Limba Engleza
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Asistent universitar drd. Mădălina Georgiana Matei LIMBA ENGLEZĂ ANUL I, SEMESTRUL 1 - toate specializările - 2008 REPROGRAFIA UNIVERSITĂŢII “TRANSILVANIA” DIN BRAŞOV
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Curs limba engleza An1
Transcript of Limba Engleza
Asistent universitar drd. Mădălina Georgiana Matei
LIMBA ENGLEZĂ ANUL I, SEMESTRUL 1
- toate specializările -
2008
REPROGRAFIA UNIVERSITĂŢII “TRANSILVANIA” DIN BRAŞOV
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UNIT 1
Aim:
To recognize and use the business English terms included in this unit.
To be familiar with the formats of different documents pertaining to commercial correspondence.
To acquire new grammar structures and revise the ones acquired so far.
Objectives:
On successfully completing this unit the student should be able to:
- assimilate and properly use the business English terms pertaining to different areas such as
marketing, accounting, finance, management, foreign affairs, etc.
- identify and write various documents pertaining to commercial correspondence;
- to express opinions about the company hierarchy and ethical code.
1. JOB TITLES
Match the job tile with the best definition on the right:
1. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) a. Manager responsible for buying
2. Information Systems Director b. Person who designs computer networks
3. Purchasing Director c. British English term for a senior manager
of a company
4. Human Resources Director d. Manager responsible for the process of
creating goods or services for sale to the customers
5. Systems Analyst e. American English term for the top
manager of a company
6. Managing Director f. Person responsible for setting up training
opportunities for employees
7. Marketing Director g. The person responsible for computer
operations in a company
8. Production Director h. Person responsible for managing product
development, promotion, customer service and
selling
9. Customer Service Manager i. Person responsible for markets in other
countries
10. Staff Development Officer j. Manager responsible for personnel issues
11. Finance Director k. Person responsible for relationships with
customers
12. Exports Manager l. Person responsible for presentation and
control of profit and loss.
2. MARKETING
The Four Ps of marketing are now the Seven Ps, because of the increasing importance of services an
customer service. Fill in the spaces below to match the Seven Ps to the best definition.
People Physical Evidence Place Price
Process Product Promotion
The traditional Four Ps are:
1. _____________________ The goods or services a company provides
2. _____________________ Decisions about what customers pay for the product
3. _____________________ Things concerned with location and distribution
4. _____________________ Ways to make the company and its products well
known and ways to sell the products
And here are three more:
5. _____________________ Everyone involved with the company and its
products, especially the customers
6. _____________________ All the ways in which the company and its
customers interact
7. _____________________ Anything that shows or mentions the name and
image of the company and its products
3. PROBLEM PAIRS
These pairs of words often cause problems. Choose the correct alternative for each.
1. SUBSIDY / SUBSIDIARY
a. Kazoulis Communications is losing money and wants the government to give it a
________________.
b. Our head office is in Boston and we own 70% of a manufacturing__________________ in
Colorado.
2. POLICY / POLITICS
a. Rimbaud has been sacked! People are saying he’s a victim of internal _______________.
b. If we want to convince the public that we care for the environment, we need to change our
_______________ on dumping waste into the local river.
3. ECONOMIC / ECONOMICS
a. She studied ____________________at the university and she is now an economist with a big
international bank.
b. She analyses the general ____________________ problems faced by companies operating with
traditional industries such as shipbuilding.
4. NOTE / NOTICE
a. He left a _______________ on my desk saying he would be late for the meeting.
b. He put a _______________ on the board in the main corridor saying that the meeting has been
postponed to 3 o’clock.
5. MORAL / MORALE
a. ___________________ has been a rock bottom ever since they announce the job cuts.
b. When a company sacks such a large number of people, it’s not just an economic question; it
becomes a __________________ question aswell.
6. TAKE OVER / OVERTAKE
a. They want to ____________________ our company but I don’t think their offer is high enough
for our shareholders to sell.
b. They expect to ___________________ all their main competitors, within a year of the launch of
their new product.
4. WORD FAMILIES
Which is the odd one out in each of these groups of business words:
1. a) sack b) dismiss c) demote d) fire
2. a) check b) survey c) control d) monitor
3. a) predict b) forecast c) anticipate d) analyse
4. a) lay off b) employ c) take on d) recruit
5. a) redraft b) reword c) rewrite d) restore
6. a) timetable b) diary c) schedule d) strategy
7. a) banned b) prohibited c) postponed d) forbidden
8. a) cancel b) put off c) put back d) postpone
9. a) busy b) engaged c) tied up d) unavailable
10. a) You’re welcome b) Not at all
c) It was a pleasure d) Excuse me
11. a) Yours sincerely b) Yours faithfully
c) Yours truly d) Regards
5. FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS
Match each word on the left with the correct definition on the right. Use the grid below.
1. profit and loss account a) a plan of cash income and cash spending for a specific
period of time
2. balance sheet b) a document that represents a part of the total stock value
of a company and which shows who owns it
3. cash budget c) a formal agreement for the exchange of goods or services
in return for payment
4. share certificate d) a formal description of income and costs for a time
period that has finished
5. tender e) a formal description of a company’s financial position at
a specified moment
6. business plan f) a document which states that a named person or company
has paid for protection against accidental loss or damage of goods
or property
7. insurance certificate g) a description of the ways a new business hopes to make
money, showing possible income and expenditure
8. letter of credit h) a formal letter with an offer to supply goods or services,
containing a description of the project, including costs, materials,
personnel, time plans, etc.
9. contract i) an official notification from a bank that it will lend money
to a customer
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
6. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
What do these abbreviations stand for?
1. NAFTA ___________________________________________________________________
2. OPEC ____________________________________________________________________
3. EU _______________________________________________________________________
4. NATO ____________________________________________________________________
5. UN _______________________________________________________________________
6. WTO _____________________________________________________________________
7. WHO _____________________________________________________________________
8. ASEAN ____________________________________________________________________
9. IMF _______________________________________________________________________
10. ECB ______________________________________________________________________
11. FDA ______________________________________________________________________
12. OECD ____________________________________________________________________
13. MNCs ____________________________________________________________________
14. FIFA _____________________________________________________________________
The companies below are all MNCs. What do their initials stand for?
1. GM _______________________________________________________________________
2. IBM ______________________________________________________________________
3. CNN ______________________________________________________________________
4. NEC ______________________________________________________________________
5. JAL _______________________________________________________________________
7. THE PATTERN OF A TYPICAL BUSINESS LETTER
COURTNEY & Co. LTD 1. Heading/
6 Stand Street Letterhead
Nottingham
Telephone: Not 978653 Telex: 10075-CRI-LTD GB
Telegrams: Springwood Nottingham Code: Bentleys.
May 15th
1992 2. Date
Our ref: CA/ER 45-P3-29 3. Reference
Your ref: G h/ SD 613 line
Tehnoforest 4. Inside
4 Piata Rosetti address
Bucharest
For the attention of the Secretary
Dear Sirs 5. Salutation
Acknowledgement of letter and printed matters 6. Subject line
We acknowledge receipt of your letter of May 10th
1992, and we thank 7. Body of
you very much for the 10 copies of the newspaper “Furniture Today” letter
which are extremely interesting and helpful to us.
We would appreciate if you would kindly continue to send us these
newspapers in future.
With best regards,
Yours sincerely, 8. Closing
COURTNEY & Co. LTD. 9. Signature
per pro. John Brown
Selling Manager
Note: per pro. – per procurationem (prin procura pentru)
8. MEMOS
Panton Manufacturing Ltd PANTON
Panton Works/Hounslow/Middlesex/TW6 2BQ
TELEPHONE +44(0)2083530125
FACSIMILE +44(0)2083530125
EMAIL [email protected]
MEMO
To All supervisors
From The Chief Executive
Date 6 February 2006
Subject New machinery
As part of the company’s expansion programme, we are introducing RS100 and DS100 machines which
will increase productivity and reduce costs, thus making us competitive in overseas markets.
The new machinery will not in any way affect job security, and there will be opportunities for retraining
for all production staff.
A full consultation process has taken place with the Union, and cooperation has been agreed in installing
and maintaining the new machines.
Please call a meeting of your team members on Wednesday morning at 9.30 a.m. to inform them of
these changes.
UNIT 2
Aim:
To recognize and use the business English terms included in this unit.
To be familiar with the formats of different documents pertaining to commercial correspondence.
To acquire new grammar structures and revise the ones acquired so far.
Objectives:
On successfully completing this unit the student should be able to:
- assimilate and properly use the business English terms perta ining to different areas such as
marketing, accounting, finance, management, foreign affairs, etc.
- identify and write various documents pertaining to commercial correspondence;
1. Introducing key terms in financial planning:
Complete the sentences below with a word from the box.
