English for business life elementary

UNIT 1About you Some useful phrases Listen to the recording and repeat Hello, are you Tom Young?. UNIT 2About your job Some useful phrases Listen to the recording and repeat What do you

M

UNIT 26 Checking facilities and information 70

General note on contractions General note on capital letters in

This Self-study guide is part of the English fo r Business

Life business English course It follows the English for

Business Life syllabus and language program m e Each

level of the English fo r Business Life course has a

Self-study guide - this is the elem entary level

This Self-study guide can be used:

• as a stand alone self-study course

• in class to supplem ent English for Business Life

course work

• for hom ew ork

• as a key com ponent of the 'com prehensive' study

track (the English fo r Business Life course has three

study tracks: fast, standard and com prehensive)

• as practice m aterial for learners w ho are following

general English courses and need practice in

everyday business English

Each unit begins w ith a recorded sum m ary of useful

phrases and includes:

• clear study notes

• realistic practice exercises

At the back of the Guide are:

• an easy-to-follow language Reference Section

• a Glossary of key business-related term s

• clear answ ers and audio text to support the practice

exercises

The recorded m aterial is available on a CD w hich is

included w ith th e book The recordings include

standard accents and examples of people from different

parts of the world speaking English The com m on

contracted forms used in real business com m unication

(I'm, isn't, won't, etc.) are dem onstrated in the

exercises For details of the m ain contractions in this

Guide, see th e note on page 96

Recommended study procedure

• Listen to the Useful Phrases as often as possible and

repeat w here appropriate

• Work through th e Study Notes and refer to the Reference Section as indicated

• Note dow n words and phrases that are particularly useful to you

• Use a good dictionary to check the m eanings of unfam iliar words

• Work throu gh the exercises and then check the answ ers at the back of the book

Some study tips

• Approach language learning w ith the same level of

com m itm ent th at you w ould any other project in your work It can be useful to prepare a 'contract'

w ith yourself in which you agree to do a certain

am oun t of w ork on your English per day/w eek/

m onth

• In ou r view, 'little and often' is m ore effective than occasional long study sessions W hen you travel, take your Self-study guide w ith you You can work

w ith it at times th at suit you - for example, w hen you are in your car, at hom e or on a plane Journeys can provide a great opportunity for uninterrupted practice

• Use new language and phrases w henev er possible Live practice is the best way to learn new term s

• Keep a paper/electronic study file in w hich you note dow n the language most relevant to your everyday needs

• Relate the language presented and practised to your particular area of business If there are term s you need w hich are not included in the m aterial, do some research on the Internet, and consult English- speaking colleagues, friends and teachers

• M ake use of the English-speaking media - in particular, facilities on the Internet Listen to the radio and TV Read professional journals and newspapers Subscribe to an English magazine

w hich interests you from a w ork or leisure point of view'

4 Introduction

UNIT 1

About you

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

Hello, are you Tom Young?

Yes, I am No, I am (I'm) not.

Good morning, my name is Mary Segal.

Good morning Good afternoon.

Good evening, Mrs Segal.

I work for MAT.

I work in the finance department.

What do you do?

I'm an accountant.

an accountant an engineer

what is (What's) your first name?

What's your number?

It is (It's) 020259366

mobile number

Where are you from?

I'm from MAT in Hamburg.

Here is my card.

It's nice to meet you.

Pleased to meet you.

Study notes

H ello

We often use hi instead of hello in informal situations.

are you Tom Young?

See Reference Section 11.1 for subject pronouns (I, you etc.)

Listen to these pronouns and repeat

A re y ou .? Yes, I am

See Reference Section 1.1 for details of the verb to be.

My n a m e is

Notice these alternatives:

first name given name Christian name family name last name surname

G ood m orn in g, Mrs Segal.

Listen to these titles and repeat:

We use a!an before occupations See also Reference Section 9.1

rep

rep = representative

What's you r n um ber?

Listen to these num bers and repeat:

About you 5

Here's my card W hat do you do at the

International Credit Bank?

e.g Is she an & ■ & ?

a I work for a company

4 Read the text, th en complete th e exchanges.

Terry M aynard: 'M y nam e's Terry M aynard I

w ork for Fox Construction, Glasgow I'm in the IT departm ent I'm an IT manager My w ork nu m b er is

765 67 100.'

Lucy G om m e: 'I'm Lucy Gomme from Spar

Engineering, Chicago I'm an electrical engineer I

w ork in the m aintenance departm ent My num ber

is 34 67 22.'

e.g You: Is Terry M aynard an accountant?

a You: TM: No, she isn't She's from Spar Engineering,

Chicago

b You: Is your num ber 34 67 22?

LG: .

c You: TM: No, it isn't It's in Glasgow.

d You: Is Ms Gomme's first nam e Mary?

TM: .

e You: TM: No, I'm not I'm in the IT departm ent.

f You: Is Ms Gomme an electrical engineer? TM: .

g You: Are you from Fox Construction, Glasgow? LG: .

6 UNIT 1

UNIT 2

About your job

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

What do you do?

I work for an insurance company called Sarf.

a glass manufacturer a law firm

How do you spell Sarf?

How do you spell that?

S-A-R-F.

I am (I'm) on the sales side.

I work in the sales department.

I work in Sales.

I work in the European Sales Team.

I'm (the) assistant manager.

assistant deputy

I'm (the) deputy sales director.

Do you like your work?

Yes, I do No, I do not (don't).

