Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Leisure Time
Leisure Time
time
663S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
This unit can be used as a follow-up to adverbs of frequency or the unit on
how much and how many or as a general review of those structures.
Situation
You work for Infoserve, a market research company. You are carrying out a survey on leisure
activities.
Task
Look below. Interview Ms / Mr Finch (your teacher).
Begin with, Excuse me, I'm carrying out a survey on leisure activities. Would you mind
answering a few questions... ?
Survey on: Leisure time
Date:
1. Name: .......................................................................................... Married: Yes
/ No
2. Address: ..........................................................................................
3. Children: Yes / No if yes how many ?
4. Profession: ..........................................................................................
5. Employer: ..........................................................................................
6. Arrive home : Before 6pm
At 6pm
after 6pm
At 8pm
after 8pm
Dinner out
Cinema
Theatre
(Classical)
Ballet
Concerts
(pop)
Opera
10. Sport: Golf
Tennis
Squash
Other: ..........................................................................................
o
Telelangu
e
Introduction
In this lesson, we are going to look at some of the different ways in which
we can ask for information in English. The forms below can be used in
most Situations:
Excuse me...*
Do you know
Illustration
Look at these examples:
Excuse me*...
Can you tell me the way to the Everest Hotel?
Can you help me? I'm looking for the underground* station
Think of other Situations in which you might have to use the phrases above. practice them
with your teacher.
Practice
Imagine that you are in an English-speaking country. Use the forms you have just practiced to
ask people about the following subjects:
1. London:
Ask
o Heathrow Airport Enquiries
o
hotel reception
--------------> the time of the first flight to Paris tomorrow morning.
2. Sydney, Australia:
Ask
o
a policeman
a bookshop manager
--------------> where to buy novels in French.
3. Dallas, Texas:
Ask
o
an American friend
4. New York:
Ask
o
5. New Delhi:
Ask
o
a taxi-driver
a passer-by
--------------> the way to the French Embassy.
6. Miami, Florida:
Ask
o
hotel reception
a fellow-tourist
--------------> about the price of a trip to Disney World.
7. Edinburgh:
Ask
o
a business acquaintance
a Customs officer
--------------> about VAT refunds on goods for non-E.U visitors
8. Hong Kong
Ask
o
tourist Information
--------------> the address of the best Chinese restaurant in town.
Transfer
1. You are in London. You need to fly to Frankfurt either this evening or early
tomorrow morning. Telephone the airport and ask for the following information:
o What flights are available?
o
2. You are on holiday for the first time in a foreign city. Ask the receptionist at your
hotel for information on the following subjects:
o
Saying
thank you
692S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
In this unit we are going to look at different ways of expressing thanks that is, thanking someone.
We will also look at ways of responding to thanks.
Illustration
Look at the following short exchanges in which one person expresses thanks, and another
responds.
I would like to thank you very much for sending us the book.
My pleasure.
Practice 1
Some ways of expressing thanks, and responding to thanks, are formal, others are informal.
Look at the above again, and decide which exchange is the most formal, and which is the least
formal.
Practice 2
Listen to your teacher thanking you for different things. Respond appropriately, choosing
from the list below:
That's okay
Not at all, I'm glad you could come
Don't mention it
Practice 3
Now, you thank your teacher.
Answer what he/she says with appropriate thanks.
Example:
Thank you.
Yes, thank you for inviting me.
Yes, it was kind of you to send them so quickly, thank you very much.
Transfer
Listen to your teacher and thank him/her where appropriate.
If he/she thanks you, respond using some of the expressions we have looked at.
Greeting
visitors
693S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
In this lesson we're going to look at ways of greeting people.
Remember that the kind of language we use depends on whether the
Illustration
Look at the language we use when greeting strangers:
Welcoming:
Practice 1
Respond appropriately to the phrases your teacher gives you.
Practice 2
You are welcoming a visitor (the teacher) to your company.
Introduce yourself and start up a conversation, using the notes below.
1. Welcome the visitor.
2. Introduce yourself.
3. Reply to his / her Introduction.
4. Ask the visitor to repeat his / her name.
5. Ask him / her to spell it.
6. Ask about his / her trip.
7. Ask if he / she had any trouble finding your office or factory.
8. Ask what he / she would like to do first - have lunch or visit the computer department /
production plant etc.
Transfer
You have gone to the airport to meet a visitor from a firm in the North of England.
You have met him once before, very briefly, at a trade fair in in Manchester.
You know he lives near Liverpool, and is married with two children, but nothing more.
He is coming to Paris to talk about closer cooperation with your company.
Go through the Introduction.
Offer to help him with his luggage and show him to the waiting car.
Make polite conversation with him during the journey to Paris.
Accepting
or
declining
invitations
694S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
Often, when travelling abroad, you will receive invitations to dinner, for
drinks, or even for the weekend.
You need to know how to accept or decline the invitation properly. In this
lesson we are going to look at the language we can use in such Situations.
Illustration
1. Accepting an invitation
2. Declining an invitation
Practice 1
Practice 2
Now practice inviting your teacher:
1. to Sunday lunch.
2. for drinks on Friday evening.
3. to the theatre next week.
4. to a party next Saturday.
5. to the opening of an exhibition on Thursday.
6. to the cinema tonight.
7. out to dinner tonight.
8. to a concert in the Conciergerie on Sunday.
Transfer
Now imagine that you have the responsibility of entertaining a business acquaintance (who is
also a friend) during the weekend.
Invite him / her to a restaurant of your choice, or to your home. Accept or decline the
invitation that will be made to you in return.
Giving an
opinion
695S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
This lesson is about asking for and giving opinions.
Illustration
Read the dialogue.
B: Well, I don't know. In my opinion, young people don't know how to look smart.
A: Well, if you ask me, I think you are just getting old!
B: Maybe so. But I 'm sure I've got better taste than that girl at the bar!
Practice 1
The sentences below are replies to "opinion" questions. Classify them as strong,
medium
or weak opinions.
Practice 2
Link the following sentences to make dialogues. One has been done for you.
1. What do you think about the new
project?
I think it is a disaster.
They should never have started.
Practice 3
How would you reply to:
How did they ever get a female Prime Minister in the UK?
Transfer
Either suggest three topics or choose them from the following topics.
Answer one frankly, be indecisive with another and with the third avoid answering
completely!
You may want to Practice with some first.
International unions
Cigarette commercials
Air pollution
E-learning
Water pollution
Telephone lessons
Doctors
Internet shopping
Social security
Agricultural subsidies
Forced retirement
Apologisin
g
698S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about apologising with special attention given to different
levels of formality.
How formal are the following apologies?
Very formal
Formal
Informal
Illustration
Look at some forms:
Please excuse...
Sorry about...
Sorry!
Practice
Select one of the above and give a full sentence (if appropriate) to apologise in each of the
following Situations:
1. You drop a coffee spoon on a colleague's desk.
2. A customer you know very well telephones to say an order has arrived with one part
missing.
3. You are going to be late for an appointment with a potential purchaser. Your plane has
been delayed by two hours.
4. You are late for a meeting with colleagues.
5. You are writing a reply to an enquiry from a potential customer who was expecting
your letter 2 weeks ago.
6. A representative from another company is talking. You don't understand what he is
saying.
7. You are writing to a customer to explain a delay in production.
8. You leave a note for your secretary saying you have had to go out unexpectedly. Your
secretary was expecting you for a particular reason.
Transfer
Think of any occasions in your work where you have to apologise.
Have you ever apologised to
colleagues
assistants or secretaries
junior staff
friends
Making
suggestion
s
699S
Telelangue
Introduction
This lesson is about informal suggestions and advice.
English speakers tend to be informal, even in the business world.
First look at the dialogue:
Illustration
Look at the examples below:
1. Affirmative suggestions
o
Let's ...........................
.........
o
go to the movies.
What / How
about ..................
Why don't
we ........................
It might be a good
place?
pick you up on the
way?
o
meet later.
go home yet
invite them.
idea to
2. Negative suggestions
o
I don't think we
should..................
Practice
You arrange to meet a friend tomorrow evening.
Suggest:
1. Going out for an Indian meal tomorrow evening.
2. Picking him / her up in your car.
3. (If he/she doesn't agree) meeting at a well-known caf at 7:30.
4. Reserving a table for 8:30 pm.
5. Choosing a restaurant near the caf.
In the restaurant, suggest :
6. He/she should try the Chicken Korma.
7. He / she should choose the wine.
8. Having cognac with coffee.
9. Not going home immediately after the meal.
10. Going to a cocktail bar you know just down the street.
11. Meeting again next week.
Transfer
It's Saturday evening.
You are with a foreign client.
You have finished your work.
Suggest things to do together.
You know he doesn't have a big expense account.
Giving
instruction
s
700S
Telelangue
Introduction
Vocabulary 1
Make sentences with words and expressions connected with recipes.
recipe
cook
boil
simmer
fry
bake
roast
beat
add
pour
ingredients
mix / mixture
put
bowl
pan / saucepan
lid
cover
drain
serve
Steam
Illustration
Look at the following dialogue on how to cook rice.
You read part A. Your teacher will read part B.
B: Oh, put in two cups of rice. And don't forget to add a little salt. Next bring the
water to the boil again.
B: Boil it for two minutes. Then cover the pan with a lid and simmer.
B: For ten to twelve minutes. Finally, when it is ready, you can drain it and put it into
the bowl.
Notice also how B indicates the different Stages in the process with:
Practice 1
Now look at the pictures for making an omelette.
They are in the wrong order.
Write the correct number of each step by the picture, following your teacher's instructions.
The first one has been done for you.
MAKING AN OMELETTE
Practice 2
Now use the pictures to tell your teacher how to make an omelette.
You can change the order or method if you wish.
Transfer
Tell your teacher how to make your favourite dish or one that you know well.
When you have finished get him / her to read back the instructions to check that he / she has
understood.
Social
englishintroductio
n
702S
Telelangue
Introduction
A software company representative comes to your office. You have not met
him / her before. Read the dialogue.
A = you
B = sales representative [your teacher]
A
:
B
:
A
:
B
:
A
:
B
:
A
:
B
:
A
:
B
:
A
:
B
:
A Well, that's very interesting. Let me tell you a little about our
: company. As you probably know, our main area of activity is ......
(explain a little about the company where you work and describe a
software product that you might be interested in).
B Well, I'm sure we have a package that would suit your
: requirements. The ones which might be of immediate interest to
you are ......
A Well, now I think I have a good idea of your line. Of course, I'll
: have to think it over, but I'm sure that we can do business. But to
change the subject, why don't you join me for lunch?
B Oh, that's very kind of you, but unfortunately I have a lunch time
: appointment.
A Well, perhaps we could have lunch together on your next visit. Are
: you in Paris often?
B Yes, about once a month.
:
A Let's meet again on your next visit.
:
B Yes, I'd like to.
:
Illustration 1
Find examples in the dialogue of how to:
make a request
make a suggestion
give an opinion
Categorise the expressions in the table below. The first one has been done for you.
1. I'd like to speak with you about our staff needs.
2. How do you do?
3. Can you tell me a little about yourself?
4. I feel I have a fair idea about your range of products.
5. My name is Dupont. Jacques Dupont.
6. I'm certain we can do some business together.
7. May I have a coffee, please?
8. Nice to meet you.
GIVING AN
OPINION
Practice 1
You are a guest at a cocktail party.
Illustration 2
The list below gives more expressions for categories above. Indicate their level of formality:
formal (F), neutral (N), or informal (I). And also say how and when you would use them.
GREETING
RESPONDING TO GREETINGS
INTRODUCING
RESPONDING TO Introduction
REQUESTING
SUGGESTING
How about......?
What about......?
Why don't we ......?
For the next group of expressions, indicate the differences between them in terms of strength.
(Indicate 'S' for strong, 'N' for neutral, and 'W' for weak.)
GIVING AN OPINION
I feel that......
I tend to think that......
I'm convinced that......
Practice 2
Transfer
You are the Purchasing Manager for a French company.
You are visiting one of your suppliers in the UK.
You have never met him / her before, but you have spoken many times on the phone.
You have many problems with delivery time and quality.
Introduce yourself.
Explain the problem.
Social
english-a
variety of
social
situations
703S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
Read the following dialogues with your teacher, You are "A".
Illustration
Look at the phrases in italics in the dialogues above.
Classify them according to the categories below:
advising
agreeing / disagreeing
apologising
attracting attention
denying
Pratice 1
Discuss with your teacher whether the phrases below are formal (F), neutral (N) or informal
(I).
Advising
You really should do something about your car. It's in a shocking condition.
I advise you to see a doctor.
Agreeing / disagreeing
I'm in total agreement with you over the price increase.
Oh, yes, you're quite right.
Apologising
I'm terribly sorry I forgot your birthday.
Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.
Attracting attention
Look, you nearly forgot this.
Excuse me - you've dropped your ticket.
Denying
I didn't say that. That just isn't true.
Oh, I don't think we need worry.
Practice 2
Act out the following Situation with your teacher using the terms and expressions you learnt
in Pratice 1.
1. A good friend of yours from England is going to spend a week in Paris. Advise him on
what to see.
2. A business colleague is about to lose his job. Advise him what he should do to try and
find another one.
3. A young colleague at work (whom you don't particularly like) says that the economic
system in France favours the rich. Disagree with him.
4. Your boss asks you to work on Sunday evening. Apologise and give reasons.
5. Apologise to a friend for having ruined one of his favourite music cds.
6. An important speaker at an international conference leaves his notes behind on the
platform after giving his speech. Attract his attention.
7. After returning from a business trip, your wife accuses you of not phoning her. In fact
you tried, but the line was always engaged. What do you say to her accusation?
8. Tell your teacher about a nice evening you spent recently.
9. Tell your teacher about something you can't stand.
Transfer
You are on holiday in London You have just checked-in your hotel and collected your Key. As
you approach your room, a young couple open the door and come out. You are naturally very
surprised.
Expressin
g
preference
704S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
This lesson is about expressing preferences. First read the dialogue:
Martin: Well, Bert, what do you fancy doing tonight?
Bert:
I'd rather do nothing tonight. We've been out three nights this
week already!
Illustration
Prefer can be followed by:
a) a noun e.g.:
b) a gerund e.g. :
c) an infinitive e.g. :
I'd rather (I would rather) and I'd sooner (I would sooner) are followed by a main verb, e.g.:
Practice
First match the items to compare (A and B). Look at the example. Then Practice giving your
preference. Use the language on page 1 and the ideas below.
A
fried potatoes
polo-necked jumpers
suede jackets
pork
beer
women in trousers
women in dresses
wine
leather jackets
boiled potatoes
raw vegetables
well-done steak
V-necked jumpers
cooked vegetables
rare steaks
2 piece suits
3 piece suits
veal
Transfer
Talk about your preferences. Here are some ideas to choose from.
Making
requests
and
expressing
preference
705S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
This unit practices making requests and expressing preference.
Illustration
Example:
They like ski-ing.
She doesn't like to cook.
PREFERENCE:
2. 'I'd like to do it' ('would like' + infinitive)
Example:
I'd like to take a week's holiday.
I'd like to have some more tea please.
POLITE REQUEST:
3. 'I'd like you to do it' ('would like' + infinitive)
Example:
I'd like you to type this letter, please.
She'd like us to look through this report.
DIRECT REQUEST:
4. 'I want them to do it' (verb 'to want' + infinitive)
Example:
I want you to be back by 5 o'clock.
He wants me to go to Rome next week.
DESCRIBED REQUEST:
5. 'I'll ask him to do it' (verb 'to ask' + infinitive)
Example:
I'll ask him to come and see me tomorrow.
She asked me to post a letter.
Practice 1
Complete the sentences with one of the verb forms above:
1. I .................. to take tomorrow off, if that's possible?
2. Could you .................. Mr. Gland to come to my office, Mrs. Trump?
3. I .................. you to work late this evening, if you don't mind?
4. Tell Hoyle I .................. to see him right away!
5. Do you .................. typing, John?
6. We .................. you to start next week, if that's convenient.
7. He .................. signing all his letters by three o'clock in the afternoon.
8. I .................. you to send it to me as soon as possible.
9. .................. her to ring Woods, would you?
10. Would you .................. to work in America?
Practice 2
Put the words in these sentences in the correct order.
For example:
1. Like / ring / to / Mr. Pellini / please / I'd / you.
o I'd like you to ring Mr. Pellini, please.
2. sign / they / to / immediately / us / agreement / want / the
o
3. too / a / off / busy / day / I'd / take / but / are / to /we / like
o
9. trouble / you / I'd / thank / Mrs. Holme / like / to / for / your / all
o
10. last / letters / 3.00 p.m. / he / finishing / by / to / his / catch / all / likes / the / post
Practice 3
Complete this dialogue and read it with your teacher.
You take the part of the manager:
Manager: Yes, I am. Could you ..................... him to call me here in Brussels because
I ..................... to discuss one or two things with him before he leaves on Friday.
Manager: He ..................... me to sign that contract before the end of the week but I
don't ..................... committing myself to paper until everything is 100% clear.
Manager: Could you also ..................... him if he's got any information back from the
market research team yet? I ..................... to find out the Results of their survey.
Transfer
You work for an audio books manufacturer.
There's a postal strike.
A customer's order is going to be delivered late. Call and apologise, and ask how she / he
would prefer them to be delivered.
Saying
goodbye
708S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
In this unit we are going to look at different ways of saying goodbye, or
terminating a conversation. This includes not only the final words in a
conversation, but also the words which signal that you are going to end the
conversation shortly.
We will look at language appropriate for both face to face meetings and
telephone conversations, and for both formal and informal Situations.
Illustration
Read the following exchanges to your teacher and say whether you think they are formal or
informal, on the telephone, or face to face, or either.
A Well, it's been a pleasure to have met you, I hope we shall meet again.
B Yes indeed, I hope so too.
A I think we've covered everything, don't you?
B Er - there is just one more thing...
A That's about it for today, I think. I'm going home.
B Yes, it's been a long day.
A Well, I must go now I'm afraid, I've got a meeting with the finance department. It's
been interesting to talk to you - er, perhaps you'll call me again if there are any other
things we should discuss before our meeting.
B No, I don't think so. Right, I'll look forward to seeing you.
A Oh! Look at the time! I must go - I'll be back later!
B Okay, see you then
A It's getting rather late, I ought to go now.
B Yes, well, thank you for coming. We'll be in touch.
Practice 1
In the two columns below are some pairs of formal and informal expressions used in saying
goodbye. Match the informal expressions on the right with the formal expressions on the left,
and give your teacher your answers.
Example: Sentence 1.
goes with Sentence F.
Formal
1. Well, it's been nice meeting
you.
Informal
Anything else?
Transfer
Your teacher will suggest some Situations in which you must say goodbye. Tell him/her what
you would say in these Situations.
Can,
could may
& might
709S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
In this unit we are going to look at the modal verbs can, could, may and
might used for expressing permission; possibility; and ability.
Illustration
Look at the examples below:
PERMISSION
1. Less formal
o Asking: Can I have an apple?
o
2. More formal
o
POSSIBILITY
1. Theoretical possibility Things in Paris can be expensive.
2. Strong possibility It's only 8.30. John can / could make the 9.00 train.
3. Weak possibility It's only 3 p.m., Phil might / may still make the meeting.
4. Past possibility We could have called earlier.
ABILITY
Present You can call for information at any time.
