Luminiţa COCÂRŢĂ Simona MITOCARU

LIMBA ENGLEZĂ I

Business English Basics

Suport de curs pentru anul I, profil Economic

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CHAPTER 1
BUSINESS CONTACTS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

SECTION A
INTRODUCTION

SECTION B
LANGUAGE FOCUS – ADJECTIVES

SECTION C
EXAM FOCUS

SECTION D
PROJECT WORK

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After reading this chapter you should:

- know more about national stereotypes;

- know how to react in an intercultural business context;
- familiarize yourself with the specific vocabulary and grammar structures used
in social interaction (within a business frame).

SECTION A
INTRODUCTION

1. a. Fill in the following text about business contacts with words from the box
below.

impolite offended Asian gift useful conventions

cultural social foreign common handshake customs

A lot of business is done outside the boardroom, so, it is important to be able to

function effectively in (1) ……..situations.

Therefore, you should be informed about the clients or (2)……….. partners‟

countries, namely their political and economic background, their major
companies, their religion and its influence on the state. It is also very (3) …… to
have good knowledge on some social aspects, such as the role of women or
the education in those countries, as well as the (4) …….. concerning food and

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 drink. (5) …….. differences may create a lot of problems in business relations if
they are not treated with care. You should know, for example, that it is usual in
the UK and the USA to (6) ……… when meeting for the first time, and when
saying good-bye at the end of the meeting. Since names often create
confusions, when you introduce yourself to a foreign partner/ customer, you
should say your name clearly. Then, to avoid being (7)……., it is better not to
address someone by their first name unless you are invited to do so. It is very
(8) …….. to be on first name terms with a business associate in UK, but not
usual in most (9) …….. countries.

If you are invited to someone‟s house for a meal, it is usual to take a small gift,
though the type of gift varies from one country to another; in the UK, for
example, you could take a bottle of wine, a box of chocolate, some flowers, or a
(10) ……. from your own country. Note, however, that in some countries it is not
polite to open a gift immediately, while in others it is usual. If you are aware of
the (11) ………. of the country you are visiting, you will not cause offence or be
(12).

1. b. Relying on information in the text above, state if the following sentences

are true or false:

1. It is unusual in the UK and USA to give a firm handshaking, when meeting for the
first time.

2. When developing the social side of a business relationship, you should be able to
talk about your own country and be informed about your foreign customers‟
countries.

3. It is important to appreciate cultural differences when dealing with people from

other countries.

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2. Group work.

You are at a business conference abroad. During the coffee break, you want to meet
some of the participants, because you believe they could become your business
partners. Ask them about:
- their organization‟s activity;
- what they do and how long they have worked there;
(Don‟t ask them about their salary!)

Below are some useful questions and phrases:

Questions Possible answers

So, what do you do?
What do you do for a living?
I‟m with a company that produces (textiles).
I work for (a small shoe factory called Brown &
Who do you work for?
What kind of company/organization
is it?
What is your work force?
How many employees are there?
Where is it based?
How long have you been working
there?
I‟m an (engineer).
I work for (Coca-Cola) Company.
Yellow).
I‟m self employed.
(A firm of lawyers.)
We manufacture (computer products.)
It‟s a (sportswear) retailer.
It‟s a (huge soft-drinks) company.
We are (thirty.)
(A couple of thousand) all over the world.
In (Genoa), (Italy.)
Just outside (Iasi).
We have offices in (Bucharest) and
(Constanţa).
Since (1998).
For about (8) months / years.
Actually, I have just started.

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3. Work in pairs.
Soon, your company / institution will receive some visitors from abroad. Since they
are potential customers, you need to know as much as possible about them. Find out
the missing information in the business cards from your partners.
Student 1 has cards 1a, 1b, 1c
Student 2 has cards 2a, 2b, 2c from the appendix.
When you have the complete profile of your visitors, discuss how to organize their
stay in your town:
a. places in the company/institution they should see;
b. people in the company/organization they should meet;
c. accommodation;
d. socializing events.

Ask yourself questions such as:

What would be nice / interesting for them to see?

Whom does he / she work for?
What is his / her position in the organization?
Do you think they would agree to stay to ASTORIA hotel?
Where do you think we should take them?
What is his / her surname?

4. Write the profile of a business man that you know or heard of, from your
own country or from abroad, considering his/ her:
a. name;
b. nationality;
c. home town;
d. company / institution / organization;
e. job responsibilities;
f. position within the organization.

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5. a. Complete the chart below with countries and nationalities.

Country Nationality
………………….. Romanian

Italy …………………..

………………….. Danish

Turkey …………………..

………………….. Dutch

Germany …………………..

Poland …………………..

………………….. Swiss

The United Kingdom of Great Britain …………………..

and Northern Ireland

…………………..
Japanese
Finland
…………………..
China
…………………..

5. b. What do you know about their culture? Find one or two adjectives to
characterize each people above.

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SECTION B

LANGUAGE FOCUS

ADJECTIVES

Usually, the word or part of speech named adjective is derived from is a noun or a
verb:

Verbs Adjectives + nouns Nouns Adjectives + nouns

limit limited company success successful project

convince convincing skills profession professional competence
end endless discussions cost costly ideas

But many adjectives are not derived from other words: rich, soft, poor, old, new, etc.

When we want to create negative forms of adjectives we use prefixes such as:

IL – illegal;
IM – impossible;
IN – inaccurate;
IR – irrevocable;
MIS – mistaken;
DIS – dissatisfied.

Compound adjectives are formed by joining two or more adjectives together with a
hyphen (-):

Ex. Tax-free product;

long-term view;
up-to-date information;
low-paid employees

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There are also combinations of the type:
adjective + noun
that form a kind of fixed word partnership, such as:
Ex. joint account,
joint venture,
last resort,
keen competition, etc.

As for the position of adjectives,

1. they can stay before nouns

Ex. I thought the sellers stated a high price.

and
2. after some verbs (be, become, seem, appear).

Ex. The price seemed high to me.

3. There are certain adjectives whose position is after the nouns.

Ex. The points raised by our colleague are really important.

You know that the funds allocated to our section are insufficient.
The goods ordered by you will be delivered soon.

ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

If adjectives describe nouns, adverbs usually modify verbs.

Ex. We got an immediate reply from your firm. (adj.)

We got a reply from your firm immediately. (adv.)

N.B. Some adjectives and adverbs have the same form.

Ex. He‟s a fast driver. (adj.) He drives fast when he leaves for work.
(adv.)
He is an early comer. (adj.) He usually comes early to work. (adv.)

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We can use adverbs to modify adjectives.

Ex. She was wearing a really colourful jacket.

Some adjectives have two corresponding adverbs.

Ex. Our boss was late (adj.) for the meeting.

1. I haven‟t seen your boss lately. (adv.)
2. Your colleague always arrives late. (adv).

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PRACTICE

1. If it were to make your personal profile, which of the following adjectives

would you choose? Tick () the adjectives that are suitable for your profile,
then put a cross () to the ones that would make a person dislikable to you.
You could add other suitable adjectives to this list.

… competitive … persuasive … dishonest

… courageous … dutiful … persistent
… playful … diplomatic … boring
… original … conventional … submissive
… loyal … adventurous … cautious
… sociable … nonchalant … lazy
… determined … talkative … pleasant
… responsible … honest … aggressive

2. Fill in with words / groups of words from the box below.

long-term up-dated last resort joint account small-scale

1. My son and I have a … at the Lloyd's Bank.

2. Our boss would use our alternative plan only as a …
3. At the next meeting, the Financial Director will come up with …………figures,
I'm sure.
4. How do you see this production line on a …….basis?
5. I agree with this new idea, but let's have it at a……….production rate for the
moment.

3.A. Find at least three adjectives that can describe the items below:

1. a product - …………… 4. a person - ……………

- …………… - ……………
- …………… - ……………
2. a building - …………… 5. a meeting - ……………
- …………… - ……………
- …………… - ……………

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3. a banking service - …………… 6. a book - ……………
- …………… - ……………
- …………… - ……………

B. Work with a colleague. Ask and answer questions to find out about the
description of the items from part A.

Ex. What is your bike / car like?

It is safe and comfortable.
How long / wide/ high / heavy is it?
It weighs 2,000 Kilos.

4. Correct the mistakes in each sentence.

1. They work hardly because they are well-paid.

2. Whatever he does seems to go wrongly.
3. We haven‟t seen each other late.
4. We need to start work immediate.
5. The economical arguments for investment in R&D are quite strong.
6. The train arrived so lately that I couldn‟t attend this year‟s AGM.
7. Since they were so busy, our negotiating team were not particularly interesting
in sightseeing.
8. Reducing investment may not economic at all in the long term.
9. The manager sounded optimistically about the merger.
10. Throughout college, he worked as a shop assistant but actually he works as
an accountant.

11. Put the following words in the right order in order to form sentences:

1. the / eventually / have / ordered / arrived / merchandise

2. she / responsible / development / new / is / for / the / research
3. at / joint / brother / I / my / have / ING Bank / opened / and / account
4. be / speech / I / politically / believe / correct / his / will
5. was / some / our / he / services / really / in / of / interested / banking

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6. Make up sentences of your own using the following compound adjectives:

tax-free product; long-term view; up-to-date information; low-paid employees

7. Give the corresponding adverbs for the following adjectives. Write a

coherent text using two adjectives and three adverbs from the table below.

