Business grammar and practice A2 B1 Collins

Sách ngữ pháp và cấu trúc cho ngành kinh doanh trình độ cơ bản Sách ngữ pháp và cấu trúc cho ngành kinh doanh trình độ cơ bản Sách ngữ pháp và cấu trúc cho ngành kinh doanh trình độ cơ bản Sách ngữ pháp và cấu trúc cho ngành kinh doanh trình độ cơ bản

U nit 2 Be (2) was/were/have been 4

Verbs - Main Tenses

Unit 3 The Present C ontinuous Positive I am working 6

Unit 4 The Present C ontinuous Negative I am not working 8

Unit 5 The Present C ontinuous Question Are you working? 10

Unit 6 The Present Sim ple Positive I work 12

Unit 7 The Present S im ple Negative I d on’t work 14

Unit 8 The Present Sim ple Question Do you work? 16

Unit 9 The Present C ontinuous vs The Present S im ple I am w o rkin g /l work 18

Unit 10 Positive and Negative Im peratives Work D on’t work 20

U nit 11 The Past Sim ple Positive I worked 22

Unit 12 The Past S im ple Negative I didn't work

24-Unit 13 The Past S im ple Question Did you work? 26

Unit 14 The Past C ontinuous I was working 28

Unit 15 The Present P erfect S im ple I have worked 30

Unit 16 The P resent P erfect C ontinuous I have been working 32

Unit 17 The P resent P erfect w ith For, Since, Ever and Never I have worked for/since 34

Unit 18 The Past S im ple vs The Present P erfect S im ple I w orked/l have worked 36

Unit 19 The Past P erfect I had worked 38

Unit 20 The P resent Tenses and The Past Tenses I work, I am working, I worked, I have worked 40

Unit 21 The Future w ith W ill and S hall I w ill/s h a ll work 42

U nit 22 The Future w ith Going To vs Present C ontinuous I am going to w o rk/l am working 44

U nit 23 The Future w ith W ill vs Going To vs Present C ontinuous

U nit 24 C onditional I If I work, I w i l l 48

U nit 25 C onditional II If I worked, I w o u ld 50

Verbs - Other Forms

U nit 28 Infinitive + To to make 56

U nit 29 Verb .ing m aking 58

U nit 30 Infinitive + To o r Verb .ing to make o r m aking 60

Verbs - Auxiliaries and Modals

U nit 32 W ill and W ould w ill/w o u ld work 64

U nit 33 May and M ight m ay/m ight work 66

U nit 34 Can and Could can/could work 68

Unit 35 Must, Have To and Have Got To must/have to/have got to w ork 70

U nit 36 M u stn ’t, N eedn't, Don’t Have To and Haven’t Got To m u s tn ’t/ne e dn ’t w ork 72

U nit 37 Should and Ought To should/ought to work 74

Verbs - Voice

Unit 41 Active vs Passive I m a ke /lt is made 82

Verbs - Other

Unit 42 It Is/They Are vs There Is/There Are 84

Unit 44 Get and Have Got 88

U nit 49 Verb + Preposition 98

U nit 50 Verb + Adverb (P hrasal Verb) 100

Sentence and Clause Types

U nit 51 Positive S tatem ents I work fo r ITCorp 102

U nit 52 Negative S tatem ents I don't w ork fo r ITCorp 104

U nit 53 Questions: Yes/No Do you work? 106

U nit 54- Q uestions: W h - Where do you w ork? 108

U nit 55 Q uestions: How How long have you worked? 110

U nit 56 C om m ands - Positive and Negative Make it/D o n't make it 112

U nit 57 Sentence Types: Sim ple vs Com plex I work fo r ITCorp and I live near the factory 114

U nit 58 Subordinate Clauses If I work, I w it l 116

U nit 59 Relative Clauses w ith Who and W hich I work fo ra boss who 118

U nit 60 Clauses of Cause o r Reason w ith Because I work because 120

Nouns

Unit 61 S in g u la r and P lu ra l Nouns machine, machines 122

U nit 62 Countable and U ncountable Nouns machine, m achinery 124

Unit 63 Noun Com pounds company personnel 126

Unit 64 Genitive Form s the company's, o f the company 128

Adjectives and Adverbs

Unit 65 Adjectives vs Adverbs quick/quickty 130

Unit 66 C om parison of Adjectives quick, quicker, quickest 132

Unit 68 Expressions of Frequency always, never, etc 136

Unit 69 Degree w ith Very, Too and Enough very/too quick 138

Unit 70 A lready Yet, Again and S till I have already done it 140

D eterm iners

U nit 71 A rtic le s the company, a company 142

U nit 72 P ersonal Pronouns I, me, you, he, him, etc 144

U nit 73 Possessive and Reflexive Pronouns m y/your/his/our company 146

U nit 74 D em onstratives this/th a t company 148

U nit 75 Some and Any som e/any products 150

U nit 76 Some, Any and Related Words someone, somewhere, etc 152

U nit 77 Q uantifiers (1) all/several/a lot o f products 154

U nit 78 Q uantifiers (2) m any/[aj few details, m u ch /lal little inform ation 156

U nit 79 Q uantifiers (3) each/every company 158

Prepositions

U nit 82 Place (1) at, to, from, in, into, out of, on 164

U nit 83 Place (2) above, below, etc 166

U nit 84 Like, As, The Same As and D ifferent From 168

Business Files

2 C ountries and C urrencies 171

3 Business A bbreviations and S hort Form s 172

4 B ritis h English vs A m erican English 173

5 N um bers, Dates and Tim es 174

Answer Key

Index

176

201

Targets and objectives

Business Grammar & Practice: Pre-Intermediate is fo r pre-interm ediate to interm ediate speakers

of English who need to m aster the type of English used in professional situations W hether you are studying to enter the workplace or already using English at work, accurate use of English gram m ar

w ill make you a more effective communicator If you feel you already know the core gram m ar for business English, the Intermediate book in this series w ill take you through more complex grammar

To ensure that the language you learn is relevant fo r the workplace, the book uses example

sentences from the Collins corpus This is a constantly updated database of English language from a range of print and spoken sources You can therefore be sure that any example used is an authentic use of English in a business context

Business Grammar & Practice: Pre-Intermediate can be used together with any business English

course book to provide more detailed explanations and supplem entary exercises in the gram m ar of business English It is suitable fo r both classroom and self-study use

Organisation of material

There are 84- units and 6 Business Files

Each unit consists of:

1 Language presentation through:

• sample sentences to show the language form s in use;

• an explanation of the language form s;

• a description of the uses of these forms

2 Practice through:

• controlled exercises to develop recognition of the language form s (Exercise 1);

• controlled exercises to practise combining language form and language use (Exercise 2);

• controlled or guided exercises focusing on language form and meaning (Exercise 3);

