Business English

Business English Unit 1 .................................................................................................................7 Pre-Reading Tasks..........................................................................................7 Reading...........................................................................................................7 Ways with words............................................................................................8 Grammar Reference ....................................................................................12 The verb to be...........................................................................................12 The demonstrative pronoun and adjective...............................................13 Question forms.........................................................................................13 Controlled practice ......................................................................................14 Unit 2 ...............................................................................................................16 Pre-reading tasks..........................................................................................16 Reading.........................................................................................................16 Ways with words..........................................................................................18 Grammar reference ......................................................................................23 The personal pronoun...............................................................................23 Mood, tense and aspect............................................................................24 Present Simple..........................................................................................24 Present Continuous...................................................................................25 Controlled practice ......................................................................................26 Unit 3 ...............................................................................................................31 Pre-reading tasks..........................................................................................31 Reading.........................................................................................................31 Ways with words:.........................................................................................33 Grammar reference ......................................................................................39 Verbs which do not take a continuous aspect in English........................39 The Imperative.........................................................................................39 The possessive pronoun and the posessive adjective..............................40 Controlled practice ......................................................................................40 Unit 4 ...............................................................................................................43 Pre-reading tasks:.........................................................................................43 Reading 1......................................................................................................43 Ways with words 1.......................................................................................44 2

Business English Reading 2......................................................................................................45 Ways with words 2.......................................................................................46 Grammar Reference.....................................................................................49 Classification of nouns.............................................................................49 Number of nouns......................................................................................49 The Genitive.............................................................................................50 Controlled practice.......................................................................................51 Unit 5 ...............................................................................................................59 Pre-reading tasks..........................................................................................59 Reading.........................................................................................................59 Ways with words..........................................................................................60 Grammar Reference ....................................................................................67 Past Simple...............................................................................................67 Past Continuous........................................................................................69 Past Simple and Past Continuous.............................................................70 Expressions of quantity............................................................................70 The Adjective...........................................................................................71 The order of adjectives in a series............................................................72 Controlled practice ......................................................................................73 Unit 6................................................................................................................85 Pre-Reading Tasks........................................................................................85 Reading.........................................................................................................85 Ways with words..........................................................................................89 Grammar Reference ....................................................................................92 Present Perfect Simple.............................................................................92 Present Perfect Simple and Past Simple..................................................94 The Preposition........................................................................................94 Prepositions of time..................................................................................95 Controlled practice ......................................................................................96 Unit 7..............................................................................................................102 Pre-reading tasks........................................................................................102 Reading.......................................................................................................102 3

Business English Universitatea Ovidius Constana Facultatea de Litere ..............................102 Aleea Universitii nr. 1 Constana 8700.......................................................102 Grammar Reference ..................................................................................106 Present Perfect Continuous....................................................................106 Modal Verbs...........................................................................................107 Problematic prepositions of movement and place.................................108 Controlled practice ....................................................................................108 Unit 8 .............................................................................................................112 Pre-reading tasks........................................................................................112 Reading.......................................................................................................112 WAYS WITH WORDS.........................................................................113 Grammar Reference ..................................................................................113 The Cardinal Numeral............................................................................113 Past Perfect Simple................................................................................114 Past Perfect Continuous.........................................................................115 Controlled practice ....................................................................................116 Unit 9..............................................................................................................121 Pre-reading tasks........................................................................................121 Reading.......................................................................................................121 WAYS WITH WORDS.........................................................................122 Grammar Reference ..................................................................................123 Future Simple.........................................................................................123 Comparative and Superlative Adjectives...............................................124 Comparative Sentences..........................................................................126 Controlled practice ....................................................................................126 Test.................................................................................................................131 Unit 10 ...........................................................................................................134 Pre-reading task..........................................................................................134 Reading.......................................................................................................134 Ways with words........................................................................................137 Grammar Reference ..................................................................................141 Be going to Future..................................................................................141 4

Business English Future Simple or Be Going To?.............................................................142 First Conditional.....................................................................................143 Controlled practice ....................................................................................143 Unit 11............................................................................................................148 Pre-Reading Task.......................................................................................148 Reading.......................................................................................................148 Ways with words........................................................................................150 Grammar Reference ..................................................................................157 The Ordinal Numeral.............................................................................157 The Fractional Numeral.........................................................................157 The Multiplicative Numeral...................................................................158 Second Conditional................................................................................158 Controlled practice ....................................................................................159 Unit 12............................................................................................................161 Pre-reading tasks........................................................................................161 Reading.......................................................................................................161 Ways with words........................................................................................164 Grammar Reference ..................................................................................169 The Article..............................................................................................169 Third Conditional...................................................................................171 Controlled practice ....................................................................................171 Unit 13 ...........................................................................................................176 Reading.......................................................................................................176 Ways with words........................................................................................181 Grammar Reference ..................................................................................186 The Adverb.............................................................................................186 The Passive Voice .................................................................................188 Controlled practice ....................................................................................189 Unit 14 ...........................................................................................................194 Pre-reading.................................................................................................194 Reading.......................................................................................................194 Ways with words........................................................................................196 5

Business English Grammar Reference ..................................................................................201 Punctuation.............................................................................................201 The Infinitive..........................................................................................205 The Participle.........................................................................................206 The Gerund.............................................................................................206 Controlled practice.....................................................................................208 Unit 15............................................................................................................211 Pre-reading.................................................................................................211 Reading ......................................................................................................211 Ways with words........................................................................................213 Grammar Reference ..................................................................................217 The Conjunction ....................................................................................217 Coordinating Conjunctions....................................................................217 Subordinating Conjunctions...................................................................217 Grammar Reference ..................................................................................218 Direct and indirect (reported) speech.....................................................218 Sequence of tenses.................................................................................220 Controlled practice ....................................................................................222 Test.................................................................................................................226 Evaluation.......................................................................................................228 Appendix 1.....................................................................................................230 Appendix 2.....................................................................................................238 Appendix 3.....................................................................................................248 Bibliography...................................................................................................250

Business English

Unit 1
In this unit you will learn:

Social English The English Alphabet The Verb to be The Demonstrative Pronoun and the Demonstrative Adjective Question forms

Pre-Reading Tasks
Whats your name? How old are you? Where do you live? What do you specialise in?

Reading
Read the following text about Mihaela Vlad, a student in Romania: My name is Mihaela Vlad and I am a student in the Faculty of Economic Sciences at Petroleum-Gas University of Ploieti. I come from Arad, a town in the West of Romania. I came here to study because I have always been keen on economics and I really hope to learn many useful things here. Im studying Spanish and English, and I can speak Spanish well and a little English. I improved my Spanish when I went on a two-month holiday to my aunt in Spain. I also hope that in a short time I will improve my English, as, on the one hand, it is very useful to speak foreign languages and on the other 7

Business English hand, I might need it for my future job. In Romania there are lots of foreign companies where I can work if I am fluent in one or two foreign languages. Today, when English is one of the major languages in the world, it doesnt require too much effort of our imagination to realise that this is a relatively recent thing - that people started to import English in the seventeenth century, with the first settlements in North America. As I could read in an article, one person in seven of the worlds entire population speaks English nowadays and most of them are quite fluent in it. Incredibly enough, due to the extension of computerized systems and software which are mostly in English, 75% of the worlds mail and 60% of the worlds telephone calls are in English. Again incredibly, yet true is the fact that 200 million people speak English and every year there are twenty million beginners. International literary, scientific and economic publications are very often printed in English. So, the quicker I learn it, the more opportunities I may have to read interesting materials connected to my field and to get a good job in the future.

Everyday English
Practise saying the letters of the alphabet according to the vowel sounds: /ei/ a h j l k /i:/ b c d e g p t v /e/ f l m n s x z /ai/ i y /u/ o /u:/ q u w /a:/ r

Ways with words

1. Can you keep a conversation going with someone for two or three minutes? Choose a partner who you dont know well, or imagine your partner is a stranger. Work in small groups and find out things about your partner. 2. Spell the name of Mihaela Vlad. Then work in pairs. Spell your name in English to your deskmate. Then find out how to spell his/her name. 8

Business English

3. What do you think a good language learner can do? Choose beginnings from A and suitable endings from B. There are many possible answers: A good language learner: A borrows books writes things down guesses words tries to study tries to learn practises speaking 4. Social Exchanges Supply the best word or words: 1. You are late for an appointment, so you say, .Im late. a) Sorry/Im sorry b) Excuse me c) Forgive me d) Pardon me 2. You fail to hear what someone says to you, so you say, .? a) Excuse me b) Pardon c) Forgive me d) Pardon me 3. A passenger on a bus complains you are standing on his foot; you say, ! a) Sorry b) Forgive me c) Excuse me d) Pardon me 4. Here is your apology for bad behaviour: ..for my awful behaviour last night. 9 B without a teacher. in every way possible. without being told to. in real situations. every day possible. from films, TV and records.

Business English a) Please pardon me b) Please forgive me c) I beg your pardon 5. You answer the phone and you say, ..! a) Speak b) Hello c) Enter d) Say 6. You are introduced to a stranger, so you say, ..? a) How are you b) How do you do c) What do you do 7. You are leaving, so you say, .! a) Adieu b) Goodbye c) Farewell 8. You are refusing food that is offered; you say, a) Thank you b) No, thank you c) Thanks 9. You thank me for holding the door open and my response may be, . a) Its nothing b) c) Please d) Nothing 10. You meet a friend at the airport on arrival and you may say, ..London! a) Welcome to b) Be welcome to c) Welcome in d) I wish you welcome to 10

Business English 11. Someone asks you how you are and you answer, , thanks. a) Good b) Very good c) Fine d) Very fine 12. Your friend is waiting for you to finish what you are doing and you say, .. a) One moment b) A moment c) One minute d) Just a minute 13. You are attending an interview and the interviewer says, . a) Sit yourself b) Take a seat c) Sit d) Sit you 14. The class stands up as you enter the room and you say, a) Sit yourselves b) Take a seat c) Sit down d) Sit 15. This is what you say to a friend on January 1st: .New Year! a) Lucky b) Happy c) Merry d) Good

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Business English 5. In the text about Mihaela Vlad, you learned the expression on the one hand .... on the other hand which means pe de o parte ... pe de alt parte. Lets learn more expressions containing the preposition on: to be on duty = a fi de serviciu; on account of = pe baza, din cauz c, lund n consideraie c; on and on = fr ntrerupere, la nesfrit; and so on = i aa mai departe; on this ground = din acest motiv; to turn on/ to switch on (the light, the radio, etc.) = a deschide/ a aprinde (lumina, radioul,etc.); on this assumption = pe baza acestei presupuneri; on the basis of = pe baza; on behalf of sb. = n numele cuiva, din partea cuiva; on the contrary = din contr; on record = cunoscut; on the score of = ca rezultat; on the verge of = pe punctul de, pe cale, n pragul; on the whole = n general, n ntregime; on demand = la cerere; on condition that = cu condiia; on purpose = dinadins, intenionat; on principle = din principiu; on the first attempt = la prima ncercare; on a sudden = brusc, deodat, pe neateptate; on trial = de prob.

Grammar Reference
The verb to be Affirmative I am Im You are Youre Interrogative am I? are you? 12 Negative I am not You are not Im not Youre not / You

Business English arent He is not She is not It is not We are not arent You are not

He is She is It is We are You are

Hes Shes Its Were Youre

is he? is she? is it? are we? are you? are they?

Hes not / He isnt Shes not / She isnt Its not / It isnt Were not / We Youre not / You

They are Theyre

arent They are not Theyre not / They arent

Form Short answer Are you a student in Management? Yes, I am. No, Im not. Is she an accountant? Yes, she is. No, she isnt. The demonstrative pronoun and adjective Form Reference near reference distant reference Singular this that Plural these those

Question forms
Look at the following question words: What do you do for a living? - Im an accountant. Who is your teacher of English? Joan Smith is. Where is Madrid? - In Spain. When do you start the meeting? - On Friday, May, 2nd. Why are you learning English? - Because I need it for my job. How do you come to Ploieti? - By train. Whose are these papers? - They are Victors.

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Business English What and which can be followed by a noun. What time is it? What kind of chemistry do you study? Which pen do you want, the blue one or the green one? How can be followed by an adjective or an adverb. How old are you? How often do you play football?

Controlled practice
1. Translate into English: a. Eu sunt contabil. El este englez. b. Acelea sunt colegele tale? Nu, acestea sunt colegele mele, Monica i Andra. c. Acesta este un casetofon. d. Acela este un televizor. e. Noi suntem studeni. f. Sunt ei specialiti francezi? Nu, nu sunt. g. Suntei voi economiti? Nu, noi nu suntem, noi suntem ingineri. h. Cine este aici? John este aici. El este cel mai bun student din grupa noastr. El are note foarte mari. i. Cine nu este aici? Maria nu este aici i nici George nu este. j. Ele sunt chimiste. Cursurile acestea sunt ale lor. Acestea sunt cursurile mele. 2. Turn these sentences into questions and answer them: e.g. Canterbury is a town. Is Canterbury a town? Yes, it is. a. London is a town in England. b. You are an accountant. c. My father is a doctor. d. Elizabeth II is the queen of England. e. We are students.

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Business English 3. Complete the following text using the appropriate pronouns: a. .... is Johns pencil. It must be his because its got his name on it. b. Are ...pencils yours, John? Yes, they are. Thanks. They havent got my name on them, but they belong to me. c. . is a house. Its over here. . is a car. Its over there. d. Is . an electric heater? No, that is an electric generator. . is an electric heater. e. ... are metals. Those are substances. 4. Translate the following text into English: a. De unde eti? Sunt din Arad. b. Cnd ai venit prima oar n Ploieti? Anul trecut. c. Ci ani ai? Douzeci i nou. d. Ce mai faci? Sunt bine, mulumesc. e. De ce te grbeti? 5. Choose the appropriate question form in the following sentences: a. What/Which time is the plane due to arrive? b. What/ How are you today? c. Where/ When are you going now? d. Who/How are you? I am Mary Jones. e. What/ Which of these paintings do you like best? 6. Ask short questions on these statements, using who, what, where: e.g. Ive just received a letter./ Who from? a. I want to take this notebook with me. (for) b. Will you please open this box? (with) c. Im going to Spain next week. (by) d. Please, get me a glass of water. (from) e. John is very angry. (with).

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Business English

Unit 2
In this unit you will learn:

A Case Study The Personal Pronoun Present Simple Present Continuous

Pre-reading tasks
Have you ever written a case study? What parts does it include?

Reading
Read the following case study on Fournier et CIE. Then read and translate the article on Fournier et CIE published in an economic magazine. Pay attention to the present tenses: Fournier et CIE is a medium-sized company producing for export hand-made shoes and gloves in natural materials. They obtained good prices for their fashionable designs. Yet customers are dissatisfied with the standard of the materials which seem to be too loosely woven. Another complaint is that deliveries are not prompt, which makes impossible for the customers to maintain satisfactory stock levels and fulfil their sale schedules. In order to solve their problems, they had a meeting with one of their most important clients, Mr. Jacobson. The general manager was not present due to health problems. Here is the minutes of the meeting. 16

Business English

Today, April, 26, 2002, we had a short meeting in order to solve the problem of delivery and the complaints concerning the standard materials. Mr. Jacobson explained that the moment his company saw the samples of our hand-made lines, he was authorized to discuss the terms of an order with us and negotiate a contract. Yet the quality of the standard materials was much better at that time, as he showed us two different types of gloves and shoes, and consequently the difference in texture. Mrs. Higgins, our production manager explained that due to the extended needs of materials, we changed the supplier of materials, yet Mr. Jacobson had been told about this two months before this change, and he had been also sent the standard materials at that time, when he approved their quality. Mr. Jacobson mentioned that delivery order no. 3425 had a problem, in the sense that the material of the summer shoes seemed to be too loosely woven and was inclined to pull out of shape. He said that his representatives relied on the high quality of the materials we sent them and they were all the more disappointed in the case because we supplied the cloth to new customers. Mrs. Higgins assured him of a better quality in the future. The problem of delivery will also be solved, as we had to solve out problems of cloth delivery last week. As we couldnt possibly allow this situation to continue, we had to make our supplier understand that unless they could guarantee to deliver supplies by the dates specified in future orders, we would be forced to look for another supplier. No longer excellent merchandise for their customers? Several weeks ago we published an incredible story of a medium-sized company producing for export hand-made shoes and gloves in natural materials which amazingly succeeded in attracting customers, due to their excellent products. Yet it seems that every dream is over sooner or later. Fournier et CIE experiences difficulties with their biggest customer, R&T Lines. Today they 17

Business English obtained good prices for their fashionable designs. In a meeting today, the representative of R&T Lines explained that his staff is dissatisfied with the standard of the materials which seem to be too loosely woven. How could this happen? Higgins, the one in charge of production seems not to know. Yet the answer is very simple: the moment Fournier et CIE extended, they realized that they needed more suppliers of materials, and due to good prices they also accepted lower offers, as well as lower quality. The truth is somewhere in the middle, as Jacobson answered our questions in a very ambiguous manner: Yes, I knew about the change of the supplier. He also admitted that he had approved the standard material for order no 3425. Yet it seems that indeed they are experiencing problems, as this is not the only unsatisfied customers. The problem of delivery will be solved, according to Higgins: We had to solve out problems of cloth delivery last week. Yet, should we really believe that? Clients are quite fed up with promises. They want facts. It seems that the great boon the company had in the beginning has changed a lot nowadays, unfortunately. Probably they need a new company policy and a new board.

Ways with words

1. How do you translate the sentence: As we couldnt possibly allow this situation to continue? . Lets learn some expressions containing the word as: as compared with = n comparaie cu; as a consequence of = ca o consecin a; as if/ as though = ca i cum; as far as = ntruct, pe ct, n msura n care; as far as it goes = n ceea ce privete; as follows = precum/ dup cum urmeaz; as long as = att timp ct; as regards = n ceea ce privete; as a rule = de regul, n principiu; 18

Business English as seen = dup cum se vede; as shown in Table. 2 = cum s-a artat n Tabelul 2; as soon as possible = ct de curnd posibil as such = ca atare; as well = deopotriv, de asemenea; as well as = ct i, tot aa ca; as when = ca atunci cnd, ca n cazul n care; as yet/ so far/ up to now/ up to the present = pn n prezent; such as = astfel ca, ca de exemplu. 2. Read the following sentence taken from the same text: How do you translate they were all the more disappointed in the case? Now learn some expressions with the adjective all. beyond all doubt = n afar de orice ndoial; all at once = dintr-o dat; all the better = cu att mai bine; all in all = n ntregime, cu totul; all in good time = toate la timpul lor; all the more as = cu att mai mult cu ct; all over = peste tot; first of all = nainte de toate; of all kinds = de toate felurile; that is about all = ca, asta-i tot; it is all one to them = le este tot una; once for all = o dat pentru totdeauna. Now practise these expressions in sentences of your own. 3. Read the following sentence again: Clients are quite fed up with promises. How do you translate to be fed up with something? Now learn some phrasal verbs containing the particle up. Use your dictionary in order to translate them. weigh up 19 bring up

Business English take up (three meanings) step up phrasal verbs. a. Before preparing the contract, may I go over one or two points again, please? b. We have to increase our work-rate if we are going to get the accounts finished in time. c. If Im going to have any chance of becoming a member of the Board, Ill have to start playing golf. d. Id like to mention the subject of expense claims at our next meeting. e. (Chairman, at a meeting).Your point is interesting, Donna, but Id like to discuss it later, if I may. f. We must consider all the possibilities before we decide which market to enter. g. I start my new appointment next month. h. We didnt get many orders last quarter but now sales have improved. 4. Choose the colour (you will need to use some words more then once) black blue brown green grey pink red white yellow draw up pick up

Now replace the words in italics in the following sentences with the following

a. In most countries, goods that are scarce are usually freely available on the market provided you have the money to pay for them. b. You can argue with her until youre in the face, but once shes made up her mind she wont listen to you, no matter what you say. c. After several weeks of discussions, the group were given the . light, and could finally go ahead with the new project. d. Theres no point in asking my boss for a day off next week. Im in her . books at the moment so shes bound to say no. 20

Business English e. She had only recently had lunch with her cousin, so the news of his death came as bolt from the f. Although we got a lot of nice wedding presents, we also got one or two elephants. g. There is a common prejudice that girls who are very beautiful must automatically be lacking in . matter so-called dumb blondes. h. Next Friday is a .-letter day for my sister and her husband; its their 25th anniversary. i. After sunbathing for two hours every day, Joanna was as as a berry. j. The managing directors reference to the forthcoming sales conference was a . herring. He just wanted to get off the subject of this months poor sales figures. k. She went as . as a sheet when she heard about the accident. l. If there was a war, I dont think Id fight. Ive got too much of a .. streak. Id be terrified of getting killed. m. Im sorry, James, I refuse to believe it unless you can show it to me in .. and ! n. Ever since Tom got that huge order with Saudi-Arabia hes been the bosss ..-eyed boy. o. Dont mention the present government in front of my father; its like a . rag to a bull. p. I was with envy when my neighbour drove up in a brand-new Jaguar. q. By the way, Joyce, my husband was tickled .. at your asking him to judge the flower show. r. For some reason, Swedish films are often synonymous with . films, which is very strange as there is relatively little pornography in Sweden.

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Business English s. Sometimes it is better to tell a . lie than to hurt someones feelings. t. My wife always goes bright whenever she gets embarrassed. 5. Put each of the following phrases in its correct place in the sentences below. out of the blue once in a blue moon to have green fingers in the red to catch someone red-handed in black and white a black sheep green with envy red tape

a. The offer of a job sounded very good on the phone but I wont believe it till I have it b. I must remind you that this is a non-smoking office. I suspect that some of you have been smoking. If I happen Im afraid it will mean dismissal. c. To import firearms into Britain youll have to fill in a lot of forms. Theres a lot of d. If you want to be a successful gardener, of course youve got e. The rest of the family were respectable, honest people but he was always in trouble. Im afraid he was . f. When I saw him in his new sports car, I was. g. Tourists often go to the Louvre, but most Parisians only go h. The firm is . . It owes a lot of money. i. I had lost touch with Jake, and then one night he arrived at my flat right What a surprise!

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Business English

Grammar reference
The personal pronoun
The nominative. Form Person First person Second person Third person Singular I you he - masculine she - feminine it - objects and animals Plural we you they

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Business English

The accusative/The dative. Form Person First person Second person Third person Singular (to) me (to) you (to) him (to) her (to) it Plural (to) us (to) you (to) them

Mood, tense and aspect

Mood, tense and aspect are grammatical categories of the verb. Roughly speaking, mood presents the attitude of the speaker towards an action or a state expressed by the verb, tense gives an indication of when the action happens and aspect reflects the status of action referring to duration, result, etc.

Present Simple
Present Simple is used to express: a repeated action or habit (it is often used with adverbs of frequency such as: always, constantly, continually, ever, frequently, forever, hardly, never, normally, occasionally, often, rarely, regularly, seldom, sometimes, usually, etc.): I usually get up at 7.30. Japanese people like to travel. Most evenings we stay in. a fact which is always true (general truths and states): Wood floats on water. The Earth moves round the Sun. The Danube floats into the Black Sea. a fact which is true for a long time 24

Business English I live in Ploiesti. She works in a bank. Present Simple is used in explanations, demonstrations and stage directions: Her drawing shows two parts of a hyperbolic curve. I add flour to the egg yolks and place the basin into the oven. The door bell rings. She listens quietly. A window opens and a masked man enters the room. Form Affirmative I work You work He works She works It works We work You work They work Short answer Do you like spring? Yes, I do. Does he speak French? No, he doesnt. Interrogative Do I work? Do you work? Does he work? Does she work? Does it work? Do we work? Do you work? Do they work? Negative I do not (dont) work You do not (dont) work He does not (doesnt) work She does not (doesnt) work It does not (doesnt) work We do not (dont) work You do not (dont) work They do not (dont) work

Present Continuous
Present Continuous is used to express: an activity happening now or around now They are watching TV in their bedroom now. I am living with my parents this week. a planned future arrangement: Im meeting them at 11 oclock tomorrow. Form 25

Business English Present Continuous is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb be followed by the indefinite participle of the main verb (verb+-ing). Affirmative I am working You are working He is working She is working It is working We are working You are working They are working Short answer Are you coming? Yes, I am. No, Im not. Is she watching TV? Yes, she is. No, she isnt. Interrogative Am I working? Are you working? Is he working? Is she working? Is it working? Are we working? Are you working? Are they working? Negative I am not working You are not (arent) working He is not (isnt) working She is not (isnt) working It is not (isnt) working We are not (arent) working You are not(arent) working They are not (arent) working

Controlled practice
1. Translate the following sentences into English: a. El este contabil la o companie important. b. Ei nu vorbesc engleza, dar noi i putem ajuta. c. Pe ea o vd la curs, dar pe el nu l vd. d. mi ofero carte de contabilitate, pentru c el are dou exemplare. e. l strig pe Victor, dar nu m aude. 2. Choose the appropriate forms of the personal pronoun: a. He is studying English as he/we intends to join an American insurance company. b. I gave her/him that laptop as he needed it. c. She told me/ to me that she needed five days off. d. I think I saw him/ he in the bank yesterday. e. Have you told they/ them about your project? 26

Business English

3. Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Simple or Present Continuous: a. He usually (drink) coffee but today he (drink) tea. b. It (rain) now. It often (rain) in summer. c. He (come) to see me tonight; we (go) on a trip to Sinaia next week and we (want) to make plans for it. d. I (live) in Ploiesti, but this week, as I (attend) a course in Bucharest, I (stay) with my uncle in Calea Floreasca. e. Pardon me, sir, but I (think) you (stand) on my feet. f. Maria (come) from Spain this week. g. She (speak) French, English and Italian. h. I (cut) two slices of bread and she (prepare) an omlette. i. What you (do) here? I (look) for my glasses. j. Where you (live)? I (live) in Scotland. 4. Complete this postcard using the correct form of the verbs on the right: Greetings from Scotland! John and I ..... do something different this year. Were at the Edinburgh Activity Centre, where we .. a have good time and at the same time we .. learn different things. People.. here every summer come to learn more about their hobbies and interests. I .. photography and tennis this week do and John .. about computers. We .. up learn, get at half past eight every morning and .. lessons from ten to half past twelve. do We .. lunch at one, and then there are more have lessons. So its hard work. But I .. it here. We ..... like, have a post-office in front of the Centre. The weather is good. See you soon. Love, Kate

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Business English 5. What do you do in these situations? a. When you miss a bus or a train, do you: A. wait happily for the next one?; B. shout angrily?; C. blame someone else? b. When you think about the future, do you: A. dream of impossible success or wealth?; B. plan your future career carefully?; C. worry about what will go wrong? c. When someone asks you a questions and youre not sure of the answer, do you: A. admit you dont know?; B. give an answer you think may be right?; C. try to change the subject? d. When you forget to do something important for a friend or a member of your family, do you: A. hope they wont notice?; B. try to do something else for them?; C. feel guilty? e. When your boss or teacher is away, do you: A. start laughing and joking?; B. work hard as usual?; C. do not work at all? If most of your answers are A it means you are a very optimistic person. If you chose mostly B, it means you are an ambitious person, and if you chose mostly C, it means you are a pessimistic person. 6. Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple or continuous a. He (live) in London at present but he (hope) to move to Edinburgh next year. b. I (hope) they (realize) what a difficult job they (undertake).

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Business English c. Mike and Jack (spend) a fortnight at the seaside; they (come) back next week. d. Who (talk) to the pretty girl in the blue dress? e. The teacher (say) that you usually (make) a lot of mistakes. f. Anybody who (look) at his passenger while he (drive) is a danger on the roads. g. Mary (sleep) in the sitting room this week because her bedroom (be) redecorated. h. The path (lead) to the big house that you (see) on the hill. i. My son (work) very hard. He (study) for an examination now. j. You (hear) anything? I (listen) hard but I cant hear anything. k. Daddy (leave) always lighted cigarettes all over the house. Well burn down one day. l. Mary (leave) for London in a fortnight. m. They (clean up) the whole town in preparation for the summer. n. Mr Green always (get up) early. o. My husband usually (leave) his office at 3.00 p.m., but this month he (work) late. p. Jack often (go) to the theatre but his wife (not go) very often. He (like) all sorts of plays. She (prefer) comedies. q. Professor Brown (be) the perfect linguist. He already (speak) seven foreign languages. Now he (learn) an eighth. r. My dog always (bark) at the postman. But look at that! For once, he (be) friendly to the poor man. s. They left for London an hour ago. I (wonder) whether they (travel) by airplane or by train. t. He (walk) very slowly because the bottle he (carry) (hold) nitroglycerine and nitro-glycerine (explode) if it (be) shaken. v. Let me explain what you have to do. First you (take) the photos and (sort) them into categories. Then you (file) them according to subject.

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Business English w. The play is set in London in 1890. The action (take) place in Marys living-room. When the curtain (go) up, the hero and heroine (sit) down. They (argue). x. Dear Jane, sorry to hear about your problem at work. I (think) you (do) the right thing, but I (doubt) whether your boss really (know) his job from what you (tell) me. y. The house is a mess because weve got the workmen in. The plumber (put) in a new bath. The electricians (rewire) the system and the carpenter (build) us some new bookshelves. 7. Translate into English: a. Nu cred c te pot ajuta. b. Mama gust ciorba s vad dac mai e nevoie de sare. c. Nu beau cafea de obicei, dar astzi fac o excepie. d. El merge cu autobuzul la coal n fiecare zi. e. Noi nu nvm dect vinerea, smbta i duminica.

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Business English

Unit 3
In this unit you will learn:

A presentation of the distance learning department Verbs which do not take a Continuous Aspect in English The Imperative The possessive pronoun and adjective

Pre-reading tasks
How did you hear about the distance learning department? Why have you chosen this specialisation?

Reading
Read the following presentation which was part of a project by which our university inaugurated courses within the distance learning department. Pay attention to the aspect of the verbs (simple/ continuous aspect). Translate the text into Romanian: The specialisations in the Distance-Learning Department within PetroleumGas university of Ploiesti are: Economic engineering in the mechanical field Fiability of Petroleum and Petrochemical Equipment Drilling-Production and Reservoir Engineering Engineering of Environment Protection and Chemical and Petrochemical Industry Petroleum Technology and Petrochemistry Romanian Language and Literature- English Language and Literature Accountancy and Administration Informatics Primary School- Teachers: English/French 31

Business English For the above-mentioned specialisations we identified three categories of potential candidates: persons who want to improve their knowledge in the field of petroleum industry and refining, yet the daily work programme and the distance from the only petroleum-gas university in Romania does not allow them to enroll in a training programme (day courses, evening courses) persons who want to specialise in very important fields such as accountancy, informatics, foreign languages primary school-teachers who, in order to compete with the new undergraduate educational system, compatible with the European system, must attend the specialisation Primary School- Teachers: English/French. Within our university we could say that we have experience in such programmes due to the fact that we had a project Leonardo da Vinci, in which we worked with our colleagues from Minho University from Portugal. In the beginning the Distance-Learning Department will make use of the resources offered by the new IT Centre (developed within the project 76/1999) which offers internet access, video-conference systems Part of the course-books for our future students is already on magnetic support, as a result of the grant CNFIS 39691/2000. Some books which were previously published were up-dated last year. This will allow us to start such a project in autumn. At the same time on the web www.ttr.lc.com (within the project of distance-learning trainers training) we elaborated a course on informatics and communicational technologies which are necessary in the training process as well as a course on pedagogical strategies which may be adapted to such distance-learning. A Plei@d Programme has been recently elaborated by a university from CNAM, Nantes, France. There is a legal basis on distance learning organization and functioning: Romanian Government Decision no. 1214/07.12.2000. At the same time 32

Business English the standards for Authorizing the functioning of distance learning are elaborated by C.N.E.AA (National Council of Authorizing and Academic Assessment), standards which may be fulfilled by our department.