ADJECTIVE ADVERB
 reliable
 necessary
 erratic
 slow
 late
 traditional
 competent
 excellent

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SECTION C
EXAM FOCUS

Fill in:

1. When the conversation invariably turned to the history of the town, the guest asked
his host how he was so …
a. well-known
b. knowing
c. knowledgeable
d. knowledge

2. The President said in the news that he was very … with the country's economic
progress.
a. shocked
b. shocking
c. pleasing
d. pleased

3. The product is … good.

a. technicly
b. extremly
c. extremely
d. technically

4. The plane arrived …, so I missed the beginning of the meeting.

a. lately
b. late
c. latter
d. letter

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5. Many of the senior staff are … concerned about their pensions.
a. right
b. rightly
c. rightfully

6. There has been a lot of talk about European integration …

a. late
b. lately
c. latter

7. Old mobile phones could … fit into average-sized pockets.

a. hardly
b. hard
c. harder

8. They delivered the goods …

a. fairly quickly
b. fair quick
c. fairly quick

9. The presentation of the new equipment was very …

a. interesting
b. interested
c. interestingly

10. In our company, sales … increased throughout the first two years.
a. gradual
b. gradually
c. gradualy

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SECTION D

PROJECT WORK

Pick up a country with which you think you would do business in future and write
about its
a geography
b history
c economy
d culture.

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CHAPTER 2
TRAVELLING FOR BUSINESS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

SECTION A
INTRODUCTION

SECTION B
LANGUAGE FOCUS

SECTION C
EXAM FOCUS

SECTION D
PROJECT WORK

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After having studied this chapter you should

- be familiar with key vocabulary specific to the topic;

- revise the use of adjectives and adverbs;
- practise the language structures discussed in this unit.

SECTION A
INTRODUCTION

1. A. You travel to Portugal on business. You chose to go by plane. Read the

text below and then make up a dialogue you would have on the subject, with
your neighbour, who is Portuguese.

Not a very long time ago, few people outside Portugal had heard of the country‟s
prime minister, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso. But the man chosen to be the next
European Commission President has been immersed since teens in politics. As he
explained in Brussels this week, at Lisbon University, during the Portuguese
revolution there were only two political parties: pro-Soviet Communists and pro-
Chinese Communists. The Maoists were the more forward-looking.
Today, Mr. Barroso is the very model of a modern prime-minister. As a centre-right
leader he has been unpopular with the proletariat for his budget cuts and
privatisations. He speaks English, French and Spanish fluently. He is only 48, yet has
a wealth of international experience, including negotiating a peace deal in Angola.
Mr. Barroso sees his new role as that of honest broker and point of equilibrium
between conflicting groups. He does not want to build up the prestige of the
commission against national governments. Yet, the role of honest broker will be
trickier in an enlarged European Union. “ The risks of polarization will be much

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greater with 25 member states, ”he says. “We have to avoid any fragmentation
between founding states and newcomers, between the centre and the periphery or
between the rich and the poor. The key issue is fairness.

(Abridged and adapted from “The Economist” - July 2004)

B. Pick up the adjectives in the text and put them in the following table with
their degrees of comparison. An example has been done for you.

ADJECTIVES

Comparative Comparative Comparative Superlative Superlative

Positive
of superiority of equality of inferiority absolute relative

less long
long longer than as long as very long the longest
than

Etc.

2. Work in pairs.

Student 1 is the Marketing Director of Decora International, a big construction and

decoration company
and
Student 2 is his/her assistant.
Since the Board of Directors decided to open a new factory in your country, you will
have to find the right place for it. Each of you suggests a place in the country where
the factory could function in the best conditions.

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A. Before starting the discussion, fill in the table below, using as many
adjectives as possible.

Suggested place Advantages Disadvantages

The communications are Labour costs are higher
Ex. Iaşi better than in many other than in other Moldavian
towns. towns.

B. Compare the two towns in your discussion, taking into consideration the
following aspects:

1. cost of land
2. rate of unemployment
3. transport and communication
4. skilled staff
5. climate

C. Write a report for the Managing Director, explaining your choice.

3. Imagine you are meeting your business partner for the first time, ask each
other questions using the expressions below. Decide first your names and jobs
within the company, the country you are in and the reasons for the visit.

Excuse me … Glad to meet you. – Glad to meet you

I‟m sorry. too.
I am from … (He is from…). Would you like something to drink?
Let me introduce myself. By the way … .
Let me introduce you to Mr / Ms ... Let‟s get down to business.
Let me introduce Mr / Ms … to you. That‟s why … .
I‟d like you to meet Mr / Ms …. I have an appointment with … .
At your disposal.

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4.. Form a pair with someone from a different group. Role-play a meeting at the
office.
You could perhaps begin like this:

Let me introduce myself. I am … .

Let me introduce my staff to you. This is … . This is … . He/she is … .
I‟d like you to meet … . He (she) is … .
May I introduce … to you. He (she) is … .

5. A. Look at the business card and answer the following questions. Design
your own business card and then exchange business cards with your partner.
Ask each other questions using the information written on the business card(s)
you have received.

MAJOR EQUIPMENT

John SMITH
Financial Director

57Quake Street, London, TR1 4JH, England

Phone: + (0273) 547832 Fax: + (0273) 547833
E-mail: jsmith@majorequip.com

Ex. Whose card is this?

Who is he?
What company is he from?
What city is he from?
What is his telephone number?
What is the address of his company?

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5. B. Using the information from the previous task, write down a short company
description:

Major Equipment produces …………………………… for ……………….. and private

clients. The company has ……………………….. in England and sells its products
………………………………… . It employs ……………… and has a turnover of
………………. . It‟s marketing strategy ……. .

6. A. Work in groups of four or five. Imagine a foreign business partner needs to

know more about the business environment in your city.
Brainstorm and write down your ideas on the following. Use different adjectives and
adverbs for each section.

Population

Housing

Labour Force

Education

Civil Society

Major Industries

B. Discuss with your partner what would be interesting for a foreigner to see in
your city. Describe each place in a couple of words. Compare your answers
with other groups.

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SECTION B

LANGUAGE FOCUS

COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

THE COMPARATIVE
By means of the comparative form of an adjective, we can compare two things or
people.

Ex. This year‟s sales figures are higher than last year‟s.
This year‟s turnover is more impressive than last year‟s. (comparative of
superiority)
This year‟s turnover is less impressive than last year‟s. (comparative of
inferiority)

The form of the comparative depends on the number of syllables of the adjective. In
this chapter, we will use the term “short adjectives” for those that have one or two
syllables, (such as nice, cheap, big, easy, etc.) and “long adjectives” for the ones
having two and more syllables (such as expensive, competitive, common, modern,
etc.).

Short adjectives form the comparative by adding –er to the positive (i.e. the
dictionary form) followed by than.

Ex. Shop‟s own brands are usually cheaper than branded products.
This new line of products is nicer than the previous one.

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  One-syllable adjectives whose positive form ends in
short vowel + consonant (such as big, hot, flat, wet, etc.)
double the final consonant before adding –er. (bigger, hotter, flatter, wetter)

Ex. This summer, weather is much wetter than last year.

 One- or two-syllable adjectives whose positive form ends in

consonant + -y (such as easy, risky, sunny, etc.)
change –y into –i before adding –er. (easier, riskier, sunnier)

Ex.: They say English is easier than Finnish.

Investing in equities is riskier than investing in blue chips.

Long adjectives form the comparative as follows

more + adjective (positive form) + than (for the comparative of superiority)
and
less + adjective (positive form) + than (for the comparative of inferiority)

Ex. On the long run, Ferret Ltd. proved to be more competitive than Locket
International.
Our old offices are far less modern than these new premises.

 Some two-syllable adjectives (such as clever, common, narrow, polite, quiet,

simple, etc.) can form the comparative both as short adjectives and as long
ones.

Positive Comparative 1 Comparative 2

clever cleverer (than) more clever (than)
common commoner (than) more common (than)
narrow narrower (than) more narrow (than)
polite politer (than) more polite (than)
quiet quieter (than) more quiet (than)
simple simpler (than) more simple (than)

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  Change in a state or feature and increase are expressed by the construction
comparative + and + comparative

Ex. In our company, handwritten documents have become rarer and rarer.

 The structure the + a comparative clause, the + a comparative clause is

used to say that two things change together or that one thing depends on
another thing.

Ex. The smaller wages are, the less satisfied employees become.
The more we earn , the richer we get.

Equality is expressed by the construction

as +adjective + as or just as + adjective + as
and the negative one
not as +adjective + as

Ex. Ferret Ltd. proved to be (just) as competitive as Locket International.

Our old offices are not as modern as these new premises.

THE SUPERLATIVE

The superlative form of the adjective expresses the highest degree of a particular
quality or feature.

Ex. This year‟s turnover is the highest our company has ever had.
The most impressive product of the line is definitely the top-end one.

Short adjectives form the superlative by adding the definite article the and –est to the
positive.

Ex. Shop‟s own brands are usually the cheapest products.

This new line of products is the nicest our company has ever designed.

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  One-syllable adjectives whose positive form ends in
short vowel + consonant (such as big, hot, flat, wet, etc.)
double the final consonant before adding –est (the biggest, the hottest, the flattest,
the wettest)

Ex. Enron‟s bankruptcy and fraud allegations has caused one of the biggest crises
in the United States Economy.

 One- or two-syllable adjectives whose positive form ends in

consonant + -y (such as easy, risky, sunny, etc.)
change –y into –i before adding –est (the easiest, the riskiest, the sunniest)

Ex. Investment in shares is the easiest but also the riskiest way to make money.

Long adjectives form the superlative as follows

the most + adjective (positive form)
and
the least + adjective (positive form)

This is the most competitive PC in the market.

 Some two-syllable adjectives (such as clever, common, narrow, polite, quiet,

simple, etc.) can form the superlative both as short adjectives and as long
ones.

Positive Superlative 1 Superlative 2

clever the cleverest the most clever
common the commonest the most common
narrow the narrowest the most narrow
polite the politest the most polite
quiet the quietest the most quiet
simple the simplest the most simple

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IRREGULAR COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES

In English there are a limited number of adjectives which have irregular forms for the
comparative and the superlative:

Positive Comparative Superlative

bad worse the worst
far (adj. / adv.) father /further1 the farthest / the furthest
good better the best
little less the least
many more the most
much more the most
old elder / older2 the eldest / the oldest

1
Farther / the farthest refers to a “greater distance”:
Ex. John‟s office is the farthest one from the city centre.

Further / the furthest usually means “extra”, “more” or “in addition”:

Let me know if you have any further questions. (more questions)

2.
Elder and the eldest (instead of older and the oldest) refer to people‟s ages and
to hierarchy in a family. Elder cannot be used immediately after a verb, in
comparisons, in this case the form older being preferred:

Ex. Their eldest son went to Harvard to study Economics.

