CL 1.

5
BUSINESS ENGLISH

CMA Professional Program

2023-2027
CMA SRI LANKA OFFICIAL STUDY TEXT
 CMA Professional Programme 2023 – 2027

Certificate Level

CL 1.5: Business English

Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka (CMA)

ISBN 978-955-0926-49-7

The Governing Council of CMA reserves the right to make any amendments it deems necessary during the
period covered herein.

©Copyright reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of
the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka.

1st edition – August 2023

Published by:
Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka
29/24, Visakha Private Road,
Colombo 04, Sri Lanka.
 A Word to the Students

This text book is designed as a guide to lead Certificate Level students in the study of CL
1.5 Business English (BE) examination paper. It is carefully prepared to cover the
syllabus content, giving comprehensive explanations in each section including exposure
in answering questions.

Note that examination success will depend not only on your knowledge, but also on your
ability to present what you have learnt, in response to the given questions, within the
specified time period.

You may refer to the ‘Examination Guide’ published for each level and be familiar with
the CMA Examination Policies and Guidelines for Computer Base Examinations;
Examination paper structure, Hierarchy of Taxonomy (Actions verbs) and Pilot papers.

Make every effort to understand the subject and develop the skills to apply your
knowledge. Knowledge is the theoretical and practical understanding of a subject.

Application is the ability to use knowledge in a given relevant situation. This is the ability
to select the appropriate principles and/or techniques and apply them to relevant
information from a range of data.
We wish you success at the examination!

CMA Sri Lanka

 Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: MEETING PEOPLE 6

CHAPTER 2: IN THE WORKPLACE 24

CHAPTER 3: ON THE PHONE 39

CHAPTER 4: STATISTICS AND TRENDS 50

CHAPTER 5: NOTE-TAKING IN LECTURES 63

CHAPTER 6: APPOINTMENTS 79

CHAPTER 7: PRESENTATIONS 87

CHAPTER 8: MEETINGS 100

CHAPTER 1 Page 6

Meeting People

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Use basic expressions related to greetings and introductions.

• Follow basic etiquette involved in meeting and greeting people in social and
business contexts.
• Understand the placement and order of adjectives.
• Use the positive, comparative, and superlative degrees of adjectives.
• Acquire the customs and rules for making small talk.
• Interpret the formation and usage of the present simple tense and present
continuous tense.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the uses of the full stop and the comma.
• Apply skimming and scanning strategies to locate information in texts.

1.1 Lead-in

• Who are the people you communicate with on a daily basis / deal with in business?
• Who are they? What designations do they hold?
• Do you speak to all those people in a similar manner? Give reasons for your answer.
• What impressions do you try to give them? What impressions do you try not to give?
• What is the purpose of introducing people?
• How comfortable are you introducing people?

1.2 Making and Acknowledging Introductions

Anytime we meet a person for the first time or reconnect with someone at a social function
or business event, an appropriate greeting sets the tone for the exchange. The manner in
which you say “Hello” creates an opportunity for someone to form an immediate impression.
CHAPTER 1 Page 7

To master the introduction while coming across as natural and self-confident, you have to
brush up on some etiquette tips.
Introductions between speakers normally follow a number of steps, as follows:

Person A:
Introduction: Hello.
Identification: My name is [Name].

Person B:
Reply to an introduction: Pleased to meet you.
Identification: I’m [Name].

Introducing and identifying yourself:

Formal: How do you do? I’m [Name].
How do you do? My name’s [Name].

Informal: Hello, I’m [Name].

Hi, I’m [Name].

Replying to introductions and identifying yourself:

Formal: How do you do? I’m [Name].
How do you do? My name’s [Name].

Informal: Hello, I’m [Name].

Hi, I’m [Name].

Introducing someone else:

Formal: [Name], I’d like to introduce to you [Name].
[Name], I’d like you to meet [Name].

Informal: [Name], this is [Name].

Greetings between speakers also normally follow a number of steps, as follows:

Person A:
Greeting: Hello
Enquiry: How are you?

Person B:
Reply to enquiry: Fine, thanks.
Enquiry: And you?

Greetings, enquiries, and replies:

CHAPTER 1 Page 8

Formal:
Person A: Good morning, [Name]. How are you?
Person B: Very well, thank you. And you?
Informal:
Person A: Hi … How are you?
Person B: Fine, thanks. And you?

The art of making introductions

The etiquette for introducing people can vary between different settings and purposes. An
informal environment would not require an “I’m honoured to introduce you to…” unlike a
formal meet. Whatever it is, it should be carried out gracefully with utmost confidence and
respect. Keeping it simple and providing basic information without boring or embarrassing
either of the sides is important.

The first step in making introductions is realising who should be introduced to whom. The
foremost principle of etiquette for making introductions lies in understanding reverence and
respect. The basic rule is to introduce the ‘lesser ranking’ (socially, professionally, by age or
seniority) to the ‘higher-ranking’ person. Given below are some basic protocols you need to
follow when introducing people.

1. First, state the name of the person being introduced to. This is the ‘higher-ranking’
person.
2. Second, say “I’d like to introduce”, “may I present”, “please meet”, “this is,” etc.
3. Third, state the name of the person being introduced. This is the ‘lower ranking’ person.
4. Finally, offer some details about each, as appropriate or information about a topic of
common interest between the two parties. Do not elaborate. This will help them connect
and pursue a conversation.

In a social setting, gender determines the higher rank, i.e. men are usually introduced to
women unless the man is significantly older than the woman. Age is the next determining
factor. An older person ranks over a younger person, which can be a helpful distinction if
both people are of the same gender. All other things being equal, the person you have known
the longest should be named first: introduce your junior friend to your senior friend.

In a business setting, position determines rank first. After that comes gender followed by age.
When introducing people of equal seniority or status, you may introduce either person to the
other. However, it is better to introduce the person you do not know well to the person you
know better. That means you should say the name of the person you know better first.

When introducing people in a business setting, first, you must say the name of the person
who should be shown the greatest respect and add an introduction phrase and some
information about the other person. Next, you have to reverse the introduction by saying the
second person’s name, followed by an introduction phrase and the superior’s name and
information as given below:
CHAPTER 1 Page 9

Mr. Abeysinghe I’d like to introduce Mr. Hiran Boyagoda, a former colleague. Hiran, this is Mr
Ruvan Abeysinghe, our new Managing Director.

1.3 Speaking

Work in pairs
Use the following expressions to find out information about your partner:

Person A Person B
How do you do? How do you do?
Hello/Hi. Hello/Hi.
Good morning/afternoon/evening. Good morning/afternoon/evening.
Nice to meet you. / Pleased to meet you. Nice / Pleased to meet you too.
May I know your name, please? / What’s My name is … / I’m …
your name? / My name is … And you are?
Where are you from? I’m from ….
What do you do? I’m a/an …
Where do you work? I work at ….
In which department do you work? I work in the … department.
How do you go to work? I travel by ...

Ask questions from your partner and make notes of his/her answers. Then, introduce your
partner to the class.

1.4 Grammar

Adjectives
An adjective describes or modifies a noun or a pronoun. It normally indicates quality, size,
shape, duration, feelings, etc. Adjectives answer the following questions: What kind? How
many? Which one?

Placement of adjectives:
Before a noun: She has an interesting job.

After a verb: Her job seems interesting.

After a pronoun: She is satisfied with her job.

Order of adjectives:
When more than one adjective comes before a noun, the adjectives are normally in a
particular order. Adjectives which describe opinions or attitudes (Example: beautiful)
generally come before more neutral, factual ones (Example: blue):

Example:
She was wearing a beautiful blue dress.
CHAPTER 1 Page 10

Given below is the most common sequence of adjectives:

Order Relating to… Examples

1 opinion uncommon, handsome, amazing
2 size large, little, tall
3 physical quality rough, untidy
4 shape round, square, rectangular
5 age young, old
6 colour red, yellow, green
7 origin Chinese, American, African
8 material metal, wood, plastic
9 type general-purpose, four-sided, U-shaped
10 purpose cleaning, cooking

Example:
• It was made of a strange, black, metallic material.
• She was a beautiful, tall, thin, young, brown-haired, American woman.

Adapted from: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/adjectives-

order.

Comparison of adjectives:
Adjectives can be used to make comparisons. The comparative form with the word ‘than’ is
used to compare two people, ideas or things whereas the superlative form with the word
‘the’ is used to compare three or more.

Comparative form:
We use ‘-er’ for short words / one- syllable: fast – faster; easy – easier; big – bigger.
Example:
My car is faster than yours.

We use ‘more…’ for longer words / two syllables or more: famous – more famous; expensive
– more expensive.

Example:
This car is more expensive than that one.
We can use ‘-er’ or ‘more…’ with some two-syllable adjectives: clever; quiet; simple.

Superlative form:
We use ‘-est’ for short words / one-syllable: fast – fastest; easy – easiest; big – biggest.
Example:
This is the fastest car in the world.

We use ‘most…’ for longer words / two syllables or more: famous – most famous; expensive
– most expensive.
CHAPTER 1 Page 11

Example:
This is the most expensive car ever sold.
1.5 Speaking

Work in pairs
1. Ask your partner about his / her studies / job. Use the following format:
Person A: Do you enjoy your studies / work?
Person B: Yes, I do. / Not really because…

2. Describe two people / objects in your class by using as many adjectives as possible.

1.6 Listening

You will hear three conversations in which people are meeting and being introduced to each
other. Listen and fill in the gaps in the conversation.

1.
Rajan Pillai: I’d like to …………………………. My name’s Rajan Pillai and I’m the new senior
accounts executive.
Navin Silva: Oh, yes. I’ve heard of you. How ………………………….? I’m Navin Silva.
………………………….. you.
Rajan Pillai: So, Naveen, what do you do?
Navin Silva: I’m the …………………………. to Chris Jacob. He’s the corporate accountant.

2.
Ravi: Ms. Peters, I’d …………………………. Ms. Nelum Dissanayake. She’s from our
Kandy branch.
Ms Peters: Hello.
Nelum: …………………………., Ms Peters? I’ve been …………………………. meeting you.
Ms Peters: Please …………………………. Mary.
Nelum: And I’m Nelum.
Ms Peters: Well, Nelum, ………………………….?
Nelum: Yeah, not too bad. A bit tiring though.

3.
Roshan: Mr Cassim, …………………………. Ms Soysa? She’s from Pan International Group.
Mr Cassim: I think we’ve met before. You’re Tanya Soysa, aren’t you? ………………………….!
Ms Soysa: Yes, I am. Hello again. I think we met at the Multiplatform AI Conference.
Mr Cassim: That’s right. In London. ………………………….?
Ms Soysa: Fine, thanks.

Small talk
Given below are some questions that you could ask a new colleague or a client if you want to
be friendly and start a conversation.
• How was your journey?
CHAPTER 1 Page 12

• It looks like it’s going to rain.

• The bus must be running late today.
• Have you worked here long?
• Have you tried the cheesecake that Farah made?

This kind of social conversation about unimportant things, often between people who do not
know each other well, is called small talk. Topics such as weather, sports and entertainment
news are considered safe in these situations. Private issues, religion, politics and personal
information such as salaries are among topics that should be avoided.

Listen to the three conversations again and notice how the small talk develops.

1.7 Speaking

The class is divided into two teams. Members of Team A have to imagine that they work for
Quantum (Pvt) Ltd. and introduce some visitors to their colleagues. Members of Team B have
to imagine that they are the visitors who will be introduced to some of the employees of
Quantum (Pvt) Ltd.
1. A member of Team B will introduce himself/herself to a member of Team A for a minute
or so.
2. A member of Team A will introduce a member of Team B to a colleague. The Team B
member will have to talk to the new person for a minute or so.
3. Repeat step 2 with a different colleague.

1.8 Grammar

Present Simple Tense

The present simple (also known as simple present or present indefinite) is used to indicate
repeated actions, habits, facts or generalisations. It is also used to talk about scheduled
events in the near future and actions happening now. Every day, most days, generally, always,
sometimes, never and frequently are durations that can be used with the present simple.

Form:
[Verb] + s/es in third person

Positive: You play tennis. / He plays tennis.

Negative: You do not play tennis. / He does not play tennis.
Interrogative: Do you play tennis? / Does he play tennis?

Uses:
Repeated actions:
CHAPTER 1 Page 13

Examples:
• I get up at 6 o’ clock every morning.
• The library usually opens at 8.00 a.m.
• She always forgets her purse.
• You never polish your shoes.
• They don’t drink coffee very often.

Facts or generalisations:

Examples:
• The earth revolves round the sun.
• Paris is the capital of France.
• Rice doesn’t grow in cold regions.

Scheduled events in the near future:

Examples:
• The plane leaves tonight at 11.00 p.m.
• When do sports practices start tomorrow?

Now

Examples:
• He has his wallet in his hand.
• Does she have her laptop with her?

Source: https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepresent.html
Put the verbs in brackets into present simple.

1. Banks…………..……….. (close) at 3.00 p.m.

2. My brother rarely …………..……….. (watch) television.
3. Each April we …………..……….. (go) to France for a holiday.
CHAPTER 1 Page 14

4. How often …………..……….. (you/visit) your grandparents?

5. The sun …………..……….. (set) in the west.
6. I never …………..……….. (forget) to do my homework.
7. The conference …………..……….. (start) at 9 o’clock.
8. …………..……….. (you/have) your mobile phone with you?
9. What time …………..……….. (you/leave) home?
10. Population censuses …………..……….. (take place) every 10 years.

Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous (also called present progressive) is used to show that an ongoing
action is happening now, either at the time of speaking or now in a larger sense. It can also
be used to show that an action is going to take place in the near future. Expressions such as
at the moment, at present, currently, just, still are generally used to emphasise that the action
or event is happening now.

Form:
[am/is/are + present participle]

Positive: You are playing tennis. / He is playing tennis.

Negative: You are not playing tennis. / He is not playing tennis.
Interrogative: Are you playing tennis? / Is he playing tennis?

Now:

Examples:
• You are learning English now.
• They are not watching television at the moment.

Longer actions in currently in progress:

Examples:
• These days, I am working on a special project at work.
• Isn’t she teaching at the university now?

Near future:

Examples:
• I am not going to the party tonight.
CHAPTER 1 Page 15

• Are you visiting your parents next weekend?

Source: https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentcontinuous.html

Put the verbs in brackets into correct form, present continuous or present simple.

1. Let’s go out. It ………..……….. (not/rain) anymore.

2. Water ………..……….. (boil). Can you turn it off?
3. Hurry up. Lilani ………..……….. (wait) for us.
4. My boss always ………..……….. (get) to work on time.
5. On most days, I ………..……….. (finish) work at 4.00 p.m. but this week I ………..……….. (work)
till 5.00 p.m. to complete a project report.
6. My brother is an excellent linguist. He ………..……….. (speak) four languages fluently.
7. My aunt is not well. At the moment she ………..……….. (spend) most of her time in her room.
8. He usually ………..……….. (go) abroad two or three times a year.
9. At first I didn’t like travelling but I ………..……….. (begin) to enjoy it now.
10. My mother normally ………..……….. (phone) me on Fridays.

1.9 Punctuation

In speaking, pauses and the tone of voice are used to make our utterances understandable.
In writing, punctuation plays a similar role. Punctuation allows us to stop, pause or give
emphasis to certain sections of a sentence. Thus, correct punctuation adds clarity and
precision to writing.
The most common punctuation marks in English are full stops, question marks, commas,
colons, semi-colons, exclamation marks and quotation marks. Other punctuation marks
include apostrophes, hyphens, dashes, parentheses, square brackets, ellipses, slashes and
asterisks.

Full stop
Full stops are used to mark the end of a sentence:
• The Olympic Games take place every four years. The next Olympic and Paralympic Games
will be held in Paris in 2024.

We also use full stops in initials for personal names:

• R.N.Abeysinghe

Full stops are also used after abbreviations:

• etc.
• p.m.

