“DESCRIBING PRODUCTS”

and
“OPERATIONS”

Language work : to describe and process as well as passive voice.

Describing how things function in a non-technical fashion is frequently

required in business. You may have to explain how to describe certain
products and to operate the product ( a machine) like a computer or an
automatic ticket machine. Also you will need to understand explanations of
how to get machines work. You may have to describe commercial process
and tell others how things are done. Business operations are becoming
increasingly deals may involve explaining specific arrangements or
processes in a simplified way.

How to describe a thing.

Define it : …..a tool / a thing / an instrument / a device

They are the answers for :

What is this ? this is a ..... / It is a toothbrush.
What do people call it ?

Good morning everyone, I would like to introduce a newest product from

Samsung. It is .... / This is ...

Say its composition :It consists of rubber and aluminum

It’s composed of wood and steel
It’s made of plastic, silk, wool, thread
It’s made up of metal, clay, cloth, fur,
snake leather, iron, fiber, rotans.
They are the answers for :
What does this tool consist of …..?
What is this device composed of ….?
What is this table made of ….?

Shape and dimension : It is a rectangular box.

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 This is a conical hole about 1cm in
diameter
…. Triangular, circular, square, bottle-
like, oval, round

They are the answers for :

What is it like ?
What does the tool look like ?

What does Budi look like ? he has long and straight

hair, old brown skin, flat / pointed nose, has thin
moustache, heavy beard, wavy hair, curly hair.
What is Budi like ?

Use and purpose : It’s used for sucking dust.

It’s suitable for cleaning the carpet.
It’s used as coffee making.

They are the answers for :

What is it used for ? What is it for ?
What is it suitable for ?
What is it used as ?

The location of a part : The battery is housed in a plastic case.

The blade is secured to the top of the
box by a screw.

They are the answers for :

Where is the battery housed in ?
Where is the blade secured to ?

Comparing products : It’s a kind of microwave.

It’s similar to scanner.
It’s an alternative to disk.
It’s a version of data saving.

They are the answers for :

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 What kind / type / sort of thing is it ?

Selling the product : It costs 50,000 Rupiahs

It retails at supermarket
It sells well in Bandung and Medan.

They are the answers for :

How much does it cost ?
Where does it retail ?
Where does it sell well ?

Telling weight : It weighs 2 kilograms

This is the answer for :

How much does it weigh ?
How much do you weigh ? it is .

Colour/color :

Yellow yellowish, red redish , brown brownish gray/grey

Light/young green, old brown, purple, multi colors,
colorful/less

Size : small, medium, large, extra large

This is a conversation between someone in the sales department of

a computer firm and a potential customer
Customer : Hello, could you give me some information on
your new small computer ?

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Assistant : Yes, Well, it is small, it weighs four pounds,
that’s 1,9 kilos, it’s really quite light, and it’s 50
millimetres thick. Let’s see, it has 512 K on internal
memory. Um, it has four disks , they are tiny
square disks and each contains one megabyte on
information.
Customer : What sizes are they ?
Assistant : They measure 4 by 3 centimetres. They are hard,
you can’t damage them.
Customer : Yes.
Assistant : You can have up to three different displays on-
screen at once. And you can also use a couple of
applications at one time. You can run it off a
battery, the battery life is five hours.
Customer : How much does it cost ?
Assistant : Yes, the KC 800 costs 645 pounds plus VAT at
17.5 percent. (value added tax)
Customer : Oh yeah, thanks all the information I need for
the moment.

Good evening everyone.

Let me describe this

Well, this table is made of wood and made by skillful carpenter from
Cijantung. It is square and it has four legs. The table is put in
classroom for discussing a lot of subjects. You know, there is a space

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below it to keep books and something else. It costs around 200.000
Rupiahs and it weighs about twenty kilograms. And it is one meter
high and seventy five wide, one and a half meters long.

I would like to introduce a new jacket.

This jacket is made of cloth and made in Bandung. It costs around
100.000 Rupiahs. You may buy it easily in Jakarta. The sizes are
available for small, medium dan large. The color is gray and some
other colors are available. It has a part to protect the head from heat.
The zipper is very strong and made by YKK.

Let me describe the clock.

As we know that the clock tells us the time. The clock which is on the
wall in this classroom is made of plastics and metal. It is round and it
costs about thirty thousands Rupiahs. It weighs a half kilo grams.
The color is brown and goldish. And it needs one battery to run.

This is a bag.
It is a bag. This bag is made of cloth and it is square. It costs about
75,000 Rupiahs and we can buy it at traditional market. There are
colors available; they are brown, black, blue etc. It contains a lot of
books and a laptop. The zipper is well made by Axioo and it is long-
lasting. The bag looks quite light and easy to bring with.

How to give instruction process.

Sequencers : First (ly)…, secondly.., thirdly…, then …, next

…, after that …, having been (cut, kept)…,
at the same time …, simultaneously …, Lastly
…, finally , after being heated,

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Explaining purpose : in order to …, to …, because …, in order that.

