TOPIC 3 LOCATION AND

WORKPLACE

Grammar: there is/there are, some/any

Video: Places of work
GROUP DISCUSSION

• Does your company have offices or operations in different countries?

• Do you always work in the same place? What places do you visit for your job?
• Where is your head office?
MATCH THE WORKPLACES WITH THEIR DESCRIPTIONS

• Research and development center (R&D) 1. We make all our products here.
• Factory 2. We design new products here.
• Distribution center 3. Our sales reps visit customers four
• Sales Office days a week but come here on Fridays.

• Head office 4. The Managing Director and all the

other company directors work here.
5. The products come here and we
deliver them to customers.
CHILD’S PLAY

LEGO produces play materials for children. LEGO bricks and toys are popular all over the
world and the company sells them in more than 140 countries. LEGO is a Danish company
and its name is from the Danish phrase ‘leg godt’ (play well). It operates on six continents
and has about 14,000 employees. There are also LEGOLAND parks in Asia, Europe, and
North America.
 3.1 LISTEN TO A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE LEGO GROUP.
HOW MANY SALES OFFICES ARE THERE IN EACH CONTINENT?

Continent Number of sales offices

Europe
Asia
North America
South America
Australia
Africa
3.1 LISTEN TO THE PRESENTATION AGAIN. TICK THE WORKPLACES THAT
ARE IN EACH COUNTRY IN THE TABLE BELOW

Country Head office R&D center Factory Distribution

center
China
Czech Republic
Denmark
Hungary
Mexico
USA
LANGUAGE TIP

• ABOUT/AROUND • HEADQUARTES/HQ
About/around = approximately: Headquarters/HQ = head office:
The company has 847 employees. = The Samsung’s headquarters is in Seoul.
company has about 850 employees.
It sells products in 102 countries. = It sells
products in around 100 countries.
THREE REASONS TO CHOOSE SINGAPORE FOR
YOUR BUSINESS
• Location
Singapore is a small island country in the center
of South-East Asia and is the perfect place to do
business in the region. There are flights to about
300 cities around the world from its busy Changi
airport, and there is a harbor for the import and
export of goods by sea.
THREE REASONS TO CHOOSE SINGAPORE FOR
YOUR BUSINESS
• Business
Thousands of international businesses choose
Singapore as their regional headquarters. There
are low taxes for businesses to pay and there
aren’t any problems with visas for foreign
workers. Singapore is also a great place to have a
conference because there are hundreds of hotels
and large exhibition centers. For example, there is
Changi Exhibition Center near the airport.
THREE REASONS TO CHOOSE SINGAPORE FOR
YOUR BUSINESS
• The City
Singapore is a great place to live and work. There
are some excellent schools, hospitals and other
public services. And there isn’t a crime problem
– it’s a very safe city.
 3.2 TWO PEOPLE ARE DISCUSSING A LOCATION FOR A
CONFERENCE. COMPLETE THEIR CONVERSATION WITH THE
WORDS FROM THE LIST BELOW:
• There are A: Dubai is a great location for a conference. The weather is
always good.
• There is
B: What about the airport? _____ lots of international flights?
• There isn’t
A: Yes, _____. And _____ a problem with transport from the
• Is there
airport because public transport is excellent in Dubai.
• Are there
B: But _____ a good place for a conference?
A: Yes, _____. It’s the Dubai International Exhibition and
Convention complex. It’s perfect.
TICK THE RIGHT OPTION A OR B

1. a) There are three factories in Europe and one in Asia.

b) There’s three factories in Europe and one in Asia.
2. a) There aren’t any sales reps in China.
b) There are any sales reps in China.
3. a) There are some managers in the technical center and some in the head office.
b) There is some managers in the technical center and some in the head office.
4. a) There isn’t some distribution center in the UK.
b) There isn’t a distribution center in the UK.
TICK THE RIGHT OPTION A OR B

5. a) There isn’t any sales office in Dubai.

b) There isn’t a sales office in Dubai.
6. a) Are there a computer programmer here?
b) Are there any computer programmers here?
7. a) Is there a receptionist in the technical center? Yes, there are.
b) Is there a receptionist in the technical center? Yes, there is.
8. a) Is there a car part at the distribution center. Yes, there isn’t.
b) Is there a car part at the distribution center. No, there isn’t.
VIDEO 01: PLACES OF WORK

Preview: Speaker Job Company Place of

work
In this video lesson, people talk Speaker 1
about their places of work. There is
Speaker 2
an interview with Tom Sutherland.
Tom needs new offices for his web Speaker 3
design company. He visits two
locations and must choose one. Speaker 4

Speaker 5
VIDEO 02: WATCH VIDEO 02 ABOUT DIFFERENT OFFICES
CHOOSE WHICH WORD IS ODD IN EACH GROUP

• Furniture: desk, shelves, webcam, chair

• Equipment: phone, printer, door, laptop
• Age: modern, new, quiet, old
• Facilities: kitchen, client, toilets, parking
• Size: noisy, small, big, medium-sized
• Appearance: fast, attractive, beautiful,
light
LOOKING AT OFFICES

VIDEO 03 VIDEO 04
Tom Sutherland is a web designer. At the Answer the questions after you watch
moment he works from home but he needs video 04.
an office. Answer the questions after you a) Where is the second office?
watch video 03.
b) What equipment and facilities are
a) Why does Tom want a new office? there in the second office?
b) Where is the first office? c) Can Tom decide?
c) What equipment and facilities are
there in the first office?
WATCH VIDEO 05 AND OFFICE POSITIVE NEGATIVE
WRITE DOWN POSITIVE
AND NEGATIVE THINGS
ABOUT EACH OFFICE.

OFFICE 1

In your opinion, which is the best

office for Tom in terms of:

a) The location and facilities OFFICE 2

b) The furniture and equipment

c) The ages, size and appearance