Unlike American English, British English does not put periods after abbreviations such as
• Dr.
• Mr.
• Ms.
CHAPTER 1 Page 16

Comma
Commas are used to separate three or more words, phrases or clauses written in a series.
The British do not generally use a comma before and at the end of a list of single words, but
American English uses a comma in lists before and.
• Academic writing should be clear, unbiased, concise, consistent, and well structured.

We use commas to separate two independent clauses in a sentence when they are joined
together by for, and, nor, but, or, yet so.
• The play was over, but the audience stayed on.
• It is completely waterproof, yet light and comfortable.

Commas are used after introductory words, phrases or clauses that come before the main
clause.
• This is one possible solution to the problem. However, there are others.
• While I was in Italy, I visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

1.10 Writing

Rewrite the following sentences adding capital letters, full stops and commas where
necessary.

1. there are two kinds of introductions they are self-introductions and three-party
introductions always stand for an introduction in a self-introduction never give yourself
an honorific such as Mr Ms Dr etc.

2. handshakes are the only consistent physical contact we have in the business world they
also happen first in an encounter so they set the tone for the entire relationship that
follows people make an immediate judgment about your character and level of
confidence through your handshake you should take time to practice your handshake
skills until you know you can perform them well.

1.11 Speaking

Work in pairs
What do you find difficult or enjoyable about talking to…
• someone you have never met before.
• someone who is much older than you?
• someone from another country?
• one of your superiors at work?
• people at a social gathering?
• guests at an official function?
CHAPTER 1 Page 17

Work in small groups or as a class

• What differences do you expect in the manners, eating habits, etc. of foreign visitors to
your country? Think of some examples.
• What kind of advice would you give to a foreign visitor with regard to accommodation,
meals, transport, tipping in restaurants, etc. in your country? Make a list under each
category.

1.12 Listening

You will hear three employees of Cutting-Edge Pros, an accounting firm, talking about their
work. Listen and complete the notes below.

1.
Mahesh Rodrigo is the ……………………………………………….. .
His key responsibility is ……………………………………………….. .
He finds …………………………. and …………………………. very stressful.
He likes …………………………..

2.
Priyani Mendis is a ……………………………………………….. .
She is responsible for ……………………………….., …………………………………….. and
………………………………………………..
She finds ………………………….…………..…………. overwhelming.
She likes ……………………………………………….

3.
Wasim Ahmad is a ……………………………………………….. .
He is responsible for ……………………………………………….. .
Key skills needed for his job include …………………………., …………………………. and
………………………….
His job rewards include …………………………., …………………………. and ………………………….

1.13 Reading Strategies

Active readers use numerous reading strategies to cover a lot of ground within a short period
of time. Your purpose for reading should determine which strategy to use. Skimming and
scanning are speed reading techniques that can be used when a reader wants to find
information from a text as quickly as possible. Skimming is a technique in which a reader
reads through a text quickly to find the main idea or gist of a text whereas scanning is reading
quickly in order to find a specific fact or piece of information without reading everything.

Skimming
Skimming allows you to pick up the main ideas of a text without paying attention to details.
It can be used to overview your textbook chapters or to review for an examination.
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Instead of reading the text in total, you should pay special attention to typographical cues
such as headings, boldfaced or italicised words, indenting, bulleted and numbered lists. The
table of contents, main headings in each chapter, chapter overviews, chapter summaries, the
introductory paragraph and first and last sentences of paragraphs will also help you locate
the main idea. You should keep in mind that sometimes the main ideas of paragraphs are not
always found in the first or last sentences (although in many textbooks they are).

Scanning
Scanning is moving rapidly through the pages to find particular pieces of information. It can
be used to locate specific information from a large quantity of written material within a short
period. You should also scan tables of contents, headings, chapter summaries, indexes and
typographical cues. If you are scanning for information to answer a specific question, you
should keep in mind that the question itself supplies the keywords.

It should be noted that skimming and scanning are no substitutes for in-depth reading and
should be used only to locate information quickly. Additionally, when you come across
important information, you should slow down to read those sections.

Adapted from:
https://www.butte.edu/departments/cas/tipsheets/readingstrategies/skimming_scanning.ht
ml

1.14 Reading

Read the following passage about business culture and customs in some of the world’s
leading business centres and answer the questions below it.

Conducting business abroad requires an extra layer of knowledge: that of the local business
culture and its customs. While the global work environment is more flexible and
interconnected than ever, localities retain their cultural nuances, both social and
professional. Being aware and respectful of those particulars can help establish trust and
facilitate successful global business dealings.
Given below are some important facts on how to greet colleagues and clients, how to behave
in meetings and at meals and what to expect when doing business in some of the world’s
leading business centres.

In the United States...

People introduce themselves by name and with a firm handshake to everyone present.
Business culture in the United States (US) is generally mindful of the separation between
professional and private life. While pleasantries and a brief exchange asking how someone is
doing are common, conversation quickly moves to business.
Similarly, Americans are very conscious about personal space and tend to give more than in
European or Latin countries. Close talking is generally uncomfortable in American
professional settings.
CHAPTER 1 Page 19

Whether on phone calls, to meals or dinner, promptness is expected. Many people in the US
consider being on time as actually being late in business settings, so be sure to arrive early.
Business dinners generally follow the conclusion of the workday and tend to start as late as
7.00 p.m.

In most business settings, Americans schedule meeting times and stick to them. Conversation
is usually kept on-topic and sticks to business, with light conversation before or after a
meeting wraps. While it varies by industry, Americans tend to dress conservatively, although
many workplaces in the US have adopted business casual dress policies.

Americans are open to scheduling and doing business at any meal, including breakfast. But
people watch the clock, including during business lunches, which are typically kept to one
hour. Don’t be put off by your host checking his or her watch at regular intervals, but
answering calls or checking phones during a meal is impolite. Wait until everyone is served
before eating. Americans are known to be big eaters, so feel free to take seconds if offered.

In the United Kingdom...

British people conduct themselves in a polite and reserved manner in business. People are
mindful of personal space and do not stand or speak too close. They also greet each other
with handshakes, but they should be lighter than the more firm handshake expected when
doing business in the United States.

The British also tend to stick to schedules and expect punctuality in all matters of business,
including meal times. Be careful not to schedule meetings at times you think you could be
late arriving. The British workday tends to follow a clear schedule, with many professionals
heading home at 5.00 p.m. or 5.30 p.m.

British society is relatively stratified, and business structures have a similarly clear
hierarchy. People expect protocol to be followed: address the proper people and go through
the established channels when planning and conducting meetings. Meetings should be
scheduled in advance and have a specific objective, which should be outlined in the meeting
invitation.
The British practice formal table manners, including properly positioning utensils on the
plate when done (at 5.25). You might also be invited to attend a cricket match or regatta in
lieu of business meal. These are formal events and attendees should dress accordingly, in
professional attire.

In Brazil...
Brazilians are regarded the world around for their warmth and friendliness, something that
is also evident in the country’s business culture. Brazilians often stand close when talking
and it is common for them to touch the person — on the shoulder, for example — they are
conversing with. People often greet each other (particularly women) with light cheek kisses,
even in business environments. Men often will shake hands.
CHAPTER 1 Page 20

Schedules tend to be flexible in Brazil, with business meetings sometimes starting later than
planned. But to be safe, be on time. The Brazilian work schedule includes a significant
number of federal holidays and generous allotted vacation time.

People tend to take their time off — and they savor it. They do not expect (or expect others)
to do business during time off, so be prepared to work around holiday schedules.
Brazilians are social, preferring face-to-face communication over emails or phone calls.
Personal relationships are of high importance in Brazilian business life, so conversations are
likely to turn into what some cultures might consider private topics, such as personal lives
and family activities. Expect these topics to come up, even in meetings with multiple
attendees.

Brazilians tend to keep up appearances, scheduling business meals at classy restaurants.

Meals can stretch for hours — there’s no such thing as rushing a meal in Brazil. Lunches also
can start in the mid to late afternoon. The host is the one expected to bridge the conversation
from business to personal.

In Singapore...
People shake hands when they meet and often also greet each other with a small, polite bow.
Singaporeans address each other formally — and you should do the same. Business cards
should be offered and received with two hands.

Tardiness is considered disrespectful in business. Be on time, at the least. Arriving early is

appreciated in Singapore, be it for business or social activities.

Efficiency is the goal, so meetings and dealings often are fast paced. Singaporeans are direct
in their discussions, even when the subject is about money. People dress conservatively,
especially in business settings. Rank is important and dictates how people interact in
meetings. For example, people avoid disagreeing outright with someone of a higher rank.

Dinners are common, but generally they are treated more like social gatherings than business
dealings. Asian cutlery, like chopsticks and porcelain spoons, usually are presented and
should be utilised.
A small bowl of water and towel are often given to each diner for hand washing. Dip the towel
into the bowl and use it to clean your fingertips, as well as around your mouth if necessary.
If a lemon is provided, rub it on your fingers and then dip your fingers into the bowl.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20130809-more-than-a-handshake

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the above passage?

Write,
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information.
FALSE if the statement contradicts with the information.
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.
CHAPTER 1 Page 21

1. In the US, it is customary to introduce yourself to someone by saying your name and
offering a firm handshake.
2. In US business settings, being on time is considered the same as being late.
3. In Singaporean and American business contexts, people tend to dress conservatively.
4. In the US, scheduling and doing business at meals are not common.
5. People in Britain greet each other with a firm handshake like the people in the US.
6. In Britain, the average working week is Monday to Friday, 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
7. Business and social structures are more hierarchical in Britain.
8. In Britain, it is common to be invited to a sports event instead of a business meal.
9. In Brazil, handshakes are usually reserved for men.
10. Brazilians generally schedule meetings during holidays or festivals.
11. In Brazilian culture, people like to separate their private life from their business life.
12. Brazilians prefer eating larger meals when compared to other cultures.
13. It is important to use both hands when giving or receiving a business card in Singapore.
14. In Singapore, make it a priority to be punctual.
15. Singaporeans use chopsticks for most food and porcelain spoons for the liquid part of
soup.
16. Match the following headings to the four paragraphs of the description of each business
centre given above:
• Greetings
• Meals
• Meetings
• Schedules

1.15 Writing

Work in small groups

Write a 150–200-word account on the business culture and customs in Sri Lanka under the

following headings:

• Greetings
• Meals
• Meetings
• Schedules
CHAPTER 2 Page 22

In the Workplace

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Discuss daily routines in social and business contexts.

• Give and follow directions to places with the assistance of location prepositions.
• Interpret the formation and usage of the present perfect tense and present perfect
continuous tense.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the uses of the question mark and exclamation
mark.
• Identify the basic elements of formal letters and emails.
• Write formal letters and emails to fulfil a range of functions for practical purposes.

2.1 Lead-in

• If you are employed, explain your office routine briefly.

• If you are not employed, describe your personal routine.

2.2 Reading

Read the following passage about average workweek by country and answer the questions
below it.

Around the world, the average workweek can range from less than 40 hours in length to close
to 50 hours. High-income and/or developed countries with a cultural emphasis on work/life
balance and adequate leisure/family time generally have shorter official workweeks (some
as short as four days) and more vacation days.

These countries also trend toward more generous overtime compensation, more worker-
friendly regulations, more favourable parental leave laws and an increased chance of landing
on the list of the world's happiest countries. By contrast, countries with longer workweeks,
CHAPTER 2 Page 23

fewer worker protections and reduced amenities often rank as hard-working countries, but
also tend to have a populace that is less happy and possibly overworked.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group of 38
mostly European countries with a high quality of life that collectively comprised more than
60% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021.

An OECD country among those with the shortest workweeks in the world is Denmark, which
also ranks as one of the happiest countries in the world. A July 2021 government report
stated that the country is seeking to address a shortage of workers in a number of fields
including education, health care, IT, computer science and engineering, as well as skilled
positions including business professionals, bookkeepers, machinists, construction workers
and food service professionals.

Norway, another OECD country with a short workweek (and one of the world’s best Human
Development Index scores), is also seeking tech professionals such as software engineers
and hardware developers, as well as engineers who specialise in the energy sector (oil and
gas, wind, hydropower). Norway is also known to have the safest drivers in the world, which
could serve as a comfort to professional drivers seeking to relocate.

Germany boasts one of the largest economies in Europe—and one of the lowest
unemployment rates. While Germany has far fewer worker shortages compared to many of
its European neighbours, professionals including software developers, electrical engineers
and fitters, mechanical engineers, medical professionals, IT professionals and economists
have a good chance of finding work.

Another of the world's happiest countries, Netherlands has a profile quite similar to
Germany’s. Netherlands has quite low unemployment and is seeking workers in many of the
same fields, with an arguably greater emphasis on civil engineers and ICT professionals.

Iceland is often considered the most peaceful country on Earth. The country’s job market is
small—the total population is roughly 340,000 people—and is in particular need of workers
in the healthcare, construction, IT and tourism industries.

Among the countries with the longest workweeks, the prevailing trend is that most, if not all,
are economies that have yet to fully mature. Cambodia, for example, is still reliant upon
foreign aid. However, World Bank points out that Cambodia’s 80% rate of employment is
higher than the average for East Asian countries (63%).

Myanmar is in the process of evolving from an agricultural economy to one cantered on

industry and service. World Bank has determined that one major hurdle in this process is
that the quality of jobs available has not yet fully caught up with this transformation.

Bangladesh has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and is quickly
approaching middle-income country status, with more and more people rising above the
poverty level. However, work hours are still long.
CHAPTER 2 Page 24

Singapore has long workweeks but is also one of the freest economies and most prosperous
nations in the world. In contrast to many countries with long workweeks, Singapore has a
highly developed economy.

Another promising story, Malaysia’s economy is growing quickly and ranks among the most
competitive in the world. Malaysia may soon become a high-income country.

Adapted from: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/average-work-week-

by-country.

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the above passage?

Write,
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts with the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Generally, employees in high-income countries don’t enjoy overtime benefits.

2. Countries with longer workweeks are categorised as hard-working countries.
3. In 2021, OECD member countries accounted for over three-fifths of world GDP.
4. Denmark and Iceland have a shortage of workers in several fields including health care,
IT, and the construction industry.
5. The people of Norway have one of the highest standards of living in the world.
6. Germany and Netherlands have low unemployment rates.
7. All countries with the longest workweeks have mature economies.
8. Cambodia is among countries with the longest workweeks.
9. Bangladesh and Myanmar are in the process of transitioning to middle-income country
status.
10. Both Malaysia and Singapore have recorded rapid industrial development.

2.3 Giving and Following Directions

Instructions for giving directions

• Do not give directions unless you thoroughly understand what you are talking about.
• Begin directions from the place where the inquiring person is.
• Keep all directions clear and simple.
• Proceed step by step in an orderly manner.
• Mention any buildings or objects that will serve as guides.
• Make the directions complete. Do not take for granted that the listener will know what to
do.
• Say “turn left [or right]”, rather than “north” or “south” because many people have little
or no sense of direction.
• Remember the shortest way is not necessarily the best, so choose the easiest way.
CHAPTER 2 Page 25

• Suit the direction to the knowledge and ability of the listener.

• Be courteous throughout.

Instructions for following directions

• Know the purpose of the direction.
• Listen carefully and take notes if necessary.
• Ask questions about any steps that you do not understand. Do not proceed until the
confusing point has been cleared up.
• Repeat directions to see whether you understand.
• Carry out the steps in order.

The following expressions can be used in giving directions:

Walk along [Name of road] towards [Name of place]

Go down [Name of road] until you come to / see / reach [Name of
Continue on [Name of road] place]
Go/Walk straight down [Name of road] to the roundabout.
Keep on walking past the [Name of place]
Stay on the bus until you arrive at / reach / see [Name of
Do not get off the train place]
Take a left/right turn at the crossroads / end of the street/
Take the first left junction.
Turn left just before reaching [Name of road / place]
Take the first/second (turning) on your left/right.

Cross [Name of road].

the bridge over the river.
Go across the bridge.
Take the short cut through the park.
You will pass … (name of road / place).
The [Name of place] is on the left/right.
in [Name of road].
near / in front of/behind/next to/opposite the
[Name of place].
between the [Name of place] and [Name of place].

