Curs 1

Business English
Business English
Unit 1 ......................................................................................................... 7
Pre-Reading Tasks .................................................................................. 7
Reading .................................................................................................. 7
Ways with words .................................................................................... 9
Grammar Reference .............................................................................. 13
The verb to be ................................................................................... 13
The demonstrative pronoun and adjective.......................................... 14
Question forms.................................................................................. 14
Controlled practice................................................................................ 14
Unit 2 ....................................................................................................... 17
Pre-reading tasks................................................................................... 17
Reading ................................................................................................ 17
Ways with words .................................................................................. 19
Grammar reference ............................................................................... 24
The personal pronoun........................................................................ 24
Mood, tense and aspect ..................................................................... 25
Present Simple .................................................................................. 25
Present Continuous ........................................................................... 26
Unit 3 ....................................................................................................... 32
Reading ................................................................................................ 32
Ways with words .................................................................................. 34
Grammar reference ............................................................................... 40
Verbs which do not take a continuous aspect in English .................... 40
The Imperative.................................................................................. 41
The possessive pronoun and the posessive adjective.......................... 41
Unit 4 ....................................................................................................... 44
2
Business English
Reading 1.............................................................................................. 44
Ways with words 1................................................................................ 45
Reading 2.............................................................................................. 46
Ways with words 2................................................................................ 47
Classification of nouns ...................................................................... 50
Number of nouns............................................................................... 51
The Genitive ..................................................................................... 51
Unit 5........................................................................................................ 60
Reading................................................................................................. 60
Ways with words .................................................................................. 61
Past Simple ....................................................................................... 67
Past Continuous ................................................................................ 69
Past Simple and Past Continuous....................................................... 70
Expressions of quantity ..................................................................... 70
The Adjective.................................................................................... 71
The order of adjectives in a series...................................................... 72
Unit 6........................................................................................................ 86
Pre-Reading Tasks ................................................................................ 86
Reading................................................................................................. 86
Ways with words .................................................................................. 91
Present Perfect Simple....................................................................... 94
Present Perfect Simple and Past Simple............................................. 96
The Preposition ................................................................................. 96
Prepositions of time........................................................................... 97
3
Business English
Unit 7 ..................................................................................................... 104

Pre-reading tasks................................................................................. 104
Reading .............................................................................................. 104
Grammar Reference ............................................................................ 108
Present Perfect Continuous.............................................................. 108
Modal Verbs ................................................................................... 109
Problematic prepositions of movement and place ............................ 110
Controlled practice.............................................................................. 110
Unit 8 ..................................................................................................... 114
Reading .............................................................................................. 114
The Cardinal Numeral..................................................................... 116
Past Perfect Simple ......................................................................... 117
Past Perfect Continuous .................................................................. 118
Unit 9 ..................................................................................................... 124
Reading .............................................................................................. 124
Future Simple.................................................................................. 126
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives ......................................... 127
Comparative Sentences ................................................................... 129
Test ........................................................................................................ 135
Unit 10 ................................................................................................... 138
Pre-reading task .................................................................................. 138
Reading .............................................................................................. 138
Ways with words ................................................................................ 141
Be going to Future .......................................................................... 145
4
Business English
Future Simple or Be Going To?....................................................... 147

First Conditional ............................................................................. 147
Unit 11.................................................................................................... 152
Pre-Reading Task................................................................................ 152
Reading............................................................................................... 152
Ways with words ................................................................................ 154
The Ordinal Numeral ...................................................................... 161
The Fractional Numeral................................................................... 162
The Multiplicative Numeral ............................................................ 162
Second Conditional ......................................................................... 162
Unit 12.................................................................................................... 166
Reading............................................................................................... 166
Ways with words ................................................................................ 169
The Article...................................................................................... 174
Third Conditional............................................................................ 176
Unit 13.................................................................................................... 182
Reading............................................................................................... 182
Ways with words ................................................................................ 187
The Adverb ..................................................................................... 193
The Passive Voice ........................................................................... 194
Unit 14.................................................................................................... 201
Pre-reading ......................................................................................... 201
Reading............................................................................................... 201
5
Business English
Ways with words ................................................................................ 204

Punctuation ..................................................................................... 208
The Infinitive .................................................................................. 213
The Participle.................................................................................. 213
The Gerund ..................................................................................... 214
Unit 15 ................................................................................................... 219
Pre-reading ......................................................................................... 219
Reading .............................................................................................. 219
Ways with words ................................................................................ 221
The Conjunction ............................................................................. 225
Coordinating Conjunctions.............................................................. 225
Subordinating Conjunctions ............................................................ 226
Direct and indirect (reported) speech............................................... 226
Sequence of tenses .......................................................................... 229
Test ........................................................................................................ 235
Evaluation .............................................................................................. 237
Appendix 1 ............................................................................................. 239
Appendix 2 ............................................................................................. 249
Appendix 3 ............................................................................................. 259
Bibliography........................................................................................... 261
Business English
Unit 1
In this unit you will learn:
Social English
The English Alphabet
The Verb to be
The Demonstrative Pronoun and the Demonstrative Adjective
Question forms
Pre-Reading Tasks
Whats your name?
How old are you?
Where do you live?
What do you specialise in?
Reading
Read the following text about Mihaela Vlad, a
student in Romania:
My name is Mihaela Vlad and I am a student in the
Faculty of Economic Sciences at Petroleum-Gas
University of Ploieti. I come from Arad, a town in
the West of Romania. I came here to study because
I have always been keen on economics and I really hope to learn many
useful things here.
Im studying Spanish and English, and I can speak Spanish well and a little
English. I improved my Spanish when I went on a two-month holiday to my
aunt in Spain. I also hope that in a short time I will improve my English, as,
on the one hand, it is very useful to speak foreign languages and on the
7
Business English
other hand, I might need it for my future job. In Romania there are lots of
foreign companies where I can work if I am fluent in one or two foreign
languages.
Today, when English is one of the major languages in the world, it doesnt
require too much effort of our imagination to realise that this is a relatively
recent thing - that people started to import English in the seventeenth
century, with the first settlements in North America. As I could read in an
article, one person in seven of the worlds entire population speaks English
nowadays and most of them are quite fluent in it. Incredibly enough, due to
the extension of computerized systems and software which are mostly in
English, 75% of the worlds mail and 60% of the worlds telephone calls are
in English. Again incredibly, yet true is the fact that 200 million people
speak English and every year there are twenty million beginners.
International literary, scientific and economic publications are very often
printed in English.
So, the quicker I learn it, the more opportunities I may have to read
interesting materials connected to my field and to get a good job in the
future.
Everyday English
Practise saying the letters of the alphabet according to the vowel sounds:
/ei/
/i:/
/e/
/ai/
/u/
/u:/
/a:/
u
w
Business English
Ways with words

1. Can you keep a conversation going with someone for two or three
minutes? Choose a partner who you dont know well, or imagine your
partner is a stranger. Work in small groups and find out things about your
partner.
2. Spell the name of Mihaela Vlad. Then work in pairs. Spell your name in
English to your deskmate. Then find out how to spell his/her name.
3. What do you think a good language learner can do? Choose beginnings
from A and suitable endings from B. There are many possible answers:
A good language learner:
A
borrows books
without a teacher.
writes things down
in every way possible.
guesses words
without being told to.
tries to study
in real situations.
tries to learn
every day possible.
practises speaking
from films, TV and records.
4. Social Exchanges
Supply the best word or words:
1. You are late for an appointment, so you say, .Im
late.
a) Sorry/Im sorry
b) Excuse me
c) Forgive me
d) Pardon me
2. You fail to hear what someone says to you, so you say,
.?
a) Excuse me
9
Business English
b) Pardon
c) Forgive me
d) Pardon me
3. A passenger on a bus complains you are standing on his foot; you
say, !
a) Sorry
b) Forgive me
c) Excuse me
d) Pardon me
4. Here is your apology for bad behaviour: ..for my awful
behaviour last night.
a) Please pardon me
b) Please forgive me
c) I beg your pardon
5. You answer the phone and you say, ..!
a) Speak
b) Hello
c) Enter
d) Say
6. You are introduced to a stranger, so you say, ..?
a) How are you
b) How do you do
c) What do you do
7. You are leaving, so you say, .!
a) Adieu
b) Goodbye
c) Farewell
8. You are refusing food that is offered; you say,
a) Thank you
b) No, thank you
c) Thanks
10
Business English
9. You thank me for holding the door open and my response may be,
.
a) Its nothing
b) c) Please
d) Nothing
10. You meet a friend at the airport on arrival and you may say,
..London!
a) Welcome to
b) Be welcome to
c) Welcome in
d) I wish you welcome to
11. Someone asks you how you are and you answer, ,
thanks.
a) Good
b) Very good
c) Fine
d) Very fine
12. Your friend is waiting for you to finish what you are doing and
you say, ..
a) One moment
b) A moment
c) One minute
d) Just a minute
13. You are attending an interview and the interviewer says,
.
a) Sit yourself
b) Take a seat
c) Sit
d) Sit you
11
Business English
14. The class stands up as you enter the room and you say,
a) Sit yourselves
b) Take a seat
c) Sit down
d) Sit
15.
This is what you say to a friend on January 1st:
.New Year!
a) Lucky
b) Happy
c) Merry
d) Good
5. In the text about Mihaela Vlad, you learned the expression on the one
hand .... on the other hand which means pe de o parte ... pe de alt parte.
Lets learn more expressions containing the preposition on:
to be on duty = a fi de serviciu;
on account of = pe baza, din cauz c, lund n consideraie c;
on and on = fr ntrerupere, la nesfrit;
and so on = i aa mai departe;
on this ground = din acest motiv;
to turn on/ to switch on (the light, the radio, etc.) = a deschide/ a aprinde
(lumina, radioul,etc.);
on this assumption = pe baza acestei presupuneri;
on the basis of = pe baza;
on behalf of sb. = n numele cuiva, din partea cuiva;
on the contrary = din contr;
on record = cunoscut;
on the score of = ca rezultat;
on the verge of = pe punctul de, pe cale, n pragul;
on the whole = n general, n ntregime;
12
Business English
on demand = la cerere;
on condition that = cu condiia;
on purpose = dinadins, intenionat;
on principle = din principiu;
on the first attempt = la prima ncercare;
on a sudden = brusc, deodat, pe neateptate;
on trial = de prob.
Grammar Reference
The verb to be
Affirmative
I am
You are
Im
Youre
Interrogative
Negative
am I?
I am not
are you?
You are not
Im not
Youre not / You
arent
He is
Hes
is he?
He is not
Hes not / He isnt
She is
Shes
is she?
She is not
Shes not / She isnt
It is
Its
is it?
It is not
Its not / It isnt
We are not
Were
We are
Were are we?
not
We
arent
You are
Youre
are you?
You are not
Youre not / You
arent
They are
Theyre
are they?
They are not Theyre not / They

arent
Form
Short answer
Are you a student in Management?
Yes, I am. No, Im not.
Is she an accountant?
13
Business English
Yes, she is. No, she isnt.
The demonstrative pronoun and adjective

Form
Reference
Singular
Plural
near reference
this
these
distant reference
that
those
Question forms
Look at the following question words:
What do you do for a living? - Im an accountant.
Who is your teacher of English? Joan Smith is.
Where is Madrid? - In Spain.
When do you start the meeting? - On Friday, May, 2nd.
Why are you learning English? - Because I need it for my job.
How do you come to Ploieti? - By train.
Whose are these papers? - They are Victors.
What and which can be followed by a noun.

