EBE 2 ADINA OANA NICOLAE

UNIT 8. BUSINESS TRENDS

Contents: Page

8.1. Speaking skills 2

8.2. Boost your vocabulary 2
8.3. Reading skills 5
8.4. Grammar practice 6
8.5. Spelling, pronunciation and listening skills 8
8.6. Writing skills 8
8.7. Food for thought 9
8.8. Summary 9
8.9. Key to exercises 9
8.10. Bibliography 10

Objectives:
After you have completed the study of this unit, you should be able to:
• use adequate and wide-ranging vocabulary related to business trends;
• understand and produce spoken and written discourse related to business trends;
• be aware of the structure and the use of present perfect simple and continuous;
• use concession connectors in context.

Average unit completion time: 4 hours

Keywords: business trends, present perfect simple, present perfect continuous.

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8.1. Speaking skills

• Which are more contemporary trends in the global economic environment?
• In your opinion, will technology replace the human touch?
• Do you think that traditional banking services will be replaced by digital banking services?
• To your mind, will entrepreneurship proliferate?

8.2. Boost your vocabulary

GOING UP GOING DOWN
Verbs Verbs
increase decrease
grow/ grew/ grown drop
climb fall/ fell/ fallen
peak shrink/ shrank/ shrunk
rise/ rose/ risen decline
e.g. The sales have been rising lately. slump
double/ triple sink/ sank/ sunk
soar/ surge/ skyrocket/ balloon/ boom e.g. The dollar sank to a record low against the
e.g. The IT industry is booming. euro.
boost (v.tr.) halve = to reduce by half
e.g. These policies are boosting the economy. sag/ slump/ plunge/ collapse/ plummet

GOING EITHER UP OR DOWN GOING UP AND DOWN

move fluctuate
vary be unsteady
change be unstable
blip
e.g. The stock market has blipped one point e.g. The prices are fluctuating.
higher this week.
GOING UP AFTER A FALL GOING OUT OF BUSINESS
recover go bust
pick up be insolvent
bounce back go bankrupt
rebound fold
regain lost ground e.g. He went bankrupt after a while.
rally
e.g. The pound has rallied against the dollar.

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REMAINING CONSTANT BECOMING CONSTANT

remain stable flatten out
hold steady bottom out
stay at the same level/ the same plateau
remain constant level off
e.g. Most prices have held steady this year. e.g. We expect prices to level off.

In the table above, you find examples of verbs used in commenting on business trends. Such
verbs may be accompanied by adverbs such as dramatically, significantly, rapidly, etc.
e.g. The gap between the rich and the poor has increased dramatically in our country.
Conversely, a similar meaning may be rendered by adjective + noun structures:
dramatic/ significant/ rapid + increase/ rise/ growth/ decrease/ drop/ fall/ decline
Some adjectives/ adverbs refer to speed (e.g. gradual - gradually, sudden -suddenly, fast
– quickly, sharp - sharply) and some to size (e.g. noticeable - noticeably, substantial - substantially,
slight – slightly, negligible -negligibly).
downturn (reduction) ≠ upturn (increase)
e.g. a downturn/ an upturn in car sales
Analogies from other domains may be used in business trends language:
PLANT ANALOGIES
e.g. The government has allowed this industry to wither away. (= to become weaker)
MACHINE ANALOGIES
e.g. It looks like our company is powering/ steaming ahead. (=becoming stronger)
PATIENT ANALOGIES
e.g. The neglect of infrastructure impacts an ailing (=suffering) economy.
ANIMAL ANALOGIES
bull market = a time when the prices of most shares are rising
bear market = a time when the prices of most shares are falling

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Time Expressions You Can Use

in January / in 2011
in Q1 / Q2 / Q3 / Q4 (In the first quarter / second quarter / third quarter / fourth quarter)
from January to March
year on year/ year over year = comparing the results with the results of the same period in the
previous year

Exercise 1. Make pairs of synonyms:

remain constant= hold steady; flatten out = level off; decline = slump; bounce back = rebound; climb
= rise; go bust = go bankrupt; vary = blip; be unsteady = be unstable.

