Hello...and Now What

Hello... and now what?BY

MARI'AAGUDO MEDINA

ASTRID RUIZ THIERRY

MARlAJOSE GALINSOGAUCEDA

STRRTEGIESSUCESSFUL SOCIALIZING

Contents developed by:

MARIA AGUDO MEDINAMARIA JOSE GALINSOGA UCEDAASTRID RUIZ THIERRY

Published by

Editorial StanleyDesign

Angela Gomez MartinFront page design

Diseho IrunesLayout

Mizar Publicidad, S.C.Printers

Imprenta Berekintza

© Editorial StanleyE-mail: [email protected]

I.S.B.N. 84-7873-390-6

Dep. Leg. BI-2927-04

First published 2004

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Index

PREFACE Hi

SURVIVAL LANGUAGE 1

FIRST MEETINGS 3

Greetings and introductions 5

Introducing yourself and others 6

Present Simple 7

Questions 8

What do you do? Job description 9

Job description practice 10

Describing a company 11

Possessive pronouns 12

Past Simple 13

Past Simple, Negative and Questions. Practice 14

Pronunciation of-ed past 15

Irregular verbs 16

A day in my life 17

ATTENDING VISITORS 19

Getting information 21

Welcoming visitors 22

The Present Perfect 24

Conversation starters 25

Expressing opinions and ideas 26

Expressing opinions and ideas 27

THE POLITE WAY 29

Modals vs. Imperative 31

Can-Could 32

How to use Would 33

Offers 34

Requests 35

Accepting and declining 36

Thanking and showing appreciation 37

Complaining 38

Apologizing 41

Saying no 43

HELLO... AND NOW WHAT?

i

11

COFFEE BREAK 45

Describing people 47

Adjectives 48

Social English 50

Eating out 51

At the restaurant 52

Popular misconceptions 53

FINAL ASSESSMENT ROLE-PLAY 55

Final Assessment role-play 57

Basic language used in meetings 60

CONTENT DELIVERY GUIDELINES 61

The'why?'of a Needs Analysis 63

Asking for basic information 64

What do you need to do in English? 65

First Meetings 67

Attending Visitors 72

The Polite Way 73

Progress Assessment Role-play 74

Coffee break 79

Final Assessment Role-play 82

EDITORIAL STANLEY

PrefaceIII

The active language training focusand methodology

The Dawning of a New Era for theLanguage Training ProfessionIt is undoubtedly clear that we are at the dawn of a newera for doing business everywhere. Political, economic,technological, and socio-cultural forces are comingtogether to herald a new and radically different globaland interdependent economy in which communication isalready the primary driving force for doing business andfor competing for a share of the market.

To communicate with clarity, determination, and politicalcorrectness is becoming a business imperative in whichcultural savoire faire will be a valuable asset for survivingin the face of ever more accelerated change in order todo "Business at the Speed of Thought", to coin the titleof Bill Gate's book. Training in communication skills inEnglish is, therefore, a key business and economicinstrument for any non-English speaking countrY: Englishis clearly coming to be recognized as a strategic tool forcompeting on the world market.

A clear sign of this is that communication skills arebeginning to formally be included in Competency Profilesfor the assessment of management potential in manycompanies; and English is the primary language identi-fied for managerial competency. English is no longer that"pending class I never took". Nor is it the wrongly tagged"language barrier". English has become a major oppor-tunity for those firms and executives who recognize thatlearning another language is an open door for gainingcompetitive advantage.

As a result of the redefinition in competency profilesthroughout all business sectors, firm-based training pro-grams are being redefined as an asset to the company.This, in turn, is leading firms to be "smarter" in choosingtheir training services suppliers so that programs respondappropriately to the greater awareness of language asa tool and thus appropriately address the needs of thechanging workplace and the specific situations that re-quire competent communication.

This translates into a very clear training imperative:respond to client needs by training for communicativecompetency. Learning a language, and thus teaching it,involves much, much more than the traditional grammarprogram; it involves above all learning how to communi-cate, exchange and understand ideas and respondappropriately according to the business situation in aparticular context.

Thus the basic conviction which guides the content ofour language training materials is that teaching alanguage means training students to use it as a toolfor turning the foreign language barrier into a strategicadvantage for their company and themselves.

The Realities of TeachingLanguage in Business:the Culture Power modelThe Business English, or Professional English environ-ment is far-reaching and eclectic. As trainers and teach-ers have come from and operated in many differentcountries and cultural backgrounds, and havethemselves, many different views on teaching, it is notsurprising to find that everyone has their own idea onmethodology and what does and doesn't work in theBusiness English classroom. This is the reality - that weall have a history (or not) in teaching, and we all haveideas formed from our 'own experience'.

So what is the 'best' methodology? What are thequalities that will create, in reality, an approach thatREALLY works? It is true to say that in certaincountries, or with certain groups of people, oneapproach may work better than another, but, it isalso true to say that any teaching situation is aninteraction between the learner, the teacher(facilitator) and the material or activity itself.

It is also safe to say that language training is not aservice like others. It is special because it cannotsucceed without client participation. It's not likegoing to a restaurant or to a movie where the serviceprovider provides and the client consumes.

The question is not 'Is such and such methodology thebest approach?1 or 'Is it right to teach the Grammar rulesfirst?'. The question is 'What is right for this group, orindividual at this time?' It may appear that there is onlyone approach that will work for a particular mix oflearner, facilitator and situation, but what would happenif you tried another approach? Would it be the disasteryou think it would be? Are there any other factors thatyou have not taken into consideration that may allow formore flexibility?


IV

The Culture Power MethodologyOur methodology, Culture Power, champions active train-ing and is directed at assuring a positive impact onbusiness goals. It places the learner at the center of thelearning process, with the trainer as the facilitator, andabove all requires the latter's creativity and flexibility andan ability to constantly learn new things and new waysof doing the same ol' things in order to respond to beable to effectively respond to the evolution in clientneeds.

Our language training materials are therefore based on6 tenets:

1. Language is an evolving tool for communicationin business.

2. The objective of learning a language as a tool is tobuild communicative competency.

3. Communicative competency is achieved throughsignificant learning tasks and T.B.O. (teaching byobjectives).

4. Achievement is measured by performance instudent use of the language and teacherprofessionalization, and performance is theguiding principle for quality delivery of anytype of training.

5. Performance is defined in terms of return oninvestment.

6. Language training means delivering profitablevalue to our clients.

Learning a language means learning how to behaveadequately in specific communication situations.Communication competency allows one to deal withparticular contexts. This is why the objective is to speakthe language fluently but to accomplish the communica-tion needed. People just don't have 10 years to learn thelanguage; the company will lose business before thatand as a consequence, many people will lose their jobs.If the training delivered provides students with specifictools for handling specific situations, then they will beable to successfully meet their company's communica-tion needs.

Culture Power training content is, therefore, focusedtowards participative management where students takeresponsibility for their learning, as they do with anyother business project they undertake. They thus areresponsible for choosing what they want to learn. In fact,learning to communicate is their project, not theteacher's. The entire learning process is thereforestudent centered and teacher guided. Errors areconsidered as opportunities for and the quality of teach-ing is understood to result from the teacher's know-howand ability to learn about the language, as well as their

"nativeness". Progress is measured in terms of studentperformance in the language, not in terms of teacherdefined criteria. Motivation is thus a result of teacher fa-cilitated activities that are significant for students. Theseactivities focus on the question "Why am I doing this?"and allow for creativity by impelling students to look atlanguage as a tool for problem-resolution instead of asa problem area.

Content delivery notes are directed at developing studentcapacity to communicate as their trainer develops andstrengthens their self-confidence with the language. Thetrainer is considered a partner in the learning process,much like a pilot to a copilot in a rally. This means thatit is the teacher who must adapt to the market andbusiness requirements inherent to student needs,and not the other way around, by continuously askinghim/herself on the utility of their teaching: Am I res-ponding to my students' needs?

Culture Power training materials are thereforedesigned to help trainers:

© Reinvent the way language training is carried outfor business by

© Optimizing the capacity of adult students tolearn in

© A learning environment that is efficient, precise,flexible, and creative in

© Orientating the delivery of training towardsresults based on

© The recognition that the traditionally focusedlanguage teaching processes and methods are nolonger valid for business reality today.

Our aim is to help trainers meet the challenge ofteaching the increasingly wide variety of learnersthey must address, professionals from different jobs,cultures and educational backgrounds. We providetraining contents focused on the needs and concerns ofstudents and the business people we teach and thenecessary training tools and ideas to help the trainer beflexible and creative enough to respond to those needswithin the boundaries of whatever the reality is at anyparticular moment.

Our ultimate goal is to bring a higher recognition andstatus to the language training profession and to helpthem reap greater rewards in terms of their our own jobsatisfaction, as well as increase the value placed on themby both employers and students. We strongly believethat language trainers are not only English (or French,or Japanese) teachers; they are creative learningfacilitators of tools for communicating in anotherlanguage, and they will be in greater demand as theybecome better at what they do!

EDITORIAL STANLEY

V

The Business Challengeof Language TrainersBusiness success is based on results that create valueand wealth: any trainer is paid to improve the ability ofhis/her client to communicate better so that they can dobetter business. The major challenge faced by languagetraining professionals today is how to provide anddeliver learning content that adds profitable value for theirclients.

This requires language trainers to do three things:

1. Abandon yesterday. The question is not "How goodare we?" but "What will our products and servicesproduce for our clients?".

2. Measure performance. It is necessary to continu-ously and systematically assess student progressfrom the point of view of their business realityimperative and to look for and anticipate neededchanges in content delivery is addressing theirspecific professional needs. The basic questionhere is: "What constitutes performance?"

3. Innovate, not imitate. The trainer's job is to ask: "Isthis an opportunity for me to innovate?

And innovation is, of course, never risk free. Indeed, it isrisky to try to make the future, but it is even riskier to nottry to make it. After all one cannot manage change. Onecan only be ahead of it. And that is what ourEnglish training materials guarantee its users: a helpfultool in order to be able to stay one step ahead byproviding content that has the best ratio betweenopportunity and risk. Your first step as a professionalin the field is to identify any possible problemsyou have with our methodology and turn into anopportunity for your professional growth.

Astrid Ruiz Thierry

CEO, Business Bridges

IntroductionVery often, an EFL learner who has been studying thelanguage for some time discovers that he/she cannottruly communicate when trying to speak in this lan-guage; in spite of knowing the grammar, structures, andvocabulary, the pre-intermediate, or even intermediateand upper-intermediate, learner still finds great difficultyin getting the message through, and they find themselvesat a serious loss in terms of communicating ability. Butwhy can this be so?

It is not only a matter of not mastering the languagefully; it is rather a question of not knowing the languagestrategies necessary to communicate in real life situa-tions. Thus, learning the grammar is not enough; onemust learn how native speakers use the language inspecific situations. And no situation is more frustratingfor an EFL student, no matter the level, than oneinvolving socializing skills.

This book aims to provide English learners, with a pre-intermediate and above level, with the basic languagestrategies and vocabulary necessary to improve thelearner's fluency and self-confidence in situationsrequiring social English. By looking at different typicalsituations, the student will learn what to say and how toact when receiving visitors, having lunch or dinner at arestaurant, and what expressions are useful to havehandy in your mind when participating in meetings. Atthe end of the course, the student will be able toconsider what type of register is needed in eachsituation, and, more importantly, he/she will be able touse the language adequately and efficiently.

Objectives:

© To build and improve basic social language skillsto ensure confidence and fluency.

© To enhance confidence for starting and maintainingconversations and discussions.