Yes, I like it very much.

Study notes

W hat do you d o? / 1 w o r k for

These are examples of the Simple Present tense

See also Reference Section 2.1

Note the US and UI< pronunciation of z

UI< = zed; US = zee

I w ork in Sales.

You can say: I work in Sales

or I work in the sales department.

See Reference Section 9.2 for uses of the.

See also the notes on capital letters in business titles on page 96

I'm th e a ssista n t m anager.

You can say, e.g.: I am the assistant manager

or I am assistant manager.

I am the IT manager

or I am IT Manager.

See Reference Section 9.2 for uses of the.

See also the notes on capital letters in business titles on page 96

Yes, I lik e it very m u ch

Notice these object pronouns:

See also Reference Section 11.1

About your job 7

Listening for key information

1 Listen to the recording and fill in the gaps using the

words in the box

a

Cld'ttde-Dumas

Rhodes Associates

Ottawa g

head of the legal

h

Object pronouns: me, him, etc.

2 Fill in the gaps using object pronouns,

e.g I lik e !.T (my job) very m uch

a Do you k n o w (Mrs Levison, the

Assistant M anager)?

b You know your Chairm an, but does he know

?

c She lik e s (her colleagues) very m uch.

d I don 't k n o w (the Finance Director,

Mr Boyce) very well

e We do n 't know the new manager, and he doesn't

k n o w

f Does she lik e (your ideas)?

g I know her, but she doesn't k n o w

Use o f the a n d

-3 Fill in the gaps w ith the or -

a I am o n sales side

b They w ork i n Purchasing

c She i s deputy sales director.

d Do you work i n service departm ent?

e W ho i s finance director?

f Ivo and Maria w ork i n Europeansales team

g My boss is head o f IT division

h They w ork f o r insurance com pany

o n second floor

Spelling

4 Practise spelling the following,

a Your first name

b Your family nam e,

c The nam e of your town/city,

d The nam e of your company.

8 UNIT 2

UNIT 3

About where you work

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

Study notes

Where do you work?

I work in an office in the centre of town,

office factory warehouse building

What is (What's) the address?

97 Geneva Road.

it is (It's) near the station.

It's not far from the airport.

There are some good restaurants nearby.

restaurants cafes bars shops

There are not (aren't) any shops.

Do you have a cafeteria?

Do you have a car park?

We have an excellent cafeteria.

There is (There's) a car park in the basement

My office is on the first floor,

We must meet for lunch.

Good idea.

W hat is t h e address?

97 G eneva R oad.

Road has a capital letter R w hen it is used in a nam e.

Notice these abbreviations:

Road - Rd Street - St Avenue = Av.

Drive = Dr Square = Sq Place = PL

97 G en eva R oad

See Reference Section 20.1 for cardinal num bers: one, two,

three etc.

There are so m e g o o d restau ran ts nearby.

There aren't an y shops.

See Reference Sections 1.2 for there is! are, and 13.1 for some I any

Note th at some nouns are 'countable' - we can count them:

a shop, two shops, some shops.

Some nouns are 'unco u ntable' - we m easure them : some milk (not a milk), a litre of milk, two litres of milk (not some milks).

Notice the prepositions o n the first I second floor and on the ground

floor But in the basement.

UK English, ground floor = US English, first floor.

Saying what you do and where you work

1 Listen to the speaker and answ er the questions,

a W here does she work?

b W hat's the address?

c W hich floor is h er office on?

5 th

6th7th8th9th10th

d Do they have any w arehouses?

e Are there any cafes in M orton Street?

The verb to have

4 Write the correct form of to have in the gaps.

Yes, we do - it's on the seventh floor

a The b u ild in g ten floors.

No, it doesn't, i t nine

b W here do you m ake your products?

W e a factory near Naples

c (your h o te l) a car park?

No, it doesn't

d (th e y ) a w arehouse near the

airport?

Yes, they do

e The facto ry any cafes or

restaurants nearby

Yes, I know, b u t i t a goodcanteen

10 UNIT 3

5 Fill in the gaps in th e dialogue using words from the

box

A: We m ust m eet a lunch.

B: Good idea.

A: b do you work?

B: I work c an office d

the station

A: Are there e restaurants nearby?

B: No, there aren't, but there are f

good restaurants g Start Street And

we h an excellent canteen

A: W hat's the i ?

B: 69 Axel Road My office is j the

sixth floor

A: Do you have a car park?

B: Yes, its in the k

there is/are; some/any

6 Complete the examples using there is I are

an d/o r some!any.

- No, b u t m ineral water

a - Are th e r e shops near your office?

- Yes,

b - Do you have a car park?

- No, b u t a car park near thestation

c - Do you h a v e shops in thebuilding?

- Yes, on th e ground floor

d - Is t h e r e milk?

- Yes, it's in the fridge

e - .cafes or restaurants nearby

- Yes, that's true, b u t in HenrySquare

f - a translation unit in thebuilding?

- Yes, one in the basem ent

g - .good bars near here?

- N o ,

- in Oslo Street?

- No, b u t in Oslo Place

About where you work 11

UNIT 4

Your business activities

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

What does your company do?

We make parts for computers.

We are (We're) in the IT industry,

make parts export shoes

import cars sell insurance

We're in the insurance business.

What are you working on at the moment?

We're working on a new product.

We're developing a new management

information system.

We're building a factory in Thailand.

We're opening an office in Russia.