1. _________________________shows how a business might make profits. It is calculated from
the relationship between profit and the capital invested in the company, and between profit and
turnover.
2. The _________________________of a business is the total amount of sales, before the costs are
deducted.
3. The __________________________of a business is the main product or service which the
business provides, e.g. for FIAT it is cars.
4. The __________________________is the profit the business makes before costs are considered.
5. The __________________________ are the costs involved in creating a new business.
6. The __________________________are the normal costs of a business, which do not change if
production rises. They are also referred to as indirect costs of fixed costs.
7. The __________________________ is a calculation of profit after deducting the costs of sales
and overheads.
8. The __________________________ are all costs directly associated with producing the
products.
9. The __________________________is the amount of sales a company needs to cover all costs.
10. The __________________________are all costs directly concerned with getting customers to
buy products and moving them to the customer.
2. Common abbreviations
What do the following abbreviations mean? Fill in the missing letters.
1. VAT Value A_ _ _ _ _ _ _
2. PLC Public _ _ _ _ _ _ _ C _ _ _ _ _ _
3. Ltd L _ _ _ _ _ _
4. & Co. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ y
5. CWO C _ _ _ W_ _ _ Order
break-even point core activity cost of sales gross profit margin
net profit margin overheads profitability selling costs
setting-up costs turnover
6. c.i.f c_ _ _, i _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, freight
7. PAYE Pay A_ Y _ _ E _ _ _ (i.e. tax)
8. P&L account P _ _ _ _ _ and L _ _ _ account
3. Cashflow problems and other difficulties:
Choose the correct definition for each of the terms in italics.
1. cashflow
a. money from sales and money going out to meet costs, both fixed and variable
b. cash available to pay debts
c. payment for fixed costs, including salaries
2. to reschedule overdraft payments
a. stop paying overdraft credits to the bank
b. set a new level of payments and/or change the frequency of payments to the bank
c. ask the bank for a bigger loan
3. liquidity problem
a. not paying debts
b. customers who are late in making payments
c. not enough cash available to pay for costs
4. liquid assets
a. wealth that can easily be changed into cash
b. property that cannot be easily changed into cash
c. stocks and shares in drinks companies
5. bad debts
a. large bills to pay
b. old invoices that the customers has not paid
c. customers who always pay late
6. go into liquidation
a. to have a lot of money, especially cash
b. to go bankrupt and to stop trading
c. to be taken over by another company
7. to record a credit deficit
a. to have no profits
b. to be refused credit by a supplier
c. to make a loss
8. debit balance
a. the same as a credit deficit
b. debits and credits are equal
c. the number of debits is the same as the company forecast
9. capacity problem
a. workers are not able to meet production needs
b. the company is already producing the maximum quantity possible but there is demand for more
c. costs are at the maximum level the company can afford and bank will not lend any more money
10. opportunity cost
a. the costs associated with doing new business
b. the costs of not doing something
c. the costs of research and development
4. Financial control
Businesses have to work out the most efficient way to produce products and services at a profit. The
test introduces some key terms for this aspect of managing company finances. Match the term on the
left to the correct definition on the right.
1. profitability a. the amount of products or services a company needs to
sell to cover all its costs
2. return on investment(ROI) b. ratio of total debts to total assets
3. liquidity c. measure of profitability obtained from dividing net
income by total amount invested
4. leverage d. ratio of total sales to total costs of inventory (goods in
storage)
5. break-even point (BEP) e. ratio of cost to benefit
6. efficiency f. measure of how well a business can meet its short term
cash needs
5. Management abbreviations
What do the following abbreviations stand for:
1. SME ____________________________________________________________________
2. BCG____________________________________________________________________
3. MBO____________________________________________________________________
4. MBWA__________________________________________________________________
5. TQM____________________________________________________________________
1 2 3 4 5 6
6. QUEST__________________________________________________________________
7. ROI_____________________________________________________________________
8. SBU_____________________________________________________________________
9. SWOT___________________________________________________________________
10. CAD____________________________________________________________________
11. CAM___________________________________________________________________
12. DSS____________________________________________________________________
13. HR_____________________________________________________________________
14. IT______________________________________________________________________
15. JIT_____________________________________________________________________
16. MRP____________________________________________________________________
17. FMS____________________________________________________________________
18. BEP____________________________________________________________________
19. CEO____________________________________________________________________
20.OB______________________________________________________________________
6. Business verbs
For each of the verbs below, three of the four words or expressions fit. In each case, circle the one
that does not fit.
1. DO a. business b. a profit
c. a job d. a deal
2. MAKE a. money b. business
c. a loss d. a decision
3. TAKE a. a long time b. a decision
c. appropriate measures d. a deadline
4. HAVE a. progress b. something to eat
c. shares in a company d. a meeting
5. MEET a. a deadline b. customers’ expectations
c. an appointment d. a target
6. LAUNCH a. a product b. a ship
c. a campaign d. a target
7. CUT a. costs b. jobs
c. a decision d. a price
8. CARRY OUT a. a meeting b. duties
c. research d. market survey
9. ACHIEVE a. progress b. a breakthrough
c. a job d. little
10. REACH a. a decision b. a strategy
c. an agreement d. a target
7. Your pay
Match each form of payment with the right person:
1. grant a. author
2. salary b. senior manager
3. wage c. laid-off employee
4. commission d. government
5. fees e. blue-collar worker
6. dividend f. retired employee
7. royalty g. sales representative
8. stock option h. student
9. pension i. consultant
10. tax j. shareholder
11. redundancy pay k. white-collar worker
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
8. Price-demand relationship
Find words or phrases in the text which mean more or less the same as the phrases given:
1. consumers wanting to buy the product
2. difference between cost price and selling price
3. easily influenced by price changes
4. is old-fashioned
5. reduction in price
6. not affected by price changes
7. sales in a year
8. total sales
The Crown slips – US truck giant
drops top seller
FD Auto, the largest independent truck manufacturer in the USA,
yesterday announced plans to end production of its biggest-selling
truck, the Crown 5000. Over half a million Crown trucks have been
sold in 20 years, but sales in the past five years have declined to
9,000 last year.
Three years ago the company cut prices by 20% to try to stimulate
demands but sales rose by less than 5%. The price cut ate up the
entire margin. Even in the normally price-sensitive US truck market,
the Crown could not recover.
‘It’s a sad day, but we have to face reality. The Crown has passed
its sell-by-date,’ said Laurie Seller, the Marketing Manager for FD
Auto. He accepted that the price cut had failed saying that the
company had miscalculated. ‘ Demand for the Crown is not totally
inelastic: price does not affect demand. It’s a dead truck. We cannot
make any profit.’
It is not all bad news for FD Auto, however. Annual sales showed a
small increase and turnover is expected to rise in the components
division.
9. Placing an order: covering letter
F. Lynch & Co. Ltd Head Office
Nesson House
Newell Street
Birmingham
B33EL
Telephone: + 44(0)21 2366571
Fax: + 44(0)21 2366571
Email: [email protected]
www.lynch.com
Your ref: D/1439
Our ref: Order DR4316
Satex S.p.A
Via di Pietra Papa
00146
Roma
ITALY
9 March 2006
Attn. Sig. D. Causio
Dear Sig. Causio
Please find enclosed our official order, No.DR4316.
For this order, we accept the 15% trade discount you offered, and the terms of payment (sight draft,
CAD) but hope you are willing to review these terms if we decide to order again.
Would you please send the shipping documents and your sight draft to Northminster Bank (City
Branch), Deal Street, Birmingham B3 1SQ.
If you do not have any of the items we have ordered currently in stock, please do not send alternatives.
We would appreciate delivery within the next six weeks, and look forward to your acknowledgement.
Yours sincerely
Peter Crane
Peter Crane
Chief Buyer
Enc. Order No.DR4316
UNIT 3
Aim:
To recognize and use the business English terms included in this unit.
To acquire new grammar structures and revise the ones acquired so far.
To revise terms used in the language of finance.
To acquire/revise idiomatic expressions.
Objectives:
On successfully completing this unit the student should be able to:
- assimilate and properly use the business English terms pertaining to different areas such as
marketing, accounting, finance, management, foreign affairs, etc.
- correctly use grammar structures in real contexts such as newspaper articles or stock-
market analyses.
- properly use idiomatic expressions.
1. Finance
Complete the headlines from the financial press using the words in the box:
1. 2.
3. 4.
5. 6.
7. 8.
9. 10.