Ways with words:

1. In the sentences below, use one suitable word from the list that follows. Not all the words are possible: a. I sent in my ...... to the address given in the advertisement. b. They told me I lacked ...... as I had never had that kind of job before. c. The manager told me he couldnt wait as he had ...... to do. d. Not many people enjoy sitting at a/an ...... all day long. e. Before I left that oil company, I handed in my ...... f. When I applied for this position, I asked my previous boss for a ...... g. You have to be well-dressed and punctual to succeed in a/an ...... h. My first ...... was helping in a shop at weekends. i. In our company every ...... receives a months salary. j. You could ...... over 2,000 a month as a sales representative in this company. qualifications; reference; experiences; application; work; employer; interview; gain; resignation; job; diploma; department; applicant; earn; wages; office; gain; desk; salary; employee. 2. Read the sentence We had a project Leonardo da Vinci, in which we worked with our colleagues from Minho University again. Now learn some expressions containing the preposition with: with due regard for/ with all due deference to = cu tot respectul cuvenit; with an eye to = urmrind, fr a pierde din vedere; with the exception of = cu excepia c; with reason = pe drept, pe bun dreptate; with reference/ respect to = n privina, referitor, cu privire la; with a view of = n scopul de a; 33

Business English as with = la fel ca i; together with = mpreun cu; to do away with = a nltura, a termina cu. 3. Look at the following sentences belonging to this unit: Within our university we could say that we have experience in such programmes due to the fact that we had a project Leonardo da Vinci. As you can see these are two meaning of the word that. In the first sentence it introduces a direct object clause and in the other it introduces a relative clause. Here are some expressions containing the word that: that far = att de departe; that is the point = aceasta-i problema; that much = cam att; thats how it happened = aa s-a ntmplat; that is why (thats why) = de aceea, din aceast cauz; that is to say = adic; but for that = dac nu ar fi fost asta; for all that = cu toate acestea; in order that = pentru ca, s; like that (just like that) = aa; Now practise these expressions in sentences of your own. 4. Read the following sentence again: Some books which were previously published were up-dated last year. How do you translate to up-date? Now explain the meaning of the words and phrases in italics in the following sentences. a. To date, we havent received a single order for our new product. b. Our advertising is beginning to look very dated. c. We try to use up-to-date methods in our Production Department. d. Our problems date from the time we lost that Russian contract. e. Computer sales people have to constantly up-date their knowledge. f. They are using out-dated plant and machinery to manufacture their 34

Business English products. 5. Word building Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the words in italics. 1 rely a. He is a very reliable worker. b. Her main quality is her . c. My assistant is someone who can be on. 2 criticise a. The report has been received very.. by top management. b. The Personnel Director is an outspoken of our reorganization. c. I thought her were unfair and not based on fact. 3 skill a. The Chairman was at avoiding answering awkward questions. b. The workers in the Production Department are well paid. c. To be a good manager, you need many . d. The workers in our company are the lowest paid because they need no training for their jobs. 4 employ a. Most in an organisation can benefit from training. b. is almost 8% in my country thats far too high. c. The are entitled to various social security payments. d. Hes fairly old and hasnt had a job for years. Id say hes virtually 5 sure a. Performance appraisals help to that promising staff are not overlooked for promotion. b. At my interview, my boss me that I had a 35

Business English bright future in the company. c. you agree shes one of the high fliers in the department. 6 able a. This young trainee has considerable b. Due to our order. c. Because of a production hold-up, we are to provide the product. 7 decision a. Being a currency dealer in a bank, she has to make quick decisions and be very at all times. b. Because we were contract. c. I am still..whether to leave my present job but I must make up my mind soon. 6. Complete the following sentences with suitable forms of the words from the list below. authorize, authority, control, function, autonomy, delegate, delegation, initiative a. In many department store groups, buying and finance are two which are handled by Head Office. b. Managers who like power find it difficult to responsibility. c. To stay competitive, high technology firms must constantly or else their products become out of date. d. When you delegate authority in a business, you lose a degree of deal of over certain functions. - they rarely have to consult Head Office. 36 e. In some multinational organisations, subsidiaries are given a great innovate, innovative, we wasted time and lost the to get certain supplies, we lost the

Business English f. Firms often make the mistake of not concentrating enough on marketing g. In our factory, the General Manager is to spend up to 1,000 a month on repairs and maintenance. h. I like my staff to make decisions for themselves, but they seem afraid to show any . 7. Supply the most suitable words from the list on the right. 1. .is hard to find nowadays. 2. The quality of the food in a restaurant depends on its. 3. I work in a garage as a car 4. Nancy has started a new.. 5. Mrs. Wilks is the of this shop, not the owner. 6. If you want to know the way, ask a .. 7. Whos the of the Boston Symphony Orchestra? 8. Brenda was a university .. at the age of 36. 9. He has a car with a uniformed 10. His .. at school has given him a good report. 11. Whats the name of the ..of your company? 12. An ..designs bridges or roads. 13. The of our shop is putting up the rent. 14. There had been a burglary, so we called the 15. I went into business after I left . 16. I cant use a , never mind a word 37 n) police o) policeman m) owner k) mechanic l) medicine j) manager h) engineer i) job g) doctor e) college f) conductor b) chauffeur c) chef d) colleague a) boss

Business English processor. 17. Gordon is a at the local hospital. 18. Has the nurse given you your 19. Smithers is a of mine at the office. 20. Its useful to be a good if you use a computer. 8. Supply the best word or words: 1. The person in charge of a business is informally known as the a) chef a) guide a) cook b) chief b) leader b) cooker c) boss c) motorist d) driver e) conductor 2. The person who is in charge of a car is the 3. A person who prepares food is a 4. A person who works in an office is an a) officer b) office worker 5. A woman who looks after other peoples children is a a) nanny b) nurse 6. The person who is in charge of a restaurant is the a) patron b) manager 7. A person who studies the origins of the universe is a a) physician a) physician a) client b) customer c) patient d) guest 10. If serve people who come into a shop, you are a) an official b) a shop assistant c) a bank clerk b) physicist b) physicist c) physics c) medicine 8. Another word for doctor is 9. If you are one of the people waiting to be served in a shop you are a t) work p) professor q) teacher r) typist s) typewriter

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Business English

Grammar reference
Verbs which do not take a continuous aspect in English
There are verbs in English which generally are not used in the continuous aspect: verbs of the senses (verbs of perception): see, hear, smell, taste, notice, recognize, etc. I smell gas. verbs of thinking: think, realize, know, understand, suppose, expect, remember, forget, mind, etc. I dont remember your name. verbs of having and being: have, own, owe, belong to, possess, be, contain, matter, hold, etc. The house belongs to my mother. I have a very good lathe. verbs of emotion: love, hate, like, dislike, refuse, want, wish, forgive, etc. I hate people calling me late at night. He wants to buy a new tool.

The Imperative
The imperative is a mood which expresses an order, a command, a wish, a greeting, a piece of advice, a threat: Come here! Leave me alone! Watch your step! Lets go! Form The imperative has forms only for the second person singular and plural. Affirmative Get ready! Start working! Negative Dont get ready! Dont start working! 39

Business English

The possessive pronoun and the posessive adjective

The possessive pronoun. Form Person First person Second person Third person Singular mine yours his hers its The possesive adjective. Form Person First person Second person Third person Singular my your his her its Plural our your their Plural ours yours theirs

Controlled practice
1. Translate into English: a. Aceast sticl conine ap mineral. b. Creionul Rotring este al Mariei. c. Ursc s mi se cear s fac o lucrare de azi pe mine. d. Ea are doar un curs de statistic i dou de finane. e. Acest curs conine 14 capitole. 2. Decide which is the most appropriate form of the verb in the following sentences: a. Im thinking/ I think of you. b. She smells/ is smelling gas. c. Mother is tasting/ tastes the soup to see if it needs more salt. d. We have/ are having dinner now. e. Could you call him back in twenty minutes as he has/ is having a bath right now. 40

Business English 3. Translate the following into English: a. Servete-te i servete-i i pe ceilali! b. Vino, te rog, la noi s ne ajui s rezolvm o problem de statistic. c. i dai un deget i i ia toat mna! d. Scrie tu proiectul la calculator, pentru c dup aceea trebuie s-l folosesc i eu. e. Luai loc, v rog, doamn! f. Nu pleca, pentru c nu am terminat proiectul! g. Nu te apropia de firele acelea pentru c sunt sub tensiune. h. Nu ncerca s m faci s m rzgndesc, pentru c o faci degeaba. i. Du-te i vezi dac au terminat cursul. j. Grbete-te, mai ai doar cinci minute!

4. Make the following sentences negative: a. Come here! b. Get ready as we are in a hurry! c. Be on time, because English people are never late. d. Go home and well finish this tomorrow. e. Work faster as we need to finish this until two oclock. 5. Choose the appropriate possessive pronouns or adjectives: a. My/ mine fathers car is new. Mine/my is very old and ugly. b. We have been looking for these magazines. Someone took them from your/our room. They belong to us. Were using the pictures for a project of ours/yours. c. There are five billion people in our/his world and they live in all different corners of it. d. This is her/hers car. She bought it two months ago. e. My results are better than yours/your. f. Is that book yours/your as I think I saw you when you lent it to your/yours friend, Tom.

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Business English g. I dont think this is one of Emmas pens. I know she has lost her/hers calculator, but I havent heard her say she has lost a pen . What do you think? h. My/mine speciality is accountancy. i. After we have acquired some knowledge about the oil industry and the kind of work that is involved, we will prove ours/our knowledge later. j. Your/yours article on world economy is a good one.

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Business English

Unit 4
In this unit you will learn:

Writing a CV Writing a letter of application Classification of Nouns Number of Nouns The Genitive

Pre-reading tasks:
What information should your CV contain? What information should your letter of application contain?

Reading 1
Read the following CV. Can you find any improvements? Work with your mates and report your findings to the rest of the class: CURRICULUM VITAE PERSONAL DETAILS Name: Mihaela Vlad Address: 23 Bvd. Bucureti Ploieti 2000 Prahova Telephone: 044165342 Date of birth: 1 January 1974 Nationality: Romanian Languages: Fluent English; Conversational French

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Business English Computer literacy: Wordperfect, Lotus 1-2-3, Windows 2000, Math-Cad; Math-Lab. EDUCATION 2000-2002: Master of Business and Administration - Petroleum-Gas University of Ploieti- CNAM Paris 1995-2000: Petroleum-Gas University of Ploieti- Faculty of Economic Sciences A levels: Mathematics, Economy WORK HISTORY Sept. 2000-Sept. 2001: accountant at GPS Arad Summer 1999-Summer 2000: college position: required to prepare accounts Summer 1998: Bucharest Chemical Services - assistant INTERESTS: cinema, theatre, reading REFERENCES: available on request.

Ways with words 1

1. Here are some pieces of advice for you when you write your CV: a. Bold is used selectively. Your name is obviously important, so you should make sure it stands out. b. When you state the languages you can speak, conversational and fluent are the only words to use about them. Dont use qualifications such as well, very well, etc. If they really want to find out about your language skills, they will surely test you. c. Education and qualifications should be listed together. The A levels are important, as they may show that you are suitable for that job, as you had the best degrees in those objects which are of major importance for your future job. d. For the Work History section, it is vital to highlight your student activities.

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Business English e. Dont make up a list of names and addresses in your reference section. You should mention references only if they are very impressive.

Reading 2
Here is the letter of application Mihaela Vlad has written. Skim through the letter and see what information the applicant is conveying about himself: 23 Bvd Bucureti Ploieti 200 Prahova Mr A. D. Vlad Personnel Manager Petrom Bucureti Dear Mr. A. D. Vlad I am writing to apply for the position of chief accountant that you advertised in Bursa on 5 October 2001, as I believe it offers the career challenge which I am seeking. As you will see from my enclosed Curriculum Vitae, I graduated from Petroleum-Gas University of Ploieti last year, and then I have had a successful year working in a scientific environment with GPS Arad. I would like to highlight the following skills which I believe would add value to your organization: Organizational skills - developed in my current job with GPS Arad. Accounting skills - developed in my role as university officer where I prepared annual reports and accounts and I was responsible for a budget of 1,000,000,000 lei per annum. Interpersonal skills - developed through working in a team environment in my current role and through a number of holiday positions when I was a student. I have a keen interest in accountancy and would appreciate the opportunity of an interview to discuss why I believe I am good match for your requirements. 45 Ref.: chief accountant vacancy

Business English I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Mihaela Vlad

Ways with words 2

1. Here are some lines from different letters of application of several candidates for this job. Choose the most appropriate and convincing sentence in each group. What do you think is wrong with some of the sentences listed below? a. I am familiar with this type of work./ I am totally knowledgeable about this type of work./ I know this type of work. b. I am well-liked by everybody and I am very convincing./ I can maintain friendly relationships with people./ I am a friendly and tactful person. c. I can make decisions when it is really necessary and I am very responsive./ I always make the best decisions in my office, as I am a reliable person./ I am not afraid to make decisions if necessary. d. I feel sure my studies recommend me for this job./ I hope I am right for this sort of work./ I am sure I am the most suitable person for this job. e. I am quite interested in this kind of work./ I have a genuine interest in this kind of work./ I am extremely interested in this type of work. 2. Here is an advertisement which was published in Bursa on 4 April 2001. Look at it and write your CV. Then write the letter to cover your CV applying for the vacancy:

CONSTRUCT Ltd. Romanian-Canadian company providing expertise, human resources and equipment 46

Business English for the construction industry requires Human Resource Officers Applications are accepted from recent graduates of Sociology or Business Studies with some background in income tax laws and computer literacy, or company management. Applicants should be willing to work in teams and should be able to meet deadlines. Applicants should be fluent in English and French. Please enclose a current CV and your letter of application addressed to Mr Ion Pop, Human Resources Manager, Construct (Romania) Ltd., 13, Piaa Roman, Bucharest. 3. Vocabulary building An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another. For example, the opposite of short is long, the opposite of old is young. Complete the following sentences with words opposite in meaning to the words in italics. e.g. interesting He does not like his job because it is uninteresting. a. satisfied offer no challenge. b. conclusive c. responsible organisation. d. popular to pay bonuses. e. respect f. secure g. social No manager likes a subordinate to be . A worker who feels. in his job will People who work hours, for example Managers become if they fail Since the report was so no behaviour by staff can be costly to an recommendations were made. Workers become if their jobs

probably not be committed to the firm he works for. at night-time, generally receive extra pay. 47

Business English h. efficient Nowadays, it is not easy to get rid of an employee who

is 4. Complete the following sentences with one suitable word meaning the opposite of the word in capital letters: a. Jack much prefers being EMPLOYED to being .... b. Alex did a number of TEMPORARY jobs before he managed to find a .... position. c. The first shop he opened was a big SUCCESS but the second was a total .... d. Many people would rather work .than FULL-TIME. e. The management said salaries had INCREASED, but official reports showed that as a matter of fact they had .. 5. Word sets. Try to think of the word time. Now think of words connected to time. In this way you may create a word set which may include among other words: day, month, year, century, year, etc. Now complete the following sentences with one appropriate word connected with the subject of money: a. They refused to accept a cheque so I had to pay in .... b. When she started with the company her . was only $10000 a year. Now its at least four times that. c. When Mr Michael retired he received a . of $300 a month. d. Pierre is very worried because he is in .... Nobody will lend him any money. e. If you want a new car why not go and see your bank manager about a .... 6. Here is a list of words and expressions to do with money. Use your dictionary and divide them into the following categories: -borrowing money; saving and investing money; having a personal bank account. Sometimes the same word will fit different categories: 48

Business English -to withdraw money; a building society; a current account; a cheque card; a mortgage; to cash a cheque; to buy shares in a company; the Stock Market; to put money in; a monthly statement; a deposit account; to earn 15% interest.

Grammar Reference
Classification of nouns
Countable nouns a girl a man a tool a cup an apple a guitar a pound a car Uncountable nouns water sugar milk music weather money oil/ petroleum coal

a well gas We can say two cups, four girls, ten pounds, twenty cars. We can count them. We cannot count sugar, water or oil. Countable nouns can be singular or plural: This cup is empty. These cups are full. Uncountable nouns can only be singular: The water is cold. The weather is fine. The coal has a good quality.

Number of nouns
Form Variable nouns form the plural in the following way: -s is added to the singular: 49

Business English books-books, tool-tools -es is added to the singular nouns ending in -s, -z, -x, -ch, -sh, nouns ending in -y preceded by a consonant (-y changes to i), nouns ending in -o: bus-buses, box-boxes, match-matches, brush-brushes, city-cities; potatopotatoes (But: photo-photos) -(e)s is added to nouns ending in -f(e) (which changes to -v): knife-knives, leaf-leaves, shelf-shelves (But: roof-roofs) Irregular plural nouns: man-men, woman-women, foot-feet, tooth-teeth, goose-geese, louse-lice, mouse-mice, child-children, ox-oxen Foreign plurals stimulus-stimuli, larva-larvae, stratum-strata, basis-bases, criterion-criteria, phenomenon-phenomena, datum-data, etc.

The Genitive
The analytical genitive is used with the preposition of, used with neuter nouns: the tower of London, the colour of oil, the cover of the book, etc. The synthetical genitive (s genitive) is used after: nouns denoting persons or other beings: nouns denoting measurement, time, space, quantity, value: collective nouns: geographical names, vehicles, natural phenomena, etc.: Johns lecture, my parents advice a two months practice, yesterdays newspaper, a pounds worth of pears the governements decisions, the Parliaments laws Englands mountains, the spaceships crew, the afternoons heat.

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Business English

Controlled practice
1. Complete this newspaper article. Choose the correct singular or plural form in the brackets: Johnson Factory for Milchester The Johnson Clothing Company is going to build a new factory in Milchester. (This/These) news (was/were) announced by company chairman Mr David Johnson yesterday. Mr Johnson spent the morning in Milchester before returning to the Johnson headquarters at Edinburgh. The Johnson company (has/have) been in existence for 100 years and (is/are) famous for its (product/products). The slogans Youre never alone with a pair of Johnson (trouser/ trousers) and Johnson (jean/jeans) (is/are) the (one/ones) for you are well known. The companys profit last year of two million pounds (was/were) the highest in the clothing business. Mr Johnson will not say how (much/many) new (job/jobs) there will be, but the information that there will be (work/works) (is/are) hard to find at the moment, and 2,000 unemployed people (is/are) a high figure for a small town. 2. Complete the following passage with the correct form of the words in the box below. strategy finance expertise trust skill set up segment The problems of small high-tech firms have attracted a lot of attention recently. Research shows that many of these firms are (1) by talented, creative scientists. Their owners have no trouble coming up with (2) products but they often cant build on their early success. 51 right venture planning delegate personnel drawback innovative

Business English One reason for this is that they dont have much management ..(3). Therefore, they are unable to develop the (4) which are necessary for their companys growth. They are in a rush to develop products, and dont think enough about how to market them. When they do try to sell their products, they spend too much time trying to gain the (5) of potential customers. Another mistake they make is to underprice their products so that they have no (6) for future development. Once the firms begin to grow, their owners underestimate the future costs of developing and marketing new products. Lack of financial (7) is a major weakness of such companies. It is difficult for the high-tech firm to attract the right (8) because it cannot offer the same job security as a large organisation. The high-tech firm can get round some of these problems by developing a specialist image. It can aim at a particular (9) of the market. Customers then start seeking out the firm, so its marketing costs are reduced. The only (10) is that it may take some time before customers accept the firms new technology. As soon as the high-tech business has reached a certain size, it will be a good idea to bring in professional management. The founder of the firm can then(11) responsibility for activities like marketing and finance. If a high-tech firm needs money very badly, it may arrange a link-up with a larger company. It will offer that company exclusive (12) to its technology. Enthusiasm, bright ideas (13) capital and technology - are also vital. 3. Complete the following passage, using the suitable forms of the words given below. achieve reach report feedback 52 objective are not enough to ensure success. Basic management. (14) - especially financial and marketing ones

Business English progress performance role stage view

My boss called me into his office to discuss my (1) during the last six months. She said that I had made good (2) and had had no difficulty in (3) my goals. She made it clear that she was going to give me a good (4). I suppose I should have been grateful to her. However, one thing bothered me. I wondered why she didnt ask me what I felt about the job. Why didnt she get some . (5) from me? I thought that was one of the main (6) of the interview. Since my (7) was obviously to sit quietly and say nothing, I did just that. At this (8) of my career, I cant afford to upset my boss. But if I ever (9) her position, I shall handle these interviews differently. In my(10), its vital to listen to employees. 4. Rewrite the following sentences, using the word in capital letters, so that the meaning stays the same: a. My cousin is somebody I can really trust. CONFIDENCE b. I can recite Eminescus poems from memory. HEART c. Your office is being redecorated at the moment, so temporarily you will have to share one with John. BEING d. He was going to leave for London when he heard his flight has been canceled. POINT e. It was proposed that a new church should be built. FORWARD f. Once the results of the experiment are made public, the Government will make a decision. OPEN g. Her answer took the audienc by surprise. ABACK h. Our manager want us to call him Sir. ADDRESSED 5. Translate into English: 53

Business English a. Inventatorul televiziunii prin cablu a fost un om bogat. b. S-au fcut progrese semnificative n acest domeniu al cunoaterii. c. El folosete multe coli pentru a scrie un CV. d. La nceputul secolului XX, nu erau foarte erau multe studente n colegii. e. Tatl studentului a venit la universitate s vorbeasc cu profesorul de economie. f. Cunotinele de englez sunt foarte vagi. g. Sfatul pe care mi l-ai dat m-a ajutat foarte mult. h. A vrea s cumpr trei pini, dou ciocolate i trei spunuri. i. Nu tiu dac vom avea bani s cumprm i mobila pe care ne-o dorim (dou dulapuri i trei fotolii). j. Fulgerul a fost urmat de un tunet asurzitor. k. Prinii prietenei mele sunt plecai n Canada. l. Ne ntrebm dac vom putea procesa attea informaii. m. Nu am primit nite tiri foarte mbucurtoare. n. Mi-e team c ea are sperane mai mari dect ar trebui. o. A cumprat un buchet de flori care a costat 200.000 lei. 6. Fill each space in the sentence with the correct form of the word in capitals print about it: a. They tried to . him to participate in that contest. COURAGE b. Your solution seems to be the most . And, as we are rather short on money, well decide in favour of it. ECONOMY c. His opinion is .. from mine. We seem never to agree on this issue. DIFFERENCE d. Until you have solved your health problems, it is not to travel to Paris. ADVICE e. All the time he proved to be very . I cant put up with his coleric attitude. ARGUE f. Choosing this course is entirely voluntary. There is no .. whatsoever. COMPEL 54

Business English g. Everytime he starts speaking about her scientific research he keeps on speaking about modernism. I think I know her sentences by heart now. Its very .. REPEAT h. They really .. over my idea and threw themselves into creating the data basis. ENTHUSIASM i. To .. the balloon they had to throw away their luggage. STABLE j. In childhood she was by Mira who helped her a lot. FRIEND k. This is the PMs RESIDE l. The doctor gave me pull to .. the pain in my back. DEAD m. His writing style is really.. IMITATE n. His disappearance is EXPLAIN

7. Supply the blanks with suitable nouns from those in brackets. Use the plural forms: a. He threw a stone at the rock and ..... came back. (piano, volcano, echo) b. The ship was sunk by well-aimed ..... (potato, torpedo, dynamo) c. Winter fodder for cattle is kept in ..... (calico, casino, silo) d. The opera company was advertising for ..... (octavo, soprano, cuckoo) e. The delegates carried their ..... (portfolio, photo, piano) f. The ..... hit the island with tremendous force.(tornado, hobo, albino) g. They threw rotten ..... to show their disgust. (tomato, canto, halo) h. He was bitten by ..... and got malaria. (hero, soprano, mosquito) i. There are hundreds of ..... along the Mediterranean coast. (hero, casino) j. How many...(hero, cargo, kilo) of ..... (tomato, piano, photo) do you need to make 1 liter of juice? 55

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8. Fill in the correct forms of the nouns in brackets: a. The (deer) have left their usual pastures. b. They dont even try to hunt (lion); it is too dangerous. c. There is no (mean) of learning what is happening. d. They say (fish) are good for the brain. e. They raise lots of (duck) on their farm. f. Despite their size (giraffe) are harmless creatures. g. The (Navaho) were almost completely destroyed. h. He made a living by raising (goose). i. A (series) of unexpected events prevented him from going on holiday to Scotland. j. Its not allowed to hunt (bear). But still many (bear) are killed.

9. Fill in the correct plural form of the words in brackets: a. Do other planets revolve on their ..... like the Earth? (axis) b. It can be dangerous if chemists make mistakes in their ..... (analysis). c. ...... are rare in the desert. (oasis) d. A great deal of ..... was collected by the scientist. (datum) e. All good reference books contain ..... (index). f. The consul sent several ..... back to London. (memorandum) g. He spent his time playing with mathematical ..... (formula). h. Geologists search the rock ..... for valuable minerals. (stratum) i. There are not many types of ..... around the British coast. (alga) j. There have been many international ..... since the war. (crisis) k. The ..... of these lenses are perfect for distance photography. (focus) l. What are the ..... of success? (criterion) m. Ive always found the idea of ..... in algebra rather difficult.(index) n. There are many ..... of animals. (genus) o. ..... are exact positions of things. (locus) p. The ..... of theorists must conform to the real world. (hypothesis) 56

Business English q. Post-graduate students have to write ..... to obtain their Ph.D.s (thesis) r. The optician found that both his patients eyes had defective ..... (retina) s. They were all well trained and so they responded like ..... (automaton) t. Two ..... to the resolution were proposed. (addendum) 10. Decide which of the two verb forms should be used in the following sentences: a. Physics (was/were) my most difficult subject in high school. b. Ballistics (is/are) the study of the motion of projectiles. c. Athletics (has/have) been virtually abolished from smaller schools. d. His motives may be good, but his tactics (is/are) deplorable. e. In every group, politics (is/are) a subject that arouses interest. f. Radical politics (was/were) offensive to the Federalists. g. Acoustics (is/are) a branch of science that is growing fast. h. The acoustics of this room (is/are) not all they might be. i. Economics (doesnt/dont) require extensive knowledge of mathematics. j. His ethics (leave/leaves) a lot to be desired. k. Classics (take/takes) a back seat these days. l. Einsteins mathematics (was/were) a revelation. m. Tactics (is/are) really short term strategy. n. Your heroics (is/are) worthy of a better cause. o. Her hysterics (does/do) not move anybody that knows her. 11. What are the feminine forms of the following words: actor, son, lord, bachelor, marquis, duke, master, negro, hero, chauffeur, czar, executor, driver, clown, wizard, aviator, widower, landlord, stallion, drake, gander, ram, drone, peacock, fox

57

Business English 12. What are the masculine forms of the following words: madam, queen, countess, doe, hind, tabby cat, bitch, wife, maidservant, she-wolf, jenny-ass, czarina, governess, heir, niece, nurse, abbess, chauffeuse

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Business English

Unit 5
In this unit you will learn:

Business letters Past Simple Past Continuous Expressions of quantity The Adjective

Pre-reading tasks
Have you ever written a business letter? What are the basic rules in composing a business letter?

Reading
Read this text about composing business letters. Look at the tenses of the verbs. Translate the text into Romanian: Business letters Business letters are usually typed on notepaper bearing a specially designed heading which provides the reader of the letter with the essential information about the organisation sending it. Normally the heading will include the companys name and address, its telephone numbers and telegraphic addresses, the type of business it is engaged in, its telex code and V.A.T. number, and in many cases the names of the directors. It is becoming increasingly common for firms to print an emblem or trademark on their stationery. Read the following business letter and try to distinguish the parts it contains: a. GRAJO LEEDS Leeds 978653 59

Business English GRADEN &JONES LIMITED Home and Overseas Merchants Directors: L. L. Graden, P.G. Jones b. JAS/DS Manchester M24 5 BD e. Dear Sirs We understand from several of our trade connections in Bolton that you are the British agents for Petrou and Galitopoulous AE of Athens. Will you please send us price-lists and catalogues for all products manufactured by this company, together with details of trade discounts and terms of payment, We look forward to hearing from you. f. Yours faithfully, Graden and Jones Ltd. g. J.A. Stevens Chief buyer d. Oliver Green and Co., Limited\25 King Edward VII. St. Upper Bridge Street Leeds 2 c. 13 June 2003

Ways with words

1. The parts of the letter a. The heading. b. The reference This is typed on the same line as the date, but on the left, and consists of the initials of the person who signs the letter and those of the typist. Sometimes other initials or figures are added, according to whatever may suit the filling system of the firm in question. It is usual to quote the reference initials of the addressee company in a reply. c. The date

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Business English The form in which the date is written in this letter -13 June 2003 is probably the simplest and clearest of all the current forms used in the English-speaking world, but there are alternative ways of writing the date: June 13 20003 13th June 2003, and June 13th 2003

d. The inside address A few points concerning the name and address of the firm written to need to be made. Firstly, they are typed on the left, normally against the margin. The diagonal granding of the name and address is rare nowadays, and the style shown in the example is neater, as well as being quicker for the typist. e. The salutation Below the address a double space at least is left, and the words Dear Sirs are typed. This is the usual salutation in British business letters addressed to a company rather than to an individual within the company. Very often a comma is typed after the salutation, but an increasing number of firms are eliminating this, considering the spacing to fulfil the function of traditional punctuation. f. The complimentary close This is typed above the name of the firm sending the letter, then a space is left for the signature. If the salutation is Dear Sirs or Dear Sir, the complimentary close will read Yours faithfully or, less commonly, Yours truly. If the correspondent is addressed by his or her name, Dear Mr. Brown, Dear Miss Prism etc. the complimentary close will take the form Yours sincerely. g. The signature It often happens that the person who has dictated a letter is unable to sign it as soon as it has been typed. Since it is often essential to send a letter as soon as possible, the typist or some other employee connected with the letter in question will sign it instead: in such cases he or she will write the word for or the initials p.p. immediately before the typed name of the 61

Business English employee responsible for the letter, The name of the person signing the letter is typed below the space left for the signature, and is followed on the next line by his position in the company or by the name of the department he represents. Traditionally the complimentary close and signature have been typed in the middle of the page, but it is becoming more and more common for firms to place them against the left-hand margin. If an enclosure accompanies the letter, this fact is indicated both in the text itself and by the word Enclosure (often reduced to Enc. or Encl.) typed against the left-hand margin some distance below the signature. There are other ways of referring to enclosures the use of adhesive labels, for instance, or the typing of lines in the left-hand margin beside the reference in the text to the document or documents enclosed but typing the word Enclosure at the bottom of the letter is by far the most common.

62

Business English Now look at the following letters and try to write a reply.

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64

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65

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Grammar Reference
Past Simple
Past Simple is used to express a finished action in the past (it is often used with past time expressions: last year/ month/ week/, five years/ two days/ four weeks ago, yesterday, yesterday morning/ evening, in 1985, etc): They protested against that law in the late eighteenth century. The chemists reported the results obtained yesterday. habitual, repeated actions in the past (with verbs denoting a permanent characteristic); She always wore red. I met him every day on my way to the office. Past Simple is used to describe a series of actions which follow one another in a story (narrative past) Tom came into the room. He took off his shirt, put on a T-shirt and sat down in the armchair. Suddenly he remembered something. He stood up and went out of the room. The form of the Past Tense Simple is the same for all persons. Affirmative The positive of regular verbs ends in -ed. There are many common irregular verbs. In order to create this tense you need the second form of the verb (see the list on page @ Appendix 1)

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Business English

I You He/She We You They

arrived went to Sinaia

yesterday.

Negative The negative of the Past Tense Simple is formed with the auxiliary did+not (didnt). I You He/She We You They did not (didnt) arrive did not (didnt) go to Sinaia yesterday.

Interrogative The question in the Past Tense Simple is formed with the auxiliary did. When did Where did I you he she we you they arrive? go?

Short answer Did you go to work yesterday? 68

Business English Yes, I did. No, I didnt. Did she report the results obtained? Yes, she did. No, she didnt.

Past Continuous
Past Continuous is used to express: an action in progress at some time in the past What were you doing at 10 oclock yesterday? I was calculating the balance sheet when you came. When she arrived, he was sleeping. past activity happening over a period of time I was reading from 4 to 6.30 yesterday. Form was/ were (past tense of to be)+ verb+-ing (present participle) Affirmative and negative I He She You We They were were not (werent) was was not (wasnt) working.