My brother, who works in accounting, is two years older than I am.

The degrees of comparison of adverbs are similar to those of the adjective:

Ex. She arrived earlier than we expected. (the comparative of a short adverb)
Since she attended that training, she has worked more efficiently than ever.
(the comparative of superiority of a long adverb)
In order to get a promotion, employees must work harder and harder.
Immediately after getting promoted he behaved worse than ever. (comparative
of the adverb badly)
The quicker we close the deal, the sooner we receive the first shipment.

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PRACTICE

1. Complete the sentences with an appropriate comparative or superlative

adjective. Use an –er/- est or more/most form. Indicate where both forms are
possible:

alike common complex confident forceful

hot wide relaxed simple

1. I feel much ................ now that the project is over.

2. Our new car is a little ................ than the old one.
3. His latest decision was wise and very profitable, and some people now
consider him to be the ................ figure in Romanian business.
4. Now that they had stolen our slogan, the companies looked even ................
than usual.
5. Economists claim that strong competition is now the ................ cause of
unemployment.
6. The last test was quite easy and I began to feel ................ about my results.
7. Another, even ................, computer had to be designed to control the
environment of the site.
8. It‟s been the ................ day in Iaşi for 25 years.
9. This task is too difficult. I think you should make it.................

2. Rewrite these expressions of comparison in the correct order. Then, use

them in sentences of your own.

1. twice much as as ……………………………………

2. as almost much ……………………………………
3. than bigger far ……………………………………
4. cheap as not ……………………………………
5. expensive than much less ……………………………………
6. more much than expensive ……………………………………
7. as than as more twice expensive ……………………………………
8. as not nearly much ……………………………………

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3. Find the words with the opposite meaning in the second column. Then write
a paragraph about a successful manager using at least four terms from the
table.

incorrect dull

interesting first

terrible far-sighted

last dirty

near-sighted quiet

unhappy dangerous

clean outdoors

indoors easy

difficult correct

safe expensive

cheap happy

fast slow

noisy wonderful

4. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the adjectives in brackets. Don‟t
forget to add than wherever necessary.

English is such a difficult language! I think it is … (much | difficult) German.

Sometimes I feel that my English is getting … (bad), not … (good)! When you
first start learning English, it seems … (a lot | easy) other languages and the
grammar looks … (much | simple). However, when you become … (a little |
advanced), it gets … (a lot | complicated). There are also so many words in
English! The dictionary I bought when I first went to Britain is far too small. I‟m
already looking for something … (rather | big) and … (comprehensive).

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5. Complete the sentences about global issues using the structure
comparative + the + comparative:

1. Computers are becoming … (important) in our working life.

2. The world‟s population is getting … (poor).
3. Because of industrial waste, many of the world‟s water is … (polluted).
4. Life is becoming … (automated).
5. Conflicts in the Middle East are getting … (bad).

6. Make sentences using the structure the + comparative clause, the +

comparative clause
1. (small) a company is | (easy) it is to manage.
2. (big) a car is | (difficult) it is to park.
3. (good) the roads are | (pleasant) it is to go for a drive.
4. (old) she gets | (absent-minded) she becomes.
5. (complicated) the Economics problem, (hard) it is to find the correct solution.

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SECTION C

EXAM FOCUS

1. We don‟t … know the outcome of the project.

a. still
b. really
c. certainly

2. The data from those surveys aren‟t … reliable.

a. absolutely
b. sometimes
c. always

3. He uses the company car …

a. too
b. quite rarely
c. never

4. I‟m afraid the bank does not … permit such large overdrafts.
a. generally
b. any longer
c. any more

5. I get the feeling you haven‟t … understood my point.

a. entirely
b. really
c. probably

6. … the boss gives me a hard time.

a. Every day
b. Daily
c. Sometimes

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7. The public don‟t … respond in the ways advertising experts them to.
a. sometimes
b. any longer
c. always

8. ... have I been subjected to such outrageous demands.

a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Frequently

9. When I worked in the States, I … travelled to Canada.

a. scarcely
b. merely
c. rarely

10. We … hold our meetings on Friday.

a. always
b. quite rare
c. probably

32
SECTION D

PROJECT WORK
Write a report about the business you think you can open in your town / area.
Consider the following topics in particular:

- cost of land;
- cost of labour;
- transport and communication.

33
CHAPTER 3
AT THE WORKPLACE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

SECTION A
INTRODUCTION

SECTION B
LANGUAGE FOCUS

SECTION C
EXAM FOCUS

SECTION D
PROJECT WORK

34
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After reading this chapter you should:

- be able to describe labour sectors and product groups from your country and
from abroad;
- be able to analyze, comment and write reports / profiles of companies and
working people;
- have better reading and writing skills in English
- be able to use countable and uncountable nouns in coherent contexts.

SECTION A
INTRODUCTION

1. Fill in the text on labour in Great Britain with words from the box below
and then answer the questions:

institutional homogeneous supply training raised

redundant wages job ladder vacancies low income
unemployment sectors

The total supply of labour in an economy depends on such factors as the size of the
population, the age composition of the population and many (1)………. and social
factors. In the early 1970‟s in Great Britain, for example, the minimum school-leaving
age was raised from fifteen to sixteen years. This change clearly reduced the

35
potential labour (2)……... In the same country, the normal retirement age for women
is being (3)……….. from 60 to 65. If the retirement age is increased, this will also
increase the supply of labour.

Other institutional factors, such as the length of the average working-week and of
holidays are also of significance. Workers are clearly not (4)…………, so that natural
ability may be a barrier to movement between jobs. Some jobs require an innate
ability, such as nimble fingers or an analytical mind, which some workers just do not
possess. Many jobs require a period of (5)………., so that a (6)………. steel-worker,
for example, cannot become a television repairman overnight. Workers may be
reluctant to undertake retraining as it normally involves a period of (7)……… and
starting again at the bottom of the (8)……..

There are several factors which can deter a worker from moving to a job in another
part of the country, even if the worker is (9)……….. Social ties to family and friends
may be strong. There may be problems in obtaining suitable housing in the new
location and the monetary costs of transferring a home are significant. A move is also
likely to be disruptive to children‟s education.

Despite the efforts of the employment service in Great Britain, it is often difficult to
obtain information about (10)……….., job conditions and (11)……… in other parts of
the country. A further problem is that many workers prefer to remain in their own
region even when unemployed and when jobs are available in other regions. Mainly,
there are three (12)………… in the economies of most countries: primary (with
agriculture, mining, construction etc.), secondary (covering crafts and manufacturing
groups) and tertiary (including banking, education, transport, tourism,
communications and others).

(Adapted from J. Langmed, An Introduction to Modern Economy, 1999)

1. Which are the institutional factors that the supply of labour in an economy
depends on?
2. What would retraining suppose for a worker?
3. What kind of problems would geographical mobility bring?
4. Name the economic sectors of a country.

36
2. Match the sectors with the product groups:

sectors product groups

agriculture vehicle manufacturing

primary mining computers
construction hotels and restaurants

manufacturing chemicals
secondary
engineering oil

education food processing

banking beverages
tertiary
transportation banks
insurance catering

3. Work in pairs.

Consider the information in Exercise 1 to discuss about job opportunities and job
problems in Romania. Use the table below to organize your dialogue:

Could you please tell me….

I‟d like to know about…
Requiring information I wonder if you could give me some information
about……
May I bother you with a question?
Right. This is what I was thinking, too.
Commenting on given
Really? Are you sure? Is that official?
information
Quite interesting…
I think the new profile of the company is….
I‟m afraid I am not informed/I don‟t know…
Giving information
Well, this is something I can‟t tell you, it‟s
confidential.

37
 As far as I know, the rate of unemployment is…..
I‟d also like to know…
Presumably, you can also tell us about…
Asking for more information
Why/what/when exactly?
Can you be more explicit?

4. Pair work.

You have to write a report about people‟s responsibilities within a firm.

Student 1 will rely on the information written in Card 1
and
Student 2 will rely on the information in Card 2 from the appendix.

Ask questions like:

To whom would the following people report?
To what position was Laura Ashton promoted?

5. Read the text about management. In pairs, discuss the problems that
might arise in an organization and the suggestions for a better management
listed below, in terms of their result for the organization / company and for the
employees. Then, debate the matter with the whole class and note down the
features of an ideal company.

The year 2002 will surely be remembered as the annus horribilis of business. It
was a time of tumult and reassessment, high drama and low comedy. Corporate
crime and greed were spectacularly exposed in companies that had once been
praised, run by executives who had once been trusted, It was the year Enron
set new “lows” in corporate ethics, while Reward Com broke records for the size
of its bankruptcy. It was also the year we learned the Rigans family may have
defrauded Adelph Communications of some $ 1billion, and so on and so on.

Well, we wonder, of course, what kind of management would bring our

companies to success, don‟t we? What about:
- not approaching an authoritarian style of management

38
 - setting free the natural creativity of people at all levels of the organization
- encouraging people to contribute to corporate goals
- making people work in teams both vertically and horizontally, so as to share
both information and progress.

6. Now, read the report below about a company and choose the correct answer:

Business at Constanţa International is breaking all records. This is a joint

venture between a Danish firm, whose headquarters are just outside
Copenhagen, and a Romanian firm based in Constanţa. The company
produces construction materials and has benefited enormously from the
development of house building in Romania. Last year was the best for the
company, with total sales up by 50% in quantity and 60% in value on the
previous year. Constanţa International now sells eight times more materials
than when it started in 1997, and is growing faster than any other firm with the
same profile in Eastern Europe. Sales have doubled since it moved to a new
factory two years ago, and the possibility of further expansion is already being
discussed, with plans to build a plant in Galaţi, another Romanian town. To deal
with the sharp rise in production, the company has recently built two new
warehouses at the present factory site.