What time is it?
What kind of chemistry do you study?
Which pen do you want, the blue one or the green one?
How can be followed by an adjective or an adverb.
How old are you?
How often do you play football?
Controlled practice
1. Translate into English:
a. Eu sunt contabil. El este englez.
b. Acelea sunt colegele tale? Nu, acestea sunt colegele mele, Monica
i Andra.
14
Business English
c. Acesta este un casetofon.

d. Acela este un televizor.
e. Noi suntem studeni.
f. Sunt ei specialiti francezi? Nu, nu sunt.
g. Suntei voi economiti? Nu, noi nu suntem, noi suntem ingineri.
h. Cine este aici? John este aici. El este cel mai bun student din grupa
noastr. El are note foarte mari.
i. Cine nu este aici? Maria nu este aici i nici George nu este.
j. Ele sunt chimiste. Cursurile acestea sunt ale lor. Acestea sunt
cursurile mele.
2. Turn these sentences into questions and answer them:

e.g. Canterbury is a town. Is Canterbury a town? Yes, it is.
a. London is a town in England.
b. You are an accountant.
c. My father is a doctor.
d. Elizabeth II is the queen of England.
e. We are students.
3. Complete the following text using the appropriate pronouns:
a. .... is Johns pencil. It must be his because its got his name on it.
b. Are ...pencils yours, John? Yes, they are. Thanks. They havent got my
name on them, but they belong to me.
c. . is a house. Its over here. . is a car. Its over there.
d. Is . an electric heater? No, that is an electric generator. . is an
electric heater.
e. ... are metals. Those are substances.
4. Translate the following text into English:
a. De unde eti? Sunt din Arad.
b. Cnd ai venit prima oar n Ploieti? Anul trecut.
15
Business English
c. Ci ani ai? Douzeci i nou.

d. Ce mai faci? Sunt bine, mulumesc.
e. De ce te grbeti?
5. Choose the appropriate question form in the following sentences:
a. What/Which time is the plane due to arrive?
b. What/ How are you today?
c. Where/ When are you going now?
d. Who/How are you? I am Mary Jones.
e. What/ Which of these paintings do you like best?
6. Ask short questions on these statements, using who, what, where:
e.g. Ive just received a letter./ Who from?
a. I want to take this notebook with me. (for)
b. Will you please open this box? (with)
c. Im going to Spain next week. (by)
d. Please, get me a glass of water. (from)
e. John is very angry. (with).
16
Business English
Unit 2
A Case Study
The Personal Pronoun
Present Simple
Present Continuous
Pre-reading tasks
Have you ever written a case study? What parts does it include?
Reading
Read the following case study on Fournier
et CIE. Then read and translate the article
on Fournier et CIE published in an
economic magazine. Pay attention to the
present tenses:
Fournier et CIE is a medium-sized

company producing for export hand-made
shoes and gloves in natural materials. They
obtained good prices for their fashionable designs. Yet customers are
dissatisfied with the standard of the materials which seem to be too loosely
woven. Another complaint is that deliveries are not prompt, which makes
impossible for the customers to maintain satisfactory stock levels and fulfil
their sale schedules.
17
Business English
In order to solve their problems, they had a meeting with one of their most
important clients, Mr. Jacobson. The general manager was not present due
to health problems.
Here is the minutes of the meeting.
Today, April, 26, 2002, we had a short meeting in order to solve the
problem of delivery and the complaints concerning the standard materials.
Mr. Jacobson explained that the moment his company saw the samples of
our hand-made lines, he was authorized to discuss the terms of an order with
us and negotiate a contract. Yet the quality of the standard materials was
much better at that time, as he showed us two different types of gloves and
shoes, and consequently the difference in texture.
Mrs. Higgins, our production manager explained that due to the extended
needs of materials, we changed the supplier of materials, yet Mr. Jacobson
had been told about this two months before this change, and he had been
also sent the standard materials at that time, when he approved their quality.
Mr. Jacobson mentioned that delivery order no. 3425 had a problem, in the
sense that the material of the summer shoes seemed to be too loosely woven
and was inclined to pull out of shape. He said that his representatives relied
on the high quality of the materials we sent them and they were all the more
disappointed in the case because we supplied the cloth to new customers.
Mrs. Higgins assured him of a better quality in the future.
The problem of delivery will also be solved, as we had to solve out
problems of cloth delivery last week. As we couldnt possibly allow this
situation to continue, we had to make our supplier understand that unless
they could guarantee to deliver supplies by the dates specified in future
orders, we would be forced to look for another supplier.
No longer excellent merchandise for their customers?
18
Business English
Several weeks ago we published an incredible story of a medium-sized

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

1. How do you translate the sentence: As we couldnt possibly allow this
situation to continue? . Lets learn some expressions containing the word
as:
as compared with = n comparaie cu;
as a consequence of = ca o consecin a;
as if/ as though = ca i cum;
19
Business English
as far as = ntruct, pe ct, n msura n care;

as far as it goes = n ceea ce privete;
as follows = precum/ dup cum urmeaz;
as long as = att timp ct;
as regards = n ceea ce privete;
as a rule = de regul, n principiu;
as seen = dup cum se vede;
as shown in Table. 2 = cum s-a artat n Tabelul 2;
as soon as possible = ct de curnd posibil
as such = ca atare;
as well = deopotriv, de asemenea;
as well as = ct i, tot aa ca;
as when = ca atunci cnd, ca n cazul n care;
as yet/ so far/ up to now/ up to the present = pn n prezent;
such as = astfel ca, ca de exemplu.
2. Read the following sentence taken from the same text:

How do you translate they were all the more disappointed in the case? Now
learn some expressions with the adjective all.
beyond all doubt = n afar de orice ndoial;
all at once = dintr-o dat;
all the better = cu att mai bine;
all in all = n ntregime, cu totul;
all in good time = toate la timpul lor;
all the more as = cu att mai mult cu ct;
all over = peste tot;
first of all = nainte de toate;
of all kinds = de toate felurile;
that is about all = ca, asta-i tot;
it is all one to them = le este tot una;
once for all = o dat pentru totdeauna.
20
Business English
Now practise these expressions in sentences of your own.
3. Read the following sentence again: Clients are quite fed up with
promises. How do you translate to be fed up with something? Now learn
some phrasal verbs containing the particle up. Use your dictionary in order
to translate them.
weigh up
bring up
take up (three meanings)
draw up
step up
pick up
Now replace the words in italics in the following sentences with the
following phrasal verbs.
a. Before preparing the contract, may I go over one or two points
again, please?
b. We have to increase our work-rate if we are going to get the
accounts finished in time.
c. If Im going to have any chance of becoming a member of the
Board, Ill have to start playing golf.
d. Id like to mention the subject of expense claims at our next
meeting.
e. (Chairman, at a meeting).Your point is interesting, Donna, but Id
like to discuss it later, if I may.
f. We must consider all the possibilities before we decide which
market to enter.
g. I start my new appointment next month.
h. We didnt get many orders last quarter but now sales have
improved.
4. Choose the colour (you will need to use some words more then once)
black
green
red
blue
grey
white
brown
pink
yellow
21
Business English
a. In most countries, goods that are scarce are usually freely available
on the market provided you have the money to pay
for them.
b. You can argue with her until youre in the face,
but once shes made up her mind she wont listen to you, no matter
what you say.
c. After several weeks of discussions, the group were given the
. light, and could finally go ahead with the new project.
d. Theres no point in asking my boss for a day off next week. Im in
her . books at the moment so shes bound to say no.
e. She had only recently had lunch with her cousin, so the news of his
death came as bolt from the
f. Although we got a lot of nice wedding presents, we also got one or
two elephants.
g. There is a common prejudice that girls who are very beautiful must
automatically be lacking in . matter so-called dumb
blondes.
h. Next Friday is a .-letter day for my sister and her
husband; its their 25th anniversary.
i. After sunbathing for two hours every day, Joanna was as
as a berry.
j. The managing directors reference to the forthcoming sales
conference was a . herring. He just wanted to get off the
subject of this months poor sales figures.
k. She went as . as a sheet when she heard about the
accident.
l. If there was a war, I dont think Id fight. Ive got too much of a
.. streak. Id be terrified of getting killed.
m. Im sorry, James, I refuse to believe it unless you can show it to me
in .. and !
22
Business English
n. Ever since Tom got that huge order with Saudi-Arabia hes been
the bosss ..-eyed boy.
o. Dont mention the present government in front of my father; its
like a . rag to a bull.
p. I was with envy when my neighbour drove up in a
brand-new Jaguar.
q. By the way, Joyce, my husband was tickled .. at
your asking him to judge the flower show.
r. For some reason, Swedish films are often synonymous with
. films, which is very strange as there is relatively
little pornography in Sweden.
s. Sometimes it is better to tell a . lie than to hurt
someones feelings.
t. My wife always goes bright whenever she gets
embarrassed.
5. Put each of the following phrases in its correct place in the sentences
below.
out of the blue
in black and white
once in a blue moon
a black sheep
to have green fingers
green with envy
in the red
to catch someone red-handed
red tape
a. The offer of a job sounded very good on the phone but I wont
believe it till I have it
b. I must remind you that this is a non-smoking office. I suspect that
some of you have been smoking. If I happen Im
afraid it will mean dismissal.
c. To import firearms into Britain youll have to fill in a lot of forms.
Theres a lot of
23
Business English
d. If you want to be a successful gardener, of course youve got
e. The rest of the family were respectable, honest people but he was
always in trouble. Im afraid he was .
f.
When
saw
him
in
his
new
sports
car,
was.
g. Tourists often go to the Louvre, but most Parisians only go
h. The firm is . . It owes a lot of money.

i. I had lost touch with Jake, and then one night he arrived at my flat
right What a surprise!
Grammar reference
The personal pronoun
The nominative. Form
Person
Singular
Plural
First person
we
Second person
you
you
Third person
he - masculine
they
she - feminine
it - objects and
animals
24
Business English
The accusative/The dative. Form
Person
Singular
Plural
First person
(to) me
(to) us
Second person
(to) you
(to) you
Third person
(to) him
(to) them
(to) her
(to) it
Mood, tense and aspect

Mood, tense and aspect are grammatical categories of the verb. Roughly
speaking, mood presents the attitude of the speaker towards an action or a
state expressed by the verb, tense gives an indication of when the action
happens and aspect reflects the status of action referring to duration, result,
etc.
Present Simple
Present Simple is used to express:
a repeated action or habit (it is often used with adverbs of frequency

such as: always, constantly, continually, ever, frequently, forever,
hardly, never, normally, occasionally, often, rarely, regularly, seldom,
sometimes, usually, etc.):
I usually get up at 7.30.

