Unit 1 Describing Trends

PRESENTATION
1 Complete these graphs.
2 26 Listen to a sales manager describing his company’s sales figures and complete
the graph opposite.

14,000
13,000
12,000
11,000
10,000
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
J F M A M J J A S O N D

3 26 Listen again and note why these things happened.

1. Sales increased in March.

...........................................................................................................................
2. Sales fell in May.
...........................................................................................................................
3. Sales rose in July.
..........................................................................................................................
4. Sales increased in September.
...........................................................................................................................
5. Sales went down in November.
...........................................................................................................................
4 Complete these sentences about the sales figures. Use a preposition (to, from, by, at,
etc.)
1. Sales stayed _______ 6000 in February.
2. They increased _______ 7000 in March _______ 8000 in April.
3. They decreased _______ 3000 in May.
4. They fell _______ 4000 in June.
5. They rose _______ 5000 _______ 6000 in August.
6. They increased _______ 7000 between August and October.
7. They remained steady _______ 7000 in December.

2
 5 Complete these sentences with the correct preposition.

1 We invested a lot of money ____ the business.

2 spent ____ training courses.
3 wasted ____ unnecessary equipment.
4 made ____ our overseas investments.
5 saved ____ our energy bills.
6 gave ____ charity.
7 borrowed ____ the bank.
8 owed ____ our suppliers.

LANGUAGE WORK
Rises and falls
1. Discuss these figures with a colleague. One person should use the information on the
left and the other should use the information on the right. Use these verbs.

increase decrease
rise fall
go up go down

A Our market share fell by 1% last year

B Yes, but on the other hand our turnover increased by 8%.

Our market share -1% Our turnover +8%

Distribution costs +18% Prices of raw materials -4%
The number of new contracts -6% Spending on research and development +9%
Earnings from investments -3% Debts to our suppliers -4%
The number of employees -4% Productivity +6%
Sales to the EC -2% Sales to South America +5%
Wages +8% Our staff turnover -20%
Spending on training +15% Customer complaints -16%

2. Write six sentences describing rises and falls in your company’s figures. (You can
invent statistics you don’t know.)
Our turnover increased by 50 million francs last year.
The number of employees went up by five per cent.

3
Pronunciation
1. The spelling of English words is often different from their pronunciation. We
sometimes write letters we don’t pronounce. For example, debt is pronounced /det/.
The ‘b’ is silent.
How do we pronounce these English words? Cross out the silent letters like this:
debt

1. write 5. listen 9. half

2. know 6. high 10. scientist
3. answer 7. sign 11. chemist
4. receipt 8. business 12. psychiatrist

2. 27 Listen and check your answers.

Describing changes
1. Complete these tables.
verb (action) noun (thing)
to rise a rise
to fall ____________
to increase ____________
to decrease ____________
to improve ____________
to recover ____________

Now complete this table.

ADJECTIVE ADVERB
(describes a noun) (describes a verb)
slight slightly
sharp ____________
dramatic ____________
steady ____________

Which adjective describes:

1. a sudden, very large change?
2. a sudden, large change?
3. a very small change?
4. a regular change (not sudden)?
4
2. Study the graph and use each adjective once to complete the description.

We had a ________ 1increase in market share in 1991, followed by a _________ 2 fall

in 1992, when we sold a brand. But a successful new brand launched in 1993 meant
there was a _________ 3 recovery that year, and a _________ 4 increase in 1994 and
1995 too.

3. Now use each adverb once to complete this description.

Our production costs per unit fell _________ 1 in 1991 when we automated the
assembly line and they continued to decrease _________ 2 for the next three years.
They went down _________ 3 in 1994 when we bought the new packaging
machinery but rose _________ 4 in 1995 because of increased time spent on quality
control.
5
4. Now use each adverb and adjective once to complete this description.

Sales to the UK market rose __________ 1 between 1990 and 1992. There was a
__________ 2 decrease in 1993 when our main distributor went out of business. Sales
rose _________ 3 in 1994, and the __________ 4 improvement in 1995 brought us
back to the 1990 level.
There was a __________ 5 rise in exports in 1991. They went up __________ 6 in
1992 when we began to break into the US market. They rose ___________ 7 in 1993
when we signed the new agency agreement and there was a ___________ 8 increase in
1994 and 1995.

6
Describing Graphs
Work in pairs. One person should use the information below and the other should use
the information in File 23 on page 80.
The graph below shows a company’s sales over a twelve-month period. Describe it to
your partner. They should draw it.

Now listen to your partner’s description of the energy costs of a smaller

company over a period of twelve months. Draw the graph.

8,000

7,000
Energy Costs £

6,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000
J F M A M J J A S O N D

7
Giving reasons
1. Look at the figures below. In which month did these events happen?
Month
1. the autumn mail shot September
2. a spell of cold weather
3. a move to larger premises
4. the installation of a call routing system
5. the launch party for the new season’s designs
6. the autumn sales conference in Brussels

Bradford Branch

Overheads July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

£ £ £ £ £ £
Rent 690 950 950 950 950 950
Gas and Electricity charges 560 590 600 1300 700 900
Postage costs 600 610 1500 590 630 580
Travel costs 250 400 320 12800 590 280
Telephone charges 460 490 280 280 290 270
Entertainment costs 640 520 500 490 2100 650

2. Work with a partner. Ask and answer questions about the figures.
A Why was there a rise in rent in August?
B That was because of a move to larger premises.
3. Write some sentences explaining the figures.
A move to larger premises result in a rise in rent in August
(REASON) led to (RESULT)

The rise in rent in August was due to a move to larger premises.

(RESULT) resulted from (REASON)
4. Study the sentences below. Which are reasons and which are results? Link them
with one of the phrases above.
1. The factory automation ................................. an increase in productivity.
2. The staff reductions ................................. the factory automation.
3. The large pay rises ................................. a decrease in staff turnover.
4. The increase in sales costs ................................ the rise in spending on advertising.
5. The big orders from Japan ................................. a recovery in sales.
6. The shorter delivery times ................................. the new distribution system.
7. The increase in competition ................................. a decrease in our market share.
8. The rise in distribution costs................................. the increase in petrol prices.
8
 SKILLS WORK
Speaking
1. Draw a graph representing something connected with your work, for example
▪ seasonal sales trends
▪ annual turnover
▪ raw material prices
▪ number of employees.
Vertical Axis

Horizontal
Axis

2. Work in pairs or small groups. Take it in turns to present your graphs to one another.
▪ Explain what they represent.
▪ Give reasons for the changes.
▪ Answer questions.
These phrases will help you.
This graph shows ... As you can see ...
This led to ... This resulted in ...
This was due to ... This resulted from ...
Are there any questions?

9
Unit 2 Comparing Information
PRESENTATION
1. Look at these statistics on sales of frozen foods. Which one is:
a. a bar graph
b. a table
c. a pie chart
Match these headings to the correct graph, table or chart.
1. Desserts – sales by value
2. Ready meals – sales by sector
3. Frozen foods – sales by sector

10
2. 36 Listen to some retailers discussing the figures. You will hear three parts of
their conversation. Match each part to the correct statistics.

3. 36a Listen to the first conversation again. Are these statements true (T) or
false (F)? Correct the ones that are wrong.
1. Sales are lower than last year.
2. Ice-cream sales are higher.
3. Unusual flavours are popular.
4. Multi-packs were more popular in the past.

4. 36b Listen to the second conversation again.

1. Why are meat and poultry sales falling?
2. What is the fastest growing market?

5. 36c Listen to the third conversation again. Complete the missing words.
1. This is another fast growth market but it’s _____ ___________ than
pizzas. We’re offering a ____ _____________ range and consumers are
becoming _____ _______________.
2. But the market’s becoming _____ ____________ and the manufacturers
have had to reduce their prices.
Are we getting ________ margins on these products now? Yes, slightly.

6. Cheap and expensive are both adjectives. Notice how they are used in these
sentences.
Sales of cheaper ice-creams are falling.
More expensive ice-creams are doing well.
We make comparative forms of adjectives with ...-er and more.
When do we use ...-er and when do we use more?

7. Popular and small are both adjectives. Notice how they are used in these
sentences.
Pasta dishes are the most popular ready meals.
Fruit is the smallest sector of the frozen food market
.We make superlative forms of adjectives with the most and the ...-est. When do
we use the most and when do we use the ...-est?

11
 LANGUAGE WORK
Comparing sales figures
Complete this fashion retailer’s report on sales. Use a comparative form of the adjective
in brackets.
CLOVER RETAIL GROUP
NOVEMBER SALES REPORT

We sold a larger 1(large) quantity

of our more expensive 2
(expensive) items this month (£50
and over). This was because we
had a __________3 (wide) variety
of suits and dresses in stock for
the Christmas party season.
________4 (cheap) items (£10 and
under) also did well but items in
the mid-price ranges were
__________________5 (difficult)
to move and sales were ________6
(low) than October.

The ________7 (cold) weather led

to an increase in coat sales. Jacket
sales were also a little _________8
(high) than last month as were
jumpers. __________9 (long) than
average skirts did better than
__________10 (short) ones and
generally people preferred the
_____________11 (stylish) outfits.
______________12 (casual) styles
were less popular.

12
 There was a large increase in sales
of ________13 (dark) colours such
as black and navy blue. Red and
green were _________________14
(popular) than in October, but
otherwise, the _______________15
(colourful) items did badly.
Yellows and pinks were much
___________16 (slow) moving this
month than last. Overall, sales in
November were _____________17
(good) than sales in October, but
______________18 (bad) than last
year when trading conditions were
a lot _______19 (easy). We hope to
see an improvement in December.

Comparing countries
1. Your company is planning to open new offices and factories around the world and
you are collecting statistics. Study the graphs and complete the reports. Use only one
word per space.
_______1 has the highest rate
of inflation and _________2
has the lowest. The rate of
inflation in ____________3
is higher than Italy, but lower
than in Argentina.

Source: The Economist

Intelligence Unit

Workers in Geneva receive

________ _________4 wages
and workers in Hong Kong
receive _______ ________ 5 .
Parisians receive ________6
wages ________7 New
Yorkers but _________8
wages ________9 Athenians.

Source: BICOL; UBS

13
Companies in __________10
spend the most on rent and
companies in ___________11
spend the least. Companies
spend less on rent in
____________12 than New
York but more than they
spend in Barcelona.
Source: Moran Stahl & Boyer,
1994
The Danes pay ________
________13 tax and the
Turks pay ______ _______14
The Spanish pay _______
________15 the Japanese but
______ ______16 the Italians.

Source: OECD

__________17 has the fewest

trade union members and
___________18 has the most.
___________19 has fewer
members _________20
Denmark but more than
Belgium.

Source: OECO

Japan has _______ ______21

people out of work and Spain
has _____ _____22. ______23
people are unemployed in
Britain _________24 in
Germany. And _________25
people are unemployed in
France ______26 in Italy.

Source: The Economist

14
2. What about you? Where would you like to work? Which country in the world:
• has the highest living standards?
• has the nicest climate?
• has the most beautiful countryside?
• is the least polluted?
• is the safest?
• is the best place for children to grow up?
• is the best country to live in?
Why?

Comparing companies
1. Three companies produce the cardboard boxes you need. You are deciding which
company to buy from. Your purchasing department has collected these statistics to
help you make your minds up.

EGP The Card Paper

Company Packs Ltd
Price per standard 1 cubic metre box 7.56 7.4 7.83
No. of styles of boxes in the range 27 16 25
Quality – faults per 1,000 units 0.1 1.3 2.5
Delivery period 2 days 1 day 4 days
Discount 5% 10% 15%
Quantity kept in stock 100,000 600,000 500,000
Terms of payment 14 days 30 days 60 days

Work in pairs. Ask and answer the questions below.

Which company
1. has the highest / lowest prices?
2. has the widest/ smallest product range?
3. has the best/worst quality record?
4. delivers the fastest / slowest?
5. gives the biggest / smallest discount?
6. keeps the most / fewest boxes in stock?
7. gives the most / least time to pay?

2. Cover up the questions. Look at the statistics and ask and answer the questions
again.

15
3. Which supplier is best? Why?
4. Tell a colleague about your company’s competitors.
1. Who are your main competitors?
2. Which company working in your field
• has the largest turnover?
• employs the most people?
• is the oldest?
• has the most branches / locations / products?
• provides the best service / product?
Why?

SKILLS WORK

Speaking I
1. What things give you satisfaction in your job? Can you add anything to this list?
Ranking
solving problems
making money
meeting people
completing projects
helping other people
being part of a team
having the power to make things happen
having freedom to make decisions
learning something new
being creative

Rank the different factors in terms of their importance to you. Give 1 to the most
important, 2 to the second most important, and so on.

2. Compare your answers with your colleagues and explain your ranking.

3. Some jobs are more satisfying than others. Do these jobs give people more than an
average degree of satisfaction or less? Decide with a partner, tick the boxes, then
turn to File 26 on page 81.
16
 MORE SATISFYING LESS SATISFYING
THAN AVERAGE THAN AVERAGE
company director
secretary
primary school teacher
probation officer
computer programmer
economist
vet
management trainee
clergyman
professional engineer
shop assistant
solicitor

Reading
1. Look at the graphs in this article and say what you think it is about. Then read the
article and find out if you were right.

Which is better? An exciting job where you jump on planes and fly first class around the
world or a quiet routine job where you only have to travel to the office and back. Recent
research suggests many business people would prefer the second option. Psychologists
working for British Telecom interviewed 75 senior managers last month, investigating
complaints that too much travelling makes them irritable and depressed.
One psychologist followed a 36-year-old London jeweller about for three working days,
monitoring and recording his stress levels. The first day was the worst. He went on a
business trip to Jersey and his stress levels were twice as high as the following two days
when he worked from his office. British Telecom is using the research to publicize its
new range of teleconferencing machines – live videos that can connect people around
the world via telephone lines.
17
2. What research did British Telecom do and why?
3. Which activities were more stressful for the jeweller:
• meetings at home or meetings away
• checking in or running to catch a taxi?
• waiting for a flight to take off or organizing invoices?
4. A jeweller is a person who makes or sells jewellery, such as rings or necklaces.
Think of more professions that end with –er.

5. A psychologist is a person who studies the way people behave. Think of more
professions that end with –ist
6. The article mentions two symptoms of stress. What are they? Can you think of any
more?

Speaking 2

1. Lots of things can cause stress at work. Match these different causes and
explanations.
1. Overcrowding a. Too many bureaucratic procedures
2. Unrealistic deadlines b. No spare money
3. Very tight budgets c. Too little time to do the work
4. Downsizing d. People not getting on with one another
5. Company reorganizations e. Changing systems and job descriptions
6. Red tape f. Physically threatening work conditions
7. Personality clashes g. Too little space to work
8. Dangerous environments h. Staff redundancies
Which of these problems do you face at work? Which do you find most stressful?
18
2. Some jobs are more stressful than others. How stressful are these jobs? Rank them.
Give 1 to the most stressful and 10 to the least.

my ranking group ranking

museum worker
miner
computer operator
shop assistant
teacher
personnel officer
doctor
civil servant
advertising executive
optician

3. Compare your answers with some partners and decide on a group ranking. Then turn
to File 18 on page 80.

Pronunciation
1. Practise saying some words from this unit and put them in the right stress pattern
box.

psychologist bureaucratic operator dangerous procedure

redundancies creative personnel engineer satisfaction
retailer unemployed environment advertising assistant
occupation consumer economist

●●●
●●●

●●●

●●●●
●●●● psychologist
●●●●

2. 37 Listen and check your answers.

19
Unit 3 : BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE
A. LETTERS, FAXES AND EMAILS
LETTERS
LAYOUT 1
The letter on the next page is from a private individual in Denmark to a company in the
UK. It shows the basic features of a simple business letter.
1. Sender’s address
In correspondence that does not have a LETTERHEAD, the sender's address is placed
in the top right-hand corner of the page. It is also acceptable, but less common, to place
it in the top left-hand corner. Punctuation is rarely used in addresses these days.
The BLOCKED STYLE is the most widely used, i.e. each line starts directly below the
one above.
In contrast with practice in some other countries, in the UK it is not usual to write the
sender's name before his or her address.
2. Date
The date is written directly below the sender's address, separated from it by a space. In
the case of correspondence with a letterhead, it is usually written on the right-hand side
of the page.
The month in the date should not be written in figures as this can be confusing; for
example, 11.3.03 means 11 March 2003 in British English, where the sequence is day-
month-year, but 3 November 2003 in American English, where the sequence is month-
day-year.
It is acceptable to write the date with or without the abbreviations -th and -nd, e.g. 24th
October or 24 October, and to transpose the date and the month, e.g. October 24 or 24
October. These are matters of personal preference, but whatever you choose you should
be consistent throughout your correspondence.
3. Inside address
The INSIDE ADDRESS is written below the sender's address and on the left-hand side
of the page.
Surname known
If you know the name of the person you are writing to, write it as the first line of the
address. Include either the person's initial/s or his or her first given name, e.g. Mr J.E.
Smith or Mr John Smith, NOT Mr Smith.
COURTESY TITLES used in addresses are as follows:
- Mr is the usual courtesy title for a man. The unabbreviated form Mister should not be
used.
- Mrs is used for a married woman.
- Miss is used for an unmarried woman.
- Ms is used for both married and unmarried women. It is advisable to use this form of
address when you are unsure whether the woman you are writing to is married or not, or
do not know which title she prefers.
20
- Messrs (pronounced /'mesǝz/, abbreviation for French 'Messieurs', which is never
used) is used occasionally for two or more men, e.g. Messrs P. Jones and B.L. Parker,
but more commonly forms part of the name of a company, e.g. Messrs Collier, Clark &
Co. It is rather old-fashioned.
Other courtesy titles include academic or medical titles, e.g. Doctor (Dr), Professor
(Prof.) Military titles, e.g. Captain (Capt.), Major (Maj.), Colonel (Col.), General
(Gen.); and aristocratic titles, e.g. Sir, Dame, Lord, Lady. Sir means that the addressee is
a knight, and is always followed by a first name, e.g. Sir John, never Sir J. Brown or Sir
Brown. It should not be confused with the SALUTATION Dear Sir.
Esq., abbreviation for Esquire, is seldom used now. It can only be used instead of Mr,
and is placed after the name. Do not use Esq. and Mr at the same time, e.g. Bruce Hill
Esq., NOT Mr Bruce Hill Esq.
All these courtesy titles, except Esq., are also used in salutation

1. Sender’s address 1. Bredgade 51

DK 1260
Copenhagen K
DENMARK

2. Date 2. 6 May 20—

3. Inside address 3. Compuvision Ltd

Warwick House
Warwick Street
Forest Hill
London SE 23 1JF
UK

4. Attention line 4. For the attention of the Sales Manager

5. Salutation 5. Dear Sir or Madam

6. Body of the letter 6. Please would you send me details of your DVD systems?
I am particularly interested in the Omega Range.

7. Complimentary close 7. Yours faithfully

8. Signature 8. B. Kaasen

(Ms) B. Kaasen

21
Note that a full stop is often used at the end of the abbreviation if it takes the form of
the first few letters of the word, e.g. Prof. (Professor), but is not necessary if it takes
the form of the first and last letter of the word, e.g. Dr (Doctor). However, some
people prefer to write, e.g. Mr., Mrs., with a full stop. Again, whatever you choose to
do, you should be consistent throughout your correspondence.
Job title known
If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, but know their job title,
you can use that, e.g. The Sales Manager, The Finance Director, in the inside address.
Department known
Alternatively, you can address your letter to a particular department of the company,
e.g. The Sales Department, The Accounts Department.
Company known
Finally, if you know nothing about the company and do not know which person or
department your letter should go to, you can simply address the letter to the company
itself, e.g. Compuvision Ltd, Messrs Collier, Clark & Co.
Order of inside address
After the name of the person and/or company receiving the letter, the recommended
order and style of addresses in the UK is as follows:
- Name of house or building
- Number of building and name of street, road, avenue, etc.
- Name of town or city and post code
- Name of country
Industrial House
34-41 Craig Road
Bolton
BL48TF
UK
In other European countries, the number of the building may be placed after the
name of the street. It is also common to substitute the name of the country with an
initial before the district code number. These two examples are from Italy and
Germany ('Deutschland') respectively.
Facolta di Medicina
Via Gentile 182
I-70100 Bari
Lehrschule fur Bodenkunde
Amalienstrasse
D-80000 Munchen 40

22
It is simplest to follow the above order and style, though variations are possible; for
example, the name of the county, e.g. Lancashire, may, if known, be included on the
line below the name of the town or city; the post code may be written on a separate
line; the name of the town, as well as the country, may be in capital letters
4. Attention line
An alternative to including the recipient's name or job title in the address is to use an
attention line.
5. Salutation
Dear Sir opens a letter written to a man whose name you do not know.
Dear Sirs is used to address a company. (In American English a letter to a company
usually opens with Gentlemen.)
Dear Madam is used to address a woman, whether single or married, whose name
you not know.
Dear Sir or Madam (or Dear Sir / Madam) is used to address a person when you do
not know their name or sex. Notice that Ms Kaasen in the letter on page 21 uses this
form, i.e. she does not assume that the sales manager of Compuvision Ltd is a man.
When you know the name of the person you are writing to, but do not know them
well, the salutation takes the form of Dear followed by a courtesy title and the
person's surname. Initial or first names are not used with courtesy title, e.g. Dear Mr.
Smith, NOT Dear Mr J. Smith or Dear Mr John Smith. Business associates who you
know well can be addressed using just their first name, e.g. Dear John.
A comma after the salutation is optional, i.e. Dear Mr Smith, or Dear Mr Smith. (In
American English a colon is usually used after the salutation, e.g. Dear Mr Smith:,
Gentlemen:).
6. Body of the letter
The blocked style is the one most often used for the body of the letter. It is usual to
leave a line space between paragraphs.
7. Complimentary close
If the letter begins Dear Sir, Dear Sirs, Dear Madam, or Dear Sir or Madam, the
complimentary close should be Yours faithfully.
If the letter begins with a personal name, e.g. Dear Mr James, Dear Mrs Robinson, or
Dear Ms Jasmin, it should be Yours sincerely.
A letter to someone you know well may close with the more informal Best wishes.
Note that Americans tend to close even formal letters with Yours truly or Truly
yours, which is unusual in the UK in commercial correspondence.
Avoid closing with old-fashioned phrases, e.g. We remain yours faithfully,
Respectfully yours.