1. The companies which own Constanţa International are from different countries.
a. right
b. wrong
c. doesn‟t say.

2. Constanţa International supplies paint to a number of different industries.

a. right
b. wrong
c. doesn‟t say

3. Last year, Constanţa International sold 60% more construction materials than
the year before.
a. right

39
b. wrong
c. doesn‟t say

4. Constanţa International moved to a new site because the old factory was too small.
a. right
b. wrong
c. doesn‟t say

5. Constanţa International is considering setting up a new operation in Galaţi,

Romania.
a. right
b. wrong
c. doesn‟t say

6. The company added two new warehouses as a result of the increase in

production.
a. right
b. wrong
c. doesn‟t say

40
SECTION B
LANGUAGE FOCUS 1

THE NOUN

1. Read the text from Exercise 6, Section A, again. Underline all the nouns
and decide which of them are only used as nouns and which are derived from
other parts of speech. An example has been done for you.

Words used only as nouns Nouns derived from other parts of speech

company development
………………………………… …………………………………
………………………………… …………………………………
………………………………… …………………………………
………………………………… …………………………………

NOUN FORMATION

Some words are used only as nouns: company, car, biscuit, etc. But nouns can also
be derived from other words, such as
 verbs (recruit-recruitment, refer-reference, perform-performance, promote-
promotion, deliver-delivery),
 adjectives, (reliable-reliability effective-effectiveness)
 other nouns (capital-capitalism, partner-partnership).

Some nouns have the same form as verbs (budget, share, supply, claim, cost,
offer, import benefit etc).

41
 Sometimes the pronunciation is different: verbs are stressed on the second or
last syllable whereas nouns receive their stress on the first syllable:

Verb Noun
im‟port import
re‟cord record
ob‟ject object

We can form nouns which refer to activities by adding –ing to a verb:

 Training is very important for our workers.
 Our boss is doing a lot of supervising.

We can form nouns (referring to people) by the help of suffixes, such as:

-ER: worker, employer

-EE: employee
-OR: auditor
-IAN: technician
-ANT: assistant
-IST: specialist.

COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Countable nouns Uncountable nouns

A. Countable nouns include A. Uncountable nouns include:

1. individual things, people and 1. substances :
places: Ex. gold
Ex. a memo iron
an employee water
a firm plastic

42
2. units of measurement 2. abstract ideas:
Ex. a meter Ex. progress
a pound profitability,
a gallon safety, etc.

B. They have singular or plural verb B. They do not take the when used in a
forms: general sense:
Ex. That firm deals with shoes Ex. Work helps you earn money.
production.
C. They take the singular form of the verb:
Those firms are part of a
Ex. Employment is what I need now.
group.

D. Uncountable nouns are preceded by

C. Singular nouns can have a or an
words like: much, little, a little, some, a
in front of them.
great deal of.
Ex. I am looking for a new job.
Ex. You need to get much information
His father is an engineer.
for your project.

THE PLURAL OF NOUNS

The plural of a noun is usually obtained by adding –s to the singular form.

Ex. worker-workers; office-offices

Note
The –s is pronounced /s/ after the sounds /p/, /k/ or /f/, otherwise it is pronounced /z/.
Ex. brick-bricks /s/;
car-cars /z/.

If the singular form of the noun ends in –o, -s, -x, -ch, -sh, the plural one is formed by
adding –es:
Ex. tomato-tomatoes;
crash-crashes;
box-boxes;
watch-watches;
dress-dresses.

43
Note that words of foreign origin or abbreviated words ending in –o add –s only.
Ex. memo-memos;
kilo-kilos;
piano-pianos

If the final consonant of a noun in the singular is followed by –y, this will be changed
into –ies in the plural form.
Ex. delivery-deliveries

Other nouns, ending in -f or –fe add –ves for the plural form.
Ex. leaf-leaves;
shelf-shelves;
loaf-loaves;
knife-knives;
wife-wives

There are also exceptions from this rule, other words ending in –f or –fe (especially
those ending in double f) adding simply –s .
Ex. cliff-cliffs;
handkerchief-handkerchiefs;
safe-safes

IRREGULAR PLURALS

Some other nouns form their plural by a vowel change:

Ex. tooth-teeth;
foot-feet;
goose-geese;
louse-lice;
mouse-mice;
woman-women;
man-men (and all its compounds)

44
or by adding a suffix to the singular form:
Ex; ox-oxen;
child-children.

There are also nouns which only occur in the plural:

Ex: headquarters, trousers, outskirts, overalls, etc.

Another category to mention here is that of singular nouns ending in –s.

Ex. news, politics, Economics, Statistics, rabies, series, means.

Names of certain creatures/animals do not change their form in the plural.

Ex. trout, carp, salmon, deer, sheep, etc.

COLLECTIVE NOUNS

Collective nouns such as:

family, team, government, crew, party (partid), etc.
can take a singular or a plural verb depending on whether we consider the word to
mean a single group or a unit:

Ex. Our family is united at last. (= the entire family seen as a unit)
The team are already gathered in the meeting room. (= the members of the
team, the individuals forming the team)

THE PLURAL OF NOUNS OF FOREIGN ORIGIN

Some words which retain their original Greek or Latin forms make their plurals
according to the rules of Greek or Latin.

Ex. phenomenon-phenomena;
memorandum-memoranda;
curriculum-curricula;
thesis-theses;
crisis-crises, etc.

45
THE PLURAL OF COMPOUND NOUNS

In compound nouns, normally, the last word is made plural.

Ex. travel-agent travel-agents;

When man or woman serve as a prefix / first part- both parts are made plural.
Ex. man driver - men drivers;
woman doctor - women doctors.

In the case of nouns derived from structures such as

verb + -er + adverb
or
noun + preposition + noun
the first word is made plural.
Ex. looker-on lookers-on;
brother-in-law brothers-in-law

46
PRACTICE 1

1. Derive the nouns from the following verbs and adjectives:

Verbs Nouns Adjectives Nouns

agree …………………… aware ……………………

initiate …………………… complex ……………………
occur …………………… effective ……………………
protect …………………… punctual ……………………
refer …………………… reliable ……………………
store …………………… strong ……………………
write …………………… weak ……………………

2. Complete the sentences with a suitable noun:

a. A labor contract should be signed both by the employer and the……………

b. As a ………….for “Time” magazine he reports all sorts of events from the whole
world.
c. Very many people applied for this job, there are more than 50………..
d. Since he works at the reception of that hotel, he is a………….

3. Correct the mistakes:

a. The absenteeism phenomena is quite frequent in certain areas of work.

b. Statistics are my favorite subject.
c. The money were acquired by dishonest means.
d. The news are excellent- you have been promoted.

4. Find out about a colleague‟s home town asking questions like:

Is there much…?
Are there many…?
and using the following nouns:

47
space; information; profit; work; employees; equipment; money; heavy industry;
people; government subsidies.

5. Translate into Romanian the following profile of a business woman:

In one corner is Winga Nang, Asia‟s richest woman, with a fortune of

HK$19billion ($ 2.4 billion) according to Forbes magazine. Even at the age of 66
she is still known in Hong Kong as “Little sweetie” because of her diminutive
stature and fondness of wearing girly pig-tails and micro-miniskirts. In the other
corner is the 93-year old father-in-law, Nang Vin-shin. The battle is for control of
China-chem, Hong Kong‟s largest private property developer with an annual
turnover of HK$ 27 billion, as well as assets such as vineyards and meat-
packing plants on the main land.

(Adapted and abridged after an article from The Economist – July 2003)

6. Work in groups of 3 or 4.
Consider the plan of setting up a business together. Discuss the matter, taking
into account the following points:

 the type of business you want to set up;

 the product or service you plan to offer;
 what your competitors will be;
 what will make your product or service better than others in the same line of
business;
 what premises you will use;
 what equipment you will need;
 how much capital you will need;
 what financial solution you will go for.

48
LANGUAGE FOCUS 2

THE ARTICLE
In English there are three types of article, definite (the), indefinite (a / an) and zero
article (no article at all)

THE DEFINITE ARTICLE - THE

Definite articles in English are invariable, they do not change according to the gender
or number of the noun they refer to, e.g. the company, the chairperson, the
economists

'The' is used:

1. to refer to something which has already been mentioned.

Ex. Peter and Jane shared an office on the first floor. The office was small and
cozy with two facing desks.

2. when both the speaker and listener know what is being talked about, even if it has
not been mentioned before.
Ex. 'Where's the meeting room?'
'It's on the first floor.'
3. in sentences or clauses where we define or identify a particular person or object:
Ex. The man who wrote this book is famous.
'Which car did you buy?' 'The red one.‟
My desk is the one with any PC on it.'

4. to refer to objects we regard as unique:

 the Earth, sun, moon, sky, etc. - The Earth travels around the sun every 365
days.
 institutions - The World Bank lends money to many nations.
 public bodies - The government collects taxes.
 publications - The Singapore Straits Times is a daily newspaper.

49
5. before superlatives and ordinal numbers:
Ex. the highest building, the first page, the last chapter.

6. with adjectives, to refer to a whole group of people:

Ex. the Japanese, the old

7. with names of geographical areas and oceans:

Ex. the Caribbean, the Sahara, the Atlantic

8. with decades, or groups of years:

Ex. The company developed in the seventies.

THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE - A / AN

'a' is used with nouns starting with a consonant or semi consonant

'an' is used with nouns starting with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u)

Ex. a company an account

a university an order book
a house an hour

NOTE:
An is also used before an h mute - an hour, an honour.
A can be used before u and eu when they sound like 'you': a European, a university,
a unit, a uniform

The indefinite article is used:

1. to refer to something for the first time:

Ex. Peter and Jane shared an office on the first floor.