At roundabouts Go left / take the first exit

Go straight over / take the second exit
Go right / take the third exit
CHAPTER 2 Page 26

2.4 Speaking

Work in pairs
Write directions to get to your home from your class. Your partner should try to draw a map
as he/she listens to you. Check if the map is correct and make necessary changes. Then
exchange roles.

2.5 Listening

You will hear two colleagues, Enoka and Minoli, on the phone. Listen and tick the things
Enoka agreed to do for Minoli. Then, list them in the order that they were mentioned in the
recording.

Arrange accommodation ………………

Proofread a feasibility study ………………
Call the New Delhi branch ………………
Email the annual report ………………

2.6 Grammar

Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect is used to indicate that an action has taken place once or many times at
an unspecified time before now. It is most frequently used to talk about experiences or
changes that have taken place over time. Present perfect is used with unspecific expressions
such as ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet but not with
specific time expressions such as yesterday, one year ago, last week.

Form:
[has/have + past participle]

Positive: You have been to France many times. / He has been to France many times.
Negative: You have not been to France many times. / He has not been to France
many times.
Interrogative: Have you been to France many times? / Has he been to France many
times?

Unspecified time before now:

CHAPTER 2 Page 27

Examples:
• I have read that novel twice.
• Nobody has ever been to that part of the building.
• Have you finished the report yet?

Duration from the past until now:

Examples:
• I have had a very bad cough for three days.
• They have been in India for almost a year.
• Umesh has loved swimming since he was a child.

Source: https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html

Underline the correct sentence in each pair.

1. I drive to Galle several times to visit my parents. / I have driven to Galle several times to
visit my parents.
2. The price of fuel has risen dramatically over the past few months. / The price of fuel
dramatically rises over the past few months.
3. We lived in Kandy for five years and like it a lot. / We have lived in Kandy for five years
and like it a lot.
4. I already did two presentations on the topic. / I have already done two presentations on
the topic.
5. Only a few people have registered to compete in the event so far. / Only a few people are
registering to compete in the event so far.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The present perfect continuous (also called present perfect progressive) is used to show that
an action started in the past and has continued up to the present moment. For five minutes,
for two weeks and since Tuesday are durations that can be used with the present perfect
continuous.

Form:
[has / have + been + present participle]

Positive: You have been sleeping for two hours. / He has been sleeping for two
hours.
Negative: You have not been sleeping for two hours. / He has not been sleeping for
two hours.
Interrogative: Have you been sleeping for two hours? / Has he been sleeping for two
hours?
CHAPTER 2 Page 28

Duration from the past until now:

Examples:
• She has been working at that company for three years.
• I have been teaching at the university since 2000.

Source: https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfectcontinuous.html

Complete the following sentences with the present perfect continuous form of the verbs in
brackets:
1. I ……………………………. (mean) to call you since I heard that you were sick.
2. They ……………………………. (conduct) this programme every year since 1990.
3. She has not been at work for a while. She ……………………………. (help) her son with his
studies.
4. I ……………………………. (study) very hard for my examination. I hope to do well.
5. They ……………………………. (live) in Canada for almost two years now.
6. Did you know he ……………………………. (teach) German for fifteen years?
7. Melanie looks very tired. ……………………………. (she/work) all day?
8. We ……………………………. (watch) TV since we had dinner.
9. ……………………………. (you/use) my computer again?
10. Rajith ……………………………. (not/do) his homework. He has been texting his friends.

2.7 Punctuation

Question mark
We use question marks to indicate that what is said is a question.
• How do you like the food?
• Does anyone have a pencil I can borrow?

Exclamation mark
We use exclamation marks after an expression of surprise or when issuing a command.
• What a lovely view you have here!
• Don’t move!
CHAPTER 2 Page 29

2.8 Listening

You will hear a conversation between Alex Rodrigo, the personnel manager of Ace Computers
and Rajan Sivakumar, a new employee, about the location of different departments in the
company.
First, study the following floor plan and the place names below it. Then listen to the
conversation and label the rooms Rajan is shown. The tour starts at the main entrance.

Managing Director 4 3

Staircase
5
and Lifts

2
Purchasing
6 7 Ladies'
Department
room

8 1

Main Entrance

• Marketing Department
• Men’s room
• Conference Room
• Sales Department
• Pantry
• Accounts Department
• Reception
• Cloakroom

2.9 Business Letters

Business letters are an indispensable tool of communication in professional settings. They

are used to make an inquiry about products or services, seek information and advice, request
action and perform a variety of other business functions. A good business letter is brief,
straight forward, and polite. Business letters must be targeted to a specific individual or
group, have a clear and concise purpose, follow a logical sequence, be convincing and end
with a specific objective. You should always proofread a business letter before sending it as
it can help you improve the readability and quality of your letter.
CHAPTER 2 Page 30

Elements of a business letter

• Return address: Your address (or the address of the company you represent). If using a
company letterhead, this section can be omitted.
• Date: Always spell out the month to avoid confusion.
• Inside address: The address of the person or company you are writing to.
• Salutation: Start the letter with Dear… if you know the name of the recipient or Dear Sir/
Madam if you don’t know the name of the recipient.
• Body: Make sure that each paragraph is clear and concise.
• Closing: Sign off your letter with Yours sincerely if you know the recipient or with Yours
faithfully if you don’t know the recipient.
• Signature
• Name and designation

Business letter formats

There are different types of business letter formats. The most common layout of a business
letter is known as the block format where the entire letter is left-aligned and single-spaced
except for a double space between paragraphs.

Letters of inquiry:
A letter of inquiry asks someone for specific information. You have to make your request
clear and concise for the recipient to identify and provide the information you need. Use the
following format in writing a letter of inquiry:
1. In the first paragraph, identify yourself (your designation and company if applicable)
2. In the second paragraph, briefly explain the purpose of the letter.
3. Then, state the specific information you need clearly and concisely.
4. Conclude your letter by offering the recipient of the letter some incentive for responding.

Letters of complaint:
A complaint letter is used to raise your concerns with a product, service or situation. Effective
complaint letters explain the problem and how you would like the recipient of the letter to
resolve it. They also maintain a firm but respectful tone. Follow the guidelines below when
writing a letter of complaint:
1. In the first paragraph, politely explain why you are writing the letter. Make sure you
include all the relevant information.
2. In the second paragraph, explain the measures you have taken thus far to resolve the
matter.
3. Describe the inconvenience or loss that resulted from the poor product or service.
4. End with a call to action. A deadline and/or a warning may be given depending on the
severity of the situation.
CHAPTER 2 Page 31

2.10 Writing

1. Your company is planning to diversify its business and urgently needs forty desktop
computers. Write a letter to a wholesale dealer of computers requesting information. In
your letter, you should,
(a) identify yourself
(b) briefly explain why you are writing
(c) list the specific information you need
(d) offer the reader some incentive for responding

2. You are the procurement manager of Skyline (Pvt.) Ltd. You purchased ten chairs from
Vista Wood (Pvt) Ltd. for your boardroom. When you received the goods, you noticed that
five of the chairs were broken. You have telephoned the sales manager and asked him to
replace the broken chairs. Although he agreed to attend to it immediately, no action has
been taken for one month. You have written to the company twice, but you have not yet
received a reply. Write a strong letter of complaint.
In your letter, you should,
(a) state the reason you are writing the letter
(b) outline the steps you have taken thus far to resolve the matter
(c) describe the consequences of the faulty product
(d) end with a call to action and give a deadline and/or a warning

2.11 Business Emails

At present, email is one of the most widely used forms of written communication mainly due
to its speed and efficiency. In business, it has replaced printed letters for external
correspondence, as well as taking the place of memos generally used for internal
communication. A well-composed email provides the recipient with a clear, concise and
actionable message. Although email may seem informal, you have to keep in mind that when
used in business contexts, it needs to convey professionalism and respect.

Tips for writing effective emails:

• Use a professional email address
• Reply promptly
• Be brief
• Add a concise and informative subject line
• Use proper salutations
• Avoid abbreviations and all caps
• Close with a signature
• Proofread
• Check your recipient field to make sure you are sending it to the right person or group
• Do not send your reply to everyone who received the initial email unless your message
absolutely needs to be read by the entire group
CHAPTER 2 Page 32

2.12 Writing

Read the following four emails (A–D) and write the correct letter(s) next to the explanatory
sentences (1–7).

Which email(s)...
1. is a request for a list of completed aims? ………….
2. is about a meeting for company shareholders? ………….
3. is about a meeting for sharing ideas? ………….
4. are about staff development? ………….
5. is sent to more than one person? ………….
6. have an attachment? ………….
7. mentions booking accommodation. ………….

A.
To: Alpha Ventures Investors
From: Malcom Fernando, Managing Director
Subject: AGM

Dear all,
I trust you are all well. I describe below the latest information about this year’s Annual
General Meeting.
• Date and Time: 12th April 2024 14.00 to 16.00
• Venue: Regency Hotel, Colombo 03
We have negotiated special rates for Alpha Ventures investors. Please make all bookings
through my secretary Tarini, who can provide further information. As in previous years, I
would advise making an early reservation to ensure accommodation.

I will send the agenda and other details shortly. I look forward to seeing you.

With best regards,

Yours sincerely,
Malcolm Fernando
CHAPTER 2 Page 33

B.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Software Training

Dear Kelum,

It was good to speak to you the other day. I think we covered a lot of ground in a short time.
As discussed, one of our technicians will conduct the training session for your designers
using our new publishing software.

Next week, I’ll send some documents with some initial tasks for the designers to try out
before the training. I look forward to seeing you on the 15th of February.

Best regards,
Dasun

C.
To: [email protected]
From: Malcolm Fernando<[email protected]>
Subject: Appraisal meeting
Attachment: Appraisal document

Hello Kelum,

Thanks for your email. Sorry for the long delay. I was up to my eyeballs in work.
Anyway, better late than never! OK, down to business.

Can you send me a summary of objectives you have achieved over the last year to be
presented at our meeting next week, plus any areas you’ve identified as important? I’ve
attached a copy of last year’s appraisal document for your perusal.
See you on Thursday.

Cheers for now,

Malcolm
CHAPTER 2 Page 34

D.
To: [email protected]>
From: kelum.peiris@alphaventures.
Subject: Brainstorming meeting
Attachment: Competitors’ websites

Hi Malcolm,

I’m looking forward to our meeting next week. I’m happy that we’ve set aside time to discuss
the website issue.

Please find attached a document containing some features of competitors’ products included
in their websites. I thought it would be a good starting point for our brainstorming meeting.

All the best,

Kelum

Now, read the emails again and decide which is the most formal and which is the most
informal.

Match the phrases in Column A with their meanings in Column B. The first one is done for
you as an example.

Column A Column B
1. A more formal way to say “we asked (d) (a) we are considering
for” is
2. A different way to say “we are (b) We would appreciate it if
thinking about” is you could forward this to us
3. A phrase used to introduce the first (c) We would be grateful if
question that you have, is
4. A more formal way to say “also” is (d) we requested

5. A polite phrase that introduces the (e) First of all

questions you want to be answered
is
6. A polite way to ask someone to send (f) clarify
you something by email is
7. A way to focus the receiver’s (g) which we hope you could
attention on a specific part of a answer
question is
8. A way to ask someone to explain (h) We require
something is
9. A different way to say that you (i) In particular
would be pleased by something is
CHAPTER 2 Page 35

10. A type of question where the (j) In addition

answer is normally “yes” or “no”, is
11. A politer way to say “we want”, is (k) Could you also please
confirm

Now, complete the email below with the phrases in Column B.

Dear Mr Kamalendran,

I am writing in reference to the current situation with the Skyline Project. We have a number
of questions, 1. ……………………

2. ……………………could you please provide us with an update on where you are on the
project? We would also appreciate it if you could 3. ……………………what the current issues
with the delivery system are. Please confirm when you expect them to be resolved.

4. ……………………, at the end of our last meeting, 5. …………………… a copy of the latest project
report. Unfortunately, we have still not received it. 6……………………

7. …………………… whether the post-installation support covers the equipment 24 hours a

day? What is actually included in the support? 8. ……………………, we would like to have
confirmation if the cost of parts and labour are included in the package. 9. ……………………
this information as soon as possible.

Lastly, 10. …………………… extending the period of the post-installation support from your
company from six months to twelve months. 11. …………………… you could provide us with a
quote for this extension.

I would really appreciate it if you could deal with these matters urgently.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,
N Liyanage
N.M.Liyanage
Development Manager
CHAPTER 3 Page 36

On the Phone

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

● manage telephone conversations professionally.

● leave and take effective telephone messages.
● interpret the formation and usage of the past simple tense.
● demonstrate an understanding of the uses of quotation marks mark and the
ellipsis.
● master the expressions for requesting help, offering assistance, asking for
permission and apologising.

3.1 Lead-in

• What would life be like without a telephone?

• What do you enjoy about using the telephone to make calls?
• What do you dislike about making telephone calls?

3.2 Making and Answering Telephone

Calls
The following expressions will help you when making and answering telephone calls:
Announcing identity
Person calling: Person called:
• Hello, this is Ravi Perera. • Hello, Navin Fernando.
• My name is Ravi Perera. • Can I help you?
Good morning. It’s Ravi Perera. Software Ltd. Good afternoon.
Asking if someone is in
Person calling: Person called:
• Could I speak to Mr Shehan Alwis • Hold the line, please.
please? • Yes, I’ll get her.
• Hello, is Vinod there? • I’ll transfer you.
• Hi, it’s John here. Is Sandra in? • Yes, just a moment.
• Could you put me through to Mr • Yes, one moment.
Kenneth Weerasinghe, please?
CHAPTER 3 Page 37

• Can I speak to someone in sales,

please?
• Could I have extension 243, please?
Person wanted is not available:
Person called:
• I’m afraid she isn’t in at the moment.
• Sorry, he’s just gone out. Would you
like to call back later?
• She’s away for a few days. Can I give
her a message?
• I’m afraid he’s is out / not in the
office / not at his desk at the
moment.
• I’m sorry, but he’s on holiday / at
lunch / in a meeting at the moment.
• I’m afraid his line is engaged. Do you
want to hold?
• I’m afraid there’s no answer.
• I’m sorry, but he’s is on the other
line at present.
• You can contact her on her mobile.
The number is 076-6874231.
Alternative actions:
Person called:
• Could you ring/phone back later?
• Would you like to leave a message?
• Can I take a message?
• If you give me your name, I’ll tell
him/her you called.
• I wonder if you could call back later.
• I’ll ask him/her to call you when
he/she gets back.
When will the person wanted be in?
Person calling:
• What time will she be back? Person called:
• Will he be back later today? • She should be back by 4 o’ clock.
• Can I contact her tomorrow? • We’re expecting him at around
• When would be a good time to call 11.00 a.m.
again? • She’s due back tomorrow.
• Why don’t you try in a couple of
hours?
Calling off
Person calling: Person called:
• I’ll get back to you soon. • Thanks for calling.
• Thanks very much. Goodbye.
CHAPTER 3 Page 38

• OK. Bye. • We’ll be in touch about it soon.

Goodbye.
• Bye.
Wrong number
Person calling:
• Oh, isn’t that Pan International? Person called:
• I’m sorry. I must have the wrong • I think you must have dialed the
number. wrong number. What number have
• I thought I had dialed 011-4376589. you got?
• Sorry, I must have written down the • I’m afraid there’s nobody here with
wrong number. I’ll try Directory that name.
Enquiries. • Sorry, they moved last August. The
• Sorry to have bothered you. new number is 011-5398674.
I must have got the area code wrong. You could probably find the right
number on the Internet.

3.3 Reading

Read the following passage about importance of telephone calls in the business world and
answer the questions below it.