Past When I was young I could dance all night.
Practice 1
Change the sentences below to indicate (S) strong or (W) weak possibility or ability.
The first one has been done for you.
1. We are going to produce the new sales brochure by the end of the month.
o S possibility We can produce the new sales brochure by the end of the month.
2. The customers won't arrive next week.
o
S possibility
W possibility
ability
ability
ability
Practice 2
Complete the following sentences with can, could, and might.
1. In France, children......
2. In France, students who go to university......
3. In France, students who finish university......
4. Some students who finish university, ......
5. When I was young, students......
Now ask your teacher some questions about the educational system in his / her country.
Transfer
Imagine you want to do three Tasks which require the permission of your boss.
How would you ask him / her?
The future
710S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
This unit is about the future with going to.
Look at the following example:
Practice 1
Make predictions.
Look at the example.
Exemple:
Practice 2
Listen about a plastics manufacturer who is going to tour Europe.
Ask questions about:
Practice 3
Imagine your company has a modernisation programme.
Look at the plans below.
Your teacher will ask you questions.
The buildings are numbered in the order of construction.
Transfer
All and
every
711S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
In this unit we are going to look at every and all and their differences in
use.
Illustration
Look at these examples:
all year
all summer
all evening
I.
II.
Practice 1
1. Look at the following sentences and choose either all or every to complete them.
1. (All / every) time I go to England it rains.
2. The doctor comes (all / every) three days.
3. I go to Antibes ( all / every) year for my annual holiday.
4. (All / every) students have problems with grammar.
5. He smokes fifty cigarettes (every / all) day.
6. She talks (every / all) the time.
7. (All / every) passengers should proceed to gate 34.
8. Last night I didn't sleep (all / every) night.
2. In the following pairs of sentences, decide which sentences are correct.
1. a) My family all are happy about the marriage.
b) My family are all happy about the marriage.
2. a) The men all should have left by now.
b) The men should all have left by now.
3. a) All the six crew were saved.
b) All six crew were saved.
4. a) I went to the cinema all the days of my holiday.
b) I went to the cinema every day of my holiday.
5. a) Every time I go to Printemps I spend too much money.
b) All times I go to Printemps I spend too much money.
Practice 2
Look at the following table which shows students' exam Results in English, divided into
different areas.
Discuss the Results with your teacher.
Student
Writing
Reading
Speaking
Listening
65
70
45
30
65
65
50
35
65
70
55
60
65
75
60
45
65
70
55
45
Telelangu
e
Introduction
In this unit we are going to look at every and all and their differences in
use.
Illustration
Look at these examples:
all year
all summer
all evening
I.
II.
Practice 1
1. Look at the following sentences and choose either all or every to complete them.
1. (All / every) time I go to England it rains.
2. The doctor comes (all / every) three days.
3. I go to Antibes ( all / every) year for my annual holiday.
4. (All / every) students have problems with grammar.
5. He smokes fifty cigarettes (every / all) day.
6. She talks (every / all) the time.
7. (All / every) passengers should proceed to gate 34.
8. Last night I didn't sleep (all / every) night.
2. In the following pairs of sentences, decide which sentences are correct.
Practice 2
Look at the following table which shows students' exam Results in English, divided into
different areas.
Discuss the Results with your teacher.
Student
Writing
Reading
Speaking
Listening
65
70
45
30
65
65
50
35
65
70
55
60
65
75
60
45
65
70
55
45
Must and
have to
712S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
In this lesson, we are going to study how to express different types and
degrees of obligation in English.
Look at the explanations below.
Must
"Must" has no infinitive, no past form, and is not conjugated.
Illustration
1. Affirmative
2. Negative
3. Neutral (non-obligation)
1. Affirmative obligation
Although there is often little difference between these two forms, you should remember that
'must' is used to express a sense of personal obligation, while 'have (got) to' implies an
obligation imposed by external circumstances.
2. Negative obligation
The 'strong' form, 'must not', is more insistent, and emphasises the authority of the speaker.
3. Non-obligation
Practice
Complete the sentences below, using the appropriate forms of 'must' or 'have to'.
Transfer
Describe your present work objectives to the teacher, explaining in detail what you
'must' do or 'have to' do to fulfil* them successfully.
The teacher is going to stand in for you at the office while you are away on business.
Tell him or her five things that he / she 'doesn't have to' worry about because they are
not important, and five things that he / she definitely 'mustn't' do.
The first
conditiona
l
713S
Telelangue
Introduction
What are the differences are among the sentences below?
Illustration
Look at these two examples:
Practice 1
Decide the likelihood of events (put a check [ ] in a box), then say what will happen if or
when other conditions occur.
Look at the example:
Likelihood
Action
Result
More
Less
production
Result
More
turnover increase
sales improve
Solve cash-flow
problems
company be much
healthier
Less
OUR COMPETITORS
Likelihood
Action
Result
More
Reduce prices
Less
become more
competitive
increase sales
Practice 2
You are Managing Director of a company manufacturing quality door knobs and knockers,
mainly for export to BELGIUM. You need more office space. Explain what will happen if you
choose each of the following possible courses of action:
1. EXPAND PRESENT OFFICE
o still have limited space
o
increase expenditure
improve image
Transfer 1
Suggest to your teacher what you think will happen if the United Kingdom changes over to
the Euro.
Transfer 2
Explain to your teacher the conditions necessary for the following to happen:
Adjectives
and
adverbs
714S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
In this lesson, we are going to practice using adjectives and adverbs to
describe the qualities of personnel.
Examples:
He is a conscientious worker.
He works conscientiously.
Illustration
Read through the Promotion Review Report below:
Name: J. Clarke
Department: Accounts
Practice
1. Listen to another promotion review report and mark (with a tick - ) if the qualities
are positive or negative.
For example, you hear:
o I think he's sloppy.
You mark:
Negative
Positive
Negative
Positive
Appearance
Mr. Kelly
Appearance
Application
Analytical ability
Initiative
Punctuality
Relationships
2.
3.
Can you complete the sentences to describe the strengths and weaknesses of Mr
Clarke and Mr Kelly?
Transfer
Tell your teacher what qualities you think are needed to be a good manager.
Making
comparison
s1
715S
Telelangue
Introduction
Do you remember how we make simple comparisons?
Adjectives with 1 syllable: short
hard
strong
Adjectives with 2 or more
difficult
syllables:
careful
interesting
Adjectives ending in 'y':
Illustration
Look at these examples.
Coffee-making machines:
'Coffeetime'
o 67
o
3 mins.
'Filtermatic'
o
54
4.mins.
The Coffeetime is
ugly
funny
shorter
harder
stronger
more difficult
more careful
more
interesting
uglier
funnier
dearer
more expensive
than the Filtermatic.
The Coffeetime is
faster
more efficient
than the Filtermatic
Practice
1. Fill in the table below, asking the teacher for the missing information:
Coffeetime
Price
67.00
Capacity
7 cups
3 mins
90C
Cleaning
easy
Construction
Filtermatic
very solid
Safety
very safe
Capacity:
Speed:
________________________________________
Temperature:
________________________________________
Cleaning:
________________________________________
Construction:
________________________________________
Safety:
________________________________________
Transfer
Tell your teacher how:
Your present job compares with the first one you ever had.
Your standard of living now compares with that ten years ago.
The
superlativ
e
716S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
When comparing more than two people or things, we use the superlative
That's our biggest
problem
He's the best qualified
man
This will take the least
time
Illustration
Formation of superlatives:
Rule A: (1 - syllable adjectives) + est.
e.g.
good / best
bad / worst
much / most
little / least
Practice
Quality
Area
1. Medicine
small
Carribean islands
2. St. Lucia
successful
industries
3. B.B.C.
expensive
European countries
4. Turkish coffee
well-paid
5. Paul Newman
good
world
6. Telecommunications beautiful
exporting nations
7. Luxembourg
handsome
cities
8. Japan
fast-growing
European TV channels
9. London
strong
profession
Transfer
Give your opinions about the following:
Doctors' pay
French coffee
Japanese exports
Making
comparison
s2
717S
Telelangue
Introduction
In this lesson, we are going to practice making comparisons.
For example:
Illustration
Let us look at B) and C) above in more detail:
Adjectives + '-er' : '-est'
Adjectives with 1 syllable:
small
fast
smaller
faster
smallest
fastest
Note: exceptions
more modern
modern
more
economical
economical
good
bad
better
worse
best
worst
Practice
Listen to the comparison of two cars - the Audi A2 and the Citron C3. As you listen,
complete the table below.
Check the figures with your teacher and then compare the two cars in each category.
Audi A2
Price
Citron C3
13,145
CC
CO2 Emissions
Weekly Running Cost
Miles per Gallon (urban)
Maximum Speed
0-62 mph
Reliability
1400
146g/km
112g/km
34.00
34
107 mph
12
****
***
Practice 2
Now compare the Audi A2 and the Citron C3 on the previous page with the Renault
Megane below:
Price
CC
CO2 Emissions
Weekly Running Cost
Miles per Gallon (urban)
Maximum Speed
0-62 mph
Reliability
10,925
1400
165g/km
39.60
29.7
117
11.9
**
Transfer
Compare some of the following:
Telelangu
e
Introduction
This lesson contrasts yet, already, and still.
Look at the examples:
A: I've already been to the post office! I didn't know you
wanted stamps.
B: That's o.k. I'll borrow some.
[A went to the post office earlier than B expected.]
A: Have you seen Jill, yet?
Form
B: No, not yet.
[A expects / expected B to see Jill. Did it happen earlier?]
I am still waiting for him to call me back.
Up to present, I have waited and am currently waiting for him
to call me back.
Function
Still refers to a continuing action.
Yet and already ask about or express expectations.
Already: Normally with affirmative statements.
Yet: Normally with negative statements and questions.
Illustration
Wilma: Oh, that's o.k. She has already finished the Thomson audit.
Practice 1
Look at the office routine in John and Wilma's office below..
John expects Wilma to see Toni everyday.
But what about today?
Between 8.30 and 9.30, did Wilma see Toni?
It's 9.30 a.m. now.
Ask and answer other questions about the events so far today.
Practice 2
Ask questions to complete the production schedule on the next page.
Your teacher will ask you some questions too.
Look at the example:
Date begun /
expected
Planned
completion date
March 1st
March 30th
Sent February
5th
February 12th
Shipped March
May 16th
15th
Final modifications
Production test run
Receive first confirmed order
from main customer
First production run
Lab presents test Results on next
year's model
Transfer
Now tell you teacher about a scheduled programme in your company.
What is on schedule?
Completion /
Reception date
February 10th!!
Present
perfect
719S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
This unit is an Introduction to the present perfect used with ever and
before.
Illustration
Look at the conversation between a driving instructor and Henry, who is learning to drive:
Henry: He was looking for his glasses, and hit a set of traffic lights!
Have + Past participe
Form
Practice
Look at the chart below. Ask and answer questions about experiences.
Ask for as many details as you can. For example:
Go windsurfing
Travel abroad
Once while on
holiday
in the balkans.
........................
........................
........................
........................
Repair a car
Paint a room
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
Meet a politician
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
Transfer
Choose one of the following topics to ask and answer questions about experiences:
Selling abroad:
........................
Dealing with a customer whose language you don't speak:
........................
For, since
ago
720S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
This unit is about using for, since, and ago
1989 1992
1992 Now
1992 13 years Now
Illustration
o
o
o
Practice 1
Now fill in the blanks with for, since or ago.
Look at the example.
1. We haven't been here long. We have been here since 2 o'clock.
2. We were in the waiting room __________ 2 hours! That's terrible.
3. Yes, we've been to Chicago before. Let's see, it was 2 years ____.
4. Put the cat out. He's been inside ___________ early this morning!
5. Yes, I have worked with John. He started here a long time _______.
6. He's in Switzerland now. He has been there _______ four days actually.
7. Yes, I'd love to play volleyball. I haven't played __________ I was a boy.
8. Have you been able to look over that report? I put it on your desk ten days ____.
9. How long ______ did you start at Telelangue?
10. Don't talk to me about a salary raise! It hasn't been long _____ the last one!
Practice 2
Now make sentences with the information below. Look at the example.
1. In 1985 we opened a branch in New Mexico. We are still there today.
o since We have had a branch in New Mexico since 1985.
o
for
ago
since
for
ago
3. They made their first cars the year the stock market crashed. They still make cars.
o
since
for
ago
4. Cathy first drove to work during the last bus strike. She still drives to work.
o
since
for
ago
since
for
ago
since
for
ago
7. We bought our first components from them in 1975. They still supply us.
o
since
for
ago
8. We bought our house when our son Adrian was born in 1994.
o
since
for
ago
9. She last spoke to him at the Christmas party. She still refuses to speak to him.
o
since
for
ago
for
ago
Practice 3
Make questions and answers by selecting from the skeleton sentences on the left and the whwords on the right.
Look at the example.
How long
When
Who
Where
Transfer
What important events have happened in the world in the past few days?
Years?
When did all these events happen?
Present
perfect
721S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
In this unit we are going to practice using the Present Perfect tense.
Example:
Illustration
PAST
NOW
FUTURE
Practice
This is part of an interview with a famous millionaire (B).
Complete B's part of the dialogue and read it with your teacher.
B: Oh yes, I ............ (enjoy / very much). I think I ............ (be / very lucky)
B: Thank you.
Transfer
A rings up B to complain that a fault on the new computer supplied by B has not been
corrected. A first complained 6 months ago and hasn't been able to use the computer
since then.
A works for a company which has waited for a spare part from B's American supply
company for over 6 months. A is thinking about using another supplier.
Used to
722S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
We use used to for habitual actions or states in the past, as contrasted
with the present.
For example:
Negative
didn't use to
Question
did......use to
Illustration
Read the following dialogue between 2 friends in a pub.
You read A's part.
Practice 1
Contrast the present with the past.
Look at the example.
1. I begin work at 6 o'clock. I used to begin work at 10 o'clock.
2. I come home from work at 5 p.m.
3. I eat supper at 6 p.m.
4. I go to work by car.
Practice 2
Suggest how to start the following sentences with used to.
Look at the example.
1. ........................, but now we live in Paris.
We used to live in Marseilles, but now we live in Paris.
2. ........................, but now I work for ........................
3. Paris ..........................., but now it is very expensive.
4. My friend John .............................., but now he goes by car.
5. We ...................................., but now we export electricity to other European countries.
6. Nice ..........................., but now it is a very big tourist centre.
Transfer
Compare the way life used to be either in your youth / childhood or in your parents' or
grandparents' days with the way it is now.
Consider:
family life
work
entertainment
politics
Logical
connector
s
723S
Telelangu
e
Introduction
This unit looks at logical connectors such as but, therefore, so, because,
etc.
As a simple example, complete the spaces in the following:
I got up very early yesterday to go to work. Unfortunately, my car wouldn't
start _________ the battery was flat. ______ I took the train. I got to work
_________ I couldn't get in the office _________ I had forgotten my Keys!
_________ I just sat outside and waited for my boss to arrive!
Illustration
Now listen to the passage and take notes. You will hear it three times.
Afterwards tell your teacher about the main ideas. For example, you hear:
Everyone said that they fired him because of his drinking problem.
Practice 1
Connect the following sentences with logical connectors. Look at the example.
Example:
profits have risen / sales have gone up / costs remained the same
the FT300 range has sold very well / the CJ200 has been disappointing
Practice 2
Transfer
Describe any recent decisions, changes or Results in your company.
Write a short flow chart here and explain it to your teacher:
Notes:
Infinitive or
gerund?
724S
Telelangue
Introduction
Look at the following sentences:
A
enjoy
driving
old cars.
want
to buy
a new car.
can't
buy
There are two verbs (A / B) in each sentence. The main verb is followed
by:
a gerund (verb + ing)
an infinitive with 'to'
an infinitive without 'to'
Illustration
1. Most verbs take an infinitive with 'to'. For example:
We want / hope / expect / intend / to increase sales next year.
2. Some verbs take a gerund:
We enjoy going to the states on business.
We usually avoid going to too many meetings.
3. A few verbs take either an infinitive or a gerund:
We began to do business with them 6 months ago.
We began doing business with them 6 months ago.
4. A very few verbs take an infinitive or a gerund, but the choice leads to a different
meaning:
I stopped smoking 6 months ago. (I gave up)
I stopped to smoke a cigarette. (I stopped [walking, working, etc.] in order to have a
cigarette.)
We can now categorise verbs according to type 1, 2, 3 or 4 above.
The table below gives some important verbs.
Type 1
agree
decide
expect
promise
want
Type 2
avoid
deny
finish
suggest
dislike
stop
Type 3
begin
start
continue
like
love
Type 4
Try
remember
forget
Notes:
Sometimes you will see 'to' followed by a gerund. The gerunds in this case are in
prepositional phrases:
Verb
I
look forward
Prepositional phrase
to hearing
from you.
to drinking
English beer
Practice 1
Your teacher is now going to read the following extract from a presentation. As you listen,
note the verbs.
Good morning. Today I would like to review our performance over the last 6 months. After we
agreed to look for new sources for raw materials, we started discussing possibilities with a
number of suppliers. These Discussions have now led to a number of purchase agreements,
and we hope to have the first deliveries very soon. As a result of the new arrangements, we
have stopped buying materials from the Middle East. We have avoided making that decision
for quite a long time, but we can't continue doing business on such terms. However, when the
Situation improves, we will try to establish new contacts in that region. In fact I have already
suggested looking for new distributors, since that was our biggest problem. In the meantime
we will continue to maintain our agreements with our current South American sources.
Can you categorise the verbs 1; 2; 3; or 4?
Practice 2
Complete the following sentences with a gerund or infinitive.
1. We have agreed (recruit) 500 new employees next year.
2. We can avoid (advertise) in the national newspapers.
3. We will begin (interview) the new employees next month.
4. We have decided (offer) higher basic rates of pay.
5. We will try (use) a new employment agency.
6. We expect (pay) less by using this method.
7. Remember (inform) the agency next week.
8. They have promised (find) the workers that we need.
9. I suggest (delay) our final decision until next week.
10. I like (do) business in South America.
Transfer
You are a Personnel Manager. Tell your teacher how you propose to find a new secretary or
assistant for one of the departments in your company. (Try to use at least 6 of the verbs from
the chart on page 2.) Tell your teacher:
Review:
prepositions
725S
Telelangue
Introduction
A: So when are you going to Switzerland?
B: I'm planning to leave on Monday?
A: But what time exactly?
A: Well, the first plane leaves at 7.30.
B: But what about the meeting we planned on Monday at 9.00?
A: I'm afraid I won't be able to make it. I'll be in Geneva.
PLACE
MOTION
to Switzerland
Illustration
Now listen as your teacher reads the text on page 2. Write in the missing words. Look at the
example.
At our last meeting, we discussed our recruitment policy. We decided to review the staffing
Situation ______ our new factory which will open ______ three months. ______ that meeting,
I sent two representatives ______ our main plant to discuss working conditions ______ the
manager. When they returned ______ their meeting, they presented a report. Therefore, I
propose that we look briefly ______ their report first. I have invited them here ______ ten
o'clock to answer any additional questions. I realise not everyone has had an opportunity to go
______ the new factory, so I have distributed a brief overview about their staffing needs.
Which prepositions in the paragraph above are about time? Place? Motion?