23
A comma after the complimentary close is optional, i.e. Yours faithfully, or Yours
faithfully.
The complimentary close is usually placed on the left, aligned under the rest of the
letter.
8. Signature
Always type your name and, if relevant, your job title, below your handwritten
signature. This is known as the SIGNATURE BLOCK. Even though you may think
your handwriting is easy to read, letters such as a, e, o, r, and v can easily be
confused.
It is, to some extent, a matter of choice whether you sign with your initial/s, e.g. D.
Jenkins, or your full given name, e.g. David Jenkins, and whether you include your
courtesy title in your signature block as in the letter on page 21. But if you include
neither your given name nor your title, your correspondent will not be able to
identify your sex and may give you the wrong title when he or she replies.

LAYOUT 2
On page 26 is the company's reply to the letter from the prospective customer in
Denmark. It shows some more features of a typical business letter.
1. Letterhead
The printed letterhead of a company gives a great deal of information about it.
Type of company
The abbreviation Ltd after a company's name indicates that it has LIMITED
LIABILITY. This means that the individuals who own the company, or part of it, i.e.
the shareholders, are only responsible for their holding (i.e. the capital they have
contributed) if the company goes bankrupt. In other words, it indicates to people giving
the company credit that in bankruptcy they can only be paid back from what the
company owns, and not from the personal funds of its shareholders.
The abbreviation PLC (PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY) is used to show that a
company's shares can be bought and sold by the public, unlike the shares of private
limited liability companies. In the USA the term INC. (INCORPORATED) is used.
Compuvision Ltd
SP Wholesalers plc
Hartley-Mason Inc.
The abbreviation AND (&) co. indicates that a company is a partnership between two or
more people. (And is usually written as an ampersand (&) in English company names.)
If the company is a family concern, Son/s, Bros (Brothers), or Daughter/s may be
added. Partnerships may have limited liability or unlimited liability.
F. Lynch & Co. Ltd
R. Hughes & Son
If neither Ltd nor & Co. appear after a company's name, then it may be a SOLE
TRADER, i.e. a person who owns and runs a business on their own.

24
Board of Directors
The name of the chairman (in the USA, the president), who runs the concern, may be
given, as well as the names of the directors, who decide the overall policy of the
company.
The managing director (in the USA, and increasingly in the UK, termed the chief
executive officer or CEO), who takes an active role in the day-to-day running of the
company, may be mentioned if he or she is not the same person as the chairman. In the
UK, the chairman runs the Board of Directors while the Chief Executive Officer runs
the company.
Address
In addition to the address of the office from which the letter is being sent, the letterhead
may also give the address of the head office or registered office, if different, and the
addresses of any branches or other offices the company owns.
Telephone and fax numbers will also be included and, if relevant, email and website
addresses. A cable (telegram) address may also be included. It is important to remember
that although the majority of companies are connected to the Internet, there are many
countries where fax and cable are still important ways of transmitting information or,
where banks are concerned, money.
Registered number
This usually appears in small print, sometimes with the country or city in which the
company is registered.
In the UK, the VAT (VALUE ADDED TAX) number may also be given.

2. References
REFERENCES are often quoted to indicate what the letter refers to (Your ref.) and the
correspondence to refer to when replying (Our ref.).
References may either appear in figures, e.g. 661/17, where 661 may refer to the
number of the letter and 17 to the number of the department, or in letters, e.g.
DS/MR, as in the letter on page 26, where DS stands for Donald Sampson, the writer,
and MR for his assistant, Mary Raynor.

25
1. Letterhead 1. Compuvision Ltd Warwick House
Warwick Street
Forest Hill
London
SE 23 1JF
Telephone +44(0)2085661861
Facsimile +44(0)20 8566 1385
Email staff@comvis.co.uk
www.comvis.co.uk
2. References 2. Your ref. 6 May 20--
Our ref. DS/MR

Date 11 May 20--

Ms B. Kaansen
Bredgate 51
DK 1260
Copenhagen K
DENMARK

Dear Ms Kaasen,

Thank you for your enquiry.

I enclose our catalogue and price-list for DVD video equipment.

You will find full details of the Omega range on pages 31- 35.

Please contact us if you have any further questions or would like

to place an order.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,
Mary Raynor
3. Per pro 3. p.p. Donald Sampson
4. Job title 4. Sales Manager

5. Enclosure 5. Enc.
26
Note that the Your Ref. in the letter is a date, as Ms Kaasen did not give any reference in
her original letter.
3. Per pro
The abbreviation p.p. sometimes appears in signature blocks. It means PER PRO, i.e.
for and on behalf of, and is used by administrators or personal assistants when signing
letters on behalf of their managers.
4. Job title
When sending a letter or email on behalf of your company, it is a good idea to include
your job title in the signature block, especially if your recipient has not dealt with you
before.
5. Enclosures
If there are any documents enclosed with a letter, although these may be mentioned in
the body of the letter, it is also common to write Enc. or Encl. below the signature
block. If there are a number of documents, these can be listed, e.g.:
Enc.
Bill of lading (3 copies)
Insurance certificate (1 copy)
Certificate of origin (1 copy)
Bill of exchange (1 copy)

LAYOUT 3
The final letter in this section shows some further features of a business letter.
1. Private and confidential
This phrase may be written at the head of a letter and, more important, on the envelope,
in cases where the letter is intended to be read only by the addressee.
There are many variations of this phrase, e.g. Confidential, Strictly confidential, but
little difference in meaning.
2. Subject title
A SUBJECT TITLE at the beginning of a letter, directly after the salutation, provides a
further reference, saves introducing the subject in the first paragraph, immediately
draws attention to the topic of the letter, and allows the writer to refer to it throughout.
It is not necessary to begin the subject title with Re. (with regard to), e.g.: Application
for the post of web designer. When sending email messages this may even be confusing
as RE is short for reply
3. Copies
When copies are sent to people other than the named recipient, c.c. (CARBON COPY) is
added, usually at the end of a letter, before the name/s of the recipient/s of the copies.
Sometimes you will not want the named recipient to know that other people have
received copies. In this case, b.c.c. (BLIND CARBON COPY), and the name/s of the
recipient/s, are added on the copies themselves, though not, of course, on the top copy.
These abbreviations are used in email, and mean exactly the same thing.
27
ADDRESSING ENVELOPES
Envelope addresses are written in a similar way to inside addresses. But in the case of
letters within or for the UK, the name of the town and the country are written in capital
letters, and the postcode is usually written on a line by itself.
Mr G. Penter
49 Memorial Road
ORPINGTON
Kent
BR69UA

Messrs W. Brownlow & Co.

600 Grand Street
LONDON
WIN9UZ
UK

Compuvision Ltd
Warwick House
Warwick Street
Forest Hill
London
SE 23 1JF

Telephone 44(0)2085661861
Facsimile +44(0)20 8566 1385
Email staff@comvis.co.uk
www.comvis.co.uk

Your ref. 6 May 20--

Our ref. DS/MR

Date 21 September 20—

Ms B. Kaansen
Bredgate 51
DK 1260
Copenhagen K
DENMARK

28
1. Private and 1. Private and confidential
confidential Dear Ms Kaasen

2. Subject title 2. Non-payment of invoice 322/17

It appears from our records that, despite several reminders, the

above invoice remains unpaid. Unless the account is cleared
within 14 days from the date of this letter, we shall take legal
action.

Yours sincerely
Donald Sampson
Sales Manger

3. Copies 3. c.c. Messrs Poole & Jackson Ltd, Solicitors

FAXES
INTRODUCTION
The word fax comes from facsimile, which means an exact copy or reproduction. Like
email, the word fax can be used as a noun, e.g. I sent a fax or as a verb, e.g. We will fax
you when we have the information.
A fax message is useful when speed is important and the recipient does not have email.
It is especially useful for documents containing diagrams or drawings. Like email, a fax
can be sent quickly to many different recipients at the same time. However, again like
email, fax is an open system, i.e. correspondence can easily be accessed by outsiders, so
it should not be used for confidential information.
When sending handwritten fax messages, use a dark colour and make your writing large
and clear.
As faxes are copies of documents, they cannot be used when the originals are required.
For example, an original BILL OF LADING gives TITLE to goods (i.e. you would own
the goods if you had the bill in your possession), and would not be valid if it were a
faxed copy.

29
Faxes have been ‘court tested', and they tend to be accepted in legal cases, along with
letters, as evidence in certain areas of international trade. However, an email containing
similar information might not be considered valid under certain circumstances.
Different fax machines offer a wide range of facilities, including repeat dialing if the
receiver's fax machine is engaged; a transmission report which gives details of the time,
date, sender, receiver, number of pages, duration, and result; a verification mark at the
foot of the page to confirm the fax was sent; and a number memory for frequently used
numbers. Check the manual of your fax machine to find out what functions it can
perform.
It is also possible to send a fax from a computer.
Preparing for transmission
Check that you have the correct fax number. Check that the paper on which your
message is printed or written is suitable. If it is too big, too small, or in poor condition,
photocopy the message on paper that can be accepted by the fax machine. Before using
the machine, check that you know how to dial, cancel, clear a paper jam, and send.
When you send a fax it is a good idea to use a fax transmission cover form. This will
help to ensure that the fax reaches its intended recipient safely. Most companies use
their own headed fax transmission form, but you can easily create one for yourself, e.g.:

BRITISH CRYSTAL Ltd.

Glazier House
Green Lane
Derby
DE11RT

FAX MESSAGE
To:
From:
Fax no.:
Subject:
Date:
Page/s:

STYLE
Generally, faxes are similar to letters in style, level of formality, and the use of
conventions. However, a fax may be shorter and the language more direct, like an
email, as there is a time element in the cost of sending them. As with email
messages, beware of using too informal a tone with customers or suppliers you do
not know well.

30
Advice of damaged consignment
This fax is from Lynch & Co, who received a damaged consignment and were told
by their supplier, Satex S.p.A., to return it

Head Office
F. Lynch & Co. Ltd Nesson House
Newell Street
Birmingham
B3 3EL

Telephone: +44(0)21 236 6571

Fax: +44(0)21 236 8592
Email: pcrane@lynch.co.uk
www.lynch.com
Fax message
____________________________________________________________________
To D. Causio, Satex S.p.A.
From L. Crane
Fax no. (06) 481 5473
Subject Replacement of damaged order no. 14478
Date 19 October 20—
Page/s 1
____________________________________________________________________

This is an urgent request for a consignment to replace the above order, which was
damaged during delivery. We informed you about this in our letter on 15 September.

Please airfreight the following items:

Cat. No. Quantity

R30 50
R20 70
N26 100

The damage consignment will be returned when we receive the replacement.

Peter Crane
Peter Crane
Chief Buyer
31
Response to importer’s enquiry
This is a fax from British Crystal to their AGENTS, S.A. Importers, in Saudi Arabia.
This fax is quite formal in style as the companies have just started their business
relationship. Notice how Mr Oliver ‘sells’ the product to the importers.

British Crystal Ltd

GLAZIER HOUSE. GREEN LANE. DERBY DE 1 1RT

TELEPHONE: +44 (0) 1332 45790. FAXCIMILE: +44 (0) 1332 51977
Email: oliverh@crystal.com. www.britishcrystal.com

FAX MESSAGE
_____________________________________________________________________

To: S.A. Importers From: H. Oliver, Marketing Manager

Fax no. (966) 1 34981 Subject French Empire designs
Date 16 August 20-- Page/s 5, including this one
_____________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your enquiry about our French Empire range of drinking glasses.
There is a revival of interest in this period, so we are not surprised that these
products have become popular with your customers.

I am sending with this fax pp. 1-4 of our catalogue with CIF Riyadh prices, as you
said you would like an immediate preview of this range. I would appreciate your
comments on the designs with regard to your market.

I look forward to hearing from you.

H. Oliver
H. Oliver (Mr)
Marketing Manager

32
Fax accompanying an order
With this fax, an importer is sending an official order and specifications for the drills
he requires. He says that a CONFIRMED LETTER OF CREDIT will be opened once
he has the supplier’s COMMERCIAL INVOICE. Notice that the fax is copied to his
company’s accountant, and also the chief engineer.

FAX Nigerian
Exploration
Company
Block D. Surulere Industrial Road Telephone (+234)1 4836082/3/4/5
Ogba. Ikeja. Lagos Facsimile (234)1 4837001
_________________________________________________________________

To John Malcovitch, Chief Engineer

From Tosin Omosade, United Drilling Inc. Managing Director
Fax 213-890-0740
Topic Drilling Heads
No. of pages 1-5
__________________________________________________________________
c.c. Kwame Adeole (Accountant)
Vidal Lamont (Chief Engineer)

Pages 2-4 of this fax are specifications for the exploration drilling heads that we
discussed on your visit here in October. Could you please supply these heads as soon
as possible?
I am also sending our official Order No. AT 320-1046. I shall make arrangements to
open a confirmed letter of credit with the Nigerian International Bank as soon as you
have sent me your invoice and details of shipment.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Tosin Omosade
Tosin Omosade (Mr)
Managing Director

33
EMAILS
INTRODUCTION
Email (short for electronic mail) is a means of sending messages between computers.
To send and receive email you need access to the Internet. An Internet Service Provider
(ISP) will provide you with connection software, which is often free. This will give you
Internet access, storage for incoming mail, and the capability to read your messages.
Finally, you need email software, generally already installed in modern computers, so
that you can write, send, receive, and read messages.
Advantages
There are numerous advantages to email. It is personal and easy to use. It can be used
both within and between companies, and is an effective way to communicate quickly
and easily with people all over the world. It is especially useful for short messages and
for everyday correspondence, e.g. setting up a meeting, passing on information, and
making or replying to a request.
You can pick up your email messages, even when you are travelling, via a laptop or
palmtop. With compatible systems, you can access text and graphic documents, and
spreadsheets. And whatever you send or receive can be quickly and easily filed.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages of email include technical problems which may result in the
unexpected non-delivery of messages, or attachments arriving in unreadable form. A
non-technical disadvantage is that, paradoxically, the ease with which messages can be
sent results in large amounts of 'junk' and unnecessary communication, which waste
time.
As with faxes, a major drawback is the lack of privacy and security. Do not use email to
communicate confidential information. It is sometimes said that an email message is
like a postcard - anyone can read what you have written. However, digital signing and
encryption (coding data, so that it can only be read by authorized users), which both
work along similar lines, make email more secure.
Email and other forms of correspondence
There are several areas of business communication where more traditional forms of
correspondence are still the most suitable. For example, personal and sensitive
correspondence such as messages of congratulation, condolence, or complaint are
usually best done by letter. Confirmation of contracts, memos which are confidential
and must be signed to acknowledge receipt and any correspondence which may be
needed for legal or insurance purposes should not normally be sent by email. You might
find a job on the Internet, but most companies would still expect your application to
consist of a completed form with a covering letter.
Email addresses
Typical email addresses look like this: dfranks@intchem.co.no
corneyg@kingsway.ac.uk
The first part of the email address is usually the surname and initial of the person you
are contacting or the name if it is a department, or a shortened version of it. The second
34
part, which appears immediately after the @ (at), is the name of the ISP or organization,
or again an abbreviation of it. Usually, the last part of the address includes the domain
name suffixes referring to the type of organization (e.g. '.co' for 'company', '.ac'
('academic') for a university) and to the country from which the message was sent (e.g.
'.no' for Norway, '.uk' for the United Kingdom).
Other examples of domain name suffixes referring to types of organization include:
.biz business
.gov government office
.org non-profit-making organization (e.g. a charity)
.pro profession (e.g. medicine, law)

If the name of a country in its main language differs significantly from its name in
English, this is reflected in its domain name suffix, e.g.:
.de Deutschland (Germany)
.es Espana (Spain)
.za Zuid Afrika (South Africa)

LAYOUT
Below is a typical email message.
Header information
The header gives essential information about the message. In addition to the basic
details shown in the sample, it may include:
c.c.
This stands for carbon copies, which means much the same as it does on a letter. Here
you insert the email addresses of anyone you want to send copies of the message to.
b.c.c.
This stands for blind carbon copies, which, as in a letter, you should use if you do not
want the main recipient to know who has received copies.
Attachments
Icons of any ATTACHMENTS will appear here.
The amount of header information, and the order in which it appears, will vary
according to the software being used, so do not worry if the messages you send and
receive do not look exactly like the one in the example.
Message text
The presentation of the text in an email is usually less formal than in a letter. In this
example Ms Kaasen has used the formal Dear Sir / Madam, but she could simply have
headed her message For the attention of the Sales Manager. Rather than ending with
Yours faithfully, she uses the less formal I look forward to hearing from you.
Signature
This is like the signature block in a letter, although it usually includes more details,
e.g. the sender's company or private address, and telephone and fax numbers. You
can program your email software to add your signature automatically to the end of
outgoing messages.
35
To: Compuvision Ltd
Cc:
Subject: Quad Sound Systems
Dear Sir/Madam
Please would you send me details of your quad sound systems, advertised in
the April edition of 'Sound Monthly'?

I am particularly interested in the Omega range. I look forward to hearing from you.
Beatrix Kaasen (Ms)
Bredgade 51
DK 1260
Copenhagen K Tel/Fax:(+45)741583
Email: kaasenb@intertel.net.dk
Email: pcrane@lynch.co.uk

Email is a relatively recent development, and because it is perceived as a quick

and informal means of communication, people are often unclear about the style and
conventions they should use in business situations.
As a general rule, although email correspondence may tend towards informality,
it should follow the same principles as any other form of business correspondence. Here
are some basic tips about style:
- In general, email messages follow the style and conventions used in letters or faxes.
For example, you can use salutations such as Dear Mr Pinto or Dear Tom, and
complimentary closes such as Yours sincerely or Best wishes. However, if you know the
recipient well, or if you are exchanging a series of messages with one person, you may
dispense with the salutation and complimentary close.
- Do not confuse personal messages with business messages. In a business message, the
same rules of writing apply as for a letter: write clearly, carefully, and courteously;
consider audience, purpose, clarity, consistency, conciseness, and tone.
- Use correct grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, as you would in any
other form of correspondence.
- Do not write words in capital letters in an email message. This can be seen as the
equivalent of shouting and therefore have a negative effect. If you want to stress a word,
put asterisks on each side of it, e.g. *urgent*.
- Keep your email messages short and to the point. People often receive a lot of emails
at work, so conciseness is especially important.

36
- In general, limit yourself to one topic per message. This helps to keep the message
brief and makes it easier for the recipient to answer, file, and retrieve it later.
- Check your email message for mistakes before you send it, just as you would check a
letter or a fax message.

Email abbreviations

TLAs (three-letter acronyms)

In order to keep email messages short, people sometimes use abbreviations for common
expressions, just as they do in text messaging. These are known as TLAs (three-letter
acronyms), although some of them are more than three letters long. Here is a list of
some of the most commonly used TLAs:
AFAIK as far as I know
BFN bye for now
BTW by the way
COB close of business
FYI for your information
IOW in other words
NRN no reply necessary
OTOH on the other hand
Use TLAs with great care, and only when you have established a friendly, informal
relationship with your correspondent. They should not be used in letters and faxes.

Emoticons
Emoticons (a combination of the words emotion and icon), also known as smileys, are
often used in informal email correspondence. They express emotions which may not be
evident from the words alone, e.g.:
:-} a smile :-( a frown :-) a wink
On the whole, it is better not to use them in business messages, as they may be
considered unprofessional, especially if you do not know the recipient well or are not
sure that he or she will understand them.

37
Here is an example of an email asking for an ESTIMATE to rent a store. There are three
attachments. Notice that the email is quite short. It is acceptable, as here, to omit the
salutation and the complimentary close when the sender and recipient have been in
touch with each other previously.

To: Peter Lane

Cc:
Subject: Refit of Halton Road store

Plan of premises Specification list Architect’s drawings

With reference to our phone conversation this morning, I would like one of your
representatives to visit our store at 443 Halton Road, London, SE4 3TN, to give an
estimate for a complete refit. Please could you contact me to arrange an appointment?
As I mentioned on the phone, it is essential that work is completed before the end of
February 20-, and this would be stated in the contract.
Jean Landman (Ms)
Assistant to K. Bellon, Managing Director
Superbuys Ltd, Superbuys House
Wolverton Road, London SW16 7DN
Tel.: 020 83271651
Fax: 020 8327 1935 j.landman@superbuys.com

Making arrangements for an estimate

Peter Lane replies to Jean Landman, copying the message to the surveyor, John Pelham.
Notice that this message fulfils the requirements for correspondence dealing with an
enquiry, i.e. the reply is sent as soon as possible and covers the points mentioned in the
enquiry. The style is quite informal but still polite and businesslike.
The letters RE: appear before the subject title in the header information. This indicates
that Peter Lane has selected the 'reply' option. The original message appears below his
reply.

