BUSINESS ENGLISH

Business English
•Unit 1 Customers.
Key vocabulary
• balance,
• delivery,
• employees,
• code of practice,
• customer care,
• customers,
• goods,
• services,
• repeat business,
• customer loyalty,
• fast service,
• free service,
• guarantee,
• long hours,
• personal loan,
• telephone bank,
• service
Unit 1. Customers
• Direct/indirect questions
• Customer care
• Making offers
• Formal writing
Grammar: Direct and Indirect Questions
• Direct questions are used to learn information:
- Where is the library?
- Does the company have a Code of practice?

• Indirect questions are asked to receive more personal

information or when you want to be polite:
- Could you tell me what country you are from?
- Can you tell me where I can get a refund?
Grammar: Direct and Indirect Questions
• General direct questions (Yes/No)
General direct questions are formed with the help of
auxiliary verbs:
- Are you informed about the latest news?
- Do you read business news in English?
Special direct questions (Wh-; How )
Special direct questions are formed with the help of
auxiliary verbs too:
- Where are you from?
- How many languages do you speak?
Grammar: Direct and Indirect Questions
• Indirect questions are formed with the help of polite
introduction and do not require auxiliary verbs.
• Polite introductions:
- Can you tell me…
- Could you tell me…
- Please, give me information …
- Is it possible to ask…
- Be so kind to inform us…,
- etc.
• Indirect general questions are formed with the use of if
Grammar: Direct and Indirect Questions
Direct question Indirect question

Are you informed about the Can you tell me if you are
latest news? informed about the latest
news?

Where are you from? Is it possible to ask where

you are from?

Does he speak Spanish? Can you tell me if he

speaks Spanish?

How long have you worked Tell me, please, how long
for this company? you have worked for this
company?
Skills
• Filling in a form
Skills
• Forms are documents containing questions.
Forms are documents filled in for different purposes:
- application;
- membership;
- subscription;
- check in;
- etc.
Skills. Example of a form.
Name of the Company
Name of the Document ( request, application form, etc.)

1 Name Surname  
2 Address  
3 Telephone  
4 Occupation  
5 etc.  
6    
7    
8    
9    
10    
Skills. Practice
• Design a form.
• Ask indirect questions to a partner.
• Fill in the form.
• Write the indirect questions under the table of the form.
Skills. Practice. Example.
ISMA Library
Subscription form

Name, Surname

Email

Study programme

Year of studies

etc
Skills. Practice. Example.
• Questions:
1. Please, tell me what your surname is?
2. Could you tell me what study programme you are
studying at?
3. etc.
Thank you.
Much success in your further studies