University of Manouba Academic year 2020/2021

Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Tunis

English for Specific Purpose

(Anglais de Spécialité)

Master's Degree
MR1 EMI

Course Focus :

 This course is designed to introduce to pre-service students key elements of pre-

doctoral-level study, develop key transferable skills, become familiar with key
terminology, develop their written and spoken critical thinking, and understand their
subject specialism.

 It will build on their existing academic knowledge and competencies, and help them
adapt to specialised study, particularly with regard to critical analysis and expression.

 Because of the varied nature of students’ interests, the course has a large amount of
individual help and may necessitate periodically a content adjustment and/or a specific
language focus.

Teaching material designed and developed by: Mr. ZNAIDI

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A/ Decide if the following terms are the same (S) or different (D).

1.strategy/plan
2. customer/client
3.free market/market economy
4.market trend/market survey
5.product mix/marketing mix
6.opportunities/threats
7.royalty/franchise agreement
8.ability/capacity
9.affluence/influence
10.account/deposit
11.approach/method
12.buyer/supplier
13.profits/profitability
14.licence/permission
15..solvency/bankruptcy

B/ THE DISTRIBUTION CHAIN

Rreplace the underlined words in the fax below with a word with the same or similar meaning. Write the
number next to the word. Choose from the following.

consumers ---- multiples ---- sales force ---- dispatch ---- producer ----
sales ---- representatives ---- middlemen ---- retailers ---- wholesalers ----

FAX
Call if message is not clear

Telephone : 00-31-1-43457789
Fax number : 00-33-57896632
To: Sarah Giggs
From: Allan Parker
Subject: distribution systems

As the (1) manufacturer, we obviously must ensure that products reach (2) customers with

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 maximum efficiency. Now, we use independent (3) distributors, but we should consider better
alternatives. The following changes need urgent consideration:
1. Cutting out (4) intermediaries - this would bring cost savings.
2. Larger (5) sales teams.
3. Many more (6) reps.
4. Improved (7) shipment systems.
5. Closer relationships with (8) dealers.
6. More links with (9) chains.

Call to discuss.
Regards, Allan.

C/ Planning advertising
SPEAR, a mail order company, is planning a new advertising campaign. Below is an extract from an internal
report to senior marketers in the company. Fill in the missing words and phrases in the report. Choose from
the following.

advertisements commercials hard sell advertising mix competition impulse buying

campaign consumer awareness mail shot catalogue direct mail

ADVERTISING PLAN
Our plan is to sell products through (1) -------------------- and mail order service. We will use a high
pressure, (2) ------------------------- approach. We can attract customers to order the goods by offering
special (3) ------------------------ prizes. Once the catalogue arrives, consumers will order goods which have
an instant appeal : we will depend on (4) -------------
Another approach is to run a long advertising (5) -------------------------------------------- to
increase (6) ---------------------------------------- of our products. We plan a variety of advertising
techniques: this (7) ----------------------- will consist of television (8)----------------------, newspaper
(9) ----------------------,and street advertising. We have a good target customer database, so we will use
(10) -----------------------. We plan to do a (11) ------------------------------- twice, to put extra
pressure on those who do not answer the first time.

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D/ THE SEVEN P’s
Fill in the missing words in this description of the marketing mix.
The traditional marketing mix was described in terms of four P’s :

1. P-------------------------. , the goods or services

2. P -----------------------. , the cost of the product

3. P ---------------------------. , often called distribution

4. P --------------------------- , which aims to make people aware of the product.

 In recent years other considerations have been added, giving a mix of at least seven P’s :

5. P------------------------- , or everyone involved from producer to consumer

6. P -------------------------- , which means the wrapper or the box the product comes in, but also all
added-value and intangible assets

7. P -------------------------- , or everything to do with time.

E/ FOLLOW-UP
Peter Glass of Citimetal Ltd talking to Anna Price, a marketing consultant. Complete Anna’s part of the
conversation. Choose from the following

a. And then the fourth area phasing.

b. It covers both goods and services offered by the company.

c. Exactly – and the desire to buy the product. And, finally, people, which means

colleagues, employees, agents and customers. The idea is to keep everyone happy,

make personal contact.

d. Yes, or timing – getting things where they should be at the right time.

e. The second area is place – also called distribution – meaning the movement of

goods from the producer to the consumer.

f. Well, we identified five areas where improvement is necessary.

g. After place, packaging. Packaging includes the packaging materials but, more

importantly, all types of added value and customer expectations.

h. The first is product.

i. Promotion.