How is (How's) business?

Is business going well?

Yes, it is No, it is not (isn't).

We're making a lot of money.

Where are your main markets?

We do a lot of business in Western Europe

We do not (don't) do much business in the

Far East.

We do 90% of our business in South America.

Do you do much business in Eastern Europe?

Yes, quite a lot No, not much.

Study notes

m a k e p a r ts/d o a lo t o f b u sin ess

Make m eans to create or construct.

We make parts for computers.

Do is used to talk about activities, especially work:

We do a lot of business in Western Europe.

Note the expressions to make money and we are making a lot of money

See also Reference Section 18.1 for uses of make and do.

Notice these examples a lot of/lots of much and many.

A ffirm ative: We are making a lot of/lots of money.

They export a lot of/lots of shoes.

N egative: We aren't making much money.

They don't export many shoes.

Interrogative: Are you making much money?

Yes, (quite) a lot / Yes, a lot / No, not much.

Do they export many shoes?

Yes, (quite) a lot / Yes, a lot / No, not many.

See also Reference Section 13.3

Dialogue

1 Listen to the dialogue and fill in the gaps

A: W hat a d oer S d o ?

B: W e're b

We c program m es from the States and Japan A: W here d ?

B: About e .

our business is f

A: Do you do g ?

B: No, h

A: How are things going i ?

B: Very well W e're selling a new program m e for m anagers in medium-sized companies, and j

The Present Continuous vs the Simple Present

2 Choose the correct form of the verb

manager

ii We are having an excellent production manager

f i Business goes very well,

ii Business is going very well

ii I am liking my w ork very much

Questions

3 M atch the questions with the responses

Who do you work for?

W hat do you do?

i I work for a company called Nix

W hat does your com pany do?

□

i

ii We are building a new factory in

□

viii

□

□

□

□

□

□

W hat business are you in?

W here's your office?

W here are your m ain m arkets?

How m any people are there in your departm ent?

Do you have any factories in Eastern Europe?

g How m uch business do you do in the Far East?

W hat are you working on at the m om ent? How's business?

We do 90 per cent of our business in North America

Yes, we have one in Hungary and one

in Poland

inform ation system

□

□

□

m

□

□

n

□

□

Your business activities 13

Writing about your company

4 Read this statem ent, th en w rite a statem ent about

your com pany (or one you know )

‘Prada SA make satellite dishes.Their head office is in Paris,

but th e ir main factories are in IndiaThey are building a new

fa cto ry near Bombay at th e m om ent.They are developing a

n ew "m ini-dish".’

a lot of/m uch/m any; make/do

5 Complete these sentences with:

- a lot of, a lot, much, many

- the correct form of make or do

e.g - Are y o u any profit?

d W e parts for the car industry

e We h a v e custom ers in France

f - Are t h e r e hotels n ear you?

coffee - w ould you

Parts o f the world; percentages

6 Write sentences about your company, using the table as a guide

e g We; d? fo-hp.yt 3 5 7 ° P'W blASjw&SS

i.'H jrWe- F f tr f rx s f

per cent (10%)

East

(90%)

14 UNIT 4

UNIT 5 j p j

The location of your company

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

Where are your company's main offices?

Our head office is in Singapore.

Our engineers' offices are .

two kilometres away.

five kilometres west of the city.

ten kilometres to the south.

Do you have any distributors in Korea?

We have one in the south-west of the country.

Where are your production plants?

They are (They're) not far from Seoul.

Where are they exactly?

They're in Inchon.

It is (It's) a big city It's a small village.

Is it far from Pusan?

It's about 300 kilometres away.

It's about 300 kilometres from Pusan.

Study notes your com p any's m a in .

Our e n g in eers' o f f ic e s

Notice these examples of possessive nouns

See also Reference Section 10.4

m a in offices

Notice these regular plurals:

office —* offices kilometre —* kilometres

distributor —► distributors

See also Reference Section 10.1 for com m on exceptions

Our h ead o ffic e .

Listen to these possessive adjectives

Plural: our your their

See also Reference Section 11.2

i n th e so u th -w e s t o f th e country.

Notice these prepositions:

It is south of the city.

It is in the south o f the county.

See also Reference Section 20.12 for the points of the compass

Is it far fro m Pusan?

Notice the propositions:

They are not fa r from Seoul.

It is about 300 kilometres aw ay (from Pusan).

300 k ilo m e tr e s

300 three hundred 900 nine hundred

360 three hundred and sixty 920 nine hundred and twenty

See Reference Section 20.1 for m ore examples

The location of your company 15

Reading a map; compass points

1 Listen to the recording and m ark the places listed in

Box 1 on the map Then w rite sentences giving the

location of the places in Box 2

Box I

Box 2

Possessive adjectives and possessive nouns

2 Complete the sentences using the inform ation below

Com panyNon-ExecutiveDirectors

M anaging Director Secretary

Sales M anager Secretary

Tinto Inc Ray Bunghi Mai Nixon Wallace Bright Cathy Fongello

A nne Grundig Maria Cobb

A: W here's your a !*$■.)1S production?

B: It's in a b called Denia.

A: W here's c ? B: It's in Spain.

16 UNIT 5

A: But w here d ?