BANKRUPT BUYOUT CHARGES CURRECY
DEBT DIVIDEND FLOW ISSUE
LOSSES MARGINS PROFITS RATES
MARDOCK GOES
_______________: HUGE
DEBTS UNCOVERED
AFTER POLICE
INVESTIGATION
________________ IMPROVE
AT MACROCOMP AFTER
STEEP PRICE RISES
SHAREHOLDERS REWARDED
WITH
INCREASED______________
AFTER GOOD RESULTS AT
MEGABUCK
JAYBURG FORCED TO WRITE
OFF BAD _____________AFTER
MAIN SUPPLIER FAILS
PRE-TAX ________________
AT FLINCO AFTER
IMPROVED TRADING IN FAR
EAST
SINGLE EUROPEAN
________________ IS
BOOSTING TRADE,
MINISTER CLAIMS
‘BANK _______________ TOO
HIGH,’ SAY NATIONAL
BUSINESS LEADERS
‘HIGH INTEREST ___________
KILLING SMALL
BUSINESSES,’ SAYS
MANAGEMENT GURU
LONREV ANNOUNCE BIG
SHARE ________________ TO
FINANCE PLANNED
EXPANSION
BIGBANK FINANACES
MANAGEMENT
_______________________
AT NATBUS
11. 12.
2. Opposites
Each of the words in the box is the opposite of an underlined word. Complete each sentence with the
correct word:
1. We have to debate the pros and ____________of this project before we go ahead with it.
2. Let’s look at the strengths and ______________ of each application in turn and then we’ll draw
up a shortlist.
3. We expect a rise in sales next year followed by a steady __________________two years after
that.
4. It’s simple: we have to increase our prices and __________________our costs.
5. You can see the general position if you look at the profit and ________________account you
have in front of you.
6. At first we saw the company expand rapidly and successfully. Unfortunately, there was a fall in
demand and we were forced to ___________________our operations to something approaching
our current size.
7. We have managed to deposit quite a large sum of money in our account at the beginning of the
month but then we had to _________________it almost immediately.
8. We need to concentrate on our core business and sell off our ________________businesses.
9. It’s easier to hire people when times are good than to _________________them when times are
hard.
10. I would love to accept your invitation but unfortunately there’s been a change of plan and so,
with great regret, I’m afraid I shall have to ________________it.
11. Our strategy is to acquire large, inefficient companies and then ____________________the
more profitable parts.
12. Although we have been able to recruit a handful of skilled workers for our main factory, we h ave
also had to _________________several hundred office staff.
NEGATIVE CASH ____________
CREATES PROBLEMS FOR
PERTH AND STEWART
MASSIVE _______________ AT
GUAM INVESTMENTS AFTER
SOUTH AMERICAN
OPERATION FAILS
cons contract decline fall fire lay off
loss peripheral reduce sell off weaknesses withdraw
3. Word families
Financial vocabulary covers several areas, including economics, banking, , marketing, personal finance
and financial planning. Here is a selection of key words. Co mplete the table.
Verb Personal nouns General nouns Adjective
1. to analyze
2. competitor
3. advice
4. to merge -
5. to industrialize
6. trader
7. exporting/exported
8. producer
9. supplier
10. consumer
11. to guarantee
12. to credit
13. debit
14. earner
15. investor
4. Financial problems
The text below is about a company in difficulty. First read the short text, then choose the best
explanation for each term given.
1. receivers
a. directors of a company
b. accountants who close down a company and give it assets to creditors and shareholders.
c. shareholders that receive the assets of a company that stops trading.
2. restructuring a. reorganization of how the company is run
b. reducing company costs by reducing the work-force
c. reorganizing the ownership of capital and the way debts are financed
3. to reschedule payments
a. to increase the amount of interest
Sam Air Grounded
Sam Air is going to call in the receivers. The aircraft company does
not have a serious bidder, after inviting partners to join a
restructuring plan.
Sam Air’s major creditor, Credit Bank International, refused to
reschedule payments and has called in the debt. The company will
probably go into liquidation soon. A rights issue failed two years
ago when shareholders refused to put in more capital.
b. to change the terms for paying back a loan
c. to ask for a loan to be taken over by another lender
4. to call in a debt
a. to ask a creditor to pay what is owed
b. to increase interest payments on a debt
c. to agree to late payment of a debt
5. go into liquidation
a. stop trading and have all assets given to creditors and shareholders
b. be declared bankrupt
c. change the type of activity of the business
6. rights issue a. an attempt to enter new markets
b. an attempt to change the company into a workers’ co-operative
c. a way of getting extra money into a company by selling shares to existing shareholders at
a low price
5. Market reports
The words in italics in the following sentences are commonly used to describe share movements. Divide
them into three columns: Up, Down, Same.
1. Burlesque share peaked at 450p.
2. After steady rises, Axam shares levelled off at 320p.
3. Harrow ended higher, up 10p.
4. AJL fell back 20p.
5. Roadman added 5p in busy trading.
6. Media shares sank on news of planned government regulation.
7. News Newspaper Group dipped 20p to 540.
8. By the close of trading, Harnley had steadied at 320p.
9. Most of the oil sector improved in a bullish market.
10. Dolman ended lower at 320, off 20p.
11. Following steady gains, Kornan Foods firmed at 196p.
12. Food companies were generally up, gaining on the back of improved retail forecasts.
13. Bearish output forecasts indicate sliding share prices in the coming weeks.
Up Down Same
_____________________ ______________________ _____________________
_____________________ ______________________ _____________________
_____________________ ______________________
_____________________ ______________________
_____________________ ______________________
_____________________
7. Prepositions
Supply the missing preposition(s) in each sentence. You can use some of them more than once.
1. Could you call back later? She’s _________the other phone.
2. It’s not surprising that he’s working lee hard. He ’s very close _________ retirement.
3. They thought everything was__________ control until they had a big dispute_________ pay.
4. There’s clearly a strong link __________pay and productivity.
5. The people on the shop floor want more participation __________ the d ecision-making process.
6. We need a much stronger focus _________ the needs of our customers.
7. These meetings always start late. Could everyone make an effort to arrive_________ time next
time?
8. I’ve divided this talk __________ three main parts.
9. It’s impossible to say __________ at this stage ___________ the negotiation whether or not we
will reach an agreement.
10. We have to have all the figures ___________ the end of the month ___________ the very latest.
11. We plan to achieve a 20% reduction ___________ the workforce in the next two years.
12. I’m afraid she’s not here – she’s ____________ holiday until next Monday.
8. Idioms
For each underlined idiom find the correct meaning.
a) dangerous situation b) all the time c)do something that has already been done
d) no conditions e) refused to f) hide something
g) adopt good tactics h) bureaucracy i) being discouraging
j) experimental subject
1. They should never have tried to sweep that pollution scandal under the carpet. ______
2. That company will go bankrupt if they don’t cut some red tape. ______
3. At the end of our presentation he spent ten minutes pouring cold water on our
proposal. ______
4. The head of research herself agreed to be the guinea pig for the trials of the drug. ______
5. We agreed to do exercises every morning but we drew the line at wearing the
company uniform. ______
6. We must be very careful about promoting ourselves as an ethical company – we
are in a minefield. ______
7. Chivers is going to damage his health – he’s been working round the clock. ______
8. It’s yours for a million and no strings attached. ______
9. They could get the contract if they play their cards right. ______
10. We don’t want to reinvent the wheel. ______
at between by in into on to over under
9. Overheads
Here is a list of 16 fixed cost items . Categorize them according to the headings given below.
Services Employee costs
___________________________ ___________________________
___________________________ ___________________________
Insurance Administration
___________________________ ___________________________
___________________________
Property Professional fees
___________________________ ___________________________
___________________________
Vehicles Equipment
___________________________ ___________________________
___________________________ ___________________________
Miscellaneous costs
___________________________
___________________________
accountancy fees leasing of computers
books, newspapers mortgage payments
car and van hire professional indemnity insurance
car hire purchase agreements rent
electricity account salaries
employee National Insurance contributions secretarial support
employer’s liability insurance stationery and printing
equipment, machinery telephone
UNIT 4
Aim:
To recognize and use the business English terms included in this unit.
To acquire new grammar structures and revise the ones acquired so far.
To revise terms used in the language of banking.
Objectives:
On successfully completing this unit the student should be able to:
- assimilate and properly use the business English terms pertaining to different areas such as
marketing, accounting, finance, management, foreign affairs, etc.
- correctly use grammar structures in real contexts such as newspaper articles.
1. Who’s who in finance
Match each job title on the left with the correct definition on the right. Use the grid below:
1. tax inspector a) the person who is responsible for an individual bank
2. tax consultant b) someone who advises people on how to manage their
financial affairs
3. bank manager c) someone who prepares an individual’s (or a company’s)
tax return
4. commodity trader d) the person who is responsible for the financial side of
running a business
5. accountant e) a government official who checks that you are paying
enough tax
6. finance director f) the person who finds you the best insurance policy at the
best price
7. market analyst g) someone who buys and sells stocks for clients and
charges a commission
8. financial advisor h) someone who advises you or a company on how to pay
less tax
9. insurance broker i) someone who comments on business and share prices in
a particular sector of the economy
10. stockbroker j) someone who buys large quantities of goods, especially
food products such as tea, coffee, and cereals, or raw
materials such as wood, or metals
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2. Cash terms
Read the definitions below and then complete the phrases that follow by combining an appropriate word
from the box with cash.