Japanese people like to travel.
Most evenings we stay in.
a fact which is always true (general truths and states):
Wood floats on water.

The Earth moves round the Sun.
The Danube floats into the Black Sea.
25
Business English
a fact which is true for a long time
I live in Ploiesti.
She works in a bank.
Present Simple is used in explanations, demonstrations and stage directions:
Her drawing shows two parts of a hyperbolic curve.
I add flour to the egg yolks and place the basin into the oven.
The door bell rings. She listens quietly. A window opens and a masked man
enters the room.
Form
Affirmative
Interrogative
Negative
I work
Do I work?
I do not (dont) work
You work
Do you work?
You do not (dont) work
He works
Does he work?
He does not (doesnt) work
She works
Does she work?
She does not (doesnt) work
It works
Does it work?
It does not (doesnt) work
We work
Do we work?
We do not (dont) work
You work
Do you work?
You do not (dont) work
They work
Do they work?
They do not (dont) work
Short answer
Do you like spring?
Yes, I do.
Does he speak French?
No, he doesnt.
Present Continuous
Present Continuous is used to express:
an activity happening now or around now
They are watching TV in their bedroom now.

I am living with my parents this week.
26
Business English
a planned future arrangement:
Im meeting them at 11 oclock tomorrow.
Form
Present Continuous is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb be
followed by the indefinite participle of the main verb (verb+-ing).
Affirmative
Interrogative
Negative
I am working
Am I working?
I am not working
You are working
Are you working?
You are not (arent) working
He is working
Is he working?
He is not (isnt) working
She is working
Is she working?
She is not (isnt) working
It is working
Is it working?
It is not (isnt) working
We are working
Are we working?
We are not (arent) working
You are working
Are you working?
You are not(arent) working
They are working
Are they working?
They are not (arent) working
Short answer
Are you coming?
Yes, I am. No, Im not.
Is she watching TV?
Yes, she is. No, she isnt.
Controlled practice
1. Translate the following sentences into English:
a. El este contabil la o companie important.
b. Ei nu vorbesc engleza, dar noi i putem ajuta.
c. Pe ea o vd la curs, dar pe el nu l vd.
d. mi ofero carte de contabilitate, pentru c el are dou exemplare.
e. l strig pe Victor, dar nu m aude.
27
Business English
2. Choose the appropriate forms of the personal pronoun:

a. He is studying English as he/we intends to join an American
insurance company.
b. I gave her/him that laptop as he needed it.
c. She told me/ to me that she needed five days off.
d. I think I saw him/ he in the bank yesterday.
e. Have you told they/ them about your project?
3. Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Simple or Present Continuous:
a. He usually (drink) coffee but today he (drink) tea.
b. It (rain) now. It often (rain) in summer.
c. He (come) to see me tonight; we (go) on a trip to Sinaia next week
and we (want) to make plans for it.
d. I (live) in Ploiesti, but this week, as I (attend) a course in Bucharest,
I (stay) with my uncle in Calea Floreasca.
e. Pardon me, sir, but I (think) you (stand) on my feet.
f. Maria (come) from Spain this week.
g. She (speak) French, English and Italian.
h. I (cut) two slices of bread and she (prepare) an omlette.
i. What you (do) here? I (look) for my glasses.
j. Where you (live)? I (live) in Scotland.
4. Complete this postcard using the correct form of the verbs on the right:
Greetings from Scotland! John and I ..... do
something different this year. Were at the
Edinburgh Activity Centre, where we .. a have
good time and at the same time we .. learn
different
things.
People..
here
every come
summer to learn more about their hobbies and

interests.
28
Business English
I .. photography and tennis this week
do
and John .. about computers. We .. up learn, get

at half past eight every morning
and .. lessons from ten to half past twelve. do
We .. lunch at one, and then there are more
have
lessons.
So its hard work. But I .. it here. We ..... like, have
a post-office in front of the Centre. The weather
is good. See you soon.
Love, Kate
5. What do you do in these situations?

a. When you miss a bus or a train, do you:
A. wait happily for the next one?;
B. shout angrily?;
C. blame someone else?
b. When you think about the future, do you:
A. dream of impossible success or wealth?;
B. plan your future career carefully?;
C. worry about what will go wrong?
c. When someone asks you a questions and youre not sure of the
answer, do you:
A. admit you dont know?;
B. give an answer you think may be right?;
C. try to change the subject?
d. When you forget to do something important for a friend or a
member of your family, do you:
A. hope they wont notice?;
B. try to do something else for them?;
C. feel guilty?
29
Business English
e. When your boss or teacher is away, do you:

A. start laughing and joking?;
B. work hard as usual?;
C. do not work at all?
If most of your answers are A it means you are a very optimistic
person. If you chose mostly B, it means you are an ambitious person,
and if you chose mostly C, it means you are a pessimistic person.
6. Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple or continuous

a. He (live) in London at present but he (hope) to move to Edinburgh
next year.
b. I (hope) they (realize) what a difficult job they (undertake).
c. Mike and Jack (spend) a fortnight at the seaside; they (come) back
next week.
d. Who (talk) to the pretty girl in the blue dress?
e. The teacher (say) that you usually (make) a lot of mistakes.
f. Anybody who (look) at his passenger while he (drive) is a danger on
the roads.
g. Mary (sleep) in the sitting room this week because her bedroom
(be) redecorated.
h. The path (lead) to the big house that you (see) on the hill.
i. My son (work) very hard. He (study) for an examination now.
j. You (hear) anything? I (listen) hard but I cant hear anything.
k. Daddy (leave) always lighted cigarettes all over the house. Well
burn down one day.
l. Mary (leave) for London in a fortnight.
m. They (clean up) the whole town in preparation for the summer.
n. Mr Green always (get up) early.
o. My husband usually (leave) his office at 3.00 p.m., but this month
he (work) late.
30
Business English
p. Jack often (go) to the theatre but his wife (not go) very often. He
(like) all sorts of plays. She (prefer) comedies.
q. Professor Brown (be) the perfect linguist. He already (speak) seven
foreign languages. Now he (learn) an eighth.
r. My dog always (bark) at the postman. But look at that! For once,
he (be) friendly to the poor man.
s. They left for London an hour ago. I (wonder) whether they (travel)
by airplane or by train.
t. He (walk) very slowly because the bottle he (carry) (hold) nitroglycerine and nitro-glycerine (explode) if it (be) shaken.
v. Let me explain what you have to do. First you (take) the photos and
(sort) them into categories. Then you (file) them according to subject.
w. The play is set in London in 1890. The action (take) place in
Marys living-room. When the curtain (go) up, the hero and heroine
(sit) down. They (argue).
x. Dear Jane, sorry to hear about your problem at work. I (think) you
(do) the right thing, but I (doubt) whether your boss really (know) his
job from what you (tell) me.
y. The house is a mess because weve got the workmen in. The
plumber (put) in a new bath. The electricians (rewire) the system and
the carpenter (build) us some new bookshelves.
a. Nu cred c te pot ajuta.
b. Mama gust ciorba s vad dac mai e nevoie de sare.
c. Nu beau cafea de obicei, dar astzi fac o excepie.
d. El merge cu autobuzul la coal n fiecare zi.
e. Noi nu nvm dect vinerea, smbta i duminica.
31
Business English
Unit 3
A presentation of the distance learning department

Verbs which do not take a Continuous Aspect in English
The Imperative
The possessive pronoun and adjective
Pre-reading tasks
How did you hear about the distance learning department? Why have you
chosen this specialisation?
Reading
Read the following presentation which was part of a project by which our
university inaugurated courses within the distance learning department. Pay
attention to the aspect of the verbs (simple/ continuous aspect). Translate the
text into Romanian:
The specialisations in the Distance-Learning Department within PetroleumGas university of Ploiesti are:
Economic engineering in the mechanical field
Fiability of Petroleum and Petrochemical Equipment
Drilling-Production and Reservoir Engineering
Engineering of Environment Protection and
Chemical and
Petrochemical Industry
Petroleum Technology and Petrochemistry
Romanian Language and Literature- English Language and

Literature
Accountancy and Administration Informatics

32
Business English
Primary School- Teachers: English/French
For the above-mentioned specialisations we identified three categories

of potential candidates:
persons who want to improve their knowledge in the field of

petroleum industry and refining, yet the daily work programme
and the distance from the only petroleum-gas university in
Romania does not allow them to enroll in a training programme
(day courses, evening courses)
persons who want to specialise in very important fields such as

accountancy, informatics, foreign languages
primary school-teachers who, in order to compete with the new

undergraduate educational system, compatible with the European
system, must attend the specialisation Primary School- Teachers:
English/French.
Within our university we could say that we have experience in such

programmes due to the fact that we had a project Leonardo da Vinci, in
which we worked with our colleagues from Minho University from
Portugal.
In the beginning the Distance-Learning Department will make use of the
resources offered by the new IT Centre (developed within the project
76/1999) which offers internet access, video-conference systems
Part of the course-books for our future students is already on magnetic
support, as a result of the grant CNFIS 39691/2000. Some books which
were previously published were up-dated last year. This will allow us to
start such a project in autumn. At the same time on the web
www.ttr.lc.com (within the project of distance-learning trainers
training) we elaborated a course on informatics and communicational
technologies which are necessary in the training process as well as a
course on pedagogical strategies which may be adapted to such distancelearning. A Plei@d Programme has been recently elaborated by a
university from CNAM, Nantes, France.
33
Business English
There is a legal basis on distance learning organization and functioning:

Romanian Government Decision no. 1214/07.12.2000. At the same time
the standards for Authorizing the functioning of distance learning are
elaborated by C.N.E.AA (National Council of Authorizing and
Academic Assessment), standards which may be fulfilled by our
department.
Ways with words:

1. In the sentences below, use one suitable word from the list that follows.
Not all the words are possible:
a. I sent in my ...... to the address given in the advertisement.
b. They told me I lacked ...... as I had never had that kind of job
before.
c. The manager told me he couldnt wait as he had ...... to do.
d. Not many people enjoy sitting at a/an ...... all day long.
e. Before I left that oil company, I handed in my ......
f. When I applied for this position, I asked my previous boss for a ......
g. You have to be well-dressed and punctual to succeed in a/an ......
h. My first ...... was helping in a shop at weekends.
i. In our company every ...... receives a months salary.
j. You could ...... over 2,000 a month as a sales representative in this
company.
qualifications; reference; experiences; application; work; employer;
interview; gain; resignation; job; diploma; department; applicant;
earn; wages; office; gain; desk; salary; employee.
2. Read the sentence We had a project Leonardo da Vinci, in which we

worked with our colleagues from Minho University again. Now learn some
expressions containing the preposition with:
with due regard for/ with all due deference to = cu tot respectul cuvenit;
with an eye to = urmrind, fr a pierde din vedere;
34
Business English
with the exception of = cu excepia c;

with reason = pe drept, pe bun dreptate;
with reference/ respect to = n privina, referitor, cu privire la;
with a view of = n scopul de a;
as with = la fel ca i;
together with = mpreun cu;
to do away with = a nltura, a termina cu.
3. Look at the following sentences belonging to this unit: Within our

university we could say that we have experience in such programmes due to
the fact that we had a project Leonardo da Vinci. As you can see these are
two meaning of the word that. In the first sentence it introduces a direct
object clause and in the other it introduces a relative clause. Here are some
expressions containing the word that:
that far = att de departe;
that is the point = aceasta-i problema;
that much = cam att;
thats how it happened = aa s-a ntmplat;
that is why (thats why) = de aceea, din aceast cauz;
that is to say = adic;
but for that = dac nu ar fi fost asta;
for all that = cu toate acestea;
in order that = pentru ca, s;
like that (just like that) = aa;
Now practise these expressions in sentences of your own.
4. Read the following sentence again: Some books which were previously
published were up-dated last year. How do you translate to up-date? Now
explain the meaning of the words and phrases in italics in the following
sentences.
a. To date, we havent received a single order for our new product.
35
Business English
b. Our advertising is beginning to look very dated.

c. We try to use up-to-date methods in our Production Department.
d. Our problems date from the time we lost that Russian contract.
e. Computer sales people have to constantly up-date their knowledge.
f. They are using out-dated plant and machinery to manufacture their
products.
5. Word building
Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the words in
italics.
1 rely
a. He is a very reliable worker.
b. Her main quality is her .
c. My assistant is someone who can be on.
2 criticise
a. The report has been received very.. by top
management.
b. The Personnel Director is an outspoken of our
reorganization.
c. I thought her were unfair and not based on fact.
3 skill
a. The Chairman was at avoiding answering
awkward questions.
b. The workers in the Production Department are well
paid.
c. To be a good manager, you need many .
d. The workers in our company are the lowest paid
because they need no training for their jobs.
4 employ
a. Most in an organisation can benefit from training.
b. is almost 8% in my country thats far too
high.
36
Business English
c. The are entitled to various social security

payments.
d. Hes fairly old and hasnt had a job for years. Id say hes virtually
5 sure
a. Performance appraisals help to that promising
staff are not overlooked for promotion.
b. At my interview, my boss
me that I had a
bright future in the company.

c. you agree shes one of the high fliers in the
department.
6 able
a. This young trainee has considerable
b. Due to our
to get certain supplies, we lost the
order.
c. Because of a production hold-up, we are to
provide the product.
7 decision
a. Being a currency dealer in a bank, she has to make quick decisions
and be very at all times.
b. Because we were
we wasted time and lost the
contract.
c. I am still..whether to leave my present job but I must
make up my mind soon.
6. Complete the following sentences with suitable forms of the words from
the list below.
authorize, authority, control, function, autonomy, innovate, innovative,
delegate, delegation, initiative
a. In many department store groups, buying and finance are two

37
Business English
which are handled by Head Office.

b. Managers who like power find it difficult to
responsibility.
c. To stay competitive, high technology firms must constantly
or else their products become out of date.
d. When you delegate authority in a business, you lose a degree of
over certain functions.
e. In some multinational organisations, subsidiaries are given a great

deal of
- they rarely have to consult Head Office.
f. Firms often make the mistake of not concentrating enough on

marketing
g. In our factory, the General Manager is to spend
up to 1,000 a month on repairs and maintenance.
h. I like my staff to make decisions for themselves, but they seem
afraid to show any .
7. Supply the most suitable words from the list on the right.
1. .is hard to find nowadays.
a) boss
2. The quality of the food in a restaurant depends on

its.
b) chauffeur
3. I work in a garage as a car
c) chef
4. Nancy has started a new..
d) colleague
5. Mrs. Wilks is the of this shop, not the

owner.
e) college
6. If you want to know the way, ask a ..
f) conductor
7. Whos the of the Boston Symphony

Orchestra?
g) doctor
8. Brenda was a university .. at the age

of 36.
h) engineer
9. He has a car with a uniformed
i) job
10. His .. at school has given him a good

38
Business English
report.
j) manager
11. Whats the name of the ..of your

company?
k) mechanic
12. An ..designs bridges or roads.
l) medicine
13. The of our shop is putting up the

rent.
m) owner
14. There had been a burglary, so we called

the
n) police
15. I went into business after I left .
o) policeman
16. I cant use a , never mind a word

processor.
p) professor
17. Gordon is a at the local hospital.
q) teacher
18. Has the nurse given you your
r) typist
19. Smithers is a of mine at the office.
s) typewriter
20. Its useful to be a good if you use a

computer.
t) work
8. Supply the best word or words:

1. The person in charge of a business is informally known as the
a) chef
b) chief
c) boss
2. The person who is in charge of a car is the

a) guide
b) leader
c) motorist
d) driver
e) conductor
3. A person who prepares food is a

a) cook
b) cooker
4. A person who works in an office is an

a) officer b) office worker
5. A woman who looks after other peoples children is a
a) nanny b) nurse
6. The person who is in charge of a restaurant is the
39
Business English
a) patron b) manager
7. A person who studies the origins of the universe is a
a) physician
b) physicist
c) physics
8. Another word for doctor is

a) physician
b) physicist
c) medicine
9. If you are one of the people waiting to be served in a shop you are a
a) client
b) customer
c) patient
d) guest
10. If serve people who come into a shop, you are

a) an official
b) a shop assistant
c) a bank clerk
Grammar reference
Verbs which do not take a continuous aspect in English
There are verbs in English which generally are not used in the continuous
aspect:
verbs of the senses (verbs of perception): see, hear, smell, taste, notice,
recognize, etc.
I smell gas.
verbs of thinking: think, realize, know, understand, suppose, expect,

remember, forget, mind, etc.
I dont remember your name.
verbs of having and being: have, own, owe, belong to, possess, be,
contain, matter, hold, etc.
The house belongs to my mother.

I have a very good lathe.
verbs of emotion: love, hate, like, dislike, refuse, want, wish, forgive,
etc.
I hate people calling me late at night.

He wants to buy a new tool.
40
Business English
The Imperative
The imperative is a mood which expresses an order, a command, a wish, a
greeting, a piece of advice, a threat:
Come here!
Leave me alone!
Watch your step!
Lets go!
Form
The imperative has forms only for the second person singular and plural.
Affirmative
Negative
Get ready!
Dont get ready!
Start working!
Dont start working!
The possessive pronoun and the posessive adjective

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

Person
Singular
Plural
First person
my
our
Second person
your
your
Third person
his
their
her
its
41
Business English
Controlled practice
a. Aceast sticl conine ap mineral.
b. Creionul Rotring este al Mariei.
c. Ursc s mi se cear s fac o lucrare de azi pe mine.
d. Ea are doar un curs de statistic i dou de finane.
e. Acest curs conine 14 capitole.
2. Decide which is the most appropriate form of the verb in the following
sentences:
a. Im thinking/ I think of you.
b. She smells/ is smelling gas.
c. Mother is tasting/ tastes the soup to see if it needs more salt.
d. We have/ are having dinner now.
e. Could you call him back in twenty minutes as he has/ is having a
bath right now.
3. Translate the following into English:

a. Servete-te i servete-i i pe ceilali!
b. Vino, te rog, la noi s ne ajui s rezolvm o problem de statistic.
c. i dai un deget i i ia toat mna!
d. Scrie tu proiectul la calculator, pentru c dup aceea trebuie s-l
folosesc i eu.
e. Luai loc, v rog, doamn!
f. Nu pleca, pentru c nu am terminat proiectul!
g. Nu te apropia de firele acelea pentru c sunt sub tensiune.
h. Nu ncerca s m faci s m rzgndesc, pentru c o faci degeaba.
i. Du-te i vezi dac au terminat cursul.
j. Grbete-te, mai ai doar cinci minute!
42
Business English
4. Make the following sentences negative:

a. Come here!
b. Get ready as we are in a hurry!
c. Be on time, because English people are never late.
d. Go home and well finish this tomorrow.
e. Work faster as we need to finish this until two oclock.
5. Choose the appropriate possessive pronouns or adjectives:
a. My/ mine fathers car is new. Mine/my is very old and ugly.
b. We have been looking for these magazines. Someone took them
from your/our room. They belong to us. Were using the pictures for a
project of ours/yours.
c. There are five billion people in our/his world and they live in all
different corners of it.
d. This is her/hers car. She bought it two months ago.
e. My results are better than yours/your.
f. Is that book yours/your as I think I saw you when you lent it to
your/yours friend, Tom.
g. I dont think this is one of Emmas pens. I know she has lost
her/hers calculator, but I havent heard her say she has lost a pen .
What do you think?
h. My/mine speciality is accountancy.
i. After we have acquired some knowledge about the oil industry and
the kind of work that is involved, we will prove ours/our knowledge
later.
j. Your/yours article on world economy is a good one.
43
Business English
Unit 4
Writing a CV
Writing a letter of application
Classification of Nouns
Number of Nouns
The Genitive
Pre-reading tasks:
What information should your CV contain?
What information should your letter of application contain?
Reading 1
Read the following CV. Can you find any improvements? Work with your
mates and report your findings to the rest of the class:
CURRICULUM VITAE
PERSONAL DETAILS
Name: Mihaela Vlad
Address: 23 Bvd. Bucureti
Ploieti 2000 Prahova
Telephone: 044165342
Date of birth: 1 January 1974
Nationality: Romanian
Languages: Fluent English; Conversational French
44
Business English
Computer literacy: Wordperfect, Lotus 1-2-3, Windows 2000, Math-Cad;