Would you like a drink?
I've finally got a good job.

2. to refer to a particular member of a group or class

a). with names of jobs:

50
Ex. John is a doctor.
Mary is training to be an engineer.
He wants to be a dancer.

b). with nationalities and religions:

Ex. John is an Englishman.
Kate is a Catholic.

c). with names of days:

Ex. I attended my first negotiation on a Tuesday, ten years ago.

3. to refer to a kind of /an example of something

Ex. It was a very strange piece of equipment.

4. with singular nouns, after the words 'what' and 'such':

Ex. What a shame we couldn‟t close the deal on time!

She's such an efficient secretary!

5. with some units of time or measurement to mean "each."

Ex. The trains depart 5 times an hour.

6. meaning 'one', referring to a single object or person. We usually say a hundred, a

thousand, a million.

Ex. I'd like a bank statement please.

THE ZERO ARTICLE

Nouns without any article at all use the zero article. Use the zero article (-) with:

 plural countable nouns - (-) Computers are useful (-) machines.

 uncountable nouns - (-) Water is made up of (-) hydrogen and (-) oxygen.
 most proper nouns - (-) Mr. Teague plans to visit (-)China in (-)September.

51
Exceptions to this rule include the Earth, and plurals or adj + noun combinations –

the Johnsons, the Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Alps, the
Atlantic Ocean, etc.

English uses the zero article in general statements with uncountable nouns and
plural countable nouns.
Ex. Life is full of surprises. Do you like classical music?

There is no article:

1. with names of countries

Ex. Germany is an important economic power.

2. with the names of languages

Ex. English uses many words of Latin origin.

3. with the names of meals

Ex. Dinner will be served from 6 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.

4. with certain places (such as school, work, home, bed, prison) after a preposition,
when we refer to the institution and not to the building
Ex. Elizabeth isn't here. She's at (-) school.

5. with professions:
Ex. Engineering is a useful career.
He'll probably go into business administration.

6. with uncountable nouns:

Ex. Rice is the main food in Asia.

7. with the names of individual mountains, lakes and islands:

Ex. Mount McKinley is the highest mountain in Alaska.
Their offices are near Lake Windermere.
Have you visited Long Island?

52
8. in some fixed expressions, such as:
Ex. by car / train / air
on foot / holiday

53
PRACTICE 2

1. Complete the following sentences with an article, when it is the case:

a. I know that … man you need for this job is hard to find.
b. He cannot solve this technical problem, he is … economist, not … engineer.
c. He is … Dean of our College.
d. Is … Ceahlău … highest peak in … Carpathians?
e. Let‟s discuss this matter over … lunch.

2. Underline the correct article.

a. Where is a / the order they sent last week? I can‟t find it anywhere.
b. I have an / the appointment for an / the interview.
c. When we were on - / the holiday, a / the weather was excellent.
d. All the team have been working so hard that they all need a / the holiday.
e. Coca-Cola is a / the largest producer of non-alcoholic beverages in the world.
f. A / The negotiation was a / the success for both teams.
g. We need to close a / the deal until the end of the month.
h. Gerald is a / the certified accountant and he works for a / the very important
external audit company.
i. Athough it seems rather impossible, right now there must be a / the solution to this
problem.
j. I wish I could speak - / the French like - / the French.

54
SECTION C
EXAM FOCUS

Fill in:
1. If he works in the legal department, he may be a …
a. accountant
b. lawyer
c. technician

2. Making … for the shareholders is the most important aim of any business.
a. reductions
b. money
c. profit

3. Reducing poverty is a priority for this country‟s … Government.

a. left-wing
b. right-wing
c. liberal

4. My cousin graduated from a Polytechnic University and became an ...

a. lawyer.
b. economist.
c. engineer.

5. … is essential for our labor force.

a. Training
b. Travelling
c. Entertaining

6. Our offices are on the ……….of Bucharest.

a. edge
b. outskirts
c. center

7. Our new … are located near your headquarters.

55
a. premises
b. section
c. department

8. … per share have increased in our company.

a. money
b. earnings
c. profit

9. Do not leave … in your cars.

a. refreshments
b. clothes
c. valuables

10. I would need a … to write down those data.

a. piece of paper
b. piece of software
c. piece of news

11. Unfortunately, there is a … between his position as a politician and his

business activity
a. difference
b. conflict of interests
c. gap

12. Management by teams is changing the … way of management.

a. participatory
b. traditional
c. quality

13. He was … because of his … ideas.

a. redundant, good
b. promoted, terrible
c. promoted, innovative

14. The … of team work for employees are self-fulfilment and a smoother-running
…
a. benefits, workplace.
b. weaknesses, management.

56
c. profit, team.

15. It seems to me that for such a … your salary is quite low.

a. profit
b. benefit
c. responsibility

57
SECTION D

PROJECT WORK
Write an article for a local newspaper about one of the most successful business
people in the area. Find about

- his or her background,

studies,
- the profile of his or her present company,
- management style, etc.

58
CHAPTER 4

SOCIAL ISSUES

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

SECTION A
INTRODUCTIONS

SECTION B
LANGUAGE FOCUS

SECTION C
EXAM FOCUS

SECTION D
PROJECT WORK

59
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After having studied this chapter you should

- be familiar with key vocabulary specific to the topic;

- be acquainted with the language of debates and argumentation, being able to
cope with real-life situations of communication;
- revise the basic rules of using the numeral and the genitive case in English;
- practise the language structures tackled in this unit.

SECTION A
INTRODUCTION
Under the broad umbrella of social issues, there are many problems that concern
and affect both nations or areas and individuals. In this chapter we chose only a few
of them, ranging from the general to the particular, from world issues to individual
ones, mainly the problem of
global economic inequality,

international adoptions in Romania and

the pension system, the one that concerns every working person.

In the box below write down all the words and phrases related to these topics
that you would like to know the English equivalent. If you encounter the terms
in this chapter, add the equivalents in the table. The remaining terms are your
assignment. Check them up in the dictionary and then try to use them in a
dialogue.

60
 sărăcie – poverty orfan – orphan pensionare – retirement

STUDY 1: GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY

1. Here is a text on a very important international issue, global economic

inequality. Before reading the text, state your opinion on the following
question:
Is economic inequality a side effect of capitalism?
Support your answer with examples.

2. Now read the text and find an appropriate title for it.

Critics of capitalism are convinced that the gap between rich and poor is
widening across the world. For them, worsening inequality is a sure sign of the
moral bankruptcy of “the system.” Whether rising inequality should in fact be
seen as condemning capitalism in this way is a question worth addressing, as
there are reasons to doubt it.

Unfortunately, this apparently straightforward question turns out to be harder to

answer than one might suppose. There are three broad areas of difficulty. The
first is measuring what people, especially the poorest people in the developing
countries, consume. The second is valuing consumption in a way that allows
comparisons across countries and over time. And the third, in effect, is settling
on an appropriate basis of comparison. Which matters more, for instance:
whether inequality is widening among nations, or whether inequality is widening
among all the people of the world, regardless of which country they happen to

61
live in? Judging any claim about global inequality is impossible without a clear
understanding of how the researchers concerned have dealt with all three
questions.

The third deserves to be emphasised at the outset. A thought-experiment

reveals how easy it is to get confused. Suppose it is true that inequality
measured across countries is widening. Also suppose that inequality is
worsening within every individual country. Given the cross-country inequality is
widening, and that within-country inequality is getting worse as well. It would
have to follow that global inequality, measured across all the world‟s individuals,
is rising too, would it not? Actually, no. Even if those first two assumptions were
true, global inequality measured across all the world‟s individuals might well be
falling.

How so? Simply add a third assumption: namely, that a group of poor countries
accounting for a big share of all the poor people in the world was growing very
rapidly. Suppose, for instance, that average incomes in India and China were
growing much faster than average incomes in the rich industrial economies.
Then it could be true that inequality was widening within every country,
including within China and India themselves; and also that the gap between the
very poorest countries (of sub-Saharan Africa) and the richest (Europe and the
United States) was widening; and yet, at the same time, the inequality
measured across all the individuals in the world was falling fast, because
average incomes in the two most populous poor countries were rapidly going
up.

It so happens that average incomes in India and China are going up extremely
rapidly. Without knowing anything else, one should therefore be sceptical about
all the claims that are so confidently made about rising “global inequality.”

(Excerpted from The Economist, May 11, 2004)

62
3. After having read the text try to summarize the information of each
paragraph in one sentence.

1. ______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

4. Skim the text and underline all the numbers (numerals) you encounter. Place
them in the following table dividing them in numbers showing quantity (column
A) and numbers showing order (column B). The first one was done for you.

A B

Numerals Showing Quantity Numbers Showing Order

three the first

63
PRACTICE

1. Fill in the text with words and groups of words from the box below and then
answer the questions.

funds donating public proposals conflict zones

global partnership board of directors

At the International Conference on Finance for Development in Monterrey,

Mexico, in March 2002, 15 detailed (1) …………. for innovative ways of
mobilizing private finance were present at the Business Forum, many involving
partnership between the (2) ……… and private sector. Among them were the
following recommendations: limit public-private partnership for a few major
areas, including the fight against AIDA, the construction of post (3)……….., and
objectives of sustainable development; create separate (4) …….. for each
thematic area; tap the Global 250 corporations for grants. Each fund is to be
headed by a (5) ……….. made up of representatives from the (6) ………..
corporations. Representatives from governmental bodies would also sit on the
board of funds. A good example is the (7) …………… between soap makers
and sanitation experts from the public sector that could save the lives of 1
million children a year.

1. What kinds of partnerships were there proposed at the International Conference

in Mexico, in 2002?
2. Which were the main recommendations of the conference?
3. How were funds going to be administered?
4. Can you think of any other global partnership, besides the one in the text?

