English for Business and Tourism

Lesson 2 — Meeting and Greeting

1. Dialogue Transcript
2. Language Notes
3. Word List
4. Language Activity
5. Reading Comprehension
6. Crossword Puzzle
7. Word Search Puzzle
8. Answer Key
DIALOGUE TRANSCRIPT
SALLY: Excuse me, are you Paul Simpson?

PAUL: Yes, I am. You must be1 Sally Hughes. How do you do?2

SALLY: How do you do?

PAUL: I’m pleased to finally meet you after all this time. It’s very kind of you to3 meet me at the
airport.

SALLY: Don’t mention it4. It’s the least we could do5. Let me introduce you to6 my assistant, James
Hill.

PAUL: Pleased to meet you7, James.

JAMES: Pleased to meet you too. Did you have8 a good flight?

PAUL: Well, there was a two-hour9 delay before taking10 off, and we had a bit of turbulence over the
Atlantic, but apart from that it was fine. I hope you haven’t been waiting11 long.

SALLY: No, we got your text message about the delay. Thanks for letting us know12, by the way13.

PAUL: No problem14.

SALLY: Our car is parked outside. We’ll take you to your hotel. It’s about a 30-minute15 drive from
here.

PAUL: Thank you. I’m looking forward to seeing16 the city.

JAMES: Do you need any17 help with your luggage18?

PAUL: No, I’ve just got this small suitcase, but thanks anyway19.

SALLY: OK, shall we go20?

JAMES: Is this your first visit to London?
PAUL: No, I’ve been21 here before, but it was a long time ago22. I expect a lot has changed23.
JAMES: Yes, there are new buildings going up everywhere.

© JEFFREY HILL 1
LANGUAGE NOTES
1. We use must when we feel sure that something is true because there’s very strong evidence.
Notice that must is followed by an infinitive without ‘to’: “Look at all that snow. It must be really
cold outside.”
2. In Britain How do you do? is a formal greeting used when meeting someone for the first time. It
is not really a question and the usual reply is “How do you do?” This expression should not be
confused with “How are you?”, which is more casual and used as a daily greeting. Typical replies
are “Fine, how are you?” or “Very well, thank you. And you?”
3. It’s very kind of you to + (verb) is a polite way of saying that you appreciate what someone has
done or said. See here for more examples.
4. Don’t mention it is said to be polite after someone has thanked you: "Thanks for your help."
"Don't mention it."
5. It’s the least I/we could do is a polite answer to someone who thanks you (and you feel or wish
you could do more).
6. Note that you introduce one person to another person in English: “He introduced me to his
sister.”
7. Pleased to meet you is another expression used when meeting someone for the first time. It is
less formal than “How do you do?” A typical reply would be “Pleased/Nice to meet you too.”
8. The past simple tense must be used here because the flight finished a while ago. It’s a completed
action in the past. You could only say ‘Have you had a good flight?’ if, for example, the plane has
just landed and you are still on board. See here for more on this tense.
9. Note that we say a two-hour flight and not a two-hours flight. See here for an explanation.
10. Before and after are followed by a verb in the -ing form. You cannot say Before to do …
11. Haven’t been waiting is the present perfect continuous tense. It is used here for an action that
begins in the past and continues up until the present. See here for more on this tense.
12. If you let someone know something, you tell them about it or make sure that they know about it.
13. By the way is used to introduce a new subject to or to give more information: “Oh, by the way,
my name's Julie.”
14. No problem is used as a friendly answer when someone thanks you for something you have
done: "Thanks for the lift." — "No problem."
15. See Note 9.
16. The ‘to’ in look forward to is a preposition, so we must follow it with a verb in the -ing form:
“We’re looking forward to going to Switzerland next month” (not: … looking forward to go to
Switzerland …).
17. The general rule is that any is used for questions and negatives while some is used for positive
sentences (but there are exceptions!) here for more on this.
18. The word luggage is uncountable in English. Uncountable nouns are not used with a/an or
numbers and are not used in the plural. For example, we say ‘a piece of luggage’ (not ‘a luggage’)
and ‘some luggage’ (not ‘some luggages’) See here for more on uncountable nouns.
19. You say thanks anyway when someone tried to help you but it didn't work or you didn’t need
their help.
20. Shall we + (verb) is used to make a suggestion: “Shall we begin the meeting?”
21. We use the present perfect of the verb ‘to be’ when someone has gone to a place and returned:
“Have you ever been to Scotland?” — “No, but I’ve been to Wales”.
22. Ago follows expressions of time: “They arrived in Athens six weeks ago” (not: They arrived in
Athens ago six weeks).
23. The present perfect tense is used here for an action that began in the past and continues up until
the present.