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Peter : So, what have you got to report ?

Anna : ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Peter : Really ? What are they ?

Anna : ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Peter : And what exactly does that term cover ?

Anna : ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Peter : I see. What else ?

Anna : ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Peter : And after place, what’s next ?

Anna : ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Peter : Yes, I understand – the extra things that customers want.

Anna : ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Peter : Phasing ?

Anna : ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Peter : Delivery on time. Right, I follow you. And what’s the next area ?

Anna : ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Peter : So, that’s creating consumer awareness and establishing the brand identity ?

Anna : ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

F/ BRANDING.
Rearrange the letters to find words that are connected with branding.

1) nbard yitnedit -------------------------------------------------------

2) ardnd eman -------------------------------------------------------

3) dabrn igema -------------------------------------------------------

4) won-drabn -------------------------------------------------------

5) radbn nataviluo -------------------------------------------------------

6) burnadden -------------------------------------------------------

7) antilbinge stases -------------------------------------------------------

8) yallyot -------------------------------------------------------

9) rempuim barnd -------------------------------------------------------

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 G/ Fill in the missing words in the sentences. Use words from part A.
1) Coca Cola, Sony and Mercedes Benz are all famous brand -------------------------. s.
2) Deciding a financial value for a brand name is called brand ---------------------------------.
3) Consumers usually expect to pay less for products that are --------------------------------- .
4) Products like Chanel or Christian Dior have a brand ---------------------------which is
more glamorous than that of many less well-known competitors.

5) In the 1990s most supermarkets began to sell ------------------------------products.

6) A brand name is valuable not only for the main products that are represented by the name, but also for a
complete range of ------------------------------ assets that accompany that name.

7) A key concern for marketers is to establish brand --------------------------------- among their

customers so that they do not buy similar products made by other companies.
8) Consumers are often prepared to pay high prices for ------------------------------brands which they
believe represent high quality.

9) A new product must create a brand --------------------------- so that it is easily recognize and
associated with specific qualities.

H/ Now look at the internal memo below and fill in the missing words. Choose from the following :
mix plan strengths opportunities price threats
packaging product weaknesses place promotion

SANDERMAN & KELLS Ltd

MEMO
From : AB
To : DG
Re . Marketing policy
Success depends on good marketing. We need a clear strategy to
develop understanding of :
1 - Our present position
2- Marketing strategy
We must build a new marketing (1) ……………………………… . This should be based on a clear
SWOT analysis, i.e. understanding of the present market position in terms of :
(2) …………………………….
(3) …………………………….
(4) ……………………………
(5) ……………………………

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We must develop a seven point marketing (6) ………………………… , describing :
(7) …………………………..
(8) ……………………………
(9) …………………………….
(10) ………………………….
(11) …………………………..
- People
- Phasing
I suggest you send a report to John as soon as possible.
Call me to discuss.
Andrew

I/ KEY WORDS AND CONCEPTS

Choose the best definition for each of the words or phrases.