Below is a more complete list of the most important prepositions in each category.
PLACE
MOTION
TIME
in
into
at
at
out of
on
onto
in
on
from
for
across
during
through
since
over
ago
off
until
along
with
Practice 1
The sentences below are *wrong. Correct them. Look at the example.
1. *l'm going in England next week.
I'm going to England next week.
2. *We'll hold the next meeting in Monday.
3. *l stayed there during 3 years.
4. *I visited the US since 4 years .
5. *On 2004 we plan to increase production.
6. *You'll find my office in the third floor.
7. *l usually go to bed at around 11 o'clock in the night.
8. * We'll start the new project in the beginning of next year.
9. *Put your signature in the bottom of the page.
10. *Last year we plan to introduce a nex product.
Practice 2
Which of the prepositions of time on the left can be used with the expression on the right?
at in on
1. present
2. time
3. times
4. my birthday
5. holiday
6. the time
7. the past
8. frequent intervals
9. future
10. this occasion
11. one time
12. the moment
13. recent years
14. night
Practice 3
Which of the following prepositions best complete the following sentences?
at in on to
1. How long have you worked ...... this company?
2. I'm afraid he's not ...... the office at the moment.
3. Why don't you come ...... the restaurant with us?
4. l am ...... work until 7 o'clock most days.
5. I'll meet you ...... the departure lounge ...... the airport.
6. You are ...... serious trouble.
7. How do you travel ...... work in the morning?
8. When are you planning to go ...... the US?
9. I've been ...... England many times.
10. I'm going ...... lunch now.
Transfer
To further practice using prepositions of place, motion and time, give your teacher a brief
history of your career.
Tell him:
Explain a system of communications at your company. Try to use some of the prepositions
you have just studied.
For example, The mail arrives at the front desk, it is sorted by the secretary and is put in
everyone's mailbox.
The second
conditional
726S
Telelangue
Introduction
This is the first unit on the second conditional. It is used to for unreal
conditions or conditions which are possible but not necessarily probable.
Look at the two sentences below:
Illustration
Look at the dialogue below:
Completely unreal,
Very possible Situation,
Notice how the two levels of possibility are "mixed" in one of the sentences.
Practice 1
Arrange the words to make sentences. Look at the example:
Example : earlier if she could leave a replacement we got
She could leave earlier, if we got a replacement. or If we got a replacement, she could leave
earlier.
1. you you wouldn't if have to depend could type on a secretary
2. would be better off we had we a full-time receptionist if
3. would not see their grandchildren often they they moved if
4. would love had to take the time a holiday if she she
5. they to repeat they when always ask me don't understand
6. called they would give you the correct number if right now you
7. liked oysters she would like if she the Isle de R
8. had couldn't cut so often I it thin hair if I
9. stopped working today we would be in trouble she if
10. the account number in the file then find it if don't know they
Practice 2
Match the phrases to make logical sentences. Look at the example:
If I had a faster car
If we bought a house
tomorrow
Example: If I had a faster car, I would get more speeding tickets. or: I would get more
speeding tickets, if I had a faster car.
Practice 3
Complete the following sentences. Look at the example:
Example: If our football team won the match,
If our football team won the match, we'd celebrate.
I'd win 500, if our football team won the football match. etc.
1. If the bus weren't on time,
2. If the plane were too expensive,
3. If he finished his work early
4. If my computer broke down,
5. If the meeting went on past 7 p.m.
Transfer
What would you do if:
The mayor of the capital of your country banned all cars from downtown?
You were very hungry and the only restaurant open were McDonald's?
Present perfect
continuous
727S
Telelangue
Introduction
The Present Perfect Continuous tense is formed by joining the present
perfect of the verb "to be" (I have been) to the present participle (the
"ING" part) of the main verb.
e.g.: to do
We use this form of the verb to communicate the idea that an activity
which began at some time in the past is still continuing in the present.
We should remember that the present perfect progressive tense always:
Illustration
Look at the time diagrams below:
1.
In 1988
Charles began living in Paris
NOW
Charles is still living in Paris
2.
NOW
James is still learning French
Practice 1
Now make appropriate sentences from the information contained in the time diagrams below.
Write your answers in the space below.
1.
In 1982
NOW
We started selling to South Africa. We are still selling to South Africa.
.............................................................................................
2.
5 years ago
We began advertising on radio
NOW
We are still advertising on radio.
.............................................................................................
3.
In 1929
They began producing cars in
Europe
NOW
They are still producing cars in
Europe
.............................................................................................
4.
Last September
Cathy started working here.
NOW
Cathy is still working here.
.............................................................................................
5.
NOW
We are still dealing with them.
.............................................................................................
6.
NOW
We are still negotiating.
.............................................................................................
7.
In 1975
NOW
They started supplying us with components. They are still supplying us.
.............................................................................................
8.
Last week
I began reading "War and Peace".
NOW
I'm still reading it.
.............................................................................................
9.
NOW
She's still trying.
.............................................................................................
10.
NOW
We are still discussing them.
.............................................................................................
Practice 2
Look at the "skeleton" sentences below. Your teacher will ask you to complete them using
appropriate verbs and either "since" or "for".
Example: I / Paris / 1988.
You could say:
I have been living in Paris
I have been working in Paris
1. Harry / for ICL / last March.
2. He / television / half an hour.
3. Charles / sales figures / Thursday.
4. Our company / bridges / 50 years.
5. We / the bus / 10 minutes.
6. Arthur's secretary / the report / 10 o'clock.
7. Jean-Luc / English / 2 months.
8. Universal Chemicals Inc. / fertilizers / the 1930s.
9. He / large Havana cigars / years.
10. The chairman / the meeting / the last 15 minutes.
SINCE 1988
Transfer
Now talk about what you have been doing or what has been happening in the world over the
past few years.
If you like, use the verbs in the list below. Your teacher will help you with Vocabulary.
read ; write ; do ; play ; ski ; drive ; build ; take ; paint ; watch ; look for ; wait for ;
sit ; travel ; etc...
"I have been doing " means that the activity concerned has been
more or less continuous since it began (until now).
Illustration
Look at these examples:
1. He's been interviewing candidates since 9 o'clock.
2. So far, he's interviewed 4 candidates.
Sentence 1 tell us what he has been doing and for how long.
Sentence 2 tell us how many interviews he has completed.
NB. In both cases the time context is the PRESENT.
Here are some more examples:
Special note:
The following verbs are NOT normally used in the progressive form:
to be
to know
to believe
to have
to like
to notice
There are of course others which can be added to this list, there are also verbs which can be
used in the progressive form in certain contexts, but not in others.
e.g: "We've been having a lovely time" where 'to have' means 'to pass' or 'to spend' time.
Practice
Brenda is an Australian student backpacking around Europe with her boyfriend Wayne.
She pops into a Cybercaf to send an e-mail to her parents. Your teacher will read it.
Look at the chart below. On the left you can see a list of activities and events.
Listen to what your teacher says and put a cross in either column a) or column b) according to
whether the activity concerned a) has been happening, or b) has happened.
b) has happened
have/marvellous time.
get/Rail -Pass.
travel/by train.
visit/London etc.
stay/student hotel.
find/hotel
not/have time.
unpack.
settle in.
see Eiffel Tower.
Wayne/buy/replica.
He/collect/souvenirs.
When you have completed the chart, reconstruct sentences from the information contained in
it.
Use the space overleaf for your notes.
Practice
Notes
Transfer
Now use the two forms of the present perfect to talk about yourself or your work. If you wish,
use the verbs listed below:
be ; make ; do ; get ; have ; start ; finish, try ; succeed ; fail ; lose ; look for ; find ; play ;
work ; live ; build ; manufacture ; buy ; sell ; drive ; fly ; watch ; see ; wait ; go ; come ; talk ;
learn ; speak ; telephone ; use ; sit; believe.
Entertainment
729S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about entertainment. First, write down as quickly as you can as
many kinds of entertainment as you can. Think: What could you do
tomorrow evening if you wanted to? Think of at least five things to do.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Stage 1
Look at the extracts on the next page taken from several British newspapers. Your teacher
wants an evening out! Tell him / her what is offered. Suggest something!
FILMS
Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets
More wizardry and magic from Harry and his chums.
Cannon Premiere (020-439 4470). Progs 2.40, 5.40, 8.45,
Renoir (020-837 8402). Progs 2.10, 5.20, 8.35,
Bend it Like Beckham
A teenage girl from an Indian family dreams of becoming a
professional footballer instead of studying Law, much to the dismay of
her parents.
Cannon Premiere (020-439 4470). Progs 2.40, 4.40, 6.40, 8.40
Renoir (020-837 8402). Progs 2.30, 4.30, 6.30,8.30
THEATRE
9.50.
*AIRTO/FLORA PURIM: The ebullient husband-and-wife team are back
for another fortnight.
Ronnie Scott's Club, 47 Fifth Street, London W1 (020-439 0747), 9.30pm,
#10 (members 2).
OPERA
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE: Revival of Jonathan Miller's sometimes overthoughtful
production for English National Opera, now with Peter Colman-Wright in the title role and
Della Jones repeating her splendid Rosina.
Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, London WC2 (020-836 3161), 7.30-10.30 pm, 12.50-26. (D)
KATRYA CABANOVA: Glyndebourne Touring Opera presents Stephen Lawless staging of
the summer's new and powerful Jancek production. Sian Edwards conducts the London
Sinfonietta Opera Orchestra.
Glynebourne, Lewes, East Sussex (01273 541111), 7.30-10.15 pm, 10-20.
LUCIA Dl LAMMERMOOR: Valerie Masterson is Donizetti's deranged heroine in a newly
streamlined staging of the production originally seen at Welsh National Opera.
Grand Theatre, Leeds (01532 459351), 7.15-10.15 pm, 6-24.75. (D)
DANCE
*THEME AND VARIATIONS: Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet's new production of
Balanchine's classic to Tchaikovsky music, presented with Les Sylphides and Petrushka.
Birmingham Hippodrome, Hurst St. Birmingham (021-622 7486), 2-4.30pm and 7.3010pm, 9.50-16. (D)
*DANCING AND SHOUTING: New work by Ian Spink for Second Stride.
Warwick Arts Centre, (01203 417417).
*URBAN BUSH WOMEN: Group from New York here for the Dance Umbrella season.
Gardner Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton (01273 685861), 7.45pm, 3 and 5. Today
and Tomorrow only.
Stage 2
Look at the advertisement for the play offered at the National Theatre:
How do you think critics influence people's attitudes about plays, movies, etc. Are they
helpful or do you think they have a negative influence? Do you listen to the critics or ignore
them? Why?
Discussion
When was the last time you went out for some entertainment?
Tell your teacher what you saw and what it was like.
Have you got / Do you have a newspaper near you?
Tell your teacher what's on in your area.
What would you like to see?
Why?
Hobbies
730S
Telelangue
Introduction
a pastime?
a leisure interest?
an entertainment?
Stage 1
Match the hobbies / pastimes with the overheard comment. Look at the example:
music
painting
riding
sailing
reading
billiards
film
wind-surfing
DIY
train-spotting
woodwork
airplane watching
dominoes
rock-gardening
Which are unusual? Where would you find such hobbies? What kind of people might be
attracted to them?
Do you know any unusual hobbies? Why do people like them? Do you have an usual hobby?
What are some other hobbies?
Stage 2
Now tell your teacher what people in your country do as hobbies. Here are some useful
expressions:
to be interested in ...
to enjoy ...
to be keen on ...
to participate in ...
Discussion
Now tell your teacher about your hobby / interest in detail.
What is your hobby? What do you "get out of it"?
Reading
731S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about reading. Why do people read?
Is it for pleasure?
Is it for information?
Is it for work?
Stage 1
Match the titles (on the right) with the categories (on the left). Look at the example:
thriller
history
romance novel
magazine
newspaper
biography
Time
non - fiction
autobiography
science fiction
Stage 2
Some people were asked: Is reading out of fashion?
Listen to one man's view. You will hear it twice. The first time, just listen. The second time,
take notes.
Notes
Discussion
What do you think about the opinions below? Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
There should be more free newspapers and magazines paid for solely by advertising.
Maybe people will be obliged to read more in the future due to the Internet.
In a few years people won't buy books anymore, they'll download the text free from the
Internet and read it on their computers or P.D.A.s.
Children don't need to be taught reading - they'll pick it up as they pick up speech.
Do it
yourself
732S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about DIY (or Do it Yourself). We'll look at Tasks, tools and
materials.
Stage 1
Rank the Tasks in degree of difficulty.
Look at the examples.
Easier DIFFICULTY Harder
TASK
Stage 2
Match the tools with their names. Look at the example.
Example: 16 ring spanner
10
saw
spanner
screwdriver
spirit level
painting tray
hacksaw
chisel
hammer
pincers
pliers
roller
trowel
paint brush
adjustable
wrench
file
ring spanner
Stage 3
Select two jobs from the following. Tell your teacher what materials you need, and what tools.
1. Wallpaper a room
2. Put up a shelf
3. Paint a bathroom
4. Put a roof on an extension to a kitchen of a large house
Now tell your teacher what to do to complete the two jobs you have chosen.
Discussion
Discuss the following and explain the reasons for your answers:
Individual
liberty
733S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about individual liberty.
First - what is individual liberty? Consider the following:
Stage 1
Read the extracts from letters sent to newspapers:
Dear Sir,
The police fined me for not wearing my seat belt. If I want to risk injury, it's my decision!
Politicians should keep out of individuals' business.
Dear Sir,
I called the police about a neighbour playing loud music at 3 a.m. They didn't come. I can't
sleep. If my neighbours continue like this, I'll kill their cat.
Dear Sir,
It is so noisy going shopping now! Every shop has horrible music. It's an invasion of my
liberty. Playing music in shops should be banned.
Dear Sir,
I am protesting about the decision to ban smoking in my favourite restaurant. I eat there
almost every day and I enjoy a cigarette after lunch. I demand freedom to smoke in peace!
Dear Sir,
I bought a Porsche that will do 280 Kms per hour. The speed limit is 120. I think this is
unreasonable. I speed limits should be abolished. The question is freedom, or submission to
dictators.
Do you agree or disagree with the people who wrote the letters? Why? Why not?
Stage 2
What do you think about:
dogs in cities
smoking at work
Note :
Two "street musicians" familiar to travellers on the London Underground were ordered by
London Transport Police not to shave in the public toilets.
The musical duo now sing a song called "If you can't have a shave in a toilet, where can you
have a shave?"
Discussion
Have you ever been fined by the police for some small offence?
Do you consider that your liberty was compromised? Did you complain?
Do you think society is too repressive? In what way? What improvements could you
recommend?
Social
stereotypes
734S
Telelangue
Introduction
In this unit we are going to focus on Vocabulary used to describe people.
We will look at it from two points of view:
1. Positive versus negative qualities.
2. Character types.
First tell your teacher how you would describe yourself at an interview.
Stage 1
Complete the table below:
GOOD QUALITIES
Intelligent
Reliable
Lazy
Impatient
Ambitious
Broad-minded
Inarticulate
Short-sighted
Quick
Honest
Immodest
Inexperienced
Stable
Well-educated
Stage 2
In addition to the above descriptive words, we can use the following to describe people:
cultured
adaptable
withdrawn
perceptive
loyal
nervous
outspoken
responsible
irritable
reticent
unassuming
strict
good-natured
shy
weak
industrious
insecure
enthusiastic
argumentative
aggressive
dynamic
subdued
self-confident
smug
willing
self-satisfied
humorous
Choose adjectives from the three lists above to describe these stereotypes:
1. A young aggressive salesman.
2. A professor of philosophy.
3. An inexperienced secretary.
4. A confident managing director.
Discussion
Now present yourself to your teacher as if you were at an interview. Be modest! Point out bad
as well as good qualities.
Transportation
735S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about transportation for both domestic and foreign travelling.
Stage 1
Listen to some views about different forms of travel. Take notes.
1. Travelling by Car
1. own car
2. hired car
2. Travelling by Train
1. for work
2. on holiday
3. Travelling by Aeroplane
4. Travelling by Ship
5. Local Transport (to and from work)
Stage 2
What do you think? Discuss one (or more) of the following. Do you agree?
Travel in Europe is easier now because there are fewer frontier formalities.
The Channel Tunnel is very significant for European travel.
I'll never use the tunnel. I wouldn't feel safe underground. There might be terrorist
attacks.
There are too many private cars. People should use the train more.
Discussion
Does your company use any particular system to transport merchandise? Do people in
your company use different sorts of transportation to when visiting "customers;
affiliates, etc. Why were the different means chosen? Have there ever been any
delays? How did the people (customer / traveller, etc.) react to the delay? When
travelling, do you take delay time into consideration? How?
Do people use their time well when travelling? Why? Why not? How do you imagine
travelling might change in the future? For you? For your company?
Sport
736S
Telelangue
Introduction
The unit is about:
1. Types of sport.
2. Vocabulary of winning / losing etc.
3. Discussion of your favourite sport.
Which sports have you played? Which ones do you like to watch?
Stage 1
Can you classify the following sports?
footba
ll
pingpong
climbi
handb
all
American
football
canoei
ng
soccer
icehocKey
squash
basketb
all
rugby
jogging
baseball
badmint
on
crick
et
tenni
s
cavin
skiing
ng
Team games
Individual games
golf
Outdoor pursuits
Stage 2
What was the score?
Liverpool beat Arsenal two nil (2-0)
Connors won by two sets to one (2-1)
The match was a goalless draw (0-0)
Try reporting the following Results to your teacher:
1. West Ham 0 Manchester United 1
2. Woods: 258; Garcia: 259; Harrington: 261
3. Agassi v. Henman 6-3, 2-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-1
4. Bucher: 1min 43 secs; Bungei: 1min. 44 secs; Czapiewski: 1min. 46 secs
5. Rugby International: England 12 France 16 (tries: Woodward, Wilkinson 2)
Points to watch:
- to win: Woods won the tournament (by 1 stroke) / to beat: Woods beat Garcia (by 1 stroke)
- scores: 0 - nil (football, rugby) / 0 - love (racket sports)
Stage 3
Scan the sports Results on the next page to answer your teacher's questions.
(Note: bt = beat)
Results
Soccer
GM VAUXHALL
CONFERENCE. - Fisher 5,
Dagenham 1.
NORTHERN PREMIER
LEAGUE. - Premier
Division: Horwich 1.
Southport 1, Mossley 3,
Oswestry 1.
Tennis (Cont.)
NICE OPEN. - Men's
singles, First round:
J Gunnarsson (Swe) bt J
Nystrom (Swe) 7-5, 6-3: G
Vilas (Arg) bt A Maurer (WG)
6-3, 6-1: R Agenor (Hati) bt
J Navratil (Cz) 6-3, 6-2: K
Novacek (Cz) bt J Pugh (US)
Baseball
NATIONAL LEAGUE. Houston 12. Cincinnati 3. NY
Mets 4. Philadelphia 3. San
Diego 6. San Francisco 4.
Chicago 10. Montreal 7. LA
Dodgers 3. Atlanta 1.
Pittsburgh 5. St Louis 3.
AMERICAN LEAGUE. -
HocKey
Athletics
Cleveland 6 Baltimore 3. NY
Yankees 7. Milwaukee 6.
Minnesota 4. Toronto 2. Kansas
City 8. Detroit 1. Texas 4.
