Paul Emmerson

Business Grammar Builder

Second Edition
Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate (B1/B2)
Clear explanations for real situations

Recognising this need for concise and all-encompassing materials the

Second Edition Business Grammar Builder presents English grammar at
an intermediate – upper intermediate level within a professional and
business context. This means the students are picking up on business
vocabulary and idioms at the same time as strengthening their language
knowledge.

It can be used in the class and for self -study.

http://www.macmillanenglish.com/Course.aspx?id=45446
 Contents
LI ST O F G RA M M A R T E R M S 8

VERB TENSES
1 Present time 1 present simple, present continuous, time expressions 10
2 Present time 2 present simple or continuous?, present continuous or 14
present perfect continuous?, other uses of present tenses,
state verbs
3 Past time 1 past simple, past continuous, time expressions 18
4 Past time 2 past perfect, past perfect continuous, time expressions, 22
used to/would + infinitive
5 Connecting past and present 1 present perfect, time expressions, been (to) and gone (to) 26
6 Connecting past and present 2 past simple or present perfect?, present simple or present 30
perfect?, present perfect continuous, time expressions,
present perfect or present perfect continuous?
7 Future 1 will, be going to, present continuous, time expressions 34
8 Future 2 using when/after/until, etc., fixed timetables, future continuous, 38
future perfect, was going to, other ways to talk about the future,
future probability

PASSIVES
9 Passive 1 form, focus on important information, systems and processes, 42
by, transitive and intransitive verbs
10 Passive 2 maintaining the focus, being formal and impersonal, 46
passive + infinitive, verbs with two objects, have something done,
to be born

MODALS AND RELATED VERBS

11 Modals, etc. 1 form, ability, past ability, will 50
12 Modals, etc. 2 obligation, no obligation, permission, prohibition, past forms, 54
opinions and advice, past criticism
13 Modals, etc. 3 degrees of probability, certainty and deduction, expectation, 58
uncertainty, probability in the past, ‘possibility’
14 Modals, etc. 4 direct/indirect language, requests, requests with mind, permission, 62
offers and invitations, suggestions

QUESTIONS
15 Questions 1 yes/no questions, question words, question phrases, 66
question words as the subject, negative questions
16 Questions 2 indirect questions, prepositions in questions, 70
What is it for?/What was it like?, question tags, reply questions

CONDITIONALS
17 Conditionals 1 conditions and results, zero conditional, first conditional, 74
second conditional, unless, other modals
18 Conditionals 2 third conditional, conditional (possible past), conditionals without if, 78
forms with wish, modal verbs in conditionals