38
To Jean Landman
Cc John Pelham
Subject RE: Refit of Halton Road store

Dear Ms Landman
Our surveyor, John Pelham, is available to inspect the premises and discuss your
exact requirements. Could you please contact John on jpelham@wemshop.com, or on
his mobile (7129289541), to arrange a convenient time for him to visit the store?
From your attached specifications, I estimate the work could be completed within the
time you give, and we would be willing to sign a contract to this effect.
Peter Lane
Director, Wembley Shopfitters Ltd
Wycombe Road, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 6DA Telephone: 020 8903 2323
Fax: 020 8903 2349
Email: plane@wemshop.com

- Original message
From: Jean Landman Sent:
To: Peter Lane
Subject: Refit of Halton Road store
With reference to our phone conversation this morning, I would like one of your
representatives to visit our store at 443 Halton Road, London, SE4 3TN, to give an
estimate for a complete refit. Please could you contact me to arrange an appointment?
As I mentioned on the phone, it is essential that work is completed before the end of
February 20-, and this would be stated in the contract.
I attach the plans and specifications.
Jean Landman (Ms)

39
A company has emailed their local CHAMBER OF COMMERCE to ask for some
information about their prospective DISTRIBUTORS, Sato Inc. In this reply, the
answers given by the chamber of commerce have been inserted at the relevant points in
the original message. They are preceded by the ‘˃’ symbol.

To... Allan Rubain

Cc...

Subject: Re: Sato Inc.

> Please find answers to your queries below.

How long has the company been in business?
> The company has traded for 24 years under its current name.

How many showrooms does it have?

> It has a chain of 30 showrooms throughout the country.

What is its turnover every year?

> Its registered turnover this year was $410 million.

Will its products compete with mine?

> It specializes in foreign cars - yours will be unique to your country.

How is it regarded in Japan?

> It has an excellent reputation.

I hope this information is useful.

Kyoko Mamura (Ms)

Assistant to Trade Information Officer
Sakuragi Bldg, Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku,
Tokyo 109
Tel: (+81) 34507 6851
Fax: (+81) 3 4507 8890
Email: mamurak@tcha.com.jp

40
Request for goods on approval
Mr Cliff of Homemakers is a furniture manufacturer and supplies Mr Hughes's shop
with a wide range of goods. In this example, Mr Hughes wants two new products ON
APPROVAL.
To:
Cc:
Subject:
A lot of customers have been asking about your bookcase and coffee-table assembly
kits (above cat. no). We would like to test the market and have 6 sets of each kit on
approval before placing a firm order. I can supply trade references if necessary.
I attach a provisional order (No. 81463) in anticipation of your agreement. There is no
hurry, so you can send these with your next delivery to Swansea.
Robert Hughes
R. Hughes & Son Ltd
Tel: 01792 58441 Fax: 0179259472
Email: r.hughes@huson.com

1. Why does Mr. Hughes want the goods on approval?

2. What does Mr Hughes think might be required to get goods on approval?
3. What sort of order has been sent, and how has it been sent?
4. Is this an urgent request?
Reply to request for goods on approval
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Thank you for your enquiry about our assembly kits. We'd be pleased to send you 6 of
each on approval. They should be with you by noon on Monday.
There's no need to supply references. The provisional order (B1463) you sent is
sufficient, but please return any unsold kits in two months.
Richard Cliff
Director, Homemakers Ltd
54-59Riverside, Cardiff CF1 1JW
Direct line: +44 (0)29 0 49723
Fax:+44 (0)292049937
Email: rcliff@homemakers.com
1. Does Mr Cliff agree to send the goods on approval?
2. What sorts of references are required?
3. What should Mr Hughes do with any unsold kits?
4. What phrase does Mr Cliff use to offer more help?
41
POINTS TO REMEMBER

Letters
Many of these points apply to faxes and emails as well.
1 The layout and presentation of your letter are important as they give the recipient the
first impression of your company's efficiency.
2 Write both the sender's and the recipient's address in as much detail as possible and in
the correct order.
3 Make sure you use the recipient's correct title in the address and salutation. If in doubt
as to whether a woman is single or married, use Ms.
4 Do not write the month of the date in figures.
5 Choose the correct salutation and complimentary close:
Dear Sir / Madam with Yours faithfully
Dear Mr / Ms Smith with Yours sincerely
6 Make sure your references are correct.
7 Make sure your signature block tells your reader what he or she needs to know about
you.

Faxes
1 Fax is an open system, so it should not be used for confidential correspondence.
2 Write clearly when sending handwritten messages.
3 Faxes are copies, and cannot be used when original documents are required.
4 Prepare your transmission carefully before you send it.
5 In general, the language of faxes is much like that of letters, although faxes can be
briefer and more direct, like email messages.

Emails
1 Email is very fast and effective, but there are areas where it is preferable to use letters,
e.g. personal, confidential, or legal correspondence.
2 Email addresses usually give the name of the person or department, then the @ (at)
symbol, followed by the name of the company or institution, and finally the domain
names, which indicate the type of organization and the country from which the message
was sent.
3 The language of emails can be quite informal, but if you do not know the recipient
well, it is better to keep to the usual writing conventions. You can become more
informal as you establish a working relationship.
4 It is possible to use special abbreviations, e.g. TLAS and emoticons, but do not
confuse your recipient by using abbreviations he or she may not know or understand.

42
B. CONTENT AND STYLE
All correspondence should be long enough to explain exactly what the sender needs to
say and the receiver needs to know. You must decide how much information you put in
the letter: you may give too much in which case your letter will be too long, or too little,
in which case it will be too short. Your style and the kind of language you use can also
affect the length.
The following three letters are written by different people in reply to the same enquiry
from a Mr Arrand about their company's products.

Too long
There are a number of things wrong with this letter. Though it tries to advertise the
products, and the company itself, it is too wordy. There is no need to explain that stores
are buying in stock for Christmas - Mr Arrand is aware of this. Rather than drawing
attention to certain items he might be interested in, the letter only explains what he can
already see, that there is a wide selection of watches in the catalogue covering the full
range of market prices. In addition, the writer goes on unnecessarily to explain which
countries the company sells to, to give its history, and to quote its rather unimpressive
motto.
Dear Mr Arrand
Thank you very much for your enquiry of 5 November which we received today. We
often receive enquiries from large stores and always welcome them, particularly at this
time of the year when we know that you will be buying in stock for Christmas.
We have enclosed our winter catalogue and are sure you will be extremely impressed by
our wide range of watches. You will see that they include ranges for men, women, and
children, with prices that should suit all your customers, from watches costing only a
few pounds to those in the luxury bracket priced at several hundred pounds. But
whatever price bracket you are interested in, we guarantee all our products for two
years.
Enclosed you will also find our price list giving full details of prices to London
(inclusive of cost, insurance, and freight) and explaining our discounts, which we think
you will find very generous and which we hope you will take full advantage of.
We are always available to offer you further information about our products and can
promise you personal attention whenever you require it. This service is given to all our
customers throughout the world, and as you probably know, we deal with countries
from the Far East to Europe and Latin America. This fact alone bears out our reputation,
which has been established for more than a hundred years and has made our motto
'Time for everyone’ familiar worldwide.
Once again, may we thank you for your enquiry and say that we look forward to hearing
from you in the near future?
Yours sincerely

43
Too short
There are a number of problems with this letter:
1 It should have begun Dear Mr Arrand and ended Yours sincerely as the writer knew
Mr Arrand's name from his letter of enquiry.
2 Neither the date nor the reference number of the enquiry are quoted.
3 Ideally, a catalogue should be enclosed with a reply to an enquiry about a company's
products or indication of a website if the company has one.
4 When a catalogue is sent, attention should be drawn to items which might be of
particular interest to the enquirer. New products should also be pointed out.
5 A price list should be included if prices are not given in the catalogue. Any discounts
should be quoted and, if possible, delivery dates.

Dear Sir
Thank you for your enquiry. We have a wide selection of watches which we are sure
you will like. We will be sending a catalogue soon.
Yours faithfully

The right length

Here is a more suitable letter. It is neither too short nor too long. It provides all the
relevant information Mr Arrand might need, and draws his attention to some specific
products which may be of interest to him.

Dear Mr Arrand
Thank you for your enquiry of 5 November.
We enclose our winter catalogue, and a price list giving details of CIF London prices,
discounts, and delivery dates.
Though you will see we offer a wide selection of watches, may we draw your attention
to pp. 23-28, and pp. 31-36, where there are styles we think might suit the market you
describe? On page 25 you will find our latest designs in pendant watches, which are
already selling well.
All our products are fully guaranteed, and backed by our worldwide reputation.
If you need any further information, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from
you soon.
Yours sincerely

44
ORDER AND SEQUENCE
As well as containing the right amount of information, your letter should also make all
the necessary points in a logical sequence, with each idea or piece of information
linking up with the previous one in a pattern that can be followed. Do not make a
statement, switch to other subjects, then refer back to the point you made a few
sentences or paragraphs before, as in the example.

Unclear Sequence
This letter is difficult to understand because there is no clear sequence or logical order.

We are interested in your security systems. We would like to know more about the
prices and discounts you offer.
A business associate of ours, DMS (Wholesalers) Ltd, mentioned your name to us
and showed us a catalogue. They were impressed with the security system you
installed for them, so we are writing to you about it. Do you give guarantees with
the installations?
In your catalogue we saw the Secure 15 which looks as though it might suit our
purposes. DMS had the Secure 18 installed, but as we mentioned, they are
wholesalers, while we are a chain of stores. We would like something that can
prevent robbery and shoplifting, so the Secure 15 might suit us.
How long would it take to install a system that would serve all departments? Could
you send an inspector or adviser to see us soon?
If you can offer competitive prices and guarantees we would put your system in all
our outlets, but initially we would only install the system in our main branch.
We would like to make a decision on this soon, so we would appreciate an early
reply.
Yours faithfully

Clear sequence
Here is a better version of the same letter, in which the ideas and information are in a
logical order.

Dear Mr Larry
We are a chain of retail stores and are looking for an efficient security system. You
were recommended to us by our associates, DMS (Wholesalers) Ltd, for whom you
recently installed the Secure 18 alarm system.
We need a system which would give us comprehensive protection against robbery
and shoplifting throughout all departments, and the Secure 15 featured in your
current catalogue would appear to suit us. However, it would be helpful if one of
your representatives could visit us so that we can discuss details of the available

45
systems.
Initially we would test the system we select in our main branch, and, if it proves
satisfactory, install it throughout our other branches. Our choice would, of course,
be influenced by a competitive quotation and full guarantees for maintenance and
service.
Please reply as soon as possible as we would like to make a decision within the next
few months.
Yours sincerely

PLANNING
The way to make sure you include the right amount of information, and in the right
order, is by planning. Ask yourself what the purpose of the letter is, and what response
you would like to receive. Note down everything you want to include before you start
writing, then read your notes to check that you have included all the necessary
information, that it is relevant, and that you have put it in the right order.
1st para. Acknowledge enquiry
2nd para. Enclose catalogue, price list
3rd para. Draw attention to watches suitable for Arrand, and
latest designs
4th para. Mention guarantees and reputation
5th para. Encourage further contact
First Paragraph
The opening sentence or paragraph is important as it sets the tone of the letter and
creates a first impression. Generally speaking, you would thank your correspondent for
their letter (if replying to an enquiry). If necessary introduce yourself and your
company, state the subject of the letter, and set out its purpose. Here are two examples
of opening paragraphs.
- Thank you for your enquiry dated 8 July in which you asked us about our range of
cosmetics. As you probably know from our advertising, we appeal to a wide age group
from the teenage market through to more mature women, and our products are retailed
in leading stores throughout the world.

- Thank you for your letter of 19 August, which I received today. We can certainly
supply you with the industrial floor coverings you asked about. Enclosed you will find a
catalogue illustrating our wide range of products currently used in factories and offices
throughout the world.
Middle paragraphs
The main part of your letter will concern the points that need to be made, answers you
wish to give, or questions you want to ask. As this depends on the type of letter that you
are writing, these topics will be dealt with in later units. In the middle paragraphs,
46
planning is most important to make sure your points are made clearly, fully, and in a
logical sequence.
Final paragraphs
At the end of your letter, if it is a reply and you have not done so at the beginning, you
should thank your correspondent for writing. If appropriate, encourage further enquiries
or correspondence, mentioning that you look forward to hearing from him or her soon.
You may want to restate, briefly, one or two of the most important points you made in
the main part of your letter. Here are some examples of final paragraphs.
- Once again thank you for writing to us. Please contact us if you would like any further
information. To summarize: all prices are quoted CIF Yokohama, delivery would be six
weeks from receipt of order, and payment should be made by bank draft. I look forward
to hearing from you soon.
- I hope I have covered all the questions you asked, but please contact me if there are
any other details you require. If you would like to place an order, may I suggest that
you do so before the end of this month so that it can be met in good time for the start of
the summer season? I hope to hear from you in the near future.
- We are confident that you have made the right choice as this line is a leading seller. If
there is any advice or further information you need, we would be happy to supply it, and
look forward to hearing from you.

STYLE AND LANGUAGE

Simplicity
Commercial correspondence often suffers from an old-fashioned, pompous style of
English which complicates the message and gives readers the feeling that they are
reading something written in an unfamiliar language. In this letter, all the writer is
trying to do is explain why he delayed paying his account but, because of the style, it is
too long and is difficult to understand.

Dear Sir/ Madam

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 15th inst. in connection with
our not clearing our account, which was outstanding as of the end of June.
Please accept our profuse apologies. We were unable to settle this matter due to
the sudden demise of Mr Noel, our Accountant, and as a result were unaware of
those accounts which were to be cleared. We now, however, have managed to
trace all our commitments and take pleasure in enclosing our remittance for
£2,120, which we trust will rectify matters.
We hope that this unforeseen incident did not in any way inconvenience you, nor
lead you to believe that our not clearing our balance on the due date was an
intention on our part to delay payment.
We remain, yours, etc...
47
Here is a simpler version of the letter. Mr Aldine will be satisfied with it because it tells
him - simply and clearly - what he wants to know. First, his customer uses his name.
Second, he has apologized. Third, Mr Aldine knows his was not the only account that
was not paid when due, and knows why. Finally, he has his cheque.

Dear Mr Aldine
I am replying to your letter of 15 July asking us to clear our June balance.
I apologize for not settling the account sooner, but due to the unfortunate death of
Mr Noel, our Accountant, there have been delays in settling all of our outstanding
balances.
Please find enclosed our cheque for £2,120, and accept our apologies for any
inconvenience.
Yours sincerely

Your style should not, however, be so simple that it becomes rude. Here is an example
of a letter that is too short and simple.

Dear Mr Rohn
I've already written to you concerning your debt of £1,994. This should have been
cleared three months ago. You seem unwilling to co-operate in paying us. We'll sue
you if you do not clear your debt within the next ten days.
Yours, etc.

In the version of the same letter, notice the stylistic devices that are used to make it
more polite: complex sentences, joined by conjunctions, rather than short sentences (e.g.
.... the balance of £1,194, which has been outstanding ... rather than ... your debt of
£1,994. This should have been cleared ...); the use of full rather than abbreviated forms
(e.g. I shall have to consider ... rather than We'll sue ...); and the use of passive forms
and indirect language that avoids sounding aggressive (e.g. ...for the account to be
settled ... rather than ... if you do not clear your debt ...).

Dear Mr Rohn
I refer to our previous letter sent on 10 October in which you were asked to clear the
balance of £1,994 on your account, which has been outstanding since July. As there has
been no reply, I shall have to consider handing over the matter to our solicitors.
However, I am reluctant to do this and am offering a further ten days for the account to
be settled.
Yours sincerely

48
Idioms and colloquial language
It is important to try to get the right 'tone' in your letter. This means that, generally
speaking, you should aim for a neutral tone, avoiding pompous language on the one
hand and language which is too informal or colloquial on the other.

You may set the wrong tone by using the wrong vocabulary or idioms, or using short
forms inappropriately. Here are a few examples, together with a preferred alternative.

INAPPROPRIATE FORM PREFERED ALTERNATIVE

you’ve probably guessed You are probably aware
You’ll get your money back The loan will be repaid
Prices are at rock bottom Prices are very low
Prices have gone through the roof Prices have increased rapidly

On the whole, it is better to avoid using colloquial language or slang. Apart from the
danger of being misunderstood if your correspondent's first language is not English, he
or she may think you are being too familiar.

Dear Mr Rohn
I refer to our previous letter sent on 10 October in which you were asked to clear the
balance of f 1,994 on your account, which has been outstanding since July. As there has
been no reply, I shall have to consider handing over the matter to our solicitors.
However, I am reluctant to do this and am offering a further ten days for the account to
be settled.
Yours sincerely

CLARITY
Your correspondent must be able to understand what you have written. Confusion in
correspondence often arises through a lack of thought and care, and there are a number
of ways in which this can happen.
Abbreviations and initials
Abbreviations can be useful because they are quick to write and easy to read. But both
correspondents need to know what the abbreviations stand for.
The abbreviations CIF and FOB, for example, are INCOTERMS which mean,
respectively, Cost, Insurance, and Freight and Free On Board. But can you be sure that
your correspondent knows that p&p means postage and packing?

49
Some international organizations, e.g. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). are
known in all countries by the same set of initials, but many are not, e.g. E U (European
Union) and UN (United Nations). National organizations, e.g. in the UK, CBI
(Confederation of British Industry) and TUC (Trades Union Congress) are unlikely to
be familiar to correspondents in other countries.
A range of abbreviations are used in email correspondence but many of them are not
widely known. If you are not absolutely certain that an abbreviation or set of initials will
be easily recognized, it is best not to use it.
Numbers
The use of figures instead of words for dates can create problems.
Numerical expressions can also cause confusion. For example, the decimal point in
British and American usage is a full stop, but a comma is used in most continental
European countries, so that a British or American person would write 4.255 where a
French person would write 4,255 (which to a British or American person would mean
four thousand two hundred and fifty-five).
If there is the possibility of confusion, write the expression in both figures and words,
e.g. £10,575.90 (ten thousand five hundred and seventy-five pounds, ninety pence).
Prepositions
Special care should be taken when using prepositions. There is a big difference between
The price has been increased to £450.00,
The price has been increased by £450.00, and The price has been increased from
£450.00.

ACCURACY
Spelling
Careless mistakes in a letter can give readers a bad impression. Spelling, punctuation,
and grammar should all be checked carefully. Many people have come to rely on the
spellchecker in their computers to ensure that there are no spelling mistakes. But a word
spelt incorrectly may form a completely different word, e.g. Please give it some though
(the writer means thought); I saw it their (the writer means there). A spell checker
would miss these mistakes. There is no substitute for carefully reading, or proofreading
a letter that you have written.
Titles, names, and addresses
Use the correct title in the address and salutation. Spell your correspondent's name
correctly (nothing creates a worse impression than a misspelled name), and write their
address accurately.
If you do not know your correspondent, do not assume that they are one sex or the
other, i.e. use Dear Sir/Madam rather than Dear Sir or Dear Madam. If you know a
correspondent's name but not their sex, use Mr/Ms, e.g. Dear Mr/Ms Barron.

50
References
When replying to a letter, fax, or email, quote all references accurately so that it is
immediately clear to your reader what you are writing about.
Prices, measurements, etc.
Special care should be taken when quoting prices or giving specifications such as
measurements or weights. Quoting these incorrectly can cause serious
misunderstandings.
Enclosures and attachments
Always check that you have actually enclosed the documents you have mentioned in
your letter, or attached them to your email. Check, too, that you have enclosed or
attached the right documents. If, for example, the document you are enclosing is invoice
PL/231, make sure you do not enclose invoice PL/213.
When ordering, make sure you quote the order number correctly, especially in
international trade where mistakes can be very expensive in both time and money.

POINTS TO REMEMBER
1. Include the right amount of information. If you are responding to an enquiry,
make sure you have answered all the writer's questions.
2. Plan before you start writing. Make sure you say everything you want to say, and
in a logical sequence.
3. Use a simple but polite style of language.
4. Make sure that everything you write is clear and easy to understand. Do not use
colloquial language or abbreviations that your reader may not understand. Write
numbers in words as well as figures.
5. Accuracy is important. Pay special attention to details such as titles and names,
and references and prices, and remember to check enclosures or attachments.
6. Check what you have written when you have finished. Make sure everything is
as it should be.

51
C. MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE
RESERVATIONS
Reservations can be made by letter, fax, or email, as appropriate. It is important to
check that you have given the correct details.
1. Air travel
Dear Mr Wood
This is to confirm our phone conversation this morning.
Please would you make two Business Class reservations, London – Kobe return, in the
names of Mr P.R. Dell and Ms B. Newsome. Outward flight DA164, departing
Heathrow at 10.05 on Wednesday 12 June, return flight DA165, departing Kobe at
20.30 on Tuesday 18 June.
Please send the tickets for my attention and charge to our account.
Yours sincerely
Beth Cowan
Beth Cowan

2. Train Travel
Dear Ms Meek
To confirm the arrangements we discussed this morning, would you please book a
return ticket, with couchette, in the name of Ms Jean Milles for London-Paris-Zagreb,
depart Thursday 18 July, and returning Zagreb-Paris-London, depart Saturday 3
August?
The reservation should be in a non-smoking compartment.
Please send your invoice to Jane Lewis in our Finance Department.
Yours sincerely
S.Mehta
S.Mehta (Mr)

4. Hotel reservation
Dear Ms Okada
Please could you reserve two Executive Grade rooms from 3 June to 18 June inclusive
for Mr P.R. Dell and Ms B. Newsome?
I would be grateful if you could confirm these reservations by return.
With best regards
Beth Cowan
Beth Cowan
52
APPOINTMENTS
Email offers speed and flexibility when arranging appointments.