Boston 1. Seattle 7. Chicago 4.
California 6. Oakland 4.
Basketball
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION.
- Boston 117. Philadelphia 108.
Cleveland 119. New Jersey
105. NY Knicks 118.
Washington 98. Sacramento
121. Golden State 115. LA
Clippers 122. Houston 105.
Motor Cycling
ROTHMANS
MATCHROOM LEAGUE. (Crewe): J White (Eng) drew
with N Foulds (Eng) 4-4
-Thornaby-on-Tees): S Hendry
(Scot) bt J Johnson (Eng) 7- 1.
D Mahony (GB A) 193, 978. Leading standings: S Davis
(Eng) (P6 pts 14). 2. J White
17. G Brookhouse (GB A)
192, 956. 25. P Hart (GB A) (Eng) (6-14). 3. N Foulds (Eng)
189, 886. 29. R Phelps (GB A) (8-12). 4. W Thorne (Eng) (712). 5. S Hendry (Sco) (6-11).
188, 868. Overall: 1. M
6. T Griffiths (Wal) (7-10).
Kadlec (Cz) 4.410pts. 2. L
Discussion
Now discuss with your teacher one of the following points:
1. Politics should not interfere with sports.
2. Sport has become too commercial.
3. My favourite sport.
4. The last great game I saw.
Fashion
737S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about fashion. First:
Illustration
Listen to the commentary on fashion and take notes.
Notes:
Fashion requires a lot of money - if you don't you spend a lot, you can't be
fashionable.
Task 2
The male fashion market can be divided into:
price shopper.
trendy casual.
classic independent.
traditional.
Transfer
Why?
Why not?
Fashion
Your company is thinking about introducing "casual Friday" and the management has asked
for the staff's opinions. Write a short e-mail, giving your opinion. Check it with John before
sending it to your teacher.
Music
738S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about music. First, classify the music below with the list.
Beethoven
Frank Sinatra
Oscar Peterson
Vivaldi
T-Bone Walker
Verdi
Chuck Berry
Bob Dylan
Emimem
Classical
Jazz
Popular
Blues
Rock
Folk
Rap
Stage 1
Listen about a recent music festival and complete the chart:
DAY
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Saturday evening
Sunday
TYPE OF
MUSIC
ARTIST (S)
COMMENTS
Branford Marsalis
Vienna State Philharmonic
cancelled
Nigel Kennedy
Joan Sutherland
Stage 2
Look at the notice and answer your teacher's questions.
BERLIOZ
RAVEL
CHABRIER
ELGAR
Nigel Kennedy's exciting career spans the worlds of jazz and pop music, as well as his
remarkable achievements on the classical concert platform.
Since making his Festival Hall debut in 1977, Nigel has toured extensively, performing
with the world's leading orchestras. His varied recordings include the Elgar Violin
Concerto he will be playing tonight; this earned him a gold disc, was named "Record of
the Year 1985" by Gramophone Magazine, and in February 1986 was voted the best
classical disc of the year at the British Recording Industry Awards.
Sponsored by Rowntree plc
Discussion 1
Ask your teacher questions to find out as much as possible about the last time he / she went to
a concert.
Discussion 2
Your teacher will ask you some questions about your tastes in music.
What place does music have at work?
Music
738S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about music. First, classify the music below with the list.
Beethoven
Frank Sinatra
Oscar Peterson
Vivaldi
T-Bone Walker
Verdi
Chuck Berry
Bob Dylan
Emimem
Classical
Jazz
Popular
Blues
Rock
Folk
Rap
Stage 1
Listen about a recent music festival and complete the chart:
TYPE OF
MUSIC
DAY
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Saturday evening
Sunday
ARTIST (S)
COMMENTS
Branford Marsalis
Vienna State Philharmonic
cancelled
Nigel Kennedy
Joan Sutherland
Stage 2
Look at the notice and answer your teacher's questions.
Friday 10 February 7.30 pm
ENGLISH NORTHERN PHILHARMONIC
Conductor: David Lloyd-Jones with Nigel Kennedy - violin
Overture: Benvenuto Cellini
Mother Goose Suite
Rhapsody Espaa
Violin Concerto in B Minor Op. 61
BERLIOZ
RAVEL
CHABRIER
ELGAR
Nigel Kennedy's exciting career spans the worlds of jazz and pop music, as well as his
remarkable achievements on the classical concert platform.
Since making his Festival Hall debut in 1977, Nigel has toured extensively, performing
with the world's leading orchestras. His varied recordings include the Elgar Violin
Concerto he will be playing tonight; this earned him a gold disc, was named "Record of
the Year 1985" by Gramophone Magazine, and in February 1986 was voted the best
classical disc of the year at the British Recording Industry Awards.
Discussion 1
Ask your teacher questions to find out as much as possible about the last time he / she went to
a concert.
Discussion 2
Your teacher will ask you some questions about your tastes in music.
What place does music have at work?
Newspapers
739S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit will:
1. compare different countries' newspapers,
2. teach you "newspaper Vocabulary,"
3. compare reading habits in different countries.
Stage 1
First, read the dialogue below with your teacher:
John: Well, frankly I think it's rubbish! The Sunset is much better!
John is very frank. Change his last sentence. Make him more reserved.
Quality
The Guardian
The Financial Times
The Times
The Independent
The Daily Telegraph
Politically there is also a spectrum:
Daily Mirror
(Labour)
Left
Centre
The Guardian
(Liberal)
The
Independent
Tabloid
The Daily Mirror
The Sun
The Daily Express
The Daily Mail
Right
The
Times
The Daily
Telegraph
The*
Sun
* In recent years The Sun has been supporting the Labour Party.
Stage 2
Finding Your Way Around a Newspaper
Look at the Contents of The Guardian on page 3. Under which category would you find the
following:
1. Reports on recent films,
2. News about companies,
3. Football Results,
4. An article called The Modern Marriage,
5. A report on hijacking at London Heathrow,
6. Analysis of election Results,
7. Gossip column about film stars, etc.,
8. What is playing at London theatres.
INSIDE
Pages
Arts, Reviews
21
Classified Advertising
26
Crosswords
28-36
Diary
23
Entertainment
36
Financial News
14-16
Guardian Tomorrow
25-27
Guardian Women
20
Home News
2 8-24
International News
10-11
Law Report
39
Letters
22
Listing
37
Personal / Obituary
39
Politics
6-7
Sports News
17-19
Young Guardian
38
TV and Radio
40
Weather
40
Stage 3
Look at the chart below and discuss possible reasons for the statistics:
literacy?
other reading materials?
shared newspapers?
quality of newspapers?
reading time?
Countries
Sweden
Japan
UK
Switzerland
Germany
France
Italy
Spain
126
96
Discussion
Finally, what do you look for in a newspaper? How do you compare papers?
Do you think that in a few years' time we will download our newspapers from the Internet and
read them on a small hand-held computer or on electronic paper?
Housing
740S
Telelangue
Introduction
Many people like to talk about where they live.
In this unit, we will cover the Key Vocabulary associated with housing.
Stage 1
What are the differences below?
Areas of housing:
suburbs / downtown
Commercial property:
a factory / a workshop
offices - business premises / a warehouse
Acquisition of property:
a 1-bedroom flat
a 3-bedroom detached house
recently-renovated
restored
Stage 2
You have seen the following advertisement for a house - very few details are given.
Telephone the estate agent (your teacher) and find out more about the house:
KINGS
LANGLEY
Set in beautiful
woodland,a fine
example of an
early Victorian
property. Spacious
rooms, all mod
cons, central
heating. For more
details: tel:
Huntley & Page
(01432) 6777497
Stage 3
You work for a commercial estate agents. You will receive a telephone call about the
following property:
Location 7 miles outside Watford, on industrial estate
Type
Rent
Discussion
Now describe the following to your teacher:
1. Your house/flat
2. Your place of work.
Then find out about where your teacher lives and works.
Housing
740S
Telelangue
Introduction
Many people like to talk about where they live.
In this unit, we will cover the Key Vocabulary associated with housing.
Stage 1
What are the differences below?
Areas of housing:
suburbs / downtown
Commercial property:
a factory / a workshop
offices - business premises / a warehouse
Acquisition of property:
a 1-bedroom flat
a 3-bedroom detached house
recently-renovated
restored
Stage 2
You have seen the following advertisement for a house - very few details are given.
Telephone the estate agent (your teacher) and find out more about the house:
KINGS
LANGLEY
Set in beautiful
woodland,a fine
example of an
early Victorian
property. Spacious
rooms, all mod
cons, central
heating. For more
details: tel:
Huntley & Page
(01432) 6777497
Stage 3
You work for a commercial estate agents. You will receive a telephone call about the
following property:
Location 7 miles outside Watford, on industrial estate
Type
Rent
Discussion
Now describe the following to your teacher:
1. Your house/flat
2. Your place of work.
Then find out about where your teacher lives and works.
Education
741S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about "education". The English educational systems will be
compared with your country's.
Stage 1
Listen to your teacher speak about the English educational system and then fill in the missing
information.
Age
state schools
Age
private schools
Infant School
Cost:
16
Advanced
Levels
Higher education
university
polytechnic
technical college
18
Qualifications
BA / Bsc, MA / MSc.
Stage 2
Now explain to your teacher how your country's system works:
1. The basic primary & secondary educational system.
2. The exams which pupils take.
3. The private sector of education.
4. The higher level of education.
5. Continuing education
Vocabulary Notes:
Stage 3
Now explain to your teacher which subjects are studied in schools in your country.
Use the list below to refer to:
Philosophy
History
Geography
Economics
Politics
Computer science
Discussion
Now give your opinions about your country's educational system:
1. What is good about it?
2. What could be improved?
3. In what ways is it better than other countries' systems?
Education
741S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about "education". The English educational systems will be
compared with your country's.
Stage 1
Listen to your teacher speak about the English educational system and then fill in the missing
information.
Age
state schools
Infant School
Age
private schools
Cost:
16
Advanced
Levels
Higher education
18
Qualifications
university
polytechnic
technical college
BA / Bsc, MA / MSc.
Stage 2
Now explain to your teacher how your country's system works:
1. The basic primary & secondary educational system.
2. The exams which pupils take.
3. The private sector of education.
4. The higher level of education.
5. Continuing education
Vocabulary Notes:
Stage 3
Now explain to your teacher which subjects are studied in schools in your country.
Use the list below to refer to:
History
Philosophy
Geography
Economics
Politics
Computer science
Discussion
Now give your opinions about your country's educational system:
In and around
town
742S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit takes you around York. In the Transfer section you will be asked
to talk about your town.
Stage 1
Your teacher will describe York, in the North East of England. As you listen, make notes
under the headings below:
The City:
Historical buildings:
Description:
Museums:
Houses:
Shopping:
Cultural life:
Sports:
Coutryside:
To the north:
To the east:
To the west:
b)
c)
Eating out:
a)
Housing:
Prices:
Choice:
Education:
Health:
Stage 2
Use the Vocabulary below to describe the city / town you live in or come from:
Architectural periods Roman, Norman, Medieval, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century.
Shops
Arts
Recreation
Countryside
Eating out
Education
Health
Discussion
Now discuss with your teacher what types of environment you prefer to live in:
1. Urban versus Rural
2. Suburban versus City Centre
3. Industrial versus Commercial
4. Metropolitan versus Provincial.
In and around
town
742S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit takes you around York. In the Transfer section you will be asked
to talk about your town.
Stage 1
Your teacher will describe York, in the North East of England. As you listen, make notes
under the headings below:
The City:
Historical buildings:
Description:
Museums:
Houses:
Shopping:
Cultural life:
Sports:
Coutryside:
To the north:
To the east:
To the west:
b)
c)
Eating out:
a)
Housing:
Prices:
Choice:
Education:
Health:
Stage 2
Use the Vocabulary below to describe the city / town you live in or come from:
Architectural periods Roman, Norman, Medieval, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century.
Shops
Arts
Recreation
Countryside
Eating out
Education
Health
Discussion
Now discuss with your teacher what types of environment you prefer to live in:
1. Urban versus Rural
2. Suburban versus City Centre
3. Industrial versus Commercial
4. Metropolitan versus Provincial.
Television
743S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about television. There are 3 parts:
1. Illustration: Presentation of UK TV networks.
2. Task Analysis of American TV programmes.
3. Transfer: Comparison of different nations' TV systems.
Stage 1
Listen to the information about TV in the UK, and complete the chart below and the next one.
Channels:
Cable TV ....................................
Teletext
Ceefax (BBC)
....................................
Programmes:
light entertainment
comedies
???????????
game shows
???????????
current affairs
news
???????????
drama
plays
???????????
thriller series
education
open university
???????????
school programmes
music
pop
???????????
classical
children
cartoons
drama series
???????????
nature
???????????
sport
live broadcasts
quiz programmes
highlights
Stage 2
Study the TV programme for a typical Friday evening in California on page 4 and categorise
them as above.
For example :
TIME CHANNEL
PROGRAMME
TYPE OF PROGRAMME
7:30
10:00
56
The Fugitive
10:30
DIS
Animals in Action
9:00
ESPN
Beach Volleyball
8:30
56
Hogan's Heros
8:00
50
9:00
50
Firing Line
TV TONIGHT / FRIDAY
2 7:30 Dom
DeLuise Dick dark
visits.
4 7:30 Throb
A reporter
broadcasts
Sandy's
,remarks.
9:00 Sonny
Spoon
8:00 The Best of
Sonny
TVs Blooper and contends
Practical Jokes
with
- Harvey Korman mobsters
and Donna Mills are bent on
joke victim gaffes revenge
from Canadian
when a nun
news.
hires him to
find a run
away girl.
7 7:30 Above
and below:
9 Argentina
7:30
Hollywood
Squares.
8:00 Perfect
Strangers
- Balki locks Larry
in handcuffs. R
8:00 News
Lawrence, Lardner.
8:30 Full
House
- Jesse
invites pals
to baby-sit.
R
8:30
$100.000
Pyramid.
9:00 Mr.
Belvedere
- George
asked to
share. R
9:00 News
-Lawrence
Gordon.
9:30 I
married
Dora
- Peter
has
trouble
on his
date. R
9:30
High
Rollers
10:00 20/20
Profile of
boxing
promoter Don
King; amateur
ball-room
dancers go to a
national
competition.
CC
10:00 The
Richard Pryor
Show
- Comedy skits
from
the 1977 TV
series.
11 7:30 M-A-S- 8:00 Movie **"The 10:00 News 10:30 A Current Affair
H
Big Sleep". (1978) - Redeker.
Robert Mitchum,
Wilde
Sarah Miles. A
retired general hires
prevate eye Philip
Marlowe to keep an
eye on his wayward
daughter.
13 7:30
Jeopardy!
CC
8:00 Movie
10:00 News
**"Looking for
-Malloy, Rutledge
Mr. Goodbar"(1977) DianeKeaton
and Richard Gere. A
shy schoolteacher
flirts with danger by
picking up strange
men in singles bars.
28 7:30 Wild,
Wild Word
of animals
- Fishing
Animals.
(7.35)
8:00 Washington
Week in Review
CC
8:30 Wall
Street Week
-Summer's
Economic
Outlook.
50
7:30
Washington
Week in
Review CC
56 7:30 Perry
Mason
8:30 Jim
Cooper's
Orange
County
DIS
7:00
8:30 My Friend
Movie**"The
Liberty
Beniker Gang" (1985)
Andrew Me
Carthy.
6:00 Boxing
8:30 Sports Center
Lupe Aquino VS
Royan Hammond,
ESPN
Super
Welterweights
(Live)
BO
9:00 Beach
Volleyball
- Inter-Sonority
Tournament.
From Santa
Monica.
Discussion
1. Now compare the American and British networks with your country's in terms of:
o Channels
o
Programmes
Work and
leisure
749S
Telelangue
Introduction
This gives you a chance to practice your work, holiday and spare time
Vocabulary.
Situation
You are at home one evening when a market research organisation calls to ask you some
questions about work and leisure.
Task 1
Listen carefully to the form of the question and answer appropriately.
The interviewer will ask you questions in these areas.
1. How you feel at different times of day
2. How you get to and from work and if this is tiring
3. How you relax in the evenings and at weekends
4. When and where you like to take holidays
5. What the most tiring thing is and what you find the most relaxing.
Task 2
Look at these figures relating to leisure activities in various countries in the early 2000's.
Some of the information is missing. Get the figures from your teacher.
Compare the different countries. How does your own country rate?
43,505
2.5
Germany
Sweden
United
States
318
11,516
2.2
197
Transfer
Is leisure necessary for work?
Work and
family
750S
Telelangue
Introduction
A chance to put work and school Vocabulary into Practice.
Situation
Task 1
Stefan and Lisa live in the suburbs.
He is a factory worker and she is a secretary.
They have 2 school-age boys, Kent and David, aged 12 and eight and a two-year old girl,
Lisbeth. Lisa describes a typical day.
Put the events into a logical order.
In the evening, the boys make their own way home and Stefan picks up Lisbeth from
the crche at 5: he takes care of getting her ready for bed.
I arrive home at 6: dinner is ready, made by Kent and David. We eat and watch TV
together for the rest of the evening. Kent often goes out to play volleyball 3 evenings a
week.
We go to bed at 9.30.
Stefan drops the kids at school in the Volvo estate, then drives to work in a nearby
suburb.
Stefan gives the children their breakfast of yoghurt ('yogurt' US), cereal, cheese and
eggs. I try to get some myself.
I take Lisbeth to crche and then take the train to work in city centre. It's about 45
minutes door to door.
Task 2
Is this family typical of one in your own country.
Why / Why not? Where do you think they live?
Task 3
Using the routine described by Lisa above as a basis, describe your own.
Task 4
Which of the following are done by men, which by women and which by both?
Are things changing?
Cooking
Housework
Transfer
Should companies be required to provide crches for their employees' children?
Work
environment
751S
Telelangue
Situation
Look at this.
A fresh start
Are you and your workforce tired of crowded commuter trains, heavy traffic and the stress of
the big city?
Move to Newborough, business centre for the 21st century.
Good schools
Contact J Hassle of the Newborough Development board and see how you can benefit
from the Newborough effect.
Task 1
What sort of environment is your workplace in?
A big city centre, the suburbs, a provincial town, the country?
Would you like to change?
Task 2
You have been asked by your boss to look into the possibilities of moving the company's main
offices.
You receive a call from John or Jean Hassle of the Newborough development board.
Find out more about Newborough to complete the information below.
Decide whether it's an attractive place to move to.
Transfer
Work
environment
751S
Telelangue
Situation
Look at this.
A fresh start
Are you and your workforce tired of crowded commuter trains, heavy traffic and the stress of
the big city?
Move to Newborough, business centre for the 21st century.
Good schools
Contact J Hassle of the Newborough Development board and see how you can benefit
from the Newborough effect.
Task 1
What sort of environment is your workplace in?
A big city centre, the suburbs, a provincial town, the country?
Would you like to change?
Task 2
You have been asked by your boss to look into the possibilities of moving the company's main
offices.
You receive a call from John or Jean Hassle of the Newborough development board.
Find out more about Newborough to complete the information below.
Decide whether it's an attractive place to move to.
Transfer
Commuting
754S
Telelangue
Introduction
Do you commute?