• transfer activities to practise transferring the language presented in the unit to the student’s own personal and professional experience

3 Answers to the controlled and guided exercises

You should w ork through the presentation by:

• reading through the sample sentences and noting the use of the language form s (Section A);

• studying the language form s presented (Section B);

• studying the uses of these form s (Section C)

Next you should move on to the practice exercises There are three types of exercises: controlled, guided and transfer

Before you start an exercise:

• make sure you clearly understand the task;

• look at any examples that have been given;

• refer back to the language form s and uses, if necessary

A fter you have finished a controlled or guided exercise, check your answer with the key at the back

of the book

Controlled exercises have only one possible solution; guided exercises have a model or suggested

answer marked (M) If your answers to a controlled exercise are wrong, look again at sections B and

C If your answers to a guided exercise are different from those suggested, check if your answers are possible alternatives

Finally, a few words about the transfer activities: the reason for including these is that they act as

a bridge to your w orld by providing an opportunity to transfer to your own personal situation the language presented and practised in the previous exercises

Key Grammatical Concepts

It is im portant to know the names of the main gram m atical term s and form s in order to use thisbook It is also im portant to think about the corresponding form s in your own language In thefollowing section, you can find out inform ation about the gram m atical term s you w ill need to know

Grammatical Terms

Active [see also Passive and Voice)

A verb or verb phrase which has the person or thing

doing the action as its subject, e.g The government

increased taxes.

Adjective

An adjective gives more information about a noun,

e.g a successful company, huge profits An adjective

can also be used after the verb be, e.g the company

is successful, profits are huge.

Adverb

An adverb gives more information about a verb,

e.g The company grew guicklv.

Article

The words the or a/an which are used before a noun,

e.g the manager, a desk, or the zero article e.g

subsidiaries

Auxiliary verb

The verbs be, have and do when they are used with

other verbs:

- continuous verbs (be), e.g Sales are increasing.

- passive verbs (be), e.g The factory was sold

last year.

- the p erfect (have and had), e.g We have

already placed an order.

- negative and interrogative verbs (do], e.g We

d on’t agree with the plan What do you think?

Cardinal num ber (see also Ordinal number)

The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.

Clause

A group of words containing a minimum of a subject

and verb, e.g I wrote the report.

Command

A command tells someone to do something,

e.g Prepare the report Call the supplier.

Comparative (see Comparison of adjectives)

Comparison of adjectives

The three forms of an adjective, i.e high - higher

(comparative) - highest (superlative), or expensive -

more expensive - most expensive

Conjunction

A word which links words, phrases or clauses, e.g

but, and, because.

Countable noun (see Noun)

Definite article (see Article)

Definite frequency

A phrase that tells us exactly how often something

happens in a period of time, e.g everyday, twice a year.

Dem onstrative

The words this, that, these and those when they are

used in a noun phrase, e.g This email is from James.

The mistake was discovered by the accountant.

Expression (see also Clause and Sentence)

A group of words, e.g last week, in the company.

Future

The time that happens after now or one of the grammar forms that expresses the time after now,

e.g We are going to buy the company I am leaving

tomorrow morning The meeting starts at 9 o’clock.

Genitive

A noun written with an apostrophe which shows

possession or a sim ilar relationship, e.g the

managers decision, last year's results, the countries’ economies.

G ram m ar

Grammar describes the forms of words, e.g sell,

sells, or selling It also determines the way words

can be combined to make phrases, e.g is selling-,

must have sold-, employment agency, and the way

words can be arranged into larger units of meaning,

e.g The store has sold all its stock.

Im perative

The verb form when you are telling someone to do

something, e.g Prepare the report Call the supplier.

Indefinite article (see Article) Indefinite frequency (see also Definite frequency)

An expression showing approximately how often

something happens, e.g always, often, sometimes,

rarely, never etc.

Intransitive verb (See also Transitive verb)

A verb which cannot take a direct object, e.g Costs

rose by 5 per cent last year.

Irreg u la r verb

A verb that does not form the past tense and

the past participle by adding -ed, e.g

come - came - come, buy - bought - bought.

Main clause (see also Subordinate clause)

A group of words with a subject and a verb which can

be a sentence, e.g We sold the company.

Main verb

A verb which is neither a modal nor an auxiliary

verb Be, have and do can be main verbs or auxiliary

verbs depending on their use

Modal verb

These verbs and their negative forms are modals:

will, can, shall, may, must, would, could, should, might

P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

A word that names persons, places or things,

e.g manager, factory, computer.

A countable noun is a noun with a singular and

plural form, e.g a machine, 20 machines.

An uncountable noun is a noun that does not

have a plural and you cannot put a or an before it,

e.g information, equipment.

A noun compound is a group of words with two or

more nouns, e.g sates director.

A noun phrase is phrase with a noun as the main

word, e.g a very good manager.

Object

A noun or noun phrase that is used after a transitive

verb, e.g We played golf.

Ordinal num ber

The numbers 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th etc

Passive (see also Active and Voice)

A passive construction contains a verb or verb

phrase in the form be + past participle, where the

doer of the action is expressed as the agent rather

than the subject, e.g Taxes were increased by the

last government (passive] versus The last government

increased taxes (active).

Perfect (aspect)

A verb construction in the form has/have + past

participle which puts the action or event in a

different time from the time of speaking or writing

The present perfect shows that the action has been

completed by the time of speaking or writing, e.g We

have already seen the report.

The past perfect shows that an action has been

completed by an earlier point of time, e.g We had

already seen the report.

Phrasal verb

A verb phrase that consists of a verb + adverb, e.g

to look up a word (in a dictionary).

Phrase

A group of words, but less than a clause, i.e not

containing a subject and verb

Plural (see also Singular)

A form of a noun, pronoun or verb which shows that

there are more than one, e.g companies, they, profits

are increasing.

Preposition

A word that is used before a noun and shows us

something about time, e.g in the morning, at 7 o’clock,

place, e.g on the desk, or manner, e.g by_ car.

Pronoun

A word that takes the place of a noun or noun

phrase, e.g she, my, this, who.

Quantifier

A word which describes quantity, e.g all, many,

some, few, no.

Question tag

A short question which makes statement into a

question, e.g We sent the goods last week, didn’t we?

Relative clause

A clause beginning with a relative pronoun such as

who, whose, which, that or a relative adverb such as when, where, why.

Sentence

A group of words with a subject and a verb between

two full stops, e.g My name is Paul I come from

Singular (see also Plural)

A form of a noun, pronoun or verb which shows that

there is only one, e.g company, I, she lives in York.

Subordinate clause (see also Main clause)

A group of words with a subject and verb which is not a sentence because it needs a main clause to be

complete, e.g He worked for ITCorp before he joined

MeoaTech.

Subordinating conjunction

A word which introduces a subordinate clause, e.g

because, although, if, who.