A. Effective communication with your employees and customers is essential for any
business. Cellular phones and social networking have transformed how organisations
communicate. Communication is critical within an organisation. Effective communication
can aid in the development of a positive working connection between you and your
employees, which can ultimately boost morale and productivity. Telephone calls remain
an essential business communication tool. In recent surveys, 60 percent of clients prefer
to contact small businesses via telephone. Here are some additional reasons why
telephone calls are still crucial in the business world.

B. Retaining clients requires a solid reputation and for your firm to succeed, you must be
trustworthy. In addition, customers are more likely to buy your items and support your
company’s operations in their community if you have a good reputation.

Mutual trust is the foundation of a long-term relationship. You will earn their respect and
trust when you have a long history of positive encounters with your clients, customers
and employees. Having a business telephone number is one of the most effective ways to
create credibility. If a business does not have a telephone number, customers may be
reluctant to buy items or services. When customers have your company’s telephone
number, they can get in touch with you more quickly and easily.

C. A pleasant telephone conversation with a company representative increases the

possibility of a consumer developing a positive relationship with your brand. Wherever
possible, personal contact, such as a telephone call, must be used. Customers prefer to
call businesses rather than send emails or texts and wait for a reply.
CHAPTER 3 Page 39
Direct engagement with customers improves the customer experience and raises
customer satisfaction. When a company’s reputation is built on trust and its consumers
are treated well, they become repeat customers. For example, if a customer has your
business telephone number, they’re more likely to call you for assistance. In addition,
customers will be happier if you answer quickly and efficiently to their needs.

D. Texting, chatting, or emailing cannot handle some issues that are too complex or
technical, so it would be better to call customer support directly. Step-by-step
instructions for resolving a problem can be far more effective if you can speak with the
individual you are assisting in real-time and directly answer their questions. In addition,
customers can express themselves more freely when communicating with a company via
telephone call.

E. Marketing is crucial because it enables you to promote your products and services to a
specific market. It also allows your business to build long-lasting relationships with your
customers and increase sales. To effectively market your business, you must access
various methods, including telephone calls. According to research, around 60 percent of
customers are more likely to call a business after seeing it online.

F. In contrast to newer communication technologies, a telephone call establishes a human

connection with the caller. The telephone provides a more personal touch. A telephone
call is one of the best ways to get a personal response from someone other than meeting
them face-to-face. As long as the person you called happens to be available, you might be
able to finish your deal right away.

Adapted from: https://www.succeedinginsmallbusiness.com/why-phone-calls-are-still-

important-in-the-business-world/

Choose the correct heading for the following paragraphs from the list of headings below:
Paragraph B …………………………………………………
Paragraph C …………………………………………………
Paragraph D …………………………………………………
Paragraph E …………………………………………………

List of headings:
• Telephone calls can be used as a reminder of your business
• Telephone calls improve your digital marketing efforts
• Telephone calls helps build relationships and brand loyalty
• Telephone calls optimise marketing campaigns
• Telephone calls are an effective way to handle difficult customers
• Telephone calls give your business credibility
• Telephone calls are useful for complicated or technical issues

Match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B.

CHAPTER 3 Page 40

Column A Column B
1. essential (paragraph A) (a) makes it possible for

2. effective (paragraph B) (b) settling or finding a solution to (a

problem)
3. raises (paragraph C) (c) absolutely necessary; extremely
important
4. resolving (paragraph D) (d) increase the amount, level, or
strength of
5. enables (paragraph E) (e) successful in producing a desired or
intended result

3.4 Listening

Listen to the conversations and answer the questions below.

Recording 1
1. What do you think is the relationship between the two speakers?
2. Where is the conversation taking place?
3. Which speaker is confident? Which one is unsure?
4. What kind of agreement do they make? Why do you think the first speaker feels it
necessary to get a commitment from the second speaker?

Recording 2
1. What do you think is the relationship between the two speakers?
2. Where is the conversation taking place?
3. What can you say about the tone of the second speaker?
4. What do you think has happened?

3.5 Grammar

Past Simple Tense

The past simple (also called simple past) is used to show that a completed action took place
at a specific time in the past. It is also frequently used to talk about past habits and
generalisations. Yesterday, a week ago, last month, last night, the day before yesterday, two
days ago are some of the most common time expressions used for the past simple.

Form:
[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs

Positive: You went to Jaffna yesterday. / He went to Jaffna yesterday.

Negative: You did not go to Jaffna yesterday. / He did not go to Jaffna yesterday.
Interrogative: Did you go to Jaffna yesterday? / Did he go to Jaffna yesterday?
CHAPTER 3 Page 41
Completed action in the past:

Examples:
• I cleaned the garage yesterday.
• Did you meet Radha last week?

A series of completed actions:

Examples:
• He left work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
• He left the office at 5.00 p.m., arrived home at 6.00 p.m. and went to a party at 8.30 p.m.
• Did you turn off the lights, lock the door and close the gate?

Duration in the past:

Examples:
• We lived in Kurunegala for ten years.

Habits in the past:

Examples:
• I played the piano when I was a child.

Source: https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepast.html

Put the verbs in brackets into past simple.

1. She ……………………………. (arrive) at the airport at 11 o’clock last night.
2. When he was 12, his parents ……………………………. (move) to Jordan.
3. They still use the van they ……………………………. (buy) 20 years ago.
4. I ……………………………. (speak) to her last week regarding the meeting.
5. I was very tired, so I ……………………………. (leave) the party early.
6. ……………………………. (they/go) to the swimming pool yesterday?
7. We really ……………………………. (enjoy) the movie last Sunday.
CHAPTER 3 Page 42
8. Kevin ……………………………. (not/want) to go swimming with me.
9. My brother ……………………………. (arrive) an hour ago.
10. Last year, I ……………………………. (go) to England on holiday.

3.6 Punctuation

Quotation marks
Single or double quotation marks (also known as inverted commas) are used to quote
another person’s words exactly, whether they are spoken or written.
• John said, “It was getting cold.” OR “It was getting really cold,” John said.

We use single quotation marks to draw attention to a word when we want to question the
exact meaning of the word.
• Her ‘apology’ came rather late’. I don’t think she meant it at all.

Ellipsis
We use ellipsis (three dots) to indicate the omission of a word or words from a quotation.
• Full quotation: “Today, after hours of careful thought, I gave them a call.”
• With ellipsis: “Today … I gave them a call.”

3.7 Requesting Help, Offering Assistance, Requesting Permission and Apologising

Requesting help
• …, will you?
• Can/could you …, please?
• I’d like you to …, please
• I wonder if you could …?
• Would you mind … [-ing]

Agreeing Refusing
• Sure. • I’m sorry, but …
• Yes, certainly. • I’m terribly sorry, but …
• Yes, of course. • I won’t be able to … because …
• No, not at all. • I’m afraid that’s not possible because …
CHAPTER 3 Page 43

Offering assistance
• Shall I …?
• Can I …?
• Can I give you a hand?
• Do you want a hand with …?
• Would you like me to …?
• If you need any help, just let me know.
Accepting help Refusing help
• Yes please, thanks a lot. • Thanks very much but there’s no need.
• Oh, that’d be great. • No, it’s all right. Thank you.
• Thank you. That’s very kind /good of • That’s very kind of you, but I can manage.
you. • Thanks a lot, but I can manage.

Requesting for permission

• May I …?
• Can I …?
• Could I possibly …?
• I wonder if I might …
• Is it all right if I …?
• Do you mind if I …?*
Granting permission Refusing permission
• Yes, certainly. • I’m afraid you can’t because …
• By all means. • Well, actually …
• Sure, go ahead. • I’d rather you didn’t because …
• Yes of course. • I’m sorry, …*
• Please do.
• No, not at all.*

* If someone asks “Do you mind if …?” you say something like “No, go ahead.” if you do not
mind.

Example:
Speaker A: Do you mind if I switch off the fan?
Speaker B: No, not at all. Please do so.

Speaker A: Do you mind if I sit here?

Speaker B: I’m sorry, this seat is reserved.
CHAPTER 3 Page 44

Apologising
An apology may contain one of the following words:
• Sorry
• Forgive
• Apologise
• Pardon
• Excuse
Accepting the apology Refusing to accept the apology
• It doesn’t matter. • This has happened several times already.
• It’s O.K.
• It’s all right.
• Never mind.

3.8 Speaking

Role-play the following situations:

1. Ask permission from your lecturer to leave early from class.
2. You are trying to study but the radio in your hostel room is on loud. Request your
roommate reduce the volume.
3. Your friend is struggling to copy the notes that he/she had missed during his/her illness.
Offer help.
4. You were supposed to return a book you borrowed from a colleague today, but you forgot.
Apologise.
5. You are calling a friend to ask if he/she is free to go to the cinema, but he/she is not at
home. Leave a message.

3.9 Writing

The following telephone messages are for your brother Ravi who has gone out. Your job is to
make a note of the information as accurately as you can so that you can pass the message on
to him later.

1.
Caller : Oh, Haren Jayasekera here. Can I speak to Ravi, please?
You : I’m afraid he’s not in. Can I take a message for him?
Caller : Oh … yes … look I’ve arranged to meet him tomorrow afternoon at the station … at
half past two. Um … I can’t make it at that … as early as that now. Can you give him a
message?
You : Yes.
Caller : I want to change the time of the meeting to 3.30 please, instead of 2.30. If this isn’t
possible, can you get Ravi to phone back at any time tonight?
You : OK. Has he got your number?
Caller : He has, thank you so much.
You : Do you want to give it to me just in case?
CHAPTER 3 Page 45
Caller : It’s 489 – that’s 011 at the beginning – 4893572.
You : Fine, I’ll give him the message.
Caller : Thank you. Bye.
You : Bye.

2.
Caller : Oh, hello. Er … could I speak to Ravi, please?
You : I’m afraid he’s not here at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?
Caller : Um … yes … would you ask him to phone me tonight before 11, if he gets back before
then – I go to bed at 11 … yes? Or tomorrow morning … before I leave for work … I
leave the house at about 9 o’clock, OK?
You : Right.
Caller : My number is 0112-514 629.
You : Right and you, oh … what’s your name?
Caller : Oh, sorry … I’m Nalaka. Nalaka Fernando.
You : Fine, I’ll give him the message.
Caller : Thank you. Bye.
You : Bye.

3.10 Listening

Listen to the telephone conversations and note down the messages accurately
3.10 Listening

3.10 Listening
 CHAPTER 4 Page 46

Statistics and Trends

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

• understand the type, formation, and placement of regular and irregular

adverbs.
• differentiate between the uses of the colon and semicolon.
• demonstrate an understanding of language used to refer to trends in charts
and tables.
• present and interpret data in graphs and charts.

4.1 Lead-in

• Do you use graphs and charts in your writing?

• Do you have difficulty in interpreting graphs and charts? If yes, what are the problems
you have faced?

4.2 Grammar

Adverbs
4.2 Grammar
Adverbs describe verbs and modify adjectives and other adverbs. Adverbs can also modify
phrases, clauses, and sentences. Adverbs answer the following questions: When? Where?
4.2 Grammar
Why? How often? How much??

Formation of adverbs
Many adverbs are formed by adding ‘-ly’ to an adjective:
Example:
calm – calmly; easy – easily; beautiful – beautifully

Irregular adverbs:
Some adverbs do not use the ‘-ly’ ending. Give below is a list of some of the most common
irregular adverbs:
Example:
good – well; daily – daily
CHAPTER 4 Page 47
• She is a good pianist. [adjective]
• She plays the piano well. [adverb]

• I get a monthly pay cheque. [adjective]

• My company pays me monthly. [adverb]

Placement of adverbs
Adverbs are flexible in their placement and can be placed just about anywhere within a
sentence.

At the beginning of a sentence or a clause:

• Now, I will move on to the next section.
• Clearly, he has a problem starting meetings on time.

At the end of a sentence or a clause:

• They go to the cinema frequently.
• I listened to him carefully.
After the verb:
• We have always participated in the chess tournament.

Between the subject and the verb:

• I rarely visit my hometown.

Types of adverbs
Adverbs of time:
Adverbs of time answer the question When? Adverbs of time include: after, always, before,
during, early, later, never, now, often, rarely, recently, sometimes, soon, then, today, tomorrow,
usually, yesterday, etc.
Example:
John will attend the soccer game after he finishes his homework. (After answers the
question: When will John attend the soccer game?)

Adverbs of manner:
Adverbs of manner answer the question How?
Examples:
badly, brilliantly, bravely, cheerfully, fast, hard, quickly, slowly, well, etc.

Adverbs of place:
Adverbs of place answer the question Where?
Examples:
above, below, down, here, inside, near, there, up
CHAPTER 4 Page 48
Adverbs of degree:
Adverbs of degree answer the question How much? It describes the strength and intensity at
which something happens.
Examples:
completely, enough, extremely, hardly, little, nearly, quite, rather, very

Adverbs of frequency:
Adverbs of frequency answer the question How often?
Examples:
always, never, usually, frequently, often, occasionally, rarely, seldom, sometimes, regularly

4.3 Language of Tables and Figures

Appropriate language should be used to refer to the significant details in charts and tables.

Vocabulary for introducing tables and figures:

Verbs such as ‘show,’ ‘refer,’ ‘illustrate’ and ‘highlight’ help emphasise the points in your
visuals:

Examples:
• This table shows the quantity of tea consumed by the world’s leading tea consuming
nations.
• It should be noted that this chart refers to the domestic sales only.
• This graph illustrates the sales turnover made by the company in the year 2022.

Vocabulary for describing trends: verbs and nouns

Verbs and nouns describing trends examples

To describe an Verb to increase Total expenditure increased from Rs
upward trend 3.2 billion to Rs 4.7 billion from 2020
to 2022.

From 2020 to 2022, total expenditure

increased by Rs 1.5 billion.
Noun an increase From 2020 to 2022, there was an
increase in total expenditure.

From 2020 to 2022, there was an

increase of Rs 1.5 billion.
Verb to rise Total expenditure rose from Rs 3.2
billion to Rs 4.7 billion from 2020 to
2022.
Noun a rise From 2020 to 2022, there was a rise
in total expenditure.
CHAPTER 4 Page 49

To describe a Verb to decrease Expenditure on research and

downward development decreased from 33.2%
trend to 20.1% from 2021 to 2022.

From 2021 to 2022, expenditure on

research and development decreased
by 3.1%.
Noun a decrease From 2021 to 2022 there was a
decrease in expenditure on research
and development.

From 2021 to 2022, there was a

decrease of 3.1%.
Verb to drop Expenditure on research and
development dropped from 33.2% to
20.1% from 2021 to 2022.
Noun a drop From 2021 to 2022, there was a drop
in expenditure on research and
development.
To describe Verb to remain Sales turnover remained the same
absence of constant/steady; throughout the year.
change stay the same;
stabilise; level off Unemployment rose to 10% and then
levelled off.
Noun stability; levelling This has been a period of relative
out economic stability.
To describe Verb to fluctuate The wages fluctuate between £200
erratic changes and £250 a week.
Noun fluctuation Price fluctuations could be caused by
a variety of factors.

4.4 Speaking

Work in small groups

• Find any other verbs and nouns that are similar in meaning to the words given above.
• Give an example for each verb and noun.
CHAPTER 4 Page 50
Vocabulary for describing trends: adjectives and adverbs indicating speed of change.

Adjectives and adverbs describing Examples

trends
1 Adjectives • slight This month’s figures show a slight drop in
• slow unemployment.
Adverbs • slightly Interest rates have fallen slightly over the
• slowly last few weeks.
2 Adjectives • gradual Orders for computers are rising, after
• moderate several years of steady decline.
• steady
Adverbs • gradually Domestic sales had been rising steadily
• moderately throughout 2021 and 2022.
• steadily
3 Adjectives • considerable There was a significant increase in profits.
• significant
• substantial
Adverbs • considerably House prices have increased significantly.
• significantly
• substantially
4 Adjectives • sharp There has been a sharp decline in the
• rapid standard of living.
• quick
• steep
Adverbs • sharply Inflation has risen sharply.
• rapidly
• quickly
• steeply

Vocabulary for describing trends: prepositions.