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

1. Here are some pieces of advice for you when you write your CV:
a. Bold is used selectively. Your name is obviously important, so you
should make sure it stands out.
b. When you state the languages you can speak, conversational and
fluent are the only words to use about them. Dont use qualifications
such as well, very well, etc. If they really want to find out about your
language skills, they will surely test you.
c. Education and qualifications should be listed together. The A
levels are important, as they may show that you are suitable for that
job, as you had the best degrees in those objects which are of major
importance for your future job.
d. For the Work History section, it is vital to highlight your student
activities.
45
Business English
e. Dont make up a list of names and addresses in your reference

section. You should mention references only if they are very
impressive.
Reading 2
Here is the letter of application Mihaela Vlad has written. Skim through the
letter and see what information the applicant is conveying about himself:
23 Bvd Bucureti
Ploieti 200 Prahova
Mr A. D. Vlad
Personnel Manager
Petrom Bucureti
Ref.: chief accountant vacancy
Dear Mr. A. D. Vlad

I am writing to apply for the position of chief accountant that you advertised
in Bursa on 5 October 2001, as I believe it offers the career challenge which
I am seeking.
As you will see from my enclosed Curriculum Vitae, I graduated from
Petroleum-Gas University of Ploieti last year, and then I have had a
successful year working in a scientific environment with GPS Arad.
I would like to highlight the following skills which I believe would add
value to your organization:
Organizational skills - developed in my current job with GPS Arad.
Accounting skills - developed in my role as university officer where I
prepared annual reports and accounts and I was responsible for a budget of
1,000,000,000 lei per annum.
Interpersonal skills - developed through working in a team environment in
my current role and through a number of holiday positions when I was a
student.
46
Business English
I have a keen interest in accountancy and would appreciate the opportunity

of an interview to discuss why I believe I am good match for your
requirements.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Mihaela Vlad
Ways with words 2

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

Look at it and write your CV. Then write the letter to cover your CV
applying for the vacancy:
47
Business English
CONSTRUCT Ltd.
Romanian-Canadian company providing
expertise, human resources and equipment
for the construction industry
requires
Human Resource Officers
Applications are accepted from recent graduates of Sociology or Business

Studies with some background in income tax laws and computer literacy, or
company management.
Applicants should be willing to work in teams and should be able to meet
deadlines. Applicants should be fluent in English and French.
Please enclose a current CV and your letter of application addressed to
Mr Ion Pop, Human Resources Manager, Construct (Romania) Ltd.,
13, Piaa Roman, Bucharest.
3. Vocabulary building
An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another. For example, the
opposite of short is long, the opposite of old is young.
Complete the following sentences with words opposite in meaning to the
words in italics.
e.g.
interesting He does not like his job because it is uninteresting.

Workers become if their jobs
a. satisfied
offer no challenge.
b. conclusive
Since the report was so no
recommendations were made.

c. responsible
behaviour by staff can be costly to
an organisation.
Managers become if they fail
d. popular
to pay bonuses.
e. respect
No manager likes a subordinate to be

48
Business English
.
A worker who feels. in his job will
f. secure
probably not be committed to the firm he works for.

g. social
People who work hours, for example
at night-time, generally receive extra pay.

h. efficient
Nowadays, it is not easy to get rid of an employee who
is
4. Complete the following sentences with one suitable word meaning the
opposite of the word in capital letters:
a. Jack much prefers being EMPLOYED to being ....
b. Alex did a number of TEMPORARY jobs before he managed to
find a .... position.
c. The first shop he opened was a big SUCCESS but the second was a
total ....
d. Many people would rather work .than FULL-TIME.
e. The management said salaries had INCREASED, but official
reports showed that as a matter of fact they had ..
5. Word sets. Try to think of the word time. Now think of words connected
to time. In this way you may create a word set which may include among
other words: day, month, year, century, year, etc.
Now complete the
following sentences with one appropriate word connected with the subject
of money:
a. They refused to accept a cheque so I had to pay in ....
b. When she started with the company her . was only
$10000 a year. Now its at least four times that.
c. When Mr Michael retired he received a . of $300 a month.
d. Pierre is very worried because he is in .... Nobody will lend
him any money.
49
Business English
e. If you want a new car why not go and see your bank manager about
a ....
6. Here is a list of words and expressions to do with money. Use your

dictionary and divide them into the following categories:
-borrowing money; saving and investing money; having a personal bank
account.
Sometimes the same word will fit different categories:
-to withdraw money; a building society; a current account; a cheque card; a
mortgage; to cash a cheque; to buy shares in a company; the Stock Market;
to put money in; a monthly statement; a deposit account; to earn 15%
interest.
Grammar Reference
Classification of nouns
Countable nouns
Uncountable nouns
a girl
water
a man
sugar
a tool
milk
a cup
music
an apple
weather
a guitar
money
a pound
oil/ petroleum
a car
coal
a well
gas
We can say two cups, four girls, ten pounds, twenty cars. We can count
them. We cannot count sugar, water or oil.
Countable nouns can be singular or plural:
This cup is empty.
These cups are full.
50
Business English
Uncountable nouns can only be singular:

The water is cold.
The weather is fine.
The coal has a good quality.
Number of nouns
Form
Variable nouns form the plural in the following way:
-s is added to the singular:
books-books, tool-tools
-es is added to the singular nouns ending in -s, -z, -x, -ch, -sh, nouns
ending in -y preceded by a consonant (-y changes to i), nouns ending in o:
bus-buses, box-boxes, match-matches, brush-brushes, city-cities; potatopotatoes (But: photo-photos)
-(e)s is added to nouns ending in -f(e) (which changes to -v):
knife-knives, leaf-leaves, shelf-shelves (But: roof-roofs)

Irregular plural nouns:
man-men, woman-women, foot-feet, tooth-teeth, goose-geese, louse-lice,
mouse-mice, child-children, ox-oxen
Foreign plurals
stimulus-stimuli,
larva-larvae,
stratum-strata,
basis-bases,
criterion-
criteria, phenomenon-phenomena, datum-data, etc.
The Genitive
The analytical genitive is used with the preposition of, used with neuter
nouns:
the tower of London, the colour of oil, the cover of the book, etc.
The synthetical genitive (s genitive) is used after:
nouns denoting persons or other beings:

51
Business English
Johns lecture, my parents advice
nouns denoting measurement, time, space, quantity, value:
a two months practice, yesterdays newspaper, a pounds worth of pears
collective nouns:
the governements decisions, the Parliaments laws
geographical names, vehicles, natural phenomena, etc.:
Englands mountains, the spaceships crew, the afternoons heat.
Controlled practice
1. Complete this newspaper article. Choose the correct singular or plural
form in the brackets:
Johnson Factory for Milchester
The Johnson Clothing Company is going to build a new factory in
Milchester. (This/These) news (was/were) announced by company
chairman Mr David Johnson yesterday. Mr Johnson spent the morning
in Milchester before returning to the Johnson headquarters at
Edinburgh.
The Johnson company (has/have) been in existence for 100 years and
(is/are) famous for its (product/products). The slogans Youre never
alone with a pair of Johnson (trouser/ trousers) and Johnson
(jean/jeans) (is/are) the (one/ones) for you are well known. The
companys profit last year of two million pounds (was/were) the
highest in the clothing business.
Mr Johnson will not say how (much/many) new (job/jobs) there will
be, but the information that there will be (work/works) (is/are) hard to
find at the moment, and 2,000 unemployed people (is/are) a high
figure for a small town.
2. Complete the following passage with the correct form of the words in the
box below.
strategy
right
venture
52
personnel
Business English
finance
skill
planning
drawback
expertise
set up
delegate
innovative
trust
segment
The problems of small high-tech firms have attracted a lot of

attention recently. Research shows that many of these firms are
(1) by talented, creative scientists. Their owners have
no trouble coming up with (2) products but they often
cant build on their early success.
One reason for this is that they dont have much management
..(3).
Therefore,
they
are
unable
to
develop
the
(4) which are necessary for their companys growth.

They are in a rush to develop products, and dont think enough about how to
market them. When they do try to sell their products, they spend too much
time trying to gain the (5) of potential customers. Another
mistake they make is to underprice their products so that they have no
(6) for future development.
Once the firms begin to grow, their owners underestimate the future
costs of developing and marketing new products. Lack of financial
(7) is a major weakness of such companies. It is difficult
for the high-tech firm to attract the right (8) because it
cannot offer the same job security as a large organisation.
The high-tech firm can get round some of these problems by
developing
specialist
image.
It
can
aim
at
particular
(9) of the market. Customers then start seeking out the

firm, so its marketing costs are reduced. The only (10) is
that it may take some time before customers accept the firms new
technology.
As soon as the high-tech business has reached a certain size, it will
be a good idea to bring in professional management. The founder of the firm
can then(11) responsibility for activities like marketing
53
Business English
and finance. If a high-tech firm needs money very badly, it may arrange a
link-up with a larger company. It will offer that company exclusive
(12) to its technology.
Enthusiasm, bright ideas (13) capital and
technology
are
not
enough
to
ensure
success.
Basic
management. (14) - especially financial and marketing

ones - are also vital.
3. Complete the following passage, using the suitable forms of the words
given below.
achieve
reach
report
progress
performance
feedback
role
objective
stage
view
My boss called me into his office to discuss my

(1) during the last six months. She said that I had made good
(2)
and
had
had
no
difficulty
in
(3) my goals. She made it clear that she was

going to give me a good (4).
I suppose I should have been grateful to her. However, one thing
bothered me. I wondered why she didnt ask me what I felt about the
job. Why didnt she get some . (5) from me? I
thought that was one of the main (6) of the
interview.
Since my (7) was obviously to sit quietly and say
nothing, I did just that. At this (8) of my career, I
cant afford to upset my boss. But if I
ever (9)
her position, I shall handle these interviews differently. In

my(10), its vital to listen to employees.
4. Rewrite the following sentences, using the word in capital letters, so that
the meaning stays the same:
54
Business English
a. My cousin is somebody I can really trust. CONFIDENCE

