your relationship with colleagues. A score of higher than 2
suggests that you like to work for a company where employees are friends and can
talk about personal matters. A score of 2 or less means that you prefer to keep your
work life separate from your personal life.
50
Section B
Questions 6 to 10 are about your relationship with your managers. A score of higher
than 2 suggests you like to work in a company where roles between managers and
staff are flexible. A score of 2 or less means that you like to work in a company where
people have clearly defined roles and there is more distance between staff and
managers.
Section C
Read the following text about the Olympus company and fill in the blank spaces
with an appropriate word:
People talk a lot about corporate culture 1)………..days but at Olympus we really
pay attention to it. We aim 2)………..offer people challenging and rewarding work in
a pleasant environment. Employees dress casually on days 3)………there is no
customer contact and this helps to create a 4)…………..atmosphere.
Developing and maintaining close partnerships with our customers i sone of the
keys to our 5)………….. Our customers appreciate that we offer high quality product
sat competitive prices and a high level of customer care. They rely on us to come up
with solutions 6)…………their needs. And of course, customer care is not just about
external customers. It is also about how we relate to each other and work together to
pool our ideas.
51
strongly support the professional and personal development of our staff
8)…………workshops, classes and short courses. We aim to help all our employees
reach their full potential.
Our management style is open door and staff have 9)………………to management
at all levels at all times. We pride ourselves on our good communication. We hold
quarterly meetings 10)……………employees can put forward any new proposals and
we have regular communication meetings to inform employees about all company
activities.
VOCABULARY: Matching
A. Use the verbs (1-7) and nouns (a-g) to make common collocations. You can
use some of the words more than once.
1. pay a. a proposal
2. create b. a meeting
3. pool c. our ideas
4. put forward d. a solution
5. hold e. attention
6. reach f. an opportunity
7. come up with g. your full potential
B. Do the same with these adjectives (1-6) and nouns (a-f). Again, you can use the
adjectives more than once.
1. challenging a. atmosphere
2. rewarding b. work
3. close c. resource
4. friendly d. partnership
5. competitive e. contact
6. valuable f. price
52
GRAMMAR Present Perfect Simple&Present Perfect Continuous
events that affect the present situation (but we don’t say when they
happened): Prices have gone up so they’re very high now.
unfinished events starting in the past and continuing up to the present
(using for and since): I’ve been in sales since 1992
The company has been the market leader for three
years now.
*-answering How long….? about an unfinished event: How long have you
worked for Exxon?
Key words: recently, in recent months/years, inn the last month/year, just, now,
since, for (except with finished periods of time)
S+haven’t/hasn’t+been+vb-ing (negative)
Have/Has+S+been+vb-ing (interrogative)
an incomplete activity:
e.g.I’ve been working on this report for two hours but I still haven’t
finished.
to emphasise duration:
e.g. I’ve been sending emails all morning.
53
A. Choose the best explanation, a or b, for each sentence:
b. profits fell in the past, but now the situation has changed
b. staff felt demotivated in the past, but now they feel differently
3. The company has stayed ahead of its competitors for seven years.
4. Jean Deneuve has been a member of the design team since 2001.
B. Complete the sentences with the Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect
Continuous:
2. Mike works for MV. He……………(be) with the company for five years now.
54
C. Choose the correct answer:
2. How many times have you discussed/have you been discussing this matter with
the
CEO?
5. Mr. Rufer has run/has been running this company for ten years.
7. Has the staff completed / Has the staff been completing the agenda of the
meeting
Yet?
8. The head of the HR department has tried/has been trying to contact possible
The following phrases are useful for putting forward arguments and responding:
Types of report:
55
Reports can be:
A. External- for people from another company (e.g. clients or suppliers). These
reports are formal. Write full sentences and avoid contractions (I’ll, You’re).
B. Internal- for people in your own company. Reports for senior managers should
be formal. Reports for colleagues can be semi-formal.
Layout:
A. Title of report
B. Introduction- purpose of report
C. Main part of report organised into sections with headings
D. Bullet points to make points clear and easy to read
E. Conclusion with recommendations for future action
Giving facts
Giving reasons
Referring to illustrations
See figure 14
Figure 14 shows…
56
Giving the conclusion
Making recommendation
We recommend that…
We should…
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to look at the reasons why the Martinez House project was
over budget and behind schedule. Martinez House is a new building project with seventy
apartments for use by businesspeople when they visit conferences in the area.