We use a number of prepositions when describing graphs. Given below is a list of frequently
used prepositions in graph descriptions:

in [month/year]
at [with figures]
from [a point] to [another point]
between [a point] and [another point]
during [a period of time]
before [a point in time or a period of time]
after [a point of time or a period of time]
by [a point of time arrived at]
until [a point of time reached]
since [from a point in the past until now]
CHAPTER 4 Page 51
Work in pairs
Complete each of these sentences with the correct preposition.

1. ……………………… January there was a noticeable rise in the number of people taking sick
leave from work.
2. Temperatures usually reach a peak ……………………… about 1 o’clock in the afternoon.
3. ……………………… 2021 to 2022, there was a steady increase in sales of mobile phones.
4. ……………………… the recession, unemployment grew steadily.
5. Television’s audience viewing figures rise dramatically ……………………… 6 o’clock in the
evening.
6. ……………………… June sales figures were low, but later they began to increase rapidly.
7. The price of oil had shot up to $100 per barrel ……………………… April.
8. The total value of goods sold in supermarkets has increased from Rs 70 million
……………………… Rs 95 million.
9. There has been a marked decrease in road accidents ……………………… the new laws were
introduced in 2022.
10. Sales remained ……………………… Rs 3 million for five years

4.5 Reading

Read the following passage about global economy in 2023 and answer the questions below
it.

A. IMF warns medium-term growth outlook weakest in 30 years

The global economy is heading for its weakest medium-term growth in more than 30
years as the world struggles with geopolitical fragmentation, slower labour force growth
and weaker prospects for previously fast-growing economies such as China, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns in its latest World Economic Outlook. It
expects global growth to be around 3% in 2028 – the lowest medium-term forecast in an
IMF report since 1990. “The world economy is not currently expected to return over the
medium term to the rates of growth that prevailed before the pandemic,” the IMF says.
Rising geopolitical tensions from issues such as the war in Ukraine and Brexit are leading
to a fragmentation of the global economy that could increase financial stability risks, the
report adds. This could hit cross-border investments, asset prices, payment systems and
banks’ ability to lend. The IMF has long warned of increased costs, economic friction and
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) output losses associated with the global economy
fragmenting into geopolitical blocs. The agency has also trimmed its 2023 global growth
outlook slightly, as higher interest rates cool economic activity. It now forecasts global
real GDP growth at 2.8% for 2023 and 3.0% for 2024, marking a slowdown from 3.4%
growth in 2022.

B. US inflation slows to lowest level in nearly two years, jobless claims increase
US inflation eased last month to its lowest in nearly two years, but stubbornly high rents
kept underlying inflation pressures simmering, likely ensuring that the Federal Reserve
(Fed) will raise interest rates again next month.
CHAPTER 4 Page 52
According to data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices rose 5% in the 12
months to March down from 6% in February. That’s the ninth consecutive monthly drop
in annual inflation and puts it at its lowest level since May 2021, although it is still more
than twice the Fed’s 2% inflation target. “The bottom line is that inflation still remains
too hot for the Fed’s liking,” Sarah House, a senior economist at Wells Fargo, told Reuters.
“That said, there are forward-looking signs that suggest inflation will slow further in the
coming months.” In an indication that higher borrowing costs are already slowing
demand in the economy, the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment
benefits increased more than expected last week. Initial claims for state unemployment
benefits rose by 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 239,000 for the week ended 8 April.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 232,000 claims for the week.

C. Stories on the economy from around the world

Wages in Japan are not keeping up with rising prices, declining by 2.6% in February from
a year earlier when adjusted for inflation, according to government data. That’s the 11 th
straight decline and is putting pressure on the central bank’s new governor to end Japan’s
ultra-loose monetary policy amid inflation of 3.1%. ………………….. new deputy governor
Shinichi Uchida says the Bank of Japan will continue monetary easing to achieve its 2%
inflation target. Ukraine's GDP fell by 29.1% in 2022 as Russia's full-scale invasion
battered the economy. The figure is slightly better than the 30% drop forecast by the
government. Russia’s war on Ukraine has damaged heavy industry, the power grid and
the agriculture sector and resulted in the loss of swathes of land in the south and east.
Faster economic growth in Asia this year will be driven by China’s recovery from the
pandemic and strong demand in India, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The region’s economy will expand by 4.8% this year and next, up from 4.2% in 2022,
according to the ADB’s latest forecasts. A number of Sub-Saharan African countries are
facing another debt repayment crisis because of soaring food prices, according to
Moody’s Investors Services. Several countries will need to repay record amounts of debt
from this year through to 2025. The United Nations (UN) estimates that more than a
quarter of a billion people in the continent are experiencing hunger.

Adapted from: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/04/imf-global-growth-

weakest-in-30-years-top-economics-news-2023/.

1. The underlined word “It” in paragraph A refers to

(a) the global economy.
(b) medium-term growth.
(c) geopolitical fragmentation.
(d) the International Monetary Fund.

2. According to paragraph A, the fragmentation of the global economy is caused by

I. Brexit.
II. the pandemic.
III. the war in Ukraine.
CHAPTER 4 Page 53
(a) I and II
(b) II and III
(c) I and III
(d) I, II and III

3. The underlined word “This” in paragraph A refers to

(a) economic growth rate.
(b) the invasion of Ukraine.
(c) the increase in financial stability risks.
(d) the global economy.

4. The underlined word “eased” in paragraph B is closest in meaning to

(a) dropped.
(b) simplified.
(c) increased.
(d) stabilised.

5. According to paragraph B, the Federal Reserve may increase interest rates shortly due to
I. drop in inflation.
II. high rents.
III. increased borrowing.

(a) I
(b) II
(c) III
(d) I and II

6. The underlined expression “That said” in paragraph B is closest in meaning to

(a) similarly
(b) therefore
(c) in addition.
(d) however.

7. The blank space in paragraph C can be best filled by the following word:
(a) While
(b) Even if
(c) However
(d) Although

8. According to paragraph C, the war in Ukraine has caused damages to the country’s
I. agricultural sector.
II. industrial sector.
III. electrical sector.
CHAPTER 4 Page 54
(a) I and II
(b) II and III
(c) I and III
(d) I, II and III

9. The underlined word “the region” in paragraph C refers to

(a) Asia.
(b) Europe.
(c) Africa.
(d) Southeast Asia.

Tick (✓) whether the following statements are True (T), False (F), or Not Given (NG), based
on the passage.

T F NG

10. IMF predicts that the world economy to go back to the pre-
pandemic growth rates.
11. The global real GDP growth is expected to increase from 2.8% in
2023 to 3.0% in 2024.
12. The Fed will deliver one more rate rise and slash the federal funds
rate later this year.
13. According to Sarah, the Feds think that the inflation in the country
is still too high.
14. The number of Americans filing new claims for state
unemployment benefits has increased.
15. In Japan, salaries correspond with prices hikes.

16. Ukraine’s GDP fell by 29.1 percent in 2022 when Russia invaded
the country.
17. China and India alone are expected to contribute more than half
of global growth in 2023.
18. Rising food prices in several African nations have caused a debt
repayment crisis.

Work in pairs
• Examine the use of adjectives and adverbs in each paragraph.
• Find verbs that express ‘to increase’ or ‘to decrease’.

4.6 Listening

You will hear a sales manager talking about how sales activities in his company have changed
over the last ten years. Listen and complete the chart below.
CHAPTER 4 Page 55
Sales activities: 2013-2023

45
40
35
30
25
2013
20
2023
15
10
5
0
1. ……………...… Door-to-door E-commerce 2. ……………...…
sales

4.7 Punctuation

Colon
Colons are used to introduce an item or a series of items.
• Collaborative problem-solving has one key advantage: it leads to better outcomes.
• I need an assistant who can do the following: process reimbursement forms and update
expense reports.

Semicolon
We use semicolons to separate two independent clauses. Semicolons are not commonly used
in contemporary English.
• Spanish is widely spoken in South America; in Brazil the official language is Portuguese.

Semicolons are also used to separate list items when the individual items in the series contain
commas.
• Liam lived in Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit. Michigan.

4.8 Writing

Complete the following graph description with the following words: successfully; triple;
stood at; risen; decreased; remarkable; dropped

Over the last five years, sales of our five main categories of software have undergone
significant changes. Five years ago, our main product was application software, which
constituted 70% of our total sales. This category has 1.………………………. to 45% nowadays.
The other category which has not performed 2………………………. is system software, whose
sales have 3………………………. from 53% to less than 30%.
CHAPTER 4 Page 56
However, three other products marketed by our company have recorded a 4……………………….
growth. Our driver software has 5………………………. from 12% to 32% during this period.
Similarly, our open-source software has 6………………………. its sales, increasing from 7% to
21% while the closed source software that 7………………………. 5%, now account for 28% of
the total sales.

4.9 Speaking

Work in pairs
The bar chart below shows a company’s gross income (in Rs. Million) from domestic trade
and foreign trade during a five-year period. Using the information from the chart, write a
100-150 word report comparing the gross income from the two income sources.

35

30

25

20
Domestic Trade
15 Foreign Trade

10

0
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

4.10 Writing

Summarise the information given in the above chart by selecting and reporting the main
features. Make comparisons where relevant. Write 100-150 words. Pay attention to the
following:
• The first paragraph should give basic details about the chart: what it shows, when, etc.
• Include all the main trends in an overview statement
• Add numbers or percentages to support your statements
• Use a range of vocabulary (verbs, adjectives, adverbs) to add variety
• Organise the body paragraphs logically
• The conclusion should state what we learnt from the data overall
CHAPTER 5 Page 57

Note-taking in lectures.

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

● master strategies for taking accurate and effective notes during lectures.
● interpret the formation and usage of the past continuous tense.
● differentiate between the uses of the dash and hyphen.
● make and respond to suggestions.

5.1 Lead-in

• What is the purpose of taking notes during a lecture?

• Do any of the following cause your problems? Tick (✓) as many as you like. Mark with
two ticks (✓✓) any that cause you many problems.
− Understanding the lecturer’s accent
− Taking notes at speed while listening
− Organising notes
− Understanding your notes when you read them later
− Relating what is said in the lecture to assignment tasks
− Reorganising the overall purpose of the lecture
− Understanding the way the lecture is organised
− Recognising which parts are important, which parts are not important
− Recognising when the lecturer begins a new topic
− Understanding new concepts
− Unknown specialist words in a subject area
− Unknown general English words
• Are there any other problems that make it difficult for you to listen to lectures effectively?
• Do you use symbols/abbreviations when you are taking down notes? If yes, what are
they?
• The points below will help to enhance your learning experience in a lecture. Tick (✓) the
ones you do.
CHAPTER 5 Page 58

A. Pre-lecture (the night/morning before)

I look at the course outline to check the topic.
I get an overview by doing the recommended reading the week before.
I make a list of any new words or questions for the topic.
I try to predict the content.

A. Just before the lecture (5-10 minutes before the start)

I arrive at the lecture on time.
I talk to other students about the day’s lecture topic.
I prepare in my mind for the organisation and delivery of the lecture.
I try to predict the content.

B. My habits during lectures

I listen while the lecturer gives a review of last week’s topic.
I listen for the introduction and the first heading.
If there is an overview of the lecture on a slide, I use those points for my
subheadings and to organise the body of my notes.
I note any definitions that the lecturer gives.
I have a system for organising and highlighting suggested references,
authors and articles the lecturer discusses.
I clearly identify examples and illustrations.
I use a “?” if I cannot understand something.

C. Immediately after the lecture

I talk to some of my classmates.
I check one of my classmate's notes in order to compare something I was
unsure about.
I have developed some methods for checking the accuracy of my note taking.

D. After the lecture that day

I look at my notes and ask myself questions to check comprehension of the
main ideas.
I look up the correct spelling of words I have identified during the lecture.
I email/telephone/talk to a classmate as part of my regular revision.
I prepare some questions for the relevant tutorial.

E. A couple of days after the lecture

I read my notes again to identify which parts may help for my exams and
assignments.
I look at the next topic coming up and plan my pre-lecture preparation time.
I enjoy feeling on top of things when I am as prepared as I can be.

Source unknown
CHAPTER 5 Page 59

5.2 Notetaking during Lectures

Given below are some expressions that will be helpful in recognising the structure of a
lecture:

Introduction
What I intend to say/explain is
What I’d like to do is to discuss
In my talk today,
My topic today is
Today, I’m going to talk about ...
My colleagues and I are going to give a short presentation on
In this talk, I would like to concentrate on
The subject of this talk is
The purpose of this talk is to

Giving background information

As we know,
As we have already seen,
As we have all read,
It’s clear that ...
It goes without saying
We all understand
It’s understood
You’ll remember

Defining
X is called
is known as
may be defined as
is a type of Y that/which ...
By X, I mean
This term is used generally to mean
In the field of Y, the term refers to

Enumerating/Listing
Firstly,
Secondly,
Next,
Then,
Lastly,
Finally, …
First of all,
In the first place,
For one thing
CHAPTER 5 Page 60

To begin with,
In the second place
For another thing
The first point I’d like to make
second
My next point is
last

Giving examples
This is shown by
... exemplified
illustrated ...
For example,
For instance,
Remember,
A key experiment shows this.
exemplifies
illustrates ...
This is shown by the following examples:
The following are examples of this: ...
The following is a case in point:
Let me give you a couple of examples:
Take X for example.
for instance.
... such as ...

Clarifying/Explaining/Putting it in other
words
In other words,
To put it another way,
Or rather,
That is to say,
Basically,
By which I mean
Or you could say ...
The point I’m making is,
Namely,
i.e./that is
That means
What I am suggesting is
am trying to say
meant to say
CHAPTER 5 Page 61

Giving further information

Furthermore,
An additional point
Another point
A further point
A similar point
In addition,
Moreover,
Similarly, ...
Apart from,
We can add
I could add that
Further,
As well as,
Besides
... also.
too.
as well.

Classifying
There are N types of X : Y and Z.
kinds . These are Y and Z.
The classes are Y and Z.
categories
sorts
varieties
X consists of N categories . These are Y and Z.
comprises classes : Y and Z.
can be divided kinds
into types
varieties
Y and Z are classes of X.
kinds
types
categories
varieties
X may be classified according to ...
on the basis of
depending on
CHAPTER 5 Page 62

Moving on / Changing direction

That’s all I want to say about X.
OK
Now
Having looked at …, I’d now like to
consider
I’d like now to move on to
Turning now to ...
So let’s turn to
Moving on now to
I now want to turn to
The next point is
Another interesting point is
The next aspect I’d like to consider is
I’d now like to turn to
Let’s now look at
If we could now move on to

Giving contrasting information

Although
However,
On the other hand,
Whereas, ...
Despite
Nevertheless,
But,
Alternatively,

Digressing
Incidentally,
By the way, ...
While I remember
Before I forget

Referring to visuals
On this graph,
Take a look at this.
Let’s have a look at this.
I’d like you to look at this.
I’d like to draw your attention
to ...
Here we can see
The graph illustrates
The horizontal axis represents
CHAPTER 5 Page 63

The vertical axis represents

As you can see,
If you look closely, you’ll see

Concluding
So,
We’ve seen that
What I’ve been saying is that
First we looked at ... and we saw that
Then we considered ... and I argued that
In short, ...
To sum up
To summarise,
In conclusion, I’d like to emphasise that
That completes my
That’s the end of lecture.
this talk.

5.3 Reading

Read the following account on note taking skills and answer the questions below it.
A. Note-taking is a key life skill. But it’s rarely taught and mostly acquired. So why is note-
taking important? Note-taking captures information you see or hear during a
presentation. And, by using effective note-taking practices, you can use it to aid your
understanding, retain more information and save time. And while it may take time to
develop fluid skills in note-taking, there is no reason to delay picking up these skills.
Students, especially, should understand why note-taking is important as early as possible.
And that’s because it can support and enhance your learning during lectures and
seminars. So, to help you pick up the right note-taking skills during your studies, here are
five reasons why note-taking is important.

