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Difficult Situation Exercise

Janet was offered a promotion at her job but was concerned because she recently found out she was pregnant. Her husband advised her to accept the promotion and hide her pregnancy at first. Janet was unsure about this because she felt it was dishonest. Her friend advised trusting her husband. Later, Janet told her employers the truth but her workload increased to an unsustainable level. When she complained, her boss said they could do nothing. Eventually, she was fired for inability to keep up, which Janet felt was unfair given her previous excellence.

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60 views3 pages

Difficult Situation Exercise

Janet was offered a promotion at her job but was concerned because she recently found out she was pregnant. Her husband advised her to accept the promotion and hide her pregnancy at first. Janet was unsure about this because she felt it was dishonest. Her friend advised trusting her husband. Later, Janet told her employers the truth but her workload increased to an unsustainable level. When she complained, her boss said they could do nothing. Eventually, she was fired for inability to keep up, which Janet felt was unfair given her previous excellence.

Uploaded by

Juand DlcS
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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UNINORTE- LEVEL 7 ACTIVITY WEEK 11th MODAL VERBS

Instructions: You will read the article about a difficult situation a person had. Analyze all
issues and answer at the end of the reading 5 possible problems, conclusions, and
judgements or advices you see. Then, go to the forum in “discussions” and comment on
the issue about lying that we are studying now. Forum: What is your opinion? Did the
person do right or wrong? Would you do the same? Is lying in this case correct?

Using Modal Verbs to Problem Solve - Discussing a Difficult Situation

This lesson focuses on the use of modal verbs of probability and advice in the past
tense. A difficult problem is presented and students use these forms to talk about the
problem and offer suggestions for a possible solution to the problem. While the focus is
on the past forms of modal verbs of probability and advice (i.e., must have been, should
have done, etc.), it also serves as a great starting point for a discussion of issues that are
sure to be hotly debated.

Aim: Use of past forms of modal verbs of probability and advice, reasoning, discussing
difficult issues

Activity: Reading comprehension, problem analysis, conclusions and critical judgments

Level: Upper-intermediate to advance

A Difficult Situation

Janet was employed as a graphic designer at a very successful advertising company. She
had worked there for two years, when she was offered a promotion to become head of
the graphic solutions department. She was obviously very happy when she heard of her
promotion. However, she was also rather concerned as she had also recently found out
that she was pregnant. In the past, other women who had had children had found it
difficult to continue working full time. Later that day, she asked her husband what he
thought she should do. He felt that she should first accept the promotion and then, a
few months later, tell her employers about her pregnancy. In this way, her husband felt,
she would not jeopardize her promotion. Janet wasn't so sure this was a good
suggestion, as she felt that it might be dishonest of her to not let her employers know
about the change in her condition. She telephoned her best friend, who had also had
the same problem previously, and asked for her advice. Cheryl, her best friend, asked
her if she felt that she would be able to continue working as hard after the birth of her
child as she had been working up to that point in time. Janet assured her that this was
the case and so her friend told her to trust her husband's judgment.

A few months later, Janet told her employers about her pregnancy. At first, they
congratulated her on her pregnancy and wished her all the best. Over the next few
weeks, she felt that her workload was slowly increasing to the point that she could not
handle the amount of work required of her. She scheduled an appointment with her
boss, and presented her dilemma to him. He said that he felt for her, but that, because
of a recent increase in sales accounts, he could do nothing about the increased
workload. Disappointed, Janet went back to work and did her absolute best to keep up
with the work. Unfortunately, the workload just continued to grow. Later that month,
she received a call from the personnel department and was told to come speak to the
personnel director. The personnel director told her that, due to her inability to keep up
with the demands of her job, they were going to have to let her go. Janet couldn't
believe what she was hearing. She asked him why, if a few months earlier they had
promoted her for her excellence, they had now decided to let her go. It seemed
ridiculous. He said that he was truly sorry, but that they had no other choice and asked
her to gather her things and leave.
Fill in the following chart based on what you have read:

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE


PROBLEMS (REAL FACTS) JUDGMENTS AND ADVICE
PROBLEM
Her husband told her to hide the truth Lying isn’t the best way to evade She knew hiding it was a bad idea
about her pregnancy problems because it was dishonest
She knew it was wrong, and despite of If you know something is bad, why She should follow her instinct and act
this she still did it are you going to do it? honestly
It was completely unethical and
A pregnant woman must have rest and
The company was mean to the women unprofessional to give a pregnant
stay calm so that problems don’t affect
when they gave her more work woman the biggest charge in the
her pregnancy
company
First, she could have received medical
All decisions have consequences,
She didn’t realize how difficult it was help to find out how was going her
she should take care of what could
going to be to maintain her pregnancy pregnancy, and also to talk with her
happened all over her work and
and her intense job simultaneously bosses to reach a deal about her
her pregnancy
contract
This is a mean attitude towards the Her bosses should have used some
Her boss was unfair when decided firing
woman because it shows not other strategies to avoid firing one of
her for her pregnancy
mercy ofr her situation her best employees.

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