© To ensure confident application of the skillsacquired in key social and business situations.

© To understand the basics of cross-cultural etiquettein both social and business situations.


1

Survival languageAsking for something,asking about words,asking to repeat.

Can I havea pen, please?

What does«invoice » mean?

Could you repeatthat, please?

How do you say"..."in English?

Excuse me?

How do you spell"management"?

Apologising,asking for help.

I don'tunderstand

Can you helpme, please?

Is this right /wrong?

I need help!

I m sorry

What's "..."in English?

Can you say thatagain, please?


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First Meetings


FIRST MEETINGS 5

Greetings and introductionsGoodmorning Good

evening

GoodI afternoon

People you already know(informal). Response.

Strangers or people informal situations. Response.

Greetings Greetings and introduction

Hello / HiHello / Hi

How areyou?

How'severything?

Fine thanks,and you?

Conversation starters

How's work?Very busy, and you?

How is thefamily?

okFine.

Parting

See youlater.

Goodbye

See you soon. Bye.

Have anice day. Goodnight.

Hello, Iam ...

Hello, myname is ...

Thisis ...

Nice tomeetyou.

Pleasedto meetyou.

It's apleasure.

Let meintroduce ...

Nice tomeet you.

How doyou do?

Nice tomeet you,too.

How doyou do?


Where areyou from?

What doyou do?

What companyare you with?

I'm Irish /I'm fromIreland.

I'm aconsultant.

I work forIBM.

Parting

sorry, but Imust go.

It was nice tomeet you.

It was a pleasuremeeting you.


6 FIRST MEETINGS

Introducing yourself and othersRead these two conversations aloud:

1. Introducing yourself

A: Hello. I'm Bill Strauss.B: Pleased to meet you. I'm Sarah

McBarrister.

A: Are you English?B: Yes, I'm from Birmingham, but I live

in Oxford.A: What do you do?B: I'm a lawyer at Wolverton &

Associates.

A: Oh, really? I'm a lawyer, too.

2. Introducing others

A: Mark, this is Sarah McBarrister.

C: Nice to meet you.B: Nice to meet you, too.

A: Sarah is English, and she lives inBirmingham. She is a lawyer.

C: How interesting!

Look at this business card:

© Let's talk! In groups, try to find your partners'identities. Complete the table with what youfind out, and then present it to the rest of theclass.

Name Nationality

Company Name Job

Jobs (Occupation)

sales manager

engineer

technician

accountant

shop assistant

consultant

operator

waiter/waitress

doctor

mechanic

receptionist

actor/actress

journalist

managing director

lawyer

manager

personal assistant (PA)

secretary

driver

teacher

EDITORIAL STANLEY

Wha t do you do? I work as

a

I'm a

FIRST MEETINGS

Present SimpleThe Present Simple tense in English is formed with thesimple form of the verbs. To form the 3rd person singu-lar of these verbs, you add an «s.»

All the other forms are the same as the simple form:

Afirmative

I work

you work

we work

they work

he/she/it works

Negative

I do not (don't) work.

you do not (don't) work.

we do not (don't) work.

they do not (don't) work.

he/she/it does not (doesn't) work.

Remember that...We use Present simple to talk about

a general rule or truth:Children like spaghetti.

a habitual or routine action:I usually take the bus at 9:30am.

feelings or opinions:I like animals.I don't want to work this weekend.


8 FIRST MEETINGS

QuestionsQuestions with "be"

be subject the rest

What is your name?

Are you Spanish?

Where are you from?

Is he from Madrid?

Are you an engineer?

What is your phone number?

Are you married?

Who I is your boss?

Are I they your co-workers?

Aren't you I Javier Ruiz?

Questions made with auxiliary verbs and modals

You have learned to ask the following questions to get information.

subject verb otherHow I do you say I book in French?

How I do you I spell I management?

What does | «invoice» | mean [ ? |

Can you say that again?

Can borrow your pen?

How do you do -?

Can help you?

EDITORIAL STANLEY

Interrogative

is it?

Interrogative auxillary

FIRST MEETINGS 9

What do you do? Job descriptionMy name is Isaac O'Fire. I am the Headof Human Resources at ACEX, a companybased in Dublin, and I have been workingfor this company for 6 years. I supervisethe recruitment process, the training ofour employees and different projects, andI enjoy my job very much.

5. Do you travel?

6. Where are your offices located?

7. Does your company have subsidiariesor branches?

© Answer the following questions about yourjob. Try to avoid short answers (remember:we are trying to socialize!).

1. What do you do?

2. Who do you work for?

3. What are your responsibilities in thecompany?

4. Do you meet people from othercountries?

I work foras a (an)

in the

I deal with

(company)

Cob)

(department)(kind of work)

\ am responsi-ble forMy job involvesa lot of

What I likeabout my job is

I've been withthe company forsinceI've been in mypresent job for

(-ing form)

(-ing form)

(period of time)

(point in time)(period of time)


1O FIRST MEETINGS

Job description practice© Which of the following verbs talk about your work?

* write*sell* discuss* make a presentation* answer the phone* read the mail* send a letter

* meet* purchase* fire* make an invoice* pay the bills* attend clients* write a report

* read* buy* hire* send an e-mail* print a document* fax / send a fax* do the figures

* negotiate* phone* type* have an interview* sort out a problem* attend a meeting* have a break

© Can you think of any other verbs that applyto your job?

In what kind of other jobs do you find thesetasks?

© Introduce yourself! Use this guideline to makea brief presentation about your job.

Good morning. My name is

and I'm from

(country/city). I work for

(name)

(a

company) as a

(occupation),

and I have been in this company for

years / months. I have

different responsibilities, such as

and

I am

(happy /

unhappy) with my current job because

Think of a famous person, but do not say whohe/she is. Write a brief description about whathe/she does, responsibilities, etc., and thenread it aloud to the rest of the class. Who ishe/she?

(give a reason).

EDITORIAL STANLEY

FIRST MEETINGS 1 1

Describing a company© Now write a brief description of your company

using the new words we have seen.

Matthew Lester works for ITERNIS Inc.,a company devoted to the publishing ofbooks. He is the Sales Manager, and he hasbeen in the company for almost ten years.ITERNIS Inc. is based in Springfield, II.,near Chicago. It is devoted to the publishingand distribution of books and specializedtexts. It is a medium-sized company with astaff of around 100 people. It is owned byone of the US' biggest publishing companies.The parent company also has subsidiariesin England and Mexico.

Useful vocabulary

* based in* small* is owned by* subsidiary* located in* medium-sized

* a staff of* branch* is devoted to* large / big* parent company* head office


12 FIRST MEETINGS

Possessive pronounslike my job.

you like your job(s).

we like our jobs.

they like their jobs.

He likes his job.

She likes her job.

It likes job. (a horse)

Complete the following sentences, using apossessive pronoun.

e.g. My mother's name is Mabel. Shelikes her job.

1. favorite restaurant

is

because I like food.

2. My boss has a house in the suburbs.

house is

very big and expensive.

3. company is a large

multinational, but we are all friends

and colleagues.

4. Spain is a very mountainous country.

population is

about 40 million.

5. Do you have own

private office or do you work in a big

office with

co-workers?

EDITORIAL STANLEY

I

FIRST MEETINGS 13

Past Simpleinfinitive

readworktypeinvitehavegodo

positive

readyou workedhe typedshe invitedwe hadyou wentthey did

youhesheweyouthey

Question

Did

read?you work?he type?she invite?we have?you go?they do?

Question

© Study the word order in questions:

Negative

readwork

did not typedidn't invite

havegodo

The negative:

present simple

do not/does not

* I don't write reports.

past simple

did not (didn't)

* I didn't write the report.

Where

When

How

Did

Did

Did

did

did

did

you

he/she

we

you

they

bring

like

go

park

arrive?

travel?

my book?

the film?

to school?

the car?

* You went but ... Did you go?

not ... 'Did you went?'

-* They spoke but ... Did they speak?

not ... 'Did they spoke?'

we use:

did / didn't + infinitive(go / work / do etc.):

* I worked but

not

* We did but

not

I didn't work

'I didn't worked'

we didn't do

'We didn't did'

I went to your office but I didn't see you.

I liked the restaurant, but I didn't like the wine.

Remember that.i read a book every week(PreaantSimpie)|n:d|


Iread that book years agopast simple red

14 FIRST MEETINGS

Past Simple, Negative and Questions. PracticeMatch the columns in order to readabout Mr. Murphy's day.

© Imagine you are Mr. Murphy. Tell about yourday using the present simple. You can makesome alterations so that the sentences makesense.

e.g.,This morning I got up at 7.30 andtook the bus to work.Every morning I get up at 7.30 andtake the bus to work.

1

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

EDITORIAL STANLEY

FIRST MEETINGS 15

Pronunciation of —ed past tense—ed:

There are three different pronunciations of —edregular past tense verbs:

/d/

* phoned/t/* cooked

/id/

* landed

Rules:

© If a verb ends in t or d, the final —ed is pro-nounced/id/.

If a verb ends in p, s, k, f, sh, ch or th, the final—ed is pronounced /t/.

If a verb ends in b, g, I, z, v, n, r, or a vowelsound (i, y), the final —ed is pronounced /d/.

Put the verbs in the right column, according to the pronunciation of-ed:

* helped * offered * reached * saved* missed * started * lived * needed

* looked * called * tried * discovered* invited * asked * jumped * waited

/id/ in /d/


16 FIRST MEETINGS

Irregular verbsinfinitive participle gerund

be

become

begin

break

bring

build

buy

choose

come

cost

cut

drive

eat

fall

feel

fight

find

forget

get

give

gohave

hear

hold

keep

know

leave

lend

let

was / were

became

began

broke

brought

built

bought

chose

came

cost

cut

drove

ate

fell

felt

fought

fought

forgot

got

gave

went

had

heard

held

kept

knew

left

lent

let

been

became

begun

broken

brought

built

bought

chosen

come

cost

cut

driven

eaten

fallen

felt

fought

fought

forgotten

got

given

gone

had

heard

held

kept

known

left

lent

let

infinitive participle gerund

lose

mean

make

mean

meet

pay

put

read

ring

say

see

sell

send

show

sing

sit

sleep

speak

spend

stand

steal

take

tell

think

understand

wake

wear

win

write

lost

meant

made

meant

met

paid

put

read

rang

said

saw

sold

sent

showed

sang

sat

slept

spoke

spent

stood

stole

took

told

thought

understood

woke

wore

won

wrote

lost

meant

made

meant

met

paid

put

read

rung

said

seen

sold

sent

shown

sung

sat

slept

spoken

spent

stood

stolen

taken

told

thought

understood

woken

worn

won

written

EDITORIAL STANLEY

FIRST MEETINGS 17

A day in my lifeMy name is Jessica Oak. I am a PA at MAGAMInternational. Every morning I get up at 7 a.m. Ihave breakfast and I go to work by bus. I writeletters, send faxes and e-mails. I attend meetingsand receive clients. At half past one I have lunch,usually a salad, a sandwich, crisps and fruit. Then Iget back to work. At five o'clock I go home, and Ihave supper at eight. After that, I like to read orwatch TV, and at 11 p.m. I go to sleep.

However, today my day was different. I didn't getup until 8 o'clock and I didn't take the bus but thesubway. When I got to the office, before turning onthe computer, I had some coffee. After that, I hada meeting with my boss and my colleagues. Then, Iwent back to my desk and found a beautiful bouquetof flowers and some presents... it was my birthday,and my colleagues had prepared a little surpriseparty for me!

