06.11.

2020

Course 03
Business English Collocations
Tenses – Present Simple & Continuous

Most of the examples given on the following slides

have been borrowed from

• Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online

Copyright © 1996–2020 Pearson All rights reserved.

• Cambridge Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press 2020

• Collins English Dictionary

© Collins 2020

• Merriam-Webster Dictionary
© 2020 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

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Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate

interest in a product or service. They work with art directors, sales agents, and
financial staff members. Duties:
• Work with department heads or staff to discuss topics such as budgets
and contracts, marketing plans, and the selection of advertising media
• Plan advertising and promotional campaigns
• Plan advertising, including which media to advertise in, such as radio,
television, print, online media, and billboards
• Negotiate advertising contracts
• Evaluate the look and feel of websites used in campaigns or layouts,
which are sketches or plans for an advertisement
• Initiate market research studies and analyze their findings to understand
customer and market opportunities for businesses
• Develop pricing strategies for products or services marketed to the
target customers of a firm
• Meet with clients to provide marketing or technical advice
• Direct the hiring of advertising, promotions, and marketing staff and
oversee their daily activities.
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Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate

interest in a product or service. They work with art directors, sales agents, and
financial staff members. Duties:
• Work with department heads or staff to discuss topics such as budgets
and contracts, marketing plans, and the selection of advertising media
• Plan advertising and promotional campaigns
• Plan advertising, including which media to advertise in, such as radio,
television, print, online media, and billboards
• Negotiate advertising contracts
• Evaluate the look and feel of websites used in campaigns or layouts,
which are sketches or plans for an advertisement
• Initiate market research studies and analyze their findings to understand
customer and market opportunities for businesses
• Develop pricing strategies for products or services marketed to the
target customers of a firm
• Meet with clients to provide marketing or technical advice
• Direct the hiring of advertising, promotions, and marketing staff and
oversee their daily activities.
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COLLOCATION
=
a specific combination of words that is
natural to the native speakers of a
language.

e.g. to pay attention ; to commit a

crime etc.
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Types of collocations
STRONG

• The words are closely – if not exclusively – associated

with each other: mitigating factors / circumstances

FIXED

• Collocations so strong, that they cannot be changed

in any way: pre-tax profits; intangible assets

WEAK

• Collocations made up of words that collocate with a

wide range of other words: an expensive purchase
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Collocation patterns
Verb + Noun To draw up a contract
Verb + Adverb To fail miserably

Noun + Noun (a… of) Brand identity ; a stroke of luck

Noun + Verb The economy booms

Adjective + Noun An ailing economy ; profitable business

Adverb + Adjective Fabulously rich ; technically skilled

Verb + Prepositional To go into partnership

phrase
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Neutral

Formal
(legal & REGISTER Informal
official)

Formal

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The cops are

trying to dig out Informal
Informal info about the contexts only.
arms deal.

The police are OK in any

Neutral investigating the spoken or
arms deal. written context.

The police are

conducting an More formal
Formal investigation into language.
the arms deal.

Formal The arms deal

Typical of a
may be subject to
(legal & police
bureaucratic or
legal style.
official) investigation.

Rebuild the collocations using the following words: earn, go,

go, job, job-share, joined, lay off, leave, living, network, volume.
In my mid-twenties I _______ joined the staff of a language
school. The pay wasn’t brilliant, but I could make a _______ living
and there were many aspects of the _______ job that I
enjoyed. The other members of staff were nice and I
enjoyed teaching the students. A few years later, after
returning from maternity _______, leave I decided to _______ go

part-time. Luckily, I was able to do a _______ job-share with another

woman who had a small child. Then the school began to go
through a difficult period and had to _______ lay off staff. I
decided to _______ freelance . I had managed to build up a
go

_______
network of contacts and this gave me a good start. I soon
had a substantial _______
volume of work – private students and
marking exams - and was able to _______ earn a good living.
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Rebuild the collocations using the following words: change,

high-pressure, investment, ladder, priority, resignation,
right, scheme, tempting, together.
After graduating in economics, I did the usual thing of
putting _____ together my CV and applying for jobs. I got a

very _____
tempting offer from an _____investment bank and accepted it.

It was a _____ high-

pressure environment, but I felt motivated and I
did very well. I was put on a fast-track _____ scheme and was
moving up the _____ ladder fast. However, one day I had a

_____
change of heart. I realized I had stopped enjoying the

excitement. I felt I needed to get my priorities _____. right I

decided that other aspects of my life should take
_____
priority over my work. I handed in my resignation _____ and
moved to the country.
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• nice / good / great / • day / summer

• easy / hard / tedious • sales / construction
• important / steady / • office
secure • government /
• seasonal / regular finance

+ Noun +
Adjective “job”

JOB
“Job” +
+ Verb
Noun
• description / losses / • do / lose / create /
title have / finish / start /
• interview / vacancies perform
• satisfaction /
application