Superlative (see Comparison of adjectives) Tense

The grammatical form of a verb which shows the time of the action, e.g present or past

Tim e m arker

A phrase which shows when something happens,

e.g last year, at the moment, next week.

Transitive verb (see also Intransitive verb)

A main verb which takes a direct object, e.g We

played golf last week.

Uncountable noun (see Noun) Verb .ing

The verb form infinitive + ing, e.g helping.

UNIT Be(1)

See also

A Sam ple sentences

A: W here are you from ?

B: 1 am from Asciano And my colleagues are from Pisa.

A: I’m sorry W here is Asciano?

B: It is in Tuscany It’s near Siena.

B Form

The present tense of to be has three form s:

the positive, the negative and the question

Positive form

you are you’re

he/she/it is he's/she's/it’s

the manager is the manager's

the company is the company’s

we are we're

they are they're

the managers are the managers're

the companies are the companies're

Note

The firs t seven s h o rt fo rm s are used in spoken o r in fo rm a l w ritte n English;

the last tw o (the m a n a g e rs're etc.) are used in spoken language only

Negative form

you/we/they are not

he/she/it is not

the manager/the company is not

the managers/the companies are not

Question form

are you/we/they?

is he/she/it?

is the manager/the company?

are the managers/the companies?

The negative s h o rt fo rm s are:

I'm not, you aren't, he isn't, she isn't, it isn't, we aren't, they aren't

C Uses

Look at these sentences w ith the verb to be in d ifferent form s:

A

A

A

A:

Are you fro m New York?

Excuse me Is your name B illy Ray?

Am I in the rig h t place? Is th is the room fo r the

sales m eeting?

W here are the m ain m arkets fo r your products?

No, I’m fro m Boston

No, it is n ’t I’m M illie Ray

Yes, it is

B: They are in the US and Asia

P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

In the dialogue betow, Peter Hay is talking to Jane Field and A rnold Weiss at a trade fair Put the

verb form s in sentences 1-14 into the correct box The firs t one is done fo r you.

Present positive Present negative Present question

1

PH: Hello, I’m P eter Hay (1) W here are you from ? (2)

JF: W e’re fro m Seattle in the USA (3)

PH: Oh, are you A m erican? (4)

JF: I am (5) But A rnold is n ’t (6)

a w^ r m fro m A ustria (7) But w e ’re fro m the sam e company, In te r Corp (8)

PH: Oh, yes, In te r Corp W hat are your nam es? (9)

JF: My nam e's Jane Field (10) This is A rnold Weiss (11)

PH: Pleased to m eet you Are you in banking? (12)

AW : No, w e ’re not (13) W e’re in insurance (14)

Exercise 2

Complete the spaces Use sh o rt form s where possible.

1 This is Dave King He's an engineer.

2 My name s Pierre Lapin _ a

Sales Manager.

3 Mary and Hans are from m y department

com puter program m ers.

U This is Naom i Cox _

a research scientist.

5 Hello My n a m e Franz Johann

and th is Tomas Doll.

Complete the following text about Axdal Electronics Use a form o f be.

Axdal leads the way

Axdal Electronics is a w orld leader in control systems W e _ suppliers to the car

industry Car m a n u fa c tu re rs _ our only customers We also suppliers to

o ther industries A E _ an international company Our c u s to m e rs in the USA,

Japan and Europe Our Chief Executive _ Paul Axdal ‘W e a fam ily company

and business _ very good’, says Paul.

UNIT Be (2)

See also

Unit 1 B e lli

A Sam ple sentences

A: Hello Raj W here w ere you yesterday? A: I haven't seen you a ll w eek!

B: I w asn't in my office I was at a m eeting B: I know I have been very busy.

B Form

The verb to be has three m ain tenses: the present (see U nit 1), the past and the present perfect

Look at the positive fo rm s in the past and the present perfect

Past Present perfect

Subject Verb Subject Verb Short form

the managers w ere the managers have been the managers've been (spoken only]the companies w ere the companies have been the companies’ve been (spoken only)

In the negative we use not:

Past

I w as not in the office yesterday.

You w ere n o fw ith a custom er yesterday.

Present perfect

They have not been here today.

I haven't been to Spain.

The negative sh o rt fo rm s are:

I wasn't, you w eren ’t, h e /s h e /it wasn't, we w eren ’t, they w ere n ’t I haven't been,

you haven’t been, h e /s h e /it hasn't been, we haven’t been, they haven’t been

N ow look at these question form s:

Past

W here w ere you yesterday?

Was M r Brown w ith you?

Present perfect

Have you been to Sw itzerland?

Has he been w ith a client?

C Uses

Look at these sentences w ith the verb to be in diffe re n t tenses and d iffe re n t form s:

A: W here w ere you yesterday? You w ere n 't in your office, (past question and negative) B: 1 was in Bolton, (past positive)

A: Why w ere you in Bolton? (past question)

B: 1 was w ith a client, (past positive)

Ct I'm sorry Bolton? W here is Bolton? (present positive and question)

A: It is in the north of England, n ear Manchester In the past it was a fam ous textile centre.

(present positive and past positive)

C; 1 haven't been to Manchester But I've been to Liverpool.

(present perfect negative and positive)

B: 1 w as in Liverpool last w eek W hen w ere you there? (past positive and question)

C; 1 w as there in January, (past positive)

P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

In the dialogue below, Henry Leer and Joe Fisher are in a hotel b a r in Am sterdam Put the verb

form s in sentences 1-10 into the correct box.

HL: Have you been to A m sterda m before? (1)

JF: Yes, I’ve been here on business (2) I was at the Telecom m unications Fair in June

Were you here then? (4)

HL: No, I w a s n ’t (5) I haven’t been here before (6) We w ere on holiday in June (7)

JF: Where?

HL: Mexico Have you been there? (8)

JF: Yes, I’ve been to Mexico (9) I was there in March (10)

Delco Ltd.

16-20 East Mount Road, Lincoln LN3 5RT

6 November

Dear Mary, Last week Tom and P aula here for a meeting I t very useful T h e y _

here for two days W e to Oslo in the last few days W e there for a meeting with our Norwegian colleagues Arne Sillessen very interested in our ideas Until now, I

happy with the project Now I am very optimistic.

See you next week.

Complete the le tte r below with words

from the box.

From: ipcs3@cc.uat.es

Sent: Mon 28 November 15:40

Subject: Short Bros

Dear Frances,

I am sorry I _ (not) at the meeting yesterday I _ (not) in the office

this week Tom and I in London W e _at a Sales Conference I _

very busy recently. Short Brothers happy with the contract? _they

Write a sh ort paragraph about y o urself and a local industry o r institution Use past tense and

present perfect form s of be.