Signal Words

First, Alter that, Next,

Then, Beforethat Finally

Everyday actions

what doyou doevery day? I

What did youdo yesterday?

.. have breakfast

..get up

..go to work

.. go to class

.. have lunch

.. have a shower

.. get dressed

.. brush my teeth

.. have tea

.. go to the gym

.. play the piano

.. watch TV

.. have supper

.. cook

.. play basketball

.. read a book

.. take the bus

..get off the bus

.. listen to music

.. have guests



Attending Visitors



Getting informationWhen attending visitors you will need toobtain some information. What questionsdo you ask to know the visitor's:

1.2.

3.

4.

5.

name?

nationality?

position in the company?

company where he/she works?

company address and phone number?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

What is your name?

Fill in these business cards with informationabout the rest of students in the class:

Lucia BlancoAccountant

Caliber S.A.P.° Castellana 261 • 28O42 Madrid, Spain(+34) 91 315 48 62


22 ATTENDING VISITORS

Welcoming visitorsBelow are some expressions that we normally usewhen receiving a visitor. Match the phrases in list A(questions) with those in list B (answers).

1.2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Good to meet you.

What time did you arrive yesterday?

Where can I leave my coat?

Have you been to this city before?

Did you visit the city last night?

Can I get you a drink?

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

Yes, this is my third time.

No, I was very tired.

Yes, please. A G&T.

Good to meet you, too.

About eleven.

On that coat stand.

You are Enrique Lopez and work for COM-TRUM in Madrid, Spain. You must welcomeRobert Wright, a counterpart from an Ameri-can company. It's the first time you see him,although you have spoken to him on thephone many times.

Write a dialogue with the information inthe box below.

You:

Nice tomeet you.

Good journey?

First timein Spain?

Problemsfinding ourcompany?Coffee?

You:

Robert:

You:

Robert:

EDITORIAL STANLEY


Remember that...We use Present Perfect to talk aboutfinished actions. But if we want todescribe the actions or to know whensomething happened, we always useSimple Past.


YOu

Robert

You

Robert

You

Robert


The Present PerfectWe use the present perfect to link the past andthe present. We use this tense when we are notinterested in when the action occurred; what isimportant is the action itself . We also use thepresent perfect when it is a finished action whichhas occurred in a time which has not finished yet

I have been to Morocco three times.

This week I have seen your assistant twice:on Monday and Thursday.(The week has not finished yet)

These are some questions you can aska visitor. In pairs, try practicing them bycreating mini-dialogues. Remember youcan also use question tags.

1. Have you been to [country/city]before?

2. Have you had a nice [flight/trip]?

3. Have you met [a colleague] before?

4. Have you seen [a famousmonument, building] yet?

5. Have you tried [a dish/drink] yet?

have past participleI

youhe/she

weyou

they

havehavehashavehavehave

writtenwrittenwrittenwrittenwrittenwritten

Complete the sentences with the correct formof the verb in brackets.

1. Have you ever to

Paris? (be)

2. Michael is not here; he has

to meet a

client, (go)

3. I have nevermakluba. Is it good? (try)

4. I haven't the

invoice yet. They have to authorize it

first, (send)

5. Mr. Holmes hasn't

yet. Where can he

be? (arrive)

EDITORIAL STANLEY


Conversation startersWhen we meet someone for the first time, the firstminutes can be difficult. However, we can use questionsof a general nature to break the ice. Here are sometopics we can talk about when starting a conversation.To show interest you can use the following expressions:


With visitors from another town or country.

flight

weather

country

job

previous visits

visitor's plans in town

accommodation

drink & food

Following expresions

Really?

I see.

Yes?

Is that so?

Is that right?

That's interesting.

Question tags Other topics

Question tags are excellent conversationstarters:

New York is a fascinating city, isn't it?

* In Spain people don't drink tea, do they?

* You're French, aren't you?

for social chit chat

TV 0 famous people

moviesnatural resourcesarchitecture

sports famous places

Add the conversational question tags to the Let's talk! Use question tags to start a con-following sentences. versation about the topics proposed:

1. It's yours, ?

2. You like paella, ?

3. Sales are increasing, ?

4. You're a consultant, ?

5. They have not sent the results,

?

6. He's German, ?

7. She doesn't eat seafood,

?

S.You speak Italian, ?

9. There are enough, ?

10. You are not the manager,

?

1. The weather in your city.

2. Asking a visitor about his/her trip.

3. French cuisine.

4. Technology and your job.

5. A typical custom of your country.

6. The influence of the media.


hsitory regional products


Expressing opinions and ideasWhat do you think aboutthe results of the survey?

In my opinion, the resultsare good, but we still needto improve.

When you are with people, they will often askfor your opinion. Try practicing the expres-sions on the next page.

In pairs, think of topics or news items that interest you. Make a list of four, and then tell the rest of theclass your opinion about them. The other students will then give their opinion too. Remember to use theexpressions we have seen.

EDITORIAL STANLEY


Expressing opinions and ideas


Weak Strong

My impressionis that...

I suppose...

It seems tome that...

I guess...

I'm quite/fairlycertain ...

I feel surethat,..

There is nodoubt that...

I,m prettysure

I am convincedthat...

Medium

I think ...Idon'tthink,,,

I believe ...As I see It...

In my (personal)opinion...

My opinionis...

From my pointofview

What do youthink about this?

Any

What's the generalfeeling about this?

Asking for an opinion

commentsDo you have

any comments

How do you fellabout this?


The Polite Way


THE POLITE WAY 31

Modals vs. ImperativeModal verbs are used in everyday English, and theyare called modals because they modify the verb thatthey accompany.

Modals will be very important when we want to bepolite. It is much politer to use a modal to make arequest than an imperative, which sounds much moreaggressive. You can also use modals to change theregister (i.e. being more formal or informal).

can might shall

could must should

dare need (to) will

may ought to would

Imperative Modal* Give me the pen. Can you give me the pen?

* Open the door. * Could you open the door?

* Make another copy for me. Would you make another copy for me?

PositiveTo use them in the affirmative, we put the modalverb between the subject and the main verb.

* I can speak French and Italian.

* They should come before 10 pm.

* It might rain today, so take the umbrella.

Questions:

The position of the modal and the subject arechanged.

Will you come with me?

Won't you come with me?

Can you finish this, please?

Can't you finish this, please?

Could you stay until 7:00?

Couldn't you stay until 7:00?Negative:

We form it by adding not after the modal.

You shouldn't say that.

I will not (= won't) go to work on Saturday.

You mustn't leave the computer on whenyou leave the office.


There are twele model verbsin english

32 THE POLITE WAY

Can CouldCan + infinitive

can do * can play -* can come

speak english.

ride a bike.

sing.

come tomorrow.

watch TV.

attend the meeting.

Iyouhesheitweyouthey

cancannot (can't)

To ask people to do something, we use Canyou ... ?. If we want to be politer, we can useCOULD.

* Can you open the window, please?or

* Could you open the window, please?

* Can you wait a moment, please?or

* Could you wait a moment, please?

I can do something = I know how to do it or it ispossible for me to do it: it also means that youhave permission to do something, that you areallowed to do something.

* I can play tennis.

* My boss can speak German, but she can'tspeak Portuguese.

* 'Can you skate?' 'No, I can't'.

-* We're having a meeting tomorrow, but Petercan't attend.

Who can do these things? Go around the class and find out!

e.g., Can you speak Chinese?

Student Write Bake a Use Playpoetry cake Excel chess

Can

Can't

Can

Can't

Can

Can't

Can

Can't

Can

Can't

EDITORIAL STANLEY

THE POLITE WAY 33

How to use WouldWe use would for different purposes.

Asking for things

* I would like some red wine, please.

* I'd like some more information on the specialoffers.

* I'd like to go to the movies tonight.

Preferences

* I'm thirsty. I'd like a drink.

* I'd like some information about hotels, please.

* I'd prefer a salad, if you don't mind.

* I'd prefer to meet tomorrow morning.

Suggestions

* I'd order more of those, we will need them inthe future.

* I would suggest to meet on Friday morning.

* I'd send a letter of apology, the client is veryupset.

Suggestions

I'd order the soup. It's the specialty.

I would suggest an Albarino wine.

I'd put on a sweater. It's cold outside.

Offers

Would you like some coffee while you wait?

Would you like a copy of the minutes of themeeting?

What would you like, to meet at 9.00 or 11.15?

Would you like us to make the travelarrangements?

* Would you like to have dinner with me?Yes, I'd love to.

* What would you like to do tomorrow?


I would like... = I want

34 THE POLITE WAY

OffersTo offer things or actions

/ Can/Could I get you( some coffee?

HP

Would you like acopy of the minutesof the meeting?

Would you like us to makethe travel arrangements?

Would you like meto fax it to you?

Shall I pick youup at the airport?

Let's practice! Read the situations and offer whatyou think is appropriate.

6.9., You are attending a congress. At the end of theday you hear that one of your colleagues hasno money for a cab and there are no buses.You have your car, and he lives near you.Do you want a lift?/ Would you like a lift?

1. A foreign client is visiting you. He men-tions he would like to taste a typical dishof your region. It happens that very closeto your office there is a restaurant whichprepares that dish wonderfully.

How aboutsome coffee?

Do you want a copyof the minutes ofthe meeting?

Do you want us to makethe travel arrangements?

Do you want meto fax it to you?

Do you want meto pick you up atthe airport?

3. You have gone to the station to pick up avisitor. When you meet him he is carry-ing two suitcases, which look very heavy.

4. You are having a meeting. The agenda in-cludes some issues that were discussed ata previous meeting. A colleague could notattend that meeting, so he needs to knowwhat was said then. You have a copy ofthe minutes of the meeting.

2. At a tradeshow a client shows interest inone of your products and would like somemore information. You have run out of bro-chures, but you have more in your office.

EDITORIAL STANLEY

THE POLITE WAY 35

Requests

polite

Making requests

Can I have a cup of tea?

Could you fax this for me?

Would you make another copy for themanager?

Would you mind sending me theagenda before the meeting?

Do you think you could finish thisbefore 5pm?

Now try to make your request in eachsituation.

e.g.,

1. Could anybody get me a cab?

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Match the situation with what you wouldrequest:

Situation Request

You are on a business trip.You have visited a client andnow want to go to the hotel.

You are taking notes andyour pen stops writing.

The salad has no dressing.

You are signing a veryimportant contract.

You have just finished ameal in a restaurant.

You are visiting a client andwhen you leave, you noticeit is raining.

A pen.

Salt, olive oiland vinegar.

Bill.

A cab.

An umbrella.

A copy of thecontract.


36 THE POLITE WAY

Accepting and decliningIn English it is not very polite to use 'yes' or 'no' ontheir own. We should always try to use some of theexpressions below in order to sound more natural andpoliter, and less aggressive.

Accepting

© Could you think of a question for each ofthe answers?

Yes, I think so.Is she attending the meeting?

Yes, please.

Declining

Could you think a question for eachof the answers?

I'm afraid I need a little more time.Can you finish the report for Friday?

No, not yet.

Certainly. I'm afraid not.

Of course; help yourself. Thank you, but it's not necessary.

Yes, that would be very nice. I'm afraid I've no idea.

Yes, that'll be fine. Not at the moment, thank you.

Yes, I totally agree. I'd rather have the meeting now.

You can count on me. I'm sorry, but I'm busy right now.

Yes, that's very kind of you.

EDITORIAL STANLEY

THE POLITE WAY 37

Thanking and showing appreciationThanking phrase

Thank you very muchfor inviting me.

Thank you verymuch for the meal. Thank you very much

for your hospitality.