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Interrogative What was I he were she you we they Short answer Were you working at this time yesterday? Yes, I was. No, I wasnt. Was she studying when you entered the room? Yes, she was. No, she wasnt. doing?

Past Simple and Past Continuous

I was doing my homework at 7 oclock last night. (I was in the middle of the activity.) I did my homework yesterday. (I started and finished.) She was looking at the pictures when her husband came into the room. ( looking is a long activity. Something happened in the middle to interrupt it).

Expressions of quantity
some/any; much/many, a lot of/ lots of, few (a few)/ little (a little) 1. Countable nouns are used with some+ a plural noun in affirmative sentences, and any+ a plural noun in negative and interrogative sentences: Ive got some tools. Are there any books of Economy in the house? We dont need any apples for this pie. Uncountable nouns are used with some in affirmative sentences and any in interrogative and negative sentences, but only with a singular noun: There is some ink in this pen. 70

Business English Is there any paper in the printer? We havent got any butter in the house. 2. Countable nouns are used with many in interrogative and negative sentences: How many lawyers work for this company? We havent discovered many interesting data. Uncountable nouns are used with much in interrogative and negative sentences: How much money have you got? There wasnt much sugar left in the jar. 3. Both countable and uncountable nouns are used with a lot of and lots of: Weve got a lot of uniforms. There are lots of letters here. Theres a lot of paper in this printer. Hes got a lot of money. 4. Countable nouns are used with few/ a few, while uncountable nouns are used with little/ a little: Ive got a few problems at the moment. We only need a little money to buy this.

The Adjective
Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence. Position of adjectives Adjectives appear before the noun or noun phrase that they modify (e.g. an interesting course, a difficult exercise, a strange coincidence). Sometimes they appear in a string of adjectives, and when they do, they appear in a set order according to category. As after you finish this course you may write articles on economy or management in English it is of major importance for you to know the correct order of adjectives in a sentence.

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The order of adjectives in a series

It would take a linguistic philosopher to explain why we say little yellow house and not yellow little house or why we say blue Italian sports car and not Italian blue sports car. The order in which adjectives in a series sort themselves out is perplexing for people learning English as a second language. It takes a lot of practice with a language before this order becomes instinctive, because the order seems quite arbitrary. There is however a pattern. The categories in the following table can be described as follows: Word order I. Types of adjectives Determiners Examples

articles and other limiters four people, the sixth (numerals, possessive chapter, her story, adjectives, demonstrative this tool

II.

Observation

adjectives, etc.) postdeterminers limiter adjectives adjectives subject

and real, perfect to interesting, beautiful, gorgeous to large, small, short, round, square young, old, new,

III. IV. V.

Size and shape Age Colour

subjective measure adjectives subject objective measure adjectives denoting age adjectives colour

ancient denoting red, black, yellow, blue, green, brown, orange, violet adjectives French, English, American, Spanish, Polish, Romanian adjectives wooden, metallic,

VI.

Origin

denominal

denoting source of noun VII. Material denominal

denoting what something woolen VIII. Qualifier is made of final limiter, often hunting cabin,

regarded as part of the passenger car, book 72

Business English noun cover

Controlled practice
1. Decide which is the correct verb form: a. I saw/was seeing a very good programme on TV last night. b. While I was learning/ learnt for my Economy exam, somebody was knocking/ knocked at the door. c. How did you hear/ were you hearing about their wedding? While I was listening/ listened to the news on the radio, it struck/ was striking me as odd to hear their names. d. I was listening/ listened to the news on the radio when the phone was starting/ started to ring. e. An American jet pilot was taking off/ took off from Washington, but the jets engines went/ were going wrong. f. We produced/ were producing 10 different types of leather jackets last year. g. Agriculture played/ was playing an essential part in the development of the Romanian economy 20 years ago. h. Our crew included/ was including an accountant, two quality supervisers and one soft engineer. i. When the programme was completed, the crew moved/ was moving in. j. The first important commercial product from crude petroleum was kerosene, which quickly was replacing/ replaced whale oil in the kerosene stoves in the 50s. 2. Find the correct action for each person and make a sentence: Example: Copernicus- studying the planets Copernicus studied the planets. People Actions 73

Business English Michael Jackson Marlowe Picasso Neil Armostrong Americo Vespucci Artur Aish Martin Luther King Charles Dickens Edison going to the moon inventing the electric light writing Doctor Faustus singing pop music playing tennis discovering America painting Guernica working for Black peoples rights creating novels

3. Supply the simple past tense or the continuous past tense of the verbs in brackets: I (walk) along Piccadilly when I (realize) that a man with a ginger beard, whom I had seen three times already that afternoon, (follow) me. To make quite sure, I (walk) on quickly, (turn) right, then left and (stop) suddenly at a shop window. In a few minutes the man with the beard (appear) and (stop) at another shop window. I (go) on. Whenever I (stop), he (stop), and whenever I (look) round he (be) still there. He (look) a very respectable type and (wear) very conventional clothes and I (wonder) if he was a policeman or a private detective. I (decide) to try and shake him off. A 74 bus (stand) at the bus stop just beside me. Then the conductor (come) downstairs and (ring) the bell; just as the bus (move) off, I (jump) on it. The man with the beard (miss) the bus but (get) into another 74, which (follow) the first. Both buses (crawl) very slowly along Knightsbridge. Every time the buses (pull) at a stop, the man (look) out anxiously to see if I (get) off. Finally, at some traffic lights, he (change) buses and (get) into mine. At Gloucester Road Underground, I (leave) the bus and (buy) a ticket at a ticket machine. As I (stand) on the platform waiting for a Circle Line train, my pursuer (come) down the stairs. He (carry) a newspaper and when we (get) into the same compartment, he (sit) in one corner reading it, and I (read) the advertisements. He (look) over the top of the newspaper at every station to see if I (get) out. I (become) rather tired of being shadowed like this, so finally I (go) and (sit) beside the man and (ask) him why he follow me. At first he (say) he (not follow) me at all but when I (threaten) to knock him down, he (admit) that he was. Then he (tell) me he (be) a writer of detective stories and (try) to see if it was difficult to 74

Business English follow someone unseen. I (tell) him he hadnt been unseen because I had noticed him in Piccadilly and I (advise) him to shave off his ginger beard if he (not want) his victim to know he (be) followed. Peter and Ann (decide) to redecorate their sitting-room themselves. They (choose) cream paint for the woodwork and apricot for the walls. When John (look) in to see how they (get) on, Ann (mix) the paint, and Peter (wash) down the walls. They (be) glad to see John and (ask) if he (do) anything special that day. He hastily (reply) he (do) to the theatre and (go) away at once, because he (know) they (look) for someone to help them. They (begin) painting, but (find) the walls (be) too wet. While they (wait) for the walls to dry, Ann (remember) she (telephone), and (do) a whole wall before Ann (come) back. He (grumble) that she always (telephone). Ann (retort) that Peter always (complain). They (work) in silence for some time. Just as they (start) the third wall, the doorbell (ring). It (be) a friend of Peters who (want) to know if Peter (play) golf in the following weekend. He (stay) talking to Peter in the hall while Ann (go) on painting. At last he (leave). Peter (return), expecting Ann to say something about friends who (come) and (waste) valuable time talking about golf. But Ann nobly (say) nothing. Then Peter (think) he would do the ceiling. He just (climb) the step ladder when the doorbell (ring) again. Ann (say) she (get) tired of interruptions but (go) and (open) the door. It (be) the postman with a letter from her aunt Mary, saying she (come) to spend the weekend with them and (arrive) that evening at 6:30. 4. Put the verbs in brackets in the simple or continuous past tense according to the meaning. a. He (recognize) the voice that (shout) the loudest as that of the landlady. b. I (go) to ask you to help me, but you (sleep) so peacefully when I (look) into your room that I (decide) to do it alone. 75

Business English c. He (not keep) his appointment with you last Tuesday morning because at the time of the appointment he (be seen) by the Personnel Manager about a new job. d. When the dog (bite) Mary again, mother (prepare) dinner and we (listen) to the radio. Mary (shout) blue murder and (have) hysterics again. e. We (have) to go round the back door because Grandfather (have) his front door painted. f. I (see) that the Browns (have) a lot of alterations made to their house, but I (not know) if the parents (go) to pay for them. g. I (walk) down the street some minutes ago when I (see) a curiously dressed man. He (wear) a sports-coat with black trousers, and one of his shoes (be) black and the other (be) brown). h. When they (get married) he (find) a job as a caretaker on a large estate. i. She (wear) green and it (suit) her very well. Her face (be) mildly pretty but, because she (cry) and mascara (run) down her cheeks, she (not seem) as attractive as I (expect). j. The person who (drive) the car on the day of the accident (no be) insured. k. While she (wonder) whether to buy the suit or not, someone else (come) and (buy) it. l. Ann (work) in the branch where the big robbery (take) place. She actually (work) there at the time of the raid? m. While the schoolmaster (write) on the blackboard, he (not notice) that the boys in the back row (steal out) of the room on tiptoe. n. He (come) into the room, (light) a cigarette, (open) the window and (lean) out. o. A traffic warden just (stick) a parking ticket to my windscreen when I (come) back to the car. I (try) to persuade him to tear it up but he (refuse).

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Business English 5. Put the verbs in the brackets into the simple past and the past continuous: a. I lit the fire at 6:00 and it (burn) brightly when Tom came in at 7:00. b. When I arrived the lecture had already started and the professor (write) on the overhead projector. c. I (make) a cake when the light went out. I had to finish it in the dark. d. I didnt want to meet Paul so when he entered the room I (leave). e. Unfortunately when I arrived Ann just (leave), so we only had time for a few words. f. He (watch) TV when the phone rang. Very unwillingly he (turn) down the sound and (go) to answer it. g. He was very polite. Whenever his wife entered the room he (stand) up. h. The admiral (play) bowls when he received news of the invasion. He (insist) on finishing the game. i. My dog (walk) along quietly when Mr. Pitts Pekinese attacked him. j. When I arrived she (have) lunch. She apologized for starting without me but I said that she always (lunch) at 12:30. k. He always (wear) a raincoat and (carry) an umbrella when he walked to the office. l. I (like) it very much. m. I (share) a flat with him when we were students. He always (complain) about my untidiness. n. He suddenly (realize) that he (travel) in the wrong direction. o. He (play) the guitar outside her house when someone opened the window and (throw) out a bucket of water. p. I just (open) the letter when the wind (blow) it out of my hand. q. The burglar (open) the safe when he (hear) footsteps. He immediately (put) out his torch and (crawl) under the bed. r. When I (look) for my passport I (find) this old photograph. s. You looked very busy when I (see) you last night. What you (do)? t. The boys (play) cards when they (hear) their fathers steps. They immediately (hide) the cards and (take) out their lesson books. 77

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6. Complete the following sentences with some or any: a. Would you like .. more tea? b. Could you give me .. information about the train times? c. If you have .. trouble, just give me a ring. d. Have you attended .. good conferences recently? e. I tried to buy .. Rotring pencils, but I couldnt find ...... 2. Put much, many, or a lot of into each gap: a. Have you got ... homework? b. We dont need . oil. c. There are .. economy books in our library. d. I want .. pencils because Im going to draw a helix. e. Is there .. petrol in the car? 7. Which words in column A can combine with words from column B? A tall high B person tree mountain wall building price A heavy strong loud B music noise traffic smoker wind A Happy Merry B New Year! Anniversary! Christmas! Birthday!

8. Translate into English: a. Ea avea o main sport albastr. b. Noi am citit un articol interesant de 5 pagini n Economy Today. c. El colecioneaz vase vechi, frumoase din porelan. d. Ai ncercat s refaci calculele la casa cea nou cu etaj? e. El calculeaz rata profitului pentru o companie mic privat. 9. Complete the following sentences with the correct word or phrase (a, b or c). 1 People work harder if they know that someone is in their progress. a enthusiastic b interesting 78 c interested

Business English 2 Nothing has been announced but weve heard that the Company Secretary has resigned. a formally b officiously c unofficially 3 Friendly . no longer exist between members of the sales department because some got bonuses and others didnt. a relations b contacts c connections 4 in the Production Department is low because the workers have heard about the plans to reduce the work-force. a morale a equipment b feeling b machine c moral c machinery 5 This is a useful . 6 We have carried outinto the effect of lighting on our workers productivity. a a research b some research c researches 7 Strikes can be avoided if managers are to the feelings of their employees. a aware a beat 9 We a cost have b sensible b motion several c sensitive c pace proposals for increasing sales. We 8 Some people like to work at their own .

must the merits of each of them. b value c evaluate 10 Has the change in exchange rates had any on the cost of your raw materials? a result b affect c effect

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10. Write the adjectives a. coat white French second-hand handmade b. polished beautiful antique dining-table oak Japanese c. cotton dress long summer fashionable d. shoes leather eye-catching Italian handmade e. canvas tennis shoes American grey and red 11. Insert the indefinite article in the blank spaces, if necessary: a. There is ...... letter for you on the desk. b. We had ...... fish and ...... chips for lunch. c. Peter and Jack are much of ...... size. e. He confused the positive and negative terminals, ...... serious mistake. f. Birds of ......feather flock together. g. .... boys first toy is very important. It colours his whole after-life. h. Under the circumstances ...... normal girl would be heart-broken. i. You were pretty confident up to ...... point, werent you? he asked. j. ...... island is surrounded on all sides by water. k. ...... Mr. Smith called while you were out. He wants to make ...... complaint about ...... article in the paper. l. Do you take ...... sugar in ...... coffee? I used to, but now Im on ...... diet. Im trying to lose weight. m. ...... cold drink on ...... hot day is acceptable. n. ...... truth is ...... virtue. ...... self-righteousness is certainly ...... vice. o. It is difficult to get about in that region without ...... car. p. ...... drowning man catches at ...... straw. 12. Supply the when necessary: a. ...... books are necessary for a student. ..... books for this course are not expensive. b. ...... silver is almost as precious as ...... gold. I would not do it for all ...... gold in the world. 80

Business English c. ... art belongs to ...people.....art of public speaking must be learnt. d. ...... fashion has always existed in ...... art as well as in ...... dress. Those fur hats are all ...... fashion. e. He had an unsatisfied hunger for ...... knowledge. She married without ...... knowledge of her parents. f. ...... history is ...... record of events. ...... European history I studied at school helped me a great deal in my further studies. g. ...... policy is ...... science of the possible and ...... art of the impossible. ...... money policy of this bank is very strict. h. ...... animals are content to eat and sleep. He wanted to see all ...... animals on the farm. i. Do you like ......English literature? Yes, I do. But I prefer ...... English literature of the eighteenth century. j. Which would you prefer ...... tea or ...... coffee? ...... coffee you are drinking comes from Brazil. k. He was conscious of ...... impending danger. ...... danger he was in didnt make him lose heart. l. She put ...... roses that I brought her in a vase. ...... roses are her favourite flowers. m. ...... honesty is the best policy. ...... honesty of Jane is admirable. n. ...... beauty is ...... truth is a line from a poem by Keats. Its much easier to tell ...... truth than lies. o. I was overcome by ...... anger. He feared ......anger of his wife. 13. Use the positive, comparative and superlative degrees of the adjectives in brackets to fill in the blank spaces: a. Peter is a .......... boy. His elder brother, who is a basketball player, is ............, but, sure enough, his younger brother is the ............ of them. (tall) b. The Carpathians are ............... . The Alps are ................, yet the Himalayas are the ................. mountains in the world. (high)

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Business English c. Autumn days are ....... , rainy autumn days are ............., but we have the ............... weather of all on clear, windy days in winter. (cold) d. A ducks egg is .................. compared to that of an ostrich; a hens egg is even ..... , but a robins egg is the ....... of them all. (small) e. Jane was very ................. , but she was not the .............. in her class. Anne was ................. . (young) f. Your street is ................, but that alley is ............... and the path leading to your house is the ............... of them all. (narrow) g. The armchair in my room is ..............., the desk is ...., but the bookcase is the ....... of them. (heavy) h. John is ......, but his younger brother is ................ than he is. (handsome) i. He is insincere. In fact he is the ..... person I have ever met. (insincere) j. His position is a ................. one. It is ................. than I thought. (humble) 14. Insert the appropriate form of the two adjectives in brackets a. She is the ..... girl I have ever met. You dont often meet such a .. girl. Shes ............... than other girls Ive known. (pretty, beautiful) b. The house was ............... than usual with everyone away. ............... of all was the empty playroom. He didnt like the ................ house. (quiet, peaceful) c. He knew the situation was .............. , but it seemed even ............... when he saw his fathers face. (grave, serious) d. It is very ................ for the class. This lesson is ...... than anything we had before. Its the ............ I have seen yet. (hard, difficult) e. Whats the ................. route to Milltown? Well, the road through Duxberry is pretty ...., but the Smalltown road is ..... (straight, direct) 82

Business English f. It was a ...... performance. Ive only seen one performance in my life that was ................ than this. That was Laurence Oliviers Hamlet; it was the ..... Ive ever seen. (great, wonderful) g. That was a .............. thing to do. Ive never seen a ................ action. The ..... soldier in the world couldnt have done more. (brave, courageous) h. They have been very ...... since Mrs. Kenyon fell ill. Mr. Kenyon looks....every day, and the little boy is the. of all. (sad, unhappy) 15. Fill in the adequate form of the adjective: a. Sometimes food eaten at home is (a) the better, (b) better than food eaten in a restaurant. b. From these two photographs the smaller is (a) the best, (b) the better. c. A bigger dictionary is always (a) completer, (b) more complete than a smaller one. d. Stratford-upon-Avon is the birth place of one of the (a) best known, (b) the most well-known English poet. e. He needs (a) some, (b) any months of training. f. Those little people have (a) a lot of (b) much energy. g. Can you speak (a) some (b) any foreign language? h. He doesnt feel (a) no, (b) any better today. i. Not (a) a lot of (b) much ink is spilled. j. They have invited quite (a) a lot of, (b) many people. k. He has retired and (a) few, (b) little friends visit him now. 16. Fill in the adequate form of the adjectives in brackets: a. Your first paper was .. but this one is even .. (good). b. Her children are all .; the first born, the is by far .. of all. (clever, old, clever) c. Will you switch the light on? The room has grown . and I cant see any longer. (dim) 83

Business English d. Is this tie than the old one? (becoming) e. Which is the of these two students? (hardworking) f. She is much .. than I had expected. (gay) g. Is this the .. and the . room in your hotel? (pleasant, sunny) h. Dont be hard on that girl. She is of all the group. (sensitive) i. She is always hunting for . things. (cheap)

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Business English

Unit 6
In this unit you will learn:

Communication Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Simple and Past Simple Prepositions

Pre-Reading Tasks
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having open-plan offices?

Reading
Read this text on Communication in business. Identify the Present Perfect Simple of the verbs: COMMUNICATION In recent years, few books on management have been more acclaimed than In Search of Excellence. Written by two business consultants, Thomas Peters and Robert Waterman, the book identified factors which have accounted for the success of some of Americas best-run companies. Fortythree top companies were studied. Many examples of the experiences of these organisations are given in the book. These provide useful lessons for all managers. One of the points made by the writers is that communications in 10 excellent companies are different from those in other companies. Excellent companies have a vast network of informal, open communications. People working in them keep in contact with each other regularly. They meet often, and have many unscheduled meetings. In the best-run businesses, few barriers exist to prevent people talking to each other. The companies do everything possible to ensure that staff meet easily and frequently. The authors give many examples to back up their view. For instance, 85

Business English one day, they visited the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M). They soon noticed that there were a lot of casual meetings going on with salespeople, marketing people, manufacturing people even accounting people sitting around, chattering about new product problems. It went on all day people meeting in a seemingly random way to get things done. One of the 3M executives told the authors, We just plain talk to each other a lot without a lot of paper or formal rigmarole. The book is full of examples of companies who believe in keeping in touch firms like IBM where the Chairman personally answers any complaint which is addressed by members of staff; other companies where managers are encouraged to get out of the office and walk around and some which make a point of informality, like Walt Disney Productions, where everyone wears a name-tag with his/her first name on it. One problem with communication is that people think they have got their message across when in fact they have not. We do not, in fact, communicate as effectively as we think we do. Several studies have shown this. In 1984, a study was made of a production department in a British company. The department manager believed he had given instruction or decisions in 165 out of 236 episodes, but his subordinates considered they had received instruction on only 84 occasions. Research done by Rensis Likert in 1991 (see Figure 1) showed that 85% of the supervisors thought their subordinates felt free to discuss important things with them. However, only 51 % of the employees agreed with this opinion!

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EXTENT TO WHICH SUBORDINATES FEEL FREE TO DISCUSS IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT THE JOB WITH SUPERIORS AS SEEN BY SUPERIORS AND SUBORDINATES Top staff says about Supervisors say about Supervisors say about Employees supervisors Feel very free to discuss important 90% 67% 85% 51% things about the job with my superior Feel fairly free 10% 23% 15% 29% Not very free 10% 14% Not at all free 6% Source: Rensis Likert, New Patterns of Management, p. 47. New York: McGraw- Hill Book Company, 1991 themselves employees say about supervisors

This finding is important for managers. It suggests that, when giving instructions, managers must make sure that those instructions have been understood and interpreted correctly. A breakdown in communication is quite likely to happen if there is some kind of social distance between people. In organisations, people may have difficulty communicating if they are different in status, or if one person has a much higher position than the other. For example, a couple of production workers will probably speak frankly to each other about things that are going wrong in their department. But if the Chief Executive of the company passes by and asks how things are going, theyll probably say, Just fine, thank you. It is risky to tell the truth to someone higher up in the hierarchy they may not like what they hear and hold it against you. For this reason, staff often filter information. They deliberately alter the facts, telling the boss what he/she wants to hear. They do not want to give bad news, so they give their superior too good an impression of the situation. The projects coming along fine, they say, when in fact it is a month behind schedule! Theres nothing new about all this. One thinks of Cleopatra and the problem she had in her military campaigns. She used to give gold to messengers bringing good news, but executed those bringing bad news. It is not surprising, therefore, that the information she received was unreliable! One way of reducing social distance and improving communications is to cut down on status symbols. It is possible, for example, to have a 87

Business English common dining-room for all staff. It is worth noting, too, that in Japanese companies, it is common for all the staff to wear uniforms. Physical surroundings and physical distance limit or encourage communication. Studies show that the further away a person is, the less he/she communicates. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Thomas Allen studied the effect of location on communication in engineering and research departments. He showed that if people were more than ten metres apart, the probability of communicating at least once a week was about 8%. When they were five metres apart, the probability was 25%. The physical layout of an office must be carefully planned. Open-plan offices are designed to make communication easier and quicker. However, it is interesting to note that employees in such offices will often move furniture and other objects to create mini-offices. Excellent companies use space to create good communications. 90 The Corning Glass Company in the United States installed escalators, rather than lifts, in their new engineering building because they wanted to increase the chances of employees meeting face-to-face. So, another important barrier to communication is selective perception. Put simply, this means that people perceive things in different ways. The world of the sender is not the same as the world of the receiver. Because their knowledge and experience is different, sender and receiver are always on slightly different wavelengths. Therefore, a manager will say something, but the employee will interpret his meaning incorrectly. The message becomes distorted. An example of this is given in Figure 2.

Figure 2 HOW COMMUNICATIONS BREAK DOWN

What the manager said Ill look into hiring another person for your department What the manager meant Well start interviewing for that job in about three What the subordinate heard Im tied up with more important things. Lets

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as soon as I complete my budget review. Your performance was weeks. Youre going to have to try harder, but I know you can do it. I need that report within the week. We can give you 95 percent of that offer, and I know well be able to do even more for you next year. Drop that rush order youre working on and fill out that report today. If I were you, Id take that competitive offer. Were certainly not going to pay that kind of salary to a person If youd like that job, its yours. If not, of course, you can stay here in Denver. You be the judge. Talk to your people and find out what the problem is. Then get with them and jointly solve it. with your credentials. You dont have to go out to L.A. if you dont want to. However, if you dont, you can kiss good-bye to your career with this firm. I dont care how many heads you bust, just get me that output. problems Ive got enough around here forget about hiring for the indefinite future. If you screw it up more time, youre out.

below par last quarter. I really expected more out of you. Id like that report as soon as can get to it. I talked to the boss, but at the present time, due to budget problems, well be unable to fully match your competitive salary offer. We have a job opening in Los Angeles that we think would be just your cup of tea. Wed like you to go out there and look it over. Your people seem to be having some problems getting their work out on time. I want you to look into this situation and straighten it out.

without you screwing things

up too. SOURCE: Richard M. Hodgetts and Steven Altman, Organizational Behaviour, (New York: Holt, Rinehart , & Winston), 1979, p. 305.

Communication problems will arise, from time to time, in the best-run companies. However, to minimise such problems, managers must remember one thing. Communication should be a two-way process. Managers should encourage staff to ask questions and to react to what the managers are saying. Feedback is essential. The most useful question a manager can ask is Did you understand that?.

Ways with words

1. Understanding the main points 89

Business English Number the following ideas 18, depending on the order in which they appear in the text. a. In In Search of Excellence the authors give many examples of the ways in which organisations try to break down the barriers between management and employees. b. Subordinates are often reluctant to tell their superiors when things are not going well. c. In the most successfully managed organisations communications are extremely good because staff meet to discuss things openly and informally. d. Communication problems sometimes occur when employees misinterpret what their managers tell them. e. Better communications between managers and employees can be achieved by trying to reduce the social divisions between them within the company. f.The purpose of the book was to illustrate the good management techniques which are used in top American companies. g. One of the problems faced by managers is that their staff do not always feel that they are able to come and discuss important matters freely with them. h. Staff communications are much easier if work places are designed in such a way that people frequently come into contact with each other. 2. Supposing you were Communications Manager in a large organisation, what advice would you give managers to avoid communications problems? Note down a few of the suggestions you would make. 3. Read the sentence: So, another important barrier to communication is selective perception. So is a word which is generally used in conversations instead of therefore which is used in written English. Now lets learn some expressions containing the word so: so as/ that = aa nct, astfel nct; 90

Business English so far = pn acum, pn n prezent; so far as = ntruct, n msura n care; so it seems = aa se pare; so much = att de mult; so to say/ so to speak = aa zicnd, ca s zicem aa; in a week or so = cam ntr-o sptmn; so on and so forth = i aa mai departe; in so doing = procednd astfel/ aa; in so far as is concerned = ntruct privete. Now practise these expressions in sentences of your own. 4. Read the following sentence again: Communication problems will arise, from time to time, in the best-run companies. How do you translate to arise? Now complete the following passage with the correct forms of the following words. arise (v.) rise (n.) rise (v.) raise (v.)

A serious problem has (1) in my company. Because the cost of living.(2) by 6% last year, management decided to (3) the salaries of all the staff. For this reason, they gave everyone a (4) of 10 a week. However, later on, they had to pay for this by (5)the prices of all our products by10%. Such a large . (6)in prices made our products uncompetitive. So now, management is talking of lowering our salaries again! 5. Complete the following sentences using suitable items from the list below. product range market share a. A sales revenue growth-rate product-line resources productivity agency aims to achieve a production capacity advertising

well-known

..of 20% a year. b. This is unprofitable. Well have to discontinue it. 91

Business English c. Companies like Unilever and IBM have huge financial . d. By re-organising the work of office staff, you can often increase their e. Were a small firm, so we arent able to offer a wide . f. Most of Shell Oils comes from overseas subsidiaries. g. By extending our factory, we have been able to expand our . h. With the help of their cheap, high-quality word-processor, the Amstrad company were able to greatly increase their in the UK. 6. Read the following sentence again: The authors give many examples to back up their view. How do you translate to back up? Now learn some phrases containing the word back. Match these sentences with the explanations on the right: 1. I backed my friend in that argument. a. hid the truth 2. I see that he was backed from the position he b. be situated at took last week. 3. He promised to help me but then backed out. 4. Our garden backs theirs. 5. The wind backed. 6. He backed the car into the garage. 7. He turned his back on me. 8. I took my house back. 9. They kept back the truth. 10. He backed the wrong horse. c. supported him d. refused me e. gave up a claim f. withdraw from g. change direction h. made the wrong choice i. restored to its owner j. enter (with the back)

Grammar Reference
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Simple relates past actions and states them to the present. Present Perfect Simple is used to express: 92

Business English a past action when its result can be seen at the present time and is still having an effect (Present Perfect of Result): I have already seen that movie. (i.e. I can tell you the story). He has fixed his car. (i.e. He can drive it now). activities completed in the immediate past: She has just met him in the laboratory. (But: She met him there a few minutes ago.) Has oil only been used by mankind in the last hundred years? (But: Why was oil used on such a large scale in 1999?) activities at any time in a period up to now (Present Perfect of Experience): I have been to Scotland once. He has never seen such a big computer touch screen. an action or state which began in the past and continues to the present Ive known you for five years/ since 1996. (Since means from a definite point in the past till now, and for expresses a duration). How long have you worked as an economist? How long has it taken the oil industry to grow to its present size? Form have/has+verb+(past participle) The past participle of regular verbs ends in -ed. There are many common irregular verbs (see the list on page @ Appendix 1). Affirmative and negative I We You They He She has (s) has not (hasnt) have (ve) have not (havent) worked in the human resources department.

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Business English Interrogative Have I we you Has Short answer Have you ever been to France? Yes, I have. No, I havent. Has she ever worked as a lawyer? Yes, she has. No, she hasnt. they he she been to the United Kingdom?

Present Perfect Simple and Past Simple

Look at the use of the Present Perfect and the Past Simple in the following sentences: Ive lived in this flat for six months (I still do.) I lived in this flat for two years. (Now I live somewhere else.) F. Neagu has written very good short stories. (He is still alive.) Shakespeare wrote very good plays. (He is dead.) He has worked in this company for four years. (But: He started working in this company in 1997.) Have you found your books? (uncertainty) Yes, I have. Where did you find them? (certainty). I found them behind a couple of other books, on the top shelf.

The Preposition
Prepositions are connecting words that show relationships between words in a sentence. A preposition followed by a complement (object) forms a 94

Business English prepositional phrase. Nouns, pronouns, noun phrases, gerunds or noun clauses can be complements (objects) of prepositions. Note that in English, prepositions usually precede their objects: Put it on the chair and leave! Look at him. Because of you, I can't get any work done. After telling the whole story, he disappeared. As the preposition in English may be different from the preposition in Romanian, here is a text in which you may learn about the use of the preposition in English: (Also see the list with prepositions which are usually mistaken by Romanian students on page @ Appendix 2) Now read the following text and pay attention to the use of the preposition in English: It seems generally accepted that Mathematics is indeed fundamental for all engineering education, and for most schools all engineering students take the same mathematics sequence. Two areas of mathematics seem broadly basic to engineering: namely, the calculus as used in the linear constant coefficient differential equation, and statistical theory. The linear differential equation is a general form, useful to engineering because we can obtain answers from it. Therefore, where this form applies to the physical world, the use of mathematical prediction is increasing over the experimental approach. Next is the area of the partial differential equation, rigorously solvable in only a few special cases although approximation methods exist. Here the laboratory still depends on many solutions where analytic methods are not yet fully available

Prepositions of time
In the morning/ afternoon/ evening; January, February, etc.; summer, winter, etc.; 1988; the 1930s; two weeks; two weeks time; your free (spare) time; good/ bad weather 95

Business English At six o clock, etc.; midnight; Easter/ Christmas; the weekend; the moment On Saturday, Monday, etc.; Tuesday morning, etc.; 11-th January, etc. For seven minutes, etc.; a long time; ages Since June, 25-th, etc.; my last birthday; I came here During* the film; the class; the war; my holidays; summer _____________________________________________________________ * In a sentence containing a subject and a verb, during is replaced by while: While I was coming to you...