5

Be The present continuous negative The present continuous question The present continuous vs the present simple

A Sam ple sentences

• At the m om ent 70% of consumers are using the In tern et to buy things.

• Prasad is currently preparing a business plan.

• At present I am eating my lunch.

B Form

The present continuous positive has tw o parts:

the present tense of to be + infinitive .ing

he/she/it is calling he's/she's/it’s calling

the company/the departm ent (= it) is preparing the company's preparing

you are looking you're looking

they are visiting they're visiting

the companies/the departments

(= they)

are doing the companies're doing

(spoken only)the managers/the workers

W e're planning a new product for this year, (spoken and w ritte n )

At the m om ent the company's doing very w e ll, (spoken)

C Uses

We use the present continuous to ta lk about:

1 a ctivitie s at o r around the tim e of speaking:

They are building two nuclear pow er stations.

2 te m p o ra ry activities in the present:

Bella, w hat are you doing? I'm reading a report.

Note

W ith C1 and 2, we can use the fo llo w in g expressions:

at the/this m om ent currently at present now

but not

actually

P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

Look at the em ail below Underline five present continuous forms.

Exercise 2

Here is p a rt o f a telephone conversation Complete the spaces with the correct form o f the word in

brackets Use sh o rt forms, where possible.

DL: Hello, Peter Listen, I ‘m reading Ire a d ly o u r report There’s a problem on page 50.

DL: It says w e (invest] $250,000 in research That's wrong I t ’s $25,000,

not $250,000.

PT: Okay I ’ll change that.

DL: Right Remember, y o u (meet] M r Lally and his colleagues today.

PT: Yes, I know They (come] here at 2.30.

DL: Fine Good luck See you tomorrow, then.

Exercise 3

Look at the graph below It shows total company sales and sales fo r two products, A and B

Write fo u r sentences Use the prom pts below.

1 Total sales (go up).

Write fo u r sentences about you, yo ur friends o ra local business o r institution Include phrases

from the box.

7

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UNIT The Present Continuous Negative

See also

Units 1,2 Unit 3 Unit 5 Unit 9

Be

The present continuous positive The present continuous question The present continuous vs the present simple

A Sam ple sentences

• I am not working at the m om ent; I am looking fo r a job.

• The company is not growing quickly enough.

• M anagers are not dealing w ith the issue at the mom ent.

B Form

The present continuous negative has three parts:

the present tense of to be + n o t + in fin itive ing

I am not presenting I'm not presenting

you are not making you're not or you a ren ’t makinghe/she/it is not calling he's not/she’s not/it's not calling

or he isn't/she isn't/it isn't callingthe organisation (= it] is not preparing the organisation isn't preparingthe director (= he/she) is not reading the director isn't reading

we are not meeting w e're not or we aren't meetingyou are not looking you’re not or you aren't lookingthey are not visiting they're not or they a ren ’t visitingthe teams l= they] are not doing the teams aren't doing

the employees (= they) are not discussing the employees a ren ’t discussing

C Uses

We use the present continuous to ta lk about:

1 activitie s at o r around the tim e of speaking:

The company is not/The company isn't investing enough to improve its netw ork.

2 te m p o ra ry activities in the present:

We are not starting/W e aren 't starting the m eeting yet because John isn't here.

P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

Look at the text below Underline four present continuous negatives.

We are not increasing our prices th is year The m arket is not strong enough We are

launching new products f o r th e domestic market M ost o f our products are selling well a t

home A t present, we are not planning any new products f o r export Sales are not

increasing in our e xp o rt markets The company is not expecting improved sales th is year.

Exercise 2

Write sentences with a present continuous negative Use short form s, where possible.

1 I/not visit/a c u s to m e r/in Rome

I'm not visiting a custom er in Rome.

2 W e/not spend/m uch tim e /in Milan

3 The com pany/not look a t/n e w m a rke ts in southern Europe

4 At the m o m e n t m any co m p an ie s/no t invest/in new products

5 O ur m a rke tin g e xp e rts/n ot ch a n g e /o u r present sales strategy

6 You/not stay/in a hotel

Exercise 3

Make negative o r positive sentences fo r pictures 1-4 below Use the words in brackets.

(this year/the com pany/do w e ll in the USA) (at p re sen t/w e/p re sen t a good im age

Transfer

Write six sentences about yo u r current activities Use the present continuous tense, with some positive and some negative sentences.

UNIT The Present Continuous Question

Be

The present continuous positive The present continuous negative The present continuous vs the present simple Questions

A Sam ple sentences

Yoshie: Henry, w hat are you doing?

Henry: I'm checking the figures There is a m istake here W hat is Janet doing Yoshie: She is calling a taxi fo r you Are you leaving now? Henry: Yes, but Janet is staying.

B Form

The present continuous question has tw o parts:

the present tense of to be + in fin itive ing

We put the subject between part 1 and part 2:

( i g i Subject

am i presenting?

are you making?

is he/she/it calling?

is the computer (= it) analysing?

is the consultant (= he/she) reading?

are we meeting?

are you looking?

are they visiting?

are the specialists (= they) doing?

are the machines (= they) preparing?

C Uses

We use the present continuous question to ask about:

1. activitie s at o r around the tim e of speaking:

A: Why is he leaving the building?

B: Because he is going to a m eeting.

2. te m p o ra ry activities in the present:

A: W hat are you w orking on?

B: At the m om ent w e are developing new processes to speed up production.

P re -In te rm e d ia te B usiness G ra m m a r

Underline the mistakes in the following sentences Then correct them.

1 Is you w o rkin g very hard? Are you w orking very hard?

2 At the m o m e n t they w o rk in g w ith Poland?

3 Is Leo and Sam planning the conference together?

4 W hat you th in k about?

5 Is raining in Bangkok?

Exercise 2

Make questions to complete the dialogue below Use the words in brackets.

1 W hat's M ary doing

(Kim and J a m e s/co m e /to the m eeting?)

? She’s telephoning S ignor Fini

.? To invite him to the m eeting on Friday

.? To ta lk about the La Paz report

.? Yes, I’ m s till w o rk in g on it

.? No, I’m doing it alone

.? No, they aren't

Exercise 3

Make questions fo r the pictures 1-4 Use the words in brackets.

1 (w h y/co m p ute r/no t w ork) 3 (w hy/birds/die

UNIT The Present Simple Positive

6

A Sam ple sentences

• We always investigate a job applicant's background.

• The m anager norm ally has to tal responsibility fo r this process.

• Many people say they never eat breakfast.

the company/the department (= it) prepares

the manager/the boss (= he/she) reads

the companies/the departments (= they) do

the managers/the workers (= they) discuss

2 . how often an activity is done:

We usually m eet twice a year.

I play golf every w eek.