1) an augmented product
a. a product now selling at a higher price
b. a product that is no longer made
c. the core product plus additional benefits such as brand name, quality
styling and design features, extended warranty, after-sales services, etc.
2) generic
a. not known by a special brand name
b. for general use
c. popular with all types of consumers

3) cannibalism
a. where a product eats into competitors’ market share
b. where a product reduces sales of other products made by the same
manufacturer
c. where an employee leaves his/her company to join a competitor

4) the sell-by date

a. the limit placed on sales representatives to meet targets
b. the date by which a food or drug must be sold
c. the date on which a product is sold

5) launch
a. when a product is taken off the market
b. when a product is tested before being sold
c. when a product is first released onto the market
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6) the product life cycle
a. the normal pattern of sales for a product
b. the process of development of a new product
c. the different stages of improvement in an old product
7) part
a. a product
b. a component
c. a phase in the development of a product

J/ PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND SERVICE.

Fill in the missing words in the sentences by changing the word in brackets on the right. (See example) :

1) We sell a very large range of goods, including fast moving consumer (consume) goods such as canned
foods, cleaning materials and cassettes.

2) Of course, we also sell ………….......................……. (perish) goods like milk, cheese and meat, with a sell-by date
of only a few days.

3) It is not only food ……………................…………. (produce) Which have a very short shelf life
4) For larger consumer ………………….....................… (duration), like hi-fi and TVs, we also have to provide an
after-sales service.
5) An important aspect of marketing goods like CD players and televisions is possible …..............…………… (add)
value, such as free videos or CDs.
6) The business of a ……………….............................…… (retail) is to sell products.
7) A ……………….............……… (serve) schedule is needed prior to the beginning of the production process.
8) If you are not completely satisfied with any product ……………….............……….. (purchaser) in this store, you
may return it and receive a complete refund or exchange it for a different product.
9) A ………….........................…………… (patented) is a licence to produce a product. The inventor may sell or lease
it to a manufacturer.
10) A product which was expensive to develop, manufacture and launch, and which does not have the sales
that the manufacturer expected can be described as a ……………..............………. (flopped).

K/ Fill in the missing words in the sentences with the right preposition :

away by off onto back into on to

1) Perishable goods go ………………………...........…… in a short time.

2) If dairy products are not sold ……………………..............…. the sell-by date, they cannot be offered for sale.
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 3) Unsold perishable goods usually have to be thrown …………….......................…….…..
4) If a safety fault is discovered in an electrical product, the manufacturer has to take ……………….……… all
faulty examples of the product.
5) Thousand of new products are put ……......……..……… the market every day, but only a few are successful.
6) Success or failure depends ………….…..........................……. many factors, but the most important is the
quality of the marketing.
7) Customers with a strong sense of brand loyalty are rarely prepared to switch ………......................……..…..
a new competitor.
8) Powerful advertising may help a new product to eat ………..…...........…… the market share of rival brands.

L/ Pricing policy : read the summary of a report on a meeting about pricing policy in Callan Ltd, a
manufacturing company. Think what the words in bold type mean. Then mark sentences 1-11 True or False. If a
sentence is false, explain why.

REPORT

Subject: Marketing Focus Group Meeting

Date : September 22, 2020
Present : DF, HT, PT, JF

The following decisions were taken regarding pricing strategy for the new year.
i. Budget priced goods shall only be sold in Category 'C' stores. Goods can only be sold at a budget price
where they have already been offered at the recommended retail price for a period of not less than three
months.
ii. Agents shall be instructed that from january1, we do not allow discounts on any goods not sold at a
previously higher price for a period of three months.
iii. Decisions on pricing must realize margins for the retailer of up to 25%. Prices below 15% are unlikely
to be for any of our retailers.
iv. Similarly, our own factory gate price must allow the company to cover all production costs and also
to realize a profit of between 25 and 35%. Our marketing team should watch the market prices to ensure
that we do not price ourselves above the going rate.
v. Wherever possible, we should sell our products to retailers. This will cut out intermediaries and avoid
retail prices being forced higher by high wholesale prices.

Sentences 1-11 True False

1. Budget priced goods are sold at a lower price than they were offered at before.
2. The recommended retail price is the price the manufacturer thinks a retailer should
charge for a product.
3. A discount is a reduced price offered after a period on offer at a higher price.
4. The margins is the difference between the cost of a product to a manufacturer or
retailer and the price the manufacturer or retailer receives when the product is sold.