B: It's e a hundred kilom etres to the w'est of Valencia A: Is it f Madrid? B: Yes, Madrid is about 400 kilometres g , to the north-w est A: And how far is it from Marseilles? B: Oh, Marseilles is about 900 kilometres h

Writing about your company 4 Read the statem ent below, th en w rite about your com pany (or one you know) ‘I w o rk fo r a com pany called DFG Electronics It’s a small com pany w ith its main offices in Bristol Bristol is about 120 miles w est o f London O u r main sales office is in a place called Slough, a to w n about 20 miles w est o f London A hundred and th irty people w o rk fo r th e company: ninety men and fo rty w om an.’ Numbers 100-1000; plural nouns 5 Re-write the inform ation below using plural nouns e.g factory/730 &&&

f h ir t ^ ^c^tjrpr j& s

a salesperson/350 .

b bo ss/1 2 6

c branch/248 .

d shelf/580 .

e w om an/870 .

f m an/121

g radio/690

h co m p an y /9 1 6

i address/412

The location of your company 17

UNIT 6

The layout of your company

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

Can you sign in please?

This is your visitor's pass

The main building is that way.

This place is a warehouse.

The sales department is through those doors,

Where is (Where's) the service centre?

It is (It's) over there,

it's behind the main biock

It's next to the sales department.

The entrance is opposite the showroom.

How do I find it?

Go down here Drive up there

Walk along this road.

It's on the left,

road corridor

The toilet is that way

It's upstairs.

upstairs downstairs

It's the second door on the right.

Study notesThis is y o u r visitor's pass.

T he t o ile t is th a t w ay.

This I these are used w ith people or things that are near to

the speaker:

This is my boss It's up these stairs.

That!those are used w ith people or things th at are not near to

the speaker:

That woman is an accountant Production is in those buildings

See also Reference Section 12.1

to drive —► Drive down here.

You form the negative with do not:

(Do not) Don 'tgo that way.

[Do not) Don't drive this car.

See also Reference Section 5

18 UNIT 6

1 Listen to the recording and complete the key The

speakers are at the m ain gate

1

Demonstrative adjectives: th is/th a t etc.

2 Write this, that, these or those in the gaps.

e.g 'fh'fof building there is the conference centre.

a places on the left here are all

workshops

b I s path here the way to the m ain gate?

c Is the personnel section i n offices here?

d The accounts departm ent is th ro u g h

door over there

e W h a t's place here?

f room over there is my office.

g The paint shop is th ro u g h doors

A: It's the testing area

B: W here's c R&D section?

A: It's in the workshop and m aintenance

d

B: W here's e ?

A: It's f the adm in building

B: g do I find it?

A: Go h here, past the car park It's

the second building i the left The

j is opposite the main gate

Giving directions

4 Complete the exchanges You are at the Main gate Site plan

The layout of your company 19

a W here's the conference centre?

i f [s oy tk\£ WZXt £<? ,tk£

t&shWfyM.zA-b

It's opposite the m ain gate

c .

It's next to the w arehouse and stores building

d W here's the workshops and m aintenance block?

e W here's the car park?

5 Complete the examples.

a ^ Drive f f o n ? : t h e m ain gate

b - —>~ W alk here

c | G o this road

d | G o the end of the corridor

e I G o the stairs - d o n't use

f ,> • W a lk the lift and it's the

‘—' first door on your left

the lift and tu rn right

h - g W hen you g o the

building, you will see a sign in front

of you

Prepositions o f place

6 A m em ber of staff is showing two visitors round

PAX Ltd

i Read the text and fill in the prepositions.

ii Make a simple plan and w rite a text for a visitor

MG Main gate

T his is the custom er car park, and that's the show room over there This way please - we go

dow n here That building on the left, a

the m ain gate, is the w arehouse and stores Andthat's the staff car park b it

c front of us here is the paint shop.

And this, d the right, is the mainproduction building It's this way The entrance to the production building is there, on the right, and

that building e is the workshops and

m aintenance block We tu rn left here That place

f the m aintenance block is the testing

area The building on the left, g to the

paint shop, is the conference centre Here's the entrance There's a canteen upstairs Let's have some coffee.'

20 UNIT 6

UNIT 7

Meeting and welcoming

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

Good morning, my name is Bill Smith,

welcome to KPG.

I would (I'd) like to welcome you to KPG.

Good morning Good afternoon

Good evening

How was your trip?

trip journey flight

It was fine.

Oh, good.

It was terrible.

Oh, dear.

Was the plane on time?

were the arrangements OK?

Yes, they were No, they were not (weren't)

This is Fran Cotton, our PR Manager.

How do you do?

Pleased to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, too.

I am (I'm) from France I'm French.

I speak a little English.

I know a few words.

This phrase is used in formal introductions You can answer:

or Nice/glad/good/pleased to meet you (informal) Compare How do you do? w ith How are you?

How do you do?

How do you do? It's nice to meet you.

How are you?

I ’m fine, thanks How are you?

N ice to m e e t you , to o

= It is nice to meet you, too.

Notice the use of too:

I'm from France —►

I speak Spanish —♦

Note th at in the negative, we

I don't speak Chinese —►

I sp ea k a little English.

I k n o w a f e w w ords.

A little is used with things you can't count:

a little sugar a little coffee

A few is used w ith things you can count:

a few people a few shops

See also Reference Section 13.3

I ’m from France, too.

I speak Spanish, too

use either.

I don't speak Chinese either.

Meeting and welcoming 21

Greetings and introductions

1 Listen to the people m eeting If it is a greeting, tick /

'G reeting' If it is an introduction, tick /

'Introduction'

e.g - Hello, Maria How are you?