See also

Unit 7 The present simple negative Unit 8 The present simple question Unit 9 The present continuous vs the present simple

12 ! P re -In te rm e d ia te B usiness G ra m m a r

Make sentences with the following words See the example

I live in a city.

w ork new solutions.

We/You/They studies for a m ultinational company.

Our Research Departm ent travel in a city.

Exercise 2

Match the sentences below to the correct picture a-e.

1 In the evening I get the tra in hom e A At 10 o’clock we have a m eeting

2 In the afternoon my PA gives 5 We usually have lunch w ith a custom er,

me le tte rs to sign

3 At 8 o’clock I arrive at the office.

Exercise 3

Complete the following text Use the words in brackets Put the verbs in the present simple.

Atsuko K yoto (live! in Tokyo S h e (bej a freelance

jo u rna list S h e (often/travel] to other countries In London and Paris she

[like] to visit friends S h e [usually/w rite] fo r newspapers

and magazines and s h e [som etim es/m ake] television program m es She

[usually/stay] in four s ta r hotels a n d [often/eat] in top

class restaurants S h e [never/drink] wine, beer o r any alcohol.

UNIT The Present Simple Negative

Unit 6 Unit 8 Unit 9 Unit 31

The present simple positive The present simple question The present continuous vs the present simple

Do

A Sam ple sentences

• We don’t use complicated equipm ent or technology; we use very sim ple processes.

• He doesn’t w o rk w ith me anym ore; he w orks in Beijing now.

• The company provides nurses and healthcare staff, but it doesn't provide managers.

he/she/it doesn’t produce

the organisation (= it) doesn’t employ

the director (= he/she) doesn't discuss

the teams (= they) don't prefer

the employees (= they) don’t make

C Uses

We use the present sim p le to ta lk about:

1 a general o r perm anent activity:

I don’t smoke.

He doesn’t w o rk fo r any of the big Am erican companies.

S m all companies don’t usually em ploy th e ir own IT professionals.

2 . how often an activity is done:

The company doesn’t buy new com puters every year.

I don’t play every w eek.

14 I P re -In te rm e d ia te B usiness G ra m m a r

Make negative sentences with the following words See the example

I don't w o rk in the oil industry.

5 Nakko S A /proce ss/w ritte n orders fo r goods

6 Cable PLC /despatch produ cts/by tra in

7 w e /d e a l w ith /L a tin A m erica

8 yo u/live/in an a p a rtm e n t

Exercise 3

A local newspaper attacked Teal Ltd fo r damaging the environment The owner, Peter Teal, wrote a

reply Give the negative form s o f the words in the brackets.

UNIT The Present Simple Question

Unit 6 The present simple positive Unit 7 The present simple negative Unit 9 The present continuous vs the present simple

Units 53-55 Questions

Sam ple sentences

Eduardo: W hat do you do?

Yu Yin: I w o rk as a tra n s la to r fo r a company in London Eduardo: And w hat does the company make?

Yu Yin: It doesn’t m ake anything, It offers legal advice.

does he/she/it solve?

does the computer (= it] analyse?

does the consultant (= he/she) reach?

do they visit?

do the specialists (= they) fix?

do the machines (= they) prepare?

C Uses

We use the present sim p le question to ask about:

1 a gen e ra l o r perm anent activity:

Who do you w o rk for?

W here do you live?

How many people does the company employ?

2. how often an activity is done:

How often do you eat in a restaurant?

How often does she tra v el by plane?

P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

Undertine do o r does and the main verb (infinitive) in the foltowing questions Then answ er them.

1 Does your co un try m ake cars?

2 Do the largest com panies in your area export products to m any diffe re n t countries?

3 How m any people do you w o rk o r study w ith?

4 Do you know any in te rn a tio n a lly fam ous products fro m your country?

5 Does your hom e tow n have a university?

Exercise 2

M artin and Javier m eet in a hotel b ar in Paris Match the questions to the correct picture a-h.

1 Do you come fro m Spain?

2 W hat tim e does the b ar close?

3 Do you have an u m b re lla ?

4 Do you have a m eeting tom orro w ?

Exercise 3

Write questions fo r the answers on the right.

1 W here/from ? W here do you come from?

2 W here/w ork?

3 W hat/P apeleras V alles/m ake?

4 How m any people/your com pany/em ploy?

5 Have/just one plant?

Transfer

5 Do you know a good restaurant?

6 Does the h ote l have a s w im m in g pool?

7 Do you often com e to Paris?

8 W here do you usually go on holiday?

I com e fro m Santiago, in Chile

I w o rk fo r Papeleras Valles

The com pany m akes paper

We’re a paper processing company

About 750

No, we have tw o, both near Santiago

Prepare five o r six questions to ask a friend about h is/he r work o r studies Use the present

sim ple tense.

17

UNIT The Present Continuous vs The Present Simple

Be The present continuous The present simple The present tenses and the past tenses

A Sam ple sentences

Luc: Brigitta, w hat do you do?

Brigitta: I w o rk as a m arketing directo r in Heidelberg, but at the m om ent I'm working

in Osnabriick.

Luc: So, w here do you live?

Brigitta: My fam ily lives near Heidelberg, but at present I'm staying in a hotel

in Osnabriick.

B Form

R em em ber these differences between the present continuous and the present sim ple:

Positive to be + infinitive .ing Positive infinitive(s)

Negative to be + not + infinitive .ing Negative don’t/doesn't + infinitive

Question to be + subject + infinitive .ing Question do/does + subject + infinitive

C Uses

We use the present continuous to ta lk about:

1. activities at o r around the tim e of speaking:

Jam ila: Are you producing a report this year?

Mohammed: Yes At present w e are checking the facts.

2 te m p o ra ry activities in the present:

Mary: W hat are you doing?

Sylvie: I'm w riting a report.

We use the present sim p le to ta lk about:

1. a g eneral o r p erm anent activity:

John: Do you s till play golf?

Karl: No, I don't have tim e now.

2 how often an activity is done:

Mario: How often do you meet?

Irena: Usually w e see each other once o r twice a year.

P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

Read the dialogue below A jo u rn a lis t is talking to a representative o f Chemco Ltd Put the verb

form s in sentences 1-7 into the correct box The firs t has been done fo r you.

J : W hat plans does Chem co have now? (1)

C: Chemco processes o il and m akes paints (2) W e're also planning to m ake plastics (3)

J : Are you already w o rk in g in th a t area? (4)

C: We're not selling any pla stics at the m om ent (5)

J: Does the com pany plan to m erge w ith Sidon Ltd? (6)

C: No, we d on’t w ant to jo in a n o th e r company (7)

Question

Present continuous

Present simple

Exercise 2

Complete the dialogue below between a consultant and a m arketing manager.

C: Which export m arkets do you sell to (sell toj?

M: W e Ideal} m ainly with Germany,

France and Sweden.

C: A n d _Inegotiate} with Japanese

custom ers at the m om ent?