Budget
The budget for the project was € 2.5 million. The budget was agreed in January before
building started. There were a number of reasons that made the project go over budget:
Cost of building materials- these went up by fifteen per cent during the project
Cost of skilled workers- wages increased by eight per cent
Changes to the original designs for the apartments
Schedule
In the contract, we agreed to finish the project by October. The architects finished the
original design on schedule and this was sent to the building committee. The committee
suggested a number of changes to the plan. The architects agreed to make the changes but this
took four weeks. The new design was better but because of the delay building started one
month late.
Conclusion
Martinez House is successful and popular with businesspeople. The project has made a
profit and bookings will continue to increase during the next twelve months. For future
projects we need to speak to our suppliers and agree a price for materials before
the project begins. We should also employ a training manager to teach our workers
new skills. Finally, the committee should agree a new deadline if they make changes to
57
UNIT 7: JOB- SEEKING
Key Vocabulary:
58
Monster.com, the career management. want. It works badly
world’s biggest online They can use this for people who are
job-search site, shows service to ask each unsure. Check that your
how electronic other questions about, resumé says clearly
marketplaces reach say, what it is like to what kind of job you
more people and can work for a firm that want. The filters will
offer more efficiency they are thinking of then make sure that it
than physical markets. joining. reaches the right
It also shows that human resource
money can be made in The main departments.
such markets: Monster contribution of Monster
has a long record of has been to speed up
profitability. hiring and vastly
increase the accuracy
Jeff Taylor, who of the job-search
launched the site in process. ‘You can post
1994, says that the a job at 2 p.m. and get
Monster.com name is your first response at
the firm’s ‘single most 2.01,’ Mr. Taylor says
important success proudly. And an
factor’. It introduces an employer who knows
image of youthful fun exactly what he wants
in what is basically a can use Monster’s
boring business. filters to search vast
Supporting the brand is numbers of resumés
a big advertising with precise accuracy.
budget which accounts Monster is a serious
for a quarter of the threat to newspapers,
firm’s costs. He runs which historically
expensive ads during made 40% of their
key sporting events revenues from carrying
such as the Super ads, up to half of which
Bowl. were for staff.
Headhunting firms
Job-seekers supply
have also lost business,
resumés and employers
because demand for
pay to scan them or to
their help in filling
post job ads. Most of lower-level jobs has
the services that job- fallen.
seekers get are free, but
they have to pay for a The online job
service that allows market works well for
them to contact each workers and employers
other for advice and who know what they
59
READING: Online recruitment
Many companies and organisations now recruit directly through the Internet. This is
quicker and cheaper 1)…………..paying a recruitment agency or placing an advertisement
2)…………..a newspaper. Sometimes they recruit 3)………..using the company website.
They set up a page 4)…………..shows vacancies within the organisation and applicants can
email the company directly with their CVs.
Some other websites just work 5)……….databases for online CVs. These are used
6)………….employers who are looking for candidates. Usually, you 7)………..to pay to put
your CV on one of these sites, but it can be an effective way 8)…………finding out about
new vacancies.
9)……… employers access these sites, they search for key words in each document. You
need to think 10)………….this when you write your CV. Think about the words that
11)……….. often used in your area of employment and 12)…………sure you include them
several times.
1. a) of b) that c) than
2. a) on b) in c) for
3. a) from b) by c) with
5. a) as b) for c) with
6. a) by b) with c) from
8. a) of b) in c) to
10. a) to b) about c) at
60
A. Look at these words connected to work. Underline the two words or phrases in each
group that can go with the verbs in bold.
5. contract work e. sometimes work at night and sometimes work in the day
7. shift work g. work for a company for a fixed time until a project is finished
C. Complete the stages of a career with the right verbs in the box. Then put the stages
in order.
1.___________ promotion
2.___________ a CV
61
D. Finding a job
Esther Garcia graduated from university with a degree in telecommunications. But finding
her first job was very hard. She searched all the 1) ______________ in the newspapers and
on the internet. She made lots of 2) _________________ to different companies. She also
sent her 3) ______________ to all the big telecommunications companies. But most
companies didn’t even invite her for 4) _______________. It seemed that they only wanted to
5) ______________ people with job experience. After several months, a finance company in
Madrid 6) ________________ Esther a place on a three-month graduate trainee scheme. At
the end of the three months, Esther was the only person out of the ten trainees to be 7)
_____________ for a permanent job. Of course, Esther was very happy to 8)
______________.
GRAMMAR: Gerunds&Infinitives
after prepositions: Before launching the campaign, the agency did extensive
market research.
as a noun: Finding the right person to endorse a product is never easy.
after certain expressions: It’s no good trying to sell it now.