- Oh, hi I'm very well How are you?

Greeting

Introduction

/

Nationalities and languages

2 Fill in the gaps in this table Then w rite examples

Make sure you can say your n ationality and

United States j English

e.g .id f i t t e r Spe-MS ?ortiA<giA&£&

S k e ’s.rf r o VK BrfKifciL

a few/a little

3 Fill in the gaps w ith the words in the box

A rabic w ords cars in th e car park Chinese phrases

a She has a little She can pay.

b Yes, I'd like a cup o f please.

f It's nice to m eet you

8 How do you do?

i How do you do?

iii It's nice to m eet you, too

V Yes, a few

vi I'm fine, thanks

viii Yes, a little

Meeting an associate o ff a plane

5 Fill in the gaps in the dialogue, using the following

expressions

A: Hello, I'm Sandy Atar.

B: a BJ My nam e is Max Trompowski.

A: Nice to m eet you.

B: Nice to m eet you b

A: How was your c ?

B: It was d

A: Oh e Was the plane f

B: g

A: h the hotel arrangem ents OK?

B: No, I'm afraid i

A: Anyway, welcome j Brussels.

The Past tense o f to be: was/were

6 Read the sentences used on the mobile phone at the time Then change the sentences into w hat was said

in the office two days later

On a mobile phone at the time:

e.g Are you in New York?

a W here are you?

b How are your travel arrangem ents?

c Are you in your hotel?

d We are n 't in the hotel,

e We are in KPG's offices,

f They are interested in o u r proposals,

g But their purchasing m anager is concerned

about delivery times,

h Price isn't an issue.

In the office two days later,

f g h

Meeting and welcoming 23

UNIT 8

The first two minutes

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

How are you? How is the family?

Fine Not too bad.

We are (We're) (all) fine.

How is (How's) business?

Is it going well?

It is (It's) going very well.

is this your first visit to the States?

How do you like New York?

I really like it

it's very interesting.

How long are you here for?

I am (l'm) here for five days.

When are you leaving?

I hear you are (you're) leaving tomorrow

morning.

No, I'm leaving tomorrow evening,

w hat are you doing this afternoon?

I'm meeting our distributor.

Are you doing anything on Monday evening?

Yes, I am No, I'm not.

It's nice to talk to you.

It's nice to talk to you too.

Have a good stay.

Enjoy your stay.

Study notes

H ow lo n g are yo u h ere for?

- How long are you staying (here for)?

W hen are y ou leavin g?

Note that the Present C ontinuous tense is often used for the future

w hen the action is already planned

See Reference Section

2.2.-I hear yo u are lea vin g .

We often use I hear, I understand, I see w h en we already know

about a plan

7 hear Sara is leaving the company.

I understand we 're leaving at five o 'clock.

to m o r r o w m orn in g.

The parts of the day: morning, afternoon, evening, night.

Notice these expressions:

This afternoon Tonight Tomorrow morning Monday afternoon

on M on d ay ev e n in g

Listen to the days of the week Notice these com m on abbreviations

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

See Reference Section 20.7 for days of the week

24 UNIT 8

A chance m eeting in Japan

1 Listen to the dialogue Are the sentences below

[Tj or false [~Fl?

a The speakers w ork in the same team,

b The visitor likes Tokyo very m uch,

c He knows Tokyo well,

d He is in tow n for two days,

e He is leaving on Tuesday evening,

f The speakers are m eeting again tomorrow

Time references: parts o f the day

2 Write the correct prepositions in the gaps Note that

in some cases, no preposition is needed

e.g He is leaving M a d rid Tuesday m orning

a She is visiting h er d istrib u to r tom orrow

e The design team are w o rk in g tonight

-the deadline i s tom orrow m orning

f W e're m eeting a g a in the morning

g The custom er is collecting the sam p les

this evening

Days o f the week

3 Write these abbreviations in full

M on Fri

Tue Sat

Wed Sun

Thu

Present Continuous used for the future

4 Imagine a colleague is asking about your plans

Write answers to the questions, e.g W hat are you doing tom orrow ?X.W vjSi.tiHkg' 5pvH,e- C4AsfovK&rs

a W hat are you doing later today?

b Are you doing anything tom orrow m orning?

c W hat are you doing tom orrow afternoon?

d Are you doing anything the day after tom orrow ?

e W hat are you doing this w eekend?

f W hat are your plans for next week?

understand/hear/believe, etc.

5 Think of people you work with, and write

examples Use the table as a guide

you are leaving in the

I

you know m y boss / my

UNIT 9

Partings and thanks

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

Many thanks for your help.

Thank you for everything.

It is (It's) my pleasure Not at all.

No problem You are (You're) welcome.

Call me on Monday.

I will.

Do not (Don't) forget to send those figures.

I (will not) won't.

I will (I'll) email you next week.

I'll see you in the spring,

at Christmas in the New Year

We'll see you in February.

Give my regards to your MD.

Say'hello' to your wife.

I will.

You must visit us again soon.

And you must come and see us.

See you soon.

Study notes

Call m e o n M onday.

We use the im perative form in inform al requests

See Reference Section 5

Give my regards to

Send me an email/text message.

D o n o t fo rg e t to sen d th o s e figures.

Note the negative imperative

Don't worry - it's OK.

Don't tell John.

But be careful - the im perative in English can sound impolite

I w ill e m a il y o u n e x t w e e k

We use will for promises:

I'll see you soon.