M; No, not at the moment.

C: _ [plan] to enter any new m arkets?

M ; Yes, Italy W e [launchl a range of

products there la te r this year.

C: And Sweden ? [sell} much there ?

M : Yes, we o fte n (get! big orders from

Swedish m anufacturers.

Exercise 3

Complete the spaces in the short dialogue below about a bank, Credit Bank International

Use the correct form o f a verb from the box.

B: W e _ 10 new branches in Argentina and Chile.

A: _ the bank c u rre n tly branches only in Buenos Aires and Santiago?

B: Yes.

A: B ut not B rasilia?

B: No, w e _ in Brazil yet.

A: _ Pablo H ernandez _ here this week?

B: Yes, h e _ these meetings.

Transfer

Write five sentences about y o u r own current activities Use both the present sim ple and the

present continuous.

19

UNIT Positive and Negative Imperatives

See also

Unit 56 Commands - positive and negative

A Sam ple sentences

• Please a rriv e fifteen m inutes before the m eeting.

• Don't forget your mobile phone.

• Buy two tickets and get one ticket free.

t discuss

t be

C Uses

We use the positive im perative to te ll one o r m ore people w h a t they m u st do o r they can do

Fasten your seatbelts The plane is ready fo r takeoff, (you m ust)

Please take a copy of o u r brochure as you leave, (you can)

We use the negative im perative to te ll one o r m ore people w hat they m u st not do:

Don't park here Please don't smoke here.

Note

We can use please w ith im peratives to m ake the m m ore polite.

20 P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

Underline positive im peratives and(^ircle)negative im peratives in the following instructions to visitors to a factory.

Please arrive at 10 o ’clock prom pt Present your id e ntity papers to the se cu rity o ffic e r at the gate Do not park yo ur ca r in the s taff ca r park Please go w here the se cu rity o ffice r

te lls you He w ill give you an o fficia l pass W alk to the reception Present yo ur o ffic ia l pass

to the receptionist Do not e n te r the office block A guide w ill come to m eet you Please

w ait in reception Do not sm oke Do not take photographs

Put the verbs in the box into the correct positive o r negative im perative form.

1 You m u s t _ at 9 o'clock.

2 M ilitary a irp o rt: _

3 This m aterial is copyright

U P lease here Garage in use.

5 Welcome! P lease _ a n d _

Transfer

What imperatives, positive and negative, have you seen recently in yo ur home town o r in the place where you live and work?

UNIT The Past Simple Positive

See also

Unit 12 The past simple negative Unit 13 The past simple question

A Sam ple sentences

• Last y ear we opened an office in Berkeley.

• The company released its rep o rt a few w eeks ago.

• Sales increased by 40% in the first half of last year.

th e com pany/the d e p a rtm e n t (= it) prepared

th e m a n a g e r/th e boss (= he/she) read

th e co m p an ies/the d e p a rtm e n ts (= they) did

th e m an ag ers/th e w o rk e rs (= they) w rote

C Uses

We use the past sim p le to ta lk about an activity at a definite tim e in the past:

We started the business about a y e a r ago.

He bought the company in 2001 for $ 5 billion.

Last y ear he joined the company as m arketing manager.

Note

We use the past sim p le w ith these expressions:

L a s t night, week, m onth, year, century

ago two hours ago, three weeks ago, fo u r m onths ago, etc

y e s te rd a y m orning, afternoon, evening

i n 2010, the 1980s, the 18th century

22 P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

Give the past sim ple form o f the following verbs.

increase give help run supply receive deliver m eet

order lose break clim b come read write speak

Exercise 2

Below is p a rt o f a report from Baxmer, a pharm aceutical company Underline six mistakes and

correct them.

stopped

On 25 A pril this year we stop production o f Arpol, a treatm ent fo r migraine Arpol

production begin in 2004 and early sates was very impressive However, Belpharm Ltd did

launch the Calpem range three years ago This product was taking a 30% m arket share in

the firs t two years A t firs t we agree to continue with Arpol Now the situation is different.

Exercise 3

Look at the tim e line below showing events over ten years fo r Metfan S.A., a Swedish furniture

maker Make sentences with the verbs given.

UNIT The Past Simple Negative

1

J Unit 11 The past simple positive

1 mgm Unit 13 The past simple question

A Sam ple sentences

• Last y ear we didn't s e ll as m any products.

• I was disappointed because I didn't reach the target.

• In 2002 the company didn't have the skills it needed to do this.

B Form

The past sim p le negative has two parts:

didn’t + infinitive

he/she/it didn't produce

the organisation (= it) didn’t employ

the director (= he/she) didn't discuss

the teams (= they) didn’t prefer

the employees (= they) didn't make

C Uses

We use the past sim ple to ta lk about an activity at a definite tim e in the past:

The business didn't grow much last year.

This product didn't exist two years ago.

I didn’t go to w o rk yesterday because I w asn't w ell.

Note

We use the past sim p le w ith these expressions:

L a s t night, week, m onth, year, ce ntu ry

ago two hours ago, three weeks ago, fo u r m onths ago, etc

y e s te rd a y m orning, afternoon, evening

in 2010, the 1980s, the 18th ce ntu ry

24 P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

Underline the past sim ple negatives in the following.

I joined th is com pany five years ago It was a d iffic u lt tim e The com pany w as not in a

very good state We d id n ’t have a c le a r m anagem ent s tru c tu re Our local m a rke ts were

not very good O ur m a rke tin g d id n ’t include A m erica o r the Pacific regions We d id n 't

have any c le a r m a rke tin g strategy Now, th in g s are very different

Exercise 2

Read the text below Change the past sim ple positives to negative Then make the negatives

positive.

New products w ere cheap to develop We spent a lot of m oney on research O ur m a rke t

share increased in the early 2000s The com pany made m any good products

Chemco d id n ’t buy the company There w a s n ’t a big change in the organisation

The new m anagem ent d id n ’t w a n t to change everything M ost of the old m anagem ent

d id n ’t leave Things d id n ’t improve Now, we are very o p tim istic

Exercise 3

Look at the delivery schedule fo r an order with Interfood nv, a Dutch frozen foods company

Unfortunately the order w ent wrong: on January 15, Interfood did not prepare the order

Complete the sentences below Write what did not happen.

Delivery schedule for Espofrigo S.A., Vitoria, Spain

Order num ber: ESP325/0797

Jan 15 Prepare o rd er

Jan 16 Send goods to R otterdam W arehouse by tra in

Jan 17 Load goods onto ship to Bilbao

Jan 18 Goods a rrive Bilbao C arretera T ra sp ortes take goods by tru c k to Vitoria

Jan 19 Espofrigo to c o n firm a rriv a l

1 On January 15, Interfood did n't prepar e the order.

2 On the next day th e y _

List things that you did not do yesterday/the day before yesterday/last Saturday/last week/last

m onth/three years ago/in 2005/when you were young.