Key words: be/get used to, have difficulty, it’s no good, it’s no use, it’s not worth, look
forward to, object to, there’s no point
hate, imagine, involve, keep, like, mention, miss, postpone, practise, prefer,
propose, recommend, report, risk, suggest
show purpose: The company is sponsoring an extreme sports event to raise their
profile.
62
after certain verbs: They have decided not to run the commercial before 10 pm.
Key words: afford, agree, aim, arrange, choose, decide, demand, fail, expect, forget,
hate, hope, need, offer, plan, prepare, promise, refuse, seem, tend, train
after certain verbs + object: I urge you to think carefully about the content.
Key words: advise, allow, ask, cause, enable, expect, help, invite, permit, remind,
trust, urge, use, warn
after certain nouns: Competitors make every attempt to find new angles.
Key words: ability, attempt, chance, effort, failure, need, opportunity, refusal, way
in meaning: The agency continued promoting the product despite poor sales.
Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive but with a difference
to do something else.)
a) feeling b) to feel c) to be
63
7. I’m sorry………………..that you are leaving our company.
1. We regret accepting their offer because the product is not of high quality. ………
We regret to accept their offer because the product is not of high quality. ………
6. Would you like to attend our seminar on successful business tomorrow? ………
Would you like attending our seminar on successful business tomorrow? ………
64
USEFUL LANGUAGE: Explaining what to do
When you start a new job, your new colleagues may have to explain a lot of things to you
in the first few weeks. When you have more experience, you may need to give explanations
to other new staff. The following phrases are useful for explaining how to do something:
It's clear that you don't just send your CV without enclosing a letter! Earlier, some
applicants preferred to send a longer letter of application with lots of information, but
nowadays it is considered to be better to send a short covering letter with your CV instead. In
this you state that your CV is enclosed; your CV has all the factual information needed
(personal details, education, qualifications, experience) so you don't need to repeat this
information.
But you are "selling yourself" so your covering letter must interest the reader in your
qualifications, show that you're serious and have shown this in the past. You also want your
application to bring results! You need to draw attention to the valuable strengths that you
have - these might remain unnoticed in a factual (chronological) CV.
Language style
As it is a very formal type of letter, the following opening and closing formulas must be
used:
Opening:
Dear Sir/Dear Madam (when you don’t know the name of the person you are writing
to)
Dear Mr./Dear Mrs/Ms. Edwards
Closing:
65
Useful phrases
Introductory paragraph:
a) Introduce yourself with any relevant personal data (e.g. age, marital status, nationality):
"I am 23 years old, single and am willing to relocate abroad."
b) Briefly include your current job, length of employment and any duties and responsibilities
which might be relevant to the job:
"I am presently employed as a . . . and have held this position for the last three years."
c) Point out your highest academic qualification
"As you will note from my CV, I hold a master's degree in . . . from the University of Turku, where I
specialised in . . ."
d) Mention any earlier experience (e.g traineeships) or special skills which could be valuble to the
employer:
"I have also had experience in . . .while working as a trainee in a work study programme at . . ."
". . . and am familiar with . . . /have much experience in using . . ."
e) Emphasise the benefits to the employer of hiring you, and mention any reasons why the job would
be beneficial to you (this shows that your motivation is not purely financial!):
"I believe that my knowledge of . . . would be of great value/benefit to this position . . ."
"I feel that this position would give me the opportunity to further develop my skills in the field of . . ."
Closing paragraph:
a) Mention the documents (e.g. CV) which accompany your covering letter:
"Please find enclosed my curriculum vitae . . ."
b) Mention your willingness or ability to come for an interview or to give more information:
"I should be pleased to attend an interview at any time which is convenient to you. I can be
contacted at the telephone number given at any time /during office hours / after 5 p.m."
"I would be most happy to provide any further details you may require."
c) If the advertisement specifies that further information concerning conditions of
employment, job description, or salary can be obtained by writing:
"I should be grateful for further details concerning . . ."
d) Finally, indicate your interest in getting a reply even if it isn't what you'd hoped for:
"I look forward to hearing from you (soon)."