Thank you very muchfor your kindness.

It was very kind ofyou to (invite me).

Thank you verymuch for everything.

Thanks.

Thanks for takingme to the movies.

Thanks forthe drink.

Thanks foryour help.

You'rewelcome.

It's nothing.

That's ok.

Don't mentionit.

It was notrouble.

Let's practice! Read the situations below and decidewhich phrase of thanks is more appropriate for each.

1. A supplier has invitedyou to have dinner at avery good restaurant.

2. You invite a foreignclient who is visiting youto the theatre, to see aplay which is very popu-lar. What does he say?

3. Some friends inviteyou to spend theweekend at theircountry house.

4. The receptionist atthe hotel hands youa message when youreturn.

5. You have attended aone-week course andbecause of your workyou have not beenable to go to all thesessions. A colleaguehas made copies ofall his notes for you,helping you withdoubts you had.

Request

a. Thanks.b. Thank you very much

for everything, youhave been veryhelpful.

c. Thank you very muchfor the meal; every-thing was delicious.

d. It was very kindof you to get me aticket, I really lovedthe play.

e. It was very kind ofyou to invite me;I really had a greattime, and the housewas beautiful.

How do you say thank you in other languages? Match the word with the language.

Spanish Italian French German Japanese Portuguese


muchThank you very

38 THE POLITE WAY

ComplainingMatch the statements with their correspondent in the column on the right.

I'm afraid you haveovercharged us.

I'm sorry, but this is notwhat I expected.

The service is simply notwhat we paid for.

I'm tempted to send a letterto your manager.

I insist that you give us the extradiscount you had promised.

't believe the number of

This is not acceptable.

Read the following dialogue.

Waiter

Now, what isthe problem?

I'm afraid that thissandwich is not whatI ordered, l asked fora Double Cheese &Chicken Sandwich likethe one in the picture inthe menu.

Customer

to state somethingvery firmly

to insist

to introduce yourcomplaint

to make your irritationclear

to introduce it in afirmer way

to suggest a threat.

to express indignation

Waiter

This is a DoubleCheese £ ChickenSandwich.

Is it? Well, in the pictureit has toasted bread, a lotof melting cheese, grilledchicken, lettuce, tomatoand mayonnaise; and inthis sandwich there isonly a slice of cheese, thebread isn't toasted, thelettuce is not fresh, andthe chicken is burnt!

Customer

EDITORIAL STANLEY

THE POLITE WAY 39

Waiter

Well, maybe it doesn'tlook like in the picture,but it has the ingredientsthe menu says. So 1 can'tdo anything. You shouldhave ordered a differentsandwich.

I'm sorry, but I don'tthink that's the correctresponse.

Customer

Waiter

If you don't like thesandwich, try anotherone the next time youcome.

I can't believe what I'mhearing. I'm tempted tocall the manager.

Customer

Waiter

He hasn't arrivedyet, so you'll haveto deal with me.

I can't believe your attitude.This is not acceptable. Iinsist that you bring me asandwich like the one inthe picture, or I will writea formal complaint and callthe press.

Customer

WaiterOh, well, Iguess you'reright.

Of course I am! Andwhat's more, I will write toyour manager to complainabout the terrible way youtreated me!

Customer

© How would you complain in the following situations?

a. You bought a jacket. When you

got home you realized that onebutton was missing, so you go

back to the shop and ask for ajacket with all the buttons.

c. A hotel brochure says that all therooms have a view to the sea. Youmake a reservation, and when you

go to your room, you see that the

window looks onto a back garden.This is not what you expected.

b. You are traveling to Guadala-jara and need two trains to get

there. You have already bought

the tickets, and you have twentyminutes from the moment you getto the station on one train untilyou take the second one. It's morethan enough time. However, the

first train arrives late at the station

and you miss the second one. You

are very upset.


4O THE POLITE WAY

© Imagine you work for an international company.

You deal with clients everyday, and even though you are veryefficient, sometimes customers have complaints. In pairs, think ofthe problems you may find, and decide what to do in each case.

EDITORIAL STANLEY

THE POLITE WAY 41

ApologizingWhat do these words and expressions mean?

a misunderstanding

a slip-up

to mislay something

to offend someone

to make a fool of yourself

to upset someone

to put your foot in it

a mix-up

When things go wrong, how easy do youfind it to say sorry, or accept apologiesfrom other people?

Below you will find some useful expressionsused for apologizing:

Before you disturbsomeone.

I'm sorry. Sorry.

Small mistakes only.

Excuse me.

After you have inconvenienced someone.

Sorry aboutthat.

I'm verysorry. I do

apologize.

I really amvery sorry..

I'm sorry,but...

Stronger than I'm sorry. Very strong.

When you want toclarify something,express disagreementor ask for clarification.

Add to any response which will seemunhelpful to the other person. It makesstrong negative response acceptable.

I'mafraid ..

To reply, you can say:

Oh, don'tworry.

That's (quite)all right.

It's OK.


42 THE POLITE WAY

Work in pairs. One student should apologizeat the end of each of the following situations.The other student should reply.

e.g., I've just realized I haven't sent theemail yet.I'm very sorry.Oh, don't worry. That's quite all right.

1. I hate being late for the meeting, butI had a flat.

2. I didn't know you were allergic toseafood. You're not going to enjoy thisrestaurant, the Lobster House.

3. I bought soda instead of juice. I hopeyou don't mind.

4. Oh, I dropped the wine on your pants!I'll pay the cleaner's.

5. So the reservation was for five people,not three. I'll have to prepare anothertable.

Communication activity

In pairs, create mini-dialogues around thefollowing situations.

1. You have just discovered that youhave overcharged a client.

2. You have had a complaint about therude treatment a guest received froma trainee receptionist at your hotel.

3. A colleague has badly damaged thephotocopier by trying to photocopyonto a sheet of plastic which hasmelted inside the machine.

4. A colleague tells you that they havejust been speaking to someone whowas sent the wrong order not justonce, but three times!

5. A colleague tells you that they haveleft their car in the managing direc-tor's parking space. You know thatthe MD will be angry!

6. You asked a junior colleague tocomplete some important documentsfor you. Unfortunately he/she hasmade a mess of it and is very upset.You realize that it was really yourfault because you didn't explaincarefully what to do.

EDITORIAL STANLEY

THE POLITE WAY 43

Saying noSaying no

I'm not keen ondoing...

I don't particularlylike doing...

I can't stand/beardoing...

If snot my idea to do...

I'd rather not do...

A preference

I'd prefer to do

I'd rather do...

I'd really muchrather do...

Let's practice! In pairs, student A will propose different ideas to student B, who will politely refusethem, suggesting some others instead. Then it will be student B's turn to give ideas while studentA proposes some other alternatives.

Student A

1. Let's go to the movies. You love actionand war movies, and Van Damme's lastmovie has just been released.

Let's go out for dinner. You loveexotic cuisine such as Thai andJapanese, and they have just opened abeautifully decorated Asian restaurantvery near your house!

3. Let's arrange a meeting. You think thatthe best time to hold a meeting is 9.00in the morning, as you believe one canthink better at the beginning of the day.

4. Your idea of an evening out is going toa jazz club where you can sit and enjoylive music.

5. You don't want to order many units asyou are not too sure you will be able tosell them.

Student B

1. You like watching romantic moviesand comedies; you go to the movies tohave a good time, not to watch bloodand weapons.

2. You like traditional, simple, cuisine:fried eggs with fries and bacon is yourfavorite dish! It's cheap, delicious, andyou know what you're eating!

3. You are certain that the best time fora meeting is just after lunch, as in themorning people are sleepy.

4. Let's go out for a drink. You likegoing to trendy clubs, where you canhave a wild time and dance till 6 am.

5. Let's order 2000 units. It's cheaperto buy big quantities as the supplieroffers a 20% off.



Coffee Break


COFFEE BREAK 47

Describing peopleWhen socializing we will have to describeourselves and people we know. Below aresome words that are used to describe people.Write (P) next to the ones that are positive and(N) next to the negative.

Which apply to you?

aggressivedecisiveloyalseriousambitiousdynamicmethodicalshyamusingeasy-goingoptimisticsincerebossyemotionaloutgoingsociablebrighthardpessimisticstrong

* calm* hard-working* quiet•* stubborn* careless* honest* realistic* successful* cheerful* idealistic* relaxed* talented* cold* impulsive* reliable* talkative* considerate* kind* sensitive* tidy

Let's practice! Use some of the adjectives aboveto describe people you know.

In pairs match the adjectives to theirantonyms (their opposite).

1.2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

ambitiousbrightcarefulcompetitiveflexibleimaginativeimpulsiveoutgoingselfishsolitarytidytoughwell-organized

ABCDEF

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

uncompetitivesociablestubborncautiousunambitiouscarelessdisorganizedkinddullintrovertunimaginativemessyintrovert

How would you describe yourself?


48 COFFEE BREAK

AdjectivesAn adjective describes a noun.

Adjective position

© Before a noun

a nice car

After the verb to be

John is nice

© A few adjectives come after the verb tobe but do not normally come before anoun.

afraid alive awake

ill alone asleep

well

© Order of two or more adjectives.

The comparative in English can be built intwo ways:

By adding -er

big - bigger

small - smaller

By using more... than

A DVD costs €29. A CD costs €18.

A DVD is more expensive than a CD.

subjective qualifier color origin what the purpose headopinion (size, age, noun is - noun

shape) made of what kind

fantastic

cheap

aggressive

-

attractive

•

brand-new

giant-size

-

new

-

tiny

-

-

-

red

-

-

.

American

-

-

Japanese

-

-

-

plastic

-

silicon

microwave

shampoo

marketing

•

-

-

oven

bottle

strategy

container

model

chips

We add —erwhen the adjective is monosyl-labic (one syllable), or when it is disyllabic(two syllables) ending in —y.

1. — er ending

sharp -

happy -

sharper

happier

© We use more... than when the adjective hastwo syllables or more (except when it is twosyllables ending in —y).

2. more ... than

boring —> more boring than

expensive more expensive than

EDITORIAL STANLEY

COFFEE BREAK 49

Some common adjectives are

big

tall

good

interested

boring

stupid

expensive

great

quiet

fast

nice

ugly

kind

mean

funny

sad

sweet

cold

small

short

bad

bored

interesting

intelligent

cheap

awful

loud

slow

horrible

beautiful

selfish

friendly

strange

happy

bitter

hot

© Make sentences comparing the two wordsgiven. You can choose the adjective thatyou like.

e.g Madrid - Seville

Madrid is colder than Seville.

1. Your current job - your previous job

2. Pop music -jazz music

3. London — Athens

Can you turn them into comparativeadjectives?

4. Taking the airplane - taking the bus

5. Reading a book - watching TV


5O COFFEE BREAK

Social EnglishHow would you respond to these comments? What would you do in these situations? Match thestatements in the column on the left with the most appropriate alternative on the left.

"Tomorrow I havea very importantnegotiation."

You are the best-manat a wedding. Afterthe speech you ...

"Bless you!"

"Neither do I", or"Me neither."

Somebody sneezes.

"Can I have somemore coffee?"

You're drinkingwith some friends.

;

Thank you for yourlelp with the report"

"Today is my birthday."

"I like skiing."

I have forgotten to closethe window.

"Congratulations!"

"Never mind".

"Do you? So do I!" or"Me too."

"Happy birthday!"

"Of course, helpyourself."

... make a toast: "Here's tothe happy couple"

"You're welcome"

"Good luck!". "Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

In pairs, create mini-dialogues to practice these expressions.