25

UNIT The Past Simple Question

The past simple positive The past simple negative

Do

Questions

A Sam ple sentences

• Did you see that promotion for the new product?

• W here did you buy your new com puter?

• Why did you leave the company?

did h e /s h e /it solve?

did the c o m p u te r (= it) analyse?

did the c o n su lta n t (= he/she) reach?

did the sp ecialists (= they) fix?

did the m achines (= they) prepare?

C Uses

We use the past sim p le question to ask about an activity at a definite tim e in the past:

W hen did you arrive in England?

Did you m eet the managing d irector when she was in New York?

How long did you w o rk fo r the company?

W hat did you say to her?

26 | P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

i

Match the question on the le ft with the appropriate answ er on the right.

1 When did you arrive here? a Yes, it w as very com fortable.

2 How long did the jo u rn e y take? b No, u nfo rtu n a te ly I d id n ’t.

3 Did you com e by plane direct c Last night at 8 o'clock.

fro m New York?

4 Did you have tim e to see the city d A bout 15 hours.

Joelle: How many days did you spend (spend1 in Malaysia?

Bill: Only three.

Joelle: [have! an interesting visit?

Bill: Yes, 1 made some useful contacts.

Bill: No, he was in N ew York.

Joelle: And [visit] o ur colleagues in Sabah?

Bill: No, 1 telephoned, but 1 didn't have tim e to visit.

Joelle: [have time) for any tourism ?

Bill: Tourism? No only work and more w ork!

Joelle: D on’t you like work?

Bill: Of course 1 do 1 love w ork!

(the m aintenance e n g in e e r/

re p a ir/th e copier?)

(M r Fish/phone?)

URGENT - Caracas Report

John: please read im m ediately

5 VISA APPLICATION

(John/read/the Caracas report?) (you/send the VISA application?)

Write to Kongo Club. 6. Larish Ltd to collect order

UNIT The Past Continuous

u Units 1,2 See also

Unit 20

Be

The present tenses and the past tenses

A Sam ple sentences

W hat w ere you doing last year?

We w ere developing a new product.

Who was w orking on this project?

Mainly Rachida and Voitek But they w ere not w orking on it fu ll time.

The past continuous positive and question have two m ain parts:

the past tense of to be + infinitive .ing

Positive form

l/he/she/it was making

you/we/they w ere presenting

the company (= it) was preparing

the manager (= he/she) was reading

the departments (= they) were doing

the workers (= they) w ere discussing

Question form

to De

was l/he/she/it making?

was the company (= it) preparing?

was the manager (= he/she) reading?

w ere the departments (= they) doing?

w ere the workers (= they) discussing?

The past continuous has three parts in the negative:

the past tense of to be + not + in fin itive ing

gative form

l/he/she/it was not making

you/we/they w ere not presenting

the company (= it) was not preparing

the manager (= he/she) was not reading

the departments (= they) were not doing

the workers (= they) were not discussing

In spoken language we often use th e s h o rt form s:

l/h e/sh e/it/the company w a s n 't

you/we/they/the departm ents/the w orkers w e re n 't .

We so m e tim e s also use the m in in fo rm a l w ritte n language

C Uses

We use the past continuous as a tim e fra m e fo r a n o th e r activity:

W hat w ere you doing at this tim e last week?

At this tim e last w eek I was visiting our factory in S w itzerland.

what were you doing?

- x -

this time last week

28 P re -In te rm e d ia te B usiness G ra m m a r

Read the extract from a D ire cto r’s speech at the Annual General Meeting o f Pace PLC.

Underline a ll form s o f the past continuous Label them positive IP), negative (N), o r question [Q).

‘W hat was happening a few years ago? Well, the com pany w a s n ’t doing very w ell

During the 1990s we w ere com peting w ith m any suppliers We had a s m a ll turnover

Then everyone was th in k in g about m ergers and takeovers In the early 2000s we were

operating in a very d iffe re n t m arket There w ere only fo u r large com panies A ll fo u r

were m aking big profits We were a ll doing w ell

From 8 o ’clock u ntil 9 o'clock _

From 9 o ’clock u ntil 10 o ’clock

Then when the fire s ta rte d _

(l/checkl the production system

_ ll/re p a ir] a com puter

ll/not/w ork).

No,

II have/coffee).

[your colleagues/drink/coffeel too?

_ (they/installj a new p rin te r

[factory/w ork/norm ally)?

2. 11.00 duty free shop buy clothes

3. 11.30 d ep artu re gate w ait

5. 2.00 plane have lunch

6. 5.00 m eeting give a presentation

Transfer

Make sentences about y o u rse lf o r a company o r institution you know Begin with phrases like

This time Last y e a r and In the s u m m e r Use the past continuous where possible.

29

UNIT The Present Perfect Simple

The present perfect continuous

The present perfect with for, since, ever and never

The past simple vs the present perfect simple British English vs American English

Irregular verb table

A Sam ple sentences

M artina: How long have you w orked here?

Andrea: I have been here fo r five years now and Erica has been here since 2001.

Jean: Have you done any w o rk like this before?

Richard: Yes, I've prepared accounts in various jobs before.

B Form

The present perfect sim ple positive and question have two parts:

has/have + the past participle

Positive form

l/yo u/w e /th ey have lived

h e /s h e /it has w orked

th e d ire c to r (= he/she) has invited

th e em ployees (= they) have m ade

Question form

t past participle

have l/yo u/w e /th ey seen?

has h e /s h e /it finished?

has the d ire c to r (= he/she) received?

have the em ployees (= they) done?

The present perfect sim ple negative has three parts:

has/have + not + past participle

Negative form

Subject

- -——~—

has/have not past participle

l/yo u/w e /th ey have not prepared

h e /s h e /it has not helped

th e d ire c to r (= he/she) has not arrived

th e em ployees (= they) have not discussed

In spoken language we often use these s h o rt form s:

l/y o u /w e /th e y /th e w o rk e rs 'v e l/y o u /w e /th e y /th e w o rk e rs haven’t

h e /s h e /it/th e com pany’s . h e /s h e /it/th e com pany hasn’t

We so m e tim e s also use the m in in fo rm a l w ritte n language

C Uses

We see the present p erfect sim ple as a tense w hich lin ks the past and the present

So we use the present perfect sim p le to ta lk about:

1. an activity w hich started in the past and continues to the p re sen t:

I have w orked fo r the bank fo r five years.

2. an activity w hich happened at a tim e in the past - but we don’t know exactly when -

w ith a re su lt in the present:

I have visited the US several tim es (Present re su lt, I know many places.)

P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

Make sentences from the words betow See the exampte

M r Flaherty has studied economics.