Controlled practice
1. Put the verbs in brackets in the present perfect: a. He just (buy) a second-hand car. b. I always (want) to meet Professor Leech. c. What (happen) to the keys of the car? I cant find them anywhere. d. I (finish) my letters and am going to the post-office. e. We (be) to Brighton twice this year. f. We (book) seats for tomorrow; here they are. g. This parcel (arrive) for you; do you want me to take it into your room. h. Someone (take) away the umbrella that used to hang behind the door. i. I (get) a letter from my brother today. j. Come and see the new furniture I (buy). 2. Supply for or since in the following sentences: a. We havent seen Mary ...... (the accident/three months). b. I havent spoken Italian ...... (1985/three years). c. We have had two breakdowns ...... (we bought the car/last week) d. John hasnt paid any bill.... (he moved here/ eighteen months). e. Ive asked the same question....(a week/the beginning of the year). f. Dr. Brown has been here twice ...... (you went out/lunch-time). 96

Business English g. We havent had such a lot of snow here ...... (the war/ten years). h. The Jamesons have not been away from Crew ...... (they were married/ longer than they can remember). i. They have known each other ...... (their childhood/twenty years). j. It hasnt rained ...... (a month/March). 3. Rephrase the following sentences, using the present perfect tense with for and since, according to the model: The last time I was abroad was in the summer of 1983. becomes I havent been abroad since 1983. a. He last shaved last Monday. b. Its years since Jane visited us. c. He last ate snails when he was a student in Paris. d. Its years since I last had a really good nights sleep. e. Its ages since I last wrote a letter. f. She last went to the hairdressers for her brothers wedding. g. I last skated in my childhood. h. Its more than ten years since that house was lived in. i. I last met her the day when she got a job. j. Its quite a long time since he rode a motorcycle. 4. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense: present perfect or simple past: a. Peter (buy) a new car last month, but he (not sell) his old car yet, so at the moment he has two cars. b. When we (move) into our new flat we (ask) for a telephone. The Telephone Company (tell) us to wait, but we (wait) a year now and our phone still (not come). c. When I (be) on my way to the bus stop it (start) to rain. I (run) back home for my umbrella, but this (make) me late for the office. My boss (look) up as I (enter) the office. You (be) late twice this week, he (growl). 97

Business English d. Ann (think) the garage (be) empty and (turn) off the lights. Hey, (shout) Paul from under the car. Im sorry, Paul,(say) Ann, I (not know) you (be) there. e. Tom (meet) Paul at lunch time and (say): I (not see) you at the bus stop this morning. You (miss) the bus? I (not miss) it, (reply) Paul, I (not miss) a bus for years. But this morning George (give) me a lift. f. Peter (try) to come in quietly but his mother (hear) him and (call) out: Where you (be)? Your supper (be) in the oven for an hour. g. I just (buy) a copy of David Copperfield. You (read) it? As it happens it is the only one of Dickenss books that I (not read). I (not even see) the film. h. You (be) to Scotland? Yes, I (be) there last summer. i. You (be) to the theatre lately? Yes, I (go) to Othello last week. You (like) it? Yes, but I (not see) well. I (be) right at the back. j. How long you (be) in your present job? I (be) there for six months. And what you (do) before that? Before that I (work) for Jones and Company. k. I (smoke) forty cigarettes a day till the doctor (warn) me about the dangers. l. I (work) as a civil servant from 1985 till 1989. For 5 years I (work). Since 1989 (work) in a hospital. It is now 1995. This means I (work) in a hospital for 6 years. 5. Complete this conversation by putting the verbs in brackets into the present perfect or simple past: Maria: Hello, Dan. Dan: Hello. I (not hear) from you for a long time. Maria: I (see) you in town two or three weeks months, but you (not see) me. I (be) on a tram. 98

Business English Dan: Well, how are you? I remember that you were learning for your chemistry test. . you (pass) it yet? Maria: Yes, I have. I (pass) in December. I (not pass) my Mathematics exam yet. But what about you, Dan? Anything exciting (happen) to you lately? Dan: No, not really. My brother is still out of work. Maria: He (graduate) from school in autumn? Dan: Yes. He (not do) very well in his exams and he (not find) a job yet. Maria: Are you still working at Scotts? Dan: Yes. They just (give) me a pay rise. Maria: Well, thats one piece of good news. 6. Imagine that you are talking on the phone to an old friend who you havent seen for about two or three weeks. Write down three of four items of news about yourself that you can tell your friend. 7. Supply the right preposition: a. She is very fond ... children. b. The new teacher is very patient... us. c. We are leaving to Sinaia ... July, 3-rd. d. I was interested ... management. e. What are you afraid ...? f. Im proud ... your success. g. She has never been successful ... anything she has done so far. h. We are going there early ... the morning, yet dont expect us until late ... night. i. The results depended ... the revenues we obtained. j. An accountant is a person who has specialised ... accountancy. 8. Put one of these prepositions in each empty space:

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Business English These ambulance men are making preparations . taking a man to hospital, on account . his having been knocked down by a car. These young doctors are having a discussion . operating on the wounded man. They take a lot of pride . doing their job as perfectly as possible. This nurse is giving the man an injection as a protection getting tetanus. The man is well again now. The doctor says he has no objection his going home tomorrow. 9. Write this story. Put for, on, to or nothing in each empty space: A: I have arranged someone to look after the shop while I am away. B: Oh? Who? A: James. I can always count him to help. B: Thats wonderful. Have you reminded him that he can call me to come if he needs me? A: Yes, thanks, but he cant bear anyone to feel that he owes him anything. B: How sad! I always long someone to owe something to! A: What do you mean? B: I was only joking. But it seems me to be a sign of something strange if one wants anyone to help one. A: Well, I look you to help James if he needs it without forcing him to refuse. B: Of course. 10. Supply at, by, on, in, for, to, with, or (-) where necessary: a. Did you come all this way foot? b. I didnt walk. I came here the bus. c Wheres Harry? I think hes gone bed. d. Arent the children bed yet? e. What time did you go home last night? f. You may work hard all week, but you do nothing when youre home. 100

Business English g. I dont think its much cheaper to go bus. h. Whos the woman .the black handbag? i. What time do the children go school in the morning? j. I dont mind being alone the house. k. Where did you hear about this? I saw it .TV. l. You cant speak to him now. Hes class. m. How long have you been waiting .. the bus? n. Its no good raising your voice; he cant hear you. o. Theyve replied our letter on February 15th. 11. Supply the best word in the following sentences. 1. Ill see you ten minutes. a) in a) after a) again a) in a) in the end a) finally a) last a) last a) last a) late b) back b) at b) at last b) after all b) latest b) the last b) lastly b) lately b) after b) later 2. I arrived first and Tom arrived. 3. She invited us, so we must invite her 4. What happened the end of the story? 5. We missed the train and we got a taxi. 6. The experience was not so bad . 7. I cant wait to get to the chapter! 8. She phoned me Monday. 9. My name comes in the list. 10. We havent seen much of you .

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Unit 7
In this unit you will learn:

Filling in a conference call for papers Present Perfect Continuous Modal verbs Prepositions of place

Pre-reading tasks
How many conferences have you attended so far?

Reading
Imagine you are participating in a conference at University Ovidius Constanta. Here is the information they have sent you by mail. Read the call for papers carefully and prepare to fill in the registration form.

Universitatea Ovidius Constana Facultatea de Litere

Call for Papers SECOND BALKAN CONFERENCE BALKAN CULTURAL IDENTITIES Ovidius University, Constanta, Romania October 14-16, 2004

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Business English This conference aims at singling out a possible Balkan, among so many, identities in the world of late modernity. Commonly regarded as a basic issue of interdisciplinary approaches to identity, cultural specificity has been looked into as local, national, regional or continental particularism. In the light of current research in the field, the particular and the universal hold a tense, if dialectical, relationship. Balkan identity is such a problematic category. It is the loose nature of this identity that we invite colleagues from the region and from the academies at large to question, analyse, and debate at our forthcoming event.

Topics suggested: identity between self and other, centre and margin, mainstream and alternative currents, metropolis and colony, etc. theories of identity and imagology cultural identity: forma mentis or determinism(s)? one or various Balkan identities? (whys and whereofs) narratives of Balkan identity (literary, musical, visual, choreographic, historical, geographic, economic, political, etc.) the Balkan region, past and present (colonial and postcolonial traces, patterns of private and public life, self-assertion vs. the imperial hangover) the linguist path to Balkan identity (language dialect sociolect idiolect, basic stock and loans, the onomastic factor, toponyms, terms of endearment and swearwords, etc.) the cult-lit path to Balkan identity (national literature at home and abroad, minority group literatures and cultures, national classics, homeland and diaspora, second home and exile, my self my friend my foe, us and them, etc.) Balkanism Orientalism Occidentalism, theories of modernity 103

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Please consider the registration form provided and return it by April 30, 2004 to Alina Popescu / Ileana Chiru-Jitaru / Mona Momescu / Nicoleta Stanca at the following e-mail addresses: <alinapopescu@univ-ovidius.ro> and <alinadpopescu@yahoo.com> <ileanachiru@univ-ovidius.ro> and <jitaruileana@rdslink.ro> <mmm2120@columbia.edu> <nicoletastanca@univ-ovidius.ro> and <nicoletastanca@yahoo.com> IMPORTANT! PARTICIPANTS ARE ASKED TO SEND THEIR APPLICATION FORMS TO BOTH E-MAIL ADDRESSES OF EACH OF THE ABOVE CONTACTS. Registration fee: ROL 400.000 for Romanian participants / EURO 25 for foreign participants, to be paid upon arrival. Further details on the program will be made available at a later date to those who will have filled in and returned the registration form below.

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Business English REGISTRATION FORM PERSONAL DETAILS Name:____________________________ Surname:__________________________ Title [Ms, Mrs, Mr, Dr, Prof]:_________ Affiliation: _________________________________________________ Address (+telephone/fax): ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ E-mail: ______________________________________________________ Presentation details Paper title /topic for panel discussion [specify which]: ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Suggested/preferred field/section: _____________________________________________________________ Abstract (about 50 words): ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Auxiliaries needed (please tick): none OHP cassette player video + TV other please specify your message). _____ _____ _____ _____

Send this registration form as an e-mail (the file will become an attachment to

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Grammar Reference
Present Perfect Continuous
Present Perfect Continuous is used to express: an activity begun in the past and still in progress at the moment of speaking: They have been creating new jobs for several years. Ive been waiting for an hour and he still hasnt turned up. an activity begun in the past which has only just finished and is relevant to the current situation: Sorry Im late. Have you been waiting long? Note: In both these uses a present perfect simple can be also used, especially with those verbs which are not normally in the continuous aspect, in negative sentences, and when reference is made to the number of things that have been done: They have created/ have been creating new petroleum products for several years. a repeated activity, in which case a nuance of reproach, irritation, etc. can be present. Ive been calling you for the past twenty minutes. Why dont you answer the phone? Its form consists of the present perfect of the auxiliary be and the indefinite participle of the main verb (verb+-ing). Affirmative and negative I You We They He She has been has not been (hasnt been) have been have not been (havent been) working.

Interrogative 106

Business English What have I have you have we have they has he has she been doing?

Modal Verbs
The modal verbs are a special kind of auxiliary verbs which express the modality of the action and have some specific features. The following are modal verbs: can/ must/ / may/ need/ shall/ will/ would/ should They have the following in common: 1. They help another verb. The verb form is the infinitive (without to) She can drive. He can speak English, French and Italian. I must go. May I open the window? Yes, you may. 2. Questions are formed by putting the modal verb in front of the subject. There are no auxiliaries such as do/does/did, etc. Can you type quickly? Could you give me an example? Should I go home now? Need I invite them too? 3. The form is the same for all persons. Modals do not inflect (There is no -s in the third person singular, and there are no -ing or -ed forms.) She should learn more. He can speak three foreign language well. He insisted that Jack must go and see it himself. 4. Negatives are formed by putting a negative word such as not/ nt immediately after the modal verb. There are no auxiliaries such as dont/ doesnt/ didnt, etc. 107

Business English I cant spell your name. She wouldnt like to become a teacher like me.

Problematic prepositions of movement and place

Movement Place to at used wih verbs of movement: go, not used come, etc., even when meaning is different: She goes to house. university. into/out of in (=contained by/ inside) used with changes of place: She used with towns: I arrived in walked out of the shop. London. But: I arrived at London Airport. (=place) across (=from one side to the by (=at the side of) other: She went across the promenade.) towards (=in the direction of: Im going towards Cluj.)

with

verbs

of

the movement: I arrived at the

Controlled practice
1. Translate the following sentences into English. Use Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Continuous: a. Te caut de o or. Pe unde ai umblat? b. De atunci n-am mai primit nici o veste de la el. c. Cte dischete ai folosit pn acum? d. Locuim n Romnia de trei ani. e. N-am mai vzut-o de cnd a terminat facultatea. 2. Supply the simple present perfect or the continuous present perfect of the verbs in brackets: a. Im tired. I (read) all day. b. Up to now I (visit) twenty countries. 108

Business English c. I saw her in August, but (not see) her ever since. d. How long you (learn) Chinese? e. Youre out of breath. You (run)? f. She still (not write) the report. g. What she (do) all afternoon? h. They already (speak) to me about that experiment. i. Your eyes are red. You (cry). 3. Choose the correct verb form: a. How long have you been living/ have you lived in this house? b. Angela worked/ has been working in this company for ten years and a half. c. Alan has been/ has gone to South America. d. Hes tired because he has worked/ has been working on the oil field all day. e. How long have you been learning/ have you learned English? 4. Translate the following into English: a. Ea trebuie s plece. b. El nu poate s scrie n englez. c. Pot s nchid geamul? d. Ea ar trebui s se strduiasc mai mult la examene. e. Nu tiu s not, dar tiu s schiez i s patinez. f. Ei nu tiu engleza, dar au nceput un curs anul acesta. g. Vrei s te cstoreti cu mine? h. Chiar trebuie s ne ducem la curs la ora patru? Da, chiar trebuie. i. Nu vrem s venim cu tine, pentru c nu ne place la mare. j. Tu vei sta unde i spun, dac nu, o s te pedepsesc. 5. Choose the best variant which completes these sentences: a. She can/may/ must go, otherwise she will miss the train.

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Business English b. I cant/ couldnt/may not help you at that time, as I was extremely busy. c. Should/ Could/ Will I attend this optional course? d. He cannot/ mustnt/ may not come to this wedding, as he is in Portugal. e. Im afraid she may not/ cant/ mustnt help you at the moment, but I am free now so could/ should/ may you tell me your problem? 6. Translate into English: a. El trebuie c a plecat. b. M ndoiesc c el a putut face aa ceva. c. Eu tiu s vorbesc franceza de cnd aveam patru ani. d. Noi trebuie s ne grbim, altfel ntrziem la cursul de econnomie i nu mai putem intra n sala de curs. e. El poate s vin mai trziu, spunea c nu i-a terminat lucrarea la finane. f. Noi vom vota s se schimbe constituia. g. Ei nu vor s mearg n excursie, li se pare prea scump. h. E necesar s mi las bagajele aici? i. A putea s l ajut, dar atept s-mi cear el ajutorul. j. Nu ai voie s dai drumul la curent de aici. Instalaia este defect i se poate ntmpla vreun accident.

7. Complete each sentence with the appropriate preposition: a. I used to be interested . Physics when I was a child. b. He strolled carelessly .. the road. c. They arrived late .. the station. d. She ran all the way .. the shop. e. I went .. Paris last year. f. I met her .. the rock concert. g. The baby crawled .. the kitchen. 110

Business English h. Theres a strike .. our factory. i. She has left. She must be .. work. j. The money fell ... my pocket. 8. Put in the missing prepositions: .. a Monday evening ..... September 1931, .. about eight oclock, the ship Voyager sank. The ship had been sailing .. the end of September, when she left London, and was on her way .. England .. Australia. The only survivor was an Englishman called Wilfred Batty, who saved himself .. swimming two miles. He spent three years .. an island . the middle of the Indian Ocean. The island was quite small, and he could walk ..... the whole of it .. an hour. He climbed .. the one hill and put a flag .... it .. a signal. . night Batty slept .. a cave, where he felt quite .. home .. the day, he often fished ..... a home-made net. He cooked the fish .. a wood fire. Batty stayed .. the island ... almost three years. .. August 1934, a ship was sailing . the island, and the captain saw Battys signal. The sailors found a man .. a long blue coat .. dark hair and a beard, looking rather ..... a gorilla. Batty was soon home, and a few years later he finally arrived in Australia .. air.

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Business English

Unit 8
In this unit you will learn:

Useful tips for businessmen who do business in Romania The Cardinal Numeral Past Perfect Simple Past Perfect Continuous

Pre-reading tasks
If you decide to start any kind of business do you know what you are supposed to do? What would you advise a foreigner who wants to start doing business in our country?

Reading
Read this text containing useful tips for those who want to do business in our country. Identify the cardinal numerals: So you have decided to make the great leap and try to do business in Romania. For whatever reason career advancement, experience, opportunity for fantastic profits or simply for losing a bet, you are surely in for one hell of a ride! One way or another, while working here, you will feel every emotion frustration, anger, frustration, joy, frustration, loneliness, frustration. For this reason you have two choices after 5 p.m. the first choice would be: develop a good sense of humour, and the second: develop a drinking problem! Any pre-conceived ideas of Romania you might have should be put aside. The country is hugely wealthy, though extremely under-developed. The gap between the rich and the poor is immense and easily recognizable. Almost everybody under the age of 35 years old is university educated and speaks at least two languages. Also the idea of making quick profits have 112

Business English been thought and tried by many and they almost never work. Many billionaires have come here and left as millionaires! The bureaucracy is the hardest nut to crack. It doesnt matter the size of your company you may have more than one hundred employees, the money in your bank account or how big or influential you are in your country, you are a big zero here. Dont expect to find any friends for at least two or three years. Friends dont come cheap. Those two or three years will be the most frustrating of your life. With your local employees, dont assume that any directive has been carried out. Check and double-check everything not done directly by you. Although immensely laborious, it is necessary and saves you agony later.

WAYS WITH WORDS

Special terms: Pre-conceived: [only before noun] preconceived ideas, opinions, etc are formed before you rrally have enough knowledge or experience Under-developed: a country, region that is poor and where there is not much modern industry or not having grown or developed as much as is usual or necessary Bureaucracy: a complicated official system which is annoying or confusing because it has a lot of rules, processes or the officials who are employed rather than elected to do the work of a government, business Laborious: a job or piece of work that is difficult and needs a lot of effort or seeming to be done slowly and with difficulty

Grammar Reference
The Cardinal Numeral
The form of the cardinal numeral 1 one 11 eleven 21 twenty-one 113 100 a (one) 1,000 a (one)

Business English hundred* thousand* 103 a (one) 1,003 a (one) hundred and two 3 three 13 thirteen 23 twenty-three 306 hundred and three four and three three 3,476 thousand hundred 4 four 14 fourteen 30 thirty 744 hundred fourty-four 5 five 15 fifteen 40 fourty 999 hundred ninety nine 6 six 7 seven 8 eight 9 nine 10 ten 16 sixteen 17 seveteen 18 eighteen 19 nineteen 20 twenty 50 fifty 60 sixty 70 seventy 80 eighty 90 ninety

2 two

12 twelve

22 twenty-two

hundred and six

seventy-six seven 4,578 four and thousand hundred five and

seventy-eight nine 1,000,000 one and million

The numerals hundred and thousand do not take the plural form: 500 sheets of paper - five hundred sheets of paper. Notes: 1. When you read phone numbers, you should read them figure by figure. For example: My phone number is 142357- My phone number is one four two three five seven. 2. When you read years, you should read them in pairs of two figures. For example: He died in 1987. - He died in nineteen eighty-seven.

Past Perfect Simple

Past Perfect Simple is used to express: an action completed before another action or moment in the past: What happened to the officer who had been rude to the companys clients? 114

Business English He had read his lecture before he went to university. an action which began before another moment in the past and continued up to that time or into it: In 1999 we had composed about 5000 business letters for five years. He had lived in this flat since he was born. Its form consists of had followed by the past participle of the main verb. Affirmative and negative I You He/ She We They Interrogative What had I you he/she we they Short answer Had you read the novel before we saw the film? Yes, I had. No, I hadnt. Had he spoken English before he started the English course? Yes, he had. No, he hadnt. done? had had not (hadnt) left.

Past Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect Continuous is used to express: an action in the past begun before the time of speaking in the past and still going on that time or possibly after: By that time we had been working on the project for two years. They had been living for generations in that house. 115

Business English Its form consists of the past perfect of the auxiliary be and the present participle of the main perfect.

Affirmative and negative By that time I you he/she we they Interrogative What had I you he/she we they Short answer Had you been working on that project by that time for a year? Yes, I had. No, I hadnt. been working on by that time, last year? had been had not (hadnt) been working for a year.

Controlled practice
1. Decide the order in which these things happened. Then write two sentences using after and the past perfect. Example: The bank clerk gave it to me./ She looked at my cheque./ She counted out the money. After the bank clerk had looked at my cheque, she counted the money. After she had counted the money, she gave it to me. a. The tourists got out of the coach./ They got back in the coach./ They took photos. 116

Business English b. The prisoner ran across the yard./ He jumped out of the window./ He climbed over the wall. c. The reporter wrote a report on the accident./ She interviewed the people there./ She went to the scene of the accident. d. The mechanic put a new tyre on./ He put the wheel back on./ He took the wheel off the car. e. The shop-assistant asked me which my size was./ She wrapped it./ She showed it to me. 2. Translate into English: a. Se cunoteau de trei ani. b. Pn atunci lucrasem la proiectul acela de dou luni. c. Ce s-a ntmplat dup ce am plecat? d. l ateptam de o or, cnd am aflat c avusese un accident de masina. e. Despre ce vorbeai cnd ne-am ntlnit? f. Noi cunoteam adevrul n momentul n care te-ai decis tu s ni-l spui. g. Abia se terminase ploaia c a i nceput un vnt ngrozitor. h. De ndat ce a terminat tema, a sunat telefonul. i. Ei se cunoscuser cu zece ani n urm, la o conferin de petrol. j. Nu crezuse c o s i se ntmple tocmai lui s nu-i aminteasc aa nite noiuni elementare de englez. 3. Use the simple past, or the simple/ continuous past perfect form of the verbs in brackets to complete the sentences below: a. Yesterday afternoon Joan (go) to school and (hand in) the paper she (write). b. As soon as they (have) lunch they (leave) the restaurant. c. It was getting late, so we (decide) to go to bed. d. She (say) that she (study) for two hours.

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Business English e. The man (sell) fifty newspapers for five minutes, as everybody (be) interested in the story of the prime minister. f. She (change) from Channel 1 to Channel 3 as she (already see) the movie on Channel 1. g. How long Monica (watch) TV by 12 o clock? She (watch) TV for an hour. h. We (sit down) to dinner when the doorbell (start) to ring. i. How long you (work) outside when it (start) to rain? j. It (be midnight). I (write) for five hours. No wonder I (be) so tired. 4. Inversion e.g. No sooner has he hung up than Bill drops by his office for a chat. When the following words and phrases begin a sentence, the subject and verb are inverted. under no circumstances no sooner at no time not until Study the following pairs of sentences. a You should not smoke in this area under any circumstances./ Under no circumstances should you smoke in this area. b The company has never had such a successful year./ Never has the company had such a successful year. Note that the second sentence of each pair is more emphatic than the first and that the subject and auxiliary verb are inverted. Inversion is used mainly in formal English. A Make all the changes and additions necessary to produce correct sentences from the following sets of words and phrases. e.g. No sooner/I start/write/report/someone/telephoned/me. No sooner had I started to write the report when someone telephoned me. hardly scarcely rarely never (before) seldom only little

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Business English a. Hardly/I finish/phone/my boss/drop into/my office. b. Under no circumstances/manager/rely on/memory/log/time. c. Not until/two years ago/company/begin/make/profits. d. Only/after three hours negotiations/we succeed/reach agreement/the final contract. e. Rarely/our company/fail/meet/delivery dates. B Put the following words in the correct order, so as to make correct sentences. Begin each sentence with the word underlined. e.g. have efficient I met a more rarely manager Rarely have I met a more efficient manager. a. been seldom after so I meeting have tired a b. I my office sooner no in arrive rang did telephone the than c. disturbed no I be must circumstances under d. on did a only of lot the market put research after they the product e. any to relax does she rarely have time f. 1986 not factory our able to until were we buy own g. little redundant that soon he be made he realise does will h. my boss dropped my hardly report started had the I when

5. Supply past perfect simple or continuous forms and past tense where necessary: a. He (hope) to find John and was very disappointed when he didnt. b. We (cook) all day for the party and by 8 oclock we still werent ready. c. He (wait) for that letter for weeks when at last arrived. d. I (work) for about two hours when John came with a letter e. Mark looked at his watch. It was twenty minutes to three and he (wait) since two oclock. f. Their hands were quite numb because they (make) a snowman.

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Business English g. Everyone (pack) until the last minute and no time (be left) to take the dog round to their neighbours. h. They all (look forward) to the excursion and were disappointed to hear it (be cancelled). i. She (be) up for three hours when the rest of the household awoke. j. When we (reach) the airport, we (find) that the plane (crash). k. She (tell) me that she only once (see) a kangaroo in her life. l. When the police (enter) the bank the robbers already (escape). m. He (wonder) where he (lose) his keys. n. When I (get) on the train I (realize) that I (forget) my passport. o. They (bring) in a patient who (swallow) a diamond ring. p. She (know) about the accident because someone from the office (phone) her before I (arrive). q. He (not understand) a word until they (bring) an interpreter. r. When I (see) her I (be) sure that we (meet) before.

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Business English

Unit 9
In this unit you will learn:

A Short Presentation of the Romanian Economy Today Future Simple Comparative and Superlative Adjectives Comparative Sentences

Pre-reading tasks
What do you understand by economy? What do you know about your countys economy?

Reading
Read this text about Romanian economy. Look at the tenses of the verbs. Translate the text into Romanian. Pay attention to the use of tenses: Past Tense for actions which were completed in the past (prior to 1989) and Future for actions which will take place later: Prior to 1989, Romanias economy was organized on the communist model: it was hyper-centralized and nationalized. The forced industrialization of the country had serious social repercussions: a great part of the population migrated to industrial areas. After 1989, the lack of competitiveness of domestic products on western markets and the collapse of the communist economic system called for a total reorganization of industry, which involved high human and material costs. The agriculture also underwent essential changes during communism. Collectivization and state ownership of large estates led to a nationalized, inefficient agriculture. 121

Business English Soon after the communist regime was overthrown in 1989, Romanias main objective was to bring real estate back into private ownership and to relaunch the freemarket economy. The general political trend after the Revolution (the end of 1989) started to be and will still be the states almost complete withdrawal from the economy and construction of a freemarket economy, based on free competition and private initiative. One of the most important economic achievements will represent the reviving of the credit system by reorganizing the banking system. The prerequisites for development of a modern banking system are an independent National Bank and privatization. Thinking of the future, we hope the Romanian economy will go on developing and meet European standards.

WAYS WITH WORDS

Special terms: Ownership: the fact of owning something: a dispute over the ownership of the land Estate: a large area of land in the country, usually with one owner or all of someones property and money, especially everything that is left after they die Achievement: something important that one succeeds in doing by his/her own efforts or the act of achieving something Prerequisite: something someone must have before they can be allowed to do something, or which must exist before something else can happen In the sentence: Soon after the communist regime was overthrown in 1989, Romanias main objective was the preposition in introduces an Adverbial of time (in 1989). Now lets learn some expressions containing the preposition in: in all probability = dup toate probabilitile; in all together = n total; in the beginning = la nceput; 122

Business English in contrast to/with = n contrast cu; in common with = n comun cu; in itself = n sine; in order to/ that = ca s, pentru ca; in particular = n special; in the place of/ in lieu of = n loc de; in progress = n curs de; in return for = n schimbul a; in quantity = n cantitate; in search of = n cutare de; in spite of = n ciuda faptului c; in such a manner = n aa mod;

Grammar Reference
Future Simple
Future Simple is used to express: actions to be performed in the future. I shall be thirty next year. When will you graduate from university? She will work for our company if we give her a good salary. Notes: 1. We use will and shall in many other ways, apart from predicting the future: e.g.: -intentions/ promises (Ill buy you a bike for your birthday.) -request/ invitations (Will you hold the door open for me, please?) -offers (Shall I help you solve this problem?) -suggestions (Shall we go to see that movie tomorrow?) -threats (Just wait and see! Youll regret this!) -decisions (Ill stop and ask the way.) 2. Future is not allowed in conditional and temporal clause: If you help me, Ill be grateful to you. 123

Business English When it rains, we stay inside. Form Affirmative and negative I We You He/ She They Interrogative When shall will I we you he/she they Short answer Will you help me finish my project? Yes, I shall. Note: No, I wont is not common because it is impolite, it may mean I dont want to help you. That is why a polite answer would be: Im afraid I cant. help him? shall (ll) shall not (shant) will (ll) will not (wont) come.

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Form Adjectives Short adjectives Positive cheap small big fat old Adjectives that funny end in -y early heavy Adjectives with careful two syllables expensive Comparative cheaper smaller bigger fatter older/ elder funnier earlier heavier more careful more expensive 124 Superlative the cheapest the smallest the biggest the fattest the oldest/ the eldest the funniest the earliest the heaviest the most careful the most expensive

Business English not ending in -y difficult or more than interesting rapid good bad many/ much little far* fore** late*** two syllables Irregular adjectives more difficult more interesting more rapid better worse more less farther/ further former later/latter the most difficult the most interesting the most rapid the best the worst the most the least the farthest/ the furthest the foremost/ the first the latest/ the last

near**** nearer the nearest/ the next Short adjectives with one vowel and one consonant double the consonant: fat/ fatter/ the fattest, hot/ hotter/ the hottest, etc. Elder and the eldest are used only attributively, in family relationships (My elder brother is twenty four). * Farther/ the farthest are used to relate to distance (I live farther than you.); further/ the furthest are used in relation to time, quantity. The latter has also an abstract meaning. (Give me further details in order to understand it better.) ** Former means of an earlier period or the first of two (In former times, people used whale oil for lamps.); the foremost means chief (The foremost welder in this factory is John.); the first means initial (Americans claim that the first underground oil well was drilled in the United States.). *** Later means the second of two (Ive met John and Cindy: the former is a student in Management, the latter is a student in Foreign Languages); the latest means the most recent (He bought the latest novel by J. Fowles.); the last means final: ( Shakespeares last play was probably lost.). ****The nearest is used for distance (Could you tell me the way to the nearest oil pump?); the next refers to order. (The next bus comes in an hour.) Examples: There are two forces F1 and F2, the former is the greater./ This welder is the foremost worker in our workshop./ This is Newtons first law of motion. 125

Business English This is a good conductor of electricity./ We need a better conductor./ This is the best machine in the exhibition by far. There is little advantage in using rotary drilling on this field./ There is less oil in this tank than in the other one./ Forces are not of least importance for an engineer.

Comparative Sentences
In relation with the degrees of comparison, there are idiomatic expressions with two comparatives which are very common in technical English texts: Form: the+ comparative ...... the+ comparative ... The faster you are in typing, the bigger your salary will be. The more efficient you become, the less time you will need.