1. Small amounts of money in notes and coins for
regular, small purchases. ____________cash
2. Money in notes and coins, not cheques or credit
card transfers ____________cash
3. Cash which comes into a company from sales,
after costs, overheads, etc. cash____________
4. Payment when the customer receives the goods cash on _________
5. Plan of cash income and expenditure cash____________
6. A loan in cash against a future payment cash____________
7. Notes and coins available for immediate expenditure ____________cash
8. Payment of a bill with cash cash____________
9. A low price for payment in cash cash____________
3. Key terms in banking
Complete the words below to match the given meanings:
1. The person to whom the cheque is written p_ _ _ _
2. Money provided by a bank, to a customer, for an
agreed purpose l _ _ _
3. A bank which offers a full range of services to individuals
and companies c_m_ _ _ _ _ _l b_ _ _
4. A type of bank with a strong local or regional identity,
mainly used by small, private investors, who get interest
on their deposits s_ _ _ _ _ _ b_ _ _
5. An instruction from one bank to another bank to another
bank asking it to make a payment to a supplier _ _ _k d_ _ _ _
6. An agreement that an account can remain in debit up to
a certain amount for an agreed period of time. o_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
advance budget delivery flow hard petty
price ready settlement
7. The time taken from when a cheque is presented to a bank
to when the receiving account is credited c_ _ _r_ _ _e
8. Fees charged by a bank for services provided _ _n_ c_ _ _ _ _s
9. An instruction from a customer to a bank to make a regular
payment to a creditor. Instructions to alter the dates or the
payments must come from the customer. s_ _ _ _ _ _g o_ _ _r
10. A computer printout sent by a bank to a customer,
showing recent activity on his/her account. s_ _ _ _ _ _ _t
11. The lowest level of interest that a bank changes for
lending money b_ _ _ r_ _ _
12. Conducting banking services from a computer using the
bank’s website i_ _ _ _ _ _ t b_ _ _ _ _ _
4. The balance sheet
Match the words and phrases from the left with the correct definition on the right. Use the grid below.
1. intangible assets a) the money paid to shareholders out of profits
2. fixed assets b) regular costs and money owed
3. liquidity c) any investments, cheques, bank deposits or stock that can
easily be converted into cash
4. depreciation d) assets which can be used to make immediate payments
5. current assets e) property, land and equipment which is not normally
intended for immediate sale
6. dividend f) brand names, patents, rights, trade marks and licenses
which may be the major part of a company’s wealth
7. liabilities g) the total amount borrowed from a bank
8. liquid assets h) the ability of a company to pay suppliers, employees,
shareholders, tax authorities, etc.
9. overdraft i) the notional fall of value of equipment over time
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
5. Key terms in measuring financial performance
Change the underlined words or phrases in the sentences below to other words or phrases that have a
similar meaning.
1. Unpredictable and exceptional costs should be a separate item in the financial report.
2. The trading income needs to increase each year so that the company can make decisions to buy
new plant and equipment.
3. The company accounts have been checked and approved by an independent financial expert.
4. Shareholders expect to see the short description of the company’s financial position.
5. Income during the present tax year is less than last year.
6. Pre-tax earnings are down.
7. The total value of a company once the liabilities have been paid.
8. A successful company needs property and investments that can be easily converted into cash.
6. Charley Kim tells us about his professional history up to now. Complete the sentences with
verbs from the box. Make sure the verbs are in the right tense.
1. I went to college in the States but got bored so I _______________________ after two years
without a degree.
2. I _______________________a company making computer games.
3. After six months I was ________________________ to the post of chief games designer.
4. I _____________________ two years there learning the business.
5. Then I ______________________to a bigger games company for more money but I hated it.
6. So I decided to _____________________my own company.
7. With my partner, Mario Carter, I co-_______________________ the software for a game called
Sudden Death.
8. It _____________________a million copies in its first year.
9. We _____________________ another games company in Japan with the money we made.
10. Now I ______________________ the company in the States.
11. And Mario _____________________ the company in Japan.
12. Now I’d like to ______________________ a year __________________ to learn about website
design.
abbreviated accounts capital investment consolidated
debts equity extraordinary items gross liquid assets
operating income revenue
buy drop out join look after move promote
run sell set up spend take off write
7. Operations control
A key aspect of managing company finances is keeping control of operations. Operations means all
aspects of organizational activity. Read the text below, then match the underlined phrases to one of the
terms from a – i
a) a focus on the quality of inputs in the production process
b) analysis of each separate product as a separate cost centre
c) goods in storage
d) gross profit margin
e) planning, controlling and monitoring all the activities of the business, so that efficiency is
maintained, waste is cut to a minimum, quality is enhanced, customer satisfaction
improves and profitability goes up.
f) policy of taking delivery of goods only when they can be used, and producing to order
g) monitoring quality after the production or output of service
h) evaluation of the conversion of inputs to outputs as it happens
i) demonstrating the volume required at a certain price to produce the required profit.
Operational control brings
financial rewards
Many businesses and organizations have a strategic approach to
management. Good operational control is essential. One important tool
is the strategic business unit (SBU). With this approach, it is possible
to see the individual contribution that each product makes to the
overall company profitability.
A further useful tool is the idea of the break-even point. Using this
tool, prices may be raised or cut, but with a proper understanding of the
effect.
Businesses should also make sure that that there is a continually low
level of inventory.
Holding components or finished products is a waste of resources. It
is better to operate a just-in-time (JIT) approach. Storage is therefore
kept to a minimum.
Control operations should focus on quality, service, efficiency, and
effective evaluation of the processes involved. There are three kinds of
operational control: precontrol, concurrent control and postcontrol.
The benefits of good operational control are shown in terms of
increased profit and long term security for the business.
UNIT 5
Aim:
To acquire new grammar structures and revise the ones acquired so far.
Objectives:
On successfully completing this unit the student should be able to:
- assimilate and properly use the grammar notions both theoretically and in cont ext.
I. THE NOUN
1.1. Kinds and function
A There are four kinds of noun in English:
Common nouns: dog, man, table
Proper nouns: France, Madrid, Mrs Smith, Tom
Abstract nouns: beauty, charity, courage, fear, joy
Collective nouns: crowd, flock, group, swarm, team
1.2. Gender
A Masculine: men, boys and male animals (pronoun he/they).
Feminine: women, girls and female animals (pronoun she/they).
Neuter: inanimate things, animals whose sex we don't know and sometimes babies
whose sex we don't know (pronoun it/they).
Exceptions: ships and sometimes cars and other vehicles when regarded with
affection or respect are considered feminine.
Countries when referred to by name are also normally considered feminine.
The ship struck an iceberg, which tore a huge hole in her side.
Scotland lost many of her bravest men in two great rebellions.
B Masculine/feminine nouns denoting people
1 Different forms:
boy, girl
gentleman, lady
son, daughter
bachelor, spinster
husband, wife
uncle, aunt
bridegroom, bride
man, woman
widower, widow
father, mother
nephew, niece
duke, duchess king, queen
prince, princess
earl, countess
lord, lady
2 The majority of nouns indicating occupation have the same form:
artist cook driver guide assistant dancer doctor etc.
Main exceptions:
actor, actress
host, hostess
conductor, conductress
manager, manageress
heir, heiress
steward, stewardess
Sometimes -person is used instead of -man, -woman: salesperson, spokesperson.
C Domestic animals and many of the larger wild animals have different forms:
bull, cow
duck, drake
ram, ewe
stallion, mare
cock, hen
gander, goose
stag, doe
tiger, tigress
dog, bitch
lion, lioness
1.3. Plurals
A The plural of a noun is usually made by adding s to the singular:
day, days
dog, dogs
house, houses
- s is pronounced /s/ after p, k or f sound. Otherwise it is pronounced /z/.
When s is placed after ce, ge, se or ze an extra syllable (/iz/) is added to the spoken word.