I'll call you on Monday.

i n t h e spring.

The seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter.

Notice also these prepositions:

in the New Year during Ramadan

at Christmas at Carnival Time

at Easter at Chinese New Year

in January.

Listen to the m onths of the year Notice th e comm on abbreviations See Reference Section 20.7

You m u s t v isit us .W e use must in invitations.

See Reference Section 7.4

26 UNIT 9

Goodbyes and thanks

1 Listen to the dialogue and tick [ /] the examples

you hear

Will in promises

2 Make a dialogue from the sentences below Then, if

possible, practise the dialogue with a partner

give my regards to yourcolleagues

e.g

-_ yplA V ^.M

C ,M 1^5.

Prepositions: months and seasons

3 Fill in the gaps w ith a preposition, if necessary,e.g I'll ring y o u M arch

a I'll call y o u n ex t September

b Come and see u s Carnival time

c Your next visit will b e Ramadan

d You m ust visit u s the spring

e I'll see y o u Easter.

f I'll write to y o u March

g I'll see y o u the New Year

Imperatives

4 Sort out the jum bled sentences

e.g please/m e/tom orrow /call/m orning

(UKtt vk & fpiKorrow y^pr-ni'n^.

UNIT 10

Setting up a meeting

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

What is (What's) the date?

It is (It's) April the 25th.

Are you free today?

How about tomorrow?

Is the morning OK?

Can w e meet in the evening?

morning afternoon evening

Can you make Friday?

Can you make the meeting on Friday?

meeting appointment conference

Yes, I can No, I cannot (can't).

I am (l'm) afraid I can't make it.

I'm afraid I can't make the 26th.

I can't make it till the 27th.

I can't make it till 3.30 on the 27th.

OK, let us (let's) meet on the 27th.

I will (I'll) see you .

at four o'clock.

in the afternoon.

on Saturday.

on April the 27th.

That is (That's) fine.

See you then.

We often use the verb to make w ith arrangem ents:

I can make three o 'clock.

I can 7 make Friday.

Note th at w hen make has an object (the meeting, it, etc.), we use

a preposition:

I can make the meeting at three o 'clock.

She can't make it o n April the 25th.

See Reference Section 17.1 for prepositions of time

This is: half past three or three thirty.

See Reference Section 20.6 for telling th e time

let's .

We use let's in suggestions.

See Reference Section 18.3

28 UNIT 10

Two meetings

1 Listen to the p ho ne calls and complete the inform ation below

Call 1: Can Carla m ake it?

C a ll2: Can Mr Galis m ake it?.

The meeting is now at 1.30 on the 22nd in DHK's office in

Paris Hope you can make it.

I'm afraid I can't m ake it I have a m eeting in Paris in

the m orning But I'm free in th e afternoon.

Regards, Stella

Setting up a meeting 29

3 Put this dialogue in the correct order Then practise

it w ith a partner, if possible

Yes, that's fine

Are you free on

/ No, I'm sorry, I can't

y Can you m ake W ednesday?

Can you m ake three o'clock?

Good See you then

.C rte y*fSY& W&dw&sdixyr'?

Uo} X vK S o rr y jj T c & ti ! £

Dates and times

4 Write the following in figures

can/can't; use o f make in arrangements

5 Change the sentences as shown, e.g I can't m ake the 23rd

(lu n c h ) .Q - Q -.'W :./.'W.'HC-k o-n fke- 2 3 rd

a We can m ake eleven o'clock

(the meeting)

b Can he m ake W ednesday?

(the a p p o in tm e n t)

c She can't m ake June

(the sales conference)

d I can't m ake the morning.

(the a p p o in tm e n t)

e They can m ake tomorrow.

(the breakfast meeting)

f We can't m ake 4.30 tom orrow afternoon.(the sales m e e tin g )

g Can they m ake 20 ?

(the conference)

h He can m ake the 16th

(the three o'clock m e e tin g )

30 UNIT 10

UNIT 11

Confirming arrangements

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

I am (I'm) calling about our arrangement.

I'm calling to confirm Tuesday's meeting,

meeting arrangement plan

Can I check the day?

the place the details

Can I check the details?

Go ahead.

Is it at 9am or 9pm?

It is (It's) at 9am.

Is that right?

Yes, that is (that's) right.

Are you still OK for Monday?

We are (We're) meeting for lunch.

Is that still OK?

Do you know when it is (yet)?

Do you know where it is (yet)?

Do you know if you can make it (yet)?

Could you let me know?

Thanks for reminding me.

Study notes

I am callin g to con firm .

= I am calling in order to con firm.

Here, to - in order to.

Tuesday's m ee tin g

Compare:

Canyon come to the meeting on Tuesday?

Can you come to Tuesday's meeting?

Sec Reference Section 7.1

9am or 9pm ?

am - ante m eridien (Latin) = before 12.00/noon

pm - post m eridien (Latin) = after 12.00/noon.

A re yo u still OK for M onday?

D o y o u k n o w w h e n it is yet?

Yet norm ally stands at the end of the sentence

Still norm ally stands before the main verb [meet)

Are we still meeting for lunch?

But after the verb to be.

I am still on the phone.

See Reference Section 18.4

Do you know when it is?

Can you make it?

Do you know if you can make it?

See Reference Section 14

Confirming arrangements 31

Confirming time and place

1 Listen to the recording and complete an d /o r correct

Cft-H ^jp-U fe-M wte- wkere- f k e is?