EDITORIAL STANLEY

You have beenpromoted

I don't like horrormovies

COFFEE BREAK 51

Eating outWhen receiving visitors, you may have to take them out for dinner. Here are some expressionsthat you will use and hear at a restaurant. Which are said by the waiter? Which are said by thecustomer?

I'd like atable.

One personplease.

And to I Good evening,drink? I can I help you?

Here youare.Can I take

your order?

Still mineralwater.How many

people? Medium,please.

Certainly, sir. Yes. I'd likesome chickensoup, and asteak, please.

How wouldyou like itcooked?

Comethis way.

Oh, and can Ihave a greensalad, too?

Could I have thebill, please?

Now try to organize the expressions so you create a conversation.

1. 9.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

10.

11

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.


Is that all?

52 COFFEE BREAK

At the restaurantRead this conversation:

Good afternoon,can 1 help you?

We'd like atable for two.Waiter:

Customer 1:

Certainly, sir. Comethis way, please. Doyou like this table?

Waiter:

What wouldyou like?

Customer 1:

I think 111 havethe chicken soup.What about you?

Customer 2:

Would you like toorder?

Yes. We would likethe tomato soupand the Caesarsalad for starters.

Waiter:

And for themain dish?

Waiter:

Customer 1:

I'd like the steakwith chips.

Customer 2:

We'll have a steak withfries and roast chicken.

Customer 1:

Can we have thebill, please?

Customer 1:Here it is. ...Thank you sir.Have a goodday.

Waiter:

Can we have thatone over there?

Customer 2:

Of course.

Waiter:

I'll have theCaesar salad.

Customer 1:

And to drink?

A bottle of redwine. What wouldyou suggest?

Waiter:

I would suggest a VinaArdanza, it's a Rioja.

Customer 1:

Waiter:

Excellent. And a bottleof mineral water.

Right, sir. Customer 1:

Imagine you are in a restaurant. In pairs or groupsof three try having a similar conversation.

EDITORIAL STANLEY

Waiter:

COFFEE BREAK 53

Popular misconceptionsThere are some general truths which are not so "true". Below you will find some useful expres-sions to say what the real fact is.

Introducing the information

It may seem that...,

Many people think..,

Some people say...,

You've probably heard that...,

Linking

but in fact...

but actually...

but the truth is

Introducing the information

Even though it may seem that...,

Although many people think...,

Despite the fact that... some people say....

Linking

the truth is ...

the truth of the matter is

Work in pairs with the following statementsbelow, taking turns to explain what is wrongwith them.

e.g., Some people say that drinkingwater makes you fat, but in fact,water has no calories.

1. The lion is the "king of the jungle"(when in fact, it lives in the savan-nah).

4. If you drink water after milk you get astomach-ache.

5. If you get hiccups, hold your breathand count to ten.

2. Spaghetti were invented in Italy.

6. In Spain most men are bullfighters.

7. Men can stand greater pain thanwomen.

3. Crocodiles cry.8. Men are always better bosses than

women.



Role-playFinal Assessment


57

Final Assessment Role-play:Public Transportation: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

BackgroundSix months ago, the City Council of Madrid retained the services of People Cities Inc. in order to carry outintensive research regarding the problem of pollution within the City center and the proposed closure ofthe center to petrol vehicles.

Research indicates a drastic increase, over the past15 years, of stress related absenteeism at work and atschool, with a resulting 25% increase in public healthcosts over this period.

30 percent of absenteeism at work is directly relatedto traffic related effects (noise and air pollution) andhas resulted in an average loss of 10 percent of netearnings across all types of companies, regardless ofsize or sector.

The growing rate of pollution-related absenteeismhas detrimentally affected families because thestress factors have flowed into the family environ-ment, causing stress in children and other family

members, including pets.

Schools are suffering the effects of the psychological

aspects derived from the stress related symptoms of

parents as well as teachers. Evidence of this is an

increasing rate of failure at school.

Further research is being carried out in order to study

the secondary effects of traffic and noise-related

stress, absenteeism and school failure on domesticanimals, as there is evidence of increased violence

toward family pets as well as increased aggressive-

ness between dogs in the public parks, which have

at times been directed at children playing.

People Cities has proposed attacking the problem of inner city pollution by addressing the public transport

system: if it were greatly improved it would resolve a great part of the pollution and congestion problems

being faced at the moment. The City Council voted last week to close the city boundaries to all private ve-

hicles, except cabs.

Several organizations have been invited to present information at an extraordinary meeting in order to establish

the steps necessary to upgrade the public transport system to meet the added demands that will arise from

closing the city boundaries to private vehicles. The organizations and departments involved are:


58 FINAL ASSESSMENT ROLE-PLAY

Green Cities Worldwide

A non-governmental organization involved inenvironmental protection and a member ofthe European Forum for Green Cities.

Alternative MovingEnergies Association

A forum of experts in the field of alternativeenergy sources for transportation.

Action

Before getting into the role-play and pre-paring your role card for the meeting, itis necessary to

Review language seen in this text.

Review basic language needed formeetings

Read and understand the objectives

Agree on an Agenda

Elect a Chairman

Union of Public TransportWorkers

Representing the rights of all drivers of pub-lic transport.

The Association of MotorIndustries

Representing manufacturers of cars, lorries,buses and motorcycles.

Ministry of Transport andEnergy

Government representative body responsiblefor establishing improvements and costs toset any necessary taxation.

The Objectives of the Meetingare to:

1. Decide on the boundaries to be set. In which areaswill petrol driven traffic be prohibited? It is suggestedthat these could be linked to the final destination ofthe underground and bus lines, because then peoplecould use the underground and buses to enter thecity.

2. Agree on what improvements need to be made toexisting services, and what steps can be taken to en-sure that these improvements are made. For example,bus drivers could be retrained so that they becomemore considerate towards the comfort of commutersand do not close doors when someone runs to "beatthe whistle" or allow too many people to enter thebuses at once!

3. Seta clear agenda and budget for these improvementsand establish how they will be financed. For example,will there be a special added taxation so that the costis passed on to the public, or will the government beexpected to finance it without it costing the publicanything?

EDITORIAL STANLEY

FINAL ASSESSMENT ROLE-PLAY 59

Write your agenda here:

© Now as a group, discuss the Agendas you havewritten and decide on the final Agenda.

© Once your Agenda has been finished, you willbe given Role Cards to study and then you willbe ready to have your meeting.


6O FINAL ASSESSMENT ROLE-PLAY

Basic language used in meetings

I'm going to...

We're planningto...

I'm/we'reintending to...

We're hopingto...

We'll needto...

We are goingto need to...

We haveto/must...

Above allwe must...

First we need to...then we can...

It will benecessary to...

Most likely

It's likely

Least likely

Its unlikely

Probably

It certainlywon'tMay/might

We arebound to It's

impossible

There's agood chance

It's possible / itpossibly could

Asking Giving

What do youthink about...?

I feel confidentthat...

I'd like to ask youropinion about...

I doubt if...

What do you thinkwe should do?

I expectthat...

Do youthink...?

I'd be surprisedif...

Is it possiblethat...?

I wouldsuppose..

Giving advice

You should...It might be agood idea to...

Why don'tyou...? I would advise

you to...

If I wereyou, I'd...

Let me warnyou that...

I'm not sureabout that... It could be, but

anyway...

We'll have tothink aboutthat. At least...

I am not in fullagreement, but...

If I wereyou, I'd...

I don't believethat will work...

EDITORIAL STANLEY

Conntent Delivery Guidelines


CONTENT DELIVERY GUIDELINESS 63

Needs AnalysisInformation and general questions for the completion of needs analysisforms for groups or one-to-one students

The 'why?' of a Needs AnalysisThe Needs Analysis is important to findout what the needs of your student(s) areand to help them establish goals and pri-orities in their learning. One of our basicphilosophies is that the best way to moti-vate students is to involve them actively intheir learning process from the outset, byproviding a learning experience based onthree constructive factors:

1. A sense of self control based on achoice over what they learn: the oppor-tunity to choose is a powerful motivation,and it is important for the teacher, fromthe outset, to foster in students self-determination over their learning byhaving them participate in choosing theirlearning path. This is a powerful tool forencouraging students to consider theirEnglish classes as an adequate oppor-tunity for satisfactory achievement.

2. A purpose for going to class: every-one needs to find a reason and a sensefor doing what they do, especially if itinvolves an extra effort. Through theNeeds Analysis, the teacher shouldaim to help students discover a senseof purpose for attending class (clearlydefined learning objectives with a clearlydefined pay-off for achieving them) andgive them the opportunity of actuallyachieving that purpose (final role-playsand assessment role-plays).

3. A sense of achieving competency:people like jobs they do well, and socompetent achievement of a task re-sults in natural enjoyment of that task.The sense of progressing in the Englishthe learning process is directly tied tofeeling competent or better at using thelanguage. This is a powerful pay-off forthe effort made by students, and it isimportant for teachers to recognize theneed to provide students the opportunityto commit themselves to a learning proc-ess that is worthwhile for them.


64 CONTENT DELIVERY GUIDELINESS

Asking for basic information1. What does the company you work for do?

2. What is your job /job title?

3. What are your responsibilities?

4. In which areas of English do you need more practice?

Speaking?

Listening?

Vocabulary?

Writing?

Reading?

5. What are your priorities for study on this course?

6. Have you ever studied English before?

7. How long ago?

8. What did you find most difficult?

EDITORIAL STANLEY


What do you need to do in English?Do you have to givepresentations?

Who do you give them to?

What are they about?

Do you have to take part inmeetings and discussions?


Who are they with?

Do you have to negotiate?

Who do you negotiate with?

What do negotiate about?

Do you have to speak on thetelephone?

Who do you speak to?

What are the calls normally about?

Do you have to write letters, faxes,emails, reports etc.?

Who to?


Do you have to greet visitors andentertain them?

Who are the visitors?

How do you normally entertainthem?

Do you have to explain graphs,figures etc.?

Who to?


Do you have to show visitorsaround your place of work?

Who are they?

What are they interestedin seeing?




Activities

Students should use English at all times and the teachershould avoid using the students' native language at alltimes.. .and definitely should offer no translations. It's alwayspreferable to offer synonyms, or explain the word by refer-ring to the action or thing in a situation. For example: "Whatdoes invoice mean?" Explanation 1: An invoice is a bill.Explanation 2: An invoice is a paper you send or give a cli-ent specifying the amount of money they have to pay.

This requires that on the first day of class you provide stu-dents with basic survival language for successful learning,and in order to follow the ground rules they are not to usetheir native language in class.

Go through the different expressions provided in the mate-rial and make sure they understand them. Add any othersyou think appropriate. Then quiz them, perhaps by dividingthem into teams.

First MeetingsGreetings and IntroductionsBrainstorm greetings with students. Ask them to call outexpressions and write them up on the board. Complete thelist with any others you think are necessary or appropriate,and any "slang" expressions to point out regional languagedifferences. For example: What's up? How are ya? How'sit going?

Now ask students to consider different social situations andchoose a correct expression. The objective is to differenti-ate between formal and informal expressions.

Introduce conversation starters and parting expressions,following the same technique as for greetings.

Now put it all together by asking students to represent dif-ferent people associated with their organization. Write upa set of cards indicating the position (for example: GeneralManager, Sales Manager, Janitor, Receptionist, regularclient, new client, etc.), cut them up and give one to each

student. They should go around the room and greet eachother and begin a conversation. Give them 2-3 minutes,then have them end that conversation and begin anotherone with a different student, and so forth, until all studentshave had a chance to greet everyone.