1. Conference facilities

Dear Sir / Madam

We are holding our annual conference this year in Kyoto and are looking for a hotel
which can offer us accommodation and conference facilities from Thursday 14
November to about 4.00 p.m. on Sunday 17 November.
We require accommodation and full board for 60 delegates, 15 of whom will be
accompanied by their spouses. Therefore, we will need 45 single and 15 double rooms
for three nights. We would also like coffee and tea to be served to the delegates mid-
morning and mid-afternoon on each day of the conference.
For the sessions we will need a room with full conference facilities (including
PowerPoint), that can accommodate 60 to 70 people.
Please would you send us a list of your tariffs and let us know what discounts you allow
for block bookings?
Yours faithfully
W. Herron
W. Herron (Ms)

2. Making an appointment
Dear Mr Gomez
Could you contact our Production Director, Mr Norman Luman, to discuss the
possibility of setting up a contract for you to supply us with steel over the next year?
He will be in his office all next week, and if you could email or telephone him he would
be glad to arrange a meeting with you.
Best wishes
Pat Nash
Pat Nash (Ms)
PA to Production Director

53
3. Confirming an appointment
Dear Mr Gomez
Mr Luman has asked me to confirm the appointment you made to see him at our Head
Office, 25 City Road, London W1 at 11.30 a.m. on Tuesday 2 August.
He looks forward to meeting you.
Best wishes
Pat Nash
Pat Nash (Ms)
PA to Production Director

4. Cancelling an appointment
Dear Ms Nash
Unfortunately, Mr Gomez will not be able to keep his appointment with Mr Luman on
Tuesday 2 August. An urgent matter has come up in our Lisbon office which needs his
immediate attention.
He offers his sincere apologies for the inconvenience, and will contact you as soon as he
returns to London.
Best wishes
Maria Ventura
Maria Ventura
Assistant to Diego Gomez

5. Follow-up after an appointment

Dear Mr Luman
Just a line to say that I was glad we were finally able to meet yesterday.
I am also pleased we were able to work out the main points of our contract so quickly
and come to a mutually acceptable agreement.
I will call you in a few weeks to review progress.
With best wishes
Diego Gomez
Diego Gomez

54
HOSPITALITY
Letter, fax, or email can be used. Letters are more appropriate for more personal
invitations and replies.
1. Request for hospitality
A British company, which wants to expand its sales to Scandinavian countries, asks
a Norwegian business associate to provide help and hospitality during a visit to
Norway by the company’s sales manager. Notice that the letter does not open with a
request, but with a reminder of the companies’ association.

Dear Mr Deksen
Thank you for your last consignment. You will receive our next order in a few weeks.
I am writing to ask if you could offer assistance to our overseas Sales Manager, Mr
Michael Hobbs, who will be visiting Oslo from 1 to 17 May?
You may remember that when you were here a few months ago I mentioned that we
intended to expand our export sales. We are now looking at market potential in
Scandinavia, and Michael Hobbs’s trip is part of this research. It would help us a great
deal if you could introduce him to wholesalers and retailers who may be able to advise
him about the types of product that we would need to offer in your market. He would
also be interested in finding out more about marketing methods and importing
procedures.
I understand that you are very busy, but I would much appreciate any assistance you can
offer and will, of course, reciprocate as and when the opportunity arises.
Yours sincerely
Frank Welford
Frank Welford
Managing Director
2. Letter of thanks
Dear Mr Deksen
Thank you very much for assisting Michael Hobbs while he was in Oslo. I know he has
already written to you expressing his gratitude, but I would like to add a word of
appreciation myself. The introductions you made for him and information he gained
will be extremely useful in our Scandinavia export programme.
If I can return the favour on some future occasion, please let me know.
Yours sincerely
Frank Welford
Frank Welford
Managing Director
55
3. Invitation
Dear Mr Okada
I have pleasure in enclosing an invitation for our annual award ceremony, which will
take place on 14 December. As one of our distinguished ex-students, we wondered if
you would be willing to distribute the awards, and give a short address beforehand on a
subject of your choice?
We would also like to invite you to a formal dinner after the ceremony. This will be
held in the Principal’s Lodgings, at 6.30 for 7.00 p.m.
We would be delighted if you are able to accept our invitation. I look forward to hearing
from you.
Yours sincerely
David Hope
David Hope
Principal
Enc.

4. Accepting an invitation
Dear Mr Hope
Mr Okada has asked me to write saying he is honoured to accept your invitation to
distribute the prizes and speak at your annual award ceremony on 14 December. He also
has much pleasure in accepting your kind invitation to the formal dinner afterwards.
He has fond memories of the college and welcomes the chance to visit it again.
He suggests speaking on the topic ‘Changing technology in the next decade.’ He would
appreciate it if you could let him know whether this would be an acceptable theme.
Yours sincerely
Yuko Ito
Yuko Ito
PA to Mr Okada

56
5. Declining an invitation
Dear Ms Lee
Mr van Ek would like to thank you very much for your kind invitation to attend the
reception being held next month at your embassy.
Unfortunately, he will be in the United States at that time. However, he sends his
apologies, and hopes to be able to attend on another occasion.
Yours sincerely
Els Spruit
Els Spruit
PA to Mr van Ek

SPECIAL OCCASIONS
Notice that this correspondence is often quite brief. When expressing wishes on special
occasions, it is better to write simple, sincere messages, and avoid exaggeration. For
personal messages, a letter or card is often more appropriate than an email.

1. Congratulations on an appointment
Congratulations are also best given directly, not by someone on your behalf.

Dear Mr Corney
I would like to offer my congratulations on your election as Chairman of our Trade
Association.
No one has done more to deserve the honour, or has worked harder to promote our
interests. You can count on my full support, and that of my colleagues, during your term
of office.
I wish you every success for the future.
Yours sincerely
Mike Benson
Mike Benson
Chief Executive Officer

57
2. Congratulations on a promotion
The tone you use will depend on how well you know the person. In this note, the
people know each other quite well and are on first-name terms.

Dear Jack
I’d like to congratulate you on being appointed Department Manager. I know you’ve
worked very hard to achieve this well-deserved promotion. I wish you the very best in a
job where I’m sure you will be successful.
Sandra
Sandra

3. Leaving
Dear Rob
I am writing to congratulate you on your new appointment and to thank you for your
contribution to making this department so successful.
Your future employers are very lucky to have you joining them, and I am sure you will
carry your success here over to the challenges of your new position.
With very best wishes
Damien
Damien

4. Illness or accident
Dear Yuko
We were very sorry to hear about your illness. Take care of yourself. We all send our
best wishes for a swift recovery, and look forward to seeing you back again soon.
With very best wishes from everyone in the Sales Department.
Sue
Sue

58
5. Retiring
Dear Jack
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your dedication and commitment to
the work of the Production Department. It will be extremely difficult to replace you.
May I offer you my best wishes for a long and happy retirement.
Martin Shannon
Martin Shannon

6. Message of condolence
Messages of condolence should never be written by someone else on your behalf. In
these circumstances, it is more appropriate to write a letter rather than send an email
message.

Dear Mr Watanabe
I was saddened to hear about the death of your partner, Mr Hiroshi Tanaka, and would
like to offer my condolences. He was a fine person and a well-liked man who will be
greatly missed by all who knew him.
Please pass my sincerest sympathies to his family.
Yours sincerely
Bernard Fell
Bernard Fell

7. Seasonal greetings
Seasonal greetings often come in the form of greeting cards and messages. Be aware
that people in different countries or from different religious or cultural backgrounds
may not share your festivals and holidays.

Dear Mr Peters
May I offer my very best wishes for the New Year to you and your staff? I hope you
enjoy the holiday and look forward to working with you again next year.
Paul Davies
Paul Davies
59
POINTS TO REMEMBER
1. The conventions of social correspondence are much the same as those for business
correspondence. You should consider the relationship between the writer and
receiver and choose not only the most appropriate language but also the most
suitable medium, e.g. letter, card or email.
2. Letters of invitation should state clearly where and when the event will take place,
and give some indication of its formality so that guests can dress appropriately.
3. When canceling an appointment, you should say why you are unable to keep it and
offer an alternative day/time if possible.
4. Letters of condolence or congratulation should never be written on someone else’s
behalf.
5. Personal correspondence on special occasions should be short, simple, and sincere.

60
Unit 4 Meeting people
MEETING SOMEONE FOR THE FIRST TIME

1. When you meet a visitor you don’t know, do you use their first name:
a. straight away?
b. after a period of time? (How long?)
c. never?

2. Look at the people in the photographs (Source: Business Objectives, p. 6)

- Is it a formal or informal situation?
- What are they saying?

3. 1Listen to three conversations and match each one to the correct picture.

4. 1a Listen to the first conversation again and complete this conversation.

Louise Mr Velázquez, _____ _____ _____ you to Peter Brien.

Peter, _____ _____ Mr Velázquez of Telefónica de España
Mr Velázquez _____ _____ _____ _____ ?
Peter _____ _____ _____ _____ ?
Louise Peter works for our New York branch. He’s _______ ________
international accounts.
61
5. 1b Put this conversation in the right order. Write numbers in the boxes.
Then listen to the second conversation again and check your answers.
□ Thomas Yes, I do. How are you, Sven?
□ Sven Not bad, thanks.
□ Thomas Welcome to Oxford. It’s nice to see you again
□ Thomas Good. Let’s go upstairs and have some coffee.
□ Sven Fine thanks, Thomas. And you?
□ Ulla And you. Do you know my colleague, Sven Olsen?
□ Thomas Fine. How was your trip?

6. 1c Listen to the third conversation again and correct the mistakes in these
sentences
Bob, Liz and Luigi are in an office, a pub
1. It’s the afternoon.
2. Liz and Luigi work together.
3. Luigi is in the construction business.

7. 4.2 It’s Shigeru Kanemori’s first day at ICL. He is meeting Mark Gordon,
the Personnel Officer. (Source: Business Basics, p. 54)
A. Try to complete Mark Gordon’s words.
MG Mr Kanemori, how do you do? I’m Mark Gordon, Personnel Officer.
___________ to ICL.
SK Thank you.
MG _______ _______ _______ a good journey?
SK Yes, thank you. It was a long flight, but I slept for a few hours.
MG And _______ _______ happy with your hotel?
SK Yes, it’s very comfortable and it’s in a good position.
MG I’m pleased to hear that. _______ _______ _______ a coffee before we
start?
SK No, thank you. I had a cup of coffee just now.
MG So, _______ _______ _______ _______ visit to England?
SK Yes, it is.
MG Well, I _______ _______ _______ a nice stay.
SK Thank you very much. I’m sure I’ll enjoy my visit here.

B. Now listen and check answers.

8. 5.3 a Listen to the conversation between Jim Fenton and Bruno Retter, and
say if the sentences below are true (T) or false (F).
(Source: Business Basics, p. 70)

62
 T F
a. Bruno and Jim know each other. □ □
b. Jim works for Global Systems. □ □
c. Bruno knows Jim’s company. □ □
d. Bruno is a Sales Manager. □ □
e. Bruno doesn’t know many people at the party. □ □

8. Work in groups. Practise making introductions. Introduce:

1. two people in a formal situation.
2. two people in an informal situation.
3. yourself at a company reception desk.
4. yourself to a new colleague.
5. yourself to a foreign visitor you are meeting at an airport.

LANGUAGE NOTE
Meeting someone for the first time
Introducing yourself Introducing another person
- Hello. I’m… - ………, this is …
- Good morning. My name’s … - Can/May I introduce you to …?
- Excuse me. Are you Mrs Eustace? I’m … - Let me introduce you to …
- Can I introduce myself? My name’s … - I’d like to introduce Dirk.
- Hello. I don’t think we know each other. I’m… - Do you know Dirk?
- I don’t think we’ve met. I’m … - Have you met Dirk?

Responding to an introduction Responding to an introduction

- How do you do? I’m … - How do you do?
- Pleased to meet you. My name’s … - Hello. / Hi.
- Nice to meet you. - Hello, / Hi, pleased to meet you
- Nice to meet you.

LANGUAGE NOTE
Making a visitor feel at home
- Welcome to … (name of your company)
- Did you have a good journey?
- What was your journey like?
- Do sit down. / Please take a seat.
- Would you like something to eat / drink?
- Is this your first visit to ….?
- I hope you enjoy the stay.
- I hope you have a nice stay
63
MEETING SOMEONE YOU KNOW
1. 5.3 b Listen to the conversation between Jim Fenton and Bruno Retter, and
say if the sentences below are true (T) or false (F)
(Source: Business Basics, p. 70)
T F
a. Simons International isn’t doing very well. □ □
b. The company is moving to new offices. □ □
c. Global Systems is having a good year. □ □
d. Bruno knows Jim’s family □ □
e. Jim is looking for a new job. □ □

2. 17a Kevin Donoghue is welcoming a client, Paolo Farneti, to his office.

Listen to the conversation. Are these statements true or false?
(Source: Business Objectives, p. 58)
T F
a. This is their first meeting. □ □
b. Kevin gave Paolo directions. □ □
c. The journey took two hours. □ □
d. Paolo wants white coffee. □ □

LANGUAGE NOTE
Meeting someone you know
Greeting
Hello. Bruno Retter, isn’t it? - Jim, What a surprise to see you here! How are you?
Paolo! It’s great to see you again. How are you?
How’s your wife / family?
Is the family OK?
How are things going?
How’s it going?
How’s the job going at Simons?
How’s business? - It’s going well.
How’s your daughter doing in her new job? - She’s doing well.
A number of responses to these ‘How…” questions are possible.
Very well.
Fine thanks.
Not so bad, thank you.
Not very well, I’m afraid.
64
Responding to good news
That’s good (news).
I’m pleased to hear that.
I’m glad to hear that.
Responding to bad news
That’s bad news.
I’m sorry to hear that. I hope things get better soon.

Question-Making

Here are some answers. What are the questions? (For example, 1 = How are you?)
1. _____________________________________________?
Not so good. I was ill for several days last week.
2. _____________________________________________?
He’s fine, and so are the children.
3. _____________________________________________?
We’re having an excellent year.
4. _____________________________________________?
He’s doing very well. They’re promoting him next week.
5. _____________________________________________?
Very well, thank you. I’m enjoying it a lot.
6. _____________________________________________?
I can’t complain!
7. _____________________________________________?
Well, unfortunately she failed her exam last week.
8. _____________________________________________?
Very slowly, but it’s always the same in January.

Pair work
You meet your partner for the first time in three months. Find out what is happening in
their life. Ask your partner about their company, job, English course, family, and
answer your partner’s questions.

Before you begin, invent some news to tell your partner about:

your job (good news, bad news)

your family (your wife or husband, your brother/sister)
other people (your boss/teacher, your colleague, your new assistant)
65
EATING, SOCIALIZING AND TELLING STORIES

A. In the restaurant (Source: Business Objectives, p. 59)

1. Kevin and Paolo are ordering wine in a restaurant. Before you listen, read the
conversation below and guess the missing words. Use one word per space.

Waiter The wine list, sir.

Kevin Thank you. Let’s see. What __________ of wine do you like, Paolo?
Paolo I __________ white.
Kevin _________ or dry?
Paolo Dry.
Kevin Then let’s have the Chablis. It’s usually very good.
Paolo How __________ do you come here?
Kevin About once a month. (to the waiter) Excuse me.
Waiter Yes, sir?
Kevin We’ll ________ the Chablis, please. Number 63.
Paolo And I’d _________ a bottle of mineral water too, please.

2. 17c Listen to the conversation and check your answers.

B. Pair work
Preparation:
- In your own language, write down the names of five dishes which are popular in
your country.
- Then describe these dishes for an English person you are taking to lunch.
Roleplay:
Imagine that you’re in a restaurant with a foreign visitor who can’t understand some
of the items on the menu. Play the roles of visitor and host.

LANGUAGE NOTE
Restaurant language

Asking for information Complaining

- What would you like? - Excuse me …
- What do you want? - I think this bill is wrong.
- Salmon for me. What about you, John? - That’s not what I ordered.
- What do you recommend? - Can you change it?
- What do you suggest?
- What exactly is that?

66
Giving Advice Paying
- I suggest … - Do you take (Visa cards)?
- I recommend …
- It’s a local dish. - Shall we split the bill?
- It’s made of …
- It’s very spicy. - I’m paying.
- Please, I insist.
Ordering
- To start … / as a starter …
- Is service included?
- To follow …/ as a main course …
- Can I have a receipt, please?
- For dessert
- I’d like …
- I’ll have …
- Garden soup please, and I’d like Dover Sole to
follow.
Offering Saying Yes Saying No
Would you like a …? Thanks. No, thanks.
Would you like some …? Yes please. It looks lovely, but …
I’d love one.
I’d love some.

C. Socializing and Telling stories

You are having lunch with a foreign visitor to your company. You need to keep the
conversation going.
• What subjects are easy to talk about?
• What subjects are interesting to talk about?
• What other subjects do you enjoy talking about? Add them to the list.

easy interesting
the work/ the business you are doing together
your jobs
your families
your home towns
sports
your hobbies and interests
the weather
items in the news
films
your holidays
politics
religion
love

67
Speaking
1. Preparation
If you’re having a meal or a drink with someone or traveling together, you can’t spend
all your time talking about business. Much of the time you’ll be chatting or socializing.
An important part of socializing is telling people about things that have happened to you
- unusual, amusing experiences you’ve had.
1. Think of three stories you can tell. Think of an amusing, frightening, surprising or
embarrassing experience you have had …
… on a journey by car, plane, train or bus
… in a hotel
… while having a meal
… while meeting or looking after a visitor
… at work
If you can’t think of any of your own personal experiences you could retell stories
you have heard other people telling - maybe as if they really happened to you.
Make notes to help you to remember the main points.
2. Here are some expressions you can use when exchanging stories. Highlight the ones
you’d like to remember.

- I’ll never forget the day …

- Did I ever tell you about …?
- I had an interesting experience the other day …
- The worst journey I ever made was …
- I had a surprise / I had a flight the other day when …
- That’s interesting! - That’s amazing!
- Good havens! - How awful!
- Good grief! - How terrifying!
- How embarrassing!
- What happened then? - Why did you do that?
- What did you do then? - What did you say then?
- How did you feel then?

2. Role play
• Imagine you and your companions are business associates. You’re sitting at the end
of a meal, just finishing your dessert …
• Tell your stories, using the notes you prepared before the lesson. You will probably
find, once you get started, that your partners’ stories will remind you of other
experiences you have had. If so, tell these stories too.

68
• When you’re telling a story, it may be a good idea to EXAGGERATE a bit and
invent details to make the story more exciting or interesting!
GIVING DIRECTIONS
LANGUAGE NOTE
Giving directions
Prepositions Directions
Location Movement - Take the first (street) on the
next to past left/right.
near around - Take the first left/right.
It’s opposite / facing Go along - Go as far as …
on the right/on the left up/down - Go straight on (until…)
on the corner (of ….) over - Turn left/ turn right (at…)

junction crossroads roundabout crossing bridge

Practice
Answer these questions based on the map. You are at the station.

69
 1. Excuse me. How do I get to the church?
2. Excuse me. Can you tell me how to get to the bank?
3. Where’s the police station?
4. I’m looking for Church road.
5. I need to buy some aspirin. Is there a chemist near here?
6. Excuse me. Where is the Town Hall?
Pair Work
Person A: Your information is in file 48 on page 83.
Person B:
1. You are at Charing Cross Station. You want to go to the Price of Wales Theater.
Ask Person A for directions.
2. Now use the map of London to give Person A directions.

70
Unit 5 Meetings

Look at the photos and discuss these questions:

• What seems to be happening in each photo? What do you think the people might
be talking about?
• Which of these meetings would you feel most comfortable taking part in? Give
your reasons.

71
ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS

A. Internal meetings between two people (Sources: Further Ahead - p.95)

1. Look at the suggestions for greening the office. Should a company do any of these
things?
___ Write to customers on recycled paper.
___ Use china cups instead of plastic ones
___ Encourage employees to cycle to work.
___ Ban smoking in the company.
___ Sort rubbish.
___ Use refillable ink pens instead of disposable ones.
2. 17.1B Listen to two people talking about the above proposals for greening their
place of work. Is the second speaker for (F) or against (A) these proposals?

Proposal F/A Reason

1
2
3
4
5
6

B. External meetings between two people (Sources: New International

Business English, p. 108)

Read the tapescript 17.1 C (page 117) of a one-to-one business meeting. Pam Ross
has called to see Paul Fisher in his office. After you have read the tapescript, discuss
these questions:

1. What was the purpose of the meeting?

2. How was it different from the internal meeting about greening the office you
heard in 17.1B ?
3. How was it different from a social meeting between friends?
4. How would the meeting have gone differently if more people had been
involved?

72
C. Language in Use
Study these ways of taking part in one-to-one meetings
Starting a meeting
Hello, thanks for agreeing to see me.
Hello, it’s good of you to come and see me.
It’s good to see you again.
I suppose we’d better make a start. Shall we get down to business?
There are a few questions I’d like to ask ...
Asking for opinions
What do you think about driving to work?
How do you feel about this?
What are your views on this?
What’s your opinion?
Making recommendations
I (don’t) think we should use refillable pens.
In my opinion we ought to use recycled paper.
I suggest cycling to work.
It seems to me that ...
I suggest (that) we could cut our losses and sell the shares.
I propose (that) ...
Shall we have an extra meeting just to discuss this?
Let’s wait and see.
Agreeing and Disagreeing
Good idea.
That’s a good idea.
I agree with you (on that, too).
I agree with that suggestion because ...
I don’t think that’s a very good idea.
I’m afraid I don’t agree.
I don’t quite agree with that point because ...
Yes, I think you’re right.
Finding out if the others have understood or if they agree with you
Do you see what I mean?
Don’t you agree?
Don’t you think so?
If you don’t understand what someone has said, you can say:
Sorry, could you say that again, please?
Sorry, I didn’t quite understand.
Sorry, I’m not quite with you.
I’m sorry, I didn’t catch what you said.
Ending a meeting
73
 Well, I think that covers everything.
I think that’s about all for the time being.
So do we agree that ...?
Is that everything? - Yes, I think so.
Could we go through it again and check what we’ve agreed? - Yes, of course.
I’ll put these proposals in writing and fax them to you tomorrow.