2. Work in groups. Read the text on Integrating minorities and then debate
the following issue:
There are different approaches to ethnic and religious diversity. Each can learn from
the other.

64
Integrating minorities

“The French must understand that France is changing”, says a local official.
”Islam has its place here now.”

Evry (a French locality) is particularly ethnically diverse. Some 40 different

creeds, colours, faiths or tongues crowd into the town‟s tower blocks.
Croissants are on foufou and the Afro-Coiffure has skin-whitening cream and
hair extensions on special offer. In the local paper, death announcements speak
of Pierre and Charles; the births are of Moussa and Faith. In general, Evry
wears multiculturalism with confidence. It hosts evenings of Algerian poetry or
Malian music. A multicultural team of youth workers-“Hamid, Bachir,
Souleymane, Claire and Petroline”- is on hand to get jobless young people back
to work, with the help of positive discrimination.

Evry illustrates clearly the issues troubling France in dealing with ethnic
diversity. At root are difficult questions of identity, social mobility and religious
expression. In particular, Islam is challenging the strict form of secularism,
known as laicité, which marks France out from most other Western
democracies. Under this doctrine, equality before the law of all citizens,
regardless of their private beliefs, is supposed to be guaranteed by barring
religion from the public arena. Even the “So help me God” said by the incoming
American Presidents would be unthinkable in France.

(Adapted from an article from The Economist- February 2004)

65
Use the table below to organize your debate.

THE LANGUAGE OF DEBATE

What do you think of…?

Asking for opinions Could we hear your opinion on…?
What would be your view on this?
I think Helen is right.
It seems to me that there is a problem here.
Giving opinions
In my opinion, this new line of production is not
going to benefit the company
I agree.
Agreeing That‟s right.
I certainly agree on this point.
I‟m sorry, but I can‟t agree on this point.
Disagreeing I‟m afraid I totally disagree with you.
I would say the problem is different.
Excuse me, can I interrupt you for a moment?
Interrupting
Sorry to interrupt, but I‟d like to make a point here.
Could you just let me finish?
Handling interruptions I‟ll come to that later.
Yes, go ahead, please.
Sorry, I didn‟t catch what you have just said.
Asking for clarification
What exactly do you mean by that?
I see.
Indicating that you are
Right.
listening
I understand.
As Victor said…
Referring to other speakers
Referring to what our colleague said about…
So, the issue we have looked at so far…
Summarizing key points By and large our discussion focused on…
Now, to summarize what has been said…

66
3. Translate the following text into Romanian:

Very typical of Islam in Britain is the Muslim Welfare House. The centre supplies
English-language and Arabic lessons, advice on job-seeking, and youth and
homework clubs, as well as holding weekly prayers-all with the help of an annual
grant from the British Government. It not only serves traditional populations of
Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, but newer groups of Algerians and Albanians too.
The British model of integration consists, essentially, of not worrying about it. Where
the French have an Official High Council for Integration, designed to ensure that the
process takes place, the British shy away from the term. Ethnic minority groups are
not only left alone by the state to practise their faith, language or culture, but are
encouraged and subsidized to do so.

67
SECTION B
LANGUAGE FOCUS

LANGUAGE STUDY 1

THE NUMBER IN ENGLISH

Considering that the numeral is a grammatical category, general interest in it may be

apparently insignificant but if you consider it a “scientific” term for numbers, it
becomes very important to everybody in everyday life. In business English numbers
are widely used and therefore writing and spelling them correctly can improve
communication and efficiency.

Cardinal numbers (in column A) can be written as words (e.g. thirteen, eight) or as
figures (e.g. 23, 567, 904).
In formal English, symbols are used for extended amounts, especially in important
documents, such as annual reports, statements, invoices, vouchers, cheque
registers, or sale slips.
For the writing of ordinals (in column B) (e.g. third, twelfth) in formal documents,
words are preferred.

68
CARDINAL NUMBERS

Here are some of the most frequent cardinal numbers

1 one 11 eleven 21 twenty-one 31 thirty-one

2 two 12 twelve 22 twenty-two 40 forty

3 three 13 thirteen 23 twenty-three 50 fifty

4 four 14 fourteen 24 twenty-four 60 sixty

5 five 15 fifteen 25 twenty-five 70 seventy

6 six 16 sixteen 26 twenty-six 80 eighty

7 seven 17 seventeen 27 twenty-seven 90 ninety

8 eight 18 eighteen 28 twenty-eight 100 a hundred

9 nine 19 nineteen 29 twenty-nine 1,000 a thousand

10 ten 20 twenty 30 thirty 1,000,000 a million

400 four hundred

140 a hundred and forty
1,006 one thousand and six
34,562 thirty-four thousand five hundred sixty-two
6,000 six thousand

69
ORDINAL NUMBERS

And now the corresponding ordinals:

1 first (1st) 11 eleventh 21 twenty- first (21st) 31 thirty-first

2 second (2nd) 12 twelfth 22 twenty-second 40 fortieth

3 third (3rd) 13 thirteenth 23 twenty-third 50 fiftieth

4 fourth (4th) 14 fourteenth 24 twenty-fourth 60 sixtieth

5 fifth 15 fifteenth 25 twenty-fifth 70 seventieth

6 sixth 16 sixteenth 26 twenty-sixth 80 eightieth

7 seventh 17 seventeenth 27 twenty-seventh 90 ninetieth

8 eighth 18 eighteenth 28 twenty-eighth 100 hundredth

9 ninth 19 nineteenth 29 twenty-ninth 1,000 thousandth

10 tenth 20 twentieth 30 thirtieth 1,000,000 millionth

Numbers generally written as words

1 From 1 to 10, in isolated occurrences:

Ex. The meeting lasted for two hours.

The manager will be away for ten days.
The AGM begins at nine o‟clock.1

2 Indefinite numbers of one or two words:

Ex. The conference hall will accommodate several tens of people.

Unfortunately, the manager will retire when he is in his seventies.
When the product was launched, the manufacturing company received
thousands of orders in the first month.

1
Generally, some specialists assert that with the phrase o’clock the hour is expressed in words while
the symbol is preferred when the above-mentioned phrase is replaced by the acronyms A.M. or P.M.

70
3 At the beginning of a sentence, if it is a short number:
Ex. Three of the damaged items were replaced immediately.2

4 Short common fractions used alone:

Ex. The received his one-third commission for the deal.

5 In extremely formal invitations and announcements:

Ex. The AGM is scheduled to take place on Thursday, the twenty-third of November
…

6 In the case of two consecutive numbers which are not split by punctuation
mark, the shorter one is written in words:
Ex. They plan to build two 15-floor buildings for the University.
The secretary has to type 15 ten-page reports.

7 In legal documents, when referring to amounts of money they are written both in
words and symbols:
Ex. The plaintiff is entitled to an amount of twenty three thousand five hundred
dollars ($23,500).

8 Ordinal numerals expressed as one word (except for street numbers and
dates that are above 10)
Ex. He has just finished the twentieth year of his career.
Their headquarters are on Fifth Avenue in New York.
but
His house is on the corner of Third and 45th Street.

9 In isolated round numbers, it is advisable to write million (and billion) in words:

Ex. Last year the profit obtained by our company was £2 million.

2
If the number is long, it is advisable to rephrase the sentence, avoiding the initial position of the
number. (e.g. They sent 237 invitations for the conference.)

71
Numbers generally written as figures

1 Numbers above ten:

Ex. This brochure contains 237 different items manufactured by our company.
Procter & Gamble has just purchased 11 new fax machines.

2 when expressing amounts of money (except for one cent/penny):

Ex. This new Reader‟s Digest book can be purchased with only RON 70.

3 with market quotations:

Ex. This common share closed on Friday at 34 7/8.

4 with dimensions:

Ex. The largest frame we manufacture is 5 by 7 inches (5"x7").

5 with degrees of temperature:

Ex. The product must be stored at a temperature ranging between 5° to 9°C.

6 with decimals and percentages: (Pay attention to the spelling of the word
“percentage”, the symbol % being read and written as “per cent”!)

Ex. This year we spent only 3.2 per cent of our profit on investment.

The applicant typed the report in 5.34 minutes and she was hired as a
secretary.

7 with street numbers:

Ex. Our new office is at 34 Elm Street.

8 with pages and divisions of a book:

Ex. The chart I will talk about is in Module 3, page 45.

9 when expressing the hour by means of the phrases A.M. or P.M. (a.m. or p.m.)
Ex. The product presentation begins at 11 a.m.

72
10 with weights and measures:

Ex. The water tank weighs 56 kilograms but holds 368 m3.

11 with identification numbers:

Ex. We bought media time for a commercial on Channel 4

In our advertisement, we have the famous Route 66 sign as a background

element.

Special situations

1 In enumerations, symbols are preferred to words:

Ex. Here is the invoice for 23 rugs, 21 pillows, 2 mattresses and 57 towels.

2 In standard writing, dates are written in simple figures if followed by the year:
Ex. The Committee plans to meet on November 13, 200-.3

3 When an ordinal numeral expresses the day without mentioning the year, it is
expressed as a symbol followed by the ending st, nd, rd, th
Ex. Please come for an interview on the 14th of January.
I thought we had agreed to meet on the 7th.

4 The year:
Ex. 1987 – read either nineteen eighty-seven
or nineteen hundred and eighty-seven
1300 B.C (before Christ). – thirteen hundred

3
In American English, the date is expressed by the month, the day and then the year, the last two
being separated y comma (e.g. October 30, 2004). In British English, first comes the day (definite
th
article – the + ordinal number) hen the preposition of, the month and the year (e.g. The 30 of October
2004).