66
UNIT 8
TEAMWORKING
Key Vocabulary:
READING:
1. Read the article and match these headings with the sections marked 1-6:
Open communication
Leadership
Common goals with challenging targets
Involvement of all team members
Conflict resolution
„Teamworking’ has infiltrated just about every organisation. You can’t get away from
„teams’ that are supposed to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Or so
the theory goes.
Yet the truth about teams is different. For example, poor teamworking is the cause for
frequent arguments between team members or when there is an unhealthy level of
competition between individulas. Other signs of unproductive teamworking are people not
always completing tasks or last minute panics to meet deadlines. More often than not,
ineffective teams are the result of poor planning.
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There are some measures that need to be taken to make a team work:
1 ……………………………………………………………………….
In other words, a clear reason for the team to exist. The goals have to be achievable, yet
challenging enough to motivate team members.
2 ………………………………………………………...
Members must be able to express their opinions freely and feel that suggestions will be
taken seriously. The team can also decide what topics of discussion in meetings should be
kept confidential or shared with other employees.
3 ……………………………………………………………..
It is easy to think that a junior team member has less to contribute than more
experienced members. This is not only demotivating, it also makes no sense. You need to
ensure that every member has an opportunity to add his or her ideas to discussions.
4 …………………………………………………………….
Disagreements are natural and, in fact, debate and discussion should be encouraged. A
team made up only of ‚yes men’ can make disastrous decisions that few people can agree
with. Thus, there should be explicit rules on how disagreements should be tackled.
5 ……………………………………………………………….
Most teams (whether it is in the workplace, sports or even in a pub) have leaders. A good
leader should be able to encourage individuals’ ideas and compensate for their
weaknesses. „A good leader is critical’, says Gary Spellins, Managing Director of
Managed Services. „It should be someone who can act as a catalyst and a constant
reminder of what the team needs to achieve.’ The leader must, above all, share
responsibility, delegate work to others and provide constructive feedback on how the task
went.
1. Read the article below about team roles and decide whose role is to do the following:
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1. Team leader
The team leader’s job is to provide an environment that helps teams get their work done.
The leader organizes locations and times for meetings and is responsible for providing
resources required by the team. It is also the job of the leader to remind the team the result the
organisation expects of them. He/She works closely with the facilitator in planning the agenda
of a meeting, setting outcomes and communicating on the team’s progress.
2. Team facilitator
The team facilitator helps develop and apply the procedure of teamwork. He/She
establishes the ground rules and then makes sure that they are respected. It is also the role of
the facilitator to make sure decision-making is not
dominated by strong personalities in the team. Although the role of the facilitator in decision-
making is neutral, it is a good idea to rotate from member to member.
3. Timekeeper
The timekeeper’s role is to monitor how long the team is taking to accomplish its tasks and
provide regular updates to the team on how well or poorly they are using their time.
4. Team members
All team members must be enthusiastic and committed to the team’s purpose. They must
share knowledge and expertise and never keep information to themselves. They should
respect the opinions and positions of others in the team.
VOCABULARY: Prefixes
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4. post-industrial a) after b) too much c) not enough
B. Add prefixes to the words in the box to give their opposite meanings:
………………………… …………………………
………………………… …………………………
………………………… …………………………
………………………… ………………………….
………………………… ………………………….
………………………… ………………………….
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GRAMMAR:
Modals
The most common modal verbs are: can (ability), cannot/can’t (inability), must
(internal obligation), mustn’t (prohibition), have to (external obligation) may
(permission), may not (lack of permission), might (possibility), should (advice), ought to
(moral obligation)
meeting.
advice about a past situation: You should have/ought to have organised that
meeting better.
all weekend.
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A. Complete the sentences with an appropriate modal verb:
2. You really should have completed/must have completed the planning phase before
3. We still might come/must come in under the budget, but it looks unlikely.
4. There must have been/should have been some mistake; those are not the plans.
5. He might have been/must have been there but there were so many people that I can’t
1. We have to not get to the office by half past eight tomorrow. …………….
3. Did she have to have put down all the details of the meeting? ……………..
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4. What must I be do to show I’m interested to be part of this team? ……………..
5. They don’t have to must pay for the computer now. …………….
7. You mustn’t be interfere while a team member expresses his viewpoint. …………
Yes, that would be very helpful…. I don’t think that would do much good…
We’ve all got the same objective… What’s really bothering you?
How do you think we should deal with this? Let’s meet next week and see how
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Role play the following situation: A team of four multinational staff
are having a meeting in order to decide the installation of spy software at work. One
member of the team is uncooperative and difficult to work with. Use the phrases from
the Useful Language to discuss the problem.
