ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS 1

Unit 1: Present Tense

 RULES
When Who

Why 5W1H
How
What
Where

On time Self-learning and Self-

Ask – Ask & Ask??
preparation your lecture

Switch your phone to

Do homework Don’t talk privately
silent mode
Present Simple - Definition

Simple Present tense is used to express present

action, habitual or daily activity or universal fact or
possession and state.
Present Simple - Formula

• Subject + Verb (s/es) +

Position (+) Objective/Complement

• Subject + do/does + Verb +

Negative (-) Objective/Complement

• Do/does + Subject + Verb +

Interrogative? Objective/Complement

Negative / • Do/does + not + Subject + Verb +

Interrogative Objective/Complement
 Present Simple - Formula

I / you / we / they work. Do I / you / we / they work?

He / she / it works. Does he / she / it work?

I / you / we / they do not work.

He / she / it does not works.

Present Simple - Uses

1 Presenting factual information, e.g. about company activities

2 Actions and situations which are generally true

3 Verbs used only in the present simple

4 Saying how often you or other people do things

Present Simple - Uses

5 Asking for and giving directions and instructions

6 Talking about timetables and scheduled events

7 Providing a summary or abstract at the beginning of a report

8 Newspaper headlines

9 Doing by saying
Uses 1
Presenting factual information, e.g. about company activities

employs operates offers

Our company employs over 100,000 people, operates in many overseas

markets, and offers a wide-range of hi-tech products for the 21st century.
Uses 2
Actions and situations which are generally true

belongs to discourages guarantees

brings out sell have

Imperial Tobacco belongs to the Hanson group.
High taxation discourages investment.
We sell our products into many markets.
A good brand guarantees a certain level of quality to customers.
British wines usually have a sweet taste.
Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in peopie.
Uses 3
Verbs used only in the present simple
There are a number of verbs which are almost always used in the present simple and
not with -ing. These verbs usually refer to:

➢ mental states: believe, doubt, forget, imagine, know, reatise, recognise, regret,
remember, suppose, think, understand
➢ likes and dislikes: admire, dislike, hate, like, love, want, wish
➢ possession: belong to, contain, have, include, own, possess
➢ appearance: appear, look like, resemble, seem
➢ being: be, consist of, depend, exist
➢ perception: hear, see, smell, taste
 Uses 4
Saying how often you or other people do things
We usually use the present simple with frequency adverbs:

➢ I never smoke at work.

➢ He plays golf every Sunday morning.
➢ I often take files home at the weekend.
➢ When she gets to the office she always checks her e-mail first.
Practice - Mission statements
A mission statement talks in general terms about a company’s overall policies and objectives.
Read the two mission statements below and use the verbs to complete them, paying attention
to the verb endings. The first one has been done for you in both cases

admit introduce lead welcome mean work depend improve stay come spend

Restless? Yes. Dissatisfied? True. We cheerfully admitt

………………it. (1) welcome
We always ……………….
(2) spend
Change and continuous Improvement. Today consumers …………………….. more than $25
(3) lead
billion a year on our products. We ………………….. (4) come a very close second -
– or ……………………..
(5) means (6) depends on
in all our business segments, which ……………………. that vigorous growth ……………………..
(7) introduce new products
our own imagination, commitment and skill. So we regularly ………………………….
(8)…………………..
improve (9) work
distribution channels and ………………………… round the clock to be more
(10) stay
efficient. Most of all, we ………………………..absolutely, and unequivocally, 100% geared
towards the customer, who’s definitely No.1 in our book!
Practice - Mission statements
believe strive cultivate deliver enable help give
endeavour acknowledge foster

(11) enables
(12) delivers
(13) strive (14) cultivates
(15) endeavours
(16) acknowledges
(17) gives
(18) fosters (19) help
Practice - General truths
buy believe believe tend promise say put mean talk

buy put

talks say

means

promise

tends
believe believe
 Uses 5
Asking for and giving directions and instructions

➢ How do I get to your office?’

➢ ‘You turn left after the station, cross the bridge and it’s the second building on
your right.’
➢ Place the CD in the drive and click on the icon
 Uses 6
Talking about timetables and scheduled events

➢ The bus leaves at 8.35 tomorrow morning.

➢ The exhibition opens on 25 january.
➢ The legislation comes into force on 1 January.
 Uses 7
Providing a summary or abstract at the beginning of a report

➢ The first section of this report provides introductory comments, focuses on

important new developments and highlights some of our operations outside the
United States. The second section analyses the results for the group as a whole.
The final two sections address our consolidated cash flows and financial
condition. The report concludes by pointing out the need for further investment
if the group is to continue its expansion policy.
 Uses 8
Newspaper headlines - The use of the present simple creates a sense of dramatic impact

➢ Unilever sells coffee operations

➢ Russia doubles tea import duties
➢ PepsiCo link with Suntory
➢ Bank regulator blocks merger
 Uses 9
Doing by saying - We use the present simple with certain verbs which say what their function
is. When we say them we ‘perform’ the action. For example, saying ‘I promise to meet you at
the airport’ is making a promise. Other examples include

➢ I resign!
➢ I apologise.
➢ I declare this meeting open.
➢ I demand to see the manager.
➢ I admit I was wrong.
➢ I advise you to look again at our proposal
Practice - A travel booking
Read the following dialogue about travel arrangements. Make any necessary' changes to the
verbs in brackets

need
starts
Do want
depends does
cost
is gets
takes

leaves arrives

do have to

do make
Practice - A summary of a report
Complete the introduction to this report, using these verbs:

highlight recommend focus call for provide

focuses
highlights
provides

recommends
calls for
Practice - Headlines
Match the beginning and ends of the headlines:
Present Progressive - Definition

The present progressive tense is used when actions are

happening at the present moment and are still continuing.
The present progressive tense is also known as the present
continuous tense
Present Progressive - Formula

• Subject + am/is/are +Verb-ing

Affirmative
• Ex: I am working

• am/is/are +not + Verb-ing

Negative
• Ex: I am not working

• Am/is/are + Subject + Verb-ing

Interrogative?
• Ex: Am I working?
Present Progressive - Uses
1 Talking about an event in progress at the moment of speaking

2 Describing current situations and ongoing projects

3 Describing temporary situations

4 Describing temporary situations

5 Personal arrangements and plans

6 Talking about repeated actions

 Practice - Events in progress
Look at the pictures and decide what is happening in each one

A man is typing on a laptop A film crew is making a documentary

Some people are working in a factory

A woman is welcoming a visitor A woman is making a presentation A man is buying something /

paying for something with a
credit card
Practice - News in brief
Read these extracts about projects that various companies are currently involved in. Match the
extracts in column A with those in column B
Practice - Temporary situations
Complete these sentences appropriately

more people are using their cars

she's having to deal with a lot of extra work
we're living in a bit of a mess
I'm changing all my money into dollars
Practice - Changes
Write about the changes the government of your country' is currently making in the following
sectors, as in the example:
Business and finance: The government is setting up new enterprise schemes

The government is taxing companies that pollute the environment

The government is putting up the rate of income tax
The government is changing the law relating to working conditions
The minister of transport is inaugurating a new underground line
The government is closing down schools
The government is building more hospitals
 Practice - Arrangements
Complete this dialogue appropriately, using verbs in the present progressive:

am visiting our Ha Noi office

am seeing a new customer

am not doing
Practice - Present simple or present progressive?
Which of these ideas do you associate with the present simple (PS) and which with the present
Progressive (PP).

PS PS
PP PP
PS PS
PS PP
PP PS

2
3/6
5
7
6
10
8
4
9
1
THANK YOU