73
Spelling of decimals and large numbers

1 In English currencies are written in numbers the symbol of the currency being
placed in front of the amount:
Ex. $34.50 – read thirty four dollars fifty
£545 – read five hundred forty five pounds

2 Contrary to the Romanian system of writing decimals by means of comma, in

English the dot (.) is used, reading it “point”:
Ex. 4.5 – read four point five
0.75 – read nought / zero point seven five

3 In the case of large numbers, the English system is also at odds with the
Romanian one, as comma separates thousands from hundreds.
Ex. 345,600 – read three hundred forty five thousand six hundred
3,450 – read three thousand four hundred fifty (Am. E.) or
three thousand four hundred and fifty (Br. E.)

4 In case of million4 (never in the plural millions) the zeros can be replaced by
the letter “m”. For the Romanians, this abbreviation can create confusion, as for us it
generally means “metre” (Br. E.)/ “meter” (Am. E.).
Ex. 23m – read twenty three million
4.5m – read four point five / four and a half million

4
There are other numerals which do not have the plural form if they refer to a definite number:
hundred, thousand. (e.g. four hundred copiers, one thousand dollars). If they convey the idea of a
large number, these numerals are used in the plural, being followed by the preposition by: e.g.
hundreds of copiers, thousands of dollars. There are other expressions that refer to numbers, such
as dozen (12) and score (20) which follow the same rules (two dozen copiers, four score floppy disks
but dozens of copiers).

74
PRACTICE 1

1. a. Write in words the appropriate way of spelling the numbers below,

according to the British style. The first one has been done for you, as an
example:

1). 456,908 four hundred and fifty-six thousand, nine hundred and eight
2). 34,300 ……………………………………………………………………
3). 1,458, 789 ……………………………………………………………
4). 320,300 ……………………………………………………………………
5). 34,030 ……………………………………………………………………
6). 34,330 ……………………………………………………………………
7). 452,980 ……………………………………………………………………
8). 56,050 ……………………………………………………………………
9). 65,015 ……………………………………………………………………
10). 3,210 ……………………………………………………………………
11). 40-232-210234 ……………………………………………………………
12). 16.5% ……………………………………………………………………
13). 457 B.C. ……………………………………………………………………
14). 23m ……………………………………………………………………
15). 3/4 ……………………………………………………………………

b. You work for a non-profit organisation whose aim is to stop the appalling
practice of baby trade in our country. Write an advertisement for the new free
help line where people can signal such cases or ask for help and advice. Use at
least five numerals (written either in words or figures).

2. There is a mistake in each of the following expressions involving numbers.

Find it and correct it.

1. Four minutes and a half

2. three thousand and three hundred and thirty-three
3. eight past five
4. train number –SNCF four hundred thirty one
5. three o‟clock a.m.
6. the office is four meters times five meters

75
7. twenty three millions of people
8. five point five hundred and fifty-five
9. three and a half dollars ($3.50)
10. The shipment was delivered on the 3 of November.

3. Re-write each of the following sentences in a more acceptable way:

a. 457 employees are covered by the insurance policy the company has.

b. To fit current desk space, your printer cannot exceed twenty by eight inches.

c. Organizer refills for company executives sell for $3, $25, or 34.78.

d. Garfield Enterprise made amendments to the 4th, 5th and 21st meeting agendas.

e. I counted fourteen ink jet cartridges, eighteen reams of laser pager, and 31
storage CDs.

f. We worked on the web page design from 10:00 A.M. until seven-thirty P.M.

g. You‟ll recognize the courier: she is six feet two inches tall.

h. Our bank has authorized a line of credit for our remaining debt of five thousand
pounds sterling.

i. With the Euro, you can visit the same twelve countries and exchange the money
only 2 times.

j. Create a table that will accommodate variable figures such as one-half, 4 1/9
and six.

4. Find and underline five errors in the writing of numerals in the following text
excerpted from a newspaper article. Correct the errors in the five blanks that
follow the text (An error occurs twice, identify it but consider it as the same
problem).

According to The Economist‟s calculations the proportion of the world‟s people

living in acute poverty (on less than 1 dollar a day) fell from seventeen % in
nineteen hundred seventy to seven % in 1998; the proportion living on less than
2$ a day fell from 41 % to 19 per cent. The absolute headcount of global $1-a-
day poverty fell by 200mil and the count of $2-a-day poverty fell by 350m. An
analyst quoted in the article states that in 2000 when the United Nations (UN)

76
 announced its Millennium Development Goal on poverty – to bring the number
of people living on less than a dollar a day in 2015 down to a half the level in
1990 – the goal had already been achieved.

1. _________________
2. _________________
3. _________________
4. _________________
5. _________________

STUDY 2

INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS

1. The paragraphs of the following newspaper article entitled “Baby Trade”

were mixed up by mistake. Re-establish the correct order and then fill in the
blanks with the words in the table below.

adopt adopters adoptions average incentive

joining orphanages orphans rights welfare

_____
Since the moratorium, the numbers have plummeted again. Local authorities
have stopped declaring large numbers of children abandoned, because there is
no longer a profitable business and any money in it. The EU is instead funding
day-care centres or foster care in Romania. But this progress is threatened by
pressure from Europe‟s governments which tend to pay more attention to the
concerns of middle-class would-be ……… (1) to any moratorium.
_____
A Christmas feel-good story for the Italian government has turned into a new
year embarrassment. After political pressure from Rome, Romania‟s prime
minister pushed through a long-delayed adoption of 105 Romanian „orphans‟ by

77
Italian families. But the deal has angered the European Commission and that
could affect Romania‟s hopes of ……… (2) the European Union in 2007.

_____
The story starts in 1990, when pictures of Romania‟s „………‟ (3) flashed across
the world‟s television screens. Well-meaning folk from other countries promptly
started to ……… (4) the children. But the $20,000 – 30,000 they paid for each
adoption proved all too tempting in a country with ……… (5) salaries of only
$100 a month. The numbers of children in ……… (6) increased to meet the
demand.

_____
The Commission is angry because the deal broke a three-year-old EU-inspired
moratorium on international ……… (7) of Romanian children. The ban was
imposed because these adoptions have become a highly profitable business, in
which the ……… (8) of the children and their natural families were ignored.
According to the American aid agency USAID many babies with families were
misrepresented as available for adoption. The agency concluded that “children
are being adopted out of Romania who would not, in absence of financial
……… (9), have been placed for adoption at all, let alone adopted
internationally.”

_____
In 1990s foreign governments and citizens provided a lifetime aid and hope for
Romania‟s children. It would be sad if their continuing involvement now dented
Romania‟s standing with the EU.

_____
In fairness, the Italian government was doing only what others have done.
Almost 1,000 children have gone abroad as „exceptions‟ since the moratorium
was imposed. The mistake the Italians made was to boast openly their success
that Brussels was quick to pounce. Gunter Verheugen, the commissioner for EU
enlargement, wrote to the Romanian prime minister, saying that the case
“raises serious questions as to Romania‟s political commitment to the protection

78
 of children ……… (10) which is part of the political criteria for accession in the
EU.”

(Adapted from The Economist, February 5th, 2004)

2. Check your understanding by answering the following questions:

1. What is the act that establishes the rules and regulations of adoption in the
European Union?
2. What does USAID stand for?
3. What caused the phenomenon of international adoptions in Romania?
4. According to the article, were there so many real orphans in our country?
5. What is the EU commissioner‟s opinion on Romania‟s position concerning the
topic?
6. Why is the problem of international adoptions so important for our country‟s
accession to the European Union?
7. According to the article, when is Romania to join the EU?
8. What measures for preventing international adoptions are funded by the EU?
9. According to the article, what was the average salary in Romania at that time?
10. What was the price range that international adopters had to pay in Romania?

3. State your opinion on this topic by writing a five-line paragraph using the
words: orphan, mass media, right, adoption.

From my point of view, …………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………...
…………………………………………………………………………...
…………………………………………………………………………...
…………………………………………………………………………...

4. Underline all the forms of the apostrophe’s genitive in the article. Could you
identify the grammar rule of this case‟s use? Do you know any other structure
of the genitive? Revise the grammar basics below.

79
LANGUAGE STUDY 2

THE GENITIVE CASE OF THE NOUN

Many non-native speakers find it difficult to use the genitive, as they do not know
when the „s genitive is appropriate and when the of one is.
The genitive is used to show possession, authorship, brand, kind or origin:

Joan‟s office
Kotler‟s book
Nike‟s shoes
shareholders‟ meeting
Einstein‟s theory

A noun in the genitive may be followed by apostrophe („) s and then by another noun.
As a rule, it can be expanded into a phrase.

yesterday‟s news the news of yesterday

the company‟s employment policy the employment policy of the firm
Mr. Ripley‟s law firm the law firm owned by Mr. Ripley
Keynes‟ book the book written by Keynes
the manager‟s decision the decision of the manager

THE ‘S GENITIVE

This form of the genitive is usually used to express the following ideas:

1. referring to general ownership, or possession of somebody‟s home

Ex. Have you seen the manager‟s new car?

the CEO‟s office
Charles‟s address
We‟ll be at Jack‟s soon. (Jack‟s house)

80
2 referring to people and animals and to personal/professional relationships and
human qualities

Ex. Sam is Austin‟s youngest brother.

Have you met the boss‟s new secretary?
The manager‟s intransigence is a pain.

3 referring to location in time (but not with dates)

Ex. Have you seen the article in today‟s „The Guardian‟?

4 referring to the origin of something (where it comes from or who made it)

Ex. Oil is Saudi Arabia‟s biggest export.

5 referring to a quantity or measure (e.g. of duration, distance or value)

Ex. There will be an hour‟s delay.

The office was four minutes‟ drive from the city centre.

6 in expressions for value / quantity with worth

Ex. Could you give me a dollar‟s worth of sugar?

7 with names of shops, companies and people / places that provide a service

Ex. I‟m getting the Christmas shopping at Macy‟s. (Macy‟s department store)
Was there anything fresh at the butcher‟s this morning? (the butcher‟s shop)

8 in certain fixed expressions

Ex. For God‟s sake!