Other plural forms
B Nouns ending in o or ch, sh, ss or x form their plural by adding es:
tomato, tomatoes
brush, brushes
box, boxes
church, churches
kiss, kisses
But words of foreign origin or abbreviated words ending in o add s only:
dynamo, dynamos
kimono, kimonos
piano, pianos
kilo, kilos
photo, photos
soprano, sopranos
C Nouns ending in y following a consonant form their plural by dropping the y and adding
ies:
baby, babies
country, countries
fly, flies
lady, ladies
Nouns ending in y following a vowel form their plural by adding s:
boy, boys
day, days
donkey, donkeys
guy, guys
Twelve nouns ending in f or fe drop the f or fe and add ves. These nouns are calf, half,
knife, leaf, life, loaf, self, sheaf, shelf, thief, wife, wolf:
loaf, loaves
wife, wives
wolf, wolves
Nouns
The nouns hoof, scarf and wharf take either s or ves in the plural:
hoofs or hooves
scarfs or scarves
wharfs or wharves
Other words ending in f or fe add s in the ordinary way:
cliff, cliffs
handkerchief, handkerchiefs
safe, safes
A few nouns form their plural by a vowel change:
foot, feet
louse, lice
mouse, mice
woman, women
goose, geese
man, men
tooth, teeth
child children
ox, oxen.
Names of certain creatures do not change in the plural. fish is normally unchanged,
fishes exists but is uncommon. Some types of fish do not normally change in the plural:
Carp pike salmon trout cod plaice squid turbot mackerel but if used in a
plural sense they would take a plural verb. Others add s:
crabs herrings sardines eels lobsters sharks
Deer and sheep do not change: one sheep, two sheep.
The word game, used by sportsmen to mean an animal/animals hunted, is always in the
singular and takes a singular verb.
Collective nouns, crew, family, team etc., can take a singular or plural verb; singular if
we consider the word to mean a single group or unit:
Our team is the best or plural if we take it to mean a number of individuals.
Our team are wearing their new jerseys.
Certain words are always plural and take a plural verb:
Clothes, garments consisting of two parts breeches pants pyjamas trousers
etc. and tools and instruments consisting of two parts:
Binoculars pliers scissors spectacles glasses scales shears etc.
A number of words ending in ics, acoustics, athletics, ethics, hysterics, mathematics,
physics, politics etc., which are plural in form, normally take a plural verb:
His mathematics are weak. But names of sciences can sometimes be considered
singular:
Mathematics is an exact science.
Words plural in form but singular in meaning include news:
The news is good
And certain diseases:
mumps rickets shingles
and certain games:
billiards darts draughts bowls dominoes
2 The first word is made plural with compounds formed of verb + er
nouns + adverbs:
hangers-on lookers-on runners-up and with compounds composed of
noun + preposition + noun: ladies-in-waiting sisters-in-law wards of
court
3 Initials can be made plural:
MPs (Members of Parliament) VIPs (very important persons) OAPs (old age
pensioners) UFOs (unidentified flying objects)
1.3.1. Uncountable nouns (also known as non-count nouns or mass nouns)
1 Names of substances considered generally:
Bread, cream, gold, paper, tea, beer, dust, ice, sand, water, cloth, gin, jam,
soap, wine, coffee, glass, oil, stone, wood
2 Abstract nouns:
advice, experience, horror, pity, beauty, fear, information , relief, courage, help,
knowledge, suspicion, death, hope, mercy, work
3 Also considered uncountable in English:
baggage, damage, luggage, shopping, camping, furniture, parking weather
1.4. The form of the possessive/genitive case
A 's is used with singular nouns and plural nouns not ending in s:
a man's job the people's choice
men's work the crew's quarters
a woman's intuition the horse's mouth
the butcher's (shop) the bull's horns
a child's voice women's clothes
the children's room Russia's exports
B A simple apostrophe (') is used with plural nouns ending in s:
a girls' school the students' hostel
the eagles' nest the Smiths' car
C Classical names ending in s usually add only the apostrophe:
Pythagoras' Theorem Archimedes' Law Sophocles' plays
D Other names ending in s can take 's or the apostrophe alone:
Mr Jones's (or Mr Jones' house) Yeats's (or Yeats') poems
1.5. Use of the possessive/genitive case and of + noun
A The possessive case is chiefly used of people, countries or animals as shown
above. It can also be used:
1 Of ships and boats: the ship's bell, the yacht's mast
2 Of planes, trains, cars and other vehicles, though here the of construction is
safer:
a glider's wings or the wings of a glider
the train's heating system or the heating system of the train
3 In time expressions:
a week's holiday, today's pape, tomorrow's weathe, in two years' time, ten
minutes' break, two hours' delay,
4. With for + noun + sake: for heaven's sake, for goodness' sake
5 In a few expressions such as:
a stone's throw journey's end the water's edge
6. Sometimes certain nouns can be used in the possessive case without the second
noun, a/the baker's/butcher's/chemist's/florist's etc. can mean 'a/the
baker's/butcher's etc. shop'.
Similarly, a/the house agent's/travel agent's etc. (office) and the dentist's/doctor
'sivet's (surgery):
You can buy it at the chemist's. He's going to the dentist's.
1.6. PRACTICE - NOUN
EXERCISE 1. Nouns ending in -f/-fe form their plural in -fs/-fes or -ves or both.
Give the plural form of the following nouns and noun groups into the respective three
categories:
Half, cuff, wolf, belief, leaf, scarf, chief, calf, cliff, shelf,.dwarf, self, thief, safe,
gulf, proof, loaf, wife, roof, handkerchief, knife.
EXERCISE. a) Write the singular of:
allies countries taxes doves shoes toes
alleys enemies taxis halves kangaroos potatoes
dresses skies sizes pies valves
houses skis buzzes eyes porches
b) Write the plural of: potato, radio, hero, cargo, echo, tango, buffalo, concerto,
Negro, volcano.
EXERCISE . Turn into the plural:
1. Englishman 2. Spaniard 3. Chinese 4. Frenchman 5. Pole 6. Swede
7. Norwegian 8. German 9. Dutchman 10. Italian 11. Romanian 12. Russian
13. Greek 14. Australian 15. Japanese 16. Dane 17. Finn 18. Irishman 19. Scot 20.
Pakistani.
EXERCISE Choose the right form of the verb :
1. a) The committee (consist, consists) of 12 members.
b) The committee (has, have) come to a common point of view.
2. a) My friend's family (is, are) small.
b) The family (was, were) asleep when we arrived.
3. a) The press (is, are) kindly requested to leave the Conference Hall,
b) The press (is, are) always present on such occasions.
4. a) The audience (was, were) taking their seats.
b) The audience (was, were) applauding enthusiastically.
5. a) The mob (has, have) been fighting among themselves for some time,
b) A mob (is, are) a disorderly crowd.
6. a) The Education Board (is, are) arguing about the cost of textbooks,
b) The Selection Board (has, have) selected the best pupils from the candidates.
7. a) The government (has, have) announced further wage rises.
b) The government (stand, stands) firm in refusing to make further concessions.
8. a) The new Cabinet (was, were) the result of his bargaining with the
center-left parties,
b) The new Cabinet (is, are) reluctant to look into it.
9. a) A flock of sheep (has, have) invaded my garden.
b) Look out! Your flock (is, are) straying in all directions.
10. a) The Army (has, have) seized power.
b) The invading Army (was, were) defeated.
11. a) Canada (is, are) bilingual.
b) Canada (has, have) got into the semi-finals again.
EXERCISE . Choose the singular or plural form. Translate into Romanian:
1. colour a) I simply hate this . . . .
b) You must stand still when the country's ... is being raised.
c) My favourite . .. are blue and beige.
2. custom a) You have to declare everything at the ....
b) She was privileged to get acquainted with this ... of the Burundians.
c) Hand shaking is one of the most frequent... in Europe.
3. damage a) I'll have to pay for the ...
b) In case of fire the insurance company will pay the ....
4. ground a) You must have solid . . . if you want to ask for a divorce.
b) What was the . . . of this quarrel?
c) Children have taken good care of their sports . . .
5. minute a) How many . . . does it take to get to the office?
b) We wanted him to read the . . . of the previous meeting.
c) Wait a . . . !
6. pain a) She feels no . . . now.
b) What do you recommend for stomach . . . ?
c) You do take great. . . with your work.
7. scale a) My neighbour has been practising ... for hours.
b) Did you know he could play with a fish . . . . ?
c) The ... of this species of fish are phosphorescent.
d) On top of the Court House one can notice a sculptured ... of Justice.
8. term a) When does . . . end?
b) Are you on good . . . ?
c) What are the . . . of the treaty?
9. spectacle a) It was a terrifying. . .
b) Why not wear .. . ?
10. spirit a) That's the right. . .
b) How can you believe in ... ?
c) I shall never touch . . . again.
d) Is there no ... in your lighter?
EXERCISE . Form feminine nouns from the following masculine nouns using the
following suffixes: -ess, -ix, -a, -ine:
Actor, host, shepherd, administrator, sultan, god, lion, prior, negro, hero, prince,
tiger, heir, waiter.