At every business meeting someone is assigned to ‘take the minutes’. This person notes
down all the important points made at the meeting and later writes up a clear summary of
what was said and decided. It is generally agreed that the minutes should be sent within 24
hours to all the participants and anyone affected by the content.
Layout:
When writing minutes, you should follow the standard format. There are different
components that should appear on the page:
The style of language is quite formal. Sentences should be short, clear, concise and easy
to read. It is important to summarise only the most important points by using bullets.
Useful phrases:
Summarizing a discussion:
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Mr X was the first to speak/contribute/react and put forward the following ideas…
Mr X agreed/offered/promised/refused/wanted…(followed by to+infinitive)
Mr Z will send a report to the Finance Committee within the next few days.
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UNIT 9
POLITENESS AT WORK
Key Vocabulary:
Most office workers say they are rude or bad-mannered at work. Two out of three workers
regularly arrive late for meetings, most ignore emails and three out of four use bad language.
In a survey of 1,000 workers, two thirds say that pressure of work is the reason for their bad
manners.
Other common examples of bad office etiquette include ignoring colleagues and answering
mobile phone calls during meetings. Using mobile phones in meetings is impolite and
distracts others, research by the University of Surrey shows. If you respond to a call when
speaking to somebody, it means that the phone call is more important than the person, the
survey said. If you answer a call during a meeting, it could mean that you think the meeting is
not important.
Mr. Jacobs, managing director of Office Angels, a recruitment firm, says it is easy for
people to forget their manners in the working environment, which is often very informal and
very busy. Workers can forget proper etiquette such as introducing people at meetings and
this is often bad for working relationships.
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Psychologist Dr. Colin Gill believes that people are not as polite as they were twenty years
ago. He said: ‘Courtesy is no longer something that is so much respected in our society.
People think it is stuffy to be polite or formal.’
Now some organizations are actually investing money in training their junior managers to
be polite. Office Angels is encouraging people to arrive on time for meetings, turn off mobile
phones and avoid bad language. ‘Avoiding bad manners at work is such a simple thing to do,’
Mr. Jacobs says, ‘and it can have a dramatic impact on improving your working environment
and your relationships with others.’
READING
Look at these notes and messages. For each one, which answer (a-c) is correct?
1.
Judith
Bridget
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Bridget should contact Sue:
a. before 3 pm
b. after 3 pm
c. at 3 pm
3.
__________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
a. go to a party on 1 April
b. order new clothes
c. reply before 1 April
4.
Louis
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5.
Hi Sean
Mr. Lopez called. His flight is delayed. Arriving Manchester airport at 2.30 pm. He is
hiring a car but will take at leas two hours to get to the office. Would you like me to
postpone the meeting?
a. after 4.30 pm
b. at 4.30 pm
c. before 4.30 pm
A recruitment firm gives this advice to new workers: It is important to 1)…………. time in
your relationships with others at work. Get to know the people who work near you:
2)……………..yourself. If people ask for your help, always 3)…………. positively. Don’t
4)……………..emails or phone calls just because you are busy. If you make a mistake, it is
better to 5)……………….it and then apologise. When things go wrong, stay calm and
6)……………..shouting and using bad lanuage. Remember, good manners help to
7)………………..your working environment, and you will find you can enjoy your work
more.
B. Word building
Use the correct form of these words to complete the first two columns of the chart:
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C. Synonyms
Look at the following groups of words. Which word does not belong in each group?
GRAMMAR: Conditionals
e.g. If our competitors find out about our new product, they’ll want to copy it.
If + present tense
terms in a contract or agreement: If you are not fully satisfied with this
product, we will refund your money.
Type 2: If + past tense
If + past tense
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Main Clause + could/might
1. If we……………….(ask) the customers for feedback, we can find out what they
want.
7. If they…………………(not ask) for a pay rise, the boss wouldn’t have given one.
criticism.
before October 31 st .
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B. Choose the correct form of the verbs in italics:
4. They will have understood/would have understood the problem if you had
6. If Carol had applied/applied for the job, she would have got it.
7. If we don’t /didn’t take risks sometimes, we would never make any progress.
8. She would have been able to get a promotion if she spoke/had spoken English.
6. If I will cut this number from her agenda, would she get angry? ……….
7. If someone offered you a very good job in China, what would ……….
you be do?