For heaven‟s sake!

one week‟s time

a minute‟s delay

at arm‟s length

five cents‟ worth

81
THE ‘OF’ GENITIVE

This structure is usually used in the following situations:

1 with abstract nouns and when referring to inanimate things

Ex. I‟ve been studying the philosophy of science.

We purchased a building at the end of this street.

2 when the noun is followed by a verb phrase or clause which defines it

Ex. The negotiators ignored the shouting of the strikers standing in front of the
building.

3 when we refer to a specific date

Ex. The old headquarters were destroyed in the bombing of 1995.

4 with long or complex phrases, even when we are referring to people

Ex. A man was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of an American CEO,
Hannibal Lector.

5 certain fixed expressions and titles

He‟s the president of Microsoft.

The Prince of Wales is to visit the United States of America.
a choice of (flights)
an error of judgement
a flood of complaints
a lack of funds
the level of commitment
a method of payment
a number of factors
the strength of the Euro

82
‘OF’ GENITIVE OR ‘S GENITIVE

There are certain situations in which we can use both the „s genitive and the „of‟
structure in order to express the following ideas:

1 referring to a quality that something possesses or displays (the „s form being

preferred with human qualities)

Ex. We were amazed by the office‟s size.

We were amazed by the size of the office.

2 referring to the subject of something, its topic or theme

Ex. The sales representative‟s report has caused dismay.

The report of the sales representative has caused dismay.

3 with human creations such as countries, organisations, cities, institutions,

machines, vehicles, buildings. (The „s genitive is more common)

Ex. Wall Street is one of New York‟s most famous streets.

Gas lamps were a common sight on the streets of 19th century New York.

4 expressing a reason or purpose with sake (note the exceptions in point 8 of the
table with the use of „s genitive)

Ex. We agreed to make a go of it for the sake of the employees / the employees‟
sake.

83
PRACTICE 2

1. Rewrite the sentences with apostrophes wherever necessary

a. Susan should know that its Marys decision, not hers.

b. Alices friends names Bill. Hes one of Merrill Lynchs top analysts.
c. Toyotas deal on its company cars is better than ours.
d. I went to my doctors and hes computerised all the patients records.
e. Its important to recognise that every company has its own particular culture,
however…
f. My bosss PA (Personal Assistant) reads all the customers letters.
g. Look at those Mercedes. Ones our directors and the others a visitors.

2. Complete the sentences with phrases from the list below:

error of flood of lack of method of pace of

piece of rate of range of stroke of waste of

1. I went there, but they were closed. It was a complete waste of time.
2. The product launch is a disaster. There‟s a complete…interest.
3. You shouldn‟t have told them that information. It was an … of judgement.
4. Our hotel offers a wide … facilities for the business traveller.
5. We have a relatively low … unemployment in our country, just 4%.
6. I heard a very interesting … information the other day.
7. We arrived just at the right time. What a … luck!
8. The advertisement has been very successful. There‟s a … inquiries.
9. The results must be correct. We used a very reliable … data analysis.
10. Things are moving so quickly in this field. The … change is very fast.

3. Re-write each of the following sentence fragments by changing a phrase to a

genitive form. The first one was done for you:

a. report written by Victor Victor‟s report

b. decision made by Karl
c. beliefs of the board members

84
d. office used by Andrew
e. end of the day
f. reply given by John
g. reasons cited by officers
h. debts owed by the Smolletts
i. timecards of the employees

4. Six of these sentences contain mistakes. Identify the correct sentences, then
find and correct the mistakes.

1. Sonja is a good friend of him.

2. I‟m really fed up with my landlord‟s wive‟s endless complaints about noise.
3. As the English say, ones‟ home is ones‟ castle.
4. You should pay attention to what he says; he‟s a close associate of the
managing director.
5. She‟s been put in charge of childrens‟ activities at the summer camp in Spring
Rapids.
6. My brother‟s-in law‟s parents have decided to emigrate.
7. There‟s something wrong with that buses‟ brake lights.

5. Each of the sentences below contains a genitive using of. If it is

grammatically correct to do so, change it to a construction with an apostrophe.

a. The results of the pharmaceutical group Physio are encouraging.

b. Turnover for the first two quarters has shown a 20 per cent rise.
c. The workforce of the company will benefit.
d. All the pay packets of the employees will include a bonus.
e. A meeting of the shareholders scheduled for the end of September will be a
cheerful affair.
f. The Chairman of the Board celebrates ten years in that role.
g. Profits for each year of his tenure have increased well above the industry
average.

85
6. The Serious Fraud Office, a special police unit, is investigating DataBase
International. The following is an extract from a newspaper report. Improve
some of the sentences by changing the genitive forms.

The Board‟s decision to raise the dividend was against the advice of the auditor.
Now the companies‟ shares have been suspended and its AGM has been
postponed. The director‟s passports have been confiscated by the judicial
authorities. A spokesman for Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the Managing Director, said
Mr. Holmes had no comment to make. Mr. Holmes‟ wife, also a Board‟s
member, said the investigation was „a disgrace‟. Meanwhile, the employees of
the company reported for work as usual. A worker‟s representative said her
colleague were worried about their jobs.

7. Rephrase each of these by using an ‘s genitive form.

Ex.: The responsibilities of the supervisors are distributed equally.

The supervisors‟ responsibilities are distributed equally.

a. The policy of this company is to review salaries every six months.

b. The salaries of all employees are evaluated carefully.

c. The performance of an employee, of course, is most important.

d. The opinion of an immediate superior is also a major consideration.

e. The objectivity of the administration is reasonably high.

f. The loyal service of an employee is usually recognized.

g. The merit of a raise is usually acknowledged.

h. A reward often follows the outstanding performance of someone.

i. The employees of this company find the system fair.

j. The bosses know how to maintain the satisfaction of their workers.

86
STUDY 3:

PENSIONS

Situation: Samuel Johnson wrote a letter to the magazine Employment Today

asking for some legal advice. Here is a fragment of his letter:

“I work in the UK for a large US company which has a great pension scheme. I
joined the company in June 2000 and the company scheme in July 2001. I am
ill at the moment, and I want to clarify my wife‟s financial position should I die. I
have reviewed my pension and she gets the accumulated value of my
contributions, and there is a significant dependants‟ pension element – 4/9ths of
my salary plus 2/9ths for my children until they are 18.

However, there is a clause which says ”If you join the Plan at the first
opportunity and remain an active member” you get this benefit and, since I
joined the plan much later than the company, there is doubt over whether I
qualify. When I joined the company I was given full details of the plan but was
not made aware that if I didn‟t join straight away I would be losing a possible
future benefit. Should I challenge my employer?”

1. Jane Samsonite, a solicitor at Lowells and Associates, wrote her

suggestions and sent them to you. You are Ms. Samsonite‟s secretary and you
must write the reply to Mr. Johnson under the form of a letter that you will find
below, using Jane‟s notes.

 He must ask his employer to grant Mr. S.‟s wife and children a pension in the
event of his death.
 He must address the Pensions Advisory Service to see if there is any basis for a
claim.
 He must prepare the papers given to him when he started employment
 It is possible that there has been a breach of a term implied into his employment
contract. In this case, the employer is obliged to take steps to bring to his attention
the existence of a valuable benefit.

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 According to Mr. Johnson‟s point of view, he was aware of the possible negative
consequences of staying out of the pension scheme for a while. Unfortunately, his
fears may prove to be true.

LOWELLS & ASSOCIATES

23-25 Maine Road
Birmingham 23456
November 17, 200_

Mr. Samuel Johnson

4, Cartridge Street
Lyndon HJ34567

Dear Mr. Johnson,

I am writing in reply to the letter you sent to Employment Today, which was also
published in the magazine‟s October issue. The editor passed it to me and after
having analysed your case I could make some suggestion to you.

Firstly,………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Should this not be possible………………………………………………………………
…….………………………………………………….………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
.……………………………………………………………………………………………….
Before that, however,……………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
..………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..

I hope to have been of some help to you and should you have any further queries,
feel free to contact me.

Sincerely yours,

Cf. Jane Samsonite

Solicitor

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SECTION C
EXAM FOCUS

Choose the correct alternative. In some cases both options are correct.

1. What did you do …

a. at the course‟s end?
b. at the end of the course?

2. Have you met …

a. Sam‟s new business partner?
b. The new business partner of Sam?

3. … is a constant source of inspiration.

a. Barcelona‟s architecture
b. The architecture of Barcelona

4. I need to visit…
a. the doctor‟s surgery.
b. the surgery of the doctor.

5. Some debris got caught under …

a. the conveyor belt‟s wheels.
b. the wheels of the conveyor belt.

6. Our organisation strives towards …

a. poverty‟s elimination.
b. the elimination of poverty.

7. … is in search for personal fulfilment in a hostile world.

a. The novel‟s theme
b. The theme of the novel

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8. He‟s taking … from his job at the university.
a. a year‟s sabbatical
b. a sabbatical of a year

9. … sometimes drive me up the wall.

a. My boss‟s impatience
b. He impatience of my boss

10. Throughout the flight we had to put up with …

a. the children sitting in the back row‟s antics.
b. the antics of the children sitting in the back row.

11. The most senior clergyman in the Church of England is …

a. Canterbury‟s Archbishop.
b. the Archbishop of Canterbury.

12. We‟re going to hold the party at …

a. Michael‟s place.
b. the place of Michael.

13. … was an important turning point in French history.

a. 1789‟s revolution
b. The revolution of 1789

14. Her doctoral thesis investigates … in the contemporary world.

a. liberalism‟s spread
b. the spread of liberalism

15. Why can‟t you just hand in your notice ,…

a. for heaven‟s sake!
b. for the sake of heaven!

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SECTION D

PROJECT WORK
Write a report about social issues in either the world or our country, using the
following structure:
- topic;
- reasons for choosing that topic;
- methods of analysis (analysis of statistical data, surveys, etc.) used in your
research;
- findings;
- causes of the issues presented;
- possible solutions or recommendations;
- conclusions.

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