EXERCISE . a) Give the corresponding masculine nouns of the following feminine
nouns; b) then give the generic term, if any:
MODEL: — a) mother — father
b) mother — father — parent
Queen, woman, wife, daughter, nun, lady, sister, goose, bee, duck, grand daughter.
EXERCISE . List the feminine nouns in the 2nd column and the generic nouns in the
3rd column so as to correspond to the masculine nouns in the 1st column:
hog mare pig/swine
cock vixen deer
hound hen dog
buck ewe ox
bull bee horse
drone bitch fowl
stallion hind fox
fox cow sheep
ram doe deer
stag sow cattle
EXERCISE . Give the masculine of:
Bride, girl-friend, maidservant, female candidate, policewoman, lady
footballer, woman diplomat, lady speaker, spinster, lady, nurse, female student.
EXERCISE . Arrange the following nouns into two columns according to their usual
gender when personified in poetry, etc. Remember that the masculine gender is
usually ascribed to nouns denoting strength, harshness, cruelty, and negative
features while those denoting delicacy, feebleness, tenderness and other positive
features are feminine. On the other hand, the distinction sometimes depends on the
author's imagination or intentions:
Friendship, anger, boat, fury, ship, terror, car, crime, moon, spring, storm,
morning, thunder, evening, sleep, night, sun, pride, time, truth, fear, soul, death.
EXERCISE 39. Substitute synthetic genitive forms for the prepositional genitive forms.
The former are generally used with animate nouns, mainly with persons, with
collective nouns (e.g. government, company), and with certain kinds of inanimate
nouns denoting: a) geographical names (continents, countries, cities, towns); b)
locative nouns denoting regions, heavenly bodies, institutions (e.g. the region's
welfare, the earth's core, the sun's impact, the Club's band); c) temporal nouns (e.g.
yesterday's reception, this year's anniversaries); d) nouns of the type: body, mind,
science, life, treaty, play, book, car, ship etc. (e.g. the play's success, the ship's captain,
science's progress):
1. The new car of his friend is a Fiat 125. 2. What do you know about the climate
of this country? 3. I admired the hats of the ladies. 4. He has been studying the folklore
of WTales for three years. 5. What's the name of the new typist of the manager? 6. This
is the most important museum of/in London. 7. The parents of all the other girls are
present. 8. What are the first signs of spring? 9. These are the best paintings of Turner.
10. He won't say a word about the purpose of his life. 11. The interests of the
Government lie elsewhere. 12. What do you know about the War of a Hundred Years?
13. The future of Africa is in the hand of its own peoples. 14. The blouses of the shop -
girls are the best advertisment. 15. Bob doesn't even know the time-table of his child.
16. Is it possible to track the rays of the sun? 17. He is proud of the performance of his
car on the road. 18. Do you doubt the good intentions of my relatives?
II. ARTICLES
2.1. The definite article
A Form
the is the same for singular and plural and for all genders:
the boy the girl the day the boys the girls the days
B Use
The definite article is used:
1 When the object or group of objects is unique or considered to be
unique:
the earth the sea the sky the equator the stars
2 Before a noun which has become definite as a result of being mentioned
a second time:
His car struck a tree; you can still see the mark on the tree.
3 Before a noun made definite by the addition of a phrase or clause:
the girl in blue the man with the banner the boy that I met
the place where I met him
4 Before superlatives and first, second etc. used as adjectives or
pronouns, and only:
the first (week) the best day the only way
C the + singular noun can represent a class of animals or things:
The whale is in danger of becoming extinct.
The deep-freeze has made life easier for housewives.
But man, used to represent the human race, has no article:
If oil supplies run out, man may have to fall back on the horse.
D the + adjective represents a class of persons: the old = old people
in general
E the is used before certain proper names of seas, rivers, groups of islands,
chains of mountains, plural names of countries, deserts, regions:
the Atlantic the Netherlands the Thames the Sahara the
Azores the Crimea the Alps the Riviera
and before certain other names:
the City the Mall the Sudan the Hague the Strand the Yemen
F the is used before the adjectives east/west etc. + noun in certain names:
the East/West End the East/West Indies
the North/South Pole
but is normally omitted:
South Africa North America West Germany
G the with names of people has a very limited use. the + plural surname can be
used to mean 'the . . . family':
the Smiths = Mr and Mrs Smith (and children)
2.2. Omission of the
A The definite article is not used:
1 Before names of places except as shown above, or before names of people.
2 Before abstract nouns except when they are used in a particular sense:
Men fear death but
The death of the Prime Minister left his party without a leader.
3 After a noun in the possessive case, or a possessive adjective:
the boy's uncle = the uncle of the boy
It is my (blue) book = The (blue) book is mine.
4 Before names of meals:
The Scots have porridge for breakfast but
The wedding breakfast was held in her father's house.
5 Before names of games: He plays golf.
6 Before parts of the body and articles of clothing, as these normally prefer a
possessive adjective:
Raise your right hand. He took off his coat.
But notice that sentences of the type:
She seized the child's collar.
I patted his shoulder.
The brick hit John's face.
7 Omission of the before home, before church, hospital, prison, school etc.
and before work, sea and town
A home
When home is used alone, i.e. is not preceded or followed by a descriptive word
or phrase, the is omitted: He is at home.home used alone can be placed directly
after a verb of motion or verb of motion + object, i.e. it can be treated as an
adverb:
He went home. I arrived home after dark. I sent him home. But when
home is preceded or followed by a descriptive word or phrase it is treated like
any other noun:
They went to their new home.
We arrived at the bride's home.
For some years this was the home of your queen.
A mud hut was the only home he had ever known.
B bed, church, court, hospital, prison, school/college/university
the is not used before the nouns listed above when these places are
visited or used for their primary purpose. We go:
to bed to sleep or as invalids to hospital as patients
to church to pray to prison as prisoners
to court as litigants etc. to school/college/university to study
Similarly we can be:
in bed, sleeping or resting in hospital as patients
at church as worshippers at school etc. as students
in court as witnesses etc.
We can be/get back (or be/get home) from school/college/university.
We can leave school, leave hospital, be released from prison.
When these places are visited or used for other reasons the is necessary:
/ went to the church to see the stained glass.
He goes to the prison sometimes to give lectures.
C sea
We go to sea as sailors. To be at sea = to be on a voyage (as passengers or
crew). But to go to or be at the sea = to go to or be at the seaside. We can also
live by/near the sea.
D work and office
work (= place of work) is used without the:
He's on his way to work. He is at work.
He isn't back from work yet. Note that at work can also mean 'working'; hard
at work = working hard:
He's hard at work on a new picture, office (= place of work) needs the: He is
at/in the office. To be in office (without the) means to hold an official (usually
political) position. To be out of office = to be no longer in power.
E town
the can be omitted when speaking of the subject's or speaker's own town:
We go to town sometimes to buy clothes.
We were in town last Monday.
2.3. The indefinite article
Its Romanian equivalent: un, o.
A is used in front of consonants: e.g. a good man, a map, a window and an is used
in front of vowels: an apple, an important issue.
The indefinite functions as a numeral: one hundred – a hundred
Used to show the number of happenings during a given period of time: once a
week, one apple a day
Used with nouns denoting jobs when after the verb to be: I am a lawyer. (eu
sunt avocat)
When the noun is unique, then it doesn’t need the indefinite article: He is
chairman.
Used as appositions: Irving, a prose writer, ……..
Used in expressions: for a time, lend me a hand, once upon a time, to set an
example, to pay a call on, to have a mind to, once in a blue moon.
2.4. The zero article
Zero article is used to express generalities, whole categories and not individual
items.
Children will be children
Clothes do not make the man
Barking dogs seldom bite.
Substance names: Oil is lighter than water; Blood is thicker than water.
With abstract nouns: Love is a noble feeling;
Before human names: Michael, George, Daisy
Names of continents, countries, provinces, regions, counties, towns, cities,
villages: Europe, Africa, Wallachia – exceptions: the Ukraine, the United
States, the Argentine, the Congo.
Months of the year, days of the week
Expressions: from time to time, by means of, at random, by sea, on s ale, at
dawn.
2.5. PRACTICE- ARTICLE
EXERCISE 1. Insert definite or indefinite articles.
1. I have ordered . . . washing machine and . . . washing machine has come. 2 . .
. climate does not suit me. 3. How did . . . press receive it? 4. Since lunch was not
ready yet, my husband read . . . paper for a while, then he rose from . . . armchair
and turned on . . . television. 5. I mentioned bridge; he was very good at. . . game.
6. Give me . . . newspaper to clean the mirror with. 7. Give me . . . newspaper, I
want to have a look at the ads. 8. . . . moon rose out of the sea. 9. Is there . . . moon
tonight? 10. The door opened and . . . teacher came in. 11. The door opened and . .
. headmaster came in. 12. I heard on . . . radio that they have come to . . . truce. 13.
. . . man has called and left. . . present for you. 14. . . . moon goes round . . . earth
and . . . earth goes round . . . sun. 15. How have myths come into . . . world?
EXERCISE 2. Supply the necessary article(s): zero (0), the or alan, used in their
generic function. Make any necessary changes:
1. . . . verdict has to be unanimous. 2. . . . tiger is larger than . . . lynx. 3.. witness may
tell only what he himself knows to be true. 4. . . . French have good wines. 5. . . .
leopard is a cat. 6. . . . leopard is the fastest cat. 7. He's wasted his life in search of .
. . unusual. 8. You're rather partial to . . . asparagus, and . . . trout. 9. They have a
fine taste in . . . music and . . . literature. 10. The responsibility of. . . parents is
stressed in the Declaration on the Rights of. . . Child. 11. . . . fellow does a lot of
crazy things when he has been drinking. 12. . . . man has left his imprint here too.
13. What can …. man do when he is cast on a far-off island? 14. . . . (rubber tyre,
do, not, make a noise). 15. . . . (first offender) should be treated with sympathy. 16.
. . . rich have always exploited . . . poor.
EXERCISE 3. Supply the necessary article: zero (0), ajan
1. He had served his country as . . . Minister of Finance and . . . Ambassador to
Finland. 2. She was . . . typist by trade. 3. Can you act as . . . guide? 4. Who is
going to hold the office of. . . secretary? 5. Be . . foster parent!
6. He had the help of two deputies, the economist Mark Webster, . . . Director of
the U.N. Population Division and Roy Wilkins, . . . career U. N. officer.
7. You can get a job as . ... waiter. 8. He'll be acting the part of . . . solicitor next
week. 9. The castle in which Mary . . . Queen of Scots was imprisoned is worth a
visit. 10. He became . . . unwilling sailor. 11. He fully well deserved to be
awarded the rank of. . . general. 12. He spent his adolescence as . . . seaman, . . .
prospector and . . . fireman. 13. He was . . . firm believer in the triumph of good.
14. He has been elected . . . President of the Conference. 15. Now he's had a go at
solving a difficult case, he might turn . . . detective. 16. I rather doubt he'll remain
. . . content accountant all his life. 17. I won't have you take her for . . . fool. 18.
What with everybody finding him ... indispensable person! It's gone to his head.
EXERCISE 4. Supply the necessary article: definite or zero:
1. I hate . . . wet weather. 2. I spent four hours going from . . . hotel to . . .
hotel, trying to find a room. 3. . . . winter of last year was pretty mild. 4. . . . youth
look down on oldtimers. 5. A humane leader is loved by . . . people. 6. That type
of . . . skirt is no longer fashionable. 7. He doesn't go by . . . train because he can
never find a seat. 8. Nobody liked . . . cheese but I; I thought it very tasty. 9. She
has . . . youth and she has . . . taste. 10. Did you see . . . van Eyke at the National
Gallery? 11. I decided to stay in . . . bed. 12. He hoped he would be inside the
harbour before . . . sundown. 13. He looked forward to leaving . . . school and
joining . . . army. 14. . . . dinner is being prepared by the children today. 15. The
number of. . . smokers has dropped. 16. She is suffering from . . . loss of . . .
memory. 17. They generally have . . . breakfast out on the porch in . . . warm
weather. 18. Don't drive. Take . . . train. 19. Everybody feels . . . spring is in . . .
air. 20. There are no raspberries on . . . market. 21. Cover the roots of the plant
with . . . earth. 22. . . . lunch was good but. . . breakfast was awful. 23. Granny
went to . . . market to buy . . . fruit for the family. 24. One can get tired of. . . fish
and chips. 25. . . . health is better than . . . wealth. 26. It is not visible at. . . night.
27. The party went on far into . . . night. 28. The party started in . . . evening and
broke up after . . . midnight. 29. Around . . . noon he can be found in his office.
30. . . . atmospheric polluants turn . . . marble into . . . fine dust which is washed
away by . . . rain.
EXERCISE 5. Insert definite or zero articles before the geographical names used in
the following sentences:
1. . . British Isles have a total area of about 121,600 square miles. The largest
islands are . . . Great Britain proper (comprising the mainlands of. . , England,. . .
Wales, and . . . Scotland) and . . . Ireland (comprising . . . Northern Ireland and ...
Irish Republic). 2. ... Isle of Man in... Irish Sea and . . . Channel Islands between . .
. Great Britain and . . . France have administrative autonomy. 3. The latitude of
50° North cuts across... Lizard Peninsula and latitude 60° North passes through...
Shetland Islands. 4. The boundaries of this region run from the mouth of . . . Tyne
to the mouth of. . . Exe. 5. . . . North Atlantic Current reaches the islands from
across . .. Atlantic. 6. . .. Highland Britain comprises the whole of. . . Scotland
(including the hills and moors of . . . southern Scotland as well as the mountains
of. . . Scottish Highlands, which extend from . . . Forth -Clyde valley to the extreme
north-west), . . . Lake District in . . . north-west England, the broad central upland
known as . . . Pennines. 7. The whole of. . . Britain north of a line joining... river
Thames and . . . Bristol Channel was covered by ice caps. 8. The red sandstone on
. . . Cumberland coast and the limestone masses and slates of . . . Pembrokeshire
coast in . . . South Wales are notable features of the varied coastline. 9. Between
150 and 200 inches of rain fall on the summits of . . . Snowdon and .. . Ben Nevis
during the average year. 10. The eastern coast of England between . . . Humber
and . . . Thames estuary is for the most part low -lying.
(Adapted from "Britain-An Official Handbook 1968")
III. ADJECTIVES
3.1. Kinds of adjectives
A The main kinds are:
(a) Demonstrative: this, that, these, those
(b) Distributive: each, every ; either, neither
(c) Quantitative: some, any, no ; little/few ; many, much ; one, twenty
(d) Interrogative: which, what, whose
(e) Possessive: my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their
(f) Of quality: clever, dry, fat, golden, good, heavy, square
B Participles used as adjectives
Both present participles (ing) and past participles (ed) can be used as
adjectives. Present participle adjectives, amusing, boring, tiring etc., are active
and mean 'having this effect'. Past participle adjectives, amused, horrified, tired
etc., are passive and mean 'affected in this way'.
The play was boring. (The audience was bored.)
The work was tiring. (The workers were soon tired.)
The scene was horrifying. (The spectators were horrified.)
an infuriating woman (She made us furious.)
an infuriated woman (Something had made her furious.)
C Agreement
Adjectives in English have the same form for singular and plural, masculine
and feminine nouns:
a good boy, good boys, a good girl, good girls
The only exceptions are the demonstrative adjectives this and that, which
change to these and those before plural nouns:
this cat, these cats that man, those men
3.2. Order of adjectives of quality
A Several variations are possible but a fairly usual order is: adjectives of
(a) size
(b) general description (excluding adjectives of personality, emotion)
(c) age
(d) shape
(e) colour
(f) material
(g) origin
(h) purpose (these are really gerunds used to form compound
nouns: walking stick, riding boots).
a long sharp knife
a small round bath
new hexagonal coins
blue velvet curtains
an old plastic bucket
an elegant French clock
3.3. Comparison
There are three degrees of comparison:
Positive Comparative Superlative
dark darker darkest
tall taller tallest
useful more useful most useful
B One-syllable adjectives form their comparative and superlative by adding er
and est to the positive form:
bright brighter brightest
Adjectives ending in e add r and st:
brave braver bravest
C Adjectives of three or more syllables form their comparative and
superlative by putting more and most before the positive:
interested more interested most interested
frightening more frightening most frightening
D Adjectives of two syllables follow one or other of the above rules. Those
ending in ful or-re usually take more and most:
doubtful more doubtful most doubtful
obscure more obscure most obscure
Those ending in er, y or ly usually add er, est:
clever cleverer cleverest
pretty prettier prettiest (note that the y becomes i)
silly sillier silliest
E Irregular comparisons:
bad worse worst
far farther farthest (of distance only)
further furthest (used more widely; see F, G)
good better best
little less least
many/much more most
old elder eldest (of people only)
older oldest (of people and things)
F farther/farthest and further/furthest Both forms can be used of distances:
York is farther/further than Lincoln or Selby.
York is the farthest/furthest town
Further can also be used, mainly with abstract nouns, to mean
'additional/extra':
Further supplies will soon be available.
Further discussion/debate would be pointless.
II elder, eldest; older, oldest
elder, eldest imply seniority rather than age. They are chiefly used for
comparisons within a family: my elder brother, her eldest boy/girl; but elder is not
used with than, so older is necessary here:
He is older than I am. (elder would not be possible.)
3.4. Constructions with comparisons
A With the positive form of the adjective, we use as ... as in the affirmative
and not as/not so . . . as in the negative: A boy of sixteen is often as tall as his
father. He was as white as a sheet. Manslaughter is not as/so bad as murder.
Your coffee is not as/so good as the coffee my mother makes.
B Parallel increase is expressed by the + comparative . . . the +
comparative:
HOUSE AGENT: Do you want a big house?
ANN: Yes, the bigger the better.
TOM: But the smaller it is, the less it will cost us to heat.
C Gradual increase or decrease is expressed by two comparatives joined by and:
The weather is getting colder and colder. He became less and
less interested.
the + adjective with a plural meaning
A blind, deaf, disabled, healthy/sick, living/dead, rich/poor, unemployed
and certain other adjectives describing the human character or condition can be
preceded by the and used to represent a class of persons. These expressions
have a plural meaning; they take a plural verb and the pronoun is they:
The poor get poorer; the rich get richer. the can be used in the same way
with national adjectives ending in ch or sh:
the Dutch the Spanish the Welsh and can be used similarly with
national adjectives ending in se or ss:
the Burmese the Chinese the Japanese the Swiss though it is
just possible for these to have a singular meaning.
3.5. Possessive adjectives
my
your
his/her/its
our
your
their
A Possessive adjectives in English refer to the possessor and not to the thing
possessed. Everything that a man or boy possesses is his thing; everything that
a woman or girl possesses is her thing:
Tom's father is his father but
Mary's father is her father. Everything that an animal or thing
possesses is its thing:
A tree drops its leaves in autumn.
A happy dog wags its tail. But if the sex of the animal is known, his/her
would often be used. If there is more than one possessor, their is used:
The girls are with their brother.
Trees drop their leaves in autumn. Note that the possessive adjective
remains the same whether the thing possessed is singular or plural:
my glove, my gloves his foot, his feet
C To add emphasis, own can be placed after my, your, his etc. and after one's:
my own room her own idea own can be an adjective, as
above, or a pronoun:
a room of one's own
Note the expression:
I'm on my own = I'm alone.
3.6. PRACTICE - ADJECTIVE
EXERCISE 1. Choose the appropriate adjective. Note that -ic alternates with -ical
with a difference of meaning:
1. I am fond of classic / classical languages. 2. Caragiale's play "The Lost Letter" is a
comic / comical masterpiece. 3. Everybody has realized that big cars are not
economic / economical to run. 4. It has taken long years of I historic \ historical
research to gather all the data about this historic / historical building. 5. The Royal
Ballet's performance of "The Nut-cracker" was a classic! classical one. 6.
Romania's economic \ economical performance is no longer considered a miracle.
7. She was quite a sight with that comic \ comical old hat on. 8. Many an innocent
man has gone to the electric \ electrical chair. 9. He is quite an expert in electric /
electrical engineering.
EXERCISE 2. Group the adjectives listed below under the three heads of the table.
Note that there are two regular ways of marking the category of comparison in
English; a) by means of -er in the comparative and (the) -est in the superlative (the
synthetic comparison) with monosyllabic adjectives; b) by means of the
periphrastic forms with more and (the) most (the analytic comparison), incase of
plurisyllabic adjectives. A series of monosyllabic adjectives, such as: calm, cross,
fit, fond, frank, scarce, grave, prompt display both patterns. Many disyllabic
adjectives display both patterns too. It is typically the case with adjectives ending in
-y, -ow, -le, -er such as: clumsy, sallow, humble, clever, as well as the following
adjectives: handsome, common, polite, quiet, pleasant, precise, sincere etc.
sly, wicked, convenient, foolish, active, vague, afraid, common, red, wounded,
thin, pretty, startling, stupid, big, healthy, correct, alive, fertile, worthy, pleasant,
minute, eager, cruel, tiring, remote, early, comic, simple, easy, tender, low, calm,
sore, fast, just, docile, proper, distinct, high, sincere.
a) -er b) more+Adj. ©) a) -er; (the) -est /
(the) -est (the) most+Adj. b) more + Adj. (the)
most + Adj.
EXERCISE 3. Provide the irregular degrees of comparison of the following adjec-
tives. Remember that some of them have two forms of degrees of comparison :
1. good, 2. bad / ill, 3. little, 4. near, 5. much / many, 6. far, 7. late, 8. old.
EXERCISE 4. Use the correct form of the adjectives in brackets:
1. What is the (late) information you've got? 2. Her (old) brother is called Jim. 3. We
were in a hurry to catch the (late) bus. 4. Which is (old) of the two ? 5. Who is the
(old) member of the students' club? 6. They got down to business without (far)
delay. 7. I've got a still (old) edition of the dictionary. 8. The (old) sister was
twenty years (old) than the youngest. 9. The (late) half of May was quite rainy. 10.
I was told to wait until (far) notice. 11. I wish I had bought it at the (near) shop. 12.
He provided them with (far) information as agreed. 13. The (near) station is Calea
Victoriei. 14. John's (late) novel was a (good) seller and for sure it won't be his
(late) one. 15. He is the (little) writer of the two. 16. I saw him meet her at the (far)
end of the street. 17. I shall need (far) help with this.
EXERCISE 5. Supply the appropriate form of the adjectives given in brackets :
1. This is the . . . book I have read for a long time (good). 2. He has one of the . .
. cars on the road (fast). 3. The work you are doing today is . . . than the work you
did yesterday (easy). 4. Ann often wears . . . dresses than her mother (expensive).
5. Which is the . . . play you have lately read? (interesting). 6. The actress on the
stage was the . . . girl I have ever seen (striking). 7. Tom is . . . than his friend (tall).
8. They have a. . . garden than ours (lovely). 9. He said this was the . . . day in his
life (important). 10. He was . . . than his wife when the child broke the window
(angry). 11. He was the . . . man in the world to do that (late). 12. A: 'Which was
your . . . subject at school and which was your . . . (good, bad)?' B:'Physics was my
. . . and history my.. .'(good, bad).' 13. Is Bucharest or Prague the . . . from London
(far)? 14. Tom is 17 years old, his brother Jack is 19 and his sister Jane is 15.
Therefore Jane is the . . . and Jack is the.. . (young, ol d).
EXERCISE 6. Supply the comparative form of the adjectives given in brackets. Note
that the meaning of the pattern the comparative of Adjective . . . , the comparative
of Adjective is cu cit. . . cu atit:
l. The (long) the speech is, the (tedious) it is. 2. The (weak) the patient, the
(great) his dependence on the nurse. 3. The (stormy) the weather, the (dangerous)
the trip. 4. The (humble) a man is, the (haughty) her manner becomes. 5. The
(scarce) the food is getting, the (wild) the beasts become. 6. The (prompt) the
answer, the (high) the grade. 7. The (proper) the word, the (exact) the translation is.
8. The (narrow) the path was getting, the (hostile) the horse was becoming. 9. The
(eager) the child, the (intricate) the questions he asks. 10. The (fertile) the land, the
(little) the amount of fertilizer given to it.
EXERCISE 7. Give the correct succession of the adjectives in the following noun phrases:
1. a/an (blue, washable, good, cotton) skirt; 2. (blue, frightened, small) eyes; 3. a/an
(Asiatic, large, striped) quadruped; 4. (cold, turbulent, greyish, de_ep) waters; 5.
(volcanic, dark, tall) rocks; 6. a (Greek, young, bright) student; 7. a/an (fifteen-foot,
pale-red, age-old) brickwall; 8. a/an (little, marble, Roman, brownish) statue; 9.
a/an (intelligent, Polish, wiry, elderly) logician; 10 a/an (fluffy, orange, wide,
wollen, Peruvian) shawl.
BIBLIOGRAFIE
SMITH, T. (2000) Market Leader, Edinburgh,
Pearson Education Limited
SWEENEY, S.(2002) Professional English: Finance, Edinburgh,
Penguin Books
SWEENEY, S.(2002) Professional English: Management,
Edinburgh, Penguin Books
FLINDERS, S.(2002) Professional English: Business Intermediate,
Edinnburgh, Penguin Books
ALLISON, J (2007) The Business – Intermediate, Oxford,
Macmillan Publishers Limited
ASHLEY, A (2003) Oxford Handbook of Commercial
Correspondence, Oxford, Oxford University
Press
CHEFNEUX,G (1996) English for Business and Administration,
Bucharest, Cavalotti Publishing House & The
British Council
BEAUMONT, D (2004) English Grammar – An Intermediate
Reference and Practice Book , Oxford,
Macmillan Heineman
CHIRIACESCU, A (2005) Corespondenţa de afaceri în limbile română
şi engleză , Bucureşti, Teora
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