b. I can recite Eminescus poems from memory. HEART
c. Your office is being redecorated at the moment, so temporarily you
will have to share one with John. BEING
d. He was going to leave for London when he heard his flight has
been canceled. POINT
e. It was proposed that a new church should be built. FORWARD
f. Once the results of the experiment are made public, the Government
will make a decision. OPEN
g. Her answer took the audienc by surprise. ABACK
h. Our manager want us to call him Sir. ADDRESSED
a. Inventatorul televiziunii prin cablu a fost un om bogat.
b. S-au fcut progrese semnificative n acest domeniu al cunoaterii.
c. El folosete multe coli pentru a scrie un CV.
d. La nceputul secolului XX, nu erau foarte erau multe studente n
colegii.
e. Tatl studentului a venit la universitate s vorbeasc cu profesorul
de economie.
f. Cunotinele de englez sunt foarte vagi.
g. Sfatul pe care mi l-ai dat m-a ajutat foarte mult.
h. A vrea s cumpr trei pini, dou ciocolate i trei spunuri.
i. Nu tiu dac vom avea bani s cumprm i mobila pe care ne-o
dorim (dou dulapuri i trei fotolii).
j. Fulgerul a fost urmat de un tunet asurzitor.
k. Prinii prietenei mele sunt plecai n Canada.
l. Ne ntrebm dac vom putea procesa attea informaii.
m. Nu am primit nite tiri foarte mbucurtoare.
n. Mi-e team c ea are sperane mai mari dect ar trebui.
o. A cumprat un buchet de flori care a costat 200.000 lei.
55
Business English
6. Fill each space in the sentence with the correct form of the word in
capitals print about it:
a. They tried to . him to participate in that contest.
COURAGE
b. Your solution seems to be the most . And, as we are
rather short on money, well decide in favour of it. ECONOMY
c. His opinion is .. from mine. We seem never to agree on
this issue. DIFFERENCE
d. Until you have solved your health problems, it is
not to travel to Paris. ADVICE
e. All the time he proved to be very . I cant put up with
his coleric attitude. ARGUE
f. Choosing this course is entirely voluntary. There is no ..
whatsoever. COMPEL
g. Everytime he starts speaking about her scientific research he keeps
on speaking about modernism. I think I know her sentences by heart
now. Its very .. REPEAT
h. They really .. over my idea and threw themselves into
creating the data basis. ENTHUSIASM
i. To .. the balloon they had to throw away their luggage.
STABLE
j. In childhood she was by Mira who helped her a lot.
FRIEND
k. This is the PMs RESIDE
l. The doctor gave me pull to .. the pain in my back. DEAD
m. His writing style is really.. IMITATE
n. His disappearance is EXPLAIN
56
Business English
7. Supply the blanks with suitable nouns from those in brackets. Use the
plural forms:
a. He threw a stone at the rock and ..... came back. (piano, volcano,
echo)
b. The ship was sunk by well-aimed ..... (potato, torpedo, dynamo)
c. Winter fodder for cattle is kept in ..... (calico, casino, silo)
d. The opera company was advertising for ..... (octavo, soprano,
cuckoo)
e. The delegates carried their ..... (portfolio, photo, piano)
f. The ..... hit the island with tremendous force.(tornado, hobo, albino)
g. They threw rotten ..... to show their disgust. (tomato, canto, halo)
h. He was bitten by ..... and got malaria. (hero, soprano, mosquito)
i. There are hundreds of ..... along the Mediterranean coast. (hero,
casino)
j. How many...(hero, cargo, kilo) of ..... (tomato, piano, photo) do you
need to make 1 liter of juice?
8. Fill in the correct forms of the nouns in brackets:

a. The (deer) have left their usual pastures.
b. They dont even try to hunt (lion); it is too dangerous.
c. There is no (mean) of learning what is happening.
d. They say (fish) are good for the brain.
e. They raise lots of (duck) on their farm.
f. Despite their size (giraffe) are harmless creatures.
g. The (Navaho) were almost completely destroyed.
h. He made a living by raising (goose).
i. A (series) of unexpected events prevented him from going on
holiday to Scotland.
j. Its not allowed to hunt (bear). But still many (bear) are killed.
57
Business English
9. Fill in the correct plural form of the words in brackets:

a. Do other planets revolve on their ..... like the Earth? (axis)
b. It can be dangerous if chemists make mistakes in their .....
(analysis).
c. ...... are rare in the desert. (oasis)
d. A great deal of ..... was collected by the scientist. (datum)
e. All good reference books contain ..... (index).
f. The consul sent several ..... back to London. (memorandum)
g. He spent his time playing with mathematical ..... (formula).
h. Geologists search the rock ..... for valuable minerals. (stratum)
i. There are not many types of ..... around the British coast. (alga)
j. There have been many international ..... since the war. (crisis)
k. The ..... of these lenses are perfect for distance photography. (focus)
l. What are the ..... of success? (criterion)
m. Ive always found the idea of ..... in algebra rather difficult.(index)
n. There are many ..... of animals. (genus)
o. ..... are exact positions of things. (locus)
p. The ..... of theorists must conform to the real world. (hypothesis)
q. Post-graduate students have to write ..... to obtain their Ph.D.s
(thesis)
r. The optician found that both his patients eyes had defective
.....(retina)
s. They were all well trained and so they responded like .....
(automaton)
t. Two ..... to the resolution were proposed. (addendum)
10. Decide which of the two verb forms should be used in the following
sentences:
a. Physics (was/were) my most difficult subject in high school.
b. Ballistics (is/are) the study of the motion of projectiles.
c. Athletics (has/have) been virtually abolished from smaller schools.
58
Business English
d. His motives may be good, but his tactics (is/are) deplorable.

e. In every group, politics (is/are) a subject that arouses interest.
f. Radical politics (was/were) offensive to the Federalists.
g. Acoustics (is/are) a branch of science that is growing fast.
h. The acoustics of this room (is/are) not all they might be.
i. Economics (doesnt/dont) require extensive knowledge of
mathematics.
j. His ethics (leave/leaves) a lot to be desired.
k. Classics (take/takes) a back seat these days.
l. Einsteins mathematics (was/were) a revelation.
m. Tactics (is/are) really short term strategy.
n. Your heroics (is/are) worthy of a better cause.
o. Her hysterics (does/do) not move anybody that knows her.
11. What are the feminine forms of the following words: actor, son, lord,
bachelor, marquis, duke, master, negro, hero, chauffeur, czar, executor,
driver, clown, wizard, aviator, widower, landlord, stallion, drake, gander,
ram, drone, peacock, fox
12. What are the masculine forms of the following words: madam, queen,
countess, doe, hind, tabby cat, bitch, wife, maidservant, she-wolf, jenny-ass,
czarina, governess, heir, niece, nurse, abbess, chauffeuse
59
Business English
Unit 5
Business letters
Past Simple
Past Continuous
Expressions of quantity
The Adjective
Pre-reading tasks
Have you ever written a business letter? What are the basic rules in
composing a business letter?
Reading
Read this text about composing business letters. Look at the tenses of the
verbs. Translate the text into Romanian:
Business letters
Business letters are usually typed on notepaper bearing a specially designed
heading which provides the reader of the letter with the essential
information about the organisation sending it. Normally the heading will
include the companys name and address, its telephone numbers and
telegraphic addresses, the type of business it is engaged in, its telex code
and V.A.T. number, and in many cases the names of the directors. It is
becoming increasingly common for firms to print an emblem or trademark
on their stationery.
Read the following business letter and try to distinguish the parts it contains:
60
Business English
a. GRAJO LEEDS
Leeds 978653
GRADEN &JONES LIMITED
Home and Overseas Merchants
Directors:
Upper Bridge Street
L. L. Graden, P.G. Jones
Leeds 2
b. JAS/DS
c. 13 June 2003
d. Oliver Green and Co., Limited\25 King Edward VII. St.

Manchester M24 5 BD
e. Dear Sirs
We understand from several of our trade connections in Bolton that you
are the British agents for Petrou and Galitopoulous AE of Athens.
Will you please send us price-lists and catalogues for all products
manufactured by this company, together with details of trade discounts
and terms of payment,
We look forward to hearing from you.
f. Yours faithfully,
Graden and Jones Ltd.
g. J.A. Stevens
Chief buyer
Ways with words

1. The parts of the letter
a. The heading.
b. The reference
This is typed on the same line as the date, but on the left, and consists of
the initials of the person who signs the letter and those of the typist.
Sometimes other initials or figures are added, according to whatever
may suit the filling system of the firm in question. It is usual to quote the
reference initials of the addressee company in a reply.
61
Business English
c. The date
The form in which the date is written in this letter -13 June 2003 is
probably the simplest and clearest of all the current forms used in the
English-speaking world, but there are alternative ways of writing the
date:
June 13 20003
13th June 2003, and
June 13th 2003
d. The inside address

A few points concerning the name and address of the firm written to
need to be made. Firstly, they are typed on the left, normally against the
margin. The diagonal granding of the name and address is rare
nowadays, and the style shown in the example is neater, as well as being
quicker for the typist.
e. The salutation
Below the address a double space at least is left, and the words Dear
Sirs are typed. This is the usual salutation in British business letters
addressed to a company rather than to an individual within the company.
Very often a comma is typed after the salutation, but an increasing
number of firms are eliminating this, considering the spacing to fulfil the
function of traditional punctuation.
f. The complimentary close
This is typed above the name of the firm sending the letter, then a space
is left for the signature. If the salutation is Dear Sirs or Dear Sir, the
complimentary close will read Yours faithfully or, less commonly,
Yours truly. If the correspondent is addressed by his or her name,
Dear Mr. Brown, Dear Miss Prism etc. the complimentary close will
take the form Yours sincerely.
g. The signature
It often happens that the person who has dictated a letter is unable to
sign it as soon as it has been typed. Since it is often essential to send a
62
Business English
letter as soon as possible, the typist or some other employee connected

with the letter in question will sign it instead: in such cases he or she
will write the word for or the initials p.p. immediately before the
typed name of the employee responsible for the letter, The name of the
person signing the letter is typed below the space left for the signature,
and is followed on the next line by his position in the company or by the
name of the department he represents.
Traditionally the complimentary close and signature have been typed in
the middle of the page, but it is becoming more and more common for
firms to place them against the left-hand margin.
If an enclosure accompanies the letter, this fact is indicated both in the
text itself and by the word Enclosure (often reduced to Enc. or Encl.)
typed against the left-hand margin some distance below the signature.
There are other ways of referring to enclosures the use of adhesive
labels, for instance, or the typing of lines in the left-hand margin beside
the reference in the text to the document or documents enclosed but
typing the word Enclosure at the bottom of the letter is by far the most
common.
63
Business English
Now look at the following letters and try to write a reply.
64
Business English
65
Business English
66
Business English
Grammar Reference
Past Simple
Past Simple is used to express
a finished action in the past (it is often used with past time expressions:
last year/ month/ week/, five years/ two days/ four weeks ago, yesterday,
yesterday morning/ evening, in 1985, etc):
They protested against that law in the late eighteenth century.

The chemists reported the results obtained yesterday.
habitual, repeated actions in the past (with verbs denoting a permanent

characteristic);
She always wore red.