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5. An economic price is a price that allows reasonable profit.
6. The factory gate price is the cost of producing the product for the factory
7. Production costs are the expenses a manufacturer has to pay for labour.
8. The market price is the price one company charges for a product
9. The going rate is the price the consumers are prepared to pay.
10. Retail price is the price consumers actually pay.
11.The wholesale price is the price paid by consumers who buy many examples of the
same product.

M/ Pricing strategy :
i- Fill in the sentences. Choose from the following:

Budget priced going rate retail margin unit cost demand curve price war selling costs

1. the amount of money necessary to produce one individual example of a product is the -------------
2. the difference in price between what retailers pay for a product and what they sell the product at is called the
-------------------------
3. the total amount of money spent on all aspects of selling, including advertising, commissions and
promotion, is known as the -------------------------------
4. a period during which several competitors aggressively lower their prices in an effort to build up market share
is called -------------------------------
5. products at the lowest end of the price scale are sometimes referred to as -------------------- goods
6. the price for a product or for services which the market will accept is the -------------------------------
7. the line on a graph which shows the relationship between prices and consumer demand is called the ------

ii- Match the words (1-7) with the definitions (a-g)

1.break-enven point a) the price the wholesalers and distributors pay for goods.

2.discounting b) a pricing strategy based on low pricing and low unit profits

3.factory gate price c) the point in the development of a product when sales begin
to exceed the investment
4.inelastic demand d) consumers who are very attentive to price changes and look
for lower priced items
5.overheads e) sales of a product do not change much with variation in
price.
6.penetration strategy f) reducing prices from a level at which the product was
previously offered for sale
7.price sensitive buyers g) the day-to-day costs of running a business

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N/ Aggressive pricing: read the newspaper report SAWA, a computer game company which is introducing a
new low-priced product to help win a bigger market share. Then fill in the missing phrases in the sentences.
Choose from the following:

Advanced orders high penetration production costs break even

premium price recommended retail factory gate price war

SAWA in low price game

The Japanese computer games company SAWA is planning an October launch for a new game called Flippo.
The development of the game has taken two years but (1) --------------------are impressive.
The company expects the product to (2) ----------------------- within one year. (3) ------------------
are low as the labour input in the sector is relatively small.
Margins in computer games are usually high, but SAWA has promised a (4) ---------------------
strategy, with a competitive pricing policy. This is a change of policy for SAWA, whose products have always
carried a (5) -----------------------, SAWA being a relatively exclusive brand.
The (6) -------------------------- price is expected to be around $45, with the (7) ------------------
price being around 33% of that. Such a low price may have the effect of creating a (8) ---------------------
in the computer game market.
A further point of interest is that SAWA predict a long shelf-life for Flippo, perhaps five years, which is
longer than normal in this sector.

O/ Word square
Find 8 common words connected with PRICE . You can read the words vertically (4 words) or horizontally (4
words), forwards or backwards.

A P R I C E L T
D I S C O U N T
E C R G S N O I
M P O R T E V F
A W R M S V I O
N I P F E E S R
D R L M H R G P
A M A R G I N E

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P/ Identifying costs
Read the definitions below, then complete the phrases that follow by combining an appropriate word from the
box with cost(s).

variable / price / fixed / centre / analysis / manufacturing/ operating / labour / selling / sales

1) Usual expenses such as rent, heating, lighting, which are not changed by the volume of production.