Exercise 2

Look at the graph betow It shows the p ro fit perform ance fo r fo u r products Write how long each

product has been profitable Use the verbs in the box.

Sales of Product A have increased since 2007

Exercise 3

A nsw er the following questions Give long and sh o rt answers.

1 Have you ever been to the United States?

No, I haven't been to the USA/No I haven't.

2 How long have you know n your best friend?

3 Has your co m p an y/scho o l/un ive rsity made any lin k s w ith foreign com panies?

4 Has your fa m ily owned a business?

5 How long have you lived in your present house?

6 Have you w orked fo r an A m erican company?

7 Have you studied fo r a M asters Degree in Business A d m in is tra tio n (MBA)?

Transfer

Ask a friend questions about travel/w ork/studies/etc like the ones above Write down the answers

H e /s h e

31

UNIT The Present Perfect Continuous

See also

Unit 15 The present perfect simple Unit 17 The present perfect with for, since, ever and never

Unit 18 The past simple vs the present perfect simple

A Sam ple sentences

• Production has been declining since 2000.

• The company has been working on this project fo r several years.

• Profits are falling; so we have been looking at ways of cutting costs.

B Form

The present perfect continuous positive and question have three parts:

has/have + been + infinitive .ing (has/have been is the present p erfect of to be)

been been

l/yo u/w e /th ey

h e /s h e /it

been been

producing? studying?

The present perfect continuous negative has fo u r parts:

has/have + not + been + infinitive .ing

Negative form

Subject has/have not been Infinitive .ing

l/yo u/w e /th ey have not been doing

h e /s h e /it has not been helping

In spoken language we often use these s h o rt form s:

l/y o u /w e /th e y /th e w o rk e rs 'v e been l/yo u/w e /th ey/the w o rk e rs haven't been

h e /s h e /it/th e com pany’s been h e /s h e /it/th e com pany hasn’t been .

We so m e tim e s also use them in in fo rm a l w ritte n language

C Uses

We use the present perfect continuous to ta lk about:

1 an activity w hich started in the past and continues to the present:

She has been living in London fo r several years.

2 an activity w hich happened at a tim e in the past - but we don ’t know exactly when

it happened:

The company has been doing extra tests on the systems.

In m any cases, the m eaning of the tw o present perfect tenses is the same

He has w orked fo r the airlin e fo r 25 years = He has been working fo r the airlin e fo r 25 years.

P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

Match the phrase on the le ft to a phrase on the rig h t to make six sentences.

You’ve been looking for changing my job.

Our exports have been doing w ell the perform ance of our PX range.

The Marketing Departm ent has been studying for the last ten years.

I’ve been thinking about for us since 1995.

Michael has been working last y e a r’s sales figures.

W e’ve been analyzing a new job.

Exercise 2

Write one sentence fo r each o f the five projects m entioned in the notes below The firs t one has

been done fo r you.

Since 2003 w e ’ve been expanding our export m arket.

S ta rt date Project

January process orders/with electronic systems

Exercise 3

Comptete the following le tte r from an Executive of Euro TV, a Paris-based television channel

He is w riting to a colleague in Japan.

EuroTV, 170 -1 7 4 Rue des Capucins, 2270 Lesigny, FRANCE

Dear Hisashi,

Thank you for your letter EuroTV (develop) links with companies in

other countries In particular w e (discuss) programme making with

networks in Belgium and Germany We _ (talk to) small, private

companies So far we have not tried to set up links with companies outside Europe.

Many American TV stations _ (examine) ways to work in Europe.

I I look forward to meeting you in Paris We can discuss these developments.

The present perfect simple The present perfect continuous The past simple vs the present perfect simple Irregular verb table

Business File 6

A: Have you ever used this catering company?

B: Yes, we have used them since 2000.

A: We have never used them Are they any good?

B: Yes, we have had no problem s w ith them for several years.

We use the present perfect sim ple and the present perfect continuous w ith for and since:

th re e w eeks 21 st A p ril

fo u r m on ths la st m onth

m any years th e beginning of th is year

a lo n g /s h o rt tim e the end of the 90s

I have w orked for ABC fo r m any years I have w orked for ABC since 1990.

I have been w orking fo r ABC fo r six years I have been w orking fo r ABC since 1st January.

We use the present p erfect sim ple w ith ever and never:

a t any tim e in the past a t no tim e in the past

Have you ever visited the trade fa ir in Hannover? No, I have never been there.

1 W ith the present perfect both for and since show the duration of an activity In both cases it

started in the past and continues to the present:

We have been w orking on this technology for five years, (period of tim e w ith for)

We have been w orking on this technology since 2005 (point of tim e w ith since)

2 We use ever in present perfect questions to mean ‘at any tim e up to n ow ’ :

Have you ever m et the president?

3 We use never in present perfect s ta te m e n ts to mean ‘at no tim e up to now ’ :

The company has never made a profit.

past

5 years present

start of work on technology = 2005 now = 2010

P re -In te rm e d ia te Business G ra m m a r

Match the questions on the Left with appropriate answers on the right.

1 How long has she w orked

fo r S m ith C a llm an Ltd?

Yes, we m ade heavy losses in the 1970s

2 How long have you

know n P eter Lom ax?

Yes, but I've never visited the USA

3 Have you ever lived

in a d iffe re n t country?

c She's been w ith the com pany since 1994

4 Has your com pany ever

had m a jo r problem s?

’ve know n him fo r 20 years

Exercise 2

A shampoo, Shine Plus, is not selling well The Product M anager is talking to a m arketing

consultant F ill the spaces Use words from the box.

fo r since [21 ever never long have [21 has [21 been

MC: Have y o u _ had a big fall in sales before?

P M : No, sales have _ fallen so suddenly.

MC: H o w _ have y o u m arketing this product?

P M : the beginning o f la st year.

MC: So, it's been on the m a rk e t _ less than two years?

PM : Yes, it MC: _ you compared Shine Plus with com petitors’ sales

results?

PM : Yes Our drop in sa le s _ happened _January although the m arket has improved The graph shows how our three main co m p etito rs a ll benefited: they’ve all been selling better.

Exercise 3

Kate and M att m eet in an a irp o rt departure lounge They are waiting fo r the ir flights Complete the

dialogue below Use for, since, ever, never.

K a te : How long have you worked fo r Abacus?

M a tt: about fo u r years.

K a te : I see Have y o u _ done business in China?

M a tt: No, w e ’v e tried the Chinese market.

K a te : Well, o ur business in China has been ris in g the beginning o f the 2000s.

M a tt: And you Ve been m aking a p ro fit since then ?

K a te : Well, not always three years, yes.

M a tt: Have y o u _ _ visited China ?

K a te : Oh yes Many times In fact, m y husband is Chinese.

Transfer

Ask someone six questions with ever o r how Long Get answers with never, for and since.

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