I met him every day on my way to the office.
Past Simple is used to describe a series of actions which follow one

another in a story (narrative past)
Tom came into the room. He took off his shirt, put on a T-shirt and sat down
in the armchair. Suddenly he remembered something. He stood up and went
out of the room.
The form of the Past Tense Simple is the same for all persons.
Affirmative
The positive of regular verbs ends in -ed.
There are many common irregular verbs. In order to create this tense you
need the second form of the verb (see the list on page @ Appendix 1)
67
Business English
arrived
yesterday.
You
went to Sinaia
He/She
We
You
They
Negative
The negative of the Past Tense Simple is formed with the auxiliary did+not
(didnt).
I
did not (didnt) arrive
You
did not (didnt) go to Sinaia
yesterday.
He/She
We
You
They
Interrogative
The question in the Past Tense Simple is formed with the auxiliary did.
When did
arrive?
Where did
you
go?
he
she
we
you
they
68
Business English
Short answer
Did you go to work yesterday?
Yes, I did. No, I didnt.
Did she report the results obtained?
Yes, she did. No, she didnt.
Past Continuous
Past Continuous is used to express:
an action in progress at some time in the past
What were you doing at 10 oclock yesterday?

I was calculating the balance sheet when you came.
When she arrived, he was sleeping.
past activity happening over a period of time
I was reading from 4 to 6.30 yesterday.
Form
was/ were (past tense of to be)+ verb+-ing (present participle)
Affirmative and negative

I
was
working.
He
was not (wasnt)
She
You
were
We
were
They
(werent)
not
69
Business English
Interrogative
What
was
doing?
he
she
were
you
we
they
Short answer
Were you working at this time yesterday?
Yes, I was. No, I wasnt.
Was she studying when you entered the room?
Yes, she was. No, she wasnt.
Past Simple and Past Continuous

I was doing my homework at 7 oclock last night. (I was in the middle of the
activity.)
I did my homework yesterday. (I started and finished.)
She was looking at the pictures when her husband came into the room.
( looking is a long activity. Something happened in the middle to interrupt
it).
Expressions of quantity
some/any; much/many, a lot of/ lots of, few (a few)/ little (a little)
1. Countable nouns are used with some+ a plural noun in affirmative
sentences, and any+ a plural noun in negative and interrogative sentences:
Ive got some tools.
Are there any books of Economy in the house?
We dont need any apples for this pie.
70
Business English
Uncountable nouns are used with some in affirmative sentences and any in
interrogative and negative sentences, but only with a singular noun:
There is some ink in this pen.
Is there any paper in the printer?
We havent got any butter in the house.
2. Countable nouns are used with many in interrogative and negative
sentences:
How many lawyers work for this company?
We havent discovered many interesting data.
Uncountable nouns are used with much in interrogative and negative
sentences:
How much money have you got?
There wasnt much sugar left in the jar.
3. Both countable and uncountable nouns are used with a lot of and lots of:
Weve got a lot of uniforms.
There are lots of letters here.
Theres a lot of paper in this printer.
Hes got a lot of money.
4. Countable nouns are used with few/ a few, while uncountable nouns are
used with little/ a little:
Ive got a few problems at the moment.
We only need a little money to buy this.
The Adjective
Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or thing in the
sentence.
Position of adjectives
Adjectives appear before the noun or noun phrase that they modify (e.g. an
interesting course, a difficult exercise, a strange coincidence). Sometimes
they appear in a string of adjectives, and when they do, they appear in a set
order according to category. As after you finish this course you may write
71
Business English
articles on economy or management in English it is of major importance for

you to know the correct order of adjectives in a sentence.
The order of adjectives in a series

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

(numerals,
possessive chapter, her story,
adjectives, demonstrative this tool

adjectives, etc.)
II.
Observation
postdeterminers
and real, perfect
limiter adjectives
adjectives
subject
to interesting, beautiful,
subjective measure
III.
IV.
Size and shape
Age
adjectives
subject
gorgeous
to large, small, short,
objective measure
round, square
adjectives denoting age
young,
old,
new,
ancient
V.
Colour
adjectives
denoting red, black, yellow,
colour
blue, green, brown,

orange, violet
VI.
Origin
denominal
adjectives French,
denoting source of noun

72
English,
American, Spanish,
Business English
Polish, Romanian
VII.
Material
denominal
adjectives wooden,
metallic,
denoting what something woolen

is made of
VIII.
Qualifier
final
limiter,
often hunting
cabin,
regarded as part of the passenger car, book

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

kerosene, which quickly was replacing/ replaced whale oil in the
kerosene stoves in the 50s.
2. Find the correct action for each person and make a sentence:
Example:
Copernicus- studying the planets
Copernicus studied the planets.
People
Actions
Michael Jackson
going to the moon
Marlowe
inventing the electric light
Picasso
writing Doctor Faustus
Neil Armostrong
singing pop music
Americo Vespucci
playing tennis
Artur Aish
discovering America
Martin Luther King
painting Guernica
Charles Dickens
working for Black peoples rights
Edison
creating novels
3. Supply the simple past tense or the continuous past tense of the verbs in
brackets:
I (walk) along Piccadilly when I (realize) that a man with a ginger beard,
whom I had seen three times already that afternoon, (follow) me. To make
quite sure, I (walk) on quickly, (turn) right, then left and (stop) suddenly at a
shop window. In a few minutes the man with the beard (appear) and (stop)
at another shop window. I (go) on. Whenever I (stop), he (stop), and
whenever I (look) round he (be) still there. He (look) a very respectable type
and (wear) very conventional clothes and I (wonder) if he was a policeman
or a private detective. I (decide) to try and shake him off. A 74 bus (stand) at
the bus stop just beside me. Then the conductor (come) downstairs and
(ring) the bell; just as the bus (move) off, I (jump) on it. The man with the
74
Business English
beard (miss) the bus but (get) into another 74, which (follow) the first. Both
buses (crawl) very slowly along Knightsbridge. Every time the buses (pull)
at a stop, the man (look) out anxiously to see if I (get) off. Finally, at some
traffic lights, he (change) buses and (get) into mine. At Gloucester Road
Underground, I (leave) the bus and (buy) a ticket at a ticket machine. As I
(stand) on the platform waiting for a Circle Line train, my pursuer (come)
down the stairs. He (carry) a newspaper and when we (get) into the same
compartment, he (sit) in one corner reading it, and I (read) the
advertisements. He (look) over the top of the newspaper at every station to
see if I (get) out. I (become) rather tired of being shadowed like this, so
finally I (go) and (sit) beside the man and (ask) him why he follow me. At
first he (say) he (not follow) me at all but when I (threaten) to knock him
down, he (admit) that he was. Then he (tell) me he (be) a writer of detective
stories and (try) to see if it was difficult to follow someone unseen. I (tell)
him he hadnt been unseen because I had noticed him in Piccadilly and I
(advise) him to shave off his ginger beard if he (not want) his victim to
know he (be) followed.
Peter and Ann (decide) to redecorate their sitting-room themselves.

They (choose) cream paint for the woodwork and apricot for the walls.
When John (look) in to see how they (get) on, Ann (mix) the paint, and
Peter (wash) down the walls. They (be) glad to see John and (ask) if he (do)
anything special that day. He hastily (reply) he (do) to the theatre and (go)
away at once, because he (know) they (look) for someone to help them.
They (begin) painting, but (find) the walls (be) too wet. While they
(wait) for the walls to dry, Ann (remember) she (telephone), and (do) a
whole wall before Ann (come) back. He (grumble) that she always
(telephone). Ann (retort) that Peter always (complain).
They (work) in silence for some time. Just as they (start) the third
wall, the doorbell (ring). It (be) a friend of Peters who (want) to know if
Peter (play) golf in the following weekend. He (stay) talking to Peter in the
75
Business English
hall while Ann (go) on painting. At last he (leave). Peter (return), expecting
Ann to say something about friends who (come) and (waste) valuable time
talking about golf. But Ann nobly (say) nothing.
Then Peter (think) he would do the ceiling. He just (climb) the step
ladder when the doorbell (ring) again. Ann (say) she (get) tired of
interruptions but (go) and (open) the door. It (be) the postman with a letter
from her aunt Mary, saying she (come) to spend the weekend with them and
(arrive) that evening at 6:30.
4. Put the verbs in brackets in the simple or continuous past tense according
to the meaning.
a. He (recognize) the voice that (shout) the loudest as that of the
landlady.
b. I (go) to ask you to help me, but you (sleep) so peacefully when I
(look) into your room that I (decide) to do it alone.
c. He (not keep) his appointment with you last Tuesday morning
because at the time of the appointment he (be seen) by the Personnel
Manager about a new job.
d. When the dog (bite) Mary again, mother (prepare) dinner and we
(listen) to the radio. Mary (shout) blue murder and (have) hysterics
again.
e. We (have) to go round the back door because Grandfather (have)
his front door painted.
f. I (see) that the Browns (have) a lot of alterations made to their
house, but I (not know) if the parents (go) to pay for them.
g. I (walk) down the street some minutes ago when I (see) a curiously
dressed man. He (wear) a sports-coat with black trousers, and one of
his shoes (be) black and the other (be) brown).
h. When they (get married) he (find) a job as a caretaker on a large
estate.
76
Business English
i. She (wear) green and it (suit) her very well. Her face (be) mildly
pretty but, because she (cry) and mascara (run) down her cheeks, she
(not seem) as attractive as I (expect).
j. The person who (drive) the car on the day of the accident (no be)
insured.
k. While she (wonder) whether to buy the suit or not, someone else
(come) and (buy) it.
l. Ann (work) in the branch where the big robbery (take) place. She
actually (work) there at the time of the raid?
m. While the schoolmaster (write) on the blackboard, he (not notice)
that the boys in the back row (steal out) of the room on tiptoe.
n. He (come) into the room, (light) a cigarette, (open) the window and
(lean) out.
o. A traffic warden just (stick) a parking ticket to my windscreen
when I (come) back to the car. I (try) to persuade him to tear it up but
he (refuse).
5. Put the verbs in the brackets into the simple past and the past continuous:
a. I lit the fire at 6:00 and it (burn) brightly when Tom came in at
7:00.
b. When I arrived the lecture had already started and the professor
(write) on the overhead projector.
c. I (make) a cake when the light went out. I had to finish it in the
dark.
d. I didnt want to meet Paul so when he entered the room I (leave).
e. Unfortunately when I arrived Ann just (leave), so we only had time
for a few words.
f. He (watch) TV when the phone rang. Very unwillingly he (turn)
down the sound and (go) to answer it.
g. He was very polite. Whenever his wife entered the room he (stand)
up.
77
Business English
h. The admiral (play) bowls when he received news of the invasion.

