i The PresentContinuous is used to talk
- actions happening now, at this moment
e.g. I am reading this sentence.
The teacher is writing on the board.
- actions happening over a longer period of time, not necessarily at this moment
e.g. I am reading a good book.
We arent working on any new project at the moment.
ii The PresentContinuous is formedusing the verb be and the main verb with ing ending
| Affirmative (+) | Negative (-) | Question (?) | |||
| I'm He's / She's / It's You're / We're / They're | working | I'm not He / She / It isn't You / We / They aren't | working | Am I Is he she it Are you we they | working? |
iii Short answers
| Yes, I am. | No, Im not. |
| Yes, he/ she/ it is. | No, he/ she/ it isnt. |
| Yes, you/ we/ they are. | No, you / we/ they arent. |
e.g. Are you working at home today? Yes, I am.
Are they working on a new project at the moment? No, they arent.
iv Spelling
| Most verbs add ing. | She s talking to the client. |
| For verbs ending in e, take away e and add ing. | He s making some coffee. |
| For verbs ending in consonant+vowel+consonant, double the final consonant and add ing. | Is anyone sitting here? |
Do not double the final consonant if it is in an unstessed syllable (e.g. developing, marketing)
ASSIGNMENTS
A Write the ing form of these verbs:
| 1 stay .. 2 listen 3 increase 4 develop 5 take . | 6 run . 7 refer . 8 work 9 try 10 deal . |
B Write the missing word in each of the following sentences:
1 I translaing out companys mission statement into German.
2 Many foreign companies investing in Turkey.
3 Sonaras sales figures improving?
4 I looking for a manager with a lot of experience in finance.
5 Tom still checking the company accounts?
6 Unfortunately, the east of the country not attracting many investors.
7 You planning to break into the Spanish market, arent you?
C Write short answers to these questions.
1 Is the situation getting better?
e.g. Yes, it is.
2 Are Sonara and Alfitel working together now?
Yes, ..
3 Are they improving the quality of thehir services?
No,
4 Is Mr Robertson looking for a bigger factory?
No, .
5 Are you and Robert testing our new product?
Yes,
6 Hi Sam! So you arent working for RTS Sports any more?
No,
7 Is Barbara trying to get money for her new project?
Yes, .
8 Is their new shop attracting a lot of customers?
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No,
D Match questions 1-5 to answers a-e.
| 1 What are you doing at the moment? | a) Its raining. | 1 ____ |
| 2 Are you working on any interesting projects? | b) Sorry. Im trying to finish these plans. | 2____ |
| 3 How are your English lessons? | c) Im working with our partners in Italy. | 3 ____ |
| 4 Could you give me a hand? | d) Yes, we are working on a new hospital in Cairo. | 4 ____ |
| 5 What is the weather like today? | e) Theyre difficult, but Im making progress. | 5 ____ |
E Complete the sentences with a verb in the present continuous. Use the verbs in the box below.
| design write |
e.g. 1 Hello. I m calling from the airport. Can I speak to Dan Vermont, please?
2 The company _____________ three new sales staff for its Sochi office.
3 We _________________ our activities in South America.
4 Im afraid she ______________ lunch at the moment. Can I take a message?
5 I _____________ a prototype for a new car engine.
6 They ____________ a factory just outside Krasnodar.
7. Our new training programme __________________ the spoken English of all our employees.
8. Im sorry, but you_______________ too quickly for me. Could you slow down a little bit?
9. We _____________ a new product into the Asian market.
10. Dont go into his office he _______________ an important report at the moment.
F Read the article and do the assignments below.
THE SHY ARCHITECT
How Ratan Tata is changing Indias biggest company
Ratan Tata trained to be an architect. Then he worked for the family firm, the Tata Group one of the biggest companies in India. It has companies in many different sectors, including the car industry and the steel industry. The companys latest project is producing a car that costs under $3,000.
Mr Tata does not drink or smoke and he does not like publicity. He became chairperson in 1991. At that time, Tata was a difficult organization to manage. There were more than 300 different companies in the group and some were old-fashioned*. Today, there are only 96 companies and the group is more modern.
In the past, it was difficult for Tata to trade outside India because of competition from other countries. Now it exports internationally. The Tata Group is also buying companies in different countries. At the moment, one of the companies in the group, Tata Steel, is trying to buy Corus, a European steel company. But it has a competitor: CSN, a Brazilian company, also wants to buy Corus.
Ratan Tata is making changes to the company. Many of these changes help make the group more competitive. But he isnt changing all the groups traditions. For example, the Tata Group still tries to help its workers the children of Tatas steelworkers first started to have free education in 1917. Two thirds of the Tata Group is owned by charitable foundations**, and today they are still helping people in India. Investors sometimes ask: Is Tata doing the right thing? Is charity good for business? But Mr Tata thinks it is possible to help people and be competitive at the same time.
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old-fashioned*- ;
charitable foundation**-
G Which of these sentences summarises Ratan Tatas ideas?
a) A successful chairman is only interested in profit.
b) A company can be competitive and help people.
c) A group with a lot of companies is easy to manage.
H Do the following refer to the Tata company in the past or at the moment? One thing refers to both.
| 1 producing a cheap car | 3 96 companies in the group 5 a Brazilian competitor |
| 2 300 companies in the group | 4 helping its workers |
I Read the article again and asnwer the questions:
1 Which two sectors does the Tata Group have companies in?
2 How much does Tatas new car cost?
3 What doesnt Ratan Tata do?
4 What doesnt he like?
5 When did he become chairperson?
6 When did Tata first give free education to employees children?
7 How much of the group is owned by charitable foundations?
8 Who asks if helping people is good for business?
J Discuss the following questions in a mini-group. Choose a speakperson to report on the results of the discussion.
- What things can a company do to help its workers?
- Do you think that it is possible for a company to be competitive and also help people? Do you know any companies that do both?
TEXT B
1 In small groups, discuss these questions:
1 What kind of products are often advertised as natural?
2 What is important for people when they buy cosmetics and things like soap, shampoo or toothpaste?
3 Nowadays, many companies want to be ethical, i.e. to behave in a morally right way. What do you think that means in practice?
2 Study this vocabulary and definitions and think of Russian equivalents:
toiletries things like toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc.
sophisticated who knows a lot about fashion and the modern world
revenues money that a business gets from selling goods over a period of time
a range a group of products of the same type that a company makes
biodegradable [ˏbaiəudi'greidəbəl] that you can destroy without making the environment dirty
net income the money a company has after paying tax and other costs
3 Read the text and complete the fact file.
| Name: | Natura | Type of products: | .. |
| Location: | .. | Number of products: | .. |
| Chief Executive: | . | Revenues: | .. |