Situation
Commuting as a positive experience
Julia Smythe lives in the country and commutes every day to work in the city centre. It takes
her an hour and a half in each direction: 10 minutes' walk to the station, an hour on the train
and another 20 minutes on the underground. She could live in the city, but she and her family
prefer the peace and quiet of the country.
Julia told our reporter: 'I prefer the train. Despite occasional disruption due to strikes, and bad
weather in winter, I can usually get a seat. I read as much as I car for three hours a day, mainly
novels and history.'
'On the days when I take the car, I often sit in traffic jams on the motorway going into the city
and again on the way home.
Listening to the radio I like less than reading. I'm thinking of getting a car phone so I can chat
to my friends.'
Task 1
Describe your journey to work.
Task 2
Different ways of getting to work have their advantages and disadvantages.
What are they?
Train or underground
Advantages
Use travel time to read or work
Disadvantages
Can be crowded and uncomfortable
.........................................................
............................................................
.........................................................
............................................................
.........................................................
............................................................
Car
Door-to-door transport
............................................................
Jams
............................................................
............................................................
............................................................
............................................................
............................................................
Transfer
How do people in your organisation get to work?
Is your work place well served by public transport?
Showing visitors
around
755S
Telelangue
Situation
Practice the language you need when showing visitors around your workplace.
Task 1
This is a plan of the company buildings at Tulsa Tools Inc.
You are the Personnel Manager of Tulsa Tools. Today you are showing a visitor around the
factory and offices.
1. Welcome the visitor to your company.
2. Introduce yourself.
3. Introduce the visitors to:
o
4. Indicate the main parts of the building, and the work done in each part.
Task 2
Use the information below to answer your visitors' (the teacher's) questions.
Production to be increased next month to 3,000 units per week following large export
order from Japan.
Transfer
Describe the layout of your own offices.
Entertaining
visitors
756S
Telelangue
Introduction
A chance to show off your social English and your food Vocabulary.
Situation
You showed a journalist round your company earlier in the day.
You have arranged to meet him / her this evening at their hotel and to go out to dinner.
Task 1
1. You arrive half an hour late at the hotel. What do you say?
2. Suggest going somewhere for dinner and ask if your choice suits your visitor.
3. Your visitor wants to pay for the taxi to the restaurant. You insist on paying.
4. You arrive at the restaurant. Ask if your visitor would like something to drink.
5. Your visitor has problems understanding the menu. Explain what the restaurant's
speciality is.
6. Waiting for the first course, there is an uncomfortable break in the conversation. Start
the conversation again by introducing a suitable topic.
7. The first course arrives and you start eating. Ask if your visitor's first course is OK.
8. There is another break in the conversation. Introduce another suitable topic.
9. At the end of the meal, the visitor insists on paying and succeeds. What do you say?
Task 2
What did you talk about under points 5 and 7 above? Would these be acceptable possibilities
in your country in similar circumstances?
Task 3
In some countries, inviting business visitors to one's house to eat is usual. Is it usual here?
Transfer
What are the sights you would recommend a foreign visitor to see in your area?
Meetings: Information
exchange
760S
Telelangue
Introduction
A chance to put into Practice what you know about the language of
participation in meetings, especially interrupting, and checking
information.
Situation
Task 1
1. Someone at a meeting you're attending is talking you through a handout.
Some of the information is missing or not clear. There are also two mistakes. Interrupt
the speaker (your teacher) appropriately and ask for the missing information, and
correct the mistakes.
Annual consumption per head of cigarettes, beer, wine and spirits in various
countries (latest available year, 1990's):
Cigarettes
Australia
France
Japan
UK
Beer (litres)
1901
...
1357
...
Wine (litres)
112.0
9.0
...
104.0
Spirits (litres)
...
75.1
...
9.2
...
...
2.2
2.5
2. Draw some of the main conclusions from the table and check with the speaker that
you're right.
Situation
Task 2
Now it's you who's talking at the meeting.
You are taking participants through the information below.
Check that your teacher has understood everything and confirm or question the conclusions he
/ she draws.
Retail sales of selected consumer durables: units per 1000 population, latest available
year, 1990's
Refrigerators
France
Ireland
Spain
Sweden
Microwave ovens
25.06
11.30
45.58
7.70
Transfer
Information exchange is just one type of meeting.
What sorts of meeting are common in your organisation?
27.60
28.47
15.89
50.36
PCs
91.54
98.47
77.02
80.66
Meetings: Information
exchange
760S
Telelangue
Introduction
A chance to put into Practice what you know about the language of
participation in meetings, especially interrupting, and checking
information.
Situation
Task 1
1. Someone at a meeting you're attending is talking you through a handout.
Some of the information is missing or not clear. There are also two mistakes. Interrupt
the speaker (your teacher) appropriately and ask for the missing information, and
correct the mistakes.
Annual consumption per head of cigarettes, beer, wine and spirits in various
countries (latest available year, 1990's):
Cigarettes
Australia
France
Japan
UK
1901
...
1357
...
Beer (litres)
112.0
9.0
...
104.0
Wine (litres)
...
75.1
...
9.2
Spirits (litres)
...
...
2.2
2.5
2. Draw some of the main conclusions from the table and check with the speaker that
you're right.
Situation
Task 2
Now it's you who's talking at the meeting.
You are taking participants through the information below.
Check that your teacher has understood everything and confirm or question the conclusions he
/ she draws.
Retail sales of selected consumer durables: units per 1000 population, latest available
year, 1990's
Refrigerators
France
Ireland
Spain
Sweden
Microwave ovens
25.06
11.30
45.58
7.70
27.60
28.47
15.89
50.36
PCs
91.54
98.47
77.02
80.66
Transfer
Information exchange is just one type of meeting.
What sorts of meeting are common in your organisation?
Making meetings
productive
761S
Telelangue
Introduction
What sort of meetings do you participate in?
Situation
Task 1
You are participating in a meeting of six people: you are not chairing it.
There are five points to cover with about the same amount of time spent on each.
The meeting is due to start at 10.00 am and finish at 12 noon.
What would you say in these situations?
1. It's now 10.15 and the sixth participant, Jane, hasn't yet shown up. You want the
meeting to start without her.
2. 10.35: Discussion of the first item on the agenda is getting off the point.
3. 11.00: Discussion of the second item is going on too long and you think the topic has
already been thoroughly covered.
4. 11.30: during Discussion of the third item people get angry. You want to calm them
down.
5. 11.50: the fourth item is, in your view, too complicated to be resolved today. After
discussing it for 10 minutes, suggest moving on to the fifth and final point.
6. It's 12.10: the fifth point drags on. Take your leave and explain you have to go to
another meeting.
Task 2
You are at another meeting.
The person leading the meeting, or another participant, says the following things to you.
What would you say? (Replace X in each case with your name.)
1. X, did you want to say something about this? (You do.)
2. X, did you want to add something on this? (You don't.)
3. X, I think you had some figures to show us. (You didn't get them ready on time.)
4. X, you look as though you want the meeting to move on to the next point. (You do,
because you think the current point has been covered thoroughly.)
5. X, you look as though you're in a hurry to leave. (You are: apologise for leaving early,
give a reason and say you'll get the figures ready for the next meeting.)
Task 3
People often complain about meetings.
What annoys you most about them?
Transfer
More and more meetings are taking place over the phone or the Internet (Netmeeting etc..) or
with video conferencing.
Do you think the face to face 'live' meeting will become obsolete one day?
Arranging
Accommodation
765S
Telelangue
Introduction
A chance to use your
accommodation Vocabulary
Situation
You have been invited to attend an important three-day conference in Cambridge on the 12th,
13th, and 14th of next month.
You plan to arrive in Cambridge on the 11th, at about 6pm, and you will want to stay three
nights.
You are travelling by train, so location is important.
task
You know of two good hotels in or near Cambridge:
You want:
conference and secretarial facilities for a working breakfast on the morning of the
14th.
Telephone the two hotels and find out which would be the most suitable for you; then book a
room at the one you have chosen.
Transfer
Do you like staying in hotels?
Which type do you prefer: modern and functional or older places with character?
Arranging
Accommodation
765S
Telelangue
Introduction
A chance to use your
accommodation Vocabulary
Situation
You have been invited to attend an important three-day conference in Cambridge on the 12th,
13th, and 14th of next month.
You plan to arrive in Cambridge on the 11th, at about 6pm, and you will want to stay three
nights.
You are travelling by train, so location is important.
task
You know of two good hotels in or near Cambridge:
You want:
conference and secretarial facilities for a working breakfast on the morning of the
14th.
Telephone the two hotels and find out which would be the most suitable for you; then book a
room at the one you have chosen.
Transfer
Do you like staying in hotels?
Which type do you prefer: modern and functional or older places with character?
Renting a
car
766S
Telelangue
Introduction
A choice to put your car vocabulary and telephone skills to the test.
Situation
Task 1
You want to rent a car on your next trip to the US.
Phone the Avertz reservation centre to get prices and to find out what CDW means.
Category A
Category B
Category C
Type of car
Price per day
Mileage
Passenger insurance and
CDW
Price per week
Mileage
Passenger insurance and
CDW
Task 2
You are going to be in the US next month picking up a car at Newark, New Jersey and leaving
it at Richmond, Virginia.
Phone the Avertz agency and reserve a car, giving exact dates and the type of car you want.
Transfer
If you rented any sort of car you wanted for a day, just for fun, and for free, what would you
choose?
London visit
767S
Telelangue
Introduction
Not Athens of the North
Londra non una bella citt., says one Italian guide book. Perhaps not: it
isn't as monumental as Rome or Paris.
Greater London is vast and sprawling and takes longer to get to know: the
conglomeration of several cities including - London, Westminster,
Kensington, Chelsea and others - is 50 km across, with heavy traffic and
indifferent public transport, but the parts that usually interest visitors are
relatively easy to get to.
Task
Look at the map of the West End on the previous page.
Get the information you need to complete the Key below.
1. ......................................................................
2. ......................................................................
3. Buckingham Palace
4. ......................................................................
5. Houses of Parliament
6. ......................................................................
7. ......................................................................
8. .....................................................................
9. Telecom Tower
10. ......................................................................
11. ......................................................................
Transfer
Do you like cities?
London visit
767S
Telelangue
Introduction
Not Athens of the North
Londra non una bella citt., says one Italian guide book. Perhaps not: it
isn't as monumental as Rome or Paris.
Greater London is vast and sprawling and takes longer to get to know: the
conglomeration of several cities including - London, Westminster,
Kensington, Chelsea and others - is 50 km across, with heavy traffic and
indifferent public transport, but the parts that usually interest visitors are
relatively easy to get to.
Task
Look at the map of the West End on the previous page.
Get the information you need to complete the Key below.
1. ......................................................................
2. ......................................................................
3. Buckingham Palace
4. ......................................................................
5. Houses of Parliament
6. ......................................................................
7. ......................................................................
8. .....................................................................
9. Telecom Tower
10. ......................................................................
11. ......................................................................
Transfer
Do you like cities?
English language
press
769S
Telelangue
Task 1
Can you match the titles with their descriptions?
The Times
TIME
Newsweek
The Sun
Daily Mirror
The
Independent
Washington Post Large circulation British popular daily with left-of-centre politics.
New York Times American weekly newsmagazine with large international sale.
Task 2
New York Times slogan: 'All the news that's fit to print.' Slogan of all newspapers: 'All the
news that fits.'
This is one reason why headlines are often written with short words, making them difficult to
decipher.
Match the headline words on the left with their meanings on the right.
1. dash
a. prohibition
2. blaze
3. drama
4. ban
5. back
e. investigate, or investigation
6. haul
h. fire
i. to support
10. riddle
11. probe
k. to cut
12. boost
l. to question or interrogate
Task 3
What might these headlines mean?
US TO BACK GUERRILLAS
Task 4
What would you find on these pages of a newspaper?
Obituaries
Personal
Leaders
Home news
Reviews
Entertainment classified
Arts
Gossip column.
Transfer
Which English language newspapers and magazines have you read?
Which was the easiest to understand and which the hardest?
The English
speaking world
771S
Telelangue
Introduction
The Queen's English?
It's hard to imagine a time when English was only spoken by a few million
people on an obscure offshore island. English is now solidly established as
the leading world language, with 300 million people speaking it as their
native language, 100 million using it fluently as a foreign language and
1000 million more using it with varying degrees of ability. It is used as the
official or semi-official language in 60 countries and has an important
place in another 20.
80% percent of information stored in electronic systems is in English, 90%
of the mail and faxes sent across frontiers is in English and even the
Institut Pasteur publishes its Results in English. This leads to angry letters
to Le Monde about the decline in the importance of French as a world
language. The Acadmie franaise 'defends' the French language by
preventing English from being used in advertising and elsewhere, but will
it succeed? Or is it being oversensitive? Go into any bar in Paris and you'll
find the language is still being spoken with as much enthusiasm as ever by
the locals.
Task 1
Get the information you need to complete the table, which is about the main English-speaking
countries.
Then summarise the main conclusions you draw.
Country
Speakers of English
as a first language
(millions)
Total population
(millions)
Australia
14.0
Canada
17.0
Guyana
0.9
India
24.0
700.0
Irish republic
3.3
3.3
Jamaica
2.3
2.3
New Zealand
South Africa
3.2
2.0
Trinidad and
Tobago
United Kingdom
United States
30.0
1.2
56.0
215.0
230.0
Zimbabwe
Task 2
Some people say that the spread of English is a form of cultural imperialism.
What do you think?
Transfer
How much is English used in your organisation?
In what ways?
What countries do you have contact with?
Cause and
effect
783S
Telelangue
Introduction
How many ways do you know of expressing cause and effect?
Illustration
1. New competitors entered the market and .............. competition increased.
o as a result
o
therefore
so
consequently
2. Competition increased
o
3. Increased competition
o
Practice 1
These events relate to the development of the Compact Disc player market. Link the causes
on the left with the effects on the right.
1. Development of new laser technology
A. New competitors enter market
2. Word of mouth and advertising
B. LP's of new releases not always issued
3. Success of product
C. Increased awareness among potential users
4. A boom in sales of CD players.
D. A slow-down in sales of CD players.
5. Market maturity (everyone has a CD player) E. Introduction of CD players
6. CD's overtake LP records.
F. A boom in sales of CD's.
Now use the expressions on page 1 to describe these links.
Example:
Development of new technology led to the introduction of CD players.
Practice 2
Now use the same expressions to describe cause and effect in the introduction and growth in
popularity of the Walkman.
Ideas:
Easy to carry
Cult object
Private entertainment
Example:
Transfer
Describe something related to your work using the language of cause and effect.
Apologising
785S
Telelangue
Introduction
Apologies are sometimes more effective when accompanied by an
explanation.
What ways of apologising do you know already?
Illustration 1
apologising
Apologies can follow this pattern:
We apologise for......
late delivery.
When the apology expression is followed by a verb, what do you notice about the verb form?
Illustration 2
cause and effect
Y was caused by X
Y happened because of X
Y happened owing to X
Y happened due to X.
Practice 1
Use the expressions in Illustration 1 and 2 to make apologies and give explanations.Example:
We apologise for losing your order form. This was because of a mix-up in the internal
mail.
Vocabulary expansion
You might say that what you're apologising for is due to:
an oversight
a slip-up
a mistake
an error
a blunder
mismanagement
a misunderstanding
on our part.
Make excuses using these words and introduced by the expressions 'because of', 'owing to',
and 'due to'.
Example:
Owing to an oversight on our part, we seem to have lost the goods you sent to us for
repair.
Practice 2
You work for the railways.
Your job is to make announcements explaining delays and cancellations.
You have a number of standard excuses:
engineering work
locomotive breakdown
staff shortage.
For total authenticity, end your announcements with the classic phrase:
'We apologise for any inconvenience caused to passengers.'
Transfer
When you're travelling and you get delayed, do apologies calm you down or make you more
annoyed?
Apologising
785S
Telelangue
Introduction
Apologies are sometimes more effective when accompanied by an
explanation.
What ways of apologising do you know already?
Illustration 1
apologising
Apologies can follow this pattern:
We apologise for......
late delivery.
When the apology expression is followed by a verb, what do you notice about the verb form?
Illustration 2
cause and effect
Y was caused by X
Y happened because of X
Y happened owing to X
Y happened due to X.
Practice 1
Use the expressions in Illustration 1 and 2 to make apologies and give explanations.Example:
We apologise for losing your order form. This was because of a mix-up in the internal
mail.
Vocabulary expansion
You might say that what you're apologising for is due to:
an oversight
a slip-up
a mistake
an error
a blunder
mismanagement
a misunderstanding
on our part.
Make excuses using these words and introduced by the expressions 'because of', 'owing to',
and 'due to'.
Example:
Owing to an oversight on our part, we seem to have lost the goods you sent to us for
repair.
Practice 2
You work for the railways.
Your job is to make announcements explaining delays and cancellations.
You have a number of standard excuses:
engineering work
locomotive breakdown
staff shortage.
For total authenticity, end your announcements with the classic phrase:
'We apologise for any inconvenience caused to passengers.'
Transfer
When you're travelling and you get delayed, do apologies calm you down or make you more
annoyed?
Making your
point
788S
Telelangue
Illustration
Here are a number of ways to make what you say more effective and more authentically
English. To emphasise a point you can begin by saying:
Broadly speaking.........
Roughly speaking.........
Generally speaking.........
Example: Broadly speaking, I prefer living in the suburbs to living in the centre.
To focus on a particular area, you can begin by using an adverb plus the word 'speaking':
Financially speaking,..................
Environmentally speaking,..................
In essence.........
On balance .........
Basically .........
Ultimately .........
Example: All things considered, the office canteen isn't too bad.
Practice
Now use these expressions to discuss some of the following controversies with your teacher.
Every time you use an expression, you score a point.
Transfer
Is the school day too long, too short or about right?
Is the school year too long, too short or about right?
Discuss the issue using the expressions above.
Contrast
790S
Telelangue
Introduction
Here are some expressions of contrast. Can you think of other ways of
saying the same things?
The Swede or the Finn must learn another language whereas the
Frenchman or Englishman can manage without.
Illustration
Look at the table below which shows the percentage of executives using English and / or
French frequently in their jobs.
Some of the figures have not been filled in. As you listen to your teacher read the information
about the nine countries, complete the table on the next page and notice how these
expressions are used:
whereas
however
while
although
but
nevertheless
as opposed to
even though
Practice
Use of English and French as the Business Languages of Europe
Percentage of executives
using English
Percentage of executives
using French
Belgium
Britain
Denmark
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
30
...
45
22
39
23
...
...
36
45
73
...
...
...
12
...
17
...
...
73
Overall
average
...
...
The sentences below refer to the table above. Complete them using one of the words or
expressions from the list on page 1:
1. In Denmark, 45 % of executives use English ........................ only 4 % use French.
2. 30 % of executives in Belgium use English ........................ 73 % use French.
3. In Sweden, considerably more businessmen use English than French ........................ in
Spain, where the percentage using English and French is almost the same.
4. More businessmen use English in the Netherlands than in Italy; 50 % in the
Netherlands ........................ only 23 % in Italy.
5. In Britain, 100% of executives use English, ........................ only 94 % use French in
France.
6. ........................ Spain is nearer to France, more businessmen there use English.
Transfer
Contrast
What you do now with what you did ten years ago.