-------------- costs

2) Expenses which increase with increased production, e.g. labour, raw materials. ------------- costs

3) All costs directly related to production. -------------- costs

4) All costs directly related to getting someone to buy a product. ------------- costs

5) The cost of employing workers and staff. -------------- cost

6) The costs for the day-to-day running of a company or business. ---------- costs

7) Selling at a price which is exactly what the product has cost to make. Cost ------------

8) The study of all likely costs associated with a product. Cost ---------------------

9) A business in a chain, or a subsidiary, but treated as independent for accounting. Cost ----------

10) The total costs for all products sold. Costs of ----------------

Q/ CASH TERMS
Read the definitions below, then complete the phrases that follow by combining an appropriate cash term from
the box with the word cash.

advance / delivery / hard / price / settlement / budget / flow / ready

1) Money in notes and coins, not cheques or credit card tranfers. ---------------- cash
2) Cash which comes in to a company from sales, after costs. cash ----------------
3) Payment when the customer receives the goods. cash on ------------
4) Plan of cash income and expenditure cash ----------------
5) A loan in cash against a future payment cash ----------------
6) Notes and coins available for immediate expenditure ---------------- cash
7) Payment of a bill with cash cash ---------------
8) A low price for payment in cash cash ----------------

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R/ These words relate to different aspects of trading and investment in an international business environment.
Complete the phrases with an appropriate word from the box below.

black bonus break red intangible interim

loss bridging reserves retail securities line issue

1) The part of an economy which is not declared to the tax authorities is known as the ......................… economy.
2) A business that is losing money is running at a …………….............…………………… .
3) A bank account that is in deficit is in the ……………………...............................… .
4) Free shares given to long-term shareholders are called …….................……………… shares.
5) If a business will meet its costs but not make any profit, it will ……………............………even.
6) If you want to buy something quickly you can borrow money on your assets by taking out a
…………………......................… loan. You pay back the loan after you sell some assets.
7) The final return on a business deal, indicating whether the deal made a profit or not, is sometimes called the
bottom ………………………… .
8) A measure of prices paid in the shops is the ……………………. price index.
9) The payment to shareholders at the half-year point is called the …………… dividend.
10) The price of shares when a company is first floated on the Stock Exchange is called the ...........…… price.
11) Large amounts of foreign currency held by a company, bank or government, as a security against changes
in exchange rates, is called foreign currency ……………………… .
12) Stocks and shares held by governments are called government ……………………
Assets which have a value but cannot be seen, e.g. customer goodwill, patents or trademarks are called
…………………… assets.

S/ Key Terms in Managing Investment./ Word Square

Find 10 key words or phrases concerned with investments which are hidden in the word square below.

R D P S H A R E S O
E I N T E R E S T M
T V F R T E G L O G
U I N N I L Z O C G
R D F B A C B S K O
N E A R N I N G S W
I N V E S T M E N T
T D N D L X P O T H
F E B F U T U R E S
P O R T F O L I O R

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T/ DESCRIBING TRENDS

Sample sentences
 Our turnover rose last year, but our profits dropped
 The banks have raised their interest rates twice this year and this has pushed up the cost of borrowing.
 There has been a slight increase in the value of dollar, but the pound is down again.

/ Form
Trends are changes or movements. These changes are normally in numerical items, e.g. costs, production
volumes or unemployment. There are three basic trends. For each trend there are a number of verbs and nouns
to express the movement. We can divide the verbs into transitive and intransitive. After a transitive verb we
must put an object : Exp : The banks have raised their interest rates twice this year.
After an intransitive verb we cannot put a direct object : Exp : Our turnover rose last year, but our profits
dropped.

Now let's look at the language of trends in more detail:

1) Verbs Nouns
Transitive Intransitive
increase increase increase
raise rise rise
put/push/step up go/be up
grow growth
extend extend extension/extent/extendibility
expand expand expansion
boom boom ( dramatic rise)
2) Verbs Nouns
Transitive Intransitive
decrease decrease decrease
fall fall
drop drop drop
put/push down go/be down
decline decline
cut cut
reduce reduction
collapse collapse (dramatic fall)
slump slump ( dramatic fall )

3) Verbs Nouns
Transitive Intransitive
Keep/hold …..stable/constant remain stable stability
maintain …… (at the same level ) stay constant

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Other expressions

To stand at : We use this phrase to focus

on a particular point, before we mention the trends of movements :
In the first year sales in our region stood at 109,000 units.