Exercise 2. Which nouns correspond to the following adjectives?

a. bankrupt
b. constant
c. steady
d. stable
e. insolvent
f. dramatic
g. significant
h. rapid

Exercise 3. Rephrase the following sentences using a verb + adverb or adjective + noun
construction instead of the given structures:
a. Our sales increased significantly due to the launch of our new shampoo brand.
There was a ….
b. Our turnover remained stable in February. However, in March and April, it dropped suddenly as
a result of the financial crisis.
Our turnover remained stable in February. However, in March and April, there was ….
c. Earnings per share are up 10% year over year.
There is a …

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8.3. Reading skills

After a tumultuous century with numerous financial crises, the United States economy at the
end of the 20th century was experiencing a period of economic calm: the prices were stable,
unemployment fell to its lowest level in 30 years, the stock market boomed and the government
posted a budget surplus.
Technological innovations and a rapidly globalizing market contributed to the economic boom
near the end of the 90s, then again between 2009 and 2017, but many other factors affected the rise
of the American economy as it entered the 21st century.
The economy of the United States stabilized in the mid-1990s, creating a status in the
economy as it prepared to enter a new millennium, finally recovered from two world wars, a 40-year
Cold War, a Great Depression and several large recessions, and enormous budget deficits in
government in the last half of the century.
By 1998, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the U.S. had exceeded $8.5 trillion, achieving
the longest uninterrupted period of expansion in American history. With just five percent of the world's
population, the United States was accounting for 25% of the world's economic output, outproducing
its closest rival Japan by nearly double the amount.
Innovations in computing, telecommunications, and life sciences opened up new
opportunities for Americans to work as well as new goods to consume. Industrial jobs in the
manufacturing field took a hit at the end of the millennium, suffering setbacks as automation began
to take over jobs and certain markets saw a decrease in demand for their goods.
As the United States passed into the early 2000s, one principle remained strong and true in
terms of its economy: it was and would always be a market economy.

(adapted from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-us-economy-at-the-end-of-the-20th-century-

1146946 )

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Exercise 4. Read the text above and answer TRUE OR FALSE about America at the end of the 20th
century:
a. At the end of the 20th century the unemployment had reached a record low.
b. Technological advancements boosted the economy.
c. In the mid-1990s the economy rallied.
d. By 1998, America’s GDP had been growing uninterruptedly.
e. Many people lost their jobs to automation.

Post-reading. Focus on real English in context

A: Here are your boarding passes. When you board the plane please have your boarding pass
ready to show to the flight attendants.
B: Thank you. Could you tell me if the flight is on time?
A: Sure, the flight is on time.

Exercise 5. Read the extract from a longer dialogue provided above.

a. Where does this dialogue take place?
b. Who are A and B?
c. What has B just done?

8.4. Grammar practice

Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous
Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Continuous
Form Form
Statement Statement
Subject + have/ has+ V3 Subject + have/ has been + V-ing
e.g. I have just arrived. e.g. It has been growing for some time.
Questions Questions
(Wh-word) + have/ has+ Subject + V3? (Wh-word) + have/has +Subject + been + V-ing?
e.g. Have you already arrived? e.g. Where has it been growing?

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Negations Negations
Subject + have/ has+ NOT+ V3 Subject + have/ has+ NOT+ been V-ing
I have not arrived yet. e.g. It hasn’t been growing.

Function
• To express a past action whose results
are visible/ important at present (no time
expression is used)
e.g. We have lost our tickets. (the
speaker is interested in the result, not the
action itself)
• To express an action/ state that started
in the past and has lasted up to the
present moment (+for/ since time
expressions)
e.g. You have been here for an hour.
e.g. You have driven since morning.
Function
• To express actions that have been taking
place lately/ recently
e.g. You have been losing weight lately.
• To express actions that started in the
past and has lasted up to the present
moment (+for/ since time expressions)
e.g. We have been flying for three hours.
since noon.