Present SimpleIntroduce the present simple tense then practice. Ask stu-dents to brainstorm verbs related to their everyday workinglife, and then ask students to form sentences using thoseverbs. Add any others you think are relevant.

Introduce questions and question formation. Have studentswrite three questions they would like to ask other studentsin the class, and have them write each one on an indexcard. Collect all the cards and shuffle them. Place them ina pile in the center of the table. Then have students taketurns picking up a card and directing the question at a spe-cific student, who, in turn, must answer the question as besthe/she can. Do this until all the cards have been used. Toclose the activity, brainstorm common questions they makeor receive at work or with clients and the possible answersthey can give.

Now put it all together. Prepare a set of cards, each onewith the name of the person, position, company and ad-dress, and other extra information (Careful! Point out tostudents that some information may not be appropriate toask, such as marital status and age) (see examples below).Ask students to choose a card and then introduce them-selves to each other using the information on their card.


Survival Language


Name: Pamela Schwartz

Nationality: Irish

Status: Single

Address: 34 Grafton StreetDublin Ireland

Company: BLCB Finance Analysts

Position: Chief Economist

I

JAge: 24

Name: Jonathan Wise

Nationality: American

Status: Single

Address: 19 South StreetChampaign, Illinois, USA

Company: Lessing School

Position: Head Master

Age: 53 I

Name: Sonny Jonsen

Nationality: Australian

Status: Married

Address: 39 Smithbottom RoadMelbourne, Australia

Company: Green Winds, Ltd.

Position: International Director

Age: 28 I

Name: Tamiko Mitsubishi

Nationality: Japanese

Tokyo, Japan

Company: Skyoto Consulting

Position: Crosscultural Advisor

Status: Married I Age: 32 |

Address: 36 Yamamoto Avenue I

Name: Hank Dehn

Nationality: German

Status: Married Age: 40

Company: Handel Strumphe

Position: Sales Manager

Address: 34 Danzinger Strasse |345 Holzminden, Germany |

Name: Pascale Jondelle

Nationality: Swiss

Status: Divorced

Address: 93 Avenue La Verne

Age: 45

Lausanne, Switzerland

Company: Chocolat Supreme

Position: HR Director

Name: Francois Marchand

Nationality: French

Status: Divorced

Address: 2 bis, Rue de BouloisParis, France

Company: Dittes Direct

Position: Marketing Manager

Age: 33 I

Name: Michelle Starkus

Nationality: British

Status: Single

Address: 10 Picadilly StreetLondon, England

Company: BBC Radio

Position: Production Manager

Age: 28

EDITORIAL STANLEY


Questions and answersThe aim of this game is to practice recognizing and matching common questions and answers.

Time: 10-15 minutes.

How to play:

1. Divide the class into pairs (or groups of threeor four).

2. Explain the game to the students: with the cardsface down, the first person turns up three, onebeing necessarily a question card. The aim forthe people in each group is to match more pairsthan their partner. To make cards match, onehas to be a question card and the other, thematching answer card; if the two cards the stu-dent has chosen do match, he/she collects thepair and turns up two more cards. If the pairdoesn't match, two cards are turned face downagain, leaving one face up (it doesn't matterwhether it is a question or answer card). Thenit's the other student's turn to turn up two morecards (but always making sure that they are notall question cards or answer cards!).

3. Give each group a set of cards, and let themstart the game. The students play by them-selves, but watch out that inaccurate pairs arenot collected, or the game will not finish cor-rectly.

4. The game finishes when all the cards have beencollected, and the winner will be the student whohas made more matches than his/her partner.

Notes:

Cut up the cards (remember you need one set ofcards for each group). As the answer and ques-tion cards must be differentiated when facingdown, write a question mark on the back of thequestion cards, or mount the cards on differentcolored paper.


7O CONTENT DELIVERY GUIDELINESS

Aren't you MyrtleThomas?

How do you do?

How do you do.

No, thank you. I justhad some coffee.

Can I have yourtelephone number?

It's 61998929.

Would you likesome coffee?

Oh yes, please,With milk.

Did you enjoy theplay last night?

Yes, I am. Havewe met before?

Where do youwork?

Would you likeanything to drink?

I work at CITMicroelectronics.

What's musaka?

It's a Greek dish. It'smade with vegetablesand meat.

How are you?

Fine, thanks.And you?

Could you spell yourname, please?

Yes, the actors were verygood. And the costumeswere fantastic.

How was the flight?

Ok, but I'm a littletired.

Where are youfrom?

I'm French. I wasborn in Marseille, inthe south of France.

What time do yougo to work?

I leave my house at7.30, but I don't get tothe office until 8.30.

It's H-I-G-H-S-M-I-T-H.

EDITORIAL STANLEY


What do you do?Introduce the subject by going through the example ofIsaac O'Fire, and have each student answer the ques-tions orally on their job. Then go on to talk about jobdescription. Have the group come up with a list of atleast 20 verbs that apply to their job.

Game:Tell students they are going to play a game to practiceasking questions to find out who the other studentsare.

Ask students to imagine they are someone else (a mov-ie star, a politician, a famous business person). Studentsare to take turns asking each other questions to find outwho they are and what they do. They should answer thequestions as best they can and may even have to inventinformation.

This game can be played in one of two ways:

1. One student at a time receives questions from therest of the group until someone guesses who he/sheis.

2. Students take turns asking whomever they want onequestions (and no more than one at a time). In thiscase, it will be useful for you to provide each studentwith a chart as follows in order to take notes:

Questions1.2.3.4.

Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Student 4

After all the students have had their identity unveiled ask them to introduce themselves using the guidelines providedin the material. Then have them work individually to write it. This is a good opportunity to assess their writing skillslevel more closely by collecting their papers and correcting them for the next session.



Describing a companyIntroduce possessive pronouns and the past simple.When you take a look at the list of irregular verbs, gothrough them one by one and ask students to form asentence for each. Then ask them to choose 5 or 6 andtake a few minutes to write a paragraph on whatever theywould like. Then ask each student to read it out loud tothe rest of the class. The "audience" should listen care-fully and think of one question to ask the author (Referthem back to questions and question formation).

Now tell students they are going to construct a groupstory using the list of irregular verbs. You begin the storyby making a sentence using one of the verbs from thelist. Go around the class/table so that each student addsa sentence to the previous one. There are two ways todo this activity:

a. If done orally, do at least two rounds so that eachstudent has the chance to make two sentences andis forced to listen carefully.

b. If done in writing, distribute a sheet to each studentwith your first sentence. They add the second sen-tence and then pass the sheet to the person on theirleft, who in turn adds the third sentence, and so forthuntil each student gets his/her original sheet back.They then have to add the concluding sentence. Havethem each read the story out loud so that you canmake appropriate corrections.

Now they are ready to write a brief description of theirown company.

A Day in My LifeIntroduce the present perfect. Go back to the list of 20verbs the group came up with when looking at irregularverbs in the past simple, and ask them to form a sentencein the present perfect with each one. Then ask studentsto choose 3 or 4 verbs to describe something they did orthat happened yesterday or this morning.

Now read through Jessica Oak's description, pointing outthe uses of the different verb tenses and signal words.

Look at everyday actions and have students brainstormadditional ones. Then have them practice forming ques-tions by taking turns asking each other what they doevery day. Tell them to listen carefully to the answers.And you should take careful notes so that at the end ofa couple of question and answer rounds you can askstudents "Who did...? This tests students' comprehen-sion and active listening skills.

Attending VisitorsGetting informationIntroduce getting information expressions and followthrough by brainstorming questions that students can askto get information:

From a client who has a problemFrom a friendFrom their bossFrom their girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husbandFrom a colleagueEtc.

Now have students make a business card for themselveswith a fictitious identity. Through a question and answersession, each student should fill in a business card foreach person in the class.

Introduce welcoming visitors and apply it to EnriqueLopez and a dialogue.

Prepare a set of cards with the name, position, companyand one or two specific information points of relevantbusiness personalities in your community. Give one toeach student and ask them to go around the class to findout who the other students are and as much specificinformation as possible.

Once everyone has had a chance to find out who eve-ryone else is, ask each student to welcome one personto their company.

EDITORIAL STANLEY


Conversations startersIntroduce the specific expressions and the use of ques-tion tags. Then ask each student to begin a 3-5 minuteconversation on a topic of their choice. You can also pro-vide them with a set of topic cards which you place facedown in the center of the table, and have students taketurns picking up one and initiating a conversation.

Expressing opinions and ideas

Introduce the different expressions and degrees for ex-

pressing opinions and ideas and then ask students to

work in pairs to think of topics of their choice. They are

then to tell the rest of the class what topics they chose

and what their opinion about them is. And then ask the

other students what their opinion is.

Bring in 8 or 9 different news articles in your own language

on polemic current events. Prepare a set of cards with

different expressions for expressing opinions and ideas.

The objective is for students to use as many different

opinion expressions as possible. Distribute the articles

(one for each student) and put the cards face down in

the middle of the table. Ask each student to take his/her

turn presenting their article and explaining what the con-

troversy is. The group is to discuss the issue. Each stu-

dent is to choose an expression card and use it during

the discussion. Once they've used the expression they

should immediately put it face down under the pile of

cards and take another one.



Progress Assessment Role-playThis role-play has been designed as an assessment tool to evaluate student progress mid-way through the course.The objective is to provide them with the opportunity to apply the language skills related with basic social skills.

The aim of this role play is for students to put in practice what they have learned; they will be given a situation andsome specific information (role cards) so that they practice the strategies seen .

Procedure:1. Divide the class into pairs or groups of three.

2. Explain that you are going to give them a card with asituation, and that they will have to play the role of thecharacter on the card. There are two types of charac-ters: one is the "host", and the other is the "visitor".The host has to receive and welcome the visitor, makea small presentation about him/herself and his/her job,and tell the visitor what the program of the visit is go-ing to be (this he/she has to invent). He/she will haveto answer the questions from the visitors, and makesure that there are no uncomfortable silences.

The visitors will listen and ask questions about thecompany, the host's job, the city, country, etc. Theyhave to be prepared to answer any questions the hostmay ask. If they don't agree with something theyshould say so.

3. Give the students 5-10 minutes to prepare theirpart.

4. Start with the role-plays. Each group has a couple ofminutes to play their role in front of the class.

5. When all the groups have done their part, there is agroup assessment, getting feedback from the stu-dents.

Notes:There are three sets of role-plays. If there are morethan three groups in the class, you can repeat thesituations; it may be interesting to see how differentthe students may act using the same information.

Make sure that the students use the strategies andvocabulary seen in class.

EDITORIAL STANLEY


Role cards

Company A

Presenter:

Your name:

Department:

Company:

Product/service:

Head Office:

Maria Jose /Jose Martinez

Marketing and Public Relations, Assistant

Bodegas Galinsoga

Wine |

Pamplona, Navarra (North of Spain)

Employees: 26 permanent staff - 9 administrative staff - (plus about 50 seasonal workers) I

Company activities: Very prestigious company, not very big but very well known among wine |lovers. Production of quality wines. I

Markets:Internal-37% UK -9% European Union - 26% Other countries - 28%

Future:

The company hopes to export to Central Europe and Asia.

Notes:

Your visitors are wine importers from Central Europe. They have been invited to learnabout your company, as you are planning to do business together.

Visitors

You are visitors to: Bodegas Galinsoga

You are Central European wine importers.

You are visiting the company in order to know more about it; you have heard many good things,but you want to see first-hand. You are planning to import its wines if you like the company.

During your stay, you will meet the managers, visit the facilities, taste the wines. You would like toknow more about Spanish culture, so you want to see bullfighting and maybe flamenco in theevening.