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 VERBS FOLLOWED BY -ING OR INFINITIVE
19 Verb + -ing or infinitive 1
20 Verb + -ing or infinitive 2
OTHER VERB CONSTRUCTIONS
21 Verbs and objects
22 Phrasal verbs 1
23 Phrasal verbs 2
24 The -ing form
25 make & do, have, get
REPORTED SPEECH
26 Reported speech 1
27 Reported speech 2
RELATIVE CLAUSES
28 Relative clauses 1
29 Relative clauses 2
NOUNS, PRONOUNS AND ARTICLES
30 Countable and
uncountable nouns
31 Pronouns
32 Determiners
33 Possessives and compound
nouns
34 Articles 1
35 Articles 2
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verb + -ing, verb + to + infinitive, 82
verb + object + to + infinitive, make and let, verb + that clause
verb + -ing or infinitive: change in meaning, verbs of perception, 86
verb + -ing or infinitive: little change in meaning, forms
transitive verbs, intransitive verbs, verbs with both transitive 90
and intransitive forms, verb + two objects
understanding phrasal verbs, separable phrasal verbs, 94
inseparable phrasal verbs
phrasal verb + preposition + object, phrasal verbs with two particles, 98
particle meanings in phrasal verbs
as a noun, as an adjective, after prepositions, 102
used to begin a clause, negative/perfect/passive
make & do, have, get 106
tense changes, no tense change, people/places/times/things 110
say or tell?, other reporting verbs, It was agreed that, 114
reporting questions, reporting commands and requests
relative clauses, relative pronouns, leaving out the relative pronoun, 118
non-defining relative clauses, relative pronouns and prepositions
combining sentences, use of what, use of where/when/why, 122
relative clauses with a participle
countable nouns, uncountable nouns, singular or plural verb?, 126
a/an, a lot of, many/much, few/little, specific and general meanings
indefinite pronouns, some-/any-, every-/no-, reflexive pronouns 130
all/many/much/a few/a little/etc., all meaning ‘everything’ or 134
‘the only thing’, no/none, each/every, both/either/neither
possessive adjectives and pronouns: my/mine, etc., 138
’s (apostrophe s), using of, compound nouns
a/an, a or an?, the, no article 142
place names, special uses of the, special uses of no article, 146
general and specific meanings
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 ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS
36 Adjectives and adverbs
37 Comparing 1
38 Comparing 2
39 Adverbs of degree
40 Time adverbs
LINKING WORDS AND PHRASES
41 Linking words 1
42 Linking words 2
43 Developing an argument 1
44 Developing an argument 2
45 Developing an argument 3
PREPOSITIONS
46 Prepositions of place
47 Verb + preposition
48 Adjective + preposition
49 Noun + preposition
TRENDS, GRAPHS AND FIGURES
50 Trends, graphs and figures
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adjectives and adverbs, form of adverbs, gradable and 150
non-gradable adjectives, order of adjectives, interesting/interested
form of comparatives, form of superlatives, other points, 154
as … as …, comparing actions
small and large differences, other structures with comparatives, 158
phrases with superlatives, comparing adverbs, comparing nouns
intensifying adverbs, too/enough/not enough, so/such a/such, 162
fairly/quite/rather/pretty
in/on/at/no preposition, on time or in time?, for/since/during/ago, 166
during or while?, by/until, then/after/afterwards, calendar references
and/also/as well, but/although/though, despite/inspite of, whereas, 170
although or whereas or while?
because/as/because of/due to, so, to/for, so that, like/as/as if 174
linking across sentences, numbering points and concluding, 178
examples, true but surprising, alternatives, exceptions,
generalizing, summarizing
other linking words and phrases, personal comment, at the end/ 182
in the end/at last, if/unless/otherwise, abbreviations in written English
emphasizing: preparatory it, The thing is, What we need is, 186
negative frequency and inversion, position of adverbs,
do/did with affirmatives, field of relevance
at or in?, expressions with at/in/on, above/below/etc., 190
opposite/next to/near/etc., other prepositions of place
verb + preposition, verb + object + preposition, 194
verb + different prepositions
adjective + preposition, feelings, other adjectives, 198
adjective + choice of preposition
noun + preposition, preposition + noun 202
verbs describing trends, trend verbs with objects, 206
speed and amount of change, graphs and charts, figures,
linking words and phrases
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 TEST BA N K ( FO R D I A G N O S IS O R R E V IE W )

Test 1 Verb tenses: present (units 1–2) 210

Test 2 Verb tenses: past (units 3–4) 212
Test 3 Verb tenses: connecting present and past (units 5–6) 214
Test 4 Verb tenses: future (units 7–8) 216
Test 5 Passives (units 9–10) 218
Test 6 Modals (units 11–14) 220
Test 7 Questions (units 15–16) 222
Test 8 Conditionals (units 17–18) 224
Test 9 Verbs + -ing or infinitive (units 19–20) 226
Test 10 Phrasal verbs (units 22–23) 227
Test 11 make & do, have, get (unit 25) 229
Test 12 Reported speech (units 26–27) 230
Test 13 Relative clauses (units 28–29) 231
Test 14 Nouns, pronouns and articles (units 30–35) 232
Test 15 Adjectives and adverbs (units 36–40) 234
Test 16 Prepositions (units 46–49) 236

A PPEN D I CES

1 Regular verbs: all forms 238

2 Irregular verbs 240
3 Diagram of the English verb system 242
4 British and American English 244

LI STEN A N D REPEAT S C R IP T S 246

A N SW ER KEY 250

I N D EX 264

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