D. Roleplay
Work in groups of four. Each group should consist of TWO PAIRS. You’ll be role-
playing a meeting between a client and a salesperson discussing the idea of using your
school, college or institution as a venue for a seminar or conference.
1. Decide which pair will play the role of salespeople (Pair A, who are ‘selling’ the
venue) or clients (Pair B, the conference organizers).
2. Pair A: Decide how well your college can cater for a seminar or conference.
How many participants can be comfortably accommodated in the premises?
What facilities can you offer? How will you deal with accommodation for the
delegates?
Pair B: Make a list of the requirements you have for your seminar/conference.
What facilities will you require?
3. Phone the other pair to confirm or discuss the arrangements for the meeting.
4. Pair A: Draft an agenda for the meeting
Pair B: Draft a list of questions you will ask the salespeople.
5. One member of Pair A goes to meet one member of Pair B to have a one-to-one
meeting. Imagine that you already know each other and you haven’t met for quite
a while.
- Make notes as you go along on the decisions you reach.
- The other member of each pair will be sitting in on the meeting and making
notes as ‘Observers’. They should NOT participate in the meeting.

If you’re an Observer, note down ...

➢ what the client and salesperson did well
➢ what they did less well
➢ what they forgot to do
➢ what you would do differently
➢ any other comments on their meeting

6. - At the end of the meeting the Observers give their feedback.

- Also compare the notes the client and salesperson made: did they note down the
same points?
7. Change roles and hold the meetings again, so that the Observers can themselves
receive feedback as client and salesperson.

74
MEETINGS OF MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED
A. Writing Agendas and Taking the Minutes
1. Evergreen, a cosmetics company, is going to launch a new bath oil. Read the
agenda for the meeting to be held to discuss the packaging of the bath oil.

Agenda
Evergreen Monthly meeting.
12 November at 8.00 a.m.
Present: JH, LC, MA, NJ, OS
Apologies: AS, MP
1. Minutes of last meeting
2. Packing of Black Musk bath oil.
3. AOB
Next meeting:
15 December at 8.00 a.m.

2. Read these minutes from the meeting. What do you think the people actually said?
For example, James: I think we should use plastic bottles.

Minutes
Evergreen Monthly meeting: 12/11/20
Present: JH (chair), NJ, LC, MA, OS
Apologies: AS, MP
Minutes: LC

1. The minutes of the last meeting were agreed on.

2. Packing of Black Musk bath oil.
James recommended using plastic bottles because they are light,
easy to pack and easy to transport. Furthermore, they do not break.
Olivia suggested glass bottles would give the bath oil a more
upmarket image.
Max pointed out that glass is easier to recycle than plastic. James
wondered if customers would actually bring bottles back for
refilling.
Laura pointed out that if we use glass we will need to find a new
supplier as our present supplier only deals in plastics. She agreed to
get quotes from different suppliers in time for the next meeting.
3. Any other business - none
The next meeting will be on 15 December at 8.00 a.m.

75
 3. 17.2 B Now listen to a recording made at the meeting. Compare what you think
the speakers said with their actual words. (Sources: Further Ahead - p.96)
4. - How do the minutes refer to different people?
- Who
1. was at the meeting? ........................
2. was in the chair? ....................
3. was absent? ...................
4. took the minutes? ....................
- What important decisions did they take?
- What else was discussed?
B. Language in Use
Study these expressions used in meetings involving everybody
Starting
Let’s start.
I think we should make a start.
Let’s get down to business.
As you know, we’re here to discuss ...
As you can see, there are six points to discuss.
Asking for opinions
What does everyone think about this?
What do you think about driving to work?
How do you feel about this?
How do you feel about that proposal?
Any views on this?
What’s everyone’s reaction to this?
What’s your opinion?
What are your views on this, John?
Does anyone have anything to add?
Do you agree, Mary?
Let’s put this to the vote.
Making recommendations
I (don’t) think we should use refillable pens.
In my opinion we ought to use recycled paper.
I suggest cycling to work.
It seems to me that ...
I suggest (that) we could cut our losses and sell the shares.
I propose (that) ...
Shall we have an extra meeting just to discuss this?
Let’s wait and see.
Why don’t we ...?
Shall we ...?
We could ...
The important thing here is ....

76
Agreeing and Disagreeing
Good idea.
Great.
That’s a good idea.
Yes, that’s fine.
Yeah, great.
Yes, let’s do that.
I agree with you.
I agree with that suggestion because ...
Yes, I think you’re right.
Yes, I’d go along with that. /
the majority.
That’s a good idea but ....
I’m not sure about that.
I don’t think that’s a very good idea.
I’m afraid I don’t agree.
I don’t quite agree with that point because ...
No. It’s a waste of time.
Finding out if the others have understood or if they agree with you
Do you see what I mean?
Don’t you agree, Simon?
Don’t you think so, Mrs Robinson?
Are you with me?
Are we unanimous?
Does anyone object?
Interrupting someone and giving your own opinion
Sorry to interrupt, but ...
I’m really sorry to interrupt, but I’d just like to say that ...
Sorry, can I just say something?
Could I make a suggestion?
If I could just make a point here ...
Dealing with interruption
Can I just finish?
Just a minute, ...
If you don’t understand what someone has said, you can say:
Sorry, could you say that again, please?
Sorry, I didn’t quite understand.
Sorry, I’m not quite with you.
I’m sorry, I didn’t catch what you said.
Keeping to the point
Let’s not get sidetracked.
Can we keep to the point?
Moving on
Can we move on to the next point?
77
 Right. Shall we move on to the next item on the agenda?
The next item on the agenda is ...
Right, so now let’s turn to item two.
Let’s move on to the next item (on the agenda).
Deciding who is responsible for taking action
Who is going to be responsible for this?
Can you deal with that?
Could you take care of this?
How soon can you do it?
Finishing
Does anyone have anything to add?
Any last comment?
Well, any other points?
Is there anything else we should discuss?
Is there any other business or shall we break for lunch?
Good. Can we discuss this again next Monday, then?

So, can we all agree that ...

OK. To sum up so far, we agree to keep the shares.
Right, to recap, we agree to keep the shares.

I think it’s time to adjourn the meeting.

I think we’re running out of time.

Report what people say

Reporting statements

said that plastic bottles are easy to use

He explained
pointed out
told her

Reporting suggestions

She suggested using glass bottles

recommended

Reporting commands

She told him to get a quote from some suppliers

c

78
 1. Match what people said to how it is reported.
1. Why don’t we use coloured glass?
2. Could you find out the prices for blue and green glass?
3. I don’t think that’s a very good idea. You can’t see what’s in the bottles.
4. Would it be more expensive?
5. We could have different colours for different lines.
6. I think we should use glass.
a. She asked him to find out the prices for different colours.
b. He recommended using glasses.
c. He wondered if it would be more expensive.
d. She suggested using coloured glass
e. She said we could have different colours for different lines.
f. He disagreed.
2. Evergreen is also thinking of introducing a refill system for its haircare products.
Learner A looks at File 42 on page 82 and learner B looks at file 43 on page 82.

C. Roleplays Cutting Costs

1 You are a senior manager at Phoenix, a small advertising company. Last year the
company overspent in the following areas. Can you think of any ways of cutting
costs?
Item Overspend
Marketing
Entertaining clients £10,500
Promotional gifts £8,500
Overheads
Cleaning £8,500
Heating £20,000
Sales
Hotel accommodation £22,500
Travel expenses £20,000
Staff benefits
Company car for managers £50,000
Ten year service bonus £8,500

2 Work in groups. You are going to hold a meeting to find ways of saving money at
Phoenix. Learner A looks at File 44 on page 82 and Learner B looks at File 45 on
page 83. Learner C looks at File 46 on page 83 and learner D looks at File 47 on page
83.
- Make sure you have a chair to lead the discussion and a secretary to take the
minutes.

3 Now write up the minutes of your meeting. When you have finished, show them to
another group.
79
 Information Files
File 18
This is how a Consumers’ Association report ranked the jobs for stress. Do you agree?

THE DEGREE OF STRESS ASSOCIATED

WITH DIFFERENT OCCUPATIONS

miner most stressful

advertising executive
doctor
teacher
personnel officer
shop assistant
civil servant
optician
computer operator
museum worker least stressful

File 23
Listen to your partner’s description of the turnover of a company over a period
of twelve months and complete the graph below.

18

17
Sales £ Million

16

15

14

13

12

11
J F M A M J J A S O N D

80
The graph below shows the energy costs of a company over a period of twelve months.
Describe it to your partner.

File 26
Compare your answers with these survey results. Does anything surprise you?

HOW PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT OCCUPATIONS RATE THEIR

DEGREE OF JOB SATISFACTION

More Than Averagely Satisfied Less Than Averagely Satisfied

clergyman economist
company director computer programmer
solicitor professional engineer
primary school teacher secretary
insurance broker management trainee
probation officer shop assistant

81
File 42
Read this conversation about introducing a refill system for Evergreen’s haircare
products. Then write a report like this:
Laura suggested introducing a refill system for the haircare products.
Laura: I think we should introduce a refill system for our haircare products.
Max: That’s a good idea. But it might be difficult to set up.
James: Well, why don’t we put a deposit on the bottles? That would encourage people
to bring them back for a refill.
Laura: I don’t think that’s necessary. Refills would be cheaper anyway because people
don’t have to pay for the bottle.
Max: I think we should do some market research before we decide anything. Could
you organize something, Laura?
Laura: Sure.
When you have finished, compare with Learner B.

File 43
Read this summary of a conversation. Then write what you think the people said
like this:
Laura: I think we should introduce a refill system.
Laura suggested introducing a refill system for haircare products. Max agreed, but
pointed out that it could be difficult to set up. James suggested putting a deposit on
bottles to encourage people to return them to the store. Laura disagreed because refills
would be cheaper as people didn’t have to pay for the bottle.
Max suggested doing some market research and asked Laura to set it up.
When you have finished, compare with Learner A.

File 44
MARKETING
Your task is to find ways of cutting marketing costs. This is the situation at present:
➢ Clients are often taken out to meals, invited to sports events, etc.
➢ Clients receive promotional gifts at New Year.

82
File 45
SALES
Your task is to find ways of cutting costs in the sales department. This is the situation at
present:
➢ Sales representatives stay in top hotels.
➢ Sales representatives usually travel first class.

File 46
OVERHEADS
Your task is to find ways of cutting overheads. This is the situation at present:
➢ Cleaners come in 7-9 p.m. every day.
➢ Offices are heated to 20oC all year round.

File 47
STAFF BENEFITS
Your task is to find ways of cutting staff benefits. This is the situation at present:
➢ All managers have a company car: at the moment this is a Mercedes.
➢ Bonus for ten years’ service: 2 months’ extra salary.

File 48
Person A:
1. Look at your map. You are at Charing Cross Station. Person B asks you for help.
Give him/her directions. The Prince of Wales Theatre is number 6.
2. Now choose another place on the map. Ask Person B for directions.

83
 LANGUAGE FILES

Commonly Confused Words

Job and work
▪ work, in the sense of what you do at the office / factory, is uncountable, so cannot say
a work or works, work means a mass of things without specifying the individual
tasks.
▪ job refers to a profession and occupation, and also to something you do at your
workplace –it is a series of any kind of tasks.
- He’s under a lot of pressure because he’s got so much work to do.
- I’ve got a lot of jobs to do today – I’ve got to type these letters, make ten phone
calls, go to the bank, and then go home and cut the grass.
- Work is very interesting at the moment.
- She’s got a very interesting job.
▪ When we ask someone about their job we don’t usually say What’s your job? but
What do you do?

Make and do
As a general rule, do is used for general unspecified activities, and make for creation
and production. There are exceptions, however, and both are used in idiomatic
expressions.
Use do for:
▪ household activities (the ironing, cleaning, shopping)
▪ academic activities (exercises, tests, homework, an experiment)
▪ business, good, right, wrong.
Use make for
▪ objects (products, prototypes)
▪ results of work (agreements, arrangements, decisions, plans, proposals,
suggestions)
▪ love, mistakes, money, peace, progress, war.
- What have you been doing? You’ve got ink all over your hands.
- I’ve been making some adjustments to the photocopier.
- Are you doing anything interesting tonight?
- I’ll probably be making plans for the holidays.
- Have you done your homework yet?
- No I’ve made an arrangement with Jo, she’s going to do it for me.

travel, trip, journey

84
▪ travel is mainly used as a verb and as an adjective.
We’ll be travelling by train. I got the tickets from the travel agency.
▪ journey is a noun and is used for the time spent moving from A to B.
The journey should be quite quick – only about half an hour.
▪ Trip in this context is a noun and indicates:
- the period spent travelling (same use as journey)
- an excursion or tour
- the journey plus the time spent at the destination.
How was your trip? (to someone who’s just arrived at the airport)
They took us on an interesting trip to an archaeological site.
She’s just got back from a six-week trip in the Far East.

Social Expressions
Prompts Responses
I’m Mr ... How do you do? How do you do? / Pleased to meet you.
My name’s ...
Please take a seat Thank you.
Would you like some coffee? Yes, please.
No, thank you.
How are you? Fine, thank you.
How are things going? Very well
How’s business? Not so bad, thank you.
I’m sorry I’m late. That’s OK.
I’m afraid I can’t come. Never mind.
It doesn’t matter.
Can I leave early? Yes, of course.
May I smoke? Yes, sure.
No, I’m afraid that’s not possible.
(+give reason)
Could you help me for a minute? Yes, of course.
Yes, sure.
No, I’m afraid I can’t
(+give reason)
Thank you very much. Not at all.
You’re welcome.
Don’t mention it.
Shall I come back later? No, that’s OK. It’s not necessary.
Would you like me to leave?

85
Future Forms

present simple present continuous going to

+ I leave
- She doesn’t leave
? Does she leave
future simple
+ I will work
- She won’t work
? Will they work
I am leaving
She isn’t leaving
Are they leaving
future continuous
I will be working
She will be working
Will they be working
I am going to leave
She isn’t going to leave
Are they going to leave
future perfect
I will have worked
She won’t have worked
Will they have worked

Intentions and arrangements

The present simple is used for timetables and formal schedules.
My plane arrives at 08.30 but the conference doesn’t begin till 17.00.

The present continuous is used for arrangements made with other people, questions
about tonight, the weekend, and holidays (though the answers are generally in the going
to form). It is mainly used in this sense with verbs of movement or some physical
activity.

Going to indicates an intention but not necessarily an arrangement. Both forms differ
from the future simple (will), which indicates a decision made (or which appears to have
been made) at the moment of speaking.
I’m buying a new car - it should be delivered next month.
I’m going to buy a new car, but I haven’t decided which one yet.
Are you doing anything interesting this weekend?
No, I’m just going to relax.
This weekend I’m going to study.
When are you stopping work tonight?
I’m going to stop smoking.

In the affirmative, the future simple (will) is used for spontaneous decisions and plans,
and the future continuous for previously-made decisions and plans which appear to be
independent of the speaker’s intention.
Do you need someone to go there? I’ll go if you like.
I’ll be going in that direction myself - it’s on my way home.
I think I’ll take the 2.40 train. (while looking at timetable)

86
I’ll be taking the 2.40 train (that’s the one I’m booked on), so I’ll be arriving at around
17.00.
In the negative, the simple form generally indicates a refusal, whereas the continuous
form indicates an inability to do something due to circumstances beyond one’s control.
He won’t come with you even if you pay him.
I’m sorry but I won’t be coming to work today - I’ve got a temperature.

In the interrogative, the simple form is used for making offers or requests, whereas the
continuous form is often used to ask about arrangements which have already been made,
and which appear not to depend either on speaker or interlocutor.
Will you help me with this please?
Will you be helping me on this project or will you be working with Kate?

Predictions
The future simple is used for complete periods and with verbs that do not take the
continuous form. The future continuous refers to particular moments in the future.

What will you be doing this time next year? I’ll still be working here probably.
What do you think you will do next year? I might change jobs and I will probably move
house.
What is she doing? I expect she’ll be having her lunch.
Where is she? She’ll probably be at the meeting.

In temporal clauses (e.g. with after, before, when, as soon as) the verb immediately
following such words is in the present or present perfect.
They won’t do anything until they hear from us.
We can’t do anything until they have signed the contract.

The future perfect is used to look back from a point in the future and say that an action
has finished. In the interrogative, the future simple indicates a request, whereas the
future perfect asks whether a period of time in the future will have been completed or
not.
By the time she gets here the meeting will probably have finished.
I’ll come back in an hour. Will you have done it by then?
Will you do it by 6.00 please?

87
Meetings: Useful Phrases
Asking opinions
What do you think about …?
Don’t you think …?
What are your views on?
Giving opinions Making suggestions
I think / reckon we should … What about …? Let’s …
It seems to me that … Why don’t we …? I suggest …
The way I see it … It might be a good idea to …

Agreement Questioning relevancy Diplomatic rejection

I quite agree. That’s not really the point.
Precisely! Exactly! I’m not sure how relevant that is.
(I think you’re) right! We’re losing sight of the main
point.
I see what you mean. I’m not so sure about that.
I take / see your point but …
OK, but what if …?
I agree with what you say about X,
but …
Yes, but have you thought about ...

Asking for repetition Asking for repetition again

I’m sorry, what did you say? Sorry, I still don’t understand.
Could you repeat that please? I’m afraid you’ll have to speak more slowly.
Sorry, could you say that again? Could you say that last bit again?
Could you speak up a little please? I’m sorry, you’re going to have to speak even louder.

Interrupting / moving on Countering interruptions

If I could just interrupt you … Sorry, if I could just finish what I’m saying …
Let’s move on to the second point now. Before we move on, could we just …?
Shall we move on to the next point? Sorry, just one more thing, …

Asking for clarification Clarifying

I’m not 100% clear on that. What I said / meant was …
So, you’re saying we should do X? What I’m trying to say is …
So you don’t think so? The point I’m making is …
What do you mean by ‘X’? In other words, what I mean is …

Asking for confirmation Confirming

Do you understand what I mean? Yes, I see what you’re getting at.
Do you follow me? Yes, perfectly.
Does that seem to make sense (to you)? Yes and no, it seams a bit of contradiction to me.
Do you agree with me? I go along with you when you say X, but not with Y.

Summarizing / pausing for time Concluding

So if I could just summarize what we’ve
said …
Now, where was I?
What was I saying?
Sorry, I’ll just have to think about that.
Could we come back to that later?
Anything else anyone wants to add?
So, we’ve decided that …
I think we’ve covered just about everything.
So I think we can draw the meeting to a close.
I think we can finish then.

88
 Presentation Framework
Opening First of all thank you all very much for ▪ Establish eye contact with
coming here today. My name’s X and I’m the all of audience, then focus
marketing manager for Y. on a friendly face
Let me briefly take you through what we’ll ▪ Indicate on your route map
be discussing today. as you go through the
First we’re going to be analysing the current various stages of your
scenario. presentation - note the
variation in tenses.
Then we’ll take a look at a few problems I
believe some of you have been having. ▪ Speak clearly and not too
fast. Adopt an authoritative
Once we’ve identified the problems we can but friendly tone. Use we
then look at the options available. predominantly, reserving I
Finally, I’ll outline what I believe to be the for opinions or emphasis.
best course of action.
Please feel free to interrupt me if you have ▪ Alternatively, ask them to
any questions, or if there’s anything you leave questions till the end.
don’t follow.

Situation So, if I might start with the present situation. ▪ As you know helps you to
As you know... inform those who don’t
know, without offending
What you might not know is that ... those who do.
This then is the way things look at the ▪ Briefly reiterate the main
moment. points of the current
situation.

Sequence Now let’s take a look at some of the ▪ Throughout the presentation,
Markers implications of this. make sure your audience
We’ve focused on X, now let’s look at Y. knows where they are in the
overall structure. Keep
If you can imagine ... reminding them what you
But of course the main reason for this is ... have already covered and
what you are now going to
So basically, we’ve got three main problems. tell them.

Problem The most obvious consequence of this ▪ Give evidence, not just
strategy / scenario etc. is... strings of data.
This means that... ▪ List the problems.
This is also causing ...

Options I believe you’ve already tried several ▪ Use chart to remind audience
solutions. Let me briefly outline what these of past solutions. Don’t spend
89
 are, then you’ll be able to see how our too much time on negative
solution differs. things, audience really wants
Back in 1996 you tried ... to know what you have to
The following years saw a period of ... offer – don’t keep them
waiting unnecessarily.
We’ve had four main approaches, none of
which has radically improved on its
predecessor, and all of which have left you a
fair way behind your competitors.
The questions have basically remained the ▪ Occasionally, use questions
same: How should we do ...? rather than simply listing
Do we need to do ...? points.
How much it would cost if ...?

Visual If you take a look at this slide / graph / etc. ▪ Use visual aids to emphasize
Aids your points. Make
As you can see from this bar chart ...
comparisons or analogies.