Controlled practice
1. Translate into English: a. Te voi chema cnd voi ajunge acas. b. l voi vedea sptmna viitoare. c. Azi avem repetiie la ora dou. d. Va deveni necesar s gsim noi resurse de energie. e. Crezi c vei avea timp facei proiectul la contabilitate? 2. Match the sentences on the left with the functions on the right: A B 1. Well have a thunderstorm tonight, a. stating a planned arrangement Im sure. - b. 2. Will there be a general strike? 3. Ill send you a card from Paris 4. Will you send me an e-mail? 5. Shall I go to the library for you? 6. Shall we take a drive into the b. making a prediction c. making a request d. expressing future hope e. expressing future uncertainty f. offering

country later? 7. Ill report you to the police next g. promising/ stating an intention 126

Business English time. 8. The wedding will take place next h. making an invitation Friday. 9. I hope youll come and see us on i. asking for a prediction Saturday. 10. Explain it to them again. Perhaps j. threatening theyll understand. 11. Will you have dinner with us on i. making a suggestion Sunday? 3. Translate into English: a. Cu ct mai repede nvm engleza, cu att mai bine. b. Ei fac n continuare investigaii. c. Presiunea este mai mare n al doilea caz dect n primul. d. Cu ct nvei s faci calculele mai repede, cu att mai uor i va fi n viitor. e. Avem nevoie de mai multe calculatoare ca s fim mai eficieni. f. Contabilul acesta este cel mai tnr dintre toi. g. Problema aceasta este cea mai dificil cu care m-am confruntat vreodat. h. Ideea ta e mai bun, dar soluia mea este mai ieftin dect a ta. i. Aceast ofert devine din ce n ce mai tentant. j. Dintre cele dou rapoarte, primul este mai mic, iar al doilea este mai mare. 4. Supply the comparative or superlative form of the adjective in brackets: a. He is (lazy) student in the class. b. She is looking for a (big) company than the one she is working for now. c. He was unable to get (far) information. d. The pressure in such working conditions was (big) than expected. e. Today, (great) care is taken to prevent accidents. f. (Difficult) problem was solved by means of computerised technology. g. She found (little) errors in Johns programme than in Marys one. 127

Business English

5. Fill in the gaps with one of the phrases below: Missing phrases: environmentally friendly; the most expensive; too expensive; the largest; more environmentally sound If one of your criteria in choosing a car is its design, the Mercedes is far more attractive than any others. Yet at the same time you should think that, even if their cars are very ellegant and .., they are .. for common people. The Electrolite is .... than the others as it is equipped with a filter fitted to remove toxins from the waste water that escapes from it. The latest Mercedes model is of course .. and . yet if you want to have a car for a life save your money and buy it. 6. In this unit you have learnt about comparison. Now learn a few idioms of comparison. Fill in the blanks with one suitable word (a, b, c or d): 1. Where is everyone? Its as silent asin here! a Sunday b the grave c death d a tomb 2. Jimmys feeling a bit under the weather today, but I expect hell be as right asby the weekend. a an athlete b sunshine c rain d roses 3. Ill never eat and drink as much as that again! I was sick as a on the way home. a dog b horse c pig d poodle 4. Ask David to give a hand moving the furniture. Hes as strong as a an elephant b a mountain c a gorilla thin as a . a stick insect b rake a canvas b old boots c finger c rubber d wire d stale bread 6. We cant eat this meat-its as tough as.. d a horse 5. Youre not getting enough to eat, Karen! Look at you! Youre as

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Business English 7. You shouldnt have frightened her like that. Poor thing! She went as white as.! a a sheet b snow c milk d whitewash 8. Nothing ever seems to bother Collin. No matter what happens, he always seems to remain as cool as a cold feet b ice-cream c a cucumber d an Eskimo 9. Youll have to shout, Im afraid. My fathers as deaf as. a a leaf b a post c a politician d a stone 10. Its hard to believe Brian and Stephen are brothers, isnt it? Theyre as different as. a Mars from Jupiter b milk from honey margarine from butter 11. Although we had been told that the film was very exciting, both my wife and I found it to be as dull as. a ditchwater b a don as. a a fighter b a fiddle c a frog d an athlete 13. Our dog looks very ferocious, but dont worry, Liz, Fidos as gentle as-especially with children. a a pony b snowflakes c a lamb d washing-up liquid 14. I hope children didnt play you up, Doreen? No, not at all, Mrs Gardener. Theyve been as good as. a religion b gold c God d brass 15. The suitcase isnt too heavy, is it? No, its as light as a dust b lighting c a feather d a fish 16. I wish the new secretary would cheer up! Shes been as miserable asfor the past week. a a monk b death c a banker 129 d sin c a dungeon d a museum 12. Honestly, Pam, ever since Ive given up smoking I feel as fit c chalk from cheese d

Business English 17. By the way, have you heard the one about the Welshman, the Irishman and the pig? Yes, we have. The jokes as old as. a Solomon a a pancake d a bell 19. Kathy was as pleased aswhen she heard she had passed the exam. a punch b a poppy c a sunflower d pound notes 20. I hope the computer course starts this term. Well all as keen as to get going. a coffee b mustard c a gigolo d cornflakes b the hills c a dinosaur d Jupiter c the nose on your face 18. Of course he loves you! Its as plain as b the knob of your door

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Test
I. Choose the best variant: 1. You .. an essay when I .. the room. A. wrote/ entered; B. were writing/ entered; C. were writing/ was entering.; D. wrote/ entered. 2. She ..here since she 14. A. hasnt been/ was; B. wasnt/ was; C. wasnt/ has been; D. hasnt been. 3. He .. to school by tram, but last week there was a strike of the tram workers and he .. the bus. A. doesnt go/ has taken; B. doesnt go/ takes; C. isnt going/ took; D. doesnt go/ took. 4. Where .. ? I .. for you everywhere. A. have you been/ have looked; B. have you been/ have been looking; C. were you/ looked; D. were you/ was looking. 5. I . there . the nick of time. A. arrived / on; B. was arriving/ in; C. arrived/ in; D. was arriving/ on 6. What exactly are you looking..? A. in; B. about; C. on; D. for 7. I .. what decision to make, so I .. ask my supervisor. A. didnt know/ have to; B. havent known/ must; C. dont know/ had to; D. didnt know/ had to 8. If this proposal is .. than ours, we dont mind. The .. one will be appreciated by everybody. A. good/ good; B. better/ better; C. better/ best; D. better/ good. 9. I .. possibly accept his offer, as it was . than the other one. A. couldnt/ worse; B. can/ the worst; C. wouldnt/ bad; D. wont/ worst; 10. The .. I arrive home, the . I am. A. soon/ happy; B. better/ happier; C. sooner/ happier; D. better/ happy. 11. What are you looking ..? I .. my glasses and I cant find them anywhere. A. for/ have lost; B. at/ lost; C. in/ have lost; D. of/ lost. 131

Business English 12. Where . last summer? I .. to the seaside. A. did you go/ went; B. have you gone/ went; C. did you go/ have gone; D. have gone/ have gone. 13. He was preoccupied solving that problem, so he . what I was saying. A. for/ hasnt heard; B. with/ didnt hear; C. in/ hasnt heard; D. for/ didnt hear. 14. The train is .. than the bus, but the plane is .. of all. A. faster/ the fastest; B. faster/ faster; C. faster/ the faster; D. the faster/ the fastest. 15. When .. to John? Oh, I to him for ages. A. did you last write/ havent written; B. have you last written/ havent written; C. did you last write/ wrote; D. have you last written/ wrote. 16. How much did you sell your car ..? A. at; B. with; C. of; D. for. 17. the novel before we .. the film? A. Had you read/ saw; B. Have you read/ saw; C. Did you read/ saw; D. Had you read/ had seen. 18. The translation of Cu ct mai repede nvm engleza, cu att mai bine. is : A. The quicklier we teach English, the better it is; B. The quicklier we learn English, the better it is.; C. The sooner we learn English, the better it is.; D. The quick we learn English, the better it is. II. Put each of the following phrases in its correct place in the sentences below. red-carpet treatment a red herring blue-eyed boy to see red black sheep a. Naturally the Presidents wife received the on her visit. 132 a white-collar job a white lie rose-coloured spectacles a green belt

Business English b. He said he didnt want to have and sit in an office all day. c. All round the city there is . of open country where building is restricted. d. She loves animals and tends .. when she sees one being badly treated. e. He told .to avoid hurting his wifes feelings. f. Everyone thinks hell be Director of the firm one day. Hes the . g. Be realistic. You cant go through life looking at the world through h. In class, pupils sometimes introduce . to distract the teacher from correcting their homework. i. Everybody in the family knows that he is the . Answer key: 1. B; 2. A; 3. D; 4. B; 5. C; 6. D; 7. D; 8. C.; 9. A; 10. C; 11. A.; 12. A.; 13. B.; 14. A.; 15. A.; 16. D; 17. A.; 18. B. a. red carpet treatment; b. a white-collar job; c. a green belt; d. to see red; e. a white lie; f. blue-eyed boy; g. rose-coloured spectacles; h. a red herring; i. black sheep.

1 point + 0,50 points per each good answer 1 point + 1 point per each good answer

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Unit 10
In this unit you will learn:

Planning and Strategy Be going to Future Future Simple or be going to? First Conditional

Pre-reading task
How important do you consider planning an action before actually performing it? Why?

Reading
Read the following text on planning and strategy. Pay attention to the use of Future tenses. PLANNING AND STRATEGY

The top management of a company have certain unique responsibilities. One of their key tasks is to make major decisions affecting the future of the organisation. These strategic decisions determine where the company is going and how it will get there. For example, top managers must decide which markets to enter and which to pull out of; how expansion is to be financed; whether new products will be developed within the organisation or acquired by buying other companies. These and other such decisions shape a companys future. Before doing any kind of strategic planning, the management must be sure of one thing. They must decide what is the mission and purpose of their 134

Business English business. They also need to decide what it should be in the future. In other words, they must know why the business exists and what its main purpose is. Deciding the mission and purpose is the foundation of any planning exercise. Two examples will make this point clear one British, the other American. Most people have heard of Marks and Spencer, one of the biggest and most successful retailers in the world. Michael Marks opened his first penny bazaar in 1884, in Leeds, England. Ten years later there were nine market stores, and Marks had taken into partnership Tom Spencer, the cashier of one of his suppliers. In 1926 Marks and Spencer became a public company. At that point, they could have rested on their laurels! However, around that time, they developed a clear idea of Marks and Spencers mission and purpose. Their later success was founded on this idea. They decided that the company was in business to provide goods of excellent quality, at reasonable prices, to customers from the working and middle classes. Providing value for money was their mission and purpose. One of the strategies they used was to concentrate on selling clothing and textiles. Later on, food products were added as a major line of business. The second example concerns the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. They decided on their mission some sixty or so years ago. The head of the organisation at that time, Theodore Vail, realised that a privatelyowned telephone and telegraphic company might easily be nationalised. If the company didnt perform well, the public would call for its nationalisation. To avoid this fate, it had to give efficient service to its customers. Vail and his colleagues decided that giving service would be the mission and purpose of the organisation. This became the overall objective of the company, and has remained so ever since. Having decided on its mission and purpose, an organisation will have worked out certain more specific objectives. For example, a car firm may have the objective of producing and marketing new models of cars in the medium-price range. Another objective may be to increase its market share by 10% in the next five years. As soon as it has established its more specific, medium-term objectives, the company can draw up a corporate plan. Its 135

Business English purpose is to indicate the strategies the management will use to achieve its objectives. However, before deciding strategies, the planners have to look at the companys present performance, and at any external factors which might affect its future. To do this, it carries out an analysis, sometimes called a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). First, the organisation examines its current performance, assessing its strengths and weaknesses. It looks at performance indicators like market share, sales revenue, output and productivity. It also examines its resources financial, human, products and facilities. For example, a department store chain may have stores in good locations a strength but sales revenue per employee may be low a weakness. Next, the company looks at external factors, from the point of view of opportunities and threats. It is trying to assess technological, social, economic and political trends in the markets where it is competing. It also examines the activities of competitors. The department store chain, for example, may see the opportunity to increase profits by providing financial services to customers. On the other hand, increasing competition may be a threat to its very existence. Having completed the SWOT analysis, the company can now evaluate its objectives and perhaps work out new ones. They will ask themselves questions such as: Are we producing the right products? What growth rate should we aim at in the next five years? Which new markets should we break into? The remaining task is to develop appropriate strategies to achieve the objectives. The organisation decides what actions 80 it will take and how it will provide the resources to support those actions. One strategy may be to build a new factory to increase production capacity. To finance this, the company may develop another strategy, the issuing of new shares to the public. Company planning and strategic decision-making are key activities of top management. Once they have been carried out, objectives and targets can be set at lower levels in the organisation. 136

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Ways with words

1. Understanding the main points Number the following ideas l8, depending on the order in which they appear in the text. a. The American Telephone and Telegraph Company decided that its principal objective was to provide customers with an efficient service. b. The first step in planning the (long-term) future of a company is to decide on its overall objective. c. After analysing its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, an organisation may re-consider its objectives. d. The purpose of a corporate plan is to state how management intends to achieve the objectives. e. The second planning stage is to establish more specific (mediumterm) objectives. f. Finally, management needs to decide what actions it should take in order to achieve its objectives. g. It is necessary for management to analyse the companys current performance as well as external factors affecting its future before they can draw up a corporate plan. h. Marks and Spencers aim to provide excellent value for money has led to their becoming one of the worlds most successful retailers. 2. Read this sentence again: Next, the company looks at external factors, from the point of view of opportunities and threats. How do you translate from? Now learn some expressions containing this preposition: from first to last = de la A la Z, de la nceput pn la sfrit; from this point of view = din acest punct de vedere; from... to = de la... pn la; from experience = din experien; 137

Business English apart from = n afar de, separat de; far from it = departe de acest lucru; far be it from me = departe de mine. 3. Read the following sentence again: Once they have been carried out, objectives and targets can be set at lower levels in the organisation. How do you translate to set? Now learn some phrasal verbs and compound nouns with set. Use an English-Romanian dictionary in order to translate their meaning. A Match the following verbs and nouns with the correct definitions. 1 set up (v.) 2 set-up (n.) 3 set back (v.) 4 set-back (n.) 5 set about (v.) 6 set in (v.) 7 set out (v.) 9 set aside (v.) a keep for a special purpose b establish a business or organisation c something that slows or impedes progress d an organisation or arrangement e start to do, or deal with, something f put back or delay the development of something g begin an undertaking of some kind, e.g. a journey i balance against

8 set against (v.) h start and probably continue 10 set down (v.) j write, make a record of B Complete the following sentences, using suitable verbs and nouns from the list above. 1 When the Managing Director to change the management structure, no one thought he had a chance of succeeding. 2 The strike of our shop floor workers . production at least three months. 3 It looks as if a recession is about to .No one seems to have any money at the moment. 4 The new Marketing Manager doesnt understand the department yet. 5 It is a common practice of companies to ... certain business losses 138 taxes. of our

Business English 6 One of our competitors has a distribution network covering the whole country. How annoying! 7 How on earth are we going to reducing our costs? 8 Most companies a part of their profits for future investment. The money is kept in their reserves. 9 We had a big .. last year when our warehouse caught fire and our stock was destroyed. 10 If an employee has an accident at work, he or she has to. what happened in a report. 4. Read the following sentence again: One of their key tasks is to make major decisions affecting the future of the organisation. To make a decision is called a collocation. A collocation refers to words which are frequently grouped together. Other examples could be: to take into account, to solve a problem, etc. Now complete the following sentences with appropriate verbs. a. Although our company wants to expand rapidly, we must in mind that we have limited cash to do so. b. It is important to into account all options to a decision. c. The Financial Director has. the conclusion that we must reduce costs by 10%. d. Finally, the Chairman his opinion about the matter. After we had listened to him, we were able to to an agreement. e. Patricia an interesting suggestion at the meeting. f. If we dont come up with new products, we the risk of falling behind our competitors. g. Our chairman is too old for the job. Some of the directors 139

Business English pressure on him to resign. h. The writer has some recommendations in his report. i. What conclusion have you from the facts given in his letter? j. I have a great deal of thought to our financial problems. k. After five hours negotiation, we finally agreement. l. I dont want to action until Ive heard everyones opinion. 5. Read the following sentence again: Having completed the SWOT analysis, the company can now evaluate its objectives and perhaps work out new ones. How do you translate to work out? Now learn more phrasal verbs containing the particle out. Look them up in the dictionary and translate them. pull out break into brackets. a. What does a firm often have to do if it is not successful in a market? (pull out) b. What do you do if your main competitor is doing better than you in the market? (work out) c. After you have made a deal with an overseas agent, what do you usually do? (draw up) d. How can you find out if there will be a demand for a product you wish to develop? (carry out) e. What can you do if the demand for your products in your home market is saturated? (break into) 6. Now learn more phrasal verbs containing the particle out. Complete the 140 carry out draw up work out

Answer the following questions in any way you wish using the verbs in

Business English following sentences, using the suitable forms of the verbs given below. point out hold out make out (two meanings) have out stand out cut out (two meanings)

a. Sheila wants to the training sessions she runs on Friday afternoon. Shes too busy to hold them then. b. When reviewing my performance, Mr Jones several weaknesses. c. Im a valuable member of the organisation, so at my next salary review, I shall for a lot more money. d. I think I among all the candidates because my qualifications for the job were so good. e. How did you in the interview, Patricia? f. He said that I was not for a career in banking. g. Im fed up with my boss criticising me all the time. Im going to it with him. h. Can you read Davids writing? I cant what hes put on this report.

Grammar Reference
Be going to Future
Be going to Future is used to express a future decision, intention, or plan made before the moment of speaking Were going to move to Bucharest. How long are they going to stay in Brasil? She isnt going to attend this optional Economy course. Note: The Present Continuous can be used in a similar way for a plan or arrangement, particularly with the verbs go and come. 141

Business English Shes coming on Monday. Im going home. when we can see or feel now that something is certain to happen in the future Look at those grey clouds! Its going to rain. Watch out! The box is going to fall. Its form consists of the verb to be in Present+to+infinitive Affirmative and negative I He She It We You They Interrogative When am I is he/ she/ it are we/you/ they going to arrive? am (m) am (m) not is (s) is not (isnt) are (re) are not (arent) going to work.

Short answer Are you going to attend his lecture? Yes, I am. No, Im not.

Future Simple or Be Going To?

Look at the use of Future Simple and to be going to in the following sentences: Im going to improve my English. (I decided that and I may have bought books to improve my knowledge).

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Business English What language shall I learn? Er... I know. Ill learn some English! Thats a good idea. (I decided to learn English at the moment of speaking.)

First Conditional
The first conditional is used to express a possible condition and a probable result in the future: If my cheque comes, Ill buy this car. Well destroy the environment if you dont look after it. If he passes the baccalaureate, hell go to university. Form No future tense occurs in the conditional clause. This is replaced by the present. Main Clause Present/ Future Affirmative and negative If I work hard, I she has enough money, she we dont hurry up, we you are late, we you are not polite, she she doesnt learn, she ll wont pass my exams. buy that new book on MathCad. be late wait for you. talk to you anymore. pass her exams Mathematics. Interrogative What Where will will you do she go if you dont go to any university? she cant find a job? If Clause Present

in

Controlled practice
1. Decide which is the correct verb form: a. My suitcase is so heavy! Give it to me. Ill/Im going to carry it for you. b. I bought some warm boots because Ill go/Im going on trip to Kilimanjaro. 143

Business English c. Well go/ Were going to a conference next week. d. I hear you and Mike will get/ are going to get married! Congratulations! e. Where will you go/ are you going on holiday this year? France. What about you? We dont know yet. Maybe we will go/ we are going to Spain. 2. Use the be going to-form with the verbs in brackets: a. You (miss) the train if you carry on like this. b. The pressure cooker (explode). c. That man with the tomato in his hand (throw) it at the singer. d. The man in the helicopter (try) to rescue the man in the water. e. Those swans (eat) all our sandwiches. f. The Lord Mayor is standing up. He (make) a speech. g. I (stop) here for a moment to get some petrol. h. Ive lent you my car once. I (not do) it again. i. I have seen the play. Now I (read) the book. 3. Use be going to or shall/will future with the verbs in brackets: a. Did you remember to book seats? Oh, no I forgot. I (telephone) for them right now. b. Where are you off with that ladder? I (have) a look at the roof; its leaking and I think a tile has slipped. c. He has just been taken to hospital with a broken leg. Im sorry to hear that. I (send) him some grapes. d. We bought our new garage in sections and we (assemble) it ourselves. That sounds rather interesting. I (come) and help you if you like. e. Why do you want all the furniture out of the room? Because I (shampoo) the carpet. Its impossible to do it unless you take everything out. f. I cant understand this letter. I (call) my son. He (translate) it for you. 144

Business English g. Here are the matches; but what do you want them for? I (make) a bonfire at the end of the garden; I want to burn that big heap of rubbish. Well, be careful. If the fire gets too big it (burn) the apple trees. h. You (wear) that nice dress in a dinghy? Of course not! I (sit) on the pier and (watch) you all sailing. I (not get) all wet and muddy and pretend that Im enjoying it. i. Ive come out without any money. Never mind, I (lend) you some. How much do you want? j. Why have you brought your camera? You (try) to take photographs? Its not allowed, you know. No, I (try) to sell the camera. Thats not allowed, either. If a policeman sees you, he (confiscate) the camera.

4. Answer the following questions with conditional sentences of the real type: a. What happens if you dont pass this exam? b. What presents will you buy if you go to that party? c. What grade do you expect to get if you write a good paper? d. What do you need to learn if you want to get that job? e. What will you tell him if he asks you about your accident? 5. Translate the following sentences into English: a. Dac voi putea, te voi ajuta la proiectul de an. b. Dac voi ti rspunsul, o s i-l spun. c. Dac vrei s ne nsoeti, eti binevenit. d. Voi pleca n vacan dac voi avea bani. e. Vei nva mai bine dac accepi s te ajut. f. Voi spla paharele n ap fierbinte. Nu, nu face asta. Dac le vei pune n ap fierbinte se vor sparge. g. Dac l vei ntlni pe Jerry la facultate, spune-i s-mi telefoneze. h. Dac atepti o clip, vin si eu cu tine. 145

Business English i. Are doar aisprezece ani, i vrea s renunte la coal la sfritul semestrului. Dac va face asta, o s-i par ru mai trziu. j. Dac voi primi permis de lucru, voi mai sta un an aici. k. Cinele nu te va ataca dac vei sta linitit. l. Dac tot faci remarci nepotrivite, nu-i de mirare c lumea te ocolete. m. Dac cumva aceste msuri nu vor restabili ordinea, vom impune msuri i mai severe. n. Dac nu m crezi, ntreb-l pe tatl tu. o. Dac voi fi acceptat la colegiu, voi ncepe studiile n toamn. 6. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense: a. If he (be) late well go without him. b. If I see him I (give) him a lift. c. If you eat all that you (be) ill. d. If the police catch him they (arrest) him. e. If you read in bad light you (ruin) your eyes. f. I (lend) you my car if you promise to take care of it. g. If he (not start) at once hell be late for the train. h. Unless you work very hard you (not be) successful. i. If you heat ice it (turn) to water. j. Unless I have a quiet room I (not be able) to do any work. 7. Put if, when, or as soon as into each gap, and put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense: John: Bye, darling. Have a good trip. Maria: Thanks. I (ring) you .. I (arrive) at the hotel. John: Good, but remember Im going out. Maria: Well, .... you (be) out .. I (ring), I (leave) a message on the answer phone so you know Ive arrived safely. John: Great. What time do you expect youll be there? Mary: ... the plane (arrive) on time, I (be) at the hotel at about 10.00. Thats 8.00 your time. 146

Business English John: All right. And remember. Give me a ring ... you know the time of your flight back, and I (pick) you up. Maria: Thanks, darling. Bye!

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Unit 11
In this unit you will learn:

The Quality of Working Life The Ordinal Numeral The Fractional Numeral The Multiplicative Numeral Second Conditional

Pre-Reading Task
Which is the best way to increase workers efficiency? Work in pairs and make a few suggestions.

Reading
Read the following text on the quality of working life. Pay attention to the ordinal, fractional and multiplicative numerals. The Quality of Working Life Over the last thirty years, a new approach to management has been developing. Those favouring it say that the way to increase workers efficiency is to improve their job satisfaction and motivation. Followers of the Quality of Working Life movement (QWL) have been trying out various methods of making work more interesting. These include job enlargement, job enrichment and new forms of group work. With job enlargement, the worker is given additional tasks to perform. Thus, the operator of a word-processor may be asked to do filing duties as well. Job enrichment involves giving extra responsibilities to workers such as 148

Business English production planning, quality control and technical development of equipment. In some organisations, special types of work groups have been formed where workers share responsibility for certain tasks. For example, at the Volvo car plant in Kolmar, Sweden, assembly workers do not work on a moving production line. They are organised into thirty teams of fifteen to twenty members. They have their own tasks, like assembling heating and electrical systems, and they work in their own part of the factory. As it can be seen, the basic idea of QWL is that a worker should have an interesting, even challenging job. QWL encourages managers, therefore, to be sensitive to the needs of employees. The roots of the QWL movement can be traced back to the 1920s and 1930s. It was at this time that the famous Hawthorne Studies were carried out. These were held at the Hawthorne plant of the Western Electric Company in Chicago, USA, from 192732. Most of the studies were directed by Professor Elton Mayo, a Harvard University psychologist. Their aim, initially, was to evaluate the factors influencing productivity. However, the researchers soon directed their attention towards studying people, especially their social relationships at work. It all began when the Hawthorne Company investigated the effect of factory lighting on production and workers morale. They found out that the groups of workers who were studied increased their output whether the lighting was improved or not. This led them to look for the human factor influencing efficiency. To help them in their search, they brought in Professor Elton Mayo and his colleagues. He directed a series of experiments on how working conditions affected output. In the early experiments, his subjects were a group of girls who assembled telephone equipment. Such things as lighting, lunch times, rest periods, wall colours, pay and temperature were varied to see how they affected productivity. The researchers generally discussed the changes with the girls before putting them into effect. Once again, it was found that there was an increase in productivity whether conditions were made better or worse. 149

Business English The researchers began looking for other factors which would explain the increased productivity. They realised that their study was also about workers attitudes and values. It was clear that the girls had developed a high morale during the experiment and had been motivated to work hard. This high morale was put down to several factors. First, the girls had enjoyed feeling they were especially selected for the study and were receiving a lot of attention from management. Secondly, they had developed good relationships with each other and with their superior during the experiment. This was because they had been fairly free to work at their own pace and to divide their work up amongst themselves. Lastly, the good relationships and social contacts had made their work more enjoyable. This experiment was followed by many others. The researchers came to the conclusion that social relations, among workers and between workers and their bosses, affect output, the quality of work and motivation. Another important finding was that a worker needs more than money and good working conditions to be productive. The feeling of belonging to a group, and his/her status within that group, strongly affect his/her behaviour even if the group is an unofficial or informal one. It is said that Elton Mayo founded the Human Relations School whose offspring is the Quality of Working Life movement. He directed and publicized the Hawthorne experiments which have been so influential to this day. The conclusions of the study challenged the theory of Scientific Management put forward by Frederick W. Taylor. Both men, however, changed the course of management thinking.

Ways with words

1. Understanding the main points Decide whether the following statements are true or false. a. Managers who believe in QWL are experimenting with new ways or organising work. b. The idea of job enlargement is to make work more satisfying for an 150

Business English employee. c. Job enrichment involves giving workers more tasks of the same level of difficulty. d. The Kolmar car plant is efficient because workers specialise in one task. e. The QWL approach makes managers more aware of their workers interests. 2. Read this sentence again: Once again, it was found that there was an increase in productivity whether conditions were made better or worse. Lets learn some expressions in which the verb to make occurs. to make an attempt = a face o ncercare; to make the best of = a trage ct mai mult profit de pe urma, a profita la maximum de; to make believe = a face s cread; to make it clear = a clarifica; to make it possible = a face posibil; to make for = a contribui; to make out = a nelege, a demonstra, a redacta; to make over = a transfera, a ceda; to make ready = a fi gata, a (se) pregti; to make a stand = a se opune; to make sure of = a se asigura de; to make short work of/ sth = a scurta, a face ceva repede, a termina, a finaliza; to make tight = a ermetiza, a etaneiza, a nchide etan; to make up ones mind = a se hotr; to make up for ones losses = a-i recupera pierderile; to make up for lost time = a rectiga timpul pierdut; to make as if/ though = a prea ca i cum, a pretinde ca i cum, a face ca i cum; to make use of = a ntrebuina; to make way for/ to make room for = a face loc pentru. 151

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3. Even if to do and to make are generally translated in the same way, there are several expressions in which you cannot use the verb to make: e.g. to do ones best = a face tot ce-i posibil; to do the donkey work = a munci din greu; to do sbd. a good turn/ a favour = a face cuiva o favoare; to do sth. with your eyes closed = a ti ceva foarte bine, a face ceva cu ochii nchii; to do harm = a face ru; to do wonders = a face minuni; to have sth. to do with = a avea de-a face cu. Now practise these expressions in sentences of your own. 4. Put make or do before the following nouns: .. a phone call; .. a mess; .. my homework; .. a mistake; ... ..a noise; .. the shopping; .. your best; .. a cup of tea; .. your bed; .. someone a favour; ..... an excuse; ..... sense; .....up your mind; .. an appointment; ..sure. 5. Fill in with DO or MAKE: I it my way. He his own way in life. Why do you a lot of ado? Its cold in here; youd better the fire. What shall I without her? He a name for himself. How did you this problem? He recognized that he had a mistake. They work hard. Oh, they? They had to away with it. haste! Are you science at school? 152

Business English I cant this sum. Dont a fool of him! Go and your hair. He a gesture of disgust. Tell the housemaid to the bedrooms. I have a lot of correspondence to . Please, dont such a fuss. Ill all I can. He an interesting discovery. Ill a man of you. He his best to help us. Youll it a start. Thats a practice that should be away with. Old Mr. Brown has been for me since my wife died (perform domestic services) Poor fellow, I am sure he is for. (ruined) This room needs out. (clean) He a copy of his birth certificate. Can you the difference? He a speech in my honour. We are bound to progress in this field. He a success in appearing on TV. He eyes at me. 6. In the text you have read there are some phrasal verbs containing out: to find out, to carry out. How do you translate them? Now complete the following sentences, using suitable forms of the verbs in the box below. sort out make out bring out pull out spell out buy out 153 carry out sell out sound out turn out

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a. The firm.. about five hundred sports cars a year. b. We hope to .our production problems soon. c. If the firm doesnt make a profit, the owners will probably .. . d. Im willing to consider introducing flexitime, but would you first the advantages of the system, please? e. Givenchy have an exciting new perfume. f. Would you the cheque to David Cotton, please? g. In order to develop new products, pharmaceutical companies have to .. a lot of research. h. Several leading banks such as Barclays have of South Africa. i. A group of senior managers want to take over the firm by it j. Were looking for a new chief executive. I understand one or two possible candidates have already been .... Use some of the verbs above in sentences of your own. 6. Complete the following passage, using the suitable words and phrases given below. assembly line bonus capacity component foreman lay off layout redundant schedule incentive overtime shift quality control robot

I used to work in a company which made (1) for cars. Things like spark plugs, carburettors, and so on. We were well paid and we had a productivity . (2) too. And if you needed extra money for a holiday, you usually had the chance to do a bit of .. 154

Business English (3). The management was generous. They gave prizes, such as car radios, to workers who attended regularly. That was a real(4) for us not to be sick! We worked two(5) at the factory I usually worked at night. I liked the (6) a lot. He let you get on with the job. Things changed two years ago. We got several big orders at once and just couldnt cope. The Production Manager got really upset when we got behind. (7). The (8) people werent too pleased either because a number of carburettors had faults, so they were thrown away. In the end, the company brought in some management consultants. They studied our methods of work, then recommended automating part of the plant. That meant changing the whole (9) of the factory. Well, we did as they said. I must say, our production (10) did increase and stock levels became high again. The trouble is, the management decided to cut down the work-force. At first, only a few workers were (11), but later staff from all departments were made (12). Nowadays, Im working on an (13) in a car manufacturing factory. I spray the car bodies. Would you believe it, I hear theyre bringing in ..(14) to do my job! So Ill be out of a job again soon. 7. Read the following sentence again: It was at this time that the famous Hawthorne Studies were carried out. How do you translate at this time? Now complete the following sentences with the correct word or phrase (a, b, c or d). 1. It is only a a matter of time b course of time c length of time d stage of time 155 before the firm closes down.