Where you live now with the place you lived in last.
What your company is like now with what it was like when you joined.
The number of people working for it now with the number working for it five years
ago.
Advantages and
disadvantages
792S
Telelangue
Introduction
Develop different ways of talking about the advantages and disadvantages
of things, or in modern colloquial English, the upside and the downside. It
may be useful for you to look at this unit in conjunction with others on
comparison and contrast.
Illustration 1
Practice 1
Use the expressions above to talk about:
1. Driving from the capital to the second city versus taking the train
2. Eating in versus eating out
3. Going to a sporting event versus watching it on TV
4. Getting in the builders to decorate your house versus DIY
5. Taking your car on holiday versus flying there.
The words 'good and 'bad' can be very weak. Think of some more powerful ones to go in the
spaces below.
Then say what the main advantage or disadvantage will be in each case.
The first one has been done for you to give you the idea.
I really approve of the mayor's plan to get rid of cars from the city centre. I think the
change is .............................................................................................
I really approve of the mayor's plan to get rid of cars from the city centre. I think the
change is fantastic. The main benefit will be to allow pedestrians to walk around
without getting run over.
This plan to build a new road I don't like at all. I think
it's .................................................................................
The....................................................................................................................................
.....................
The government has announced a reduction in income
tax ...........................................................................
The ...................................................................................................................................
...................
Smiths is the only employer in this town and they're throwing 3000 people out of work
..........................................
One....................................................................................................................................
.....................
Transfer
Think of a change that has taken place recently in your organisation.
Say what it is and what its benefits or disadvantages are.
Criticism and
reacting to it
793S
Telelangue
Introduction
Even good ideas can be improved with criticism. Do you agree?
Talk about some controversial government decisions that have come in for criticism
recently.
Apart from being someone who criticises in a general sense, a critic is someone who writes
reviews of plays, films, and so on, usually for a living.
Who are the critics that writers and film directors fear most?
Illustration 1: criticising
When you criticise somebody's ideas, obviously you have to be tactful. You could say:
I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but ......................................................
I hope you'll take this constructively: ..................................................................
Practice
Talk about one of these burning issues using the expressions above:
Transfer
Talk about a controversial issue in your company using the expressions above and react to
your teacher's criticisms of your point of view.
How to transmit
information
797S
Telelangue
Introduction
Develop your ability to transmit information and your powers of
persuasion.
Use these expressions to talk about the graphs on page 1 and below.
Confirm you follow the things your teacher tells you now by using these expressions.
Transfer
Say something about recent developments in your organisation.
Your teacher will confirm understanding by using the expressions in Illustration and Practice
2.
How to transmit
information
797S
Telelangue
Introduction
Develop your ability to transmit information and your powers of
persuasion.
Use these expressions to talk about the graphs on page 1 and below.
Confirm you follow the things your teacher tells you now by using these expressions.
Transfer
Say something about recent developments in your organisation.
Your teacher will confirm understanding by using the expressions in Illustration and Practice
2.
Making meetings
productive (how to
influence events)
798S
Telelangue
Introduction
Even if you're not chairing a meeting, there are things you can say to
influence events, keep the meeting on course and make it more productive.
This unit looks at some of them.
Illustration
Look at these expressions and suggest one more in each category.
Getting the meeting going
Don't you think we should start?
Perhaps we should get going.
Sven has probably got stuck in the traffic. I think we should start without him.
Practice
Imagine that you are at a meeting where someone says some of the above things. What could
you say just afterwards to keep the proceedings going in a good atmosphere?
Examples:
Your colleague: Can't we come to a decision on this: I think we've discussed it fairly
thoroughly.
You: Yes, let's take a vote.
Discussion
Here are some other ideas on making meetings more productive. What do you think of them?
1. Start on time, whoever's missing.
2. Put timings on the agenda and keep to them.
3. Encourage the person in the chair to keep an iron hand on proceedings and to jump on
anyone getting off the point.
4. If action is required after the meeting, recap at the end of the meeting who is to do
what.
Transfer
Recent studies have shown that managers spend on average 60% of their time in meetings.
Does this surprise you?
Make
820S
Telelangue
Introduction
Make and do often have very little meaning in themselves. It's what comes
after the verb that gives the meaning. This unit looks at make.
To phone
To visit
To clarify something
To decide
To start on something
To propose something
If something makes you late, angry, or happy, it causes you to be late or whatever.
If something makes you a particular thing, it causes you to become that thing.
If you make something into something else, you transform it from one thing into
another.
If you can make it to a meeting or a party or some other event, you are able to go to
the meeting, party or event.
Fiat makes cars. In this sense make can also be a noun: Fiat is a make of car.
1. Talk about these companies and what they make: Microsoft, Coca Cola, Benetton,
Citron, Cartier.
2. What are these products made of? Jewellery, tennis racquets, furniture.
3. Do you like making dinner or do you prefer someone else to do it?
4. Who made Lord of the Rings? Who made the profits from Lord of the Rings?
Transfer
Arrange your lesson for next time using the expression make it.
Example:
Do
821S
Telelangue
Introduction
Make and do often have very little meaning in themselves. It's what comes
after the verb that gives the meaning. This unit looks at do as a main verb,
not as an auxiliary as in 'Do you speak English?'
Do the housework
Do the cleaning
Do the tidying up
Do the washing
Do the cooking
Do the filing
Do the typing
Do the photo-copying
Which of these Tasks do you like doing? Which don't you mind? Which do you hate?
If you do something about a problem, you take action to try to solve it.
A common expression is 'They should do something about it.'
Talk about some of the problems in your town that you think something should be done about.
If a car can do a certain speed, this means it can reach that speed.
Example: This car can do 140 miles per hour.
If you say that something will do, you mean it will be enough.
Example: You really need two litres of wine to make coq au vin, but one and a half
litres will do.
Talk about your favourite dish. What are the minimum quantities of the ingredients you need?
Transfer
What do you do always means 'What's your job', 'What are your responsibilities?'
Talk about your colleagues and what they do.
Get
822S
Telelangue
Introduction
The verb to get has a lot of different meanings. Its past simple form is got
and so is its past participle, except in American English, where the past
participle is gotten.
Illustration
Below are some of the meanings of the multi-purpose get:
Receive
Become
Understand
Start
Persuade
Obtain
Catch / have
Practice
Replace the expressions with get in the following sentences with alternatives.
1. Get talking. You have a lot to explain.
2. I always get anxious when he's late home.
3. I got his pen from the shop down the road.
4. I'd like to get to see him when I'm in Paris.
5. I can't get my car to start. Can you fix it?
6. I don't get it. Why didn't he call us?
7. Did you get my text message?
8. I always get flu in winter.
9. Can you get me some stamps?
10. I've got time. I'll wait.
Transfer
Here are some work-related expressions using get. Under what circumstances might these
things happen?
get promoted
get a rise
get a warning
get hired
Prepositions
824S
Telelangue
Introduction
Prepositions are tricky. In a lot of cases there's no rule: you just have to
learn what goes with what.
Illustration
Look at the prepositions in this invitation. Explain why each one is used.
The Chairman and Directors of
FLOGGIT and RUNNE LTD
request the pleasure of your company
at a
reception to be held at The Grand
Hotel in
Bristol, at 8.00 pm on Wednesday,
16th June. RSVP.
Practice 1
Complete these sentences with suitable prepositions of time.
Practice 2
Which prepositions in the horizontal line can be used after each of the phrases in the vertical
line?
(You may be able to use more than one preposition with each phrase.) Put a cross (x) in the
appropriate box.
Transfer
Talk about yourself using these verbs and the prepositions that follow them.
Some verbs can be followed by more than one preposition, depending on what you want to
say.
I work ........................
Now talk about yourself using these nouns preceded by the correct preposition.
office
work
spare time
lunchtime
evenings
weekends
Christmas
summer
Illustration 1
When you qualify Seem, look, sound, feel, taste, and smell you use an adjective, not an
adverb.
What are the possible Situations for the exchanges below? What other adjectives might you
use in each case?
B: It sounds disastrous.
B: Terrible.
B: It smells foul and tastes disgusting. Give me fish and chips any day.
Illustration 2
Look, sound, feel, taste, and smell can be followed by like to give sentences such as the
following.
From what you say, it sounds like you don't enjoy working here.
Practice 1
Use the following words or phrases to complete the sentences. Some can go in more than one
place.
marvellous
a guitar
difficult
velvet
a drink
everything's O.K.
blackcurrant
already left
to be upset
tired
1. He looks ...............
Practice 2
Complete the following with an appropriate verb :
1. She .......... a bit like Sophia Loren.
2. It ............ just like peach.
3. That music ............ like Beethoven.
4. I ............... like a coffee. Do you want one too?
5. It ............... to be rather complex.
6. It ............ like the train is going to be late.
7. Do you .......... like watching a film?
8. She ............ rather upset when I saw her last week.
9. Does it ............ like it's going to rain?
10. It ............. as if she's been working too hard.
Transfer
Make some predictions about things beginning:
Weather
834S
Telelangue
Introduction
What's the weather like today?
drizzle
hail
sleet
thunder
snow
Divide the words below into three categories: those that relate to temperature, those that relate
to wind, and those that relate to humidity or wetness, and those that relate to two or more
categories.
bitter
blowy
blustery
boiling
breezy
chilly
cool
damp
dry
freezing
frosty
hot
sweltering
wet
windy
Task
Look at this table from a newspaper about weather in different parts of the world.
City
Temperature
at noon
yesterday: C
Weather at
noon
yesterday
Forecast
Athens
36
Hot
Hotter
Bahrain
42
Sunny
Cooler
Copenhagen
15
Cloudy
Rain
London
17
Rain
More rain
New York
31
Windy
Sunny
Sydney
12
Rain
Drier
You (A) are at the airport of one of the cities above meeting someone arriving on a flight from
one of the other cities (B). Imagine the conversation.
Try to replace the words in the newspaper report with more conversational ones from
Illustration 3.
Example: you are at Athens and the person you're meeting is coming off a flight from
Copenhagen:
A: Well, here it's been sweltering and it's going to get even hotter.
Transfer
You are greeting a visitor to your company from abroad.
Break the ice by talking about the weather as in the Task above.
Colours
845S
Telelangue
Introduction
You probably know the names of most of the colours (colors in American
English) but do you know these colour expressions?
A red herring is
To be in the red is
A green belt is
A green product is
6. a pink slip
2. a redhead
7. a white
paper
3. a golden
boy
4. a golden
handshake
5. purple
prose
8. Black
Tuesday
9. a
yellowbelly
10. red ink
1. notice of
dismissal
6. a highly valued
company stock
2. flowery
language
3. a highly paid
stock exchange
dealer
4. company figures
showing a loss
9. money an executive
receives when made
redundant
5. a woman with
red hair
10. a coward
Transfer
What colour is your company's stationery and documentation?
Is there a reason for using this particular colour?
People:
appearance
849S
Telelangue
Introduction
A chance to revise some basic Vocabulary and to go further.
medium-height
tall
Build / weight
thin
svelte
skinny
slim
medium-build
average-weight
stocky
muscular
well-built
heavily-built
plump
fat
overweight
obese
Practice 2
Different professions require people of different heights and builds. Describe the sort of build
you need to be a(n):
jocKey
ballet dancer
policeman
footballer
pilot
fashion model
heavyweight boxer
smart
badly-dressed
well-dressed
old-fashioned
formal
dull
natty
casual
trendy
untidy
Now use the adjectives to describe how the sorts of people described below often dress.
Be careful with words which have no adverbial form.
Example:
bankers
students
undertakers
farmers on Sundays
television presenters
advertising executives.
Transfer
Research has shown that we form our opinions of people within 5 seconds of meeting them.
Does this surprise you?
People:
character
850S
Telelangue
Introduction
A chance to revise some basic Vocabulary and to go further.
Introverts can be
shy
introspective
quiet
inward-looking
'loners'
Extroverts can be
.....................
.....................
.....................
.....................
.....................
thoughtful
.....................
Research
scientist
Salesperson
Investigative journalist
Surgeon
Team leader
Politician
Suzanne Paradime
Suzanne is one of the most conscientious people it has been my pleasure
to work with. She is punctual, hard-working, and pays great attention to
detail. She is fast and accurate in her work, even in routine Tasks. She has
a good sense of initiative and works well on her own, but is also a
cooperative and valued member of the team.
She is optimistic and forward-looking, dynamic and positive in her
approach, despite the difficulties the company has been going through.
She is popular with colleagues: outgoing, pleasant and always stylishly
dressed. We are sorry to see Suzanne go. We wish her every success in the
future.
To whom it may concern...
Sven Hoploess
Hoploess is one of the most ..................... people it has been my ................
to work with. He is ....................., ................ and ..................... . He
is ..................... and ................ in his work, even .....................................
He has ..................... sense of initiative and ............... .
He is ..................... and ....................., ..................... and ..................... in
his approach, despite the difficulties the company has been going through.
He is ..................... colleagues:..................... and always ..................... We
are ..................... to see Hoploess go.
Transfer
References are an interesting cultural phenomenon. In some countries they are nearly always
required when applying for a new job, in others hardly at all. Why is this? Are they used in
your company?
People:
mood
851S
Telelangue
Introduction
What sort of mood, or frame of mind, are you in today? Are you in the
mood for some Vocabulary development? Or are you in no mood for
work?
To be in a(n)
foul
pessimistic
terrible
.......................................................
.......................................................
.......................................................
mood
1. You have been looking for a parking space for 20 minutes. You find one and are about
to back into it when someone else takes it.
2. Standing on a bus, someone steps heavily on your toe.
3. You are queuing in London (or waiting in line in New York) waiting to buy a ticket of
some kind when someone pushes in (or in American English cuts in) in front of you.
4. You have been working on something for three hours when your computer crashes and
you have to start again.
5. A dinner guest arrives an hour and half late.
Noun
happy
content
euphoria
optimism
elated
buoyant
upbeat
excited
Transfer
Is losing your temper when things go wrong at work better than staying calm and repressing
your emotions?
Introducing
yourself
617S
Telelangue
Introduction
In this lesson you are going to practice different ways of introducing and
talking about yourself. You will need to know :
First greeting :
o Can I introduce myself ?
o
We make tractors.
A few questions:
Illustration 1
Read this conversation with your teacher:
T.Can I introduce myself ? My name's Annette / Alan Bailey.
S.How do you do? I'm Jean / John Lawton. I'm from Chelmsford.
T.Pleased to meet you, J .... I'm from Liverpool.
S.Who do you work for?
T.I work for Softsell. We make soap products. What do you do?
S.I work for an advertising agency. I'm a designer. What's your job?
T.I'm in the design department, too.
S.What a coincidence!
Practice 1
1. Imagine you are the person described below and that you are meeting your teacher for
the first time.
o Name: Paul / Pauline Delaney
o
Company : Woolcraft
Location : Edinburgh
Job : Representative
2. Your teacher will now act out a different role. Ask him / her for details about him /
herself.
Transfer
Presenting / selling a
product
682S
Telelangue
Introduction
The objective of this unit is to practice
Situation 1
Your teacher is going to try to sell you an English course. You see the advertisement below
and have telephoned for more information:
INTENSIVE ENGLISH COURSES
Work hard and play hard on an immersion English
course in the beautiful city of Cambridge, England!
Stay with an English family, and learn and enjoy
yourself as you study.
30 hours of intensive individual or group training with
experienced teachers & excursions to local companies,
the countryside, leisure and sport activities. For more
information, telephone or e-mail:
Cambridge Language Training:
+44 (0)1215 45 67 98
E-mail: info@clt.org
Practice 1
You are interested in attending such a course, but want more information before deciding:
Location:
where is Cambridge?
School:
Price:
Dates:
References:
Situation 2
You want to sell your old Volkswagen Beetle. You have placed the following advertisement in
the paper:
FRIENDLY BEETLE
Fine example of this collector's item.
Well looked after, only 2 owners. 1975
model in excellent condition. Please
phone after 6pm: 020-657-8899
Practice 2
Your teacher will phone you, having seen the above advertisement. He / she will want to
know more about the car:
Engine size:
1200cc
Mileage:
Bodywork:
excellent condition
Transfer
Now present and sell a product you know, e.g. one of your company's products, your own car,
your house, etc.
Apologising
698S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about apologising with special attention given to different
levels of formality.
How formal are the following apologies?
Very formal
Formal
Informal
Illustration
Look at some forms:
Please excuse...
Sorry about...
Sorry!
Practice
Select one of the above and give a full sentence (if appropriate) to apologise in each of the
following Situations:
1. You drop a coffee spoon on a colleague's desk.
2. A customer you know very well telephones to say an order has arrived with one part
missing.
3. You are going to be late for an appointment with a potential purchaser. Your plane has
been delayed by two hours.
4. You are late for a meeting with colleagues.
5. You are writing a reply to an enquiry from a potential customer who was expecting
your letter 2 weeks ago.
6. A representative from another company is talking. You don't understand what he is
saying.
7. You are writing to a customer to explain a delay in production.
8. You leave a note for your secretary saying you have had to go out unexpectedly. Your
secretary was expecting you for a particular reason.
Transfer
Think of any occasions in your work where you have to apologise.
Have you ever apologised to
colleagues
assistants or secretaries
junior staff
friends
Expressing
preference
704S
Telelangue
Introduction
This lesson is about expressing preferences. First read the dialogue:
Martin: Well, Bert, what do you fancy doing tonight?
Bert:
I'd rather do nothing tonight. We've been out three nights this
week already!
Illustration
Prefer can be followed by:
a) a noun e.g.:
b) a gerund e.g. :
c) an infinitive e.g. :
I'd rather (I would rather) and I'd sooner (I would sooner) are followed by a main verb, e.g.:
Practice
First match the items to compare (A and B). Look at the example. Then Practice giving your
preference. Use the language on page 1 and the ideas below.
A
fried potatoes
polo-necked jumpers
suede jackets
pork
beer
women in trousers
women in dresses
wine
leather jackets
boiled potatoes
raw vegetables
well-done steak
V-necked jumpers
cooked vegetables
rare steaks
2 piece suits
3 piece suits
veal
Transfer
Talk about your preferences. Here are some ideas to choose from.
Illustration
Example:
They like ski-ing.
She doesn't like to cook.
PREFERENCE:
POLITE REQUEST:
3. 'I'd like you to do it' ('would like' + infinitive)
Example:
I'd like you to type this letter, please.
She'd like us to look through this report.
DIRECT REQUEST:
4. 'I want them to do it' (verb 'to want' + infinitive)
Example:
I want you to be back by 5 o'clock.
He wants me to go to Rome next week.
DESCRIBED REQUEST:
5. 'I'll ask him to do it' (verb 'to ask' + infinitive)
Example:
I'll ask him to come and see me tomorrow.
She asked me to post a letter.
Practice 1
Complete the sentences with one of the verb forms above:
1. I .................. to take tomorrow off, if that's possible?
2. Could you .................. Mr. Gland to come to my office, Mrs. Trump?
3. I .................. you to work late this evening, if you don't mind?
4. Tell Hoyle I .................. to see him right away!
5. Do you .................. typing, John?
6. We .................. you to start next week, if that's convenient.
7. He .................. signing all his letters by three o'clock in the afternoon.
8. I .................. you to send it to me as soon as possible.
Practice 2
Put the words in these sentences in the correct order.