Solution The one fundamental drawback of all those
approaches was ...
Our solution is to do X.
I don’t really want to get into the
technicalities of all this, but for those of you
who are interested ...
So, how does it work?
How long will it take to implement?
Is it going to cost you the earth?
Obviously this solution can be fine tuned to
your particular needs...
▪ In outlining your proposal
draw on the evidence you’ve
laid earlier on. Try and relate
it directly to audience’s needs
and feelings.
▪ Express their concerns in the
form of questions. Answer
your own questions clearly
and efficiently.
▪ Don’t bore audience with
technicalities – give them
handouts at the end.

Recapp- What we’ve done is to analyse why this ▪ Reiterate the main points of
ing problem has been so recurrent and we found your presentation, preferably
three main reasons: X, Y, and Z, plus an with different words and
additional one, P. from a different angle.
By focusing on P rather than X, Y, and Z, we ▪ Give audience a reason for
have managed to ... acting on what you’ve been
proposing.

Closing Well, that’s just about it. As I said, I’ve left ▪ Leave your audience feeling
out a lot of detail, but I think you’ll find all comfortable about what
you need to know in this literature. Thank you’ve said.
you for listening so patiently. Now, has
anyone got any questions?

90
Presentation Follow-up

Structure and content Voice

□ appropriate opening remarks □ varied tone
□ organized map routing □ good mix of speed and volume
□ clear and memorable message □ not too fast / slow
□ timing good □ no mumbling / hesitation
□ level of detail appropriate □ natural delivery
□ main points repeated with right □ didn’t let ends of sentences tail
frequency off
□ no dull patches □ judicious use of pauses
□ transition from one point to
another clearly marked
□ data related to audience’s personal
Language
interest □ limited us of OK, right, well, etc.
□ closed on positive and definite
□ short words and sentences
note □ active rather than passive verbs
□ no jargon or ambiguous phrases
□ fluent if not completely
Body language grammatically correct
□ Good eye contact with audience
□ Appeared calm
□ No awkward mannerisms
□ Engaged audience with
appropriate gestures
□ Stood in such a way that all visual
aids were visible

Other
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………..

91
WORKBOOK

92
Unit 1 Describing Trends
Describing graphs
Read the reports on the sales results of different divisions of Sony and match each one
to the correct graph.
1. Music Group sales went up slightly in 1991, then fell slightly in 1992 and 1993. But
best-selling record releases by Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Mariah Carey, Pearl Jam
and many other artists led to a recovery in 1994.
2. There was a sharp increase in Audio Equipment sales in 1991 and another increase
in 1992. But European market conditions were difficult in 1993 and 1994 and as a
result, sales fell.
3. Other sales increased steadily between 1990 and 1994 as a result of the strong
performance of semiconductors, telephones and CD-ROM drives.
4. There was a dramatic rise in Pictures Group sales in 1991 and sales continued to
increase in 1992 and 1993. But the strong yen resulted in a fall in 1994. In fact, hit
films such as Sleepless in Seattle and Philadelphia resulted in a rise in sales on a local
currency basis in the US where we achieved a 19% market share.
5. Video Equipment sales rose sharply in 1991 but then fell in 1992 and 1993. The
decline in the camcorder market led to a further sharp drop in 1994.
6. Television sales went up in 1991 and continued to rise steadily until 1994 when they
dropped slightly. This was in spite of the fact that sales of computer displays and
wide-screen TVs were strong.

93
1. Money
We can spend money and we can save it. But we can do a lot of other things with
money too. Find 14 more verbs we can use with the word money in the square.
You can read some from left to right, some from top to bottom and some
diagonally.

2. Workcheck 1
Complete the sentences with a word from the list below.

borrowed made gave invest owed saved spent wasting

1. In 1990 the group ___________ £4m from investments in overseas companies.

2. The accountants advised us to repay 15% of what we ___________ to the banks.
3. The shareholders criticized the board for ___________ so much money on
unnecessary trips abroad.
4. The company ___________ £5,000 to a local school to set up a computer
department.
5. My stockbroker suggested I should ___________ in a South East Asia Unit Trust.
6. The government ___________ over £3.5m on a research and development project.
7. The government ___________ £6.5 billion from the IMF for a construction project.
8. We _______ £323,500 in administrative costs by reducing the number of office
staff.

3. Sales Results
A Choose the correct words in italics to complete the report
94
 SALES ANALYSIS
Sales began the year at 30,000 units in January and increased slight/slightly 1 to
32,000 units in February. There was a sharp/sharply 2 rise to/by 3 38,000 in March
due/led 4 to the introduction of a new price discounting scheme. This was followed by a
slight/ slightly 5 fall in April when sales dropped to 36,000 units.
Our competitors launched a rival product in the spring and this resulted in/from 6 a
dramatic/dramatically 7 fall to 25,000 in May. But we ran a summer advertising
campaign and sales increased steady/steadily 8 to/by 9 2,000 units a month throughout
June, July and August until they stood in/at 10 33,000 in September.
The dramatic/dramatically 11 rise to 45,000 in October resulted in/from 12 the
launch of our new autumn range. But then we experienced problems meeting demand
and sales fell sharp/sharply 13 in November and remained steady/steadily 14 at/by 15
39,000 in December.

50,000
45,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
J F M A M J J A S O N D

4. Wordcheck 2 Complete the puzzle and find the key word in 9 down.
9
1 I
2 C
3 D
4 U
5 E
6 C
7 W
8 P
Across
1. The rate of _______ shows how fast prices are rising. (9)
2. _______ spending increases when the public has more money. (8)
3. He paid all his _______ and now he has no money left. (5)
4. The _______ figures show how many people are out of work.(12)
5. Goods which are sold abroad are classified as _______. (7)
95
 6. There’s a fixed _______ of £30 a week for electricity. (6)
7. We pay the staff their _______ on Fridays. (5)
8. Does the price include _______ and packing? (7)
Down
9. Banks charge their customers _______ on the money they borrow. (8)

5. Reading
Number Power
Some People Say It Makes No Sense, but numbers play an important part in many
lives. That’s why the Driver and Vehicle Listening Centre has decided not to allow the
number 666 on car number-plates because it is the mark of the devil.
Other Numbers Have Great Superstitious Power –just ask triskaidekaphobics –
people who fear the number 13 and Friday 13th in particular. Thanks to them, elevators
all over the country jump from floor 12 to floor 14. On Concord, you won’t find Row
13, and many hotels have no floor 13.
At The Savoy Hotel, they are very careful. If there are 13 guests to dinner, the waiters
bring an extra “guest” – a small black cat made of stone called Kaspar – to make the
numbers up to 14. According to the story, a South African businessman, Woolf Joel,
went ahead with a dinner for 13 people in 1898 after the 14th guest cancelled, Joel was
murdered soon afterwards.
People Who Study Numbers say that each number relates to one of the planets and
that your birthday has a special meaning. To find out what numbers are important to
you, write down your birth date. The day describes your outer personality, the month is
your inner self and the year is your future. Where there is more than one figure, add
them together to get a single figure. For example, 1965=1+9+6+5 which is 21. Then add
2+1 to get 3.
Work Out Your Important Numbers and complete the chart below.
1. Sun – a great creator, outgoing, strong.
2. Moon – imaginative, sensitive.
3. Jupiter – ambitious, optimistic, positive.
4. Uranus – intelligent, scientific, often misunderstood
5. Mercury – good communicator, quick thinker.
6. Venus – sensual, passionate, romantic.
7. Neptune- impatient, good learner
8. Saturn – caring, understanding, but susceptible to problems.
9. Mars – strong, brave, passionate.

1. Birthday ___________ Total ___________ Outer self ___________

2. Month ___________ Total ___________ Inner self ___________
3. Year ___________ Total ___________ Future ___________
C

96
Unit 2 Comparing Information

1. Making comparisons
Complete the table.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

cheap cheaper the cheapest
expressive more expressive the most expensive
big
more powerful
the most modern
better
the worst
far

2. Comparing three companies

Study these statistics about three North American publishing companies. Write answers
to the questions below.

Newspapers Sales Profits Earnings per share No. of

$US millions $US millions 1984-94 annual rate employees
The New York Times 2,358 213 5% 12,800
The Tribune 2,155 242 10% 10,500
The Washington Post 1,614 170 9% 6,800

Example Which companies have the largest and smallest turnovers?

The New York Times has the largest and the Washington Post has the
smallest.

1. Which companies have made the most and the least profit?
________________________________________________________________
2. Which companies have the highest and the lowest earnings per share?
________________________________________________________________
3. Which companies have the most and the fewest employees?
________________________________________________________________

97
3. Comparing two companies
Complete the passage with the correct comparative form of the adjectives in brackets.

PEACH COMPUTERS and CALCULO MACHINES, two giants of the

computer industry, have decided to merge. Peach is a much
_____________ 1 (young) company than Calculo but it has had
______________ 2 (fast) growth in recent years. It is now slightly
N
ON

____________ 3 (big) than Calculo. Peach’s sales organization is

SO

_________________ 4 (competitive) than Calculo’s. It is __________ 5

RIIS

(large) and plays a ________________ 6 (important) role in the

AR

organization. The Peach management team feel that they are

PA

____________ 7 (hard-working) and ________________ 8 (innovative)

MP

than the Calculo team.

COOM

Calculo, on the other hand, is a ______________ 9 (traditional) company.

C

The managers are generally _______________ 10 (old) than the managers

in Peach and they have worked for the company ___________________ 11
(long). The Calculo managers feel they are ___________________ 12
(experienced) and that the company has a __________________ 13 (good)
reputation for product quality. They feel they may be _______________ 14
(slow) than Peach, but they are right more often.

4. Comparing with as ... as

A Now make sentences comparing the two companies above.
Use as ... as and these words:
old traditional aggressive competitive innovative large
Example Peach Computer isn’t as old as Calculo Machines.
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________________
B Read the mottos of each company, then answer the questions.
A The one who stays in front is the winner.
B It is better to be second and right, than first and wrong.
Which motto belongs to which company?
Which motto do you agree with the most? Why?

5. Comparing consumption 1
Look at the graph and complete the sentences with the correct national group.
The Hungarians The French The Japanese The Germans The Belgians
98
 Beer Consumption Litres per head
Germany 143
Czechoslovakia 132
Denmark 126
Belgium 119
Austria 118
Luxembourg 116
New Zealand 115
Britain 111
Australia 111
Hungary 101
USA 90
Japan 47
France 39

1. _______________ drink the most beer.

2. _______________ drink the fewest litres per head.
3. _______________ drink less than the Australians but more than the Americans.
4. _______________ drink less per head than the Danes but more than the Austrians.
5. _______________ drink the least beer, with the exception of the French.

6. Comparing consumption 2
Look at this graph and complete the sentences with the words below.
less the least more the most fewer

Wine Consumption Litres per head

France
Italy
Luxembourg
Portugal
Spain
Greece
Germany
Denmark
Belgium
Holland
Britain
Canada
USA
Source: Eurostats; Canadian Company Watch Ltd.,
Ireland 1900
Japan
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
99
 1. The Spanish drink _____________________ wine than the Greeks.
2. The Germans drink _____________________ wine than the Italians.
3. The Japanese drink ____________________ wine.
4. The French drink ____________________ wine.
5. The Belgians ____________________ bottles per person than the Danes.

7. Reading
A. Do you agree or disagree with these statements?
My opinion Writer’s opinion
1. People are naturally creative if you give them a
chance. agree/disagree agrees/disagrees
2. Managers should tell workers what to do and
how to do it. agree/disagree agrees/disagrees
3. People working at all levels of an organization
should meet regularly to exchange information
and plan improvements agree/disagree agrees/disagrees
4. Companies need a centralized management to
make decisions. agree/disagree agrees/disagrees
5. Employees prefer it when the management
make all the decisions and they don’t have a lot agree/disagree agrees/disagrees
of responsibility.

B. Now read the article and decide if the writer agrees or disagrees with them.
Participatory management, management Traditional authoritarian
by objectives, management by teams, management disappears.
quality circles – whatever In its place is
you want to call it – is More decentralization and
changing the traditional organizations authority and responsibility
styles of management. are finding that are placed at the lowest
In brief, the philosophy employees at possible level.
is that you set free the For the organization, the
natural creativity of people all levels can be results will be new ideas for
at all levels of the a source of products and services, better
organization by encouraging innovative and and more cost effective
methods of working and
them to set corporate goals, profitable greater productivity at less
giving them what they need,
and then leaving them alone ideas. cost.
to do the job. For the employees, the
The fuel that makes all this work is benefits are greater self-fulfillment, a
team spirit. Team are formed vertically chance to progress, and a happier and
and horizontally so that all parts of the smoother-running work place.
organization participate in sharing
information and planning improvements.
100
C. Look for words in the article to complete the table below.

Noun Adjective
authority authoritarian
innovation
profit
tradition
creative
corporation
responsible
productive
beneficial

D. Choose an adjective or noun from the table above to complete these sentences.

1. He’s going to change the system completely with his fresh, new,
i________________ ideas.
2. After-sales made a loss last year but they’re going to make a small p___________
this year.
3. He prefers to do things in the old t_________________ way.
4. We need to look for a c__________________ solution to this problem.
5. The c__________________ bosses met to discuss the takeover.
6. The salary is low for such a r__________________ position.
7. Automation of the plant has resulted in greater p__________________.
8. Management by objectives is b________________ to the company as a whole and
the individuals who work in it.

101
Unit 3 Business Correspondence
A. LETTERS, FAXES, AND EMAILS
1. Letters: true or false?
Read the following statements and decide which are true and which are false.
Mark the true ones 'T' and the false ones 'F'.
1. If a letter begins with the recipient's name, e.g. Dear Mr Ross, it will close with
Yours faithfully
2. The abbreviation c.c. stands for correct carbons.
3. If you were writing a letter to Mr Peter Smith, the salutation would be Dear Mr
Peter Smith
4. The head of a company in the UK is known as the president.
5. In the USA, it is correct to open a letter with the salutation Gentlemen.
6. In the UK, a date written 2.6.05 means 6 February 2005·
7. If a secretary signs a letter and the signature is followed by p.p. Daniel Harris, it
means that the secretary is signing on behalf of Daniel Harris.
8. The term plc after a UK company's name, e.g. Hathaway plc, stands for Public
Limited Corporation.
9. The term Ltd after a UK company's name means limited liability
10. If you do not know whether a female correspondent is married or not, it is
correct to use the courtesy title Ms instead of Miss or Mrs, e.g. Ms Tessa Groves.
11. This address is an example of blocked style.
Peter Voss
Oberlweinfeldweg 33
5207 Therwill
Switzerland
12. It is always impolite to close a letter Best wishes

2. Order of addresses
Write out the following names and addresses in the correct order. Use the blocked style.
EXAMPLE Search Studios Ltd / Leeds / LS4 8QM / Mr L. Scott / 150 Royal Avenue
Mr L. Scott
Search Studios Ltd
150 Royal Avenue
Leeds
LS4 8QM

1. Warwick House / Soundsonic Ltd / London / 57- 59 Warwick Street / SE23 1JF
2. Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 254 / Managing Director / I-20133 / Milano / Sig. D.
Fregoni / Fregoni S.p.A /
102
3. Bente Spedition GmbH / Herr Heinz Bente / D-6000 Frankfurt 1 / Feldbergstr. 30 /
Chairman
4. Sportique et Cie / 201 rue Sambin / The Sales Manager / F-21000 Dijon
5. Intercom / E-41006 Sevilla / 351 Avda Luis de Morales / Chief Accountant / Mrs S.
Moreno
6. Ms Maria Nikolakaki / 85100 Rhodes / Greece / Nikitara 541
7. Excel Heights 501 / Edogawa-ku 139/7-3-8 Nakakasai / Japan / Tokyo / Mrs Junko
Shiratori
8. 301 Leighton Road / VHF Vehicles Ltd / London NW5 2QE / The Transport
Director / Kentish Town

3. Letters: parts and layout

The parts of the letter below are in jumbled order. Write the numbers of the
parts in the correct boxes in the letter plan, and label them with the terms in the
box. The first one has been done for you.

letterhead date inside address salutation

body complimentary close signature block enclosure
2 Letterhead 1 20 May 20—
2 HALL & CO. LIMITED
BUILDERS’ MERCHANTS
Albert Road
Peterborough
PE2 7EK
Tel: 01733 564 231
Fax: 01733 341 865
Email: mlongley@hallbuild.co.uk
3. Dear Mr Freeland
4. Mike Longley
Sales Manager
Hall& Co. Ltd
5. Yours sincerely
6. Enc
7. Mr M. Freeland
57 Coniston Crescent
Dunstable
Bedfordshire
LU14 3RW
103
 8. We note that you have made a planning
application to extend your property, and I
am writing to tell you about the building
products and services which Hall & Co.
provide.
Our products start at the foundations with
sand, cement, and bricks and we supply a
full range of timber and plasterboard at
unbeatable prices. We also offer a FREE
ESTIMATING SERVICE with order over
£50.00.
We feel sure you will find a lot to interest
you in the enclosed brochure, and look
forward to hearing from you.

4. Faxes and emails: true or false?

Read the following statements and decide which are true and which are false.
Mark the true ones 'T' and the false ones 'F'.
1. Confidential information should not be sent by fax and email.
2. If necessary, faxes can be used as substitutes for original documents.
3. Fax is a short form of the word facts.
4. Emails must end with Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely.
5. Emoticons can be added to business emails to make them look friendlier.
6. Using capital letters to write an email is the same as shouting.
7. @ in an email address means automatic.
8. A letter or card is usually more suitable than an email for a personal message.
9. In email header information, c.c. stands for confidential copies.
10. Emails are usually less formal than letters.
11. It is not as important to use correct grammar and spelling in a business email as
it is in a letter.
12. The addressee’s name comes after the 2 sign in an email address.

5. Fax transmission form

Read this internal email from Yvonne Feltham, British Crystal's Export Manager,
to her PA. Then complete the fax transmission form.

104
To: Tracey Cook
Cc:
Subject: Fax to S.A.Importers

Please fax pages 24-6 of our current catalogue to Mohamed Kassim, Director, S.A.
Importers Ltd, Riyadh (fax no. (+966) 1 34981), subject: Tableware - new lines. No need
for covering letter - just write 'As requested. I hope this is helpful. YF' on transmission
form. Many thanks. Yvonne.

Yvonne Feltham
17th Sept 20-

FAX
BRITISH CRYSTAL Ltd
Glazier House, Green Lane, derby DE1 1RT

To: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fax no.: ----------------------------------Subject: -------------------------------------------------
Date: ----------------------------------Pages: ---------------------------------------------------

_______________________________________________________________________

6. Email: request for further information

Mohamed Kassim has received Yvonne Feltham's fax. While he was reading the
faxed catalogue he made notes about further information he needs. Read his
notes and compose his email to Yvonne Feltham.

‘York’ range be available before end Oct?

Approx. sales figures for ‘Cambridge’ range in other market?
‘Bristol’ range available in green? (can’t read fax)
‘Durham’ range- dishwasher- proof? (can’t read fax)

105
To: Yvonne Feltham
Cc:
Subject: Your fax, further info.

Dear Yvonne
Many thanks for your fax. Just a few further questions:
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Mohamed Kassim
Director, S.A. Importers Ltd
AI Manni Way, Riyadh
SAUDI ARABIA
Tel: (+966) 1 35669
Fax: (+966) 1 34981
m.kassim@saimp.co.sa

18 Sept 20-

7. Email checking
In this email, Terry Jordan, Manager of the Falcon Grange Hotel, is responding
to an enquiry about conference facilities. If he sends it like this, he is in danger of
losing a valuable customer - there are fourteen mistakes in it. Check the email,
and correct the mistakes.

106
To: Stephanie Bell
Cc:
Subject: Sales Conference
Dear Sir/ Madam
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENQUIRY ABOUT CONFERENCE FACILITES.
I can confirm that we would be able to accommodate 40 delegates 17 - 19 july, full board,
and provide conference facilities including 2 seminar rooms each equiped with
PowerPoint. the tarrif per delegate would be £291.00, full board, with coffee and tea
served mid-mroning and mid-afternoon.
I hope these terms are aceptable.
Yours sincerly
Terry Jordan
Manager
Falcon Grange Holel
Tel: 0734 045721
Fax: 0734 045722
Email: jordanl@falconhotels.co.uk

17 March 20-

8. Words and definitions

Make words from the jumbled letters and match them with the definitions below
a LBCDEOK YSETL
b TERSGUANI CLOKB
c ERFCNEREE
d CSRULEENO
e EPITVAR NAD FIDNAILTCOEN
f BOJ TELTI
g SURYO ELERCISNY
h TTCMTHAEA

1 Document enclosed with a letter.

2 Figures and / or letters written at the top of a letter to identify it.
3 Style of writing in which each line starts directly below the one above.
4 Complimentary close used at the end of a letter when the addressee's name is known.
5 Phrase written on a letter intended only to be read by the addressee.
6 Name and job title typed below a signature.
7 Separate document attached to an email message.
8 The name of someone's job, e.g. Sales Manager, Chief Buyer.
107
B. CONTENT AND STYLE

1. Typical sentences
Sort out the jumbled words below to make six sentences typical of business
correspondence. Add capital letters and punctuation as necessary.

1 grateful/ soon / a / as / we / for / would / possible / reply / as / be

2 for / find / please / cheque / £49.50 / a / enclosed
3 further / please / if / us / information / you / any / contact / need
4 april / your / you / letter / thank / 5 / of / for
5 you / we / forward / to / from / look / hearing
6 pleasure / price list / enclosing / have / a / catalogue / our / I / spring / and / in

2. Courtesy
Rewrite the following request for payment in a more polite form.

Dear Sir
You have owed us £567.00 since February, which means you haven’t
paid us for three months.
We have written to you twice and you haven t bothered to answer
us, yet you’ve been a customer for years. Anyway, we re not going
to put up with this, so if you don t tell us why you haven t paid, or
send the money you owe us in ten days, we’ll sue you. After all,
we’ve got bills to pay too, and besides we explained our rules for
giving credit, i.e. payment on due dates, some time ago.
Yours, etc.
R. Lancaster (Mr)

3. Summarizing
Below is the reply to the letter in Exercise 2. It was opened by Mr Lancaster's
secretary, who saw straight away that the letter is wordy and contains a lot of
irrelevant information. Pretend you are the secretary and write Mr Lancaster
an email summarizing the letter's contents. Try to make your summary no
longer than seventy-five words.