Instructions You have to … (it’s necessary for you to ....)

Don’t forget to .. , Make sure you …(tighten
it)
You don’t have to … ( it’s not necessary for
you to ..)
You needn’t ….. (it’s not necessary)
You mustn’t …. (you may not )

1). Here is the way how to use a personal computer.

First of all / firstly, / at first, you have to put the plug in. And be
careful not forget to take the covers off. Now you first switch this on
here and also you switch this on. Now I take one of these and push it
into this slot. Like this, Is that clear ? It only takes a few seconds to
load. And then I can select what I’m going to be working on. Right,
next I click this little thing on here. You see that arrow ? And after a
few seconds the whole thing starts up. And now I’m ready for serious
work. When I’ve finished whatever job I’ve been doing, I need to
take care to save it like this. Then I take this out and put it away and
then I can use another one of these and repeat the same general
procedure, leaving it on all the while.

2). Here is the process to start a record player.

First of all make sure the machine is plugged in. And then
switched on. We then open it up here and, by the way,
don’t forget to move the control arm clear. Take what you
want to hear out of the sleeve and place it on the spindle. At

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this stage you may have to check the correct speed has
been selected. If not, of course, you have to select it. Then
switch the control automatic. And as long as the thing is on,
that’s it. Just lean back and enjoy it.

3). Britt Elstrom is production manager at Norda Matches. Here she

describes how matches are made.

A manufacturing process
Britt our production department is quite small. Because the process is
fully automated, we employ only 12 people in the match factory. We
produce about 6 billion matches a year – that’s 800 boxes every
minute – and the whole process takes about one and a half hours.

First, the logs are cut into thin sticks, about 3 centimetres long.
These sticks are then put into a bath of ammonium phosphate.
Ammonium phosphate is a retarding agent which makes sure that
match stops burning when you blow it out …. Like this.

Next the match sticks are cleaned and then they are transferred to
slow-moving conveyor belt. As they travel along the conveyor belt,
one end of the match stick is coated with hot paraffin wax and an
explosive chemical is added. This is the match head. The paraffin
wax helps the match burn.

The matches are now dried and when they reach the end of the
conveyor belt they are punched into boxes, about 50 at a time.

Finally the box covers are pushed onto the boxes and the matches
are ready for dispatch.

Here are some notes on how to do three things. Put the notes into
the right order and then use the language box to help you explain
each operation.

Begin like this: “First insert the card. Then …. “

1. Getting cash from an automatic dispenser.

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* Key in your personal number (2)
* Take your cash (5)
* Wait for the machine to check your number (3)
* Remove the card (6)
* Insert the card (1)
* Select the amount of money and press enter (4)

( sequencers, purposes, instruction, right order)

This is the process of getting cash from an automatic teller machine /
dispenser.

First of all (firstly, at first, at the very beginning ) you have to insert
the card. After that, it is necessary for you to key in your personal
number, and make sure the number is right. The next step, just wait
for the machine to check your number.

After the machine checks the number, then you need to select the
amount of money and don’t forget to press enter. Having been
pressed, you take your cash right away and finally (lastly) make sure
to remove the card.

2. Changing a wheel on a car

* Put the new wheel on and replace the wheel nuts(5
* Lower the car (7)
* Place the jack under the car (1)
* Tighten the wheel nuts (6)
* Raise the car until the wheel is off the ground (2)
* Loosen the wheel nuts (3)
* Remove the wheel nuts and the wheel (4)

This is the process how to change a wheel on a car.

Firstly, you have to place the jack under the car carefully. Secondly
raise the car until the wheel is off the ground, this is done in order to
make the process easily. Thirdly you just loosen the wheel nuts and
do it slowly. Next you have to remove the nuts and the wheel. After
that put the new wheel on and replace the nuts or change them with

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new ones. Then it is necessary for you to tighten the wheel nuts and
make sure all nuts are put on tightly. Lastly lower the car very
carefully.

3. Claiming expenses
* Fill in the claim form at the end of the month (2)
*Give the form and the receipts to the accounts department(4)
* Ask the head of your department to sign the form (3)
* Keep your receipts (1)

Write down what you would say in these situations. The first is done for you as
an example.

What would you say ….

1. When you explain to someone you know fairly well how to switch a
computer on
“ Ok, now first of all, you switch it on by pressing this key”.

2. When you are showing someone you know fairly well which button to
press on a machine ? …….

3. When you want to check that the other person understands what you
have just explained ? …….

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 4. If you want to add a further point to your explanation ? ……

5. When you want to ask a stranger to help you use a photocopier which you
don’t know how to use ? ……

6. When you want to ask a friend to show you how a machine works ? …..

7. If you need a further explanation ? ……

8. When you think you’ve understood what a friend has said but you want
them to repeat it ? …..

The following is the pictures containing the process.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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The topics which have been discussed:
Meeting and presentation
Negotiation
Correspondence
Cross culture understanding

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