C-ti-14 I cb&cjc wke-re ! r?^ .!.-??

a W hat tim e is it? (know)

b Is the m eeting going ahead? (tell)

c W hat day is it? (check)

d Is it on M onday or Tuesday? (knowr)

e W ho is coming? (tell)

f Is it in Room 407? (check)

g How m any people are coming? (know)

h Can you m ake it? (know)

Dialogue

3 Fill in the gaps in the dialogue using the w ords in the box

A: I'm calling to a this b

m anagem ent m eeting Can you c it?

B: I'm not sure Can I d the

e ?

A: Of course Go f

B: It's in g office Is that h ?

A: Yes, that's right

B: And it's at i ?

A: No, it isn't It's at eleven Is that j

OK?

B: I don't know at the m om ent.

A: Could you let m e k ?

B: Yes, of course.

still/yet

4 Write the questions using still or yet.

Tuesday's meeting, etc.

5 Fill in the gaps in the table, th en w rite examples of your own

The conversation yesterday

a .

The conference in July

The arrangem ents forSaturday

= d

= 2010's plans

to/in order to

6 Write examples, using the table Then, think of your work: w hat are you doing and why?

Confirming arrangements 33

UNIT 12

Changing plans

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

l am (I'm) afraid, w e will (we'll) have to .

change the room.

start earlier.

earlier later

Can w e change the time of the meeting?

Can we change it to next week?

this month next month

Why? What is (what's) the problem?

Why do you want to change it?

Because the conference room is booked,

Can we have the meeting in your office?

Why don't (do not) we meet in the afternoon?

Will the room be free by two o'clock?

I will (I'll) find out.

I cannot (can't) make it then.

I have to meet a client.

I will not (won't) be back by two.

Will you be back before six?

before six after seven

Yes, I will No, I won't.

OK, let us (let's) meet at 7.30.

Study notes

w e w ill h a v e to ch a n g e th e ro o m See Reference Section 3.4 for exam ples of the Future tense

w ith will.

ea rlier/la ter

These are com paratives forms:

early - earlier late - later

See Reference Section 15.2

W hy? B eca u se

Why - asking for th e reason.

Because-giving the reason.

W hy d o n 't w e .?

This is a way of m aking suggestions

Why don't we change the room?

I h a v e t o m e e t

Notice th at have+ infinitive (to meet) expresses obligation.

I have to work on Saturday morning.

I don't have to speak English in my job.

let's m e e t at 7.30.

This is a n o th e r w'ay of m aking suggestions

Let's change the time.

Let's change the room.

34 UNIT 12

b W hy are they m eeting after three o'clock

D ia lo g u e 2

c W hy will they have to change the tim e of

next m onth's finance m eeting?

i Because all th e m eeting rooms are booked.

ii Because the conference room w o n 't be

free till then

iii Because the sales director will be in

the States

iv Because six people are coming to the

meeting

have to

3 Write true sentences about you and your com pany

using have to.

e.g My secretary/speak English/in job

£ & c r e - _ f d o & s i A ’f kMe- f o spfi-flJC i_.sk m k & r^ J o b

a I/read French at work.

b My colleagues/write faxes in Arabic.

c My boss/use English on the phone.

d The sales reps/speak Russian with customers.

e I/w rite reports in English.

f My secretary/understand instructions in

Spanish

2 Write questions using the table Then answ er the

questions

e.g WiM ,yr01Ar b e - j i f i/yvrfc oia

SfofiArdtW t?

Changing plans 35

4 Fill in the gaps in the dialogue using the words and

phrases in the box

a fte r lunch back booked find o u t free

at six o'clock then th e problem w e ’ll / w h y d o n ’t w e

A: I'm afraid a we,££ have to change the time

of Tuesday's m eeting

B: Why, w hat's b ?

A: The conference room is c

B: Can we have the m eeting d in

the afternoon?

A: I'll be in Brussels e

B: Will you be back f ?

A: No, I w on't I w o n 't be g till

Questions and short answers

5 Write the questions Then w rite short answers

e.g You'll be back from lunch by 12.30

\AJi£f y o u b e Jbac-K £row, l u w a k b y 12.2.0?

y.fi-.-S; I wi 11 / N.°j X ’ t

a You'll be hom e by 5.00

d Your colleagues have to speak English on the phone

e Your assistant has to be in the office tomorrow.

f He can change the appointm ent to Friday

Suggestions

6 The meetings below have problems (a -f) Make

suggestions that will solve the problems

S u g g e stio n s Let’s W h y d o n ’t w e W e c o u ld

b You have to speak English in your job

c We can change the time to three o'clock.

36 UNIT 12

UNIT 13

Dealing with the

Listen to the recording and repeat

I am (I'm) calling about the meeting.

Could we postpone it?

I'm calling to ask if we could put it off

postpone put off

Why? What is (What's) the problem?

What's wrong?

There is (There's) a security alert.

The airport is closed.

There's a crash The motorway is blocked.

Our system is down We cannot (can't) access

the files.

Three members of the team are down with

a virus.

My plane is delayed.

I'm afraid I'm not going to make it.

I'm sorry to hear that.

When do you think you can deliver?

When do you think you can make it?

Could we postpone the meeting till Wednesday?

I think we have to cancel it.

I'm sorry about this.

That's OK Don't worry.

I can't make it either.

We have a problem too.

I will (i'll) call you when I get back to my office.

