UNIT III COMBINING PAST AND PRESENT
ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR FOR SENIOR STUDENTS
PART I
UNIT I PRESENT TENSES
PRESENT SIMPLE
FORM I/you / we/ they work
He / she / it works.
I / you/ we / they do not work
He / she / itdoes not work.
DoI / you / we / they work?
Does he / she / it work?
USES
- presenting factual information, e.g. about company activities
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.
- actions and situations which are generally true
Imperial Tobacco belongs to the Hanson group.
High taxationdiscourages investment.
We sell our products into many markets.
A good brand guarantees a certain level of quality to customers.
- 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, realize, recognize, 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.
- 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.
When shegets to the office she always checks her e-mail first.
- asking for and giving directions and instructions
How do Iget to your office?
You turn left after the station,cross the bridge and it’s second building on your right.
Place the CD on the drive and click on the icon.
- talking about timetables and scheduled events
The bus leavesat 8.35 tomorrow morning.
The exhibitionopens on 25 January.
The legislation comes into force on 1 January.
( These actions are seen as fixed and the speaker is unlikely to be able to influence them).
- 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 the 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 flow and financial condition. The report concludes by pointing out the need for further investment if the group is to continue its expansion policy.
- newspaper headlines ( the use of the present simple creates a sense of dramatic impact).
Unileversells coffee operations.
Russia doubles tea import duties.
PepsiCo link with Suntory.
Bank regulatorblocks merger.
- 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:
Iresign! I declare this meeting open. I admit I was wrong. I apologize. I demand to see the manager. I adviseyou to look again at our proposal.
PRACTICE
1. Complete these sayings appropriately, using the following verbs: buy, believe, believe, tend, promise, say, put, mean, talk.
1. Every time we ..... a foreign car we put someone else out of work.(Woodrow Wyatt)
2. Money..... they.....; all it ever said to me was “Goodbye”. (Cary Grant)
3. Democracy .....government by discussion but it is only effective if you can stop people talking. (Clement Attlee, British Prime Minister)
4. Politicians are the same all over. They .... to build a bridge even where there is no river. (Khrushev)
5. In a hierarchy every employee ...... to rise to his level of incompetence.( L.J.Peter)
6. Not all Germans .... in God, but they ....in the Bundesbank. (Jacques Delors)
2. Complete the introduction to this report, using the following verbs: highlight, recommend, focus, call for, provide
This report...on the employment of women and children in a number of emerging nations. In particular, it ..... the conditions endured by thousands of workers in places where child labor, poverty wages and health risks are endemic. Each chapter..... an analysis of the situation on a country-by-country basis.
The report .....that retailers should lay down tough rules to make sure overseas suppliers pay sufficient wages to meet basic needs. It also.... companies to draw up a code of conduct and employ inspectors to make manufacturers keep it.
3. Match the beginning and ends of the headlines.
a. Ford seeks to cut a. sends out shock waves
b. Bourses slip b. death of employment
c. Sao Paulo debt crisis report c. on U.S. technology
d. China renews attack d. backing to stay afloat
e. Pessimists foresee e. as dollar falls against yen
f. Underwater venture needs f. 1bn IN COSTS
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
FORMI am working. Am I working?
You / we /theyare working Are you / we / they working?
He / she / it is working Is he / she / itworking?
I am notworking
You / we / theyare notworking
He / she / it is not working
USES
- talking about an event in progress at the moment of speaking
What are you doing? - I am trying to find a file.
I’m afraid Mr. Bansall can’t see you right now. He’s interviewing someone.
- with the verbs of movement