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USEFUL LANGUAGE: Making suggestions
When you work in a company, it is important to contribute ideas. When meetings are
held, you have the chance to make suggestions. Study the expressions below for making
suggestions and responding. Which responses mean ‘yes’ and which mean ‘no’?
head your agenda with the title, date, time, venue and purpose of the meeting;
create a welcome message for your staff. An inspirational quote, a list of items to
bring to the meeting or a list of tasks must be completed prior to the meeting;
approximate the time that will be spent on each item. This will help your staff
determine the importance of each item and prepare to participate in the discussion if
time allows;
complete the agenda by adding a task for staff to complete or a question they must
reply to. Remember to follow up on these tasks so the staff knows they are
important.
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Sample of Agenda
Agenda
Date: 7 April
Time: 14.00
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UNIT 10: ADVERTISING
Key Vocabulary:
READING: Targeting the audience - Read the following article about advertising and
answer the questions:
Despite all of these new developments, many in the advertising business remain confident.
Rupert Howell, chairman of McCann Erickson, points out that TV never killed radio, which in
turn never killed newspapers. They did create huge challenges, but that’s OK, he maintains:
„The advertising industry is continuously inventive; that’s what we do’.
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READING: The origin of advertising
Read the following text about the origin of advertising and fill in the gaps with an
appropriate word that makes sense in the context.
Advertising dates back to early history and initially consisted simply (1)…….people
communicating messages orally about where certain items could be found. It was the
invention of printing that really launched written messages (2)……..a vehicle for promoting
the sale of products. In London, the first print ads to appear were posted on (3)…………..
doors of churches, announcing that prayer books were available from a local printer.
Newspapers accelerated the growth of advertising, and with more and (4)………..people
able to read, businesses began to take out adverts to sell goods like tea and coffee. However, it
was in the USA that advertising really became an industry in (5)…………. Some of the key
moments in this process were:
1882- Procter and Gamble launch their Ivory Soap ad spending a record sum of $11,000
on the campaign.
1957- The first broadcast television commercials are made, opening up a new medium
for advertisers.
1995- MTV’s new style of video images starts to revolutionise the way (7)……….TV
commercials are made.
1995- The amount of money spent on internet advertising continues to rise and reaches
$2 billion for the first time.
2004- Procter and Gamble manages to attract more (8)…………four million consumers
to its website for the launch of its new toothpaste.
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VOCABULARY: Marketing terms
1. Read the following dictionary definitions (1-6) then unscramble the words at the
start of each to make six terms connected with marketing. Write the correct word next
to each definition:
5 …………… kamtre rahes = the percentage of sales that a company has for a type
of product compared with its competitors;
Quantity
2. Put the following words and phrases in the correct group: a bit of, a few, huge,
millions, a mountain of, substantial, tiny, wide, enormous, a fraction
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GRAMMAR: Countable and uncountable nouns
Countable nouns:
Uncountable nouns:
in positive sentences:
- with countable nouns in the plural;
- with uncountable nouns
e.g. We’re having some problems.
Any
Much
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Many
in positive sentences:
- with countable nouns in the plural;
- with uncountable nouns.
e.g. You see a lot of surveillance cameras in the streets in London.
A. Which of the following nouns in bold are countable (C) and which are uncountable
(U)?
B: I’m afraid we don’t have 2)……….leaflets here. If you go to their website, you
B: Yes, the report gives us 2)…………interesting data. For example, we know that
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C. Complete the following job advertisement with a/an if the noun is countable and
singular. Leave the space blank if the noun is uncountable or plural.
It is seen as (traditional/reliable/fun)
its target market/the people who mainly buy it (e.g. teenagers, parents with
children, homeowners, etc.)
the values associated with the brand ( e.g. quality, value for money, tradition,
novelty, etc.)
its logo
WRITING: Faxes
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When people have important documents to send they often send a copy by fax first and the
original document by post or courier later
Layout:
Useful phrases:
Placing orders:
Confirmation:
Could you send us by fax your price list and delivery dates?
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Sample fax:
Howard Velmont
Designs
56 Manningtree House
Sussex
Fax Transmission
FAX NUMBER: 00 57 92 48 77 38
NUMBER OF PAGES: 2
Please find attached the new design that you requested. Could you let me know if the size is
now correct? I will also send a copy of the design to you by email. You should receive this by
Friday.
Regards,
Howard Velmont
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APPENDIX 1
IRREGULAR VERBS
Do did done
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Forget forgot forgotten
Go went gone
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Speak spoke spoken
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