This unit you will help you gain vocabulary and grammar structures that will help

you describe your future arranged plans. You will also be able to talk about the
steps you are taking these days to stay healthy.

Unit 4. On a business trip

4.1. Scheduled events and Future
plans
4.1.1. Present continuous:
Information questions
4.1.2. Hotel vocabulary
4.2. Health and illness
4.2.1. Types of illnesses
4.2.2. Cause and effect
 Take a look at this picture. Oh! What a busy Schedule!
Tomorrow
8:00 Coffee with Mr. Patrick
11:00 Staff meeting
12:30 Lunch with Mrs. Klein
. 14:00 Customer visit
16:00 Shopping for clothes
20:00 Travelling to Canada
for business

Answer the following questions:

1. What is she doing now?
2. What is she doing tomorrow at 8 o’clock?

There are several ways to talk about the future. Present continuous is used to talk
about actions in progress now, but also for plans that are already arranged or
organized (future plans). Besides, to talk about scheduled future events (schedules,
timetables or programs), we use the simple present.
Present continuous for the future

Subject + Be (not) + Base Form of

verb+ -ing
I am having lunch with Mrs. Klein tomorrow at 12:30.
Note: The future meaning with present continuous is usually indicated by time
expressions: this evening, tomorrow, next week/month/year, soon, or later.

Simple present for the future

Subject Base Form of verb

The meeting starts at 11:00.
Note: To talk about scheduled future events with simple present, we often
use verbs such as start, leave and end.

Use time expressions with present continuous to make your meaning clear
and avoid misunderstandings between now or future.

Question Be Subject Base form of Possible answers

word Verb + ing
What is Mary doing now?
What is she doing later?
Where is she travelling tomorrow?

Possible answers:
She is reading her schedule right now.
She is travelling to Canada tomorrow.

Business people usually prefer to stay in confortable hotels with business

facilities such as meeting spaces, study rooms with computers, photocopier and
printing machines.

What type of hotels do business people prefer?

Business Hotel, Residential Hotel, Resort Hotel, Spa Hotel,
Airport Hotel, Suite Hotel, Motel, Hostel, Timeshare, Vacation Rentals,
Convention hotel. Bed and Breakfast
 Which of the hotel facilities below are important to a business person?

Fast laundry Confortable beds A swimming pool Meeting rooms A business center
service

What are you doing these days to stay healthy?

I’m eating lots of fruit and We’re doing karate this semester. He’s playing basketball this year.
vegetables these days.

Notes:
 We can use the present continuous to talk about things happening around the current moment,
though maybe not at the precise moment of speaking.
 When you talk about temporary events, or situations that are taking place only for a limited period
of time, use the following time expressions: today, these days, this month, this semester, this week,
this year, etc.
 Don’t use the present continuous with frequency adverbs.
o Say: I usually eat vegetables. 
o Don’t say: I’m usually eating vegetables. 
 Don’t use the present continuous with the verbs: have, want, need, or like.
o Say: We like karate. 
o Don’t say: We’re liking karate. 

Do you have any of these health problems at the moment?

I have a toothache. You have a fever and a sore throat. She has allergies.

I’m getting a cold. You’re coughing a lot. She’s sneezing today.

Because and due to are sentence connectors that show cause and effect.
Connectors are words that help us connect other words, phrases or sentences
together.

Because
Cause: Lynn is a heavy smoker.
Effect: Lynn has breathing problems.

Because Lynn is a heavy smoker, she has breathing problems.

Cause: I eat too much junk food.

Effect: I’m gaining weight.

I’m gaining weight because I eat too much junk food.

Cause: She has a sore throat

Effect: The girl is crying.

The girl is crying because she has a sore throat.

Due to
Cause: Lack of exercise and poor eating habits.
Effect: I am not in a good physical condition.

I am not in a good physical condition due to lack of exercise and poor eating
habits.
 Cause: The proliferation of fast food restaurants.
Effect: many people are getting fat.

Due to the proliferation of fast food restaurants, many people are getting fat.
Basic

 Barrett, G. (2016). Perfect English grammar: the indispensable guide to

excellent writing and speaking. Berkeley, CA: Zephyros Press.

 Altenberg, E. and Vago, R. (2010). English grammar. Understanding the

basics. Cambridge University. Press.

 Kirn, E. and Jack, D. (2008). Interactions 1. A Communicative Grammar.

4th Edition. Maidenhead, England, U.K.: McGraw-Hill.

 Fuchs, M., Bonner, M. & Westheimer, M. (2012) Focus on Grammar. 4th

Edition.Pearson Education ELT.

 Scrivener, J. (2010). Teaching English Grammar: What to Teach and how to

Teach it. Oxford: Macmillan Education.

 McCarthy, M. &McCarten, J. (2014). Touchstone 1. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

Complementary

 Richards, J & Hull, J. (2012). Interchange 1. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

 Learn English | British Council. (2017). English Grammar. [online] Available

at: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar [Accessed 24
May 2017].

 Linguapress.com. (2017). English Grammar. [online] Available at:

http://linguapress.com/grammar/index.htm [Accessed 24 May 2017].

 Images source: https://pixabay.com/ CC Public Domain.

 Videos source: https://videos.pexels.com/. CC Public Domain.