To reach a peak of :
In the sixth year sales in our region reached a peak of 24,000 units:

Sometimes we need to give more information about a trend, as follows :

- There has been a slight increase in the value of the dollar. (the degree of change )
- Share prices fell rapidly on the London stock exchange today. (the speed of change )
Remember that we modify a noun with an adjective (a slight increase) and a verb with an adverb ( to increase
slightly ).

U/ Describing the degree of change

dramatically vast(ly)
huge(ly)
enormously(ly)
substantial(ly)
considerable/ considerably
significant(ly)

moderate(ly)

slight(ly)
a little

Describing the speed of change

rapid(ly)
quick(ly)
swift(ly)
gradual(ly)

slow(ly)

Uses

We can describe a trend by looking at :

- the difference between two levels
- the end point

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 1) Describing the difference :

This year turnover has increased by 5 per cent. (the difference between this year and last year is 5 per cent)
This year there has been an increase in turnover of 5 per cent.
Notice the prepositions. We use to increase by (with the verb) and an increase of ( with the noun).

2) Describing the end point :

This year turnover has risen to £3m. (The end result is that turnover is up to £3m)
This year there has been a rise in turnover to £3m..
Notice the prepositions. We use to rise to (with the verb) and a rise to ( with the noun ).

Notes
1. Rise and raise
Note the following use of the nouns, meaning "increase in pay" :
We review wages in October and introduce the annual rise in January. (BrE)
We review wages in October and introduce the annual raise in January. (AmE)

2. Do not use up after increase, raise and rise; do not use down after fall, drop and decrease :
The banks have raised their interest rates.( not : raised up)
Our GNP has been falling for the last three quarters. (not : has been falling down )

Now complete the following sentences using a noun or a verb expressing

upward (↑)or downward (↓) movement:

As a result of the recession, we had to ………………………………..…….. the amount of money we spend on research
and development.
Last year was a good year for the company and our sales ………………………………. considerably.
The price of coffee has ……………….………………..……… as a result of bad weather conditions.
Many Asian companies have entered the market and there has been a 20% ………………..……………….. in prices.
The ……………………………………… in profits is the result of poor management.

V/ NUMERALS

1) Points and commas

In English, we use a point (.) and not a comma (,) for decimals. We only use commas when writing numbers
greater than 999 :

15.001 fifteen point oh oh one

15,001 fifteen thousand one

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In English, we usually read all numbers (digits) after a decimal point separately, especially if there
are more than two decimal places :

0.125 nought (or naught AmE) point one two five

5.44 five point four four (or double four)
3.14159 three point one four one five nine
0.001 nought (or naught AmE.) point oh oh one

Another way of saying 0.001 is 10-3 (ten to the power minus three)
If you say 0.125 as zero point a hundred and twenty-five, an English speaker will instinctively hear 125, and
ignore the zero point, thinking that you have made a mistake, or changed your mind while speaking.
If you are doing deals on the telephone, you could quickly lose a lot of money by getting this wrong…
But if the number after a decimal point represents a unit (of money, etc.) it is read like a normal number:

£1.50 one pound fifty

$3.15 three dollars fifteen
2m18 two meters eighteen

2) Telephone and fax numbers :

We usually say telephone numbers (and car registration numbers, bank account numbers, and so on)
as individual digits :

010491012731528 oh one oh, four nine one, oh one two, seven three one, five two eight

An exception is ‘double’ :
0171-225 3466 oh one seven one, double two five, three four double six

 Hundreds, thousands, millions and billions :

100 a hundred
200 two hundred (not two hundreds)
1,000 a thousand
100,000 a hundred thousand (not thousands)
1,000,000 a million (or 106, ten to the power six)
1,000,000,000 a billion (or 109 , ten to the power nine)

3) Years :

 The number 1,998 is : One thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight

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  The year 1998 is : Nineteen ninety-eight
 The year 2018 is: two thousand eighteen (not and eighteen)

4) Calculating :