For example:
1. Like / ring / to / Mr. Pellini / please / I'd / you.
o I'd like you to ring Mr. Pellini, please.
2. sign / they / to / immediately / us / agreement / want / the
o
3. too / a / off / busy / day / I'd / take / but / are / to /we / like
o
9. trouble / you / I'd / thank / Mrs. Holme / like / to / for / your / all
o
10. last / letters / 3.00 p.m. / he / finishing / by / to / his / catch / all / likes / the / post
Practice 3
Complete this dialogue and read it with your teacher.
You take the part of the manager:
Manager: Yes, I am. Could you ..................... him to call me here in Brussels because
I ..................... to discuss one or two things with him before he leaves on Friday.
Manager: He ..................... me to sign that contract before the end of the week but I
don't ..................... committing myself to paper until everything is 100% clear.
Manager: Could you also ..................... him if he's got any information back from the
market research team yet? I ..................... to find out the Results of their survey.
Transfer
You work for an audio books manufacturer.
There's a postal strike.
A customer's order is going to be delivered late. Call and apologise, and ask how she / he
would prefer them to be delivered.
Individual
liberty
733S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is about individual liberty.
First - what is individual liberty? Consider the following:
Stage 1
Read the extracts from letters sent to newspapers:
Dear Sir,
The police fined me for not wearing my seat belt. If I want to risk injury, it's my decision!
Politicians should keep out of individuals' business.
Dear Sir,
I called the police about a neighbour playing loud music at 3 a.m. They didn't come. I can't
sleep. If my neighbours continue like this, I'll kill their cat.
Dear Sir,
It is so noisy going shopping now! Every shop has horrible music. It's an invasion of my
liberty. Playing music in shops should be banned.
Dear Sir,
I am protesting about the decision to ban smoking in my favourite restaurant. I eat there
almost every day and I enjoy a cigarette after lunch. I demand freedom to smoke in peace!
Dear Sir,
I bought a Porsche that will do 280 Kms per hour. The speed limit is 120. I think this is
unreasonable. I speed limits should be abolished. The question is freedom, or submission to
dictators.
Do you agree or disagree with the people who wrote the letters? Why? Why not?
Stage 2
What do you think about:
dogs in cities
smoking at work
Note :
Two "street musicians" familiar to travellers on the London Underground were ordered by
London Transport Police not to shave in the public toilets.
The musical duo now sing a song called "If you can't have a shave in a toilet, where can you
have a shave?"
Discussion
Have you ever been fined by the police for some small offence?
Do you consider that your liberty was compromised? Did you complain?
Do you think society is too repressive? In what way? What improvements could you
recommend?
Introducing
oneself
748S
Telelangue
Introduction
How well can you introduce yourself and say what you do?
Illustration
Carol Bernstein is writing a feature on working conditions in banking for Business
Millennium magazine. She's talking to one of Northeast bank's employees.
CB: Sorry, but I didn't catch your name.
SQ: My name's Quinn, Susan Quinn.
CB: What do you do here?
SQ: I work here at Northeast bank as an assistant to the managing director, arranging
meetings, dealing with correspondence, organising my boss business trips.
CB: How long have you been working here?
SQ: A little over three years.
CB: How do you like working here?
SQ: The atmosphere in the office is very friendly and the work is very interesting and
varied. Sometimes the stress can get to you when deadlines are tight, but on the
whole it's OK.
CB: What do you do in your spare time to relax?
SQ: Well, I try to go to a gym some evenings after work, but you know how difficult it is
to fit it all in what with family commitments and the rest: you know how it is.
Note how these are used:
deal with
organise
take care of
manage
Practice 1
Now use the dialogue above as a skeleton to talk about your own work and then continue it.
CB: Sorry, but I didn't catch your name.
You: My name's ...........................
CB: What do you do here?
You: I work here at..................as...........................,..........................................
............ing..................., dealing with..........................................................
..................and........................ing.
The contacts you have in English with clients, suppliers and English speakers in other
parts of your organisation.
The things you have to read and write in English.
Transfer
You are at a round-table discussion with 10 other people you don't know.
Introduce yourself and say something about the company you work for.
Company's activities
Number of employees
Cause and
effect
783S
Telelangue
Introduction
How many ways do you know of expressing cause and effect?
Illustration
1. New competitors entered the market and .............. competition increased.
o as a result
o
therefore
so
consequently
2. Competition increased
o
3. Increased competition
o
Practice 1
These events relate to the development of the Compact Disc player market. Link the causes
on the left with the effects on the right.
1. Development of new laser technology
A. New competitors enter market
2. Word of mouth and advertising
B. LP's of new releases not always issued
3. Success of product
C. Increased awareness among potential users
4. A boom in sales of CD players.
D. A slow-down in sales of CD players.
5. Market maturity (everyone has a CD player) E. Introduction of CD players
6. CD's overtake LP records.
F. A boom in sales of CD's.
Now use the expressions on page 1 to describe these links.
Example:
Development of new technology led to the introduction of CD players.
Practice 2
Now use the same expressions to describe cause and effect in the introduction and growth in
popularity of the Walkman.
Ideas:
Easy to carry
Cult object
Private entertainment
Example:
Transfer
Describe something related to your work using the language of cause and effect.
In the black
854S
Telelangue
Introduction
What do bankers mean when they say:
'This company's finances are sound'?
Measurement
1. Account of what a company
* Note that the Profit and loss account is also called an Income statement.
Practice 2
Now match the items / headings to the type of statement they usually appear in.
Profit and Loss Account
Balance Sheet
5. Direct costs
6. share capital
7. creditors
8. Overheads
9. Current assets
10. Dividends
11. Purchase of assets
12. Debtors
13. Retained earnings
14. Working capital
Practice 3
In Financial English, certain words combine together often. For example: 'limited resources'.
Match the following words to form common combinations.
1. sound
1. taxation
2. disappointing
2. debts
3. deferred
3. assets
4. negative
4. profits
5. trading
5. investment
6. over
6. balance sheet
7. long-term
7. results
8. under-valued
8. cash flow
9. heavy
9. geared
Transfer
Describe your own bank's financial position or that of one of your clients.
In the red
855S
Telelangue
Introduction
Banks are often accused of having a 'belt and braces' approach to lending
money. Do you think this is true?
Illustration
Bankrupt too fast?
As the recession bites more deeply, bankruptcies are being reported at a rate of 400 per week.
There has been much criticism of banks for foreclosing on companies much too early. In their
anxiety to recover mounting debts, the banks have forced many companies to declare
themselves insolvent and called in the liquidators. Independent financial analysts believe that
survival schemes involving the rescheduling of debts are being passed over in favour of
going bust overnight.
Practice 1
Complete the sentences with the appropriate form of the word in brackets.
1. Companies are going _________________________ at the rate of 400 per week
(bankruptcy).
2. The bank decided to withdraw the ______________________________ facility
(overdraw).
3. It was decided to ____________________________ the company's assets
(liquidation).
4. The bank's ______________________ department has been accused of being overeager, (insolvent).
5. _______________________________ means that a bank decides to call for early
repayment of a company's debt (foreclose).
Practice 2
Match the terms on the left with their opposites on the right:
1. liabilities
1. solvency
2. deficit
2. over-capitalised
3. debtor
3. sound
4. extend credit
4. in credit
5. insolvency
5. assets
6. borrow
6. surplus
7. indebted
7. strong
8. fragile
8. lend
9. weak
9. withdraw credit
10. under-capitalised
10. creditor
Transfer
Explain your bank's policy on foreclosure. In what circumstances will the bank seek to
recover its loans?
Explaining
proposals
865S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit is based round the case of locating a distribution centre in
Europe. It is divided into three parts:
1. You listen to a summary of the proposed locations.
2. You present this summary again, incorporating the language of
After listening to the presentation, your teacher will ask you to use this table to present the
information again.
Subsidiary
Proposed
Location
Germany
Hamburg
France
Avignon
UK
Canterbury
Italy
Advantages
Disadvantages
port facilities
Motorway
system.
Communications
to Northern
Europe.
UK largest
market.
Fast & efficient
transport to
Continent using
Channel Tunnel.
Proximity to plant distance from
in Milan. Low
major markets.
land & building
cost.
Task 2
You should now present the proposals and arguments above again using the language
presented in this section.
Draw attention to:
to suggest something
Transfer
You should now take on the role of the French Transport Manager and argue the case for
location in Avignon.
Some additional arguments have been listed here. The teacher will play the role of the other
subsidiaries:
to invent / tell a lie (?You're lying! You made that story up!')
to apply cosmetics (?She made her face up carefully to hide the
bruise')
to compensate for (?You'll have to make up for the days we've lost
by working overtime.')
to settle an argument (?After the quarrel they kissed and made up')
to wrap (?She made up the parcel and took it to the post office')
The meanings in this case relate to a main idea: that of putting things
together.
Other phrasal verbs are much simpler of course and you know many of
them - ?to go in' - ?to come out' - ?to sit down' - ?to stand up', etc. Phrasal
verbs can usually be substituted by a single-word verb with the same
meaning.
For example:
He got up at eleven
o'clock.
The machine is
working / functioning.
He rose at eleven
o'clock.
In this lesson, we are going to look at phrasal verbs using ?be' and ?get'.
Illustration
Listen as your teacher reads the sentences and complete them with the right prepositions.
1. I'm afraid Mr Smith has gone. He won't be ......... until tomorrow morning.
2. I got ............ my bike and pushed it up the hill.
3. There's no public transport, so if you haven't got a car its rather difficult to get .............
4. The children are little monsters. They're always ............... some mischief.
5. He's been seriously ill, but we think the worst is ............... now.
6. Her hasn't paid his taxes for years. I don't know how he gets .................. it.
7. She's very sociable and seems to get ............... everybody.
8. Look at those clouds! I think we're ............... a thunderstorm.
9. I've done everything I can to help, the rest is ...............you.
10. Hello Jack. How are you getting ...............?
11. If you don't get ..............., I'll call the police!
12. I feel like going to the cinema. What's ............... at the Odeon?
13. The assignment is difficult. Do you think he's ............... it?
14. It broke her heart when she found out about him. It was a long time before she
got ............... it.
Practice
Look at the sentences below and complete them, using one of the following particles:
on; on with; in for; up to; back; off (or out); over; about; out; out (or away); away with.
(Some of them can be used more than once.)
Example : I promised to help, so I can't very well get out of it now.
1. How strange! There's a policeman looking under your car. I wonder what he's ............
2. He robbed a bank, but the police never caught him. He got ............ it.
3. I feel like going out to the theatre. Are there any good plays ............?
4. She left home when she was nineteen and hasn't been back since. She doesn't
get ............ her family.
5. Dr. White left this morning on a week's holiday. He won't be............until next week.
6. We had to wait in the plane for an hour while they checked the fuel lines. They
wouldn't let us get ............
7. I used to love her once. But it's all ............ now.
8. He broke his leg skiing last week. It's rather difficult for him to get ............
9. He thinks this job is going to be easy. I'm afraid he's ............ a surprise.
10. Don't ask me to decide for you. It's ............ you.
11. He was very upset when he was made redundant. But he soon got ............ it and found
another job.
12. It's tough at the top. Some people are just not ............ it.
13. A lion escaped from the zoo last night. Nobody seems to know how it got ............
14. I haven't seen you for ages! How are you getting ............?
Transfer
All the particles in the list below can be used to make phrasal verbs in combination with ?get'.
Use them to make true statements (in the past, present or future) about yourself or people that
you know.
at - away - away with - back - in - off - on - on with - out - over - round - through through to - under - up - up to.
Verb + preposition
(to come)
902S
Telelangue
Introduction
This is one in a series of lessons about phrasal verbs.
A phrasal verb is a verb used with one or more prepositions in such a way
that the original meaning of the verb is altered.
One phrasal verb can have several meanings. This unit is about the phrasal
combinations with the verb come.
For example:
to come down
to sum up
to fall
It comes down to a
question of money.
to come out
to sit down
to stand up
Illustration
Look at these examples with the phrasal combinations of the verb come.
Listen as your teacher reads the sentences and complete them with the right prepositions.
1. Ruth and I are at home now, why don't you ............ for a drink ?
2. The last time Mary ate strawberries, she ............ in a rash.
3. I've tried everything on this chewing-gum, it just won't ..................!
4. Do .................. I am almost finished with this report.
5. I hear Tom Mc Manus .................. on the 23rd. I'd like you to set up an appointment
for lunch.
6. This point ........................ in the meeting yesterday.
7. In 1620, the Pilgrims ........................ the Atlantic on the Mayflower.
8. .................. now Peter! Stop looking at every girl.
9. That stupid dog ........................ me when I walked in front of the gate.
10. It's quite obvious that our advertising campaign must .................. anything else.
11. We argued for some time and eventually he .................. to my way of thinking.
12. We .................. the information after an intensive search.
Practice
Now look at the Situations below.
Use the structures above to complete the associated sentences.
Example:
Jim didn't have any money. His rich grand mother died.
Jim came into some money and started his own business.
1. Thomas travels a lot for his company. He never carries any cash.
Credit cards really ......... handy for travelling businessmen.
2. Cindy was in a bad car accident last August.
What ......... Cindy ? We were talking about our summer holiday when she jumped up
and left.
3. You need some new shoes. You like to be comfortable.
I am quite furious, those ridiculous pointed toes are ............ and I didn't like any of the
shoes I tried on.
4. Peter works 20 miles from his home.
As Peter was driving back from work last night, he ......... a deer on the road and
almost had an accident.
5. Jane and Tom bought an old farmhouse.
Tom, the wallpaper in the north bedroom is ............ from the wall. It must be the
dampness.
6. The company Fred and George are working for has received an offer.
Wait a minute Fred! It's ............ to me; we worked with Hutcheson in 1985 in Ottawa.
7. The time has come to give their medals to the winner of the different events of the day.
Will the participants of the 110 yard hurdles please ...............!
8. You are back from a business trip to Southeast Asia and you are chatting with some
people in the office.
You'll never guess who I ............ in Bangkok. Our old friend Tom Brody with a
gorgeous girl!
9. You live in a house outside of Grenoble and you enjoy gardening.
I planted some radishes a couple of weeks ago and they are ............ very nicely.
10. Nancy is always looking for bargains and going on diets!
Look at the dress you bought in Naples. It is ............ at the seams. Is it poor
workmanship or a few extra pounds?
Transfer
Come
+
over
out
off
on
upon
by
round
before
across
Verb + preposition
(to look)
903S
Telelangue
Introduction
This is one of a series of lessons about phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs are
verbs plus one or more prepositions.
The combination (verb + preposition) creates a "new meaning."
For example:
go in
sit
sit down
stand
stand up
come
come out
In these lessons, we will study how other verbs can be modified with the
addition of prepositions or adverbs.
Illustration
Look at these examples with "to look".
Listen as your teacher reads the sentences and complete them with the right prepositions.
1. Has Mr. Griffith gone already? Tell him I'll look .................. tomorrow on my way to
London.
2. I met Jeremy Douglas on the plane today. It seems things are looking ............ for his
company.
3. What model did you want? I'll have to look ........................ the price in the catalogue.
4. We are always looking .................. for good salesmen.
5. Looking .................. on our Results over the years, I think we can be proud.
6. Look ...............! There's a car coming.
7. Yes Linda, you can have a kitten for your birthday, but you must look ............ t.
8. Roger, the car needs an oil change, could you look .................. it.
9. I cannot find George Simon's address. Do you have time to look .........t?
10. When Martha came into the room and saw Derek's cut, she had to look ............ She
couldn't stand the sight of blood.
Practice
Now look at the Situations below. Use the structures above to complete the associated
sentences.
Example:
1. There is an accident on the motorway. Jennifer turns her head in the other direction.
Jennifer looked ............. as they drove by it.
2. A new law on early-retirement was signed. Peter Steven wants to know if he is
eligible.
Sorry Peter, I don't know. I'll have to look .................. it.
3. Three years ago, we decided to export some of our products. Today, export is 40% of
our business.
Today, as we look .................., we know we took the right decision.
4. Fairley Ltd sales-manager is leaving in 3 months.
They are looking.............for candidates.
5. Fairley Ltd put an ad in the Times.
They must look carefully..........all the applications before short listing the candidates.
6. Tom! Don't stand there looking .................., come and help us move the piano.
7. The Davidsons went on a tour to Corfu. They were very pleased with the
accommodation.
Their room looked .................. over the garden and the beach.
8. Joe is reading a book, Sarah is at the window.
Quick Joe, look .................., there is a rainbow over the river!
9. Paul is a bachelor; He has a well paid job.
Did you hear what Paul said? He is looking .................. for a wife. His taxes are too
high!!
10. Fred bought a second hand car. He is showing it to Mary.
So this is your new car. It's not much to look ..................
Transfer
Look at the prepositions below, and use them with "look" to talk about things which concern
you in someway.
Modern production
methods
913S
Telelangue
Introduction
In this unit, we are going to introduce vocabulary related to modern
production methods.
Illustration
The article below deals with the Introduction of computerized production systems.
Read through it, one paragraph at a time, summarizing the contents to your teacher.
New Developments in TV Production:
Over the years, the time taken to manufacture TVs has been drastically
reduced. So has the workforce. From a peak of 16,000 in the mid 70s,
TVC's payroll has dropped to 6,000. In 1976, 3,200 people at TVC's
factory in Barnsley were producing 10,000 mono and 2,000 colour TV
sets a week. Now just 2,000 staff are producing 5,500 mono and 16,000
colour sets. This reduction in the time taken to manufacture sets is due to
two types of automation: computer-controlled machines and factorymanagement systems.
1. Computer-controlled machines
Much of the work occurs in the assembly of the components on printed
circuit boards (pcbs). About 5 years ago TVC invested in auto-insertion
machines for inserting components onto the boards. The company also
plans to introduce a robotized assembly line in the near future. There are
many similarities to Japanese factories but one major difference is that
labour intensive processes still exist in the main factory, whereas in
Japan, these are carried out by subsidiary companies using low-cost
labour.
2. Factory Management Systems
The company uses two IBM manufacturing control systems - a Batch &
Remote Production Inventory Control System (BARPICS) for factory
and production work, and a Communications-Oriented* Production
Information and Control System (COPICS) for research and management
work.
The latter controls all the different areas of the company: sales,
distribution, manufacturing, control of materials, stores, engineering and
design, purchasing and personnel. Although there have been operational
problems, the system has speeded up the administration. Before, the
Works Department had to ask Purchasing for new goods and they would
then send a purchase order to the supplier. Now the system advises the
Purchase dept. and the order is printed automatically. The process takes
two days instead of three to four weeks.
Practice 1
Decide which departments in a factory would be responsible for the following:
Practice 2
Match the terms on the left with the correct definitions on the right.
computercontrolled manufacturing operation where little automation is possible
machine
robotized affiliated firm in which 51% is owned by the parent company
assembly
line
labourintensive
process
Transfer
Discuss the following questions with your teacher:
How far do you think automation / computerization will progress in the next decade?
In your opinion, which areas of working life cannot/will never be automated?
In what ways do you think our working lives will have changed by the year 2000?
Distribution
914S
Telelangue
Introduction
This lesson introduces a modern distribution system - Service
Merchandising or SM.
At the same time, it presents some of the Vocabulary used to describe
distribution systems and methods.