He (insist) on finishing the game.
i. My dog (walk) along quietly when Mr. Pitts Pekinese attacked him.
j. When I arrived she (have) lunch. She apologized for starting
without me but I said that she always (lunch) at 12:30.
k. He always (wear) a raincoat and (carry) an umbrella when he
walked to the office.
l. I (like) it very much.
m. I (share) a flat with him when we were students. He always
(complain) about my untidiness.
n. He suddenly (realize) that he (travel) in the wrong direction.
o. He (play) the guitar outside her house when someone opened the
window and (throw) out a bucket of water.
p. I just (open) the letter when the wind (blow) it out of my hand.
q. The burglar (open) the safe when he (hear) footsteps. He
immediately (put) out his torch and (crawl) under the bed.
r. When I (look) for my passport I (find) this old photograph.
s. You looked very busy when I (see) you last night. What you (do)?
t. The boys (play) cards when they (hear) their fathers steps. They
immediately (hide) the cards and (take) out their lesson books.
6. Complete the following sentences with some or any:

a. Would you like .. more tea?
b. Could you give me .. information about the train times?
c. If you have .. trouble, just give me a ring.
d. Have you attended .. good conferences recently?
e. I tried to buy .. Rotring pencils, but I couldnt find ......
2. Put much, many, or a lot of into each gap:
a. Have you got ... homework?
b. We dont need . oil.
c. There are .. economy books in our library.
78
Business English
d. I want .. pencils because Im going to draw a helix.

e. Is there .. petrol in the car?
7. Which words in column A can combine with words from column B?
A
tall
person
heavy
music
Happy
New Year!
high
tree
strong
noise
Merry
Anniversary!
mountain
loud
traffic
Christmas!
wall
smoker
Birthday!
building
wind
price

a. Ea avea o main sport albastr.
b. Noi am citit un articol interesant de 5 pagini n Economy Today.
c. El colecioneaz vase vechi, frumoase din porelan.
d. Ai ncercat s refaci calculele la casa cea nou cu etaj?
e. El calculeaz rata profitului pentru o companie mic privat.
9. Complete the following sentences with the correct word or phrase (a, b or
c).
1 People work harder if they know that someone is
in their progress.
a enthusiastic
b interesting
c interested
2 Nothing has been announced but weve heard that

the Company Secretary has resigned.
a formally
b officiously
c unofficially
3 Friendly . no
longer exist between members of the sales department because some
got bonuses and others didnt.
a relations
b contacts
c connections
79
Business English
4 in the Production Department is low because the

workers have heard about the plans to reduce the work-force.
a morale
b feeling
c moral
5 This is a useful .
a equipment
b machine
c machinery
6 We have carried outinto the effect of lighting on our

workers productivity.
a a research
b some research
c researches
7 Strikes can be avoided if managers are to the

feelings of their employees.
a aware
b sensible
c sensitive
8 Some people like to work at their own .

a beat
9 We
b motion
have
several
c pace
proposals
for
increasing
sales.
We
must the merits of each of them.

a cost
b value
c evaluate
10 Has the change in exchange rates had any on the

cost of your raw materials?
a result
b affect
c effect
80
Business English
10. Write the adjectives

a. coat white French second-hand handmade
b. polished beautiful antique dining-table oak Japanese
c. cotton dress long summer fashionable
d. shoes leather eye-catching Italian handmade
e. canvas tennis shoes American grey and red
11. Insert the indefinite article in the blank spaces, if necessary:
a. There is ...... letter for you on the desk.
b. We had ...... fish and ...... chips for lunch.
c. Peter and Jack are much of ...... size.
e. He confused the positive and negative terminals, ...... serious
mistake.
f. Birds of ......feather flock together.
g. .... boys first toy is very important. It colours his whole after-life.
h. Under the circumstances ...... normal girl would be heart-broken.
i. You were pretty confident up to ...... point, werent you? he asked.
j. ...... island is surrounded on all sides by water.
k. ...... Mr. Smith called while you were out. He wants to make ......
complaint about ...... article in the paper.
l. Do you take ...... sugar in ...... coffee? I used to, but now Im on
...... diet. Im trying to lose weight.
m. ...... cold drink on ...... hot day is acceptable.
n. ...... truth is ...... virtue. ...... self-righteousness is certainly ...... vice.
o. It is difficult to get about in that region without ...... car.
p. ...... drowning man catches at ...... straw.
12. Supply the when necessary:
a. ...... books are necessary for a student. ..... books for this course are
not expensive.
81
Business English
b. ...... silver is almost as precious as ...... gold. I would not do it for

all ...... gold in the world.
c. ... art belongs to ...people.....art of public speaking must be learnt.
d. ...... fashion has always existed in ...... art as well as in ...... dress.
Those fur hats are all ...... fashion.
e. He had an unsatisfied hunger for ...... knowledge. She married
without ...... knowledge of her parents.
f. ...... history is ...... record of events. ...... European history I studied
at school helped me a great deal in my further studies.
g. ...... policy is ...... science of the possible and ...... art of the
impossible. ...... money policy of this bank is very strict.
h. ...... animals are content to eat and sleep. He wanted to see all ......
animals on the farm.
i. Do you like ......English literature? Yes, I do. But I prefer ......
English literature of the eighteenth century.
j. Which would you prefer ...... tea or ...... coffee? ...... coffee you are
drinking comes from Brazil.
k. He was conscious of ...... impending danger. ...... danger he was in
didnt make him lose heart.
l. She put ...... roses that I brought her in a vase. ...... roses are her
favourite flowers.
m. ...... honesty is the best policy. ...... honesty of Jane is admirable.
n. ...... beauty is ...... truth is a line from a poem by Keats. Its much
easier to tell ...... truth than lies.
o. I was overcome by ...... anger. He feared ......anger of his wife.
13. Use the positive, comparative and superlative degrees of the adjectives
in brackets to fill in the blank spaces:
a. Peter is a .......... boy. His elder brother, who is a basketball player,
is ............, but, sure enough, his younger brother is the ............ of
them. (tall)
82
Business English
b. The Carpathians are ............... . The Alps are ................, yet the
Himalayas are the ................. mountains in the world. (high)
c. Autumn days are ....... , rainy autumn days are ............., but we
have the ............... weather of all on clear, windy days in winter.
(cold)
d. A ducks egg is .................. compared to that of an ostrich; a hens
egg is even ..... , but a robins egg is the ....... of them
all. (small)
e. Jane was very ................. , but she was not the .............. in her class.
Anne was ................. . (young)
f. Your street is ................, but that alley is ............... and the path
leading to your house is the ............... of them all. (narrow)
g. The armchair in my room is ..............., the desk is ...., but
the bookcase is the ....... of them. (heavy)
h. John is ......, but his younger brother is ................ than he is.
(handsome)
i. He is insincere. In fact he is the ..... person I have ever
met. (insincere)
j. His position is a ................. one. It is ................. than I thought.
(humble)
14. Insert the appropriate form of the two adjectives in brackets

a. She is the ..... girl I have ever met. You dont often meet such a
.. girl. Shes ............... than other girls Ive known. (pretty,
beautiful)
b. The house was ............... than usual with everyone away. ...............
of all was the empty playroom. He didnt like the ................ house.
(quiet, peaceful)
c. He knew the situation was .............. , but it seemed even ...............
when he saw his fathers face. (grave, serious)
83
Business English
d. It is very ................ for the class. This lesson is ...... than

anything we had before. Its the ............ I have seen yet. (hard,
difficult)
e. Whats the ................. route to Milltown? Well, the road through
Duxberry is
pretty
....,
but the
Smalltown
road is
.....(straight, direct)
f. It was a ...... performance. Ive only seen one performance in
my life that was ................ than this. That was Laurence Oliviers
Hamlet; it was the ..... Ive ever seen. (great, wonderful)
g. That was a .............. thing to do. Ive never seen a ................ action.
The ..... soldier in the world couldnt have done more. (brave,
courageous)
h. They have been very ...... since Mrs. Kenyon fell ill. Mr.
Kenyon looks....every day, and the little boy is the. of all.
(sad, unhappy)
15. Fill in the adequate form of the adjective:

a. Sometimes food eaten at home is (a) the better, (b) better than food
eaten in a restaurant.
b. From these two photographs the smaller is (a) the best, (b) the
better.
c. A bigger dictionary is always (a) completer, (b) more complete than
a smaller one.
d. Stratford-upon-Avon is the birth place of one of the (a) best known,
(b) the most well-known English poet.
e. He needs (a) some, (b) any months of training.
f. Those little people have (a) a lot of (b) much energy.
g. Can you speak (a) some (b) any foreign language?
h. He doesnt feel (a) no, (b) any better today.
i. Not (a) a lot of (b) much ink is spilled.
j. They have invited quite (a) a lot of, (b) many people.
84
Business English
k. He has retired and (a) few, (b) little friends visit him now.
16. Fill in the adequate form of the adjectives in brackets:
a. Your first paper was .. but this one is even .. (good).
b. Her children are all .; the first born, the is by far
.. of all. (clever, old, clever)
c. Will you switch the light on? The room has grown . and I
cant see any longer. (dim)
d. Is this tie than the old one? (becoming)
e. Which is the of these two students? (hardworking)
f. She is much .. than I had expected. (gay)
g. Is this the .. and the . room in your hotel? (pleasant,
sunny)
h. Dont be hard on that girl. She is of all the group.
(sensitive)
i. She is always hunting for . things. (cheap)
85

Curs 1

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originaltitel

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Curs 1

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Business English

Unit 7 ..................................................................................................... 104

Future Simple or Be Going To?....................................................... 147

Ways with words ................................................................................ 204

In this unit you will learn:

Ways with words

writes things down

in every way possible.

without being told to.

every day possible.

from films, TV and records.

This is what you say to a friend on January 1st:

You are not

Hes not / He isnt

Shes not / She isnt

Its not / It isnt

Were are we?

You are not

Youre not / You

They are not Theyre not / They

Yes, she is. No, she isnt.

The demonstrative pronoun and adjective

What and which can be followed by a noun.

c. Acesta este un casetofon.

2. Turn these sentences into questions and answer them:

c. Ci ani ai? Douzeci i nou.

In this unit you will learn:

Fournier et CIE is a medium-sized

No longer excellent merchandise for their customers?

Several weeks ago we published an incredible story of a medium-sized

Ways with words

as far as = ntruct, pe ct, n msura n care;

2. Read the following sentence taken from the same text:

Now practise these expressions in sentences of your own.

take up (three meanings)

in black and white

once in a blue moon

to have green fingers

green with envy

to catch someone red-handed

d. If you want to be a successful gardener, of course youve got

h. The firm is . . It owes a lot of money.

The accusative/The dative. Form

Mood, tense and aspect

a repeated action or habit (it is often used with adverbs of frequency

I usually get up at 7.30.

a fact which is always true (general truths and states):

Wood floats on water.

a fact which is true for a long time

I do not (dont) work

You do not (dont) work

He does not (doesnt) work

Does she work?

She does not (doesnt) work

It does not (doesnt) work

We do not (dont) work

You do not (dont) work

They do not (dont) work

an activity happening now or around now

They are watching TV in their bedroom now.

a planned future arrangement:

Im meeting them at 11 oclock tomorrow.

You are working