© JEFFREY HILL 2
WORD LIST
a bit of ................................................. a small quantity or amount of
airport .................................................. a place where planes arrive and leave
apart from ........................................... except for someone or something
assistant ............................................... someone whose job is to help another person in their work
Atlantic ................................................ the Atlantic Ocean
baggage ............................................... bags and suitcases that you take on a journey
building ................................................ a structure made of a strong material such as stone or wood
that has a roof and walls
by the way ........................................... used for saying that a remark is not relevant to the main
subject of your conversation.
change (v) ............................................ to become different
city ....................................................... a large important town
delay (n) ............................................... a situation in which something happens later or more slowly
than you expected
drive (n) ............................................... a journey in a car
everywhere.......................................... used for talking about the whole of a small area
expect .................................................. to think that something will happen
finally ................................................... after a long time, at last
fine ....................................................... good enough and acceptable to you
flight..................................................... journey by plane
go up .................................................... to be built
introduce ............................................. to tell someone another person’s name when they meet for
the first time
kind ...................................................... behaving in a way that shows you care about other people and
want to help them
London ................................................. the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom
look forward to .................................... to feel happy and excited about something that is going to
happen
luggage ................................................ bags and suitcases that you take on a journey
meet .................................................... to be waiting for someone when they arrive somewhere
outside ................................................. close to a place, building, or room but not in it
park (v)................................................. to leave a vehicle in a place for a period of time
pleased ................................................ happy and satisfied
pleasure ............................................... a feeling of happiness, enjoyment, or satisfaction
suitcase ................................................ a large container with flat sides and a handle used for carrying
clothes and other things when you travel
take off ................................................ leave the ground and start flying
text message........................................ a written message that you send or receive using a mobile
phone
turbulence ........................................... sudden violent movements of air or water
visit ...................................................... an occasion when you visit a person or a place
UK ........................................................ abbreviation for United Kingdom (= England, Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland)

© JEFFREY HILL 3
LANGUAGE ACTIVITY
Choose the right word.

SALLY: Excuse me, are you Paul Simpson?

PAUL: Yes, I am. You [1] would/should/must be Sally Hughes. How do you do?
SALLY: How do you do?
PAUL: I’m [2] please/pleased/pleasing to finally meet you after all this time. It’s very kind
[3] of/by/from you to meet me at the airport.
SALLY: Don’t mention it. It’s the [4] less/least/most we could do. Let me
[5] introduce/to introduce/introducing you to my assistant, James Hill.
PAUL: Pleased to meet you James.
JAMES: Pleased to meet you too. [6] Do/Did/Have you have a good flight?
PAUL: Well, there was a [7] two-hour/two-hours delay before taking [8] out/off/up, and we had a bit
of turbulence [9] over/on/in the Atlantic, but apart from that it was fine. I hope you haven’t
[10] be/been/being waiting long.
SALLY: No, we got your text message [11] from/for/about the delay. Thanks for letting us know,
[12] by/on/in the way.
PAUL: No problem.
SALLY: Our car is [13] parked/parking/park outside. We’ll take you to your hotel. It’s about a
[14] 30-minute/30-minutes drive from here.
PAUL: Thank you. I’m looking forward to [15] see/seen/seeing the city.
JAMES: Do you need any help with your [16] luggage/luggages?
PAUL: No, I’ve just [17] have/got/had this small suitcase, but thanks anyway.
SALLY: OK, [18] do/will/shall we go?
JAMES: Is this your first visit [19] to/at/in London?
PAUL: No, I’ve been here before, but it was a long time [20] since/ago/then. I expect a lot
[21] is/has/was changed.
JAMES: Yes, there are new buildings going up [22] somewhere/anywhere/everywhere.

© JEFFREY HILL 4
READING COMPREHENSION
PROPER BUSINESS ETIQUETTE FOR GREETING PEOPLE

There’s a saying in the business world that you never get a second chance to make a good first
impression. In fact, research suggests that people will make judgments about you in as little as 20
seconds, based upon their first impression. So knowing how to greet a person in a confident and
friendly manner is extremely important. By using these simple strategies, you will be able to get off
to a good start.

Standing up and coming out from behind a desk to greet someone is a good strategy because it gives
the impression that you have enough respect for the person to greet them eye-to-eye. Remaining
behind a desk puts you in a position of authority, which could be perceived as unfriendly or
disrespectful.

Making an effort to display a genuine smile and look the newcomer in the eye shows that you are
friendly and confident. Studies have shown that others are very good at reading your facial
expressions (and making judgments based upon them).