108
 Dear Mr Landcaster
I am writing to you in reply to your letter dated 9 May, which we received on 10 May,
in which you reminded us of our outstanding balance, which now amounts to the sum
total of £567.00.
I should like to offer my humblest apologies for our failure either to settle the account,
or to reply to your two previous communications. However, I feel that I must explain
the cause. We have been the unfortunate victims of a tragedy. Two months ago, our
premises were almost completely destroyed by fire. Although I am happy to report that
we sustained no casualties, all our records, stock, orders ready for despatch and so on,
were consumed by the flames.
Now, at last, our fortunes are beginning to rise again, and our insurance company will
shortly be releasing funds to facilitate our recovery. Let me assure you that you will be
remunerated in full as soon as possible. In the interim, I would be grateful if you would
accept a small sum towards the settlement of our account, with my personal promise
that the remaining amount will be forwarded to you as soon as it becomes available.
Please find enclosed a cheque for the sum of £55.00, and once again, I beg you to
accept my deepest apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Yours sincerely
T. D. Games (Mr)

4. Basing a letter on notes

Below is an email from Sarah Barnard, Sales Manager of Barnard Press, to
Rosalind Wood, her secretary. Follow the instructions in the email, and write a
letter of reply, setting it out in the spaces provided on the next page.

To: Rosalind Wood

Cc:
Subject: Reply to Claudio Bini
Please reply to Claudio Bini of International Books.
Address: Via Santovetti 117/9, 00045 Grottaferrata, Rome.
Reference SB/RW
His letter dated 15 Feb.
He asked about readers for intermediate students of English. Tell him we have nothing
in stock at the moment, but we'll be publishing a new series at intermediate level in
September. Send him the 'Storyworld' leaflet, and a current catalogue.
Many thanks.
Sarah Barnard
1 March 20--

109
Bp
Barnard Press Limited 183- 7 Copwood Road
North Finchley
London N12 9PR
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8239 9653 Facsimile: +44
(0)2082399754
Email:barnards@barnardpress.co.uk
www.barnardpress.co.uk

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110
5. Clear sequence
This is a letter about arrangements for a business trip. At present it is difficult
to understand because the ordering of the information is not clear. Rearrange
the letter in a clearer sequence.

Dear Mr Jackson
NICOSIA COMPUTER TRAINING COURSE
I am writing with information about the arrangements we have made for your visit.
Unfortunately, Mr Charalambides will not be able to meet you in Larnaca on
Thursday 15 June, as you requested, because he will be returning from a visit to our
subsidiary in Spain. However, he will be back in the office the following day, so I
have arranged for him to see you at 14.30.
On Friday 9 June your flight to Larnaca will be met by our driver, who will take you
to the Amathus Beach Hotel, where we have booked you in for the first two nights.
The driver will call for you at 17.00 on Sunday and drive you to the Training Centre
at Nicosia. Most of the trainee operators will have had some experience of the new
program by the time you arrive at the centre, but they will need a good deal of
instruction on the more complex areas of the system.
We hope you enjoy your weekend at the hotel. The driver will pick you up from the
Training Centre on Wednesday evening, at the end of the course, and take you back
to the Amathus Beach Hotel, where I have booked you in for a further two nights.
Please could you confirm that you plan to return to London on the 18.30 flight on
Friday16, and also that the arrangements outlined here suit you?
Thank you for your letter of 18 May giving us the dates of your trip. I look
forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Elena Theodorou
Training Manager

6. Planning
Mr Jackson is planning his reply to Ms Theodorou (see Exercise 5), using some
rough notes he has made. Look at the notes and complete the plan below.

111
 How many trainees on course? - London flight on 16 June leaves at 18.00, not
18.30. - Time of meeting with Charalambides OK- 9 June flight arrives Larnaca
15.30 - photocopying facilities at Training Centre?
Paragraph 1 Acknowledge letter
Paragraph 2 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paragraph 3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paragraph 4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paragraph 5 Thank Ms Theodorou for her help

Now using your plan, write Mr Jackson’s letter.

112
C. MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE

1. Prepositions
Make eight complete sentences used in general and social correspondence by
joining phrases from column A and phrases from column B with one of the
prepositions. You will need to use some of the prepositions more than once, but
each phrase should be used only once. The first sentence has been done for you.

Column A Column B
I would like to congratulate you by Eid Al-Fittr.
Please send the tickets your promotion.
May I offer my best wishes for full conference facilities.
She offers her apologies effective website design.
I would like to speak with the inconvenience.
I hope to return the favour my attention.
Please confirm these reservations on some future occasion.
We will need a room return.

2. Formal and informal English

Complete the following sentences so that they have a similar meaning to the one
above, but are more suitable for formal business correspondence.
1. He’s sorry he can’t come, but hopes he can come another time.
He sends his ___________________________________________________
2. It’s such a shame that your brother is ill. I’m really sorry.
I was sorry _____________________________________________________
3. So you’ve been elected Chairman of the company! Well done!
I would like ____________________________________________________
4. Mr Norman wants to drop in on you next week about the contract.
Mr Norman would _______________________________________________
5. Mr Chung can’t see you on Friday for your appointment after all.
Unfortunately, ___________________________________________________
6. Can you come to our Sales Conference on 18 March?
We would like ___________________________________________________
7. Thanks for helping me while I was in Hamburg last week.
I would _________________________________________________________
8. It’ll be good to see you on Friday.
I look ___________________________________________________________

113
3. Conference facilities
Dian Taylor, Sales Director of Data Unlimited plc, has emailed her PA, Lynn
Paul, with details of a sales conference she is planning for December. As Lynn
Paul, draft the letter she mentions.

To... Lynn Paul

Cc...

Subject: December Sales Conference

Please identify three or four hotels that might be suitable for our Sales Conference
in December. I suggest you write to them with the following details:
Dates of conference: 8 and 9 December 20
No. of Delegates: 40
Requirements:
- executive-grade accommodation for 27 delegates on nights of 7 and 8
December.
- conference room with full seating, presentation platform, public address
system, PowerPoint, and facilities for recording from 09.00 to 18.00 on both
days of conference
- refreshments: morning coffee / biscuits at 11.00, bar facilities, and buffet
lunch, tea/snacks at 16.00
Ask them to send full details of their rates and facilities. Thanks. DRT
Diane Taylor
7 July 20-

4. Hotel reservation
Dian Taylor chose the Royal Hotel for Data Unlimited’s sales conference (see
Exercise 3). It is now only a few days before the conference and two delegates,
Charles Bickford and Claire Ramal, have made a last-minute decision to stay at the
hotel. As Lynn Paul, complete the fax below. Ask the hotel if they have two extra
rooms available and apologize for the short notice.

114
 Data Unlimited plc
FAX Data House
Chertsey Road
Twickenham
TW1 1EP
Telephone: +44 (0)20 81 460259
Fax: +44 (0)20 81 985132
To: ____________
From: ____________
Fax: 01372908754
Subject: ___________
Date: 3 December
Page/s: 1

5. Invitation
Read this invitation from a Chamber of Commerce and choose the best words from
the options in brackets.

Dear Herr Boldt

We 1_________ (wish, want, would like) to invite you to our annual dinner on 15
February, and 2_________ (wonder, ask, demand) if you would consider being one
of our guest 3_________ (announcers, speakers, talkers).

Our theme this year is ‘The effects of the euro’, and we would 4_________
(admire, seek, appreciate) a contribution from your field of manufacturing on how
this is 5 _________ (afflicting, affecting, altering) you and your colleagues
enterprises. Please 6 _________ (let, leave, make) us know as soon as possible if
you are able to 7 _________ (talk, speak, discuss).
8
_________ (Inside, Enclosed, Within) you will find a formal invitation for
yourself and a guest.
Yours sincerely
Peter House
Chairman

115
6. Accepting an invitation
Below is Herr Boldt’s reply to Peter House (see Exercise 5). Write it out, putting
the phrases in the correct order and adding paragraphs, capitals, and
punctuation where necessary.

Dear Mr House

for your letter/ inviting me to speak / on 15 February / thank you / at your

annual dinner

I am honoured / your kind invitation / to accept

I would like to focus / on the cost of raw materials / in my talk / on the

effects that the euro is having

and would welcome / you care to make / I will send you / next week / any
comments or suggestions / a transcript

to meeting you / very much / I look forward / on February 15

Yours sincerely

Gunther Boldt
Chairman

116
Unit 4 Meeting People
1. Introductions (Source: Business Basics, Workbook, p. 28)
Match the sentences (1-8) with the responses (a-h). Put the sentences and responses
in the correct column. The first is done for you.

Two people meeting for the first time 1g

Two people who know each other

1. Pleased to meet you. a. She is very well.

2. How are you? b. Nice to see you, too!
3. How do you do? c. No, I don’t. Nice to meet you, James.
4. Nice to see you again d. Pleased to meet you. I’m Rolf Muller.
5. How is your wife? e. How do you do?
6. Do you know my husband James? f. Fine. And You?
7. Do you know each other? g. Pleased to meet you too.
8. Can I introduce myself? I’m Eva Berg. h. No, we don’t. Can you introduce us?

2. Getting to know you (Source: Business Basics, Workbook, p. 28)

Two people are meeting for the first time. Complete the conversation. Write one
word in each space.

A Hello. ……… I ……… myself? I’m Andrew Thomas.

B Pleased ……… ……… ……. . My ……… ……… Sanchez, Luis Sanchez.
A Where ……… ……… ………, Luis?
B I’m from Madrid.
A And who ……… ……… ……… for?
B SEAT, the car company. What about you? What ……… you ……… ?
A I’m in computers. I ……… ……… IBM.

3. Welcoming a visitor (Source: Business Objectives, Workbook, p. 25)

Complete the conversation using the phrases below.

try some Greek food eat anything on the plane

the restaurant or the hotel first sort of food do you like
have a good flight your first visit
to meet you

117
 A Mr Hathaway?
B Yes, that’s right. You must be Mr Striebel
A Yes. Pleased __________________________ .
B And you.
A Is this _________________________ to Athens?
B Yes, I’ve always wanted to come but I never had the chance.
A Good, I can show you around. Did you ______________________?
B Yes, it was fine, thanks. No delays or problems.
A Good. Let me take your case. The car’s just outside. Did you
_________________ ?
B No, I wasn’t hungry.
A Well, what would you like to do? Shall we go to _______________?
B The hotel, I think. I’d like a shower. We can eat later, if that’s OK.
A That’s fine by me. What _____________________ ? We’ve got a good
choice of restaurants here - French, Italian, and Greek, of course.
B I’d like to ________________________
A Good, that’s settled. I’ll drop you off now and come and pick you up again at
about eight.

4. Meeting someone you know

A. Andrew Hutchinson and Tony Evans are both Sales Managers. They know each
other quite well. Complete the dialogue with the expressions below. (Source:
Business Basics, Workbook, p. 36)

A Hello Tony. How are you?

T ……………….., and you?
A Not too bad. ………………………………………….?
T We are having an excellent year. A lot of new clients. What about you?
A ………………… . We got the big Turismo contract, you know.
T ……………….. . By the way, ………………………….?
A Not very well I’m afraid. She’s been in hospital.
T …………………..
A It’s nothing serious. She’s getting better.
T Good. Listen. Can I introduce you to my new boss?
A Of course.
T Marcello. Can I introduce Andrew Hutchinson? Marcello Baresi.
A ………………………, Mr Baresi?

a. Fine, thanks. e. I’m sorry to hear that.

b. How do you do. f. That’s good.
c. How’s your wife? g. How’s business?
d. Not so bad.

118
 B. Put this conversation into the correct order.

□ Elaine Please call me Elaine.

□ Paul Morning, Jenny. How are you?
□ Jenny Yes, it is. Let me introduce you … Excuse me, Mrs Redford.
May I introduce you to Paul Carroll?
□ Jenny Good morning, Paul.
□ Paul Pleased to meet you, Mrs Redford.
□ Jenny Fine, thanks, and you?
□ Paul And please call me Paul.
□ Elaine How do you do?
□ Paul Fine. Is that Mrs Redford over there?

5. In a restaurant (Source: Business Basics, Workbook, p. 25)

Read this dialogue and complete with an appropriate phrase. Bernard and Hitoshi are
having lunch together at a restaurant in London.

B Right, let’s have a look.

H There is so much choice. What ……… ………… ……………..?
B Well the fish is very good, or the dish of the day.
H What is the dish of the day?
B Irish Stew.
H What ……… ………… ………..?
B It’s lamb cooked for a long time with potato and vegetables. Are you
hungry? It’s very filling.
H I think I want something lighter. ……… ……….. the salmon.
B And ……… ….…….?
H The soup. What about you?
B ……. ………. the smoked salmon followed by a steak. ……. ……… ...……
……. ….…. ………?
H Wine, please. Red.
B Right. I think we’re ready. Excuse me, ……… ………… ………….,
please?

119
6. Wordcheck (Source: Business Objectives, Workbook, p. 26)
Look at the lists and circle the word that is different from the others. Then explain why.
The other three are
Example prawn lobster crab veal types of shellfish
1. roast fry steak grill
2. mashed frozen french-fried baked
3. peach potato melon raspberry
4. pea salmon sole plaice
5. lamb pork bacon ham
6. cream margarine butter milk
7. cauliflower sprouts carrots bread
8. medium rare well-done cooked

7. Social expressions (Source: Business Objectives, Workbook, p. 27)

Match these comments to when you would say them.
1. Many happy returns of the day a. When meeting someone for the first time.
2. Sorry? b. When you’ve made a mistake.
3. I’m terribly sorry. c. When someone is going away.
4. Happy New Year! d. When someone has had a baby.
5. No thanks, I’m just looking. e. On someone’s birthday.
6. Have a good trip. f. When someone says thank you to you.
7. How do you do? g. When someone offers you some cake.
8. I’d love some but I’m on a diet. h. When a shop assistant offers to serve you.
9. Don’t mention it. i. On 1st January.
10. Congratulations. j. When you didn’t hear what someone said.

8. Here are some things you could hear at a party. Match the questions with the
answers. (Source: Business Basics, Workbook, p. 37)

1. Can I get you a drink? 2. Where can I leave my coat?

3. What line of work are you in? 4. Have we met before?
5. Do you know many people here? 6. What time do you think it will finish?

a. About midnight. b. One or two.

c. I don’t think so. d. In the bedroom with the others.
e. I’m a civil servant f. Yes, please. A glass of red wine.

120
Unit 5 Meetings
1. Recommending action (Source: Business Objectives, Workbook, p. 29)
Read the problems, then select an alternative to recommend and give your reasons.
You can invent your own reasons.
Example Problem: Staff aren’t using computers to their full potential.
Alternative 1: Send staff on training courses.
Alternative 2:Hire an in-company instructor.
Action: I don’t think we should hire an instructor because it’s very
expensive. I think we should send staff on training courses
because it’s more cost-effective.
1. Problem: Late payments from a major client
Alternative 1: Refuse to supply more goods until they pay their invoices.
Alternative 2: Offer a longer credit period to the client.
Action: _____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. Problem: Advertising expenditure rose by 26% last year.
Alternative 1: Reduce the amount of advertising we do.
Alternative 2: Hire a different advertising agency.
Action: _____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
3. Problem: To cut costs, we must make 100 staff redundant.
Alternative 1: Make the 100 most recent employees redundant (i.e. last in first
out.)
Alternative 2: Make the 100 least efficient employees redundant.
Action: _____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
4. Problem: Our competitors are headhunting our best managers.
Alternative 1: Offer all our top managers a large pay increase.
Alternative 2: Employ an agency to headhunt our competitors’ best managers.
Action: _____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

2. Making suggestions (Source: Business Objectives, Workbook, p. 31)

Suggest three different solutions to these problems.
Example We’ve got some meetings with clients from Tokyo, but none of us speaks
Japanese.
A We could learn Japanese.
B Shall we get an interpreter?
C Why don’t we see if they can speak English?

121
 1. We need to get these papers to head office before tomorrow morning.
A _________________________________________________________
B _________________________________________________________
C _________________________________________________________
2. We need to improve office security. There were three thefts last month.
A _________________________________________________________
B _________________________________________________________
C _________________________________________________________
3. We need to increase our market share.
A _________________________________________________________
B _________________________________________________________
C _________________________________________________________

3. Write a dialogue based on the prompts like this (Source:

Further Ahead, Workbook, p. 46)
A: (Suggest using recycled paper. Ask for an opinion.)
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
B: (Agree)
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
A: (Suggest that people travel to work by bus. Ask for an opinion.)
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
B: (Disagree. Give a reason.)
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................

4. Reporting
A. Tick () the correct sentence in each pair (Source: Further Ahead,
Workbook, p. 47)
1. a. She said they should try to reuse waste paper.
b. She said him they should try to reuse waste paper.
2. a. He suggested to use proper plates instead of paper ones.
b. He suggested using proper plates instead of paper ones.
3. a. She told that they had no place to wash dishes.
b. She told him that they had no place to wash dishes.
4. a. She also pointed out that washing plates would mean more space and labour.
b. She also pointed out to wash plates would mean more space and labour.
5. a. He recommended to reduce packaging.
b. He recommended reducing packaging.
6. a. She agreed to find ways of doing this.
b. She agreed finding ways of doing this.
122
B. Rewrite these sentences as reported speech. (Source: Further Ahead,
Workbook, p. 47)
1. CHAIR: Laura, can you tell us what you found out about glass bottles?
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
2. LAURA: I contacted several other suppliers, and the prices are pretty much the
same
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
3. JAMES: I really think that using glass is a mistake.
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
4. MAX: James, convenience isn’t everything!
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
5. LAURA: I suggest using glass bottles as the price is going to be nearly the same.
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................

5. Supply alternative words in these sentences. (Source: Business

Objectives, Student’s Book, p. 76)

1. We need to calculate the costs.

w.............. o .............

2. Could you handle that, Thierry?

d............... w..............

3. Could you tell us about it?

f ............. u................ i..............?

4. Customers can’t be connected after six o’clock

g............. t .............

5. Do you want to recruit more sales staff?

t ............... o................

6. Ulrike, can you organize it?

t............. c.............. o..............

123
6. You are chairing this meeting. What would you say? (Source:
Further Ahead, Workbook, p. 48)
CHAIR (1): (start meeting / introduce Paola)
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
PAOLA: Thank you. As you know, we want to make the office more environmentally
friendly. One suggestion is to use less energy for heating.
RICHARD: Sorry Paola, but it would be cold in here! I can’t agree to that!
CHAIR (2): (deal with the interruption / ask Paola to continue)
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
PAOLA We also need to look at the amount of paper we use.
SYLVIA: Sorry to interrupt, but I haven’t had my new business cards.
CHAIR (3): (Keep to the point / ask Paola to continue)
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
PAOLA: For example, last year we doubled the amount of paper we used.
RICHARD: Well, our business doubled last year too.
CHAIR (4): (move to next point)
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
PAOLA: My next point is the use of cars. Too many people drive to work, when
there is a good bus service to the office.
SYLVIA: It isn’t very good from where I live! There’s only one bus an hour –
CHAIR (5) (keep to the point / any other points?)
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
PAOLA: Those are the main points for discussion. Shall we start with the heating,
where costs rose ...
7. Language used in meeting (Source: Head for Business, Intermediate
Student’s Book, p. 82)
A. Complete this text with words/phrases given in the box
agenda first item make a start take the minutes
six points his apologies get down to

‘It’s nine o’clock so I think we should a .................................................... Malcolm

sends b ................................... ; he can’t be here tonight. Has anyone got an
c
...........................? Good. As you can see, there are d .................................... to
discuss, so I think we should spend five minutes on each. Oh, and we need a
volunteer to e .......................................... . Thank you Jack. So, let’s
f
.................................... business. Now the g .............................. is the minutes of
the last meeting.’

124
B. Which words describe:
a. the document giving the order of things to discuss in meetings? .............
b. the record of what is discussed at the meetings? .............
C. Put the jumbled sentences in the right order to form useful expressions for
meetings.
a. start – I – make – think – should – a – we.
b. can – see – to – points – as – there – you – are – discuss – six.
c. down – business – let’s – to – get.
d. so – turn – item – right – to – two – let’s – now.
e. think – you – what – do?
f. recap – we – to – shares – keep – agree – to – the.
g. anyone – anything – does – add – have – to?
h. think – I – right – yes – you’re.
i. the – let’s – move – on – to – item – next.

D. Which expressions are used to :

a. move the discussion to a new topic? ..........................
b. begin the meeting? ..........................
c. acknowledge opinions? ..........................
d. summarize? ..........................
e. ask for opinions? ..........................
f. draw attention to the agenda? ..........................

E. Correct these expressions.

a. I am agree with Jack.
b. From my opinion, it’s not worth it.
c. I’m thinking you’re right.
d. According to me, the company’s in trouble.