B. Scribing down every word of a presentation is not only hard to do but it’s also inefficient.
And in practice, it’s not the words that are most important but the meaning behind
them. In fact, students’ writing speed averages around 0.4 words per second. So in reality,
there’s little hope of anyone keeping up with lecturers’ speaking rate of 2 to 3 words per
second. In practice, rather than stumble along trying to keep up, it’s better to develop
techniques and strategies to help you capture the salient points. And with these
techniques, you’ll eliminate any fluff or bluster and end up with what matters.

C. Most of us can relate to the experience of ending a conversation and forgetting what the
other person said. And with so many distractions around us, or thoughts in our minds,
who can blame us. But note-taking has the ability to focus your attention much better on
the content of a discussion, presentation or lecture. …………………….., it helps you absorb
the information better.
CHAPTER 5 Page 64

Take the instance of a test sample of mock jurors, who had their note-taking abilities
examined during a mock trial. Results indicated that those who engaged with notetaking
had higher rates of recall than those who didn’t.

D. Another helpful reason to answer the question ‘why is note-taking important’ is its ability
to help you learn. One way it can do this is through a process called the Generation Effect.
And this is the concept of suggesting that, if you generate something from your own mind
rather than simply read it off a page, you’ll be more likely to remember it. In practice,
using the Generation Effect during notetaking requires you to find synonyms, codes, or
words you can make your own. In essence, this allows you to adapt the material to suit
your own style or preferences. And this act works to boost your memory. The Generation
Effect is actually a form of encoding, which is the first stage in your brain’s process of
memorisation. And it precedes two other stages – storage and retrieval. So, try using the
Generation Effect to aid your memory during the encoding stage.

E. Another advantage of notetaking is that it can help stimulate your cognitive functioning,
helping you to spot connections between disparate points. In essence, this is what lies at
the heart of creativity and helps enhance your ability to generate new ideas or see new
patterns. One method you can apply to achieve this is Luhmann’s Zettelkasten or the
‘Slipbox’ method. This is the act of using index cards to capture key points. And by
capturing a summary of the points in one box, you’ll find it easier to join these
unconnected concepts together to create new ideas.

F. Reflecting on what you’ve learnt will help to solidify your learning and enhance your
memory storage. And the best way to reflect on what you’ve learnt is to refer back to
notes taken during a session. A study by Ozbay, 2005, found that note-taking is in fact a
specific process that requires active cognitive processing. And it takes the form of several
steps starting with listening, followed by comprehending then analysis and
selection. They also found that note-taking while listening provides a higher level of
cognitive processing that engages other processes such as evaluation, interpretation and
decision making. And reflecting on this is much easier when you’ve taken a killer set of
notes.

G. So, in answering the question ‘why is note-taking important’ we hope you’ll see that it’s
not just important but essential to your learning to take notes. Particularly for any stage
of learning, whether that’s in higher education, further education or work. Taking notes
during meetings, seminars or lectures engages a higher level of cognitive function. And it
uses a specific process that improves your memory storage, recall and in turn your ability
to learn and store information. By finding the right method, technique or style that suits
your learning needs, you’ll realise the benefits of note-taking in any context and want to
apply them every time.

Adapted from: https://caption-ed.com/blog/why-is-note-taking-important/

CHAPTER 5 Page 65

1. The underlined word “it” in paragraph A refers to

(a) life skill.
(b) information.
(c) note-taking.
(d) presentation.

2. The underlined word “fluid” in paragraph A is closest in meaning to

(a) smooth.
(b) simple.
(c) important.
(d) complicated.

3. According to paragraph A, students should know the importance of notetaking at the

initial stages because it can help
(a) their development as a student.
(b) them learn time management skills.
(c) them find information quickly.
(d) their learning process during lectures.

4. The underlined word “them” in paragraph B refers to

(a) words.
(b) students.
(c) lecturers.
(d) presentations.

5. The underlined word “salient” in paragraph B is closest in meaning to

(a) every.
(b) difficult.
(c) main.
(d) minor.

6. The underlined word “distractions” in paragraph C is closest in meaning to

(a) deeds.
(b) movements.
(c) pursuits.
(d) disturbances.

7. The blank space in paragraph C can be best filled by the following word:
(a) Still
(b) Plus
(c) But
(d) Yet
CHAPTER 5 Page 66

8. The underlined words “those who” in paragraph C refers to

(a) results.
(b) mock jurors.
(c) higher rates.
(d) note-taking skills.

9. The underlined words “this” in paragraph D refers to

(a) improving abilities.
(b) taking down notes.
(c) helping the learning process.
(d) answering questions.

10. The underlined word “disparate” in paragraph E is closest in meaning to

(a) parallel.
(b) different.
(c) related.
(d) complex.

11. The ‘slipbox’ method helps students to

(a) use index cards effectively.
(b) enhance their status.
(c) join independent concepts.
(d) apply different methods.

12. The underlined word “solidify” in paragraph F is closest in meaning to

(a) conceal.
(b) display.
(c) feature.
(d) reinforce.

13. The underlined word “killer” in paragraph F is closest in meaning to

(a) excellent.
(b) useless.
(c) bulky.
(d) complete.

Tick (✓) whether the following statements are True (T), False (F), or Not Given (NG), based
on the passage.

T F NG

14. Noting down every word of a presentation is difficult as well as

unproductive
15. Students have no difficulty in keeping up with the speaking rate
of lecturers.
CHAPTER 5 Page 67

16. If you read something off a page, you will possibly remember it
easily.
17. The Generation Effect precedes two other stages in the brain’s
process of memorisation.
18. According to research, applying note taking techniques improves
comprehension of the content as well as the test scores of
students.
19. 19. Notetaking is indispensable only in academic life.

20. Choose the correct heading for the following paragraphs from the list of headings below:
Paragraph B …………………………………………………
Paragraph C …………………………………………………
Paragraph D …………………………………………………
Paragraph E …………………………………………………
Paragraph F …………………………………………………

List of headings
• Aids recall
• Boosts the morale
• Supports reflection
• Helps develop creativity
• Improves career prospects
• Enables you to capture salient points
• Aids learning

5.4 Writing

Write a brief account of why note-taking is important as given in the above passage.

5.5 Grammar

Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous (also called past progressive) is used to show that an ongoing past action
was happening at a specific moment of interruption or that two ongoing actions were
happening at the same time.

Form:
[was/were + present participle]
Positive: You were watching TV when I called. / He was watching TV when she
called.
Negative: You were not watching TV when I called. / He was not watching TV
when she called.
Interrogative: Were you watching TV when I called? / Was he watching TV when she
called?
CHAPTER 5 Page 68

Interrupted action in the past:

The past continuous can be used to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted.
The interruption is usually a shorter action in the simple past. Remember this can be a real
interruption or just an interruption in time.
Examples:
• I was cooking when the doorbell rang.
• While we were swimming, it started to rain.

Parallel actions:

Examples:
• I was mowing the lawn while my mother was making breakfast.

Source: https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/pastcontinuous.html

Complete the following sentences with the past continuous form of the verbs in brackets:

1. I burnt my hand while I ……………………………. (cook).

2. It ……………………………. (get) late, so I went home.
3. Ryan ……………………………. (wait) for me when I arrived. .
4. They ……………………………. (have) dinner when the fire alarm went off.
5. He dropped his wallet while he ……………………………. (get) into the car.
6. I ……………………………. (watch) TV when you telephoned.
7. The children ……………………………. (do) their homework when I got home.
8. The other day I ……………………………. (write) a letter when I heard the doorbell ring.
9. You ……………………………. (not/listen) to me when I asked you to turn the radio on.
10. What ……………………………. (you/do) when the earthquake started?

5.6 Punctuation

Dash
We use the dash to emphasise a point or to set off an explanatory comment. They can be used
in similar ways to commas or parentheses. Both single and multiple dashes may be used.
• To some of you, my proposals may seem radical – even revolutionary.
• The boys – Jim, John, and Jeff – left the party early.
CHAPTER 5 Page 69

Hyphen
We use hyphen to join two or more adjectives when they come before a noun and act as a
single idea.
• friendly-looking man

We use hyphen to join an adjective and a noun to make a compound word.

• accident-prone; cost-effective

We use a hyphen with compound numbers.

• Forty-five

Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex-, self-, well-, with the suffix elect.
• ex-officio; self-employed; well-known; president-elect

5.7 Listening

You will hear part of a lecture on exchange rates. Listen and fill in the gaps in this extract.

An exchange rate is the price at which one currency can be exchanged for another. For a
quarter of a century after World War II, the levels of most major 1.………………………… were
fixed against the US dollar and the dollar was pegged against gold. One dollar was worth 1/35
of an ounce of gold and the Federal Reserve guaranteed that it could exchange this amount
of gold for every dollar in existence. This fixed exchange 2.………………………… could only be
adjusted (revalued or devalued) with the agreement of the International Monetary Fund.
This system of gold 3………………………… ended in 1971 because after inflation in the USA, the
Federal Reserve did not have enough gold to guarantee its currency. Since that time there
has been a system of 4………………………… exchange rates in most western countries. This
means that exchange rates are determined by supply and demand - the 5…………………………
of currencies bought and sold in the foreign exchange markets. If there are more buyers of a
currency than sellers, its 6………………………… will rise; if there are more sellers, it will fall.
Proponents of floating exchange rates, such as Milton Friedman, argued that currencies
would 7………………………… settle at stable rates which would reflect economic realities more
precisely than calculations by central bank officials. Yet they underestimated the extent of
speculation, which can push currencies away from levels that reflect 8…………………………
economic conditions.

Source: English for Business Studies Student’s Book: A Course for Business Studies and
Economics Students by Ian MacKenzie
CHAPTER 5 Page 70

5.8 Making and Responding to Suggestions

If we make a suggestion, it means that we offer an idea for someone to consider. Given below
are some expressions that can be used to make, accept, and reject suggestions.

Making a suggestion
• Shall we … (do)?
• Why don’t we/you … (do)?
• Could (n’t) we/you ... (do)?
• How about … (doing)?
• Suppose we/you … (do/did)?
• What if we/you … (do/did)?
• Let’s …
• We could … (do).
• May I suggest …?
Accepting a suggestion Raising objections
• That’s a good idea. • Yes, but …
• Well, that’s worth a try. • That might be alright, but …
• That sounds like a good idea. • It’s a good idea, but …
• Great!

5.9 Speaking

Work in small groups

Your company is planning to start an employee rewards and recognition programme.

Imagine that you are the human resources manager and have a discussion with your team in
order to put forward some suggestions regarding this initiative.
CHAPTER 6 Page 71

Appointments

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

• make and respond to appointments.

• record appointment or reservation details concisely and accurately.
• interpret the formation and usage of the past perfect tense.
• demonstrate an understanding of the uses of the slash and asterisk.
• respond to formal correspondence in writing.

6.1 Lead-in

• Have you ever made an appointment to meet someone?

• Describe a time when you missed an appointment.

6.2 Reading

Read the article below on scheduling appointments and answer the questions that follow it.

Getting your appointments right is an investment in your business. Here’s how to effectively
schedule appointments and online meetings.

A. Scheduling appointments with clients might seem like an overwhelming task –

especially given all the other tasks you are already burdened with. But, if you’re not
managing your time efficiently and effectively, there’s a high chance you’ll miss out on
critical appointments and lose a potential client. So, if you’ve ever wondered how to
effectively schedule appointments, use automated scheduling software.
When using scheduling software, you’re assured that the important task of scheduling
and managing your clients’ bookings are well taken care of. However, it can be hard to
figure out which scheduling app best fits your business’s needs. You need all these
features anyway and it’s better if you have them all in one flexible tool. This way you’ll
not only be efficient, but you’ll also simplify your workflow and save money.
CHAPTER 6 Page 72

B. When it comes to your customers, you want to do everything in your power to keep them
happy. Happy customers are more likely to buy from you again. Additionally, they’re
more likely to refer you to friends or family members. ………………………., there’s one major
problem with this strategy: people often cancel or miss their appointment without giving
proper notice. The easiest way to deal with it is to give your clients an option to easily
reschedule their appointment. Some of the best scheduling apps for small businesses
allow you or your clients to reschedule the meeting.

C. Scheduling an appointment is an opportunity to communicate vital messages that can be

the foundation for customer loyalty. Too often, business owners focus on the transaction
and not the relationship. They fail to ask their customers why they scheduled an
appointment in the first place and what they want or need from this interaction. As a
result, many business owners miss opportunities to build stronger relationships with
their customers by not proactively educating them about their products or services.
Fortunately, some small business scheduling software allows you to provide details about
the service and the appointment itself. Building a mutually beneficial client-business
relationship should be one of your main goals.

D. It’s never too early to start building relationships with your clients, especially if you offer
online consultations. Many of your customers want to feel heard, seen and appreciated.
As a business owner, you can make a big difference in their lives by making an effort to
get to know them better. Send a follow-up email to thank clients after their appointments.
This thoughtful gesture will build a connection with your clients and help you develop
meaningful relationships with them.

E. Even the best appointment scheduling app can’t provide you a dedicated time to rest. This
is entirely up to you. Begin by giving yourself some breathing room and by leaving
sometime between each of your appointments. You’ll need this time to unwind a bit and
prepare for your next meeting.

Adapted from: https://3veta.com/blog/business-advice/how-to-effectively-schedule-

appointments-a-step-by-step-guide-for-business-owners/

1. The underlined word “overwhelming” in paragraph A is closest in meaning to

(a) tremendous.
(b) interesting.
(c) animated.
(d) meaningless.

2. The underlined word “Additionally” in paragraph B is used to

(a) introduce an example.
(b) introduce an opposite idea.
(c) add an extra idea.
(d) clarify a point.
CHAPTER 6 Page 73

3. The blank space in paragraph B can be best filled by the following word:
(a) Although
(b) However
(c) Similarly
(d) Meanwhile

4. The underlined word “it” in paragraph B refers to

(a) increasing customer base.
(b) keeping clients content.
(c) rescheduling appointments.
(d) appointments being cancelled.

5. The underlined word “vital” in paragraph C is closest in meaning to

(a) short.
(b) important
(c) irrelevant.
(d) minor.

6. The underlined word “they” in paragraph C refers to

(a) customers.
(b) business owners.
(c) appointments.
(d) relationships.

7. The underlined expression “This thoughtful gesture” in paragraph D refers to

(a) building relationships.
(b) get to know the customers.
(c) offering online consultations..
(d) sending a follow-up email.

8. The underlined word “unwind” in paragraph E is closest in meaning to

(a) chat.
(b) sleep.
(c) stress out.
(d) relax.

Tick (✓) whether the following statements are True (T), False (F), or Not Given (NG), based
on the passage.

T F NG

9. Poor time management will result in the reduction of the client

base.
10. Deciding on the most suitable scheduling software is an easy task.
CHAPTER 6 Page 74

11. Nowadays, consumers are more demanding and have higher

expectations.
12. Generally, business owners focus on the relationship instead of
the transaction.
13. The best appointment scheduling app will offer you dedicated
time to rest.

14. Choose the correct heading for the following paragraphs from the list of headings below:
Paragraph A …………………………………………………
Paragraph B …………………………………………………
Paragraph C …………………………………………………
Paragraph D …………………………………………………
Paragraph E …………………………………………………

List of headings
• Engage while effectively scheduling appointments
• The importance of appointments in business
• Take some time to breathe
• Decrease the cancellation rate and retain customer loyalty
• Don’t forget to follow up
• Use a scheduling app for your small business
• Effects of poor time management in business

15. The aim of this article is to

(a) explain how to retain customers.
(b) promote an appointment scheduling app.
(c) emphasise the importance of business meetings.
(d) describe how to schedule meetings effectively.

6.3 Listening

Listen to the three telephone conversations and note down the appointment or reservation
details.

6.4 Grammar

Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect is used to show that an action took place once or many times before another
point in the past.