When you introduce yourself, you should say your first and last name, as in, "Hello, I'm Joan Smith."
This is more formal than just giving your first name and is appropriate for a first-time greeting. The
handshake also gives an important impression of you and must be done properly. Either party may
extend their hand first, and you should grip firmly, but without undue strength. Remember, it is not a
contest. The handshake only needs to last about 3 to 4 seconds.

TRUE OR FALSE?

Say whether the following statement are TRUE or FALSE based on the information in the text above.

1. It should not take more than 20 seconds to greet someone.

2. Standing behind your desk is a sign of respect.

3. Your facial expressions can influence people’s opinion of you.

4. Giving your last name is appropriate when you meet someone for the first time.

5. A handshake can never be too strong.

© JEFFREY HILL 5
CROSSWORD
1 2 3

4 5

7 8 9

10

11

12

13 14

15

16

17 18

Across Down
1 Ocean between America and Europe (8) 1 A place where planes take off and land
5 I'm looking _____ to seeing the city (7) (7)

6 It's a _____ to meet you (8) 2 To leave a car in a place for a while (4)

7 Let me _____ you to my assistant (9) 3 To become different (6)

10 A piece of baggage (8) 4 Someone who helps you in your job (9)

11 Another word for baggage (7) 8 A journey by car (5)

13 Not inside (7) 9 Happy and satisfied (7)

15 It's very _____ of you to meet me (4) 11 The capital of the United Kingdom (6)

16 At last (7) 12 A journey by plane (6)

17 A large important town (4) 13 The plane took _____ late (3)

18 To wait for someone when they arrive (4) 14 An occasion when something happens
late (5)

© JEFFREY HILL 6
WORD SEARCH
A S L I N T R O D U C E A D I
P T S F I N A L L Y X Q V T I
I O L U G G A G E F G F G T X
I R F A I O U T S I D E Z U V
B P T O N T L O N D O N B R I
P S B S R T C R A V P K U B S
L P D U C W I A Q U L I I U I
M E E T H Y A C S J E N L L T
O P L E A S U R E E A G D E H
K G T K N I F D D Q S D I N P
P K R H G G R L E D E O N C D
U A I Y E I W P I L D M G E R
P X T N M P E L O G A H D B I
Y I G J D F Z Z J R H Y T L V
C A S S I S T A N T T T Q H E

Airport Kind
Assistant Kingdom
Atlantic London
Building Luggage
Change Meet
City Outside
Delay Park
Drive Pleased
Finally Pleasure
Flight Suitcase
Forward Turbulence
Introduce Visit

© JEFFREY HILL 7
ANSWER KEY
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD

1. must
2. pleased
3. of
4. least
5. introduce
6. Did
7. two-hour
8. off
9. over
10. been
11. about
12. by
13. parked
14. 30-minute
15. seeing
16. to
17. ago
18. has
19. everywhere
20. luggage
21. got
22. shall

READING COMPREHENSION

1. FALSE – The text says it takes as little as 20 seconds to make a judgement about someone.
2. FALSE – It could be perceived as disrespectful, which means 'showing a lack of respect'.
3. TRUE – “Studies have shown that others are very good at reading your facial expressions (and
making judgments based upon them)”.
4. TRUE - "When you introduce yourself, you should say your first and last name." (The word
'surname' means the same as 'last name'.)
5. FALSE – Your handshake should be firm but not too strong.

© JEFFREY HILL 8
CROSSWORD — SOLUTION
1 2 3
A T L A N T I C P C
I A H
4 5
R A F O R W A R D
6
P L E A S U R E K N
O S G
7 8 9
R I N T R O D U C E P
T S R L
10
T S U I T C A S E
11
L U G G A G E V A
12
O N E F S
13 14
N O U T S I D E L E
15
D F E K I N D
16
O F I N A L L Y G
N A H
17 18
C I T Y M E E T

WORD SEARCH — SOLUTION

A S L I N T R O D U C E A D I
P T S F I N A L L Y X Q V T I
I O L U G G A G E F G F G T X
I R F A I O U T S I D E Z U V
B P T O N T L O N D O N B R I
P S B S R T C R A V P K U B S
L P D U C W I A Q U L I I U I
M E E T H Y A C S J E N L L T
O P L E A S U R E E A G D E H
K G T K N I F D D Q S D I N P
P K R H G G R L E D E O N C D
U A I Y E I W P I L D M G E R
P X T N M P E L O G A H D B I
Y I G J D F Z Z J R H Y T L V
C A S S I S T A N T T T Q H E

© JEFFREY HILL 9