Business English 2. There is usually abetween when you sell goods and when you get paid by your customer. a time-log b time-delay c time-hold d time-lag 3. Meetings are necessary, but they can be very a time-consuming b time-saving c time-losing d time-costing 4. The fact that many small shops are closing down is a of the times. a mark b image c sight d sign 5. It is important that we get the of our sales campaign right. We must not have it too early or too late. a moment b point c timing d time 6. Some workers like to doing a job. a wait their time b spare their time c spend their time d take their time 7. When I visited our subsidiary in West Germany, I had - everyone was most hospitable. a wonderful experiences b the best of times 156

Business English c good times d the time of my life 8. I bumped into a former colleague recently. We had a drink together . a for the sake of good times b for old times sake c in memory of good old times d for the good old days

Grammar Reference
The Ordinal Numeral
The form of the ordinal numeral 1st the first 2nd the second 3rd the third 4th the fourth 5th the fifth 6th the sixth 7th the seventh 8th the eighth 9th the ninth 10th the tenth 11th the eleventh 12th the twelfth 13th the thirteenth 14th the fourteenth 15th the fifteenth 16th the sixteenth 17th the seveteenth 18th the eighteenth 19th the nineteenth 20th the twentieth 21st the twenty-first 22nd the twenty-second 23rd the twenty-third 30th the thirtieth 40th the fourtieth 50th the fiftieth 60th the sixtieth 70th the seventieh 80th the eightieth 90th the ninetieth

100th the (one) hundredth 1,000th the (one) thousandth 622nd the (six) hundredth 1,000,000 the (one) millionth and twenty-second

The Fractional Numeral

The forms of the fractional numeral Common fractions 1/2 a (one) half 3/6 three sixths 2/3 two thirds 8 6/5 eight six fifths Decimal fractions 34.77 thirty-four point seventy-seven 56.98 fifty-six point ninety-eight 0.04 (nought) point nought four 1.06 one point nought six 157

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The Multiplicative Numeral

The forms of the multiplicative numeral 1x single, once 2 double/ twice/ twofold 3x triple/ threefold, three times 4x fourfold, four times 10x tenfold, ten times 100x a hundredfold, a hundred times

Second Conditional
The second conditional is used to express an unreal or improbable condition (hypothetical condition) and its probable result in the present or future. The condition is unreal because it is different from the facts that we know. We can always say But... If I were Prime Minister, Id increase taxes on properties such as castles, palaces, ranches, etc. (But Im not Prime Minister.) If I lived in a big house, Id have a party. (But my house is very small.) Form The verb in the main clause is in the present conditional (would+infinitive); the verb in the conditional clause is in the past subjunctive which is similar to the past simple with the exception of the verb to be which becomes were for all the persons. Main Clause Present Conditional Affirmative and negative I had more money, I she knew the answer, she I didnt have debts, I Interrogative What Which countries would you do would you visit 158 If would (d) wouldnt if buy a new computer. tell it to us immediately. have to work so hard. If Clause Past Subjunctive

you were me? you travelled world?

round

the

Business English

Controlled practice
1. Translate the following sentences into Romanian: a. If I knew it, I would have told you the truth. b. If she helped me I wouldnt be late to work. c. If it rained, we would go inside. d. Id like to hear her news if she were here. e. If you could do it, you wouldnt ask me to tell you how to do it.

2. Translate the following sentences into English: a. Dac a ti mai multe amnunte despre acest anticlinal, i le-a spune. b. Dac ai vrea, m-ai putea ajuta s termin proiectul acesta? c. Dac ar fi aici am termina treaba mai repede i am putea iei la o cafea. d. L-ar asculta dac ar avea urechi de auzit. e. Ne-ar face plcere s venim la petrecerea ta de terminare a facultii dac nu am avea altceva de fcut. f. Dac am munci toat noaptea am putea termina la timp. Dar s-i spun cinstit n-am chef s lucrez toat noaptea. g. St la Hotelul Savoy la Londra. E asa de bogat? Dac n-ar fi bogat, cu sigurant c n-ar sta la Savoy. h. De-am avea o lumin. E aa deprimant s atepti n ntuneric. i. Dac n-ar fi aa timid, ar putea s se afirme mai mult. j. Dac am avea chibrite am putea face focul. k. Dac i-as ti adresa i-a putea scrie. l. N-a vinde acest tablou pentru tot aurul din lume. Este motenire de la bunicul meu. m. Ce-ai face dac te-ai ntlni cu o stafie? n. Dac mi-ar spune ce necazuri are, poate a putea face ceva s o ajut. o. Dac a fi n locul tu, n-a spune nimic despre asta. 159

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3. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tenses: a. If I had a typewriter I (type) it myself. b. If he worked more slowly he (not make) so many mistakes. c. I (buy) shares in this company if I had some money. d. I could tell you what this means if I (speak) Arab. e. I (offer) to help if I thought Id be of any use. f. If you (change) your job would it affect your pension? g. If you (speak) more slowly he would understand you. h. If you (look) at the engine for a moment you would see what is missing. i. You (save) me a lot of trouble if you told me where you are going. 4. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form: a. If I knew his address I (give) it to you. b. If he knew that it was dangerous he (not come). c. If I (have) a degree I could get a job easily. d. If I (win) a big prize in a lottery Id give up my job. e. If I (know) French I could tell you what this means. f. If I thought that Id be any use I (offer) to help. g. I (not go) there if I were you. h. Id ask him to dinner more often if he (be) more amusing. i. If you saw somebody drowning, what you (do)? j. If he worked more slowly he (not make) so many mistakes.

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Unit 12
In this unit you will learn:

Motivation The Indefinite Article The Definite Article Zero Article

Pre-reading tasks
Answer the following questions, then, in groups of two or three, compare your answers. a. What sort of things motivates people to do their job well? List all the things you can think of. b. If you won a great deal of money, for example in a lottery, would you continue working? If not, do you think you would lose anything by giving up work?

Reading
Read the following text on motivation. Pay attention to the use of articles. Compare the article in English with the article in Romanian. MOTIVATION The work of managers is to ensure that staff work efficiently in an organisation. To achieve this, it is clear that managers must know what motivates people. By understanding the factors influencing motivation, they can create the conditions in which employees will perform to their maximum potential. One of the best known theories of motivation was put forward by an American psychologist, Abraham Maslow, in a book entitled Motivation and Personality (1954). In his theory, he presents a hierarchy of needs. He identified certain basic human needs and classified them in an ascending 161

Business English order of importance. Basic needs were at the bottom of the hierarchy, higher needs at the top. Physiological needs These were things required to sustain life like food, water, air, sleep etc. Until these needs are satisfied, Maslow believed, other needs will not motivate people. Security needs They are the needs to be free from danger, physical pain and loss of a job. They include the need for clothing and shelter. Social needs A human being needs to belong to a group, to be liked and loved, to feel accepted by others and to develop affiliations. Esteem needs After people have satisfied their social needs, they want to have selfrespect and to be esteemed by others. They have a need for power, status, respect and self-confidence. Self-actualisation needs These are the highest needs, according to Maslow. They are the desire to develop, to maximise potential and to achieve ones goals. Maslow said that people satisfied their needs in a systematic way. When a need had been met, it stopped being a motivating factor. For example, if a person was starving, he would not be too concerned about security and social needs. But once he had enough food, he would start thinking about those other needs. Research into Maslows theory has not been very conclusive. Studies have tended to show that needs vary greatly among individuals. At the higher levels in a company, self-actualising needs may be very strong whereas at lower levels, social and security needs may be dominant. Another theory of motivation, which has been very popular with managers, is Frederick Herzbergs two-factor theory. Herzberg conducted a number of studies in the region of Pittsburg, USA, in the late 1950s. He concluded that at work there are certain factors which cause job satisfaction 162

Business English while others lead to dissatisfaction. The group of factors bringing about satisfaction were called motivators. They include things like a challenging job, responsibility, advancement, recognition etc. These factors give rise to positive satisfaction. Herzberg called the other group of factors hygiene or maintenance factors. These include company policy and administration, salary and fringe benefits, job security, status and personal life. These factors are considered to be only dissatisfiers, not motivators. If they do not exist, they cause dissatisfaction. If they do exist in quality and quantity, they do not, however, give increased satisfaction. Herzbergs two-factor theory is shown in the following diagram. It is worth noting that the hygiene factors refer to the context of the job - the conditions of work - while the motivators refer to job content. Herzbergs motivation-hygiene theory Motivators: achievement, challenging work, the work itself, career prospects, responsibility recognition. Hygiene factors: company policy and administration, salary and fringe benefits, quality of supervision, relationship with colleagues, job security, status, personal life, work conditions. Hygiene factors are essential if workers are to be motivated. As one writer has aptly put it, they deal with the question: Why work here?. The motivators deal with the question Why work harder?. If Herzbergs theory is true, it means that managers must pay great attention to job content. They must find ways of making jobs more challenging and interesting. As a result, managers in the USA and elsewhere have recently been showing great interest in job enrichment programmes. The idea of such programmes is to make jobs more challenging and to give the worker a sense of achievement. Sweden has been leading the way in this respect. At one car plant, for example, Volvo workers assemble the whole of a car rather than do a few simple operations. In a glass factory, production workers have complete control over the work process in the grinding and polishing department. Other 163

Business English workers have helped to build and design paper mills. Job enrichment is undoubtedly catching on fast in Sweden.

Ways with words

1. Understanding the main points Decide whether the following statements are true or false. a. According to Maslow people are not concerned about achieving their personal goals in life unless they have satisfied their physiological needs. b. Senior managers who want to become company directors have selfactualisation needs which they wish to satisfy. c. Herzberg, like Maslow, believes that people satisfy their needs systematically. d. Herzberg believed that workers would not necessarily work harder if they earned more money. e. Job security is one of the most important factors that motivates employees. f. The purpose of job enrichment programmes is to increase worker motivation. 2. Vocabulary focus Find words or phrases in the text which mean the same as the following: a. the most somebody or something is capable of (paragraph 1) b. system of lower and higher ranks (paragraph 2) c. respected, admired (paragraph 2, Esteem needs) d. a persons position in relation to others (paragraph 2, Esteem needs) e. final; putting an end to uncertainty (paragraph 4) f. feeling (paragraph 9) g. becoming popular or fashionable (paragraph 10)

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Business English 3. How do you translate the sentence A human being needs to belong to a group. Lets learn some more containing the preposition to. to advantage = cu profit/ folos; to the best of ones power/ ability = dup puterea/ capacitatea cuiva; to cut the matter short = pe scurt; to date = la zi; to the dot (of an i) = pn n cele mai mici amnunte; to this effect = n acest scop; to a fraction = pn la milimetru; to and fro = nainte i napoi, ici i colo; to hand = la ndemn; to little purpose = cu puin efect, mai degeaba; to my knowledge = dup cte tiu; to ones mind = dup prerea cuiva; to the letter = ntocmai, ad litteram; to the utmost = (pn) la maximum, n cea mai mare msur; to the very moment = chiar pn n clipa; short and to the point = scurt i la obiect. 4. Read the following sentence again: One of the best known theories of motivation was put forward by an American psychologist. How do you translate the phrasal verb to put forward? Now learn some phrasal verbs with put. Phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions with put put down to put forward put across put back put off put on to attribute, e.g. I put his mistake down to inexperience. suggest, propose (an idea, scheme) explain or communicate clearly move to a later date postpone or delay give someone information about, e.g. You need expertadvice about this. I can put you on to a 165

Business English very good lawyer. put through put up put out put up with put ones finger on put ones foot in put paid to put in a good word for connect by telephone invest, provide money for, e.g. Theyve put up 50,000 for the project. a put someone out - inconvenience him or her. b put oneself out - make a special effort tolerate, endure find the cause of the trouble say the wrong thing or make an awkward mistake destroy, ruin completely, e.g. His accident put paid to his chances of being promoted. recommend someone

A Re-write the following sentences, replacing the words in italics with phrasal verbs or idiomatic expressions from the list above. Make any other necessary changes. a. I think wed better hold the meeting a week later. b. Apparently a foreign investor has provided $lm to finance the project. c. At such short notice, I cant postpone my visit. d. My boss wont accept any inefficiency from his staff. e. She knows a lot about the use of computers but she cant seem to express her ideas clearly to the rest of us. f. Our chairman has presented a proposal for a profit-sharing scheme. g. Im not surprised by our poor financial performance. I think it was caused by ineffective leadership. h. Ive been trying to discover why the morale of the sales department is so low but I just cant understand what the problem is. B Complete the following sentences with phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions from the list above. Make any other necessary changes. a. Our sales have been low this quarter. Thats to my chances of a bonus. 166

Business English b. (on the phone) Hello ... yes, it is ... Mr Smith? Certainly. Hold on a second. Illyou . . c. Its very kind of you to ask me to dinner. I hope Im not you . d. When senior managers from head office come to visit us we reallyourselves enjoyable. e. You want to know the prices of houses in the United States? Sorry, I cant help, but I can .... you to someone who can. f. I it when I asked Mr Johnston how his wife was. Apparently, shes just left him! g. Youd like to transfer to the Personnel Department, would you? Perhaps I can for you when I see the Personnel Manager. 5. Read the following sentence again: The group of factors bringing about satisfaction were called motivators. How do you translate to bring about? Now match the following verbs with the correct definitions. 1 bring up 2 bring out 3 bring about 4 bring round to 5 bring down a reduce (a price) b persuade someone to change his/her opinion c raise, mention a matter d cause to happen e put on the market to make their stay

6. Complete the following passage with suitable verbs from the list above. At our management meeting, the Marketing Manager (1) the subject of our new lawnmower, the PX2 model. He mentioned that sales had been disappointing. The Production Manager said that problems with the PX2 had been (2) by bad timing. 167

Business English We had put the mower on the market at the wrong time of the year. However, he also thought the mower was too expensive. We should (3) its price, he thought. He presented his arguments well and, in the end almost everyone (4) to his point of view. Finally, the Chairman gave his opinion. He advised us to forget about the PX2. In his view, it was a lemon! He thought we should (5) an entirely new model - something that would be a real breakthrough, technologically speaking. Which words in the above passage mean: a not as good as expected? b to introduce a new product? c a failure (slang)? d an important development or discovery? 7. Read the following sentence again: Job enrichment is undoubtedly catching on fast in Sweden. How do you translate to catch on? Now learn some idiomatic uses of catch. Match the following with the correct definitions. 1 catch sight of (v.) 2 catch on (v.) 3 catch out (v.) 4 catch up with (v.) 5 catch ones eye (v.) 6 catch (n.) 7 catch-phrase (n.) 8 catchy (adj) a attract attention b pleasant and easily remembered c draw level with d start to burn e notice suddenly f a hidden or unexpected difficulty g become popular or fashionable h trap someone in an error; show someone to be at fault; find someone unprepared 9 catch fire (v.) 10 become caught up in (v.) while 168 i become involved in j a phrase which become popular for a

Business English

Grammar Reference
The Article
The use of articles in English is complex, and there are a lot of exceptions that need to be known. Here are the basic rules. The Indefinite Article: a (before a word beginning with a consonant or semivowel)/ an (before a word beginning with a vowel) is used to refer to a singular countable noun which is indefinite (either we dont know which one, or it doesnt matter which one): They live in a flat. Im reading a course for my exam now. to describe what something or someone is (a profession, religion, class): Thats an instrument for measuring distance. She is an engineer. He is a Christian. in phrases: to be in a hurry, to have a headache, as a matter of fact, to develop a disease, to have a good time, to take a seat, etc.

The Definite Article: the is used: before a singular or plural noun, when both the speaker and the listener know which specific object is being referred to: They live in the blue house on top of the hill. The course Im reading is very interesting. Mind the baby! before nouns expressing certain public places, especially when referring to them in a general way: 169

Business English I went to the cinema last night. I have to go to the bank to pay my bills. before proper nouns denoting a family (in the plural), countries (if they are in the plural, or if they represent a union), denoting groups of islands, chains of mountains, deserts, oceans, seas, rivers, channels, hotels, shops, institutions, means of transport, newspapers and magazines: The Johnsons, the Netherlands, the United States, the Bahamas, the Alps, the Sahara, the Pacific, the Suez Canal, the Hilton, the Orient Express, the Time, etc before nouns converted from adjectives, denoting a class, nationality, or an abstraction: The rich should help the poor. The English are very polite. in phrases: to tell the time, by the way, at the moment, on the whole, on the one hand... on the other hand, etc. Zero Article: - is used with: plural and uncountable nouns when talking about things in general. Money is the root of all evil. Gas is cheaper than electricity. proper nouns denoting persons, continents, countries, regions, towns, mountains, lakes, streets, magazines and periodicals, months, festivals, days of the week, etc.: Mary/ Mount Everest, Europe, Oxford Street, Paris, January, Sunday, Newsweek nouns like school, church, prison, when we imply the use made of the building: He goes to school (to learn). in phrases: at night, at dawn, day by day, by sea, to be in trouble, by mistake, to make friends, to shake hands, to take place, etc. 170

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Third Conditional
The third conditional is used to express impossible condition referring to the past; it contradicts reality, which can no longer be changed. The condition is highly hypothetical. Form The verb in the main clause is in the past/perfect conditional (would+ have+ the third form of the verb), while the verb in the conditional clause is in the past perfect subjunctive (a form similar to past perfect). Main clause Past/Perfect conditional Affirmative and negative If I had had more money, I she had known the answer, she I hadnt made so many mistakes, I would (d) this ellegant car. have bought would have the exam. passed wouldnt have the failed Interrogative What Which countries would you have done would visited you have if you had seen such a wonderful movie? you had travelled round the world? driving If clause Past perfect subjunctive

licence test.

Controlled practice
1. Decide which answer A, B or C best fits each space: a. He is speaking to .... authority. A. an; B. - ; C. the b. In order to survive, plants need ... water. A. - ; B. a; C. the 171

Business English c. In order to fix the armchair he needs ... hammer and ... nails. A. the/ the; B. a/ the; C. a/ some d. I took ... seat and waited for ... director to come. A. - /the; B. a/the; C. the/ a e. I thought you had passed ... exam but it seems that it was ... hardest of all. A. - /the; B. an/the; C. the/the f. They had ... excellent dinner and had ... very good time at ... Hilton. A. - /a/the; B. an/the/ - ; C. an/a/the g. He had ... degree in ... Physics and one in ... Mathematics, so he was one of ... best teachers in our highschool. A. - / - / - /the; B. a/ - / - /the; C. a/the/the/the h. I did my homework and then went directly to ... bed as I was very tired. A. - ; B. a; C. the i. Everyone was impressed by ... sincerity with which he spoke, yet not everyone admires .... sincerity in such ... way. A. - / - / - ; B. a/ - / - ; C. the/ - /a j. ... Smiths are at ... home now, yet they are busy at the moment. A. - / - ; B. the/ - ; C. - /the 2. Work in pairs to find one mistake in each of the following sentences: a. Hes geologist, so he studies the physical features of the earth. b. I want a government to do something about the problem of unemployment. c. Big cities are usually exciting when you see them for the first time: for example, in London, you can have tea at the Ritz and then go to the theatre in evening. d. I must go to a bank to see my bank manager. I want to borrow one hundred pounds. e. She goes to the work in the City by train every day. Her office is in the Baker Street. 172

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3. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense: a. If I (know) this from the beginning, I wouldnt have asked you to do it for me. b. If it had rained it (be) a disaster. c. If she (go) to university so late, she wouldnt have had these problems in her career. d. If you (stay) on that drilling rig and (be confrunted with) such storms, I dont think you would argue against my leaving that place. e. If I had known how to solve the problems in economy, I (pass) the exam in the winter session. 4. Translate into English: a. Dac a fi putut s te ajut, a fi fcut-o nc de atunci. b. Dac ar fi tiut rspunsurile la toate ntrebrile, nu ar fi luat o not aa de mic. c. Dac a fi nvat mai bine, nu a fi picat acest examen. d. Dac nu ar fi nins, nu am fi plecat la munte de Crciun. e. V-ai fi distrat mai bine, dac nu ai fi avut aceast problem de rezolvat n acelai timp. f. Chiar dac a vrea s m apuc de lucru, n-a putea, pentru c s-a ntrerupt curentul. g. Se uit la mine ca i cum nu ar nelege o iot din ce spun. h. A fi venit i eu la petrecere, dar nu am avut timp. i. Nu tiu dac a mai ncerca o dat s alerg atia kilometri. j. Dac a cunoate amnunte, te-a putea ajuta.

5. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tenses: a. If I had known that you were in danger I (help) you. b. If you (arrive) fifteen minutes earlier you would have got a seat.

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Business English c. I shouldnt have believed you when telling me about that drillers accident if I (not see) it with my own eyes. d. If he had asked you to do that job, you (accept)? e. But for the fog we (reach) our destination ages ago. f. If I (be) ready when he called he would have taken me with him. g. If she listened to my directions she (not turn) the lights off. h. If you had told me that he never paid his debts I (not lend) him the money. i. You wouldnt have had so much trouble with your car if you (have) it serviced regularly. j. I (take) a taxi to the university if I had realized that it was such a long way. 6. Finish these sentences, taking care to use the correct tense. These are mixed conditional sentences. a. If he had taken my advice... b. The substance would look better if... c. Id have brought my compass if... d. If you had asked his permission... e. If I buy this machine ... f. If she practised more... g. If the river rises any higher... h. I would lend it to you if... i. If the fire had been noticed earlier... j. If she rings while Im in the tunnel... 7. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form: a. If you had arrived ten minutes earlier you (get) a seat. b. I shouldnt have believed it if I (not see) it with my own eyes. c. If he had asked, you (accept)? d. If I (know) that you were coming Id have met you at the station. e. If I had known what a bad driver you were I (not come) with you. 174

Business English f. If he had known that the river was dangerous he (not try) to swim across it. g. If I (be) ready when he called he would have taken me with him. h. If she had listened to my directions she (not turn) the wrong street. i. If you (read) the instructions carefully you wouldnt have answered the wrong questions. j. If the pilot (make) one mistake the ship would have run around. 8. Translate into English: a. Dac ai fi nvat mai mult, ai fi reuit cu sigurant s treci examenul. b. Dac a fi avut timp, a fi vizitat mai multe muzee din Londra. c. Nu ai fi fost aa de obosit dac ai fi fost mai obinuit cu munca n grdin. d. Nu te-a fi invitat s petreci vacana cu noi dac nu ne-ar fi fcut mare plcere. e. Dac a fi tiut ieri, poate mai puteam face ceva. f. Dac ar fi urmat sfatul mtuii Betty, ar fi acum un om bogat. g. Dac ai fi lsat n pace viespea, nu te-ar fi nepat. h. Dac n-ar fi fost furtuna, am fi putut ajunge mai repede. i. Dac ai fi urmat instruciunile, nu s-ar fi ntmplat nimic din toate acestea. j. Dac i-as fi tiut numrul de telefon, i-a fi telefonat i n-ar fi trebuit s fac atta drum pe jos.

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Unit 13
In this unit you will learn:

Romania seen by foreigners The Adverb The Passive Voice

Reading
Look at the way others see us. Comment on Jess Mackenzies impressions: Romania is great you can meet fantastic people, see fantastic sights, and have a fantastic time and mostly at fantastic prices. Negative issues and incidents are very rare, but as in every country, one should be aware of the local pit falls and traditions. 1. Immigration/Customs Visas can be obtained from Romanian embassies around the world, but most people pay on arrival. This isnt so much easier, but interesting. As soon as you have fought your way off the bus that takes you from the airplane to the terminal building, grab a cream and a red coloured immigration form and fill it in with a pen that you had prepared. Run to the counter advertising VISAS/EXCHANGE and give your immigration form and passport to the cheerful looking person on the other side of the window. After receiving your visa, head towards the passport control booths sign posted Other Nationals (ie, not Romanians), Romanian Passports, and Diplomatic. There are two ways of trying to get through the Diplomatic booth: - 1. you are a diplomat, or 2. you shove on a pair of sunglasses, a swagger and an attitude, and when confronted, gasp in mock surprise Do you realize who you are talking to?, but this latter attempt rarely works, and tends to leave you walking back to the Other Nationals queue feeling ridiculous and being stared at by all the Other Nationals. At your arrival at the passport control booth, present the (again extremely cheerful looking) gentleman/lady with your passport and 176

Business English visa. If he/she finishes the constant stamping of your passport without a barrage of extraordinarily irrelevant questions and within 15 minutes, then be incredibly surprised and make your way to the luggage carousel. Should you not be able to see your luggage, this will be due to one of two reasons: 1. it hasnt arrived yet, or 2. the airport staff have gotten bored and hidden your luggage for a laugh. Dont fear, your luggage will either arrive quite quickly or you will find where the staff have hidden it usually in quite simple places. Once with your luggage and senses, make your way past the customs staff without bothering their important magazine- reading time, and down the aisle to meet your friends/family/driver. 2. Language Should you not speak Romanian, either because you have just arrived (or because you are typically English), it is a good idea to carry a Romanian phrase book on you at all times. As in all countries an attempt, however small, to speak the lingo will always go down well. It is also a good idea, when practising the use of language, to ask the advice of a local friend or colleague. Some Romanian words seem impossible to pronounce, and some are also very similar to each other it can be a bit embarrassing asking for a large dog when in a bakery. One thing to be wary of though, when asking advice make sure it is from someone you trust. Asking a stranger to make love to you on the spot, when you thought you were asking the time can get a bit awkward. Another place where you will find a grammar book useful is when visiting restaurants. Some of the local places do not have Englishwritten menus and it is good to know what you are eating. 3. Transport In recent years, public transport has come up to good Western standards and added to that, it is very cheap. Bus, metro and tram timetables can be brought from kiosks along all the main streets of the city. One piece of advice during rush hours all forms of public transport get very packed, therefore a hand squashed against your bottom is most probably unintentional. As in every city around, taxis do come with their safety problems. In Bucharest, instances have been few and far between, but one should be wary just in case 177

Business English (especially, of course, if you are a single woman). Always agree on a price before getting in, make sure the driver has a taxi license number that looks official., keep a lit cigarette or lighter in your hand throughout the journey as a form of defence if you do not feel completely safe (this sound pathetic but does make you feel as though you have some kind of weapon), know where you are going or have a map on you, if not, use your common sense. The best advice is to get to know a friendly taxi driver and use the same one as often as possible or, more importantly, use a taxi company where you telephone in advance. Ask an old timer to recommend one most are extremely cheap, safe and pleasant (the taxis, not the old timers!). 4. Money Until recent years, it was seen as necessary to have some amount of hard currency on you when in Romania, which would be changed into Lei at the numerous exchange offices. Now that automatic cash machines and top standard international banks are the norm in most major cities in Romania, this may not seem as necessary, but it is still a very good idea. Firstly, although automatic cash machines seem to be popping up everywhere, they do regularly run out of cash (or should I call my bank manager?); secondly, if you do not know your banks daily working hours may regularly find yourself staring at INCHIS sign; thirdly, you may be in the middle of nowhere. Exchange offices are abundant in Romania, every street corner has one. If you need to change hard currency, make sure you use an official liking establishment. As you may be changing an amount of money in one day that the average local earns in one month, be aware of the following: Exchange offices are not run by very nice little men simply wanting to make you happy - make sure you check the rate of exchange is correct, that you get a stamped receipt, and that you count your money before leaving the premises. Keep your exchanged money in a safe, secure place when leaving even the most stupid of potential pick pockets will know that you are not walking out of the door with empty pockets.

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Business English Never change money on the street. All you will get from the nice looking man promising a much better rate than the exchange offices is one 10,000 Lei note wrapped around 50 pieces of toilet paper (and not very nice toilet paper at that). It is also illegal to change money on the street and you will be arrested and fined by the eagle eyed policemen, who are seen on the streets. As with public transport, instances such as the above are few and far between, but you should be wary. Most services are happy to accept U.S. dollars instead of Lei, so it is useful to take some on you just in case you need it. 5. Health For non-emergencies, Western standard pharmacies (many open 24 hours) can be found on most main streets and stock most things such as plasters and first-aid products, tampons, contraceptives, cleansing products, and basic drugs, but should you be taking regular medicine, a good supply should be brought with you as a supply here cannot be guaranteed. Should you need emergency care, you can either try your luck at the state emergency hospitals, or contact one of the private clinics which are expensive but topstandards are guaranteed. Should you feel adventurous and try the first option, there are some things you should know: Doctors and nurses in Romania have very good qualifications, but due to a huge lack of funds, hospitals rarely have the equipment and technology that you may be used to. For the same reasons doctors and nurses salaries are so ridiculously low that many of the medical staff take under-the-table payments to make up the difference. Therefore, do not be surprised or angered if it is made obvious that cash is wanted this may also hasten medical attention considerably. Disposable needles are now used almost 100 percent, but it is a good idea to bring some with you just in case, or check what is being stuck into you! 6. Dogs

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Business English They are a big problem that will be obvious after a matter of hours in Bucharest. Latest figures show that in Bucharest alone, there are at least 1.5 million stray dogs and this number is ever increasing. Many of the dogs are sort of owned by the locals, meaning they are thrown scraps of food and given corner in hall ways. Due to this, they are quite harmless as long as you leave them alone. BUT BEWARE the odd stray dog happens to think he/she is the Romanian version of Godzilla (Godzillescu?) Apart from the physical problems involved with stray dogs in Romania, be prepared for the NOISE! Romanian dogs seem to like to sleep most of the day and then party all night until about 7 a.m.; that leaves you with about one half hour of sleep before your alarm clock goes off. 7. Gypsies In general, to call most Romanians intolerant of gypsies would be an understatement. The feeling is so strong that to make even a light hearted joke aimed at a local friend such as Look, your mother has come to pick you up, when a woman on a gypsy cart past will result in a huge silence, even from very close friends. Trust me. When driving, gypsy carts should be overtaken with great care their tendency to stay in the middle of the road will one day win awards. For the same reason be extremely careful when driving on the country roads after dark. Street lightning is non-existent, as is lightning on the carts. 8. Homosexuality At the time of writing, homosexuality is still, unfortunately, an illegal offence in Romania. There are unofficial clubs that cater for the gay population, but due to obvious reasons these are few and often change venues, and are hard to get information about. For these reasons, it is a good idea to keep a low profile in this aspect, until the law jumps into this decade and changes. Also, due to lack of education, some locals can have a negative attitude regarding this subject so it is best to keep your opinions to yourself or at least not be surprised or angered by what you may find to be archaic views. 9. Patience 180

Business English Gain some. 10. A Sense of Humour Get one.