10 + 6 = 16 ten plus six equals / is equal to / is sixteen

10 – 4 = 6 ten minus/less four ……………………………. six
10 x 6 = 60 ten times / multiplied by six ………… sixty
10 : 6 = 1.666 ten divided by six……………………….. one point six recurring

 Remember :
The verbs are to add, subtract (or deduct, but not deduce), multiply and divide.
8% p.a. : eight per cent per annum (the per in percent is never stressed : we say per ‘CENT

5) Fractions :

½ : a half 1/6 : a sixth

2/3 : two thirds 1/7 : a seventh
¼ : a quarter 1/8 : an eighth
¾ : three quarters 1/9 : a ninth
1/5 : a fifth 1/10 : a tenth

Practice :
- In my first job, in 1976, I earned £38 a week, which was exactly £1,976 a year.
- Today they’re buying Euros at 1.3952 and selling them at 1.3957
- It’s either 0.431 or 4.031 - I can’t remember.
- £1,000,000 ? But that’s over $1,590,000 !
- No, it’s 12,231 not 12.231
- You can fax them on 066-22 27 47.
- For further information, call 0171-359 0131
- He’s 2m11 tall, like a basketball player.
- It only cost £13.99
- It’s somewhere between 22/3 and 23/4
- 365 is 9,855 plus 7 for leap years, plus 2 x 31 and 2 x 30 plus 16 days ; I’m 10,000 days old today !
- The equation is x2 – y3 = 3.3

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W/ Language Focus.
1. Choose (circle) the one appropriate form of the verbs from the three alternatives to complete the letter
below.

Dear sister,
I am sorry that I (didn’t write - haven’t written - don’t write) to you since Christmas. I (was being am -
have been) very busy until today.
Thank you very much for the book that you (have sent – sent - were sending) me in December. It (was -
has been - is being) very interesting. In fact, I (was only just finishing- only just finish - have only just
finished) it. By the way, a strange thing (was happening – happened - has happened) to me last week.
I(have walked - was walking - walked) down Oxford Street when suddenly I (have met – met - was
meeting) our old friend, Mrs. Wickers. She hasn’t looked - doesn’t look - didn’t look) a day older now
than she (does – was - did) when I last (was seeing - had seen - saw) her in 1999.

2. Complete the following with words from the box.

very little a few a little very few

a) We can’t repair the engine; we have ……………………………….. time left.

b) We’d better stop and buy some bread; there’s …………………………….……. bread left at home.

c) Why are those plants looking so sad ? -Well, we’ve had ………………….…………rain these times.

d) Could you give me a cigarette ? -Sure, there are still …………………………… in the packet.

3. Decide on (circle) the only one right preposition that is appropriate.

a) A meeting will be held in / on / at / Monday.
b) The contract will be signed in / on / at September 5.
c) The sales meeting with Ms Suzuki will be held on / in / at Tokyo next week.
d) All housekeepers must report for / with / to the hotel manager.
e) The new guests are expected to arrive until / at / within two months.
f) Due to enormous losses, the budget will be reduced at / of / by half.
g) The buses are crowded and dirty; in addition, they are never at / on / off time.
h) I think everyone on the staff will benefit to / from / onto the change of management.
i) The review takes into / on / off consideration the opinions of both groups.
j) Due on / to / of insufficient funds, Bonds Bank returned the check unpaid.

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4. Decide on (circle) the right transition word that is appropriate in the context.

a) She produces the most; nevertheless / consequently, she will be promoted.

b) He would have been a good representative; so / however, he does not speak their language.
c) There will be a memo on the subject, however / in addition, there will be an announcement.
d) The buses are crowded and dirty; nevertheless / moreover, they are always late.
e) The information is given orally; in addition / therefore, no printed material is provided.
f) Although / since losses tend to occur unpredictably, loans are reviewed every six months.
g) The pension plans cover only domestic employees; moreover / consequently, international employees
must make other arrangements.
h) Her department brought in more profits; in addition / therefore, she was promoted before the other
managers.

The End

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