Ask the person who receives you things about the company, the program, or anything you canthink of. You will have a formal meeting with the management, but would like to get some generalinformation from the employee who is receiving you



Company B

Presenter:

Your name: Paula / Pablo Bravo

Department: Marketing and Public Relations, Assistant

Company: Acertex, S.A.

Product/service: Engine components [

Head Office: Oviedo, Asturias (North of Spain) - Factory 10kms from the office. I

Employees: 45 workers in the factory -15 administrative staff

Company activities: , Production of engine components. The company was founded in 1957. I

Markets: Internal - 78% France and Portugal - 22%

Future: I The company hopes to open market in other European countries.

Notes:

Visitors

Your visitors are investors from England and Italy. They have been invited to learn aboutyour company, as they may invest in it to help you extend to other markets.

You are picking them up at the airport. Remember, you should:- Welcome the visitors- Introduce yourself and your job- Talk about the company, answering the visitor's questions.- Ask about the visitor's jobs, countries, etc.- Give an overview of what the program of the visit is going to be.- Offer your help.

You are visitors to Aceritex, S.A.

You are English and Italian.

You are visiting the company in order to know more about it. You may invest in it and help it dobusiness in your respective countries by presenting it to potential clients.

During your stay, you will meet the managers and visit the factory. Besides, you would like toknow more about Spanish culture, so you want to see bullfighting and maybe flamenco in theevening.

Ask the person who receives you things about the company, the program, or anything you canthink of. You will have a formal meeting with the management, but would like to get some generalinformation from the employee who is receiving you.

EDITORIAL STANLEY


Company C

Presenter:

Your name: Martina / Martin Frances

Department: Marketing and Public Relations, Assistant

Company: Ruiz & Thierry Abogados

Product/service: Lawyers and advisors

Head Office: Madrid, Spain

Employees: 40 employees - 5 partners

Company activities: Lawyers, tax and legal advisors

Markets: Internal - 78% France and Portugal - 22%

Future: The firm hopes to open market in other European countries.

Notes:

Visitors

Your visitors represent some of most important law firms in South America.They have come to Spain to meet the partners of the firm, as they want to sign acollaboration-agreement.

You are picking them up at the airport. Remember, you should:

Welcome the visitorsIntroduce yourself and your job

Talk about the company, answering the visitor's questions.

Ask about the visitor's jobs, countries, etc.

Give an overview of what the program of the visit is going to be.Offer your help

You are visitors to Ruiz & Thierry Abogados.

You are Argentinean and Brazilian.

You are visiting the company in order to sign a co-operation agreement.

During your stay, you will meet the managers and have negotiations. Besides, you would like tosee what Spanish culture is like, and you are really interested in attending a Real Madrid soccermatch.

Ask the person who receives you things about the company, the program, or anything you canthink of. You will have a formal meeting with the management, but would like to get some generalinformation from the employee who is receiving you



The Polite WayModal verbs

Introduce modal verbs and the imperative. Practice byhaving students ask each other to do something usingthe imperative and being as rude as possible, and thenby using modals and being as polite as possible. Do thesame thing to apply question tags.

Practice using the modal verb can.

Practice the use of would. Have students think of typicalsituations they face at work and outside of work and usewould to deal with them.

Now ask students to think of something that really both-ers them about their husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend,and write it down on a piece of paper. Have them ex-change papers. The "complaint" indicated on the paperis to be extrapolated to the group (i.e. this is what both-ers the student about the group). Each student must thenpolitely explain to the group what their complaint is andwhat they want them to do about it.

Offers and Requests

Introduce the expressions for offering things and offeringto do something, and do the practice situations. Add afifth one of your own that is directly relevant to your stu-dents' work reality.

Introduce expressions for accepting and declining, thenapply them to the situations practiced for offers above.

Introduce expressions for saying no, and do the practicepair work exercise.

Introduce requests, and do the exercises.

Introduce thanking and showing appreciation, and do thepractice exercises.

Now design a set of cards with all the different expres-sions in this section, as well as those for greetings andconversation starters, and a set of cards with conversa-tion current events themes and issues related to yourstudents' work and responsibilities. Cut them up andshuffle them. Put them in the center of the table in twopiles - expressions in one and themes/issues in another- and tell students that, as a group, they are going toinitiate and maintain a conversation dealing with differentcurrent events. Each student picks one theme/issue cardand two expression cards. The objective of the activityis to introduce their theme/issue into the conversationand use their two expressions during the conversation.Once they've used up their cards they are to pick up an-other theme card and two more expression cards, andso on until all the cards have been used.

EDITORIAL STANLEY


Complaining and Apologizing

Introduce the expressions for complaining and ask twostudents to act out the dialogue in this section. The "au-dience" should listen carefully and write down all thecomplaining expressions they hear.

Go through the complaint situations on the followingpage, and then ask students to imagine they work for aninternational company and, in pairs, think of problemsthey may find and what they would do in each case. Thenask each pair to report back to the class.

As a group, find common problems identified by the dif-ferent pairs and different solutions to those same prob-lems. If the solutions are all similar brainstorm otherpossible solutions.

Go through the expressions for apologizing and do thepair work activity.

Coffee BreakDescribing People

Before getting into the list of words used to describepeople, ask students to write down 5 or 6 adjectives todescribe themselves, and then have them present them-selves to the rest of the class. Then go through the listof words. Ask students to indicate which ones are posi-tive and which ones negative. Practice by using them todescribe people they know. Then do the exercise on an-tonyms. Expand on this by asking them to take their owninitial list of adjectives to describe themselves and askthem to indicate the antonym.

Introduce the order in which adjectives go in a sentence,and practice by having each student describe anotherstudent in the class by using as many adjectives as pos-sible. Then ask them to describe a famous personality,without saying the name. The rest of the class has to askquestions using adjectives in order to find out who thatperson is.

Introduce the comparative. Practice making comparisonsusing the earlier descriptions made by students of them-selves. Then ask them to compare themselves to a seriesof famous crooks and criminals.



I would like most to be... - Game

How to play:

1. Distribute one copy of the worksheet to each par-ticipant.

2. Explain that each participant is to list three differentcharacter names: one you would most like to be, oneyou would least like to be, and the one who is mostlike you.

a. The character may be chosen from real life, fic-tion, the news, movies, cartoons or whatever elsefits. The students should also write the reason whythe chose a particular character.

b. The participants will have five minutes to completethis task.

3. Divide the participants into groups of four or five mem-bers each.

4. Explain that the participants are to take turns sharingtheir lists with their teammates, but without saying thename of the character they've chosen, just the rea-sons. The teammates should guess who the charac-ter is.

5. Time the activity for fifteen minutes, giving a fiveminute warning; then stop the teams when timeexpires.

Discussion:

What kind of characters were mentioned most oftenin any of the categories?

In what ways did individuals' perceptions of thecharacters differs?

What were some of the reasons five for thosecharacters you would most like to be?

EDITORIAL STANLEY

Worksheet


The character I would most like to be is

I because


I because


because



Social EnglishIntroduce Social English by doing the first set of matchingexercises. Then ask students to create a mini-dialogueto practice them.

Do the second matching exercise and then ask studentsto create another mini-dialogue to practice them.

Introduce the expressions for eating out. Have studentswork in pairs to create a conversation. Each pair shouldact out their conversation. Then ask 3 students to actout the Restaurant conversation, and afterwards com-pare with the conversations they created in the previ-ous activity.

Have a group discussion on what subjects are appropri-ate to talk about over lunch or dinner in their country andcompare with other cultures.

Introduce popular misconceptions and the specific ex-pressions indicated.

Now put everything together by telling students they aregoing to do a role-play as a group. They are to imaginethey are all meeting for dinner to celebrate the company'ssuccess on the market. However, they each have

1. a complaint to make (use your complaint cards)

2. a specific issue they are worried about (use the newsarticles used earlier)

3. a specific request to make (use student requests madeto the group in an earlier activity)

EDITORIAL STANLEY


Business lunch - GameThe aim of this game is to practice making polite requests, suggestions and enquiries, thus practicing the languageof business lunches.

Time: 30 minutes.

How to play:1. Divide the class in pairs or groups of three or four.

The game can be played in pairs or individually (butthere must always be at least two parties with everyset of materials).

2. Explain to the students how to play:

a. Each person throws the dice. The person with thehighest score starts.

b. Each person (or pair) chooses a marker.c. The person who starts throws the dice again and

moves his/her marker forward the number thatdie says. The student takes a card, reads aloudthe instructions (they can also be read by a dif-ferent student), and then does what the instruc-tions say. If the rest of students agree that whatthe person has said is correct, he/she will stay inthat space until it is his/her turn again. If the an-swer is not accepted, he/she moves one spaceback and stays there until it's his/her turn again.

d. The next person throws the dice and the gamecontinues.

e. The game finishes when a player reaches thefinish square.

3. Check if the students have any questions about howto play the game.

4. When the students seem sure of what to do, let themorganize themselves as far as possible.

5. The game can start.

Recommendations:As a warm-up, put the following questions on theboard for the students to discuss in pairs or as agroup:

What is the purpose of a business lunch?

Who normally pays for the lunch?

How often do you have to attend businesslunches?

Do you enjoy going to business lunches?

After explaining to the group the instructions of thegame, you can establish the rules together. Studentslike setting their own rules, and this way they willmake sure they are followed.


84

You don't like the table. What doyou say to the waiter?

You've been waiting 20 minutesfor the main dish. What do youtell the waiter?

The waiter serves you the wine,and it tastes like vinegar. Whatdo you do?

You asked for your meat mediumrare, and when you cut it younotice it is overcooked. What doyou say?

The waiter spills some wine onyour jacket. How do you react?

You need to go to the restroom,but don't know where it is. Howdo you ask?

You are at your favoriterestaurant with some clients.They ask you for suggestions.What do you tell them?

When you finish dinner youwant to offer liquors and coffeeto your guests. How do youdo it?

You ask for the Chef salad.When served, you realize it hasalmonds, and you're allergic.What do you do?

You are with guests, and youhave ordered typical Spanishfood for starters. You realize theyare not eating. Do something.

You're celebrating youranniversary at a charming(and expensive!) restaurant.The people at the next table arevery noisy. Say something.

You are in a hurry as you haveto attend an important meeting.You've asked for the bill, but arestill waiting. Ask again.

You have Japanese guests.What kind of restaurant wouldyou take them to? Give3 reasons.

You booked a table at 1.30, butit's 1.45 and you're still waiting.What do you do?

You see "teriyaki" on the menu.Ask the waiter what it is like.

You've invited a foreign guest todinner. He asks you what"lasagna" is. Try to explain it tohim.

You're having mushroom soupfor starter and hake for the maincourse. Ask the waiter tosuggest a wine.

Your guest has asked forchicken soup. Although hedoesn't say anything, he doesn'tseem to like it. It looks cold.What do you say?

Your glass is dirty. What doyou do?

A foreign guest asks you tosuggest three typical regionaldishes. What do you suggest?Describe them.

The waiter asks you: "Howwould you like your meatcooked?". Answer, and ask forfries too.

After lunch you always havecoffee and dessert. You areeating with colleagues, and afterthe main course, it looks likethey're going to ask for the bill,with no dessert. Do something!

You're eating at a Japaneserestaurant, and you don't knowhow to use the chopsticks.What do you do?

You are an expert with wines.You ask for an expensive winebottle, but they bring you a notso good one. The price is thesame. Ask for the one youordered.