Ways with words

1. Special terms staff the people who work for an organization, especially a school or business or the members of such a group; stray - an animal that is lost and cannot find its home or has no home; to speak the lingo to speak a language, especially a foreign one, or at least to know some useful phrases; understatement - a way of describing things as being less good, bad, important etc than they really are or a statement that is not strong enough to express how good, bad impressive etc something really is. 2. In this text there are several occurrences of the preposition after and of the verb to take. Now learn more phrases containing the preposition after and the verb to take: after all = la urma urmelor; after a while = dup ctva vreme; day after day = zile n ir; to look after = a avea grij de; soon after = curnd dup. to take advantage of = a utiliza, a valorifica, a se prevala de, a se folosi de ocazia; to take an active part in = a lua parte activ la; to take account of = a ine seama de; to take care of/ to take charge of = a-i asuma rspunderea, a avea grij de; to take control of = a-i asuma controlul; to take its course = a-i urma cursul; 181

Business English to take for granted = a lua drept sigur, a considera indiscutabil; to take an interest in... = a manifesta interes fa de...; to take the liberty of (+-ing form) = a-i lua libertatea de a (e.g. She took the liberty of doing it in her own way.); to take into account/ consideration = a lua n consideraie; to take note/ notice of = a ine seama de; to take ones own way = a-i urma calea proprie; to take on = a lua asupra sa, a se nsrcina; to take over = a prelua; to take a stand = a adopta un punct de vedere, a lua o poziie; to take warning = a fi prevenit; to take a view of = a considera, a privi; to take a weight off somebodys mind = a elucida o problem. Now practise these expressions in sentences of your own. 3. Read the following sentence again: Asking a stranger to make love to you on the spot, when you thought you were asking the time can get a bit awkward. How do you translate on the spot? Below there are some phrases each containing the word spot. Match the phrases with the correct definitions. 1 on the spot 2 in the spot 3 in the spotlight 4 spot-on a at the centre of public attention b quick, random examination c cash on delivery d aspect of a character, situation or organisation that can be criticised 5 spot-check 6 put someone on the spot 7 spot-cash e immediately or at the place of action f outstanding moment g ask someone a difficult question or put someone in a difficult situation 182

Business English 8 high spot 9 weak spot 10 knock spots off h be much better than i in a difficult situation j exactly right

4. Now complete the following sentences with suitable phrases from the list above. a. Were at the moment because one of our biggest customers money. b. Recently, The Distillers company has been . Two companies have been fighting to take it over, and everyone has been talking about the takeover battle. c. The forecasts of our Marketing Department have been . I dont know how they manage to be so accurate. d. Our terms for this consignment of rubber are e. I dont want to wait for an answer. Cant you give me a decision .? f. ~ Can we give you twenty machines for immediate delivery? ~ Now, youre really me I dont know how many we have in stock. g. The income tax officials often do a on taxpayers to make sure they are giving accurate information. h. The of our year is our staff party. Even the Chairman lets his hair down. i. Our distribution system doesnt cover certain areas of the country. Its the in our business. j. In my opinion, our computer products those of our competitors. 5. Read the following sentence again: As soon as you have fought your way off the bus that takes you from the airplane to the terminal building How do has gone bankrupt. He owed us a lot of

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Business English you translate to fight your way off the bus? What is the difference between of and off? Never use OF and OFF in place of each other. Use a noun or pronoun object after OF and use an object after OFF, or use it on its own to suggest separation. OFF may indicate: distance: it is a mile off departure: off with it! separation: his head was cut off completion: have you finished it off? disconnecting: turn it off

Now fill in with of or off: a. Hes to Leeds. b. The door handle has come . c. How kind you to help him. d. Its time I was or I must be . e. Help her with her coat. f. Ill have to get rid it. g. Why dont you have that funny beard ? h. A ship anchored the entrance to the harbour. i. Thats the city Dublin. j. Finish one job before you start another. k. I think well them. l. Hes been smoking while he had the flu. m. What is a Master Art? n. The battle was fought Cape Trafalgar. o. This man is hard hearing. p. Are you sure it? r. Well, whats it? s. He is a man humble origin. t. We must pay our debts before we buy a new car. v. Their engagement is . w. He was accused crime. 184

Business English x. Ill go to the theatre on my next day. y. She married at thirty years age. z. Ill do it in my time (free from duty). 6. In this text you have read about stray dogs in Romania. Now lean some idioms with animals. Choose the animal bird crocodile goat lion his . b. We were hoping to keep the wedding a secret, but my brother soon let the .out of the bag. c. Youre flogging a dead .trying to get Harry to change his mind! d. I dont think Id recognize her now; itss years since I last saw her. e. Harry has really gone to the since his wife died. Looking at him now, its hard to believe he was once a successful barrister. f. Its not that I mind giving her a lift home every Tuesday, but what gets my is the fact that shes never once offered to pay for the petrol. g. As I had to go to Swansea on business, I decided to kill two.with one stone and visit my old school as well. h. Although he had only known her for two weeks he decided to take the by the horns and asked her to marry him. i. She loved tennis and could watch it until the ..came home. j. Youre upset now, I know. But youll soon forget her-after all, there are plenty morein the sea. k. Thats the last time I invite Steve for a meal. He really made a ..of himself last night. l. Dont be fooled! Shes not a bit sad; theyre just tears. 185 bull dog goose pig cat donkey horse rat cow fish kitten stag

a. Turning up half an hour late for the interview really cooked

Business English m. When their grandfather died, Robert and his sister got the..s share of his money. 7. Fill in the gaps with words from the list at the end of the text: A market economy is based on private (1) in contrast to planned economy where (2)ownership prevails. In a free market economy efficiency is the key word, while on the other hand command economy most likely leads to (3) . In a free market economy inefficient businesses go (4) , whereas in a command economy businesses are (5) , thus allowing them to survive in spite of their non-satisfactory economic performance. This enables actually the latter type Market of economy to leads resort to to high (6) (7) , that is employing more personnel than required. economy of goods and services, while on the other hand planned economy will not focus on offering high quality goods and services to (8) . This is due to the fact that in the latter type of economy there is actually no (9), as there are state (10) and the options of customers are severely restricted. bankrupt, competition, customers, inefficiency, monopolies, overstaffing, ownership, quality, state, subsidized

Grammar Reference
The Adverb
The adverb shows a characteristic of an event or state, a quality thereof. It can modify: 186

Business English a verb: We are talking about your report today. an adjective: He was bitterly disappointed. a noun: Only John knows the whole truth. a pronoun: Me too. another adverb: She spoke extremely loud. a clause: Maybe I will come to your party.

Form Simple adverbs Far fast here late near now Then Today Well Derived adverbs likewise afloat homeward(s) repeatedly hardly monthly bitterly happily excellently Compound adverbs everywhere outdoors outside thereby therefore today tomorrow wherein wherefore Adverbial phrases at least at once by the way by all means in full in general in all probability now and then of old

Adverbs of manner: badly; carefully; excellently; fast Adverbs of place: away; aboard; above; anywhere Adverbs of time: already; after; afterwards; early Adverbs of quantity, measure, degree and approximation: awfully; extremely; enough; little Adverbs of frequency: always; ever; every time; again; forever Adverbs of cause, reason, result and concession: consequently; fore; for this reason; hence; so that Interrogative adverbs: how; where; when; wherefore; why.

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The Passive Voice

What voice are the underlined verbs in the sentence: It is also illegal to change money on the street and you will be arrested and fined by the eagle eyed policemen, who are seen on the streets. This is the passive voice. Translate it into Romanian. Now learn about the passive voice in English. The verbs which can accept the passive voice are transitive verbs and some prepositional verbs such as: to account for, to attend to, to look at, to look after, to send for, to speak to, etc. There are some transitive verbs which cannot accept the pasive voice such as: to have, to hold, to possess, to resemble, etc. Its form consists of the respective tense of the auxiliary verb to be + the past participle of the lexical verb. The indicative mood Simple Present Present Continuous Present Perfect Simple Past Past Continuous Past Perfect Simple Future The imperative mood Uses: It is not used in the present perfect continuous, the past perfect When the receiver of the action is more important than the When the performer of the action is not someone specific. A way of avoiding placing responsibility on any specific continuous or the future continuous. performer of the action. The local cinema was closed down three years ago. person or organization. I am sorry that your letter was mislaid 188 I am called I am being called I have been called I was called I was being called I had been called I shall be called Let me be asked

Business English To avoid a change of subject in the sentence. It is often used with verbs of saying and believing in these

I went by train and was met at the station by my aunt. constructions: It + passive + that clause: It is expected that many people will die from starvation in the next decade. There + passive + to be: There are believed to be many homeless teenagers living on the streets. Subject + passive + to-infinitive: She is considered to be the best singer in the group. drunk. We can use by + the performer of the action after a verb in the passive if we want to say who or what did it. Get is often used with certain past participles: get engaged, get married, get lost, get killed, get dressed, get elected, get hit, get

Controlled practice
1. Maria is writing to her friend Mary in England. Shes rather tired, and shes left some of the words out by mistake. Rewrite Marias letter to Mary putting in the adverbs and adverb phrases on the right: Dear Mary, Thank you for your letter. Is it five months since really I last wrote? Im sorry, but Ive been very busy. Im working for my exams. Ive planned my revision. I work until about ten oclock in the evening. Ive finished for today. I dont keep my plan. I saw a marvellous film. It was called The English Patient. Have you seen it? I dont go out. Suzanne comes about once a week. We talk. 189 lately already carefully usually just of course yesterday yet actually, often here a lot

Business English I hope to visit England again. I had a lovely time last year. It would be great to see you. Im trying to save some money. How are you? Is your apartment all right? Please reply. Love, yours, Maria 2. Choose the correct word (adjective or adverb) according to the meaning: a. That was a ...... mountain. (high, highly) b. Treat him ...... . (fair, fairly) c. Birds can fly ...... in the sky. (high, highly) d. Still waters run ..... . (deep, deeply) e. He was ...... shocked. (deep, deeply) f. She swam ...... in the lake. (deep, deeply) g. The book cost ...... . (dear, dearly) h. He loves his son ...... . (dear, dearly) i. He acted ...... . (cool, coolly) j. This is a ...... task. (hard, hardly) k. He works ...... for the exams. (hard, hardly) l. He has ...... worked this week. (hard, hardly) m. He was ...... to me. (kind, kindly) n. Boxers are not allowed to hit ...... . (low, lowly) o. His position is ...... . (low, lowly) p. That was a ...... good attempt. (pretty, prettily) q. Ill sell you the car ...... . (cheap, cheaply) r. Send this letter ...... . (express, expressly) s. You played me ......; you shall pay for it. (false, falsely) t. I did not; you accused me ...... . (false. falsely) u. I got off first in the race but managed to come... (last/lastly) v. And, ... Id like to thank all those who helped me. (last/lastly) x. Weve been receiving a lot of junk mail...(late/lately) y. I dont think youve been treated very...(just/justly) 190 next year there again hard soon

Business English z. I ... fell off the edge of the platform! (near/nearly) 3. Translate into English: a. M-am purtat prostete, te rog iart-m. b. A dat un rspuns obraznic. c. De-abia mi-am dat seama despre ce vorbea. d. Nu e cazul s m priveti att de neprietenos. e. Voi cere s vd actele n cursul acestei diminei. f. Se pare c tot nu a priceput. g. Nu voi putea ajunge dect la 5. h. Nu voi putea ajunge la 5 ci doar la 6. i. Nu l-am vzut de foarte mult timp, dac m gndesc bine nu l-am vzut de cnd am terminat facultatea. Deci l-am vzut ultima oar acum 15 ani. j. n timpul discursului s-a ridicat si a plecat. k. Tot nu a terminat s se aranjeze pentru petrecere. l. M ntlnesc cu John tot a doua zi. m. Sistematic uit s sting lumina la baie. n. S-ar prea putea s aib dreptate. o. Nu mi-e deloc fric. 4. Write the sentences with the adverbs/adverbial phrases in brackets in the correct position. If the adverbs can go in more than one position, put them in the more usual position. a. Ive been working (in my office/all morning/hard) b. He speaks to me (in the mornings/never/nicely) c. We were listening (all evening/carefully) d. Shes been sleeping (in that chair/all afternoon/soundly) e. He is (at this time of day/usually/at the college) f. The postman comes (in the morning/very early) g. I thought you spoke (in that meeting/very well/yesterday) h. We go swimming (on Saturdays/generally/at the local pool) i. I bought these jeans (in the sales/very cheaply/last week) 191

Business English j. Hes been (to a dentist/never/in his life) 5. Translate the following sentences into English: a. Tu vei fi chemat de director mine s explici decizia ta. b. El este ntrebat dac este vegetarian. c. Soluia a fost gsit de fratele meu. d. Mi s-au furat banii. e. Problema a fost rezolvat recent prin introducerea internetului. f. Doctorul a fost chemat. g. El a fost ales preedintele companiei n 1997. h. Copiii sunt ntrebai dac tiu n ce const compoziia acestei substante. i. Se construiesc foarte multe case zilele acestea. 6. Put the following sentences into the Passive: a. Who drew this asymptote? b. People in my town built this hospital last year. c. John cant have done this. d. The soldiers shall hand in all their weapons. e. Children had cast stones. 7. Transfer these passive sentences into active ones. When no agent is given supply one: a. My drawings were shown at the art exhibition in 2000. b. When was your car stolen? c. AIDS is thought to be curable. d. The girl has been made to recite the poem and everybody has given her a big hand. e. The prisoners were forbidden to smoke when they were transferred into the new building. 8. Put the following into the passive. Mention the agent each time: 192

Business English a. Lightning struck the old oak. b. Thirst and fatigue overcame the explorers. c. A jellyfish stung her. d. Edison invented the electric bulb. e. The B.B.C. will broadcast this play again next week. f. Falling rocks killed two of the climbers. g. Beavers make these dams. h. Last nights storm blew those telephone poles down. i. A policeman called Steward caught the thief. j. Mr. West pinned up the notice. 9. In this exercise the sentences contain a verb + preposition/adverb combination. The preposition or adverb must be retained when the combination is put into the passive. Turn these sentences into the passive voice (sometimes the agent is required): a. They threw him out. b. All the ministers will see him off at the airport. c. Everyone looked up to him. d. He hasnt slept in his bed. e. Her story didnt take them in. f. Burglars broke into the house. g. They took down the notice. h. Fog held up the trains. i. We called in the police. j. They didnt look after the children properly. k. People often take him for his brother. l. No one has taken out the cork.

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Unit 14
In this unit you will learn:

Britains trade with the world The Infinitive The Participle The Gerund

Pre-reading
What does Britain import? What does Britain export? What about Romania?

Reading
Britains trade with the world Britain is too small and crowded to produce all the food its people need. British farms produce large quantities of wheat, sugar beet, dairy products, beef and lamb, but more than half of Britains foodstuffs are bought abroad. British industry requires raw materials. Most of these, too, have to be bought abroad. Industries which need silicon, copper, zinc, cotton can only get them from foreign countries. Coal and North Sea oil and gas are the great exceptions. All Britains imports must be paid for by exports. Scotch whisky, Rolls Royce cars! Famous British exports! But Britain also exports complete aircraft, as well as electric and electronic equipment such a s computers and communications systems, plastics, chemicals and, of course, oil. All exports which the eye can see, products like whisky and cars, are called visible exports. But Britain obtains 50% of its earnings abroad from invisible exports, mainly from the profits of investments in other countries and from services transport, tourism, and financial services like banking, insurance and so on. 194

Business English These financial services, so vital to Britains economy, are concentrated in a small area of central London called the City. The City houses the worlds greatest concentration of banks, the worlds biggest insurance market, and the worlds most advanced stock exchange, foreign exchange market and commodities market. Only two countries, the USA and France, earn more from invisible exports than Britain. Changes, development and new directions Working life today is very different from the way it was in the middle of this century. In 1950 40% of the working population worked in manufacturing industry. Now the figure had dropped below 25%. A few of the old factories have even been turned into museums. So where do the majority of people work now? More than 65% work in service industries. Banking, finance and insurance have been the fastest growing areas, then hotels and catering, medical and other health services and distribution service. There are many reasons for this growth in the demand for services. More people have more money to spend than they used to. People also have more leisure time and longer holidays so more entertainment and travel services are needed. At the same time, new technology is making possible many services that were not possible before. However, although these changes have been good for Britain, the loss of jobs in manufacturing industry has made life very hard for some people. Unemployment During the 1980s, as in many other countries, there were more people out of work in Britain than ever before. In fact, in 1986, 12% of the working population were unemployed. The problem is particularly bad in the industrial areas of northern Britain where most workers once earned their living in factories. People sometimes ask, Why dont they go and look for work somewhere else? One man who found work somewhere else is Don King, an engineer from York. He travels 320 kilometres every Sunday evening to work in 195

Business English London. He only sees his family at weekends. They cannot all move to London because a house in London costs three times as much as a house in York and they couldnt pay for it. But Don considers to be a lucky person, as most people cannot afford such expensive journeys and there are not enough jobs in the south anyway. Government and industry The government of the 80s changed the relationship between government and industry. The Conservatives believed that previous governments interfered too much in the economy. They believed that new jobs would appear if controls and restrictions on businesses were taken away. Although the first results of their policy were huge increases in unemployment, Britains slow economy was growing faster than any other country in the European Community. Other results of Conservative policies were more self-employed small business owners, fewer people employed by the state, privatization of many industries that had belonged to the state, e.g. British Airways and British Telecom, and a huge increase in the number of ordinary people who owned shares in companies. The government also decided to fight the power of the trade unions. Trade unions Today more of Britains workers belong to a trade union than in other major Western country, but this may be true for much longer because during the 1980s the unions lost much of their strength and popularity. Sometimes there was great bitterness and even fighting between workers who decided to strike and those who refused to. During the last hundred years the unions have helped to make Britain a more democratic, more civilised and fairer country by representing and protecting the interests of working people.

Ways with words

1. Special terms 196

Business English commodities market = a place where sugar, oil, metals, etc can be traded. Only the trading is done here; the actual commodities do not need to pass through Britain. distribution = the transporting of goods to and from factories, ports, shops, etc. foreign exchange market = a place where large amount of currencies can be bought and sold the stock exchange = the place where stocks and shares can be bought and sold. Other famous stock exchanges are Wall Street in New York and La Bourse in Paris. trade unions = the national organisations which represent workers in their negotiations with employers about pay and conditions of work 2. Complete the sentences: a. Milk, cheese and yoghurt are examples of . b. Wood, silicon, copper and cotton are examples of . c. Profits on investments in other countries, transport services and insurance are examples of . d. Transport, tourism and banking are examples of . e. Banking, insurance and foreign exchange are examples of . 3. Which of the following have increased in Britain in recent decades and which have decreased? a. the number of people who work in factories b. the number of industrial museums c. employees in service industries d. the number of hotels and restaurants e. self-employed people f. state-owned industries g. the power of trade unions 4. Translate the following text into Romanian: 197

Business English The Commercial Bank Ion Tiriac (C.B.I.T.) is the largest Romanian private bank and was established after 1989.The bank is the result of the courage and the vision of its founding members Ion Tiriac Group of Companies. Some 5500 individuals and companies joined this initiative as shareholders. The C.B.I.T. became operational in April 1991 with an initial share capital of 3 billion that successively increased, totalling presently ROL 1.097.443.896.000. Since the beginning, the bank has benefited from an excellent international reputation which was further enlarged when the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) became a shareholder of the bank in April 1993 EBRDs first participation in a Central and Eastern European bank. Since its establishment the bank has evolved into a powerful institution counting presently for 1000 employees and 61 branches agencies and points of sale which cover almost all the important economic centres in Romania (at the end of 2003). The implementation of the plan Banca Tiriac 2000 2002 has pushed the bank up to the ladder of best performing financial institutions acting in Romania. As recognition of the banks achievements, in December 2002 the Commercial Bank Ion Tiriac has been presented with Bank of the Year award by the prestigious local magazine Capital. Fitch IBCA, which upgraded the banks rating for two years in a row, also reconfirmed the positive trend of the banks development. The C.B.I.T. was listed for the first time in year 2000 among the first 75 banks in Central and Eastern Europe, according to the classification made by the prestigious international rating agency Standard&Poors. The C.B.I.T. also ranks among the first five Romanian commercial banks listed in top 100 in Central and Eastern Europe by The Banker magazine. The C.B.I.T. is permanently engaged to establish correspondent relationships with various banks the development of its operations as well as providing high quality banking services to all its clients. 198

Business English The Commercial Bank Ion Tiriac is a member of: SWIFT, VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRES, DINERS, JCB, REUTERS and ROMCARD. 5. False Friends In each pair of words below, the first word is the false friend and the second is the word it is often confused with. Put each word in its correct place in the sentences which follow each pair. actual (real) present (current, existing now) a) b) Carter and Bush are former American presidents. Who is the Ive known many rich men, but he is the only one? millionaire Ive met. morale (spirits, state of mind) moral (right, proper, virtuous) a) b) It was a good move financially, but from the point As we became aware of the difficulties, our of view I have my doubts. dropped. frequent (go to often) attend (go to a school, course, be present at) a) b) Please state the name and address of the college you Criminals are known to the clubs and bars in . this street. adequate (enough, sufficient) suitable (right for the purpose) a) b) Make sure you have money for the trip. Do you think this dress is for tonights party, 10,000 pesetas should be enough. or is it too formal? 199

Business English argument (i: disagreement ii: supporting reason) subject (something talked or written about or studied) a) b) health. c) He and his wife had a heated about which car to buy. experience (i: previous knowledge or work ii: event) experiment (test carried out to see results) a) forget. b) c) Well try an with these chemicals and see This is a very responsible job, so we want someone with a lot what happens. of . fabricate (invent, make up something false) manufacture (make, produce in a factory) a) b) To avoid suspicion, he decided to a This is the factory where they the new completely false story. sports-car. pass (be successful in test, exam) take (attempt test, exam) a) b) If I .. the exam, Ill celebrate by giving a party. I my driving test tomorrow. I hope I Meeting the president was an Ill never My favourite at school was geography. The best against smoking is its effect on

it. reunion ( gathering of old friends, colleagues after separation) meeting ( gathering of people for social or formal discussion) a) b) We have a at the office every Friday to talk I havent seen my old school friends for 15 years. Its time about plans and problems. someone organized a . 200

Business English remark (say, make a comment) notice (happen to see) a) b) He enjoyed his stay with us, but he did that he I thought I saw a strange-looking man outside the house. Did hadnt slept well. you him?

Grammar Reference
Punctuation
There is a considerable amount of variation in punctuation practices. At one extreme are writers who use as little punctuation as possible. At the other extreme there are writers who use to much punctuation in an effort to o make their meaning clear. Here are some punctuation rules. 1. Sentence - Level Punctuation Punctuation Marks . ordinaly and Some of us think we should independent clause is invest in this company. Others made into a sentence by think it is useless. beginning it with a capital letter and ending , it with a period. Independent clauses The forecast promised Guidelines Examples

may be combined into beautiful weather on the coast one sentence by using of the North Sea, but it rained the words and, but, yet, every day. or, nor, and so. The first Draw the figure and solve the clause ; is usually problem. followed by a comma. The writer can indicate Some of us think we should that independent clauses invest in this company; others 201

Business English are closely connected by think it is useless joining them with a : semicolon. When one independent Theres only one solution: we clause is followed by must another that explains or budget. exemplifies it, they can The conference addresses a be separated by a colon. basic question: How can we The second clause may take steps needed to protect or may not begin with a the environment? ? capital letter. Sentences that ask a Are they still drilling in that question should be region? followed by a question What percentage of oil have ! mark. you recovered here? Sentences that express Watch out! strong feeling may be Thats a rude thing to say! followed by an exclamation mark. 2. Separating Elements in Clauses When one of the elements in a clause is compounded, that is, when there are two or more subjects, predicates, objects, and so forth, punctuation is necessary. Punctuation Marks When two elements Tuition may be paid by check or are they compounded, charged to a major credit card. are usually Im taking Chemistry and Guidelines Examples reduce next years

joined together with Physics and Maths this semester. a words such as and, or or without any punctuation. Occasionally more 202

Business English than two elements are joined in this , way. Compounds that England, Scotland, and Wales conscious

contain more than share the island of Great Brittain. two elements are Environmentally called series. businesses use recycled paper,

Commas are used photocopy on both sides of a to separate items in sheet, and use ceramic cups. a series, with words such as and or or usually between ; occuring the last

two items. When the items in a Students were selected on the series are very long basis or have punctuation, separation commas confusing, can be and reading; of grades; and test of and teacher internal vocabulary, memory,

by recommendations.

semicolons may be used instead. 3. Word - Level Punctuation The punctuation covered so far is used to clarify the structure of sentences, There are also punctuation marks that are used with words. Punctuation Marks Guidelines The apostrophe Examples is The companys management

used with nouns to resisted the unions demands. show possession. An apostrophe is used Hes; didnt; let; Maam; four in constructions to oclock. 203

Business English show where letters or 45s; ABCs. numbers . have been omitted. A period is used to Prof. J. K. Lawrence; 24 ft., 4:00 mark shortened forms p.m. like abbreviations and initials. A hyphen is used to end a line of text when bility part of a word must be carried over the next line Hyphens sometimes used are twenty-four, self-confidence to ... insta -

form compound words When two modifiers The study included first- and containing hyphens are second-year students. joined together, common elements are often not repeated. Other uses of Punctuation Marks Punctuation Marks Guidelines Examples

When writers use the exact In 1841, Ralph Waldo words of someone else, they Emerson wrote I hate must use quotation marks to quotations. Tell me what set them off from the rest of the you know. text. If part of a quotation is omitted, She

... ....

told

him

the

the omission must be marked following: If you want to with points of ellipsis. When settle down, to get a the omission comes in the proper job, to find the middle of a sentence, three proper wife... you should points are used. When the give 204 up your selfish

Business English omission includes the end of ideas. one or more sentences, four Work of the tyre that points are used. B.W.R.A. is doing is of greatest carried sufficiently comprehensive pattern, and it is much to be hoped that the framers of codes will give it full weight .... There are many factors which affect a pressure vessel [] of the types commonly used. When writers insert something In a fault, it [the crust of within a quoted passage, the the earth] has cracked and insertion should be set off with caused different layers of brackets. rock to slip. The dash can be used to Well uh Id like to try indicate hesitations in speech. again if you let me, he offered. value out in when a

The Infinitive
The infinitive is considered to be the base form of the verb. Form It appears as long infinitive (preceded by the particle to): I didnt want to tell you that. or as short infinitive (not preceded by the particle to): She made me do it eventually. A special use of the infinitive is the split infinitive, where the adverb which modifies the verb is inserted between the particle to and the verb proper: He was too disappointed to really care about the circumstances of the accident.

205

Business English

The Participle
There are two participle forms in English: the -ing participle which denotes a continuous action or state: the past participle (the third form of the verb) which denotes the action as a result: The police wanted the law respected. Form Active Voice Indefinite Participle asking Perfect Participle having asked Passive Voice being asked having been asked I saw smoke coming through the door of the chemistry laboratory.

The Gerund
denotes an action simultaneous with the present, past or future expressed by the finite verb: I thanked him for letting me know. expresses anteriority after verbs as excuse, forgive, remember, thank, etc. has a passive meaning after verbs as desire, need, require, want, etc. Thank you for letting me know. Your hair needs cutting. The Gerund is formed ith the help of the -ing suffix added to the verb. Form Indefinite Gerund Active Voice helping; reading Passive Voice being helped; being

read Perfect Gerund having helped having been helped having read having been read In order to improve your knowledge about Gerund/ Infinitive, you may look at Appendix 3 (page 189). Structures: gerunds and infinitives When the - ing form of the verb is used as a noun it is called the Gerund. It is used in the following situations: a) with verbs and verbal expressions. 206

Business English 1. The Gerund must be used after the following verbs: admit, anticipate, avoid, consider, defer, delay, detest, enjoy, excuse, fancy, finished, keep (=continue), mind (=object), prevent, stop (=cease), suggest, understand, etc. 2. with certain phrasal verbs: be for/against, care for, give up, keep on, look forward to, see about 3. with certain expressions: cant help, cant stand, its no good/use, dont mind, be accustomed to, be used to. b) with prepositions. If a verb follows a preposition the Gerund forms must be used: e. g. What about swimming to the island and back before lunch? c) as the subject of the sentence, when the action is being considered in a general sense or as a habit: e.g. Swimming underwater is easy if you remember to breathe deeply before going down. Swimming everyday is good exercise for your physical condition. d)with adjectives: busy and worth and a few adjectives accompanied by prepositions, such as: keen on, proud of, accustomed to, used to, exempt from Certain verbs are followed by to+Infinitive, others by the Infinitive without to, and others by an object +to+Infinitive a) verbs followed by to+Infinitive: afford, arrange, decide, demand, fail, have (=be obliged), hope, learn, prepare, promise, seem, etc. b) verbs followed by object +to+Infinitive: advise, order, invite, remind, request, teach, tell, warn, etc. c) verbs followed by the Infinitive without to: the auxiliaries will, shall, should, would, can, do, may, must as well as let, make help (followed by an object) To + Infinitive can be also used after adjectives of emotion such as: amazed, angry, ashamed, delighted, disappointed, happy, pleased, sad, difficult, easy, hard, possible, etc. 207

Business English

Controlled practice
1. Put the verbs in brackets into either a Gerund or Infinitive form: a. The children are looking forward to (row) on the lake in the afternoon. b. Remember (phone) him in the evening. c. What do enjoy most, (drive) or (sail)? d. It isnt worth (rely) on him, he]s very unreliable. e. She wanted (go) to the coast, but her husband preferred the hills. f. I cant afford (buy) a new car as they are still owing me some money. g. He simply cannot give up (smoke), dont waste your time anymore! h. He was very keen on (sail) and went to the coast most weekends. i. They were delighted (see) their father standing on the deck. j. Dont pretend (like) him, you know you dont really. 2. Certain verbs can be followed by either Gerund or Infinitive, sometimes with a different meaning. Explain the meaning of the verbs in italics in the following sentences: a. He tried to sail across the bay but there wasnt enough wind./ He tried sailing across the bay first. b. She proposes to live on a houseboat all winter. I think shes mad./ I propose going to the theatre on Sunday. c. I mean to find out who stole the club funds./ Ill learn how to use a computer even if it means practising all day. d. I stopped to speak to the teacher as I wanted his advice./ I stopped smoking when I started to train for the Olympics. e. The speaker, having finished his main theme, went on to talk about minor problems of sailing./ The speaker went on talking about sailing although most of his audience had gone home. f. I used to live on a houseboat./ I am used to sailing single-handed, I dont need any help. 208

Business English g. I regret to inform you that you were turned down./ I really regret speaking to Jack like that! h. Ill remember to tell him about the fair when I see him!/ remember telling him about the fair on Saturday. i. My father taught me to swim./ My father taught me swimming. j. Alice has learnt to cook./ Helen has been learning cooking for years. 3. Complete the following sentences using a suitable Gerund or Infinitive form of a verb and any necessary phrases a. He encouraged the children b. Answer the phone, it keeps on c. Please, sit down, people are not allowed d. e. The That man with the is black very eyes patient, and he broken is used nose to denies fisherman f. Do you remember 4. Translate into English: a. Sper s termin de nvat ultimul curs. b. El vrea s plece mai repede, pentru c are o treab important de rezolvat. c. Te-a rugat s scrii un raport, motivnd de ce gndeti aa. d. Iat cteva formule pe care s le nvai. e. Studentul a dovedit c este foarte bun la matematic. f. Dac nu faci maina s porneasc, ne stricm buna dispoziie. g. Ploaia oprindu-se, putem pleca la universitate. h. Te deranjeaz dac nchizi fereastra? i. i mulumesc pentru c m-ai ajutat s rezolv acest exerciiu la geometrie. 5. Put the verbs between brackets in gerund or past participle: 209 I

Business English a. Thank you for (to tell) me the truth. b. After (to wait) for you for half an hour, I left the hotel c. We need to have our roof tiles (to replace) d. They stopped (to cut) the pipes, when they discovered that they had some short ones too. e. I dont mind your (to stay) here and (to wait) for my daughter. f. You are always late; you certainly must have your watch (to reapair). g. I should like the World Championship (to win) by the Romanian team. h. Why are you loking at me? Go on (to work)! i. Ill make them (to answer) all my questions about Canadian drilling.

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Business English

Unit 15
Pre-reading
Make a short presentation of the distance learning programme within the Faculty of Economics. What were your expectations when you came here?

Reading
Here is a presentation of Lancaster Management School. Pay attention to the use of conjunctions in English: The Management School Lancaster has one of the largest and most experienced management schools in the United Kingdom. There are over 80 members of the faculty covering the full range of management subjects with a commitment to high quality and innovative teaching. Our students benefit from contributions of staff who are researching and undertaking specialist teaching at the forefront of their subjects. In the 1996 Research Assessment Exercise, Lancaster was one of only three Business Schools in the UK to have been awarded the top rating 5*signifying international excellence research. In the most recent Higher Education Funding Council assessment we were also rated Excellent for our teaching of Business and Management. We are therefore one of the three UK Business Schools to have achieved the top rating for both our teaching and our research. Management teaching and research have a high profile at Lancaster. The Management School has about 20% of the whole Universitys staff and their departments were among those which helped found the University in 1964. As you would expect from a School of such distinction and size, we have a balanced portfolio of teaching: over 300 students graduate with Bachelors degrees in management subjects every year and 350 with Masters degrees. We also have about 100 active research students. 211

Business English Co-ordinated through our Management Development Division, there are over 500 practising managers following our Senior Executive programme, our Executive MBA, our International Masters or Postgraduate Diploma programmes. These programmes are supported by a wide range of organisations, including British Airways, British Aerospace, North West Water and Royal Mail. Lancaster is also unusual among UK graduate business schools in providing both a leading MBA programme and a range of Masters courses covering the management specialisms. Graduates from all our programmes are notably successful in obtaining excellent positions to launch or enhance their careers. We are able to maintain strong links with manufacturing, services and public authorities through our long experience of collaborative research, in-company projects undertaken by our students, post-experience teaching and, of course, the achievements of our alumni. We have strong international links, chiefly into networks of the leading west European business schools, but also with leading researchers in North America business schools and with the Peoples Republic of China and other SE Asian countries. These links have been reinforced by the launch in 1996 of our prestigious International Masters programme taught collaboratively by leading staff at INSEAD, McGill University, Hitotsubashi University (Japan), Institute of Management (Bangalore, India) and Lancaster. Our commitment to postgraduate programmes is reflected in our decision to build a new, well-equipped Graduate Management School. This provides first class facilities for our growing number of Masters and research students, complementing the Management Schools main building. It is close to the centre of the Lancaster campus and comprises lecture, seminar and tutorial rooms, offices, computing laboratories and common rooms. The School has a major cluster of terminals and PCs connected to the Universitys main computing network and to others beyond the University. An extensive collection of management books and journals is housed in the centrally located University Library.

