Communicative English III

Pre-Intermediate
Business English
Unit 3: Checking Progress
Class session: Thursday, December 3rd 2020

Prof. Carmen Gloria Pérez, Mg.

Profesor Asistente
Escuela de Administración y Negocios
Universidad de Concepción
Campus Chillán
Learning objective: to ask for and answer how long an activity has been taking
place.

Contents:
 Vocabulary to describe work experience, personal experience and company
history.
 Past Tense and Past Participle form of regular and irregular verbs.
 The Present Perfect Tense

Test date Time

December 10th 10:30
 First, let’s see a typical
sentence in the
Past Present Perfect Tense.
Aux. Participle
verb Verb

I have lived in Chillan for 20 years.

I haven’t lived in Chillán for 20 years.

Remember that we’ll form the Present Perfect with auxiliary verb HAVE + a verb in the past
participle form.

presentperfecttense
WARNING:
We do not use the present perfect with an adverb which refers to past time which is finished:

I have seen that film yesterday.

We have just bought a new car last week.
When we were children we have been to California.

But we can use it to refer to a time which is not yet finished:

Have you seen Helen today?

We have bought a new car this week.

presentperfecttense
 Is the box open, or closed?
Can you still put something inside it, or not?

Yesterday
Last week
Today Last night
This week Last month
This month Two days ago
This afternoon
presentperfecttense
 The uses of the Present Perfect

• With Just/recently (recién)

• With Ever/Never (nunca)

• With Yet (todavía)

1. I have just explained the Simple Present Tense rules.

2. I have never taught German.

3. I haven’t finished my class yet.

 Let’s learn how
to answer this
common
Cuanto
tiempo? question.

How long have you lived in this house?

For Since

presentperfecttense
How long have they lived in this house?
They bought this
house in 2000, and
moved to live there.

They have lived in this house since 2000.

They have lived this house for 20 years.
 Your Time line
Be student (2016)
Have a pet/ 2015

Live in Chillan/1996

Be in a relationship/ 2017
 Your Time line Have a pet/ 2015
Be student (2016)

I have been a student at UdeC for 4 years.

I have been a student at UdeC since 2016
I have had a pet for 5 years.
I have had a pet since 2015.

Be in a relationship/ 2017
Live in Chillan/1996
 Write about Nokia corporation using SINCE/FOR in each case.
Fact Time
World’s leader cell 2000
phone maker
Headquarters in Helsinki 20 years
Mr. Rajeev Suri, CEO 2014
Main Factory in India 2010 DO YOUR
HOMEWORK¡¡¡

1a. Nokia has been the world’s leader cell phone maker since 2000
1b.Nokia has been the world’s leader cell phone maker for 20 years.
 Write about Christine Lagarde.
Use Simple Past or Present Perfect as corresponds.

Fact Time
Director of IMF 2011 – to date
Gets married with 1982 – to date
Wilfried Lagarde
Finance Minister for 2008-2011
Eurozone
DO YOUR
Lives in Paris 1956-to date HOMEWORK¡¡¡

1. She has been director of the IMF for 9 years.

2a. She was Finance Minister for Eurozone for 4 years.

2b. She was Finance Minister for the Eurozone from 2008 to 2011.
We have seen how to use the Present Perfect Tense associated
with some specific adverbs.

How long an action has

for & since been taking place.

To say something has recently

just – never- ever – yet happened / never happened / is likely
to happen but has not yet occurred.

presentperfecttense
  The people in the photo are all
business administration students.

 This is their 4th year at the university.

 The photo was taken today morning;

they are happy because they are in
the final minutes of their last
econometrics class of their lives.
Write sentences about the photo. Use
for/since, just, yet.

 They have been at the University for 4 years.

 They have studied at the University since 2016.
 They have just finished their econometrics course.
 They haven’t finished their careers yet.

presentperfecttense
  The people in the photo are the Smiths.
They got married in 2000.

 The photo was taken this week. They are

admiring their brand new car.

 They bought the car to take a trip to Torres

del Paine.

Write sentences about the photo. Use

for/since, just, yet.
 They have been married for 20 years.
 They have been married since 2000.
 They have just bought a new car.
 They haven’t been to Torres del Paine yet.

presentperfecttense
  The girl in the photo is Sandra Soto.
 In the photo she is at the university, on her
graduation day (the photo was taken this
week)

For/since
Write sentences about the photo. Use Just
for/since, just, yet, as corresponds and the
Yet
verbs given.
1. Finish
2. Get a job

presentperfecttense
  The girl in the photo is Sandra Soto.
 In the photo she is at the university, on her
graduation day (the photo was taken this
week)

1. Finish
Write sentences about Sandra. Use for/since or
2. Get a job
just or yet, as corresponds and the verbs
given.
1. Sandra has just graduated from the university.
or
2. Sandra has just finished the university.
And

3. She hasn’t got a job yet.

presentperfecttense
Read John Williams resume.
Which verb tenses would you use to write about his
Job experience?

We can actually combine the Simple Present,

Simple Past and Present Perfect.

mixed tenses
Present Perfect

Simple Past

Present

Personal experience
 Summarize John Williams
professional experience.

 John Williams is a business administrator with a Master’s degree on Digital Marketing. He

is fluent in English.

 He has been the marketing director of Sanjo Corporation for 5 years.

 He has been the marketing director of Sanjo Corporation since 2015.

 He was sales assistant in the sales department at DBA Fruit Exports Co, from 2002-2007.

Personal experience
Writing 1

Read the example conversation. It’s an update about the

electricians job advance on a resort project. Write 2 similar
conversations. 1 about the Plumbers and 1 about the decorators.

A: How are the electricians doing?

B: They have installed the fire alarms and they have finished the
lights, but they haven’t tested the system yet.

gettinganupdate
 Listening 1.

Dan gives Cindy an update of the arrangements for  her trip to Brazil.
  Complete the sentences with the correct verbs.

1.Dan hasn’t ……………….. the arrangement for the trip to Brazil.

2.Dan has …...........................the flights.

3.Dan will …………………… the details to Cindy.

4.He has ……………………….reservations at the Hyatt and Sonesta hotels.

5.He hasn’t …………………. a car yet, the rental company is going to ……… him the price list.

presentperfecttense
 Listening 2
Listen to a conversation between a Project Engineer and the foreman at the
construction site. Fill in the blanks with what the Project Engineer says.

1. ______________ you __________________ the main building?

2. ______________you ___________________the bungalows yet?
3. ______________ you ___________________ the pool?
4. ______________you ___________________  the golf course yet?
 

presentperfecttense