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Match the collocations with their meaning: botched job, clerical job, crummy job,
cushy job, dead-end job, dirty job, green/green-collar job, inside job, menial job, odd
jobs, thankless job.
odd jobs small jobs of different types
menial job boring, unimportant, needing no skill
cushy job very easy, not needing much effort
inside job a crime, especially stealing, committed by
someone in the place where they work

thankless job difficult or unpleasant, and people do not

thank you for it

green / green-collar job a job that is related to the protection of

the natural environment
dirty job unpleasant, or involving hard manual labor
botched job a job done badly
clerical job a job performing general office duties
crummy job (informal) of very bad quality
a job with low wages and no chance of
dead-end job
progress
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Fill in the blanks with the following terms: hatchet, plum, day, service,
desk, manufacturing, summer, dream.
• I’d love to be a professional writer, but I’m not giving up my _____
day job
just yet.
• The alternative to a _____desk job is a profession that involves moving
around.
• My _____
dream job would allow me to make a positive impact on people
every day.
• Fleck was certainly not the only critic to do a hatchet
_____ job on his latest
novel.
• __________
Manufacturing jobs are those that create new products directly from
either raw materials or components.
• They are sitting in _____
plum jobs, earning bucket loads of money for
little effort.
• Here is some guidance for individual applicants on how to find new
customer _____
service jobs.
• Many college students make the mistake of applying for _______
summer jobs
last minute.
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Do Lose Create

Get Quit Finish

Find Keep A JOB

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Complete the words to find synonyms for the verbs collocating with the
noun “job”. The first letter is given.

1. She needs a driver’s license to do her job.

( C_ CARRY
_ _ _ OUT
O_ _ // P _PERFORM
_ _ _ _ _ ).
1. I hope to get a highly paid job in banking. ( F _FIND
_ _ // LAND
L___)
2. If qualified, you would certainly be given this job. ( O _OFFERED
_____)
3. Adam will give up his dead-end job soon. ( Q QUIT _ _ _ // LLEAVE
_ _ _ /_ /
R _ _RESIGN
_ _ _FROM
F___)
4. Economic growth can create jobs, and jobs can create higher living
standards. ( G _GENERATE
______)
5. The company is hoping to cut 300 jobs. ( A _AXE _ / E/ _ _ELIMINATE
______
/ S___)
/ SHED

6. Instead of operating locally, many companies export jobs overseas.

( O _OUTSOURCE
_ _ _ _ _ _ _/ / SHIP
S___)
7. The deal should protect thousands of jobs. ( S _ _SAFEGUARD
______ )

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(re)apply

look

compete

hire

qualify

be considered
for a job
train

vie

audition

angle
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take

learn

on a job
concentrate / focus

stay

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resign

fired / dismissed /
ousted / sacked (informal)

retire
from one’s job
suspended

take a break

distract

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MAKE DO

Used when talking Used when we talk

about creation or about tasks, duties,
production in a obligations and
process. routine work.

Used to refer to It refers to

the process of
the result of an
carrying out actions.
action. (= to perform, to execute)

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MAKE DO
the accounts in bookkeeping
business
an appointment
a fortune / profit / money
a deal with somebody
budget cutbacks
an investment
due diligence before taking over a company

calculations
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MAKE DO
a loan
the paperwork
arrangements / a living
a purchase
tasks
manual labor
payments
the legwork
a donation
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Used for things that are true in general.

Water boils at 100o C. |

The earth goes round the sun.

Used for things that happen all the time or repeatedly.

The store opens at 8 in the morning.

I go away at weekends.
Used to show the frequency for doing things.
(always/never/often/usually/sometimes + Present Simple)
She always gets to work early.
He usually plays football on Sundays.
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Timetables and plans.

We use the present simple to talk about

events that are part of a future plan or
timetable.
The lesson starts at 9.30 tomorrow instead of 10.30.
Lunch is at 12.30. Don’t be late.
They don’t start back to school until next Monday.
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Newspaper headlines.

We often see the present simple in news

headlines to report past events. It
emphasizes the drama or immediacy of an
event.
Man rescues child from lake
Taiwanese envoys arrive in China
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Sometimes we do things by simply using certain

verbs (called performative or speech act verbs):
you promise by saying “I promise…”;
you suggest by saying “I suggest…”.

Present Simple is used with verbs which perform

the action they describe: acknowledge, advise,
confess, congratulate, declare, deny, forbid,
guarantee, name, permit, promise, refuse, remind,
thank, warn.
I totally agree with what you’ve just said.
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Events at the time of speaking

We use the present continuous to talk about events

which are in progress at the moment of speaking.
B: I’m cooking now so it’ll be
A: What time’s dinner?
ready in about half an hour.
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Temporary states

We use the present continuous to talk about temporary

states which are true around the moment of speaking.

Her mother’s living with her Who’s looking after the

at the moment. children while you’re here?
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Ongoing change

We use the present continuous to talk about a

gradual change.
Recent evidence suggests
They’re building a new stand
that the economic
at the football ground.
situation is improving.
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Regular unplanned events

+ always, constantly, continually, forever

Used to describe events which are regular but not planned,
and often not wanted.
My wife,
I’m constantly spilling things. she’s always throwing things
out. I like to keep everything.
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Express a state or
condition.

If used in the
Present
Continuous, there Stative Do not express an
is often a action.
difference in Verbs
meaning.

Usually occur only

in the Present
Simple.

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• Love/hate; (dis)like • Be, appear, look

• Want, need, prefer • Look like, seem
• Believe; know; • Sound, sound like
think • Cost, weigh
• Realize; suppose
Emotion
Attitude Description
Belief Measurements
Knowledge

STATIVE VERBS
Possession
Senses
Relationships

• See, hear, smell, • Have, own, possess

taste, feel • Owe, belong,
• Ache, hurt, burn, depend on
itch, sting • Include, contain

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