Form:
[had + past participle]
CHAPTER 6 Page 75

Positive: You had studied Spanish before you moved to Mexico. / He had studied
Spanish before he moved to Mexico.
Negative: You had not studied Spanish before you moved to Mexico. / He had not
studied Spanish before he moved to Mexico.
Interrogative: Had you studied Spanish before you moved to Mexico? / Had he studied
Spanish before he moved to Mexico?

Completed action before something in the past:

Examples:
• When I went to the office the meeting had already started.
• I only understood the lecture because I had revised previous day’s lesson.

Source: https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/pastperfect.html

Complete the following sentences with the past perfect form of the verbs in brackets:
1. By the time I got to the station, the train ……………………………. (already/leave).
2. My brother told me that his boss ……………………………. (resign) from the company.
3. When we arrived at the office yesterday, we found that somebody …………………………….
(break) into the building.
4. She didn’t want to come to the cinema with us because she …………………………….
(already/see) that movie.
5. He wasn’t hungry because he ……………………………. (just/had) lunch.
6. When Peter died, he and ……………………………. (marry) for nearly twenty years.
7. He didn’t want to leave because he ……………………………. (living) there all his life.
8. The playground was flooded. It ……………………………. (rain) for hours.
9. She is an amazing pianist. She ……………………………. (play) ever since she was a teenager.
10. I couldn’t get into the house. I ……………………………. (lost) my keys.

6.5 Punctuation

Slash
Slash (also known as forward slash or stroke) is often used to indicate alternatives.
• Dear Sir/Madam
• him/her

Asterisk
An asterisk is used to draw attention to a footnote or indicate an omission. It is also placed in
front of constructions that are ungrammatical.

• I doesn’t go.*
CHAPTER 6 Page 76

6.6 Writing

Imagine you are Anil Vithanage, the business development manager of Celltronics Lanka
(Pvt) Ltd. and write a response to the message below from Gayan.

Dear Mr Vithanage,

I’m writing to thank you for taking the time to meet with me yesterday. It
was great to have a discussion on the activities of your company and
strategies for achieving your business objectives.
I hope you found the meeting to be informative and worthwhile. As a
business development executive, I’m committed to providing customised
solutions to help businesses achieve their targets and I look forward to
working with you in the future.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need any
clarifications. If you need any assistance, I’m always here to help.
Thank you once again for your time and consideration. I look forward to
meeting you soon.

Best regards,
Gayan

6.7 Making and Responding to Appointments

Given below is a list of phrases that can be used to make and respond to appointments:

• How about meeting on Tuesday 21st at 11.00?

• I’ll just check my diary.
• When would be convenient for you?
• Shall we say Wednesday 29th at 3 o’ clock?
• Sorry, I’ve already got an appointment then.
• Are you available on Friday?
• Can we arrange another time?
• Could you send me an email confirming all the details?
• Would it be possible to postpone the meeting?
• Sorry to be difficult, but something urgent has come up and I’m not going to be able to
make it on the day we’d fixed.
• It looks like everyone involved can manage Friday next week, so let’s go for that.
• Yes, Friday is fine.
• Monday suits me.
• Thursday would be perfect.
• I'm afraid I can’t on the 3rd. What about the 6th?
CHAPTER 6 Page 77

• Tuesday is going to be a little difficult. I’d much prefer Thursday, if that’s alright with you.
• I don’t think can make it on Monday. Can we meet on Tuesday instead?
• Well … not on the 17th. Can we meet up on the 19th instead?
• I’m afraid I’m tied up on Monday. How about Tuesday?
• It looks like I won’t be able to meet you tomorrow. Can we fix another time?
• How about the 7th rather than 1st? Are you free then?
• I’m sorry, I can’t manage that day. Can we find another date?
• I’m calling because I don’t think I’ll be able to come after all.
• Let’s fix another time then. Would it suit you if we postpone the meeting until next week?
• There’s been a change of plan and I’m afraid I’m going to have to rearrange things to try
to fit everything in.

6.8 Speaking

Work in pairs
With your partner try to make an appointment to attend to an urgent business. Use as many
expressions as possible from the above lists.
CHAPTER 7 Page 78

Presentations

Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

● demonstrate an understanding of the language used in oral presentations.

● apply good presentation skills when delivering an oral presentation.
● interpret the formation and usage of the past perfect continuous tense.
● identify the uses of different types of brackets.

7.1 Lead-in

• Have you ever given an oral presentation? If ‘yes’, share your experiences.
• What are your biggest fears about giving presentations?

7.2 Presentation Skills

When preparing for a presentation, it is important to think about the,

• purpose of the presentation (why?)
• presentation audience (who?)
• presentation environment (where?)
• organisation of the presentation (what?)
• visual aids (how?)

Structure of a presentation

Introduction:
• Welcome/Greet the audience
• Introduce yourself
• Explain the topic/purpose of the presentation
• Explain the structure/outline of your presentation
• Let the audience know the duration of the presentation
• Tell the audience whether and/or when the handouts will be given
• Explain rules for questions
CHAPTER 7 Page 79
Body:
• Arrange the facts in a chronological order.
• First main point – second main point – third main point
• Explain/elaborate the main ideas
• Use clear transitions

Conclusion:
• Summarise the main points of your presentation
• Give a concluding remark to persuade your audience
• Invite and answer any questions
• End by thanking the audience for their attention

Expressions used in presentations

Introduction:

Welcoming/Greeting the audience

Good morning / afternoon ladies and gentlemen.
everybody.

Introducing yourself
I’d like to introduce myself. I am …
Let me My name is …

Explaining the topic/purpose of your presentation

I am here to analyse
My purpose is to assess
My objective is to describe
My main aim is to discuss
identify
introduce
outline
present
review
My topic is …
The topic of my talk/presentation is …
The subject of this talk/presentation is …

Explaining the structure/outline of your presentation

I have divided this presentation into three parts/sections.
I am going to divide
There are three main areas I want to talk about today.
Firstly, I shall look at …
To start with, I want to discuss …
Secondly, I’d like to talk about …
CHAPTER 7 Page 80
Next, review …
Then, analyse …
After this, I shall be looking at …
Finally, discussing …
talking about …
reviewing …
analysing …
let me draw your attention to …

Let the audience know the duration of the presentation

My presentation will take about 8minutes.
It will take about 8 minutes to cover these issues.
This won’t take more than …

Explaining rules for questions

I’ll be happy to answer any questions afterwards.
If you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer them at the end.
Perhaps I should clear up one point before I start …

Body:

Indicating the start of a new section

Having looked at … Let me/us now turn to …
discussed … We can now look at …
reviewed … I’d now like to turn to …
analysed …
examined …
Turning next to …
Moving on now to …
Let’s move on to …
That brings me to my next point: …
The next aspect I’d like to consider is …u

Linking ideas
As I said/mentioned earlier …
I will return to this point later.

Handling interruptions
That is a very interesting Can I deal with that at the end?
idea/comment/question. I will come back to that at the end.
Can I finish this section and answer your question?
The questioner would like to know … Is that right?
Well, I think that goes beyond the scope of today’s presentation.
Does that answer your question?
CHAPTER 7 Page 81
Referring to visual aids

As you can see in this chart …

This diagram shows that …
If you look at this map, you’ll see that …
In this diagram, X represents …
You can see from this chart that …
It is clear from this graph that …

Conclusion:

Summarising
To sum up, …
To put in a nutshell, …
So, to summarise, I’d like to …
I’d like to sum up then by saying …

Concluding remarks
In conclusion, I’d like to say …
I’d like to conclude by saying …
That brings me to the end of my presentation.
Unfortunately, I seem to have run out of time. I shall therefore conclude very briefly by
saying that …

Inviting questions
If you have any questions/queries, I’d be happy to answer them now.
Are there any questions?

Asking for clarification

I’m afraid I didn’t follow your point about … Could you go over that again?
Could you go over what you said about …?
Could you explain what you meant when you said that …?
Could you give an example of (what you meant by) …?
Could you expand a little on what you said about …?
Could you be more specific about …?

Ending/Thanking the audience

Any further questions? / Any more questions?
If there are no more questions, I’ll end my presentation.
Thank you again for your attention.
Any more questions? Fine. That is all for today. Thanks for
your attention.
CHAPTER 7 Page 82
How should you structure the material in a presentation? Arrange the following statements
in the correct order.

• write down your aim and objectives ……..….

• select, key words, key information, key ideas ……..….
• rehearse several times and make changes ……..….
• reduce notes back to headings and key words ……..….
• put these on a sheet of paper ……..….
• organise main body headings logically ……..….
• make notes under headings ……..….
• develop these into headings ……..….
• decide on visual aids and design them ……..….
• brainstorm your subject for five minutes ……..….
• analyse the audience ……..….

Given below are some tips for a presentation and reasons for the advice. Match each reason
(a-j) to a piece of advice (1-10).

Advice:
1. Find out about the audience.
2. Find out about the venue and facilities.
3. Plan the content and structure, but do not write the complete text of your presentation.
4. If you are using cue cards, number them.
5. Try to memorise the first five sentences of your talk.
6. Prepare visual aids.
7. Rehearse your presentation with friends or colleagues.
8. Introduce yourself and your subject.
9. Outline what you are going to talk about.
10. Say whether people should ask questions during the talk, or at the end.

Reasons:
(a) If you drop the cards on the floor, you are in trouble.
(b) It could sound monotonous and boring.
(c) It will help you adjust the content of your talk so that it is suitable, for example, not too
easy or difficult.
(d) It will help you to keep control and avoid people interrupting you during the talk.
(e) It will help your audience follow the logic of what you are going to say.
(f) It will help you feel more at ease at the beginning when you may be nervous.
(g) It will ensure people that they are in the right place and provide a focus for the beginning
of your talk.
(h) They add visual interest, provide you with support and help the audience follow you.
(i) You can ask for changes in the seating plan if necessary.
(j) They will be able to tell you if anything is unclear before the presentation.
CHAPTER 7 Page 83

7.3 Reading

Read the article below on the importance of oral presentations and answer the questions that
follow it.

A. Seventy percent of employed Americans who give presentations agree that presentation
skills are critical to their success at work, according to a new Prezi survey. My first
reaction? The other 30% don’t know it yet. Prezi, the cloud-based presentation platform
company, collaborated with Harris to survey employed professionals about their
attitudes on presentations. The findings reflect just how important presentations skills
are to one’s career, and also reveal the extreme measures people take to get out of giving
a presentation. For example, 20% of respondents said they would do almost anything to
avoid giving a presentation including pretending to be sick or asking a colleague to give
the presentation, even if it means “losing respect” in the workplace.

B. The fear of presenting is a major problem among professionals in corporate America

today. It’s a problem because the survey also reveals that telling a clear and persuasive
story through presentations is a fundamental job requirement and a necessary
component of career success. In the information age you are only as valuable as the ideas
you have to share. Poor presentation skills mean that leaders fail to inspire their teams,
products fail to sell, entrepreneurs fail to attract funding, and careers fail to soar. That
seems like a big price to pay for neglecting such a basic skill that anyone can improve
upon.

C. There is hope for anyone who wants to improve at this critical career skill and, according
to the Prezi survey, plenty of people want help. Seventy-five percent of those who give
presentations say they would like to be better at presenting and to ‘captivate the
audience.’ One way to improve presentation skills is simply to watch great presentations.
Thanks to sites like TED.com, anyone with an Internet connection and a computer or
mobile device can watch the world’s most awe-inspiring presentations delivered in 18-
minutes.

D. Recently I spoke to author and investigative reporter David Epstein who delivered this
TED talk in March that has been viewed more than 1.7 million times. On the 18-minute
time limit that all TED talks are required to follow he said, “It forced me to be really sharp
with my transitions, and to pick examples that I could explain really succinctly, even if
they were not the simplest ideas in the world. With that amount of time, you know you
can only make so many points, so you’re forced to make them count.” Epstein’s TED
experience also taught him the importance of delivering a visually engaging presentation
that adds to the narrative and doesn’t simply mirror the speaker’s words. “The slides
should supplement the talk, not lead it. The speaker is the performer, and the slides are
supporting actors.” Epstein’s presentation is visually engaging and beautifully designed
a common element in many of the best TED presentations.
CHAPTER 7 Page 84
E. The fact is that traditional presentations are often boring. In the Prezi survey, 46% of
respondents admit that they’ve been distracted during a co-worker’s presentation.
Instead of watching the presentation they often do tasks such as sending text messages,
answering email, surfing the Internet, checking social media, or falling asleep. Creating
and delivering a presentation that engages hearts and minds does take work and
creativity, but with easy access to some of the best presentations on the planet there are
plenty of examples to model.

Adapted from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2014/09/25/new-survey-

70-percent-say-presentation-skills-critical-for-career-success/?sh=7c678d688900

1. In paragraph A, “My first reaction? The other 30% don’t know it yet.” indicates that the
author
(a) is sceptical about the credibility of the survey.
(b) is highlighting the ignorance of the general public.
(c) is questioning the importance of improving presentation skills.
(d) strongly believes that effective presentation skills are vital to one’s career.

2. The results of the Prezi survey show

I. how important presentations skills are to professional success.
II. the methods used by people to evade giving a presentation.
III. why some employers are insulted in the workplace.

(a) I
(b) I and II
(c) II and III
(d) I, II and III

3. What does ‘it’ in paragraph B refer to?

(a) career success
(b) a persuasive story
(c) fear of presenting
(d) a job requirement

4. The underlined word “inspire” in paragraph B is closest in meaning to

(a) promote
(b) motivate
(c) irritate
(d) assess
5. According to the Prezi survey, two-thirds of people who do presentations wishes to
(a) develop effective presentation skills.
(b) to watch high-quality presentations.
(c) make an impact upon co-workers.
(d) help others who give presentations.
CHAPTER 7 Page 85
6. The underlined word “awe-inspiring” in paragraph C is closest in meaning to
(a) significant
(b) famous
(c) explanatory
(d) impressive

7. David Epstein …………………… the 18-minute time limit that all TED talks are required to
follow.
(a) is critical of
(b) praises
(c) questions
(d) is annoyed with

8. The underlined word “succinctly” in paragraph D is closest in meaning to

(a) briefly
(b) rapidly
(c) slowly
(d) clearly

9. What does ‘them’ in paragraph D refer to?

(a) transitions
(b) presenters
(c) points
(d) examples

10. Features common to presentations on TED.com include

I. conciseness.
II. visual engagement.
III. beautiful design.

(a) I and II
(b) I and III
(c) II and III
(d) I, II, and III

Tick (✓) whether the following statements are True (T), False (F), or Not Given (NG), based
on the passage.

T F NG

11. Getting a colleague to do a presentation on your behalf will result

in you losing respect in the workplace.
12. The best way to start a presentation is by revealing a surprising
insight.
CHAPTER 7 Page 86
13. The author considers presentation skills as a basic skill that
anyone can improve upon.
14. According to David Epstein, slides play a supplementary role.
15. The author believes that creating an effective presentation is an
easy task.

16. The purpose of the article is to

(a) promote a website on effective presentation skills.
(b) encourage people to learn how to do effective presentations.
(c) emphasise the importance of presentations in daily life.
(d) examine why people are nervous to do presentations.

7.4 Writing

Work in pairs
Summarise the main points of each paragraph of the above passage.

7.5 Listening

Listen to the recording and state whether the following statements about the presentation
on the porcelain market in China are true or false.

The speaker
• starts with the presentation with a brief introduction to the porcelain market in China.
• uses a quite a formal style.
• makes the structure of the talk clear to the listeners.
• uses humour to engage with the audience.

7.6 Grammar

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous (also called past perfect progressive) is used to show that an
action started in the past and continued up to another point in the past.
Form:
[had been + present participle]

Positive: You had been working there for more than ten years when you retired in
2020. / He had been working there for more than ten years when he
retired in 2020.
Negative: You had not been working there for more than ten years when you retired
in 2020. / He had not been working there for more than ten years when
he retired in 2020.
CHAPTER 7 Page 87
Interrogative: Had you been working there for more than ten years when she retired in
2020? / Had he been working there for more than ten years when he
retired in 2020?