Below are some typical distribution channels:
MANUFACTURER
agent
wholesaler
retailer customer
Task 1
Put the eight statements below into their original order. Write the first few words of each
paragraph in the spaces provided below.
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
Rearrange the statements below:
SERVICE MERCHANDISING:
Price labels are used as 'picking documents' for preparing store consignments.
In the last 25 years, non-food products have been increasingly sold in US food stores. Now
80% of non-food products are provided by SM* companies.
Unlike conventional wholesalers, SM provides comprehensive and frequent ordering, supply
and merchandising services to stores.
A system for moving products from the point of manufacture to retail stores and onto their
shelves for immediate consumer demand.
Mass Merchandisers Inc. (MMI) stock 20,000 different products and service 18,000 stores in
26 states every week.
Each merchandiser is assigned to a geographical area and, within a four-week cycle, every day
has its well-defined journey route to minimize travelling.
Manufacturers rely on their own sales and distribution networks.
Single units of products rather than 'case-lot' volumes are used as a basis for the operational
process.
* 'SM' = 'Service Merchandising'
Now explain the concept of Service Merchandising to your teacher in your own words.
Task 2
Complete the following description of one European Service Merchandising Company.
In the late-1980s the launch of a pet accessory range of products took the
Carnation company away from its traditional food business. This
diversification, in turn highlighted the need for rationalization of its
Belgian, French and Dutch operations. In 1996 Carnation Service
Merchandising was created. Modelled on the best in the USA. servicemerchandising industry, CSM is believed to be the most advanced
operation of its kind in Europe. Based in Nemours, France, it
moves ....................., selling non-food products from ..................... to the
Situation
You work for the Swiss-based UNICO Group.
Your company is thinking of setting up a small subsidiary in the U.K. and you have been
asked, as assistant Finance Manager, to find out about the legal Situation.
Task 1
Ring Mervin, Peak & Co., a firm of accountants in London, and ask them to explain the
procedure for establishing a small business in the U.K.
Complete the flow chart (Fig. 1) as you talk to Mr. Peak.
Task 2
UNICO have now decided to set up a subsidiary in the U.K.
You must register for V.A.T. (Value Added Tax).
Explain to a colleague how to fill in the V.A.T. return form on page 3 by putting the
In the first box you put your sales and other taxable income.
I
......................... DHSS .........................
I
......................... accounts .........................
I
......................... employ ....................... ?
................................................ PAYE
I
................................................office
I
Will you engage
an ................................................
I
................................................ tax
office
I
................................................ account
I
......................... trading......................... ?
I
HM
Customs
and Excise
Return of value
Added Tax
FOR
OFFICIAL
USE
Account of tax
payable or
repayable
Period 12.89
TAX DUE
in this period on OUTPUTS (sales, etc...)
P
1
Tax due on imported goods, certain goods removed from bonded warehouses 2
a certain services from abroad
TAX DEDUCTIBLE
being the credit claimed in this period for input tax allowable (on purchase,
etc ...)
00
10
00
Signed
*(Proprietor, partner,
director, secretary,
responsible officer,
member of club or
association and
authorised person)
Date
* Delete as necessary
FOR OFFICIAL USE
F3790 (October 1981)
VAT 100
WHAT'S VAT?
When you have read the form on page 3, put the paragraphs below in the right order, using the
numbers at the bottom of the page.
The first one has been done for you.
gifts of goods
total here
The stock
market
925S
Telelangue
Introduction
In this unit we are going to look at some common Vocabulary on the
subject of the Stock Market.
This will include Practice in understanding and using figures.
Practice
1. Read the list of numbers below to your teacher.
25
1,000
10.5
110
3,579
423.9
457
1,000,000
4.58
55.50
?0.47
2.
3. Now read the following:
?355.00
1.48p
$4.98
$45m
4.
5. Ask your teacher for the information required to help you complete this chart,
taken from a stock market report on the company, OPTICON CABLES, INC.
Year
Turnover
(m)
Profit (pre-tax)
000s
Dividend
(pence)
1998
1999
2000
2001
6.
7. Listen to your teacher reading extracts from a report on the activities of the New
York Stock Exchange. As you listen, mark the following sentences True or False:
o
Trading on the New York Stock Exchange was strong in the morning, but less
strong later in the day.
The Dow Jones average was down forty points at twelve o'clock.
8. Read this short extract from a report on Hoechst, the West German chemicals
group. Your teacher will ask you some questions.
Hoechst AG, the West German chemicals group, reported Wednesday that world group pretax profit rose 10.9 percent to a record 5.16 billion Euro ($5.19bn) in 2002, up from ?8.99
billion DM a year earlier. Sales for the world group totalled ?42.72 billion - up 3 per cent
from ?41.46 billion a year earlier.
Transfer
What are your company's principal sources of capital?
How do the ways that French companies obtain capital differ from those employed by her
industrial competitors?
Preparing a
business trip
946S
Telelangue
Introduction
This unit deals with preparing a business trip. It includes:
Situation
You are the Sales Executive of Euroview - a European based management training
consultancy.
You are planning to run a series of 2-day seminars in the major cities of Europe entitled
'Doing business in Europe in the 21st Century'.
As part of your marketing activities, you are going to visit a number of large companies in
Madrid and Barcelona. The purpose of these visits is:
to introduce Euroview
to present the range of training programmes offered (see below)
You still have time for a meeting from 15.00 to 16.00 on Tuesday.
Phone the Personnel Manager of Iberlec, an electronics company, to try to arrange a meeting.
You should:
presenting yourself
Task 2
A problem with the itinerary
You have now completed the plans for your trip to Madrid and Barcelona, and are just
starting to write them out below.
You get to Iberasset and realise that you haven't written down a time for your meeting
on 19 September.
Company: Ibermark
Time: 11.30
Company: Iberflor
Time: 13.00
Company: Iberasset
Time: ?
Company: Ibertex
Time: 14.30
Company: Iberconsum
Time: 15.45
Company: Ibernov
Time: 17.15
Company: Ibersa
Time: 18.30
Task 3
Travel arrangements
You have now completed your plans for your visit.
You now need to brief your assistant so that he / she can make the necessary travel
arrangements.
Below are your needs:
Travel:
Monday 19th September - plane to arrive in Madrid not later than 10.30
Tuesday evening - shuttle from Madrid to Barcelona - to leave not earlier
than 17.30
Wednesday - plane from Barcelona to ...... (home airport) to leave not
earlier than 19.00
Accommodation:
Monday 19th September - Central Hotel, Madrid
Tuesday 20th September - Central Hotel, Barcelona
Money:
A reasonable sum in euro (cash).
Your assistant has the plane timetables to hand, so you can discuss what arrangements should
be booked immediately.
Intermediate level
Trading Overseas
2871S
Objective
Dialog
CONTEXT
A French importer wants some simple advice from his domestic
bank for trading abroad with a foreign client that is based in
an English speaking country. Pay particular attention to the
general vocabulary and the specific finance vocabulary.
Client
I am buying some clothes from a foreign client with a letter of credit. What steps do I
need to take?
You must first of all, agree on a time limit. Consider whether a confirmed letter of
credit is needed. Ask for a copy of the application draft to be faxed to you, so you can
check for terms or conditions that may cause you problems in compliance.
In the first draft of the letter of credit, check that you can comply with all of the terms
and conditions within the prescribed time limits.
When it is time to present the documents to the bank for payment, often companies
have passed the set time-limit. You must be aware of three main time constraints:
Bank
the maximum time allowed between dispatch of the goods and presentation of
the documents relative to the documents.
If the letter of credit calls for documents supplied by third parties, make reasonable
allowance for the time this may take to organize. After dispatching of the goods, check
all the documents both against the terms of the credit and against each other for internal
consistency.
Bank Where is the company located?
Client In India.
Bank We have a branch in New Delhi that can handle your demand.
Client
The goods will be sent by air freight from New Delhi in order to save time, and I will
be paying my client in dollars.
You must know that even if you are being paid via a letter of credit, there is no
Bank guarantee that you will really receive payment. A single misspelling in a document can
result in refusal of payment.
Client In case of default, what can happen?
You have the possibility of using arbitration courts but we would advise you to avoid
Bank this because it can be very costly. In addition, you will notice that these procedures take
time and the outcome is uncertain.
Illustration
Useful General Phrases
To comply(v) with, to be in
compliance(n) with
A third party
Internal consistency
A branch
Note
The phrases above are not specific to the banking world. Other words and phrases, however,
take on a new meaning when used within the context of the financial sector. Those phrases are
highlighted in red.
Practice
3. application draft
7. default
Practice 2: Comprehension
TASK: Read each question. Refer to the dialog above in order to
find the correct answers.
1. Why is the client coming to the bank?
2. What is the difference between a letter of credit and a confirmed letter of credit? Why
would some companies choose one over the other?
3. Why is time important when establishing a letter of credit?
4. According to the dialog, what are some of the potential problems that companies face
in international trade?
-
Transfer
Discussion
Discuss the following questions with the learner. Try to emphasize
the vocabulary learned during the lesson.
How is a domestic client exposed to international risk?
Do you think that trading internationally is dangerous? Why? What are the
alternatives?
How can engaging trade with less developed countries present a problem?
Advanced level
Currency Risks
2875S
Objective
To be able to discuss and advise a client about the currency risks of international trade.
Dialog
CONTEXT
A client is buying goods abroad with dollars and wants to evaluate
his risk in the case of a change in the currency rate. Read
the dialog and pay particular attention to the general
vocabulary and the specific finance vocabulary.
Bank
A spot rate means that you set the currency rate at the time of the contract once and for
all. Both parties accept the currency rate using the exchange rate of the day.
No, in fact you decide on the day of the commercial contract the currency rate. You
know your risk exposure on the day of your commercial contract with your customer.
By using a spot rate you, in fact, put your own customer in a currency risk situation. He
can also cover his position by hedging on the market.
Illustration
To think, to assume
To eliminate
To remove
To convert
Note
When discussing currency, one says that a currency weakens = decreases in value or
strengthens = increases in value against other currencies. It is common for the exchange rate
to fluctuate = to change
To lock in a rate = to set a fixed charge or percentage
Practice
2. Minimizing risk
3. To hedge
6. Exchange rate
7. Spot rate
4. Forward exchange contract
1. The decided amount that one unit of a currency equals in another currency.
2. To protect yourself against losing too much money in one area by investing in other
areas that will be sure to make money
3. To take actions that will make sure to make your business transaction more sure and
increase the possibility that you will make money
4. The importer sells the currency to the bank needed for a future transaction, now so that
no matter how the currency strengthens or weakens, he will be able to pay the amount
in the future.
5. A term that means that the exchange rate of the currencies involved were set the day of
the contract even if payment is in the future.
6. The risk involved during when you buy and sell goods internationally.
7. The risk that the currencies involved in an international business deal may fluctuate
and a company may have to pay more than expected due to this change.
Practice 2: Comprehension
TASK: Read each question. Refer to the dialog above in order to
find the correct answers.
1. What is the purpose of the clients visit to the bank?
2. What is the most common way to protect yourself from currency exposure?
3. Explain the difference between a forward exchange rate and a spot rate.
4. Why do companies cover their global currency position?
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Transfer
Task: Discuss the following questions with your instructor.
1. Can you give a concrete example of currency risks?
2. Why do currencies fluctuate in the world?
3. Is currency risk a vital part of international trade? Why?
4. What do you think are some other solutions for currency risk?
Telelangue / World Speaking - 2009
Advanced level
Finding Solutions for the Client
2876S
Objective
Dialog
CONTEXT:
The client has come to the bank because he has delivery and
payment problems with a foreign client. Pay particular
attention as you read to the general vocabulary and the specific
finance vocabulary.
Client
I have paid for my goods but I did not receive my shipment. I dont
understand the problem.
Bank Did you issue a letter of credit or did you decide to make an advance
payment?
Client I was in confidence with my exporter and decided to pay in advance.
You should have issued a domestic letter of credit because we would have
Bank paid your client, on your behalf, only if the documents relative to your
shipments were sent and complied to the initial contract.
Client Can you please see how can you arrange this with my client?
We will try to contact your clients bank to see if there is a possible solution.
Bank We will need to have some details concerning the delivery date and the exact
description of the invoice.
Client I understand, but I am trading with a non-western country.
This is a real concern when dealing with less developed countries and/or
countries with foreign exchange shortages. To protect against these risks, a
Bank
confirmed letter of credit will be necessary - a bank in the seller's country will
(for a fee) add its own payment undertaking to that of the issuing bank.
Client I understand that this is an extra protection for my shipment.
Yes, but the documents are sent back to the issuing bank. If they are in order,
the issuing bank will debit the importer, remit the funds to the exporter's bank
Bank
and pass the documents to the importer so the goods can be claimed from the
carrier.
Practice
3. in confidence with
8. for a fee
4. on your behalf
9. debit
5. complied
10. carrier
1. To subtract money from an account, to withdraw
2. To represent someone else during an event
3. The shipping company that transports the goods
4. To pay for the goods an importer has purchased before the exporter sends the goods
5. The lack of enough of a foreign currency
6. To do something for a small amount of money
7. To adapt something to fit the rules or regulations
8. To have a relationship with another person so that they tell you all information of an
intimate nature
9. A document created by a bank which guarantees payments on behalf of its client in a
stated period of time if certain conditions are met from the bank to the bank of the
other company
10. An expensive document created by a bank for a client that gives greater assurances
that the person who is named is authorized to withdraw a specific amount of money
from the clients account even at a bank in a another country.
Practice 3: Situations
TASK: Read the situation below and make a list of the advice that
you would give to your client to solve his/her problem.
Your client is importing clothing from Bangladesh and has previously experienced problems
with this particular company. Either the goods have arrived late or the documents such as the
bill of lading have contained mistakes. Your client wishes; however, to continue trading with
this company since it sells the exact goods that he needs.
What advice would you give this client concerning future trades with the foreign
company?
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Transfer
Task: Discuss the following questions with your student.
Encourage the use of the vocabulary learned in the lesson
and work experiences.
Describe some of the shipping problems that clients could face.
How do problems differ when trading with a developing country vs. a developed
country?
How many of the problems of a client are banks able to actually solve? How do you
think banks could be more effective in solving he problems of their clients?
Advanced level
Political Risk & International Trade
2879S
Objective
Text comprehension: Understanding how the political risk of a country can affect
international trade.
To be able to advise a client on how political risk can affect international trade.
Dialog
CONTEXT:
For multinational companies, political risk refers to the risk that a
country can make political or legal decisions that will prove
to have negative effects on the multinational's profits and/or
goals. A domestic client is worried about trading with a
foreign client because of political instability in the country.
Pay particular attention to the general vocabulary and the
specific finance vocabulary.
Client
In general, there are two types of political risk, macro risk and micro risk.
Macro risk refers to adverse actions that will affect all foreign firms, such as
Bank expropriation or insurrection, whereas micro risk refers to adverse actions that
will only affect a certain industrial sector or business, such as corruption and
prejudicial actions against companies from foreign countries.
Client So how can multinational companies minimize political risk?
There are a couple of measures that can be taken even before an investment is
made. The simplest solution is to conduct a little research on the riskiness of a
country, either by paying for reports from consultants that specialize in
Bank making these assessments or doing a little bit of research yourself, using the
many free sources available on the internet. Then you can make an informed
decision on whether or not to set up operations in countries that are
considered to be political risk hot spots.
Client
At any rate, I think I would still like to develop my activity despite political
uncertainty. What can I do?
Bank
Illustration
Note:
Financial terms often use set terms that you cannot change or use in other contexts even
though they use common words. If you are unsure of the specific meaning of the specific
term, try to determine which of the definitions of the word is being used in the phrase. Look at
the example of the word rate below. In this dialogue, the word rate occurs 4 times using 4
different meanings.
Term in text
At any rate
Rate of profits
Practice
5. Recourse is a type of legal proceeding that you can bring against a country when the
political environment affects your business.
True / False, If false, why?
6. A Premium Rate is the cost of an insurance policy.
True / False, If false, why?
7. A credit risk rating is a lenders estimate of the political stability of a country.
True / False, If false, why?
8. A person who has a patchy payment record pays all of their debts on time every
month.
True / False, If false, why?
Practice 2: Comprehension
TASK: Read each question. Refer to the dialog above in order to
find the correct answers.
1. Why has the client come to the bank?
2. Describe the difference between the two types of risk in the dialog.
3. What are the alternatives to protect yourself against country risk?
4. How do banks help clients to decide if they want to do business in a risky region of the
world?
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Practice 3: Situations
TASK: You are advising clients about the political risk of foreign
countries that can affect their international business
ventures. Look at the credit ratings below. Read each
situation and decide on what advice you will give to your
client about the prospects of conducting business in that
particular country and the precautions they should take to
protect themselves.
1. Togo C
A very uncertain political and economic outlook and a business environment with
many troublesome weaknesses can have a significant impact on corporate payment
behaviour. Corporate default probability is high.
2. Czech Republic A2
The political and economic situation is good. A basically stable and efficient business
Transfer
Task: Discuss the following questions with your instructor.
Can you give an example of political risk?
Why would you trade with an unstable country?
Explain where political uncertainty exists in the world today and how you think it
affects international trade?
Advanced level
Foreign exchange transactions
2901S
Objective
To be able to explain the fluctuation of currency markets and the risks involved in
Foreign exchange transactions.
Text
Foreign exchange transactions can be highly risky, and losses may occur in short periods of
time if there is an adverse movement of exchange rates. Exchange rates can be highly volatile
and are impacted by numerous economic, political and social factors, as well as supply and
demand and governmental intervention, control and adjustments. Before entering any foreign
exchange transaction, you should obtain advice from your own tax, financial, legal and other
advisors.
Types of Foreign Exchange Contracts:
Spot Contracts
A spot contract locks in the purchase and sale price of foreign exchange currency for
delivery and payment within two business days of signing the contract.
You can pay a foreign vendor, fund an overseas subsidiary, or make a loan payment.
On the revenue side, you can collect foreign currency receivable on your behalf and
convert it into U.S. dollars.
Forward Contracts
This contract can be for a fixed term, such as months, for a fixed delivery date or a
mix of the two.
In order to calculate a forward exchange rate the bank usually takes the current spot
rate and adjusts it with a forward margin rate.
Illustration
Useful Phrases
When discussing currency markets, a variety of words exist to
describe an increase or decrease in value. Study the chart
below.
Increase
shoot up
Decrease
move lower
regain
drop
boost
weaken
gain
decline
climb
tumble
strengthen
fall
rise
knock lower
up
down
Practice
3. to hedge
a. to change
b. to protect against
c. to allow
4. fixed term
a. two months
b. set time limit
c. unchangeable period
5. cash flow
a. available money
b. expenses
c. lost money
6. receivables
a. items to be delivered
b. items you can take possession of
c. items that can be converted
Practice 2: Comprehension
TASK
Answer the following questions according to the text above.
1. How does a spot contract protect the trader from sudden changes in the currency
market?
2. How does a forward contract protect the trader from sudden changes in the currency
market?
3. What is the main difference between the two types of foreign exchange contracts?
Transfer
TASK
Discuss the following questions with your instructor.
1. What can cause currencies to fluctuate?
2. Explain the recent movement of the dollar against the euro or other currencies around
the world.
3. How can you protect your currency exposure?
Telelangue / World Speaking - 2009