• To express a past action which is part of

somebody’s life experience (+ time
expressions: always, never, sometimes,
often, rarely, frequently, etc.)
e.g. I have never written such a long
account.

Exercise 6. Insert the appropriate form of the verb (present perfect simple or continuous)
a. Bob … on holiday for a week. (be)
b. We … for half an hour, only for a few minutes. (not speak)
c. We … a hotel room reservation yet. (not make)
d. He … a new contract with the sellers, it is ready to sign. (negotiate)
e. He … a new contract with the sellers for some time. (negotiate)
f. … you ever a salary raise? (ask for)
g. I’m afraid somebody … the figures. (disclose)

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8.5. Spelling, pronunciation and listening skills

Task 1. Watch any useful material on the business trends. You can find out more about bull and bear
markets!
Task 2. Research the presentation of graphs and charts. You can watch an example at
https://experience-english.blogspot.com/2012/05/best-practices-describing-trends-graphs.html

Nota bene!
Pay attention to the spelling and pronunciation of such easily confused words:
thought = idea
through = from one end or side of something to the other (e.g. We drove through the tunnel.)
though = despite/ however
although = despite

8.6. Writing skills

In this unit, we focus on sentence connectors which signal concession (=something
allowed in order to end a disagreement/ make something possible).
• Despite/ in spite of are used with nouns:
e.g. Despite a few problems, our team submitted the proposal in due time. OR
e.g. In spite of the rain, we arrived at the station in time.
• Although, even if, even though are used to introduce subordinate clauses:
e.g. Although he had money, he refused to lend me some.

Exercise 7. Rephrase using an appropriate sentence connector:

a. In spite of being tired, he prepared the documents carefully.
b. Even though it was bad news, it didn’t stop him from going abroad.

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8.7. Food for thought

• Consider the following domains: nanotechnology; energy; clean tech; entertainment;

cybersecurity; asteroid mining; computer engineering; marriage counselling and therapy;
vertical farming. Range them in the order starting from the most to the least likely to be
successful in the near future.
• Which trends have you recently noticed in the music industry/ the teenage entertainment
industry/ the advertising industry? Comment on them.

8.8. Summary
In this unit, you have practised:
✓ How to communicate about business trends orally and in writing;
✓ How to use a range of adequate vocabulary related to business trends;
✓ The structure and use of present perfect simple and present perfect continuous;
✓ How to signal concession in discourse.

8.9. Key to exercises

1. remain constant= hold steady; flatten out = level off; decline = slump; bounce back = rebound; climb = rise; go
bust = go bankrupt; vary = blip; be unsteady = be unstable.
2. a. Bankruptcy;
b. Constancy
c. Steadiness
d. Stability
e. Insolvency
f. Drama
g. Significance
h. Rapidity
3.
a. significant increase in our sales due to our new shampoo brand.
b. a sudden drop in our turnover as a result of the financial crisis.
c. 10% year-over-year increase in earnings per share.
4. a. T; b T; c. T; d. T; e. T.
5. a. at the airport/ at the check-in desk; B is the customer; A is the check-in officer; B has just checked in.
6. a. has been; b. haven’t been talking; c. haven’t made; d. has negotiated; e. has been negotiating; have you ever
asked; has disclosed.
7. a. Despite being tired/ even if he was tired, he prepared the documents carefully.
b. Even if/ although it was bad news, it didn’t stop him from going abroad.

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8.10. Bibliography

Hoffmann, Hans G and Hoffmann Marion. Engleza tematică. Bucureşti: Niculescu, 2004.
Robbins, Sue. Collins Cobuild Business Vocabulary in Practice. HarperCollins, 2003.
Turai, Ioana Maria. Gramatica limbii engleze. Bucureşti: Corint, 2008.

Web resources
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-us-economy-at-the-end-of-the-20th-century-1146946

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