Duration before something in the past:

Examples:
• We had been talking for over an hour before Raveena arrived.

Source: https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/pastperfectcontinuous.html

Complete the following sentences with the past perfect continuous form of the verbs in
brackets:
1. Carmen was very tired because she ……………………………. (work) very hard.
2. The boys were out of breath. They ……………………………. (run).
3. How long ……………………………. (he/watch) TV?
4. The teacher scolded them because they ……………………………. (not/attend) lectures.
5. For years we ……………………………. (talk) about selling our house, and last week we finally
sold it.
6. My neighbor died last week. He ……………………………. (suffer) from pneumonia for some
time.
7. ……………………………. (he/drink) before the accident?
8. I could smell cigarettes. Somebody ……………………………. (smoke).
9. My brother was angry. He ……………………………. (wait) for two hours.
10. She ……………………………. (teach) in that school for almost thirty years.

7.7 Punctuation
Brackets
Brackets are symbols that are used to contain extra information or information that is not
part of the main content. Brackets always come in pairs.

Parentheses
Parentheses (also known as round brackets) are used to enclose additional, non-essential
information.
• Abraham Lincoln (the 16th president of the United States) was assassinated in 1865.
• He finally said (after taking about five minutes to reflect) that he did not understand the
explanation.
CHAPTER 7 Page 88
Square brackets
We use square brackets (also known as box brackets) to enclose text added to a quote by
someone other than the original speaker or writer.
• He said that he never wanted to go there [to his hometown] again.

7.8 Speaking

Work in groups
You are the sales/marketing manager of a company. Your company is hoping to launch a new
product/service into the Sri Lankan market.

Prepare a 6–8-minute presentation to a group of potential customers. You may invent any
information you like.

The following should be included in your presentation:

• main features of the product/service
• emphasis on the selling point of the product/service

Use the observation form given below to assess the presentations of other groups. Score
these points on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being ‘poor’ and 5 being ‘excellent’. Make comments
where necessary.

Area Score Comments

Effective introduction 1 2 3 4 5
Demonstrated full knowledge of the topic 1 2 3 4 5
Clear, logical and interesting sequence 1 2 3 4 5
Techniques used to engage audience 1 2 3 4 5
Sentences were complete and grammatical and 1 2 3 4 5
they flowed together easily
Used rich, varied and appropriate vocabulary 1 2 3 4 5
Voice was clear and loud 1 2 3 4 5
Relaxed and confident posture 1 2 3 4 5
Held attention of the audience through direct 1 2 3 4 5
eye contact
Visual aids enhanced the presentation 1 2 3 4 5
Presentation was summed up clearly and 1 2 3 4 5
effectively, with key points emphasised
Handled questions effectively 1 2 3 4 5
Kept to the set time 1 2 3 4 5
CHAPTER 8 Page 89

Meetings

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

● gain communication skills required to participate in meetings.

● summarise discussion points.
● know how to handle problematic meeting participants.
● express and respond to opinion.
● interpret the formation and usage of the simple future.
● differentiate between common punctuation marks.

8.1 Lead-in

• Why do we conduct meetings?

• Have you attended business meetings? Share your experiences with the class.

8.2 Reading

Read the following passage on the importance of meetings in organisations and answer the
questions below it.

A. Have you ever felt that urge in the bottom of your stomach to find a way to avoid that
meeting at 1.00 p.m.? Or perhaps you’ve wondered what the point of the next meeting is
and why your organisation even needs to hold meetings. Whether you’re the meeting
organiser or just an attendee, there are plenty of great reasons why meetings in
organisations are important. Meetings are always an important feature of any business.
Often the word ‘meeting’ brings about feelings of boredom, disinterest and even in some
cases, a feeling of anxiety. Being in a room full of people with no way out and having to
speak up in front of your peers may be the ultimate in a fearful situation for many. But
we’ve thought about this time and time again and want to share the news that meetings
are in fact a good thing!
CHAPTER 8 Page 90

B. Your meeting doesn’t have to take half the day with employees falling asleep in the
meantime. In fact, that can be hugely detrimental to your business and of course would
be a waste of time. If you’re running a meeting, keep it short and sweet. Not only can your
team get back to doing what they do best, but your staff is likely to stay focused for the
whole time, you can quickly go over the important bits then finish things up. If it’s a really
short meeting, stay standing. Keeping everyone on their toes is just another way to keep
everyone focused on what is being discussed.

C. We all know how great programmes like Asana can be for your organisation to keep
everyone working on the right tasks at the right time. But, when you’re starting a new
project, holding a meeting can ensure everyone is completely up to date, knows what
their responsibilities are and understands the full scope of the project that lies ahead. A
start-up meeting will help your team to truly come together and understand what is
happening. The same goes for remote workers and freelance workers. Skype and other
online meeting spaces like GoToMeeting can help you to run a meeting, talk to each other
easily and address any concerns in real-time.

D. Although an agenda is always used in formal meetings, even a casual gathering or meeting
with staff could use an agenda to keep things on track. It could be as simple as writing a
short list on a whiteboard in front of the team and ticking off each point as you go through
the meeting. It ensures your staff knows exactly what your meeting is regarding and also
helps to jog their memory at the end to ask questions about anything covered.

E. Not sure who the new person is across the room from you? Is there a new manager
coming on board in a week? When you hold a meeting, it’s a great opportunity to get to
know the people you are working with who are supposed to be your teammates! When
new staff members are employed, use a meeting to get everyone to acknowledge your
new staff member and help them to feel welcomed. We all know how hard it is to start in
a new role and not know anyone. Meetings are a great way to get the team together,
brainstorm new ideas and get to know people better.

F. There are times when you think everyone is working well and has no issues whatsoever,
as nothing has been said in an email or message anywhere in the communication funnel.
When you hold a meeting, whether it be face-to-face or online, chances are you’ll be able
to receive vital clues and feedback from the people you’re working with that wouldn’t
normally be seen or known. As an example, one person may be feeling a little anxious
about a presentation they need to do in front of a potential new client.

They may not willingly say this to others via email, but it may be easier to see and hear
from that person within a meeting setting. Meetings are safe places to provide feedback
and get your team working together. Something that may be bothering a staff member
may be able to be resolved easier and more efficiently in a meeting setting.
CHAPTER 8 Page 91

G. Meetings aren’t all bad. Of course, there are times when meetings are compulsory, such
as for Annual General Meetings and Board Meetings. But, for those that aren’t, that’s no
reason to skimp on them. If you’re not already running them, start them off by holding a
meeting and discussing your new meeting regime. When your meeting is run correctly,
you and your staff will wonder how you ever got anything done without them.

Adapted from: https://meet2min.com.au/the-importance-of-meetings-in

organisations/

1. According to paragraph A, the word “meeting” is associated with

I. monotony.
II. nervousness.
III. indifference.

(a) I
(b) I and II
(c) II and III
(d) I, II and III

2. The underlined word “peers” in paragraph A is closest in meaning to

(a) people.
(b) colleagues.
(c) assistants.
(d) superiors.

3. What does ‘it’ in paragraph B refer to?

(a) staff
(b) time
(c) meeting
(d) business

4. According to paragraph C, a start-up meeting will be beneficial for

I. onsite workers.
II. remote workers.
III.freelance workers

(a) I
(b) I and II
(c) II and III
(d) I, II, and III
CHAPTER 8 Page 92

5. The underlined word “address” in paragraph C is closest in meaning to

(a) request.
(b) deal with.
(c) change.
(d) postpone.

6. What does ‘it’ in paragraph D refer to?

(a) keeping things on track
(b) setting a meeting agenda
(c) ticking off agenda items
(d) making use of a whiteboard

7. The underlined phrase “on board” in paragraph E is closest in meaning to

(a) on vacation.
(b) before long.
(c) temporarily.
(d) on the team.

8. According to paragraph F, in professional settings people prefer to use ……………………..

when it comes to discussing problems.
(a) emails
(b) meetings
(c) text messages
(d) telephone calls

9. What does ‘them’ in paragraph G refer to?

(a) meetings
(b) Annual General Meetings
(c) Board Meetings
(d) Regimes

Tick (✓) whether the following statements are True (T), False (F), or Not Given (NG), based
on the passage.

T F NG

10. Lengthy meetings can be harmful to businesses.

11. When starting a new project, programmes like Asana can ensure
everyone is up-to-date.
12. Virtual meetings are more efficient than in person meetings.
13. Agendas should be used only in formal meetings.
14. Meetings give people the chance to get to know your colleagues
as well as new staff members.
CHAPTER 8 Page 93

15. Choose the correct heading for the following paragraphs from the list of headings below:
Paragraph B …………………………………………………
Paragraph C …………………………………………………
Paragraph D …………………………………………………
Paragraph E …………………………………………………

List of headings
• Meetings provide feedback
• Meetings help to get everyone on the same page
• Meetings build relationships
• Meetings are necessary for growth
• Meetings can be short and sweet
• Meetings are the most controversial topic in the workplace
• Meetings should have an agenda

16. Read the above passage once again and make a list of the advantages and disadvantages
of meetings mentioned in the passage.

8.3 Expressing and Responding to Opinion

Personal point of view

We use these words and phrases to express a personal point of view:
• I think...
• In my experience…
• As far as I’m concerned…
• Speaking for myself…
• In my opinion…
• Personally, I think…
• I’d suggest that…
• I’d like to point out that…
• I believe that…
• What I mean is…
• My opinion about that is …
• What I feel is …
• My view on that is …
• My idea on that is …
• Don’t you think …?

General point of view

We use these words and phrases to express a point of view that is generally thought by
people:
• Some people say that...
• It is considered...
• It is generally accepted that...
CHAPTER 8 Page 94

Agreeing with an opinion

We use these words and phrases to agree with someone else's point of view:
• Of course.
• You’re absolutely right.
• Yes, I agree.
• I think so too.
• That's a good point.
• Exactly.
• I don’t think so either.
• So, do I.
• I’d go along with that.
• That’s true.
• Neither do I.
• I agree with you entirely.
• That’s just what I was thinking.
• I couldn’t agree more.
• I agree completely.
• Yes, definitely.

Disagreeing with an opinion

We use these words and phrases to disagree with someone else's point of view:
• That’s different.
• I don’t agree with you.
• However,…
• That’s not entirely true.
• On the contrary…
• I’m sorry to disagree with you, but…
• Yes, but don’t you think…
• That’s not the same thing at all.
• I’m afraid I have to disagree.
• I must take issue with you on that.
• It’s unjustifiable to say that...
• I’m sorry, but I can’t agree.
• I object to that.
• That’s not how I see it.

Expressing reservation
Sometimes we may not agree or disagree completely. At these times, we express our
reservation in the following ways:
• I agree up to a point, but …
• Yes, but don’t you think that …
• Perhaps, but I can’t help thinking that …
CHAPTER 8 Page 95

Being non-committal
When we don’t want to express our opinion, we can be non-committal.
• No comment.
• I wouldn’t like to say …
• I can’t say …

8.4 Listening

Listen to the conversation between Mr Adams and Shanker and answer the following
questions:

1. What do you think is the relationship between the two speakers?

2. Where is the conversation taking place?
3. When Mr Adams says “I don't want to jump to any conclusions,” what does he mean?
4. What is the indicator for interruption used by Shanker?
5. Shanker says Praveen has always been mean”.” Is that a fact or an opinion?
6. What is the advice that Mr Adams gives Shanker at the end of their conversation?
7. What can you say about the tone of the two speakers?
8. What adjectives would you use to describe this conversation?

8.5 Grammar

Simple Future
The simple future verb tense has two different forms in English, will and be going to. Both
forms refer to a specific time in the future. Although the two forms can sometimes be used
interchangeably, they often express two different meanings: will is used for offers and be
going to is used for plans.

Form Will:
[will + verb]

Positive: You will help me later. / She will help me later.

Negative: You will not help me later. / She will not help me later.
Interrogative: Will you help me later? / Will she help me later?

Form Be Going To
[am/is/are + going to + verb]
CHAPTER 8 Page 96

Positive: You are going to meet Sahan tonight. / He is going to meet Sahan tonight.
Negative: You are not going to meet Sahan tonight. / He is not going to meet Sahan
tonight.
Interrogative: Are you going to meet Sahan tonight? / Is he going to meet Sahan
tonight?

Source: https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplefuture.html

“Will” to express a voluntary action:

Examples:
• I will email you the project proposal when I get it.
• Will you help me clean the room?
• Person A: The phone is ringing.
Person B: I'll get it.

“Will” to express a promise

• I will call you when I arrive in London.
• I won’t tell him about the incident.

“Be going to” to express a plan

• I'm going to spend his vacation in Dubai.
• I'm going to be a doctor when I grow up.

Put the verbs in brackets into correct form, “will” or “going to.
1. I’m tired. I ……………………………. (go) to bed now.
2. Look at the sky. It ……………………………. (go) to rain.
3. I feel a bit hungry. I think I ……………………………. (have) something to eat.
4. I can see you’re busy, so I ……………………………. (not/disturb) you.
5. Thanks for lending me the book. I ……………………………. (bring) it back to you on Thursday.
6. The economic situation in the country is bad now and things ……………………………. (go) to
get worse.

8.6 Speaking

Work in small groups

Imagine your company no longer requires the services of some sales staff due to changes in
the operational requirements of the company. Therefore, the company is planning to
introduce a process for making those employees redundant. In groups of four or five, discuss
the advantages and disadvantages of this plan. In your discussion, make use of the terms that
express opinions, agree, and disagree.
CHAPTER 8 Page 97

8.7 Writing

Sum up the above discussion in point form.

8.8 Punctuation

Use the following punctuation marks in the paragraphs below: comma, colon, semicolon,
hyphen, dash, brackets.

1. As the pandemic progressed disruptions to global supply chains manifested as a terms of

trade shock in small states contributing to weak economic recoveries. The sharp rise in
shipping costs was a particular headwind for small states and unusual in the aftermath of
a global recession. Indeed, in the other two global recessions since 1990 in 2009 and 2012
shipping costs were substantially lower in the first year of recovery than in the pre
slowdown year. In contrast in 2021 shipping costs were more than twice their level in
2019.

2. Most commodity prices have eased to varying degrees largely due to the slowdown in
global growth and concerns about the possibility of a global recession. By historical
standards however they remain elevated prolonging challenges associated with energy
and food insecurity. Crude oil prices have steadily declined from their mid 2022 peak
meanwhile natural gas prices in Europe soared to an all-time high in August but have
since fallen back toward pre-invasion levels. Non-energy prices particularly metal prices
have declined alongside weak demand. While food prices have eased from earlier peaks
food price inflation remains very high in some EMDEs.

3. Despite some large exporters benefitting from elevated global commodity prices costlier
imports and declining metal prices have led to a deterioration in LICs’ terms of trade
(figure B1.2.1.A). Activity in nonrecourse sectors strengthened in several large LICs
(Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda) spurred by the removal of COVID-19
restrictions.
But the boost from economic reopening failed to deliver strong growth in many other
countries surging inflation slowing global activity increasing borrowing costs limited
fiscal space and rising debt prompted growth downgrades for about 60 percent of LICs.

4. Substantial currency depreciations have weakened corporate and public balance sheets.
Moreover, public sector balance sheet risks could be larger than is apparent: the
proliferation of debt like instruments and commodity-based lending together with the
opaque financial arrangements of some state-owned enterprises, may well be obscuring
total public debt levels.

Source: Global Economic Prospects (January 2023) - A World Bank Group Flagship
Report
CHAPTER 8 Page 98

8.9 Speaking

Given below are different kinds of problematic people that you may meet during meetings.
Discuss how to deal with them.

Character Behaviour
Monopoliser Thinks he/she is the only one with wisdom on various subjects and
everyone else is there to hear him/her speak, so he/she talks
continuously.

Tangent talker Talks about topics unrelated to the issue at hand.

Devil’s advocate Whatever the argument being put forth, this person delights in
taking an opposing view.

Fence sitter Fence sitters are unable to make decisions.

Source unknown
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