212

Business English

Ways with words

1. Special terms specialism = concentration on or specialization in a branch or field of a study, profession, etc. alumnus, pl. -ni = a person, esp. a boy or man, who has attended or is a graduate of a particular school, college, etc. alumna, pl. -nae = a girl or woman alumnus to enhance = to improve the quality or condition of something to launch = to start (a person) on some course or career to undertake, -took, -taken = to make oneself responsible for; take over as a charge cluster = a number of things of the same sort gathered or grouped together 2. An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another. For example, the opposite of short is long, the opposite of old is young. Complete the following sentences with one suitable word meaning the opposite of the word in capital letters: a. Jack much prefers being EMPLOYED to being .... b. Alex did a number of TEMPORARY jobs before he managed to find a .... position. c. The first shop he opened was a big SUCCESS but the second was a total .... d. Many people would rather work .than FULL-TIME. e. The management said salaries had INCREASED, but official reports showed that as a matter of fact they had .. 3. Word sets. Try to think of the word time. Now think of words connected to time. In this way you may create a word set which may include among other words: day, month, year, century, year, etc. Now complete the following sentences with one appropriate word connected with the subject of money: a. They refused to accept a cheque so I had to pay in .... 213

Business English b. When she started with the company her . was only $20000 a year. Now its at least four times that. c. When Mr Michael retired he received a . of $200 a month. d. Pierre is very worried because he is in .... nobody will lend him any money. e. If you want a new car why not go and see your bank manager about a .... Here is a list of words and expressions to do with money. Use your dictionary and divide them into the following categories: -borrowing money; saving and investing money; having a personal bank account. Sometimes the same word will fit different categories: -to withdraw money; a building society; a current account; a cheque card; a mortgage; to cash a cheque; to buy shares in a company; the Stock Market; to put money in; a monthly statement; a deposit account; to earn 15% interest. 4. Word building Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the words in italics. produce a Our production of washing-machines increased by 5% last year. b We have recently put on the market two new . c per worker will increase with the introduction of the new machines. d Word processors have helped to make office workers more . . e The company is well known in the agricultural industry. It sells mainly farm compete a Coca Colas main is the Pepsi-Cola company. b We try to stay by investing heavily in advertising and promotion. c Our companys main objective is to keep ahead of the 214 eggs, butter, milk, etc.

Business English . . plan a The meeting did not go as . b Some projects take years of ... . c Before asking a bank manager for money, it is wise to show him a business . analyse a Managers needs to have an mind. b Our.showed that we needed to put more emphasis on marketing. c We must look at the problem 5. Compound nouns and phrases with time What do the following mean? a. time-card . b. time-lag. c. time-and-motion study d. time-zone e. time-switch (referring to a machine).. f. time-limit. g. time-sharing (referring to a computer) h. timekeeper... i. to be on time j. to be in time Now, if you are still unsure of the meanings of any of the above, check them in your dictionary. Make sentences of your own using five of the above. 6. Rewrite the following sentences, replacing the words in italics with words and phrases from below. Make any other necessary changes. for the time being in no time at all in good time ahead of its time 215 at one time from time to time work against time before ones time

Business English a. The salesman decided to get to the meeting fairly early so that he could prepare his presentation. b. I can get these brochures and price lists off to you almost immediately. c. I must stay with my company for the moment because jobs are hard to find. d. We have little time left to complete the project. e. I am going to retire earlier than expected. f. The technology used in the Lotus car is very advanced indeed. g. Formerly I worked on the shop floor of the factory. Now, Im Managing Director. Times have changed! h. We check the machines at intervals. 7. Complete the following sentences with the correct word or phrase (a, b, c or d). 1 Nowadays, I eat out at restaurants regularly and often go abroad for holidays. My is much higher than it used to be. a standard of living a duty b work b cost of living c job d function c lifestyle d way of life 2 Writing reports is not a that everyone enjoys. 3 This machine uses much less fuel than the previous one. It is far more . a sparing b economic c effective d economical 4 The management has worked out a to improve our market share. a strategy b policy c target d planning 5 Many of the in the Personnel Department are part time workers. a staff b staffs c employers d personal 6 One of the companys main is to increase sales by 10% per year. 216

Business English a designs b plans c purposes d objectives

7 Several machines have broken down. We wont be able to .an important order. a fill b meet c make d do

Grammar Reference
The Conjunction
Conjunctions join words, phrases and clauses: He slipped and fell on the floor. Please watch my baggage while I buy my train ticket.

Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions join units that are equal grammatically ( have the same function in the sentence): He slipped and fell on the floor. (And joins two verbs) He moved quickly but quietly. (But joins two adverbs) Conjunctions both...and, not only... (but also), either...or, neither...nor make the connection more intense. They are also called correlative conjunctions: Both Lisa and I will go to the party. Neither money nor power can make him happy.

Subordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions join elements of unequal rank. Here are some common subordinating conjunctions: after, although, as, as much as, because, before, how, if, since, that, unless, what, when, where, who, whom She never saw him after he left town. She has been very ill since her operation.

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Business English

Grammar Reference
Direct and indirect (reported) speech
Indirect speech is the term used to refer to the means of expressing what a person has said by reproducing either the exact words uttered or the essence of the utterance. I. The changes involving the tense of the verb are those mentioned in connection with the sequence of tenses, when the reported utterance is introduced by a verb in the past tense. The rules are the following: DIRECT SPEECH Present Present Continuous Present Perfect Present Perfect Continuous Past Past Continuous Future Future Continuous Future Perfect Future Perfect Continuous INDIRECT SPEECH Past Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous Future-in-the-Past Future-in-the-Past Continuous Future Perfect in-the-Past Future Perfect Continuous inthe-Past The Past Perfect and the Past Perfect Continuous remain unchanged; the Conditional and the Subjunctive usually remain unchanged if the time reference and the place are the same. e.g. I feel dizzy, she said. She said that she felt dizzy. Im making a cake. She informed him that she was making a cake. I have already answered these letters!, she exclaimed. She exclaimed that she had already answered those letters. I talked to him yesterday, she answered. She answered that she had talked to him the day before. I will do it, I promise. She promised she would do it. If he had time, he would do it now. She said that if he had time, he would do it now. 218

Business English These rules are not observed in certain cases: No change of the present tense occurs in the reported clause when the statement contains a natural law, a universal assertion, an eternal truth. e.g. English is an analytic language. The teacher told them that English is an analytic language. No change of the past tense occurs when the time of the main clause is fixed by an adverbial clause of time. e.g. I was at home when the TV news started. She insisted that she was at home when the TV news started. Would, Should, Ought (to), Used (to), must (especially in its prohibition sense) do not change. e.g. You should be more careful. I advised her that she should be more careful. You mustnt smoke in the classroom. He told us that we mustnt smoke in the classroom. II. Adverbs or adverbial phrases of time and place also change to suggest remoteness. Here; this In this place Now Today Yesterday Last night/week Tomorrow Ago Next day/week There; that In that place Then (on) that day (on) the previous day/the day before The previous night/week Next day/the following day Before The following day/week

III. The word order of indirect speech is the same with that of a statement: there is no subject-auxiliary inversion. Reported questions are introduced by if or whether, except for the reported special questions, which are introduced by the question words (who, what, how, when, which, where, etc). e.g. Does she always wear hats? He asked if she always wore hats. What are you doing here? He wondered what I was doing there. 219

Business English IV. Imperatives or direct orders become infinitive clauses (accusative with the infinitive constructions) in reported speech or, after certain verbs, they may become finite object clauses with the verb in the subjunctive mood. e.g. Shut the door after you! She asked/ ordered me to shut the door after me. She asked/ordered that I (should) shut the door after me. V. Reported exclamations are frequently paraphrases of direct exclamations or are object clauses. e.g. How nice to meet you again! She said/exclaimed she was delighted to meet me again. What a terrible noise! She complained of the noise. Good morning! She greeted me. She wished me a good morning. Darling I love you! He called her darling and professed his love for her.

Sequence of tenses
I. When the verb of the main clause is in one of the present tenses or in one of the future tenses, the tense of the verb in the secondary clause is conditioned exclusively by context and by the speakers intention. e.g. I suppose he knows about it / he knew about it / he will find out about it. II. When the verb of the main clause is in one of the past tenses, the following rules are applied: If the action of the secondary clause verb is simultaneous with the action of the main clause verb, the past tense of the main clause is followed by a past tense in the secondary clause. e.g. That was what I thought. It was certain that he worked well. If the action of the secondary clause verb is anterior or previous to the past action of the main clause verb, the past perfect is used in the subordinate clause. e.g. I knew that she had been very upset. That was what I had been doing until then. 220

Business English If the action of the secondary clause verb is posterior or subsequent to the past action of the main clause verb, the future-in-the-past is used in the secondary clause. e.g. It was certain that we would have guests again. I knew that they would not agree. III. Even if the main clause verb is in the past, the verb of the secondary clause may be in any tense required by the logic of communication or dictated by the moment when the utterance is made; the same happens if the secondary clause expresses some general truth or refers to some lasting situation. When this is the case, the rule given under II may not be observed in the following types of clauses: In object clauses: e.g. He insisted that the earth moves around the sun. In attributive or relative clauses: e.g. She bought the ring which she is wearing when he was away. In adverbial clauses of comparison (after as as, than): e.g. Her grades were better last year than they will be next term. In adverbial clauses of result: e.g. She sang beautifully, that I shall remember her for a long time. In adverbial clauses of cause: e.g. I had to talk to her, because I am leaving soon. IV. No future can be used in the adverbial clauses of time after a future tense in the main clause. The simple present is used to express simultaneity, and the present perfect to express anteriority: e.g. He will call you as soon as he has a spare moment. You will be my friend again after you have proved more loyalty. If the verb of the main clause is in the future-in-the-past, simultaneity is expressed with the help of the past tense, and anteriority by the past perfect: e.g. He promised he would call you as soon as he had a spare moment. He said that they would meet when he had finished his work.

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Controlled practice
1. Complete each sentence with an appropriate coordinate or subordinate conjunction: A journey to the National Parks of the United States is a rare and unforgettable walk on the wild side. It is to feel once more the power of the old myths, to once again know that the land is the cradle of life, a. . nature is the hand setting b. craddle endlessly rocking. To the west, on the Olympic Peninsula, is the brooding, primordial coastline of Olympic National Park. The great rocks rising from the sea were once a part of the landmass. c. .. the relentless sea chiseled away the softer stone, creating the haunting monoliths rising from the tides. Along this coast, and beyond, into the Olympic Mountains, is one of the most diverse wilderness areas in North America. Within the park are alpine meadows, majestic white-robed peaks, d. .. some sixty active glaciers slow-sliding their relentless way down from the heights. On the western slopes of the mountains, there is a remarkable rainforest. In Wyoming are the rugged, majestic battlements and spires of the Teton Mountains. e. .. most mountain ranges, the Tetons have no foothills. They rise dramatically to a height of almost 14,000 feet. Although relatively small, the Colorado River must surely be the most powerful river of them all. For the Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon. To travel from one end of the canyon to the other would be a journey of 277 serpentine miles. Sometimes the walls of the canyon are less than a half mile wide. Far to the south and the east of the Colorado are the gentle waters of f. .. may be the most unusual river in the world. The Seminoles called it "Pa-hayokee," g. .. "Grassy Water." Here is the central feature of Everglades National Park. A river that is 100 miles long, 50 miles wide, and averages only 6 inches deep. Slowly flowing through the entire southern reaches of the Florida Peninsula, the Everglades teems with an extraordinary variety of life. Within its labyrinth of cypress swamps, hammocks, islands and hyacinth pools, live more than 350 species of birds.

222

Business English Sea. Mountain. River. Each has had a powerful impact on human experience. h. .. perhaps the most ancient influence has been the forest. Within the National Parks of North America there are vast reaches of forest. On the slopes of the Sierra Nevada, the giant sequoias are the survivors of a forest realm that has endured for millennia. Some of these patriarchs have stood for more than 2000 years. They are the largest living things on earth. Far to the east, there is a more gentle forest. In the ancient mountains of southern Appalachia, in Shenandoah National Park i. .. in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, are seemingly endless groves of oak, hickory, maple and other hardwoods. To walk these cool, serene, vaulted byways is to feel an intimacy with nature rarely found in this modern world where man and nature are too often strangers. These are softer mountains, laying comfortably on the earth as if sleeping within their counterpanes of mist. The Cherokee called these woodlands "The Place of Blue Smoke." Bryce Canyon seems like an enchanted city built by mythical giants long departed. There are castles and whimsical skylines, arches, minarets, towers, all cut from stone by the delicate, j. .. powerful hand of water, time and wind. Some of the walls are 600 feet long and 200 feet high. Within the avenues of the city are magnificent silent shapes k. seem to have once been alive. Eighty miles west of Bryce Canyon are the massive walls and towers of Zion National Park. l. .. the formations of Bryce are delicately carved, the temples of Zion seem to have been hacked from the earth with bold, powerful strokes. Vertical canyon walls rise thousands of feet from the valley floor. m. .1794, n. ..Captain George Vancouver first explored these shores, the glacier has receded more than 75 miles. No longer shrouded in ice, the bay is a theater where one of nature's most spectacular dramas is performed. Here is where glaciers come to die. The lands and landscapes of Yosemite are a banquet for the eye o. ..for the soul. Here within the valley and in the high country are stone cliffs towering taller than anything man has made. Waterfalls dance in the heights like angels in lace and then fall thundering through the sunlight into the lap of the valley. Here are glacial lakes and alpine meadows and streams of liquid 223

Business English crystal. Among the marvels of Yosemite are two so powerful they will dwell in the eye of the mind forever. 2. Put the following sentences into reported speech: a. I shall ask them what they have been doing, said Tony. b. I havent found my bag yet, said Sarah. c. I didnt want to wash my face, mother, said the little boy. d. When John comes back, he will ring up at once, his sister promised. e. I cant think where my umbrella is, said Peggy. f. The highest mountain in Britain is Snowdon, Mr. Holmes told the pupils. g. The engine has been running for more than ten minutes, Jack said to the mechanic. h. Mary said, The goldfish has jumped out of its bowl and I cant find it anywhere. i. If you are short of money I can lend you fifty pounds, said my aunt, and you can take your time about paying it back. j. He said, I am quite a good cook and I do all my own washing and mending, too. k. If you give me some wire, Ill mend the fuse for you, said my cousin. l. I have something to show you, I said to her. m. I am living with my parents at present, she said, but I hope to have a flat of my own shortly. n. From one of the windows of my flat I can see the Tower, said I. 3. Change the verb in the main clause into the Past Tense Simple. Make all the other necessary changes. a. Everybody is sure that, after his fathers return to London, he will not lag behind his group and will study much better. b. I know that the meeting has already been held. 224

Business English c. She promises that by the end of the month they will have finished their work. d. He knows that if he tells his friends about it, they will not be surprised. e. You tell me you have read this play in translation. I advise you to read it in English. f. Mother has said Adam is coming on Saturday and will stay for a very short time. g. He tells me that two minutes are left before the train leaves. h. I feel sure that when he goes home he will not fail to tell his father everything he has done at school, and what hopes he has about going to the university where he can continue his studies.

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Test
Choose the best variant: 1. I went to .. cinema last night. A. -; B. the; C. a; D. an. 2. He would have helped you if he A. had been able to; B. could; C. has been able to; D. wanted. 3. If it tomorrow well postpone our businees trip. A. rained; B. rains; C. will rain; D. had rained. 4. If I . in your place, I would gladly acept his invitation. A. was; B. had been; C. were; D. has been. 5. On .. one hand I would like to start such a project, on other I think I shant have the time to finish it. A. the/ a; B. the/ the; C. -; -; D. a/ the. 6. I saw smoke through the door of .. chemistry laboratory. A. come/ the; B. come/ -; C. coming/ -; D. coming/ the. 7. Have you .. finished your homework ? A. -/ yet; B. just/ -; C. already/ -; D. -/ already. 8. the truth, I would have told it to you. A. Have I known; B. Did I know; C. Had I known; D. Should I know. 9. I couldnt make a story, so I had to tell them the truth. A. up; B. in; C. out; D. of. 10. .. had I entered the door .. the phone started to ring. A. Hardly/ when; B. scarcely/ then; C. hardly/ than; D. hard/ when. 11. No sooner .. on that drilling rig when he . promoted. A. had he moved/ has been; B. had he moved/ was; C. was he moved/ was; D. he had moved/ was. 12. The doctor .. several hours ago. A. has been sent for; B. had been sent for; C. was sent for; D. was being sent for. 13. In case you my advice, call me at this number. A. will need; B. need; C. has needed; D. needed. 226

Business English 14. Do you think we call him so late? A. should; B. need; C. had to; D. must. 15. The paper addresses a basic question.. How can we take steps needed to protect the environment? A. : ; B. .; C. ,; D. - . 16. She took the liberty it in her own way. A. of doing; B. to do; C. of to do; D. to doing. 17. She spoke A. extreme loud; B. extremely loud; C. extremely loudly; D. extreme loudly. 18. He was looking at me as if he that easy equation. A. didnt understand; B. hasnt understood; C. hadnt understood; D. understood. Answer key: 1. B; 2. A; 3. B; 4. C; 5. B; 6. D.; 7. A; 8. C; 9. A.; 10. A; 11. B; 12. C; 13. B.; 14. A.; 15. A; 16. A; 17. B; 18. C. 1 point + 0,50 points per each good answer

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Evaluation
1. What have you learnt from this book? _________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 2. What did you enjoy about it? _________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 3. What didnt you enjoy about it? _________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ 228

Business English ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 4. Write down two or three recommendations or suggestions for doing it differently. _________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

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Appendix 1
Irregular verbs Base form to be to beat Past Simple was/were beat Past Participle been beaten Translation a fi a bate a lovi to become to bend to begin to bid became bent began bid bade to bind bound become bent begun bid bidden bound a nvinge a deveni a (se) ndoi a ncepe a ordona a porunci a oferi a uni a lega to blow blew blown a obliga a sufla a to break broke broken arde (fuzibilul unei sigurane) a sparge a rupe a sfrma a concasa to bring to build to burn brought built burnt brought built burnt a degrada a aduce a produce a cldi a construi a arde a calcina to burst burst burst a ataca a izbucni a exploda to buy bought bought 230 a crpa a cumpra

Business English to cast to catch cast caught cast caught a arunca a turna a prinde a capta a bloca to choose to cleave chose cleft clove to come to cost to creep came cost crept chosen cleft cloven come cost crept a colecta a selecta a alege a (se) despica a (se) scinda a separa a veni a ajunge a costa a (se) tr a aluneca to cut cut cut a se alungi a tia a fasona a seciona to deal dealt dealt a opri (un motor) a se ocupa (cu) a contracta a distribui to dig dug dug a repartiza a spa a excava to do to draw did drew done drawn a explora a face a desena a schia to dream to drink to drive to eat dreamt drank drove ate dreamt drunk driven eaten 231 a atrage a visa a bea a aciona a conduce a mnca

Business English to fall to feed fell fed fallen fed a cdea a da la rebut a alimenta a hrni to feel to fight to find felt fought found felt fought found a aproviziona a (se) simi a combate a (se) lupta a gsi a descoperi to fling flung flung a constata a lansa a arunca to fly to forecast to forbid to forget to freeze to get flew forecast forbade forgot froze got flown forecast forbidden forgotten frozen got a izbucni a zbura a lansa a prevedea a interzice a uita a nghea a refrigera a obine a primi to give gave given a deveni (a ajunge) a da a acorda a transmite a aviza to go went gone a preda a merge a funciona to grow to hang grew hung grown hung a circula a se mri a dezvolta a suspenda a aga a pune receptorul n furc 232

Business English to have to hear to hew had heard hewed had heard hewed hewn to hide to hit hid hit hidden hit a avea a auzi a ciopli a degroa a tia a ascunde a lovi a ciocni to hold held held a izbi a ine a bloca a opri a fixa to hurt hurt hurt a cuprinde a rni a lovi to keep kept kept a avaria a ine a reine a menine to knit knit knit a ntreine a nnoda a tricota to know to lay knew laid known laid a mbina a ti a cunoate a pune a aeza to lead led led a ntinde a conduce a avansa to lean leant leant a comanda a nclina a (se) apleca to learn to leave learnt left learnt left 233 a se sprijini a nva a pleca

Business English a prsi a mprumuta a lsa a permite a se afla a consta n a aprinde a pierde a fabrica a face a nsemna a vrea s spun a (se) ntlni a intersecta to pay to put to read to ride to ring to rise paid put read rode rang rose paid put read ridden rung risen a ncrucia a plti a achita a pune a aeza a citi a clri a suna a chema (la telefon) a (se) ridica a (se) urca to run ran run a rsri a alerga a funciona to say to saw to see to seek to sell to send to set said sawed saw sought sold sent set said sawn seen sought sold sent set a administra a spune a tia cu ferstrul a vedea a cuta a cerceta a vinde a trimite a regla a ajusta to shake shook shaken 234 a stabili a bate

to lend to let to lie to light to lose to make to mean to meet

lent let lay lit lost made meant met

lent let lain lit lost made meant met

Business English a scutura to shear sheared shorn a vibra a tia a mrgini to shed shed shed a forfeca a arunca a difuza to shine to show to shoot to shrink to shut to sing to sink to sit to sleep to slide to sling to smell to smite to speak to speed to spell to spend shone showed shot shrank shut sang sank sat slept slid slung smelt smote spoke sped spelt spent shone shown shot shrunk shut sung sunk sat slept slid slung smelt smitten spoken sped spelt spent a vrsa a strluci a polisa a arta a manifesta a mpuca a filma a se contracta a freta a nchide a cnta a (se) scufunda a ngropa a sta jos a dormi a aluneca a glisa a arunca a lansa a mirosi a izbi a vorbi a accelera a scrie liter cu liter a silabisi a petrece a cheltui to spill spilt spilt a ntrebuina a vrsa a risipi to split split split 235 a turna a cliva

Business English a scinda a despica to spin spun spun a disocia a centrifuga a roti to spread spread spread a presa a rspndi a acoperi to spring sprang sprung a extinde a sri a izvor to stand stood stood a se arcui a sta (vertical) a rezista to steal to stick to strike to string stole stuck struck strung stolen stuck struck strung a suporta a fura a (se) lipi a se fixa a lovi a izbi a nira a lega to strive to swear to swell to swim to swing strove swore swelled swam swung striven sworn swollen swum swung a ncorda a se strdui a se lupta a jura a (se) umfla a crete a nota a oscila a (se) balansa to take took taken a pendula a lua a capta to teach to tear to tell taught tore told taught torn told 236 a necesita a preda a rupe a spune

Business English to think thought thought a reflecta a gndi to throw to thrust threw thrust thrown thrust a socoti c a arunca a mpinge a nfige to understand to wake to wear understood woke wore understood woken worn a apsa a nelege a (se) trezi a purta a uza to weep wept wept a toci a plnge a picura to win to wind to wring won wound wrung won wound wrung a se prelinge a ctiga a rni a stoarce a rsuci to write wrote written a smulge a scrie

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Appendix 2
WORD+PREPOSITION (sb.= somebody; sth.= somenthing) (break sth.) by accident according to (the weather forecast) to account for sth. an advertisement for sth afraid of (storms) at the age of (twenty) to agree with sb. on sth. to apply for (a job) appropriate for sth. to argue with sb. about sth. to arrive at (the railway station) to arrive in (Europe) as a result to ask for sth. to assist in sth. attentive at sth./ sb. at the beginning of sth. in the beginning to be afraid of. sb./ sth. to be at home to be aware of sth. to be bored with sth./sb. to be careful about sth. to be fed up with sth. to be full of (energy) to be fond of sb. to be good at sth. to be in charge of sth. to be in love with sb. 238

Business English to be in a mess to be interested in sth. to be impressed by sth. to be married to sb. to be on strike to be out of order to be patient with sb./ sth. to be proud of sth./ sb. to be similar to sth. to be tired of sth. to believe in sth. to belong to sb. to benefit from sth. to go by bus/ train/plane, etc. in the (20-th) century certain of sth. change for (a dollar) to come from England/ Romania to compare sth. with sth. else to complain about sth. in (good/bad) condition in/ under these conditions in contrast with sth./ sb. to cooperate with sb. to cope with sth. to deal with sth. to debate on sth. deficiency in sth./ deficient in sth. to depend on sb./ sth. to develop into sth. to die of sth. to be different from sb./sth. 239

Business English in the distance to distinguish sth. from sth. else to dream about sb./sth. in the end at the end of sth. to a (certain/great) extent to fight against sb./ sth. to fight against sb./ sth. on a flight to (Paris) to fight against sb./sth. to find put about sv./ sth. to forget about sb./sth. to get in touch with sb. to get on (well) with sb. to go out with sb. to go home to have a degree in sth. to have an interview for a job to invite sb. to (a party) or for (dinner) in the North/ South, etc. to laugh at sb./ sth. to listen to sth./ sb. to live on the third/fourth floor to look after sb. to look at sth. to look for sth. to look forward to doing sth. to merge with sth. by mistake at the/that moment to operate on sb. to originate in sth. 240

Business English owing to sth. to participate in sth. to pay ($5000) for sth. to point at sb./ sth. to point sth. (a gun) at sb. preoccupation with sth. to rely on sb./ sth representative of sb./ sth. resistance to sth./ sb. to search for sth./ sb. to sell sth. for ($300) to share sth. with sb. similar to sb./ sth. to speak to sb. about sth. to specialise in sth. to spend money on sth. a story about sth. to suffer from sth. to talk to sb. about sth. thanks to sb./ sth. on television to think about (What are you thinking about?) to think of (What do you thinf of von Laue?) to throw sth. at sb. a ticket for sth. in view of sth. to wait for sb./ sth. on the way (to school) to work as (a teacher) to work for (an organization) to worry about sth./ sb. to write (an e-mail, a letter) to sb. 241

Business English

Verbs with Obligatory Preposition: ABOUT: argue, complain, doubt, fret, grieve, know, say, see, set, speak, talk, tell, think, worry, write. AFTER: aspire, crave, hanker, hunger, hunt, look, take, yearn. AGAINST: clamour, defend, exclaim, fight, guard, indemnify, insure, murmur, mutter, protect, revolt, thunder, warn. AT: aim, assess, buy/sell (sth) at a price, call, drive, fire a shot, gaze, glance, knock, laugh, mock, point, puff, rage, rejoice, repine, rush, shoot, smile, sneer, stay, strike, throw, work. BY: begin, buy / sell (sth) by the pound etc, divide, finish, pass, profit, pull, swear, walk. FOR: account, answer, ask, atone, bargain, call, care, cry, die, do, fall, fish, hope, lament, languish, leave, long, look, last, pay, pine, prepare, reach, sail, search, send, sigh, stand, start, strive, take, wait, wish. FROM: absolve, banish, borrow, cry, derive, descent, differ, differentiate, distinguish, ensue, exact, excerpt, expect, extricate, flee, learn, manufacture, obtain, purchase, purge, receive, recover, refrain, select, spring, suffer, withdraw. IN: abound, believe, confide, consist, deal, employ (sb), entangle, hammer, insert, interfere, paint, succeed, write. INTO: alter, break, change, divide, look, merge, pitch, put, thrust, turn. OF:

242

Business English accuse, acquit, allow, approve, avail (oneself), become, beware, complain, consist, cure, deprive, die, disapprove, dispose, doubt, dream, hear, learn, relieve, remind, speak, suspect, talk, think. ON: act, agree, bet, comment, concentrate, congratulate, count, depend, embark, gloat, inculcate, insist, jar, operate, rely, stumble, tattle, tell. OVER: brood, cry, exult, muse, quarrel, rule, ruminate. TO: adapt, adhere, adjust, agree, allude, amount, announce, apologise, appeal, aspire, attach, attend, attest, belong, cling, come, compare, complain, consent, correspond, drink, entitle, explain, give, go, help (oneself), lead, listen, nod, object, oppose, point, prove, refer, reply, resort, respond, return, seem, set (to work), speak, stick, subscribe, succeed, take, tend. WITH: agree, combine, compare, comply, connect, contend, contrast, correspond, deal, differ, disagree, do, fight, interfere, intermeddle, join, meet (~hardships), mingle, quarrel, quiver, reconcile, rhyme, shiver, side, sympathize, talk, tremble, trifle, vie. UPON: act, bear, call, chance, depend, enter, fall, fix, force, frown, impose, insist, look, play (~ones feelings), rest, smile (about fate), trample.

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Adjectives with Obligatory Preposition: Addicted to adequate for (smth.) adequate to (smb.) adverse to affected by amazed at ambitious after annoyed at anxious about (smth.) anxious for (smb.) appalled by apprehensive of (i.e. worried about) apt for ashamed of averse to bad at beneficial to bent on busy with capabale of certain of charmed at (smth.) charmed with (smb.) clever at (mathematics) compatible with concerned about /with concerned for (smb) connected with consistent with contended with 244

Business English convenient for (smth.) convenient to (smb.) crazy about cruel to deficient in (smth.) delighted at derogatory to devoid of dexterous at diffident in disappointed at disgusted by (smth.) disgusted with (smb.) displeased at dissatisfied with doubtful of (smb.) dying for eager for/about earnest about enraged by essential for excited at/over fit for frightened at full of good at greedy of hostile to (smb.) hungry for identical to/with ignorant of immersed in (debts) 245

Business English immune against immune from impolite to inadequate for smth/to smb incensed at/with inclined to /for inconceivable to independent of smb indignant at/with infatuate with intent on irritated at offended at opposite from parallel to paralyzed with partial to particular about pleased at smth prepared for proficient in prone to resolved on rude to secure of skillful at/in slow at solicitous about sorry about smth, sorry for smb subject to suffering from sufficient for 246

Business English suited to sure about smth sure of smb sympathetic to tired with true to unfit for unjust to vexed at smth, vexed with smb

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Appendix 3
Verbs which are always followed by a GERUND: The drilling engineer denied experiencing a gusher. admit appreciate avoid celebrate consider defer delay deny detest dislike dispute enoy escape excuse explain find finish forgive mention mind miss pardon postpone practice prevent recall risk suggest understand

Verbs wich are always followed by an INFINITIVE: The regional Electricity companies expect to earn an additional 23% profit this year. afford agree appear decide expect hope intend need offer plan pretend promise refuse seem want

Verbs which are followed by either an INFINITIVE or a GERUND Nowadays many countries prefer to generate/generating electricty from renewable sources of energy. begin continue prefer start

248

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249

Business English Bibliography 1. Dnil, Viorica, Engleza tehnic, Editura tehnic, Bucureti, 1982 2. Dnil, Viorica, Engleza pentru ingineri i tehnicieni, Editura tehnic, Bucureti, 1967 3. Deighton, Lee C., Vocabulary Development, Macmillan, New York, 1984 4. Eastwod, J., A Basic English Grammar. Exercises, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1984 5. Hall, Eugene J., The Language of the Petroleum Industry in English, Prentice Hall Inc, New Jersey, 1976 6. Hill, L.A., Advanced Stories for Reproduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1977 7. Lougheed, Lin, The Great Preposition Mystery, Grammar Review for Intermediate/ Advanced Students of EFL, English Teaching Division, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Washington, D.C., 1985 8. Mistzal, Marius, Test Your English Grammar, Teora, Bucuresti, 1996 9. Sanford, Adrian B, Bishop, Katherine V., Reading Comprehension, Macmillan, New York, 1984 10. Soars, John & Liz, Headway, pre-intermediate, Students Book, Oxford University Press, Hong Kong, 1991 11. Soars, John & Liz, Headway, upper-intermediate, Students Book, Oxford University Press, Hong, 1991 12. Thomson, A.J., A. V. Martinet, A Practical English Grammar, Exercises 1, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1986 13. Vince, Michael, Excel at First Certificate, Students Book, Heinemann, Oxford, London Edinburgh, 1989 14. Zdrenghea, M, Greere, A, A Practical English Grammar, Ed. Clusium, Cluj, 1997 15. ***, English for Science and Technology, Cavallioti Publishing House, The British Council, Bucharest, 1996 16. ***, Sinteze i exerciii pentru examenele de bacalaureat i admitere, Editura Amarcord, Timioara, 1998 250

Business English 17. http://ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/adjectives.htm 18. http://www.randomhouse.com

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