125
 Tapescript
Unit 1 DESCRIBING TRENDS
26
A: This graph shows the sales results for last year. Can everybody see it OK? Good.
Perhaps you could run through the figures for us, Lester?
B: Yes of course. Er ... as you can see, we had a quiet start to the year. Sales remained
steady at 6,000 units in January and February.
C: When did the Spring sales campaign begin?
B: In March. You can see that sales increased slightly to 7,000 then and they went up
by another 1,000 units in April to stand at 8,000 units.
C: Why did we have that trough in June?
B: Ah, that was due to increased competition. Our competitors launched a rival product
in May and sales fell to 5,000 units. They decreased by another thousand units in
June. But we increased our discounts to the wholesalers and sales rose steadily,
back to 5,000 units in July and then 6,000 units in August. The dramatic rise came
in the next two months. Sales increased from 10,000 units in September to 13,000
units in October.
A: Was that because of the Christmas orders?
B: That’s right. And sales went down by 6,000 units in November when the Christmas
orders stopped. They stayed 7,000 until the end of the year. Er ... Are there any
questions?
C: Yes. How do these figures compare with the previous year’s?
B: Very well. I’ve got last year’s graph here. Er ... You can see that there was a slight
improvement in January and February ...

27
1. write 5. listen 9. half
2. know 6. high 10. scientist
3. answer 7. sign 11. chemist
4. receipt 8. business 12. psychiatrist

126
Unit 2 COMPARING INFORMATION
36a
A What are the figures like?
B Well …sales are about the same as last year. The biggest sector of this market is
ice-cream and we’ve sold less than last year.
A That’s bad news
B Yes, but the more unusual flavours are doing well. We’ve sold more premium
brands but fewer standard.
A What about multi-packs? How are they doing?
B They aren’t as popular as they were. But look at the figures for yoghurt.
A Hey, they’re good.

36b
A How do these figures compare with last year’s?
B People are eating less meat so sales are down there.
A Do we know why?
B The market is getting smaller. It’s part of the general trends towards healthier diets.
A Are we selling more vegetables?
B Yes, but the fastest growing sector here is pizzas. They are sixteen per cent up on
last year.

36c
B This is another fast growth market but it’s more mature than pizzas. We’re
offering a much wider range and consumers are becoming more adventurous.
Almost half our sales are international recipes now; Italian, Chinese, Indian.
A What about curries?
B Yes, spicy dishes like curries are doing well. But the market’s becoming more
competitive and the manufacturers have had to reduce their prices.
A Are we getting lower margins on these products now?
B Yes, slightly.

37
psychologist satisfaction
bureaucratic retailer
operator unemployed
dangerous environment
procedure advertising
redundancies assistant
creative occupation
personnel consumer
engineer economist
127
Unit 4 MEETING PEOPLE
1a (Source: Business Objectives, p. 181)
A Mr Velázquez, May I introduce you to Peter Brien.
Peter, this is Mr Velázquez of Telefónica de España
B How do you do?
C How do you do?
A Peter works for our New York branch. He’s responsible for international
accounts.
1b
A Ulla!
B Thomas!
A Welcome to Oxford. It’s nice to see you again.
B And you. Do you know my colleague, Sven Olsen?
A Yes, I do. How are you, Sven?
C Fine thanks Thomas. And you?
A Fine. How was your trip?
C Not bad, thanks.
A Good. Let’s go upstairs and have some coffee.
1c
A Good evening, Bob.
B Good evening, Liz. Do you know Luigi? Luigi, this is Liz, a friend of mine
from work.
A Hello.
B Hello, pleased to meet you.
A So are you an engineer too, Liz?
C That’s right. What about you?
A I’m in the chemicals business.
C Oh yes?
A A gin and tonic, Liz?
C Yes please, Bob.
4.2 (Source: Business Basics, p. 179)
A Mr Kanemori, how do you do? I’m Mark Gordon, Personnel Officer.
Welcome to ICL.
B Thank you.
A Did you have a good journey?
B Yes, thank you. It was a long flight, but I slept for a few hours.
A And are you happy with your hotel?
B Yes, it’s very comfortable and it’s in a good position.
A I’m pleased to hear that. Would you like a coffee before we start?
B No, thank you. I had a cup of coffee just now.
A So, is this your first visit to England?
128
 B Yes, it is.
A Well, I hope you have a nice stay.
B Thank you very much. I’m sure I’ll enjoy my visit here.

5.3 (Source: Business Basics, p. 180)

A.
A Hello. I don’t think we know each other.
B No, we don’t. How do you do? I’m Bruno Retter.
A Pleased to meet you. My name’s Jim Fenton.
B So, what do you do, Jim?
A I work for Global Systems. I’m a Sales Manager. Do you know us?
B Yes, I do. In fact, I think you did some work for us a few years ago. You
see, I work in Research and Development at Simons International.
A Ah, yes. I remember the contract. So, who do you know here, Bruno?
B Just the host, and one or two others.
A Well, listen, let me introduce you to a few people. But I’ll get you another
drink first. What would you like?
B Thanks. Gin and tonic, please, with ice and lemon.
B.
A Hello. Bruno Retter, isn’t it?
B Jim. What a surprise to see you here! How are you?
A No so bad. How’s the job going at Simons?
B We’re very busy. We’re moving to new offices at the moment, because
our branch is expanding. We’re recruiting twenty new people.
A Well, I’m glad to hear that. You’re doing very well then?
B Yes, we are. How about you? Are you still at Global Systems?
A Yes, I am - for the moment.
B And how are things going?
A Not very well, I’m afraid. We’re losing a lot of orders - too much
competition from the big operators.
B I’m sorry to hear that, Jim. I hope things get better soon. Anyway, is the
family OK? How are Heidi and the children?
A Well, Heidi’s still working at the hospital. Joe’s studying for his exams at
university and Hannah’s still at school - she’s visiting France with her
class at the moment. They’re all fine.
B That’s good news. So, why are you here at Simons International?
A I’m looking for a new job. And I think Simons International wants to
offer me one.
B Oh! That’s …great, Jim.
17a (Source: Business Objectives, p. 185)

A Paolo! It’s great to see you again. Do come in. Shall I take your coat?
B Thanks.
129
 A Have a seat. Did you have any trouble finding the way?
B No. Your directions were very good.
A How long did it take?
B Only an hour.
A Would you like some coffee?
B Yes please, I’d love some.
A And how is Stephania?
B Oh, she’s fine. She sends her regards, by the way.
A Milk?
B No, black please.
A Here you are.
B Thanks.

Unit 5 MEETING
17.1B (Source: Further Ahead, p. 132)
Man: OK, I’m drafting some proposals for greening the office and I’d like your
opinion, Maria. Have you got a minute?
Woman: Yes, sure. Go ahead.
Man: Right, here’s the first proposal. We should write to our customers on recycled
paper. What are your views on that, Maria?
Woman: Hmm. I’m afraid I don’t think that’s a very good idea. I mean, I don’t think
our customers would like that at all.
Man: OK. Next one, then. What do you think about using china cups instead of
plastic ones for the drinks machine?
Woman: Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t think that’s a very good idea either. I mean, where are
we going to wash them, we haven’t got a kitchen, we’d have to get one.
Man: True. Well, try this one. We should encourage the staff to cycle to work. How
do you feel about that?
Woman: Oh dear, I’m sorry to be so negative, but I’m afraid I don’t think that’s a very
good idea either. Even if people bring their work clothes to the office, there’s
nowhere for them to shower or change. And you can’t have people running
around the office in jogging suits all day. What would our visitors think?
Man: Hmm. OK. Now, fourth proposal. I suggest banning smoking on company
premises. What do you think about that?
Woman: Yeah, that’s more like it. I agree with you on that. It would actually be quite
good for our image being in the health care business.
Man: Good, I’m glad you agree on something! Next one, er, we should start sorting
the rubbish in the offices. You know, have separate bins for paper, plastics and
that sort of thing.
Woman: Yeah, that’s a good idea, too. We could collect the paper for recycling, er, as
long as we don’t have to write to customers on it afterwards!
Man: OK. Now, last one. How do you feel about using refillable pens instead of
biros in the office, Maria?
Woman: Yes, that’s a good idea. I agree with you on that, too.

130
17.1 C (Source: New International Business English, p. 110)
Paul Ah, good morning, Ms Ross, do come in.
Pam Hello, Mr Fisher. Nice to see you.
Paul Nice to see you – face-to-face instead of on the phone. How are you?
Pam Fine, thanks, very well.
Paul Oh, do sit down. Would you like some coffee?
Pam Oh, yes, please – black.
Paul Mmm Here you are.
Pam Thanks. Well, how’s it all going?
Paul Oh, not too bad, we’re just about to open a branch in new Zealand.
Pam Oh, will you be going there on your travels?
Paul Oh ... I’m hoping to – if I can justify it to the marketing director! How’s your
little boy, has he started school yet?
Pam Oh, yes, he’s in the second year now.
Paul What, already? Doesn’t time fly! Is he enjoying it?
Pam Very much, it’s much more fun than being at home!
Paul Haha. Well, I suppose we’d better make a start. Shall we get down to business?
Pam Right. First of all can I confirm the time and date of the presentation? It’s
Saturday 24 October in the morning. What time exactly?
Paul Well, on the invitations we’ve sent out we’ve said that the presentation itself will
start at 11 and go on till 12.30.
Pam So you’ll need the room from about 10 till 2. Would you like us to serve coffee
beforehand?
Paul Yes, yes – and drinks and snacks at the end.
Pam Better to have buffet lunch?
Paul No. People who are invited won’t be expecting a free lunch, they might think
that’s overdoing it. They’ll want to get back to their families, as it’s Saturday.
Pam All right, the normal pre-lunch snatch buffet will be what you need – that’s
basically the same as what you had last February.
Paul Oh, that’ll be fine.
Pam OK, well, we’ll charge for the room, coffee and snack buffet at the standard rate
less 15%, as we agreed. And we’ll charge for the drinks served on a pro-rata
basis.
Paul Fine, fine, yes
Pam What type of ...urn ... equipment, furniture would you like?
Paul Well, let’s have ..urn... four ... no, no... five tables for our display. Er... we’ll
bring our own stands.
Pam Right.
Paul Now, there’s an overhead projector and sound system already in the room, I
believe? Can you get someone to check that, you know before we come, so that
it’s working?
Pam Oh, of course, the technician will be with you when you’re setting everything up.
Paul Oh, well.
Pam Oh, the seats in that room have flap-over desk tops, will that be all right?
Paul Yes, yes, that’s fine, sure.
131
Pam You say you’ve sent out the invitations, any idea how many people there’ll be?
Um ... I think you know there’s ... the capacity for the room is about 50, but 40 is
ideal.
Paul Yes, ah ... the problem is that we won’t know exactly how many there’ll be until
shortly before.
Pam Can you let me know definitely by the Thursday?
Paul Mm ... no. But I’ll have a rough idea and we’ll budget for the number I give you
then. We’ve sent out a hundred invitations ...
Pam A hundred?
Paul Yes, well, in theory that means that there could be two hundred people.
Pam Yes, but the room won’t ...
Paul But of course ... haha... I don’t expect more than about thirty to come.
Paul But what if they do? This is the only room we have that day – there’s a wedding
reception in the banqueting rooms, so we ...
Paul Well , in that case, I suppose we could ...

17.2 B (Source: Further Ahead, p. 133)

Chair: Right. Let’s move on to the next point, er, that’s the packaging of Black Musk.
Would you like to start, James?
James: Well, I think we should stick to plastic bottles. It’s worked well with all our
other products. And the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I mean,
plastic bottles are light, they’re easy to pack, they’re easy to transport. And
what’s really important, there’s no problem with breakages.
Chair: Olivia, what are your views?
Olivia: I’m afraid I don’t agree with you, James. This bath oil is going to be more
expensive than others in our range and I think it’s important to go for a more
upmarket image. I think we should use glass.
Chair: Right, what do you think, Max?
Max: I agree.
Chair: Sorry, with who?
Max: With Olivia. What’s more, we ought to reconsider the whole question of
recycling. If we’re going to encourage customers to bring back their
containers, glass will be easier to clean than plastic.
James: But do you really think people will bring back their containers for refills?
Chair: Laura?
Laura: Can I just say something? Has anyone thought about the questions of
suppliers? I mean, if we use glass, we’ll have to find a new supplier. Our
present supplier doesn’t do glass as far as I know.
James: Good point. So perhaps we should stick to plastic.
Chair: Well, perhaps someone could get some quotes?
Laura: Yes, OK. I can do that.
Chair: Right. So OK. Now let’s move on to the next point ...

132
 Glossary
accountant a person who keeps or
checks the financial records of a
business.
accounts the lists of all the money that a
business receives or pays.
achieve to gain something; to reach an
objective or goal.
administration the control of a business
or project.
advertisement information used to sell
a product or service. Abbreviations
ad; advert - Also, to advertise;
advertising
agency a business that provides a
particular service(a travel agency)
agent a person or company that
represents the interests of another
company in a market.
annual happening or done once a year
or every year ( an annual report)
apply to ask for something in writing
(apply for a job) - Also, an
application (fill in an application
form)
appointment an arrangement to see
someone at a particular time.
assistant a person who helps another
(an assistant manager)
association a group of people who work
together; an organization
banknote a piece of paper money
bill a piece of paper that shows how
much money you owe for goods and
services
board a group of directors who control
a company (hold a board meeting)
book to arrange to have or do something
at a particular time (I booked a single
room.) - Also, a booking
boutique a small shop that sells
clothes, etc. (a fashion boutique)
branch an office, shop, etc that is part
of a larger organization (We have
branches in Paris, Milan, and New
York.)
brand the name of a product that a
particular company makes (Nescafé is
a famous brand of coffee.)
briefcase a flat case for carrying papers
in
brochure a thin book with pictures of
things you can buy or places where
you can go on holiday (a travel
brochure)
budget an amount of money used for a
particular purpose (an advertising
budget)
business 1 buying and selling; work (He
works in the travel business.) (Are
you here on business?) 2 a company
(a family business)
buy-out the buying of a company by its
managers, directors, etc to stop
another company from taking it over
(a management buy-out)
call to telephone someone (I’ll call you
tomorrow.) - Also, a call
campaign a plan to get a special result
(launch an advertising campaign)
capital a sum of money that you use to
start a business or invest to make
more money.
cash to change a cheque for coins and
notes (Could I cash a traveller’s
cheque, please?)
chairman 1 the head of a company 2 a
person who controls a meeting
133
check to look at something to see that it
is right (Phone the company to check
the details of the order.)
checkout a desk where you pay a bill
when you leave a hotel, a shop, etc -
Also to check out
cheque a piece of paper from a bank
that you sign and use to pay for
things. (Can I pay by cheque?)
client a customer; a person or company
that pays for a service.
component a part of a machine
(computer components)
conference a meeting, often held once a
year, for people to discuss their work
or interests (I’m attending a sales
conference)
contact to telephone, fax, or write to
someone (Please contact me at the
above address.) -Also, a contact
(business contacts)
deliver to take goods to a certain place -
Also, a delivery (We received
delivery of the RK529 calculators this
morning.)
despatch to send
destination the place where someone or
something is going or being sent
director a person who controls a
company or part of it (the financial,
managing, sales director.)
discount an amount of money taken off
the price of something (I’ll give you a
5% discount on your next order.)
division a part of a company that deals
with a certain product, service, or
area (the publishing division, the
training division)
document an official paper (travel
documents)
EC Abbreviation of European
Community
EEC Abbreviation for European
Economic Community
effective producing the result you want
(an effective form of advertising)
enclosed put in an envelope with a letter
(The contract is enclosed.)
Abbreviation enc.
engagement an arrangement; an
appointment
estimate to calculate the cost, size, etc
of something approximately
evaluation deciding how good someone
or something is (All staff have regular
performance evaluations.) -Also, to
evaluate
executive a person who makes
important decisions in a company
expand to become bigger (We are
expanding into Eastern Europe.) -
Also, expansion
exports goods sent abroad - Also, to
export
facilities buildings, equipment, etc that
make it possible to do something
(Ecospar has childcare facilities)
first-class the best quality (travel first-
class)
fixed-term for a limited time only (a
fixed-term contract)
franchise a business that has permission
to make or sell named goods.
functional practical and useful rather
than attractive (a functional design)
goods things for sale (electronic goods)
group a number of companies (the ICL
Group)
headquarters the main office of an
organization (Abbreviation =HQ)
income money that is earned from
work, sales or investments
incorporated of a registered company.
Abbreviation Inc.
inspection the act of looking at
something closely to check that it is
done correctly
institute an organization, especially one
involved in teaching and research
134
interest money charged for borrowing
money
invoice a list of goods sold with prices
that is a demand for payment
itinerary a plan for a journey or visit,
showing places, dates, times and
people to see.
launch to introduce a new product or
company to the market
loan a sum of money borrowed from a
bank
manpower the people you need to do a
particular job
manual 1 using your hands (manual
workers) 2 a book that tells you how
something works (an instruction
manual)
market a geographical area, or section
of the population, where you can sell
products (We operate in six different
target markets)
marketing deciding how something can
be sold most easily, eg what price it
should be or how it should be
advertised
market share the percentage of the total
sales of a product in a particular area
obtained by one company.
Memo a note sent from one person to
another within a company. Formal =
memorandum.
model a particular type of machine, car,
etc made by a certain company.
notepad sheets of paper in a block that
are used for writing notes
offer to give or provide something (We
offer a 5% discount.) - Also an offer
(a job offer)
officer a person with a position of
authority or responsibility in an
organization (a personnel officer, a
police officer)
operate 1 to do business (ICL operates
in six different target markets) 2 to
work a machine - Also, an operator
(a switchboard operator)
option a choice, an alternative
order a request for goods Also, to order
outlet a place where goods can be sold
(sales outlets)
owe to be in debt
own to possess, to have as your property
pack to put things in boxes, containers,
etc ready for sale
package a parcel
paperwork the written work that you do
in an office
per each
percentage a part of an amount,
expressed in hundredths of that
amount (What percentage of people
work at home?)
personal of or belonging to a particular
person (personal savings)
personnel 1 employees, staff 2 the part
of a company that deals with
recruitment and training
portable that you can carry easily (a
portable video)
portfolio a list of investments that a
particular investor has
potential possible (potential clients)
private sector the parts of a country’s
economy that are owned by a person
or company, not by the state
public relations the work of
distributing information to give a
good impression of an organization.
public sector the part of a country’s
economy that is owned by the state
publicity advertising
purchase to buy
qualified having the right education and
experience for a job (a qualified
accountant) - Also, a qualification
quantity a number or amount
range a group of products sold by one
company
135
rate the level of something (interest
rates) or how fast something happens
(a growth rate)
Re (in a letter) short for ‘with reference
to’
receipt a document that shows you have
paid for something
reception a meeting place in a hotel or
company-Also, a receptionist a
person who receives visitors to a
hotel or company
recession a fall in economic activities
recruit to employ or take on new staff
reduce to make something less or lower
(reduce prices) -Also a reduction
redundant without work, not needed -
Also, redundancies = job losses
reference a statement or letter that
describes a person’s character.
reorganization to organize something
again so that it is more efficient
(Following our reorganization, the
group now consists of 29 autonomous
companies.)
repackage to change the way a product
is presented for sale
repay to pay back money that you have
borrowed -Also, repayment
representative a person who speaks for
an organization, especially to
promote and sell their products.
Abbreviation rep - Also, to represent
reservation a booking (a hotel
reservation) -Also, to reserve
restructuring changing the way a
company, etc is organized
risk something that might cause a loss
or damage
samples small quantities of a product
that show what the rest is like
schedule to arrange for something to
happen at a particular time (a
scheduled flight)
scheme a plan or system for doing or
organizing something
sector a part of the economy of the
country (the private sector, the public
sector)
security 1 something of value that can
be claimed by a bank, etc if a loan is
not repaid (He offered his life
insurance as security) 2 things you do
to protect people and places from
attack (a security guard, a security
pass)
share 1 a fraction or part of something
(We have increased our market share
by 5%.) 2 a part of a company (The
parent company owns 82% of the
shares.) - Also, a shareholder a
person who owns shares.
short-list a list of choices, for example
candidates for a job, selected from a
longer list
slogan a short phrase that is easy to
remember (advertising slogans)
specialize to concentrate on one type of
product or activity (we specialize in
high-quality coffee)
state-of-the-art the newest, the most
modern. (This computer is the state-
of-the-art)
statistics numbers which have been
collected in order to provide
information about something
stock goods in storage waiting to be
sold- Also, to stock
store a large shop
strategy a plan that you use in order to
achieve something
strike a time when people refuse to
work, usually because they want
more money or better working
conditions
stylish fashionable and attractive (a
stylish design)
subsidiary a company that is owned by
another company
supervisor a person who directs and
checks the work of others
136
survey a study of something - Also a
surveyor a person who examines a
building or land to find out how much
it’s worth (property surveyors)
switchboard the place in an
organization where all the telephone
calls are connected (a switchboard
operator)
target a result that you want, a place or
thing that you aim at (We operate in
six target markets)
technical relating to machines (a
technical problem)
technology the study and use of science
for industry - Also, technological
teleworking (Am. Telecommuting)
working at home and communicating
with other people using computers -
Also, a teleworker
temporary lasting a short time; not
permanent (a temporary job)
trial a test (drug trials)
unauthorized without official
permission (No admittance to
unauthorized personnel)
137
 References and
Supplementary Readings

1. Ashley, A. (2003). Commercial Correspondence. Oxford: Oxford University

Press.

2. Hollett, V. (1996). Business Objectives . Oxford: Oxford University Press.

3. Grant, D. & McLarty R. (1995). Business Basics. Oxford: Oxford University

Press.

4. Jones, L. & Alexander, R. (2000). New International Business English.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

5. Jones – Macziola, S. (1998). Further Ahead. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press.

6. Naunton, J. (2000). Head for Business (Intermediate). Oxford: Oxford

University Press.

7. Wallwork, A. (1999). Business Options. Oxford : Oxford University Press.

138