Could w e p o s t p o n e ?

Could is often used in requests.

See Reference Section 7.1

p u t it off.

Notice: put off - postpone

call off - cancel

You can say:

Could we put off the meeting?

or Could we put the meeting off?

or Could we put it off?

but not Could we put off it?

See Reference Section 7.1

I'm n o t goin g to m a k e it.

See Reference Section 3.3 for examples of going to + infinitive

(to make) used for the future.

I can't m a k e it either.

We h a v e a p ro b lem to o

either/too = this is also true for me

either:

I can't make it.

I can't make it either.

I don't like delays.

I don't like delays either.

too:

We have a problem.

We have a problem too.

I'm stuck in traffic.

I'm stuck in traffic too.

(Stuck is the past of stick - it is an irregular verb.)

See Reference Section 18.11 and 18.12

Deaiingwith the unexpected 37

Cancelling/postponing

1 Listen and m atch the arrangem ents w ith the

reasons for cancelling or postponing

iii illness (flu)

iv job not finished

too/either

2 Reply to the examples using too or either.

e.g W e're not ready

We- V e - n o f e - if k e - r

a I'm not well,

b I don 't like meetings,

c I have a cold,

d W e're very busy,

e I can't m ake M onday's m eeting,

f I have a virus,

g I w o n 't be back by Friday,

h That suits me.

call off/put Off

3 Rewrite these exam ples using put off or call off.

e.g Are you going to cancel the m eeting?

A re _fo_c.ciJ o-f-f f k e vueef m ^ ?

a Could we postpone it?

b I can't postpone Tuesday's appointm ent.

c He will have to cancel it.

d They can postpone it, if they w ant,

e You d o n 't have to cancel th e conference.

f Will they postpone the arrangem ent?

g She w o n 't postpone Friday's conference.

Dialogue: unexpected problem

4 Fill in th e gaps in the dialogue using the words and

A: I'm afraid I'm not e m ake it Two

m embers of my team are f w ith a virus

B: I'm g to hear that.

A: Thanks I'm calling to ask if we could

h it till next week

B: No problem W hen do you think you can

m ake it?

38 UNIT 13

A: i this time next week?

B: Yes, that's fine.

A: I'm j about this.

B: Don't worry Next week k me

i It is very hot in here

ii The JKW team are coming at 11.30

iv I'm stuck in traffic

V I can't see the screen

vii There are no taxis

Intentions and plans - going to

6 Write examples from your work

a Q u estion s

W hat are you going to do?

W hen are they going to deliver?

b S ta te m e n ts

I'm going to be away next week

Pedro is going to call you wTien he gets to the office

c N eg a tiv es

I'm afraid I'm n o t going to m ake the m eeting Eva isn't going to be back in the office till Tuesday

Dealing with the unexpected 39

UNIT 14

Explaining and apologising

Some useful phrases

Listen to the recording and repeat

lam (I'm) sorry

I'm late.

I forgot our appointment yesterday.

I missed the meeting.

I apologise for missing the meeting.

What happened?

I had to see a client.

I had to finish some work.

I had to take my wife to the doctor,

What is (What's) wrong with her?

She is not (isn't) well.

She has a cold.

cold cough sore throat

Did you miss the plane?

Did you have a problem with the train?

Did the meeting finish late?

Did you lose the address?

Yes, I did No, I did not (didn't).

I wanted to phone, but I didn't have your

number in my address book.

in my mobile in my address book

your number your contact details

Don't worry That is (That's) OK.

Study notes I fo rg o t our a p p o in t m e n t

Forget is an irregular verb - the Past tense is forgot.

See Reference Section 19 for a list of com m on irregular verbs,

e.g have —* had |

come —► came -:

take —► took $

I m isse d th e m ee tin g

Miss is a regular verb - th e Past tense is missed.

Most regular verbs take -d or -ed in th e Past tense, e.g want —► wanted

phone —► phoned

like —► liked

See also Reference Sections 2.1 and 2.5

I had to se e a clien t.

I h ad to fin ish so m e w ork

have + infinitive [to see I to finish) expresses obligation Had is the

Past tense

to ta k e m y w ife to th e doctor.

Some family m em bers:

husband/wife son/daughter father/mother uncle/aunt grandfather /grandmother

S h e h as a cold.

Some com m on ailments:

a cough/a cold a sore throat/a headache a virus/flu

Notice th at we say:

I have a cough/cold

but I have fin (not a flu)

11

Explanations and apologies

1 Listen to the conversations M ark the statem ents

true [T] or false [T]

She missed the m eeting because she

She forgot the conference call because

He didn't contact Mr Zarh because he

did you had

w anted

d idn’t happened missed /

A: I'm sorry, I a JUkiss^d th e m eeting.

A: Yes, I g I h to phone

you, but I i your n um ber in myaddress book

The Past tense

2 Fill in the gaps - affirmative (+) or negative (-)

e.g + The m eeting finished late

- T k e VK.e:e' f i.'Hg did-n ]f i.-w5k iVf'e-.

a + He lost the p h o ne num ber.

b +

c + They forgot th e meeting.

d +

e + He tried to call.

f +

- 1 didn't have to see a client,

g + We took a client to the airport.

Family members and common ailments

4 Write examples using the table

e.g M'g- k ^ s i m W k?LS a bcud yiriAs., I kad f o

t M Z hiY* fp f.h £ doc.for.

to the hospital

Explaining and apologising 41