You are in a very expensiverestaurant. You ordered a veryspecial dish, but as the table nextto you is smoking cigars youdon't fully appreciate theexquisite taste. What do you do?

When the bill arrives youdiscover they are overchargingyou. Instead of €120, they arecharging you €180.

You are dining with somecolleagues, when you see twomore colleagues who have justarrived. You want to eattogether, so ask the waiter if hecan set two more places.

EDITORIAL STANLEY


Final AssessmentRole-playPublic Transportation: the Good, theBad and the Ugly!This role-play has been designed to be used as a finalassessment tool to evaluate the global progress achievedby students at the completion of the course. The situa-tion chosen is one that is real: pollution in cities. The aimof this role-play is to provide students with the opportu-nity to use the language skills covered in the course.Although the role-play has been designed for use withall levels, students with a level below pre-intermediatewill need more help understanding the situation and re-vising the vocabulary.

Note: All statiscal and descriptive information offered isnot real and has been developed specifically for thisactivity.

Instructions: Role-play1. The role play should take THREE one hour sessions or

TW01.5 hour sessions which will allow you to explorethe subject fully and prepare your students for the meet-ing, especially the lower level groups.

2. Explain the situation and procedures to your studentsthoroughly. This can include some information on meet-ing protocol, etc.

3. Students will need some time (approximately half anhour) in which to prepare their ideas before the meet-ing. Depending on the size of the group you may needto have two representatives from some of the organiza-tions, or, alternatively you may have to leave out someof the roles for smaller groups. The role-play does notdepend on the all the roles being present.

4. Do not offer any help once the role-play has begun. Yourjob is to help the students during the preparation stageand to evaluate the final meeting.

Preparation:

SurveyAs a lead-in to the entire role-play carry out the followingsurvey in class. It's a research survey of transport alter-natives that can reduce public health costs related topollution and traffic related stress.

Tell students they are going to apply all the expressionsthey've seen so far in the course by doing the Role-PlayPublic Transportation: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!It would be a good idea to do a general review.

Specific objectives:

Students should be able to:Use language that is effective and produc-tive in a meeting situation.

Apply basic techniques for expressing ideasand opinions.

Agree and disagree politely.

Give information using basis statistics.

Interact with others during discussion.

Clarify information, comparing and contrastingideas.

Listen actively.

EDITORIAL STANLEY


Survey questionnaire for healthier cities

1. What stresses you out the most on your way to work?

Traffic congestion Traffic noise Traffic fumesMotorcycles Pedestrians

2. How would you rate your city's stress level?

No one notices I can drive others up the wall some of the time

No one can stand me Everyone drives each other crazy

3. How many times have you been absent from work? Why?

4. How many times have your children been absent from school? Why?

5. Have your children flunked at school? How many times / subjects?

6. How would you rate your children's' level of stress?

It doesn't affect me I can ignore it Driving me up the wall

7. Do you think traffic noise, congestion and fumes have anything to do with your stress level andyour children's' stress level?

Yes No

8. Which of the following modes of transportation would you consider using in the future, if yourcity were closed off to cars, buses and motorbikes?

Rechargeable battery powered roller skates.

Solar battery skate board Motor powered scooter

Motor powered hang-glider Traditional bicycle

Ideas and suggestions



Read the following statistics

When the rest of the worldcomes to a halt, Spain will rollon into the future

Research indicates a drastic increase, over thepast 15 years, of stress related absenteeism atwork and at school, which have increased publichealth costs by 25% over this same period.

30% of absenteeism at work is directly related tothe effects of traffic-related stress (noise and pol-lution), and has resulted in an average loss of10% of net earnings across all types of compa-nies, irregardless of size and sector.

The growing rate of pollution-related absenteeismhas detrimentally affected families because thestress factors have flowed into the family environ-ment, causing stress in children and other familymembers.

Schools are suffering the effects of the psycho-logical aspects derived from the stress-relatedsymptoms of adults, parents as well as teachers.Evidence of this is an increasing rate of schoolfailure.

Research is being carried out in order to studythe secondary effects of traffic and noise-relatedstress, absenteeism and school failure on domes-tic animals, and the increase in violence towardscats and dogs.

The City Council of Madrid has met with the other major City Councils in Europe with a view to finding solu-tions to the problem at heart: cities are becoming dangerous to our health. People Cities Inc. has been hiredto carry out an exhaustive survey in your country of these statistics, in conjunction with A Healthy EuropeInc., a special investigation unit. The common objective is to reduce traffic created pollution (noise, fumesand stress) by finding alternative modes of transportation.

The cities involved in this initiative (Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Lyon, Milan, Moscow,Munich, Naples, Paris, Oslo, Rome, Vienna) have agreed to close off central city areas to all traffic, includ-ing cars, buses and motorcycles. People Cities Inc. is researching reactions to this initiative and to alterna-tive modes of transportation, and is also seeking public input of ideas for other means of transport.

Discuss the following modes of transportationproposed by People Cities Inc. to meet thevaried needs and "pockets" of our citizens,and discuss the factors that will have to betaken into account.vv

1. Roller skates with a rechargeable electrical motor,similar to a cell phone battery, with a complementaryrain and sun umbrella canopy.

2. Motor powered skateboards with rechargeable solarbatteries and an incorporated bar stool and umbrellapole.

3. Motor powered scooters.

4. Electrical golf carts for the elderly and disabled. Thesewill be subsidized by the government and will be avail-able only for those who meet requirements.

5. Electrical motor powered hang gliders for those whowork in buildings with 15 or more floors.

Changes to be taken into account1. Gas stations would be redesigned so that gas pumps

are replaced by recharging centers, where roller trans-port drivers could roller up to a plug or exchange theirsolar batteries for recharged ones.

2. Ground drivers will be required to wear a hands-freewhistle holder for road safety at all times and a spe-cially designed helmet with rear-view mirrors and head-lights.

3. The roofs of buildings with 15 or more floors will be de-signed into rooftop landing sites.

4. Ramps will be installed for all staircases throughout thecity.

5. Shopping centers and office buildings will be requiredto facilitate storage facilities.

6. Training will be provided for the use of these new modesof transportation.

EDITORIAL STANLEY


Role cards

You are the Representative of Green Cities

No environmental task is more criticalthan maintaining clean air for life.

Because motor vehicles and electricalpower plants are the biggest sources of airpollution and its myriad effects, from lungdamage to acid rain to global warming, youfocus your attention on those industries.

* You favor the introduction of a Clean AirAct and strict laws and regulations togovern vehicle pollution and to promotepublic transportation.

Cars, trucks and buses account for morethan 20 percent of greenhouse gasemissions, as well as soot and smog thatdamage human lungs.

You are promoting an "earthsmartcars"campaign in order to harness the latesttechnologies and put cleaner cars on theroads.

You are also working towards getting dieselfuelled trucks and buses, which pose serioushealth threats, off the city roads.

You are the Expert in Alternative Energies:

You advocate that all public fleets reducetheir use of diesei in order to help cleanthe air in cities.

Not only will switching to cleaner fuelshave environmental benefits, but it will alsoreduce the country's dependence onimported petroleum.

You favor the introduction of a Clean AirAct and strict laws and regulations togovern vehicle pollution and to promotepublic transportation.

You have statistics to prove that naturalgas is the best option for heavy-dutyapplications due to moderate initial costsand wide range in horsepower ratings,potential savings in maintenance andoperating costs, and substantial reductionsin toxic emissions.

Using one natural gas bus rather than adiesel one would be equivalent to removing

_ 55 cars off the road.

These natural gas buses could be a bridgeto the longer-term solution of fuel-cellpowered buses that run on a renewablehydrogen energy source.

The fuel-cell powered buses offer thegreatest air quality benefits, are efficient andsilent, but they are still in the pilot stage ofdevelopment and will initially be costly.

Electric vehicles are costly, have associatedunhealthy power plant emissions and alimited battery life, which means limitedoperating range.


9O CONTENT DELIVERY GUIDELINESS

You are the Representative of the Public Transport Workers Union: [

Your members include all bus, taxi andmetro drivers

You believe that any new legislationencouraging greater use of publictransport will adversely affect their drivers,as they will have to work longer hours andare unlikely to receive increases in pay.

More drivers would need to be employed,and your members are already unhappywith work conditions, which they believewill get worse.

The taxi divers will be the worst affected,as the Clean Air Act will make it compul-sory for them to change vehicles to theexpensive gas or electric ones, or they willbe out of work.

You advocate stricter laws for the publicusing public transport, which will ensure thatthey have greater respect for the drivers.

Because of the increase in the use of publictransportation, the stress levels for driverswill increase, and this will mean that theywill need to take more frequent breaks and /or work for shorter hours.

Inner city speed limits should be increasedto allow drivers to meet the increaseddemands.

Metro drivers are demanding more andlonger smoking and coffee breaks, whichshould include free coffee and cigarettes tomake up for the added stress.

All public vehicle drivers will demand a 30percent increase in wages once the newlegislation is passed.

You are the Representative of the Association of Motor Industries:

Any new laws involving reduction inpetrol-powered vehicles will adverselyaffect this industry.

You believe that improvements to enginesover the last few years have sufficientlyreduced harmful emissions.

Advocating greater use of publictransportation will reduce the numberof private cars used and bought.

The changes in technologies needed toproduce the new "earthsmartcars" areexorbitantly expensive and would involvereconstructing whole factories.

The motor vehicle and motorbikemanufacturers are opposed to any changesin legislation regarding the use of privatevehicles.

Your industry will be severely affected bythe new moves, and you are attending themeeting to strongly oppose the whole idea.

EDITORIAL STANLEY


You are the Representative from the Public Health Service:

There is overwhelming evidence to provethat people exposed to diesel exhaust fumesare at greater risk of lung cancer.

Other forms of lung damage and increasedsusceptibility to bacterial or viral respiratoryinfections, and the noticeable increase inasthma sufferers, have been directly linkedto minute airborne particles in the air, whichare from exhaust emissions.

Statistics show that this could amount to anadditional 8 cancers in every 1,000 people,which translates to approximately 20,000more cancer patients in a year.

The cost of treating this number of additionalcancer patients, as well as the other related

lung disorders, is enormous and puts atremendous strain of the National Healthbudget.

Another concern you have is that with agreater number of people using the metrolines, more people will be expose to "passivesmoking" in the stations, as no one paysattention to the No Smoking indicators.

You are in favor of all the changesadvocated and would also like to see theNo Smoking regulations enforced morevigorously.

You are particularly interested in seeing thatnatural gas school buses are introduced, toreduce the cancer risk in children.

You are the Representative of the Ministry of Transport and Power: I

Your Ministry, in line with other EuropeanMinistries, is in favor of the advocatedchanges.

These changes do, however, present achallenge of a financial nature, as anyupgrading of public transport will beexpensive - you have to gather as muchinformation as you can to convince yourGovernment that the expenditure will beworthwhile.

You believe that the reductions in PublicHealth costs will adequately offset theincrease in Transport costs.

Statistics show that over the last six years,government expenditure on public transporthas increased by less than 1 billion Euros,whilst the increase in Public Healthexpenditure for the same period hasincreased by 2.5 billion Euros.

Statistics show that over the last six years,government expenditure on public transporthas increased while use of public transporthas decreased by 11 percent.

Your Ministry is considering introducinganother law, which will prevent cars carryingonly one person from entering the cityboundary car parks, in a move to reduce theuse of private cars.

Your Ministry recommends financial incen-tives to encourage taxi drivers to purchasenew alternative fuel vehicles.

There will also be financial incentives offeredto car manufacturers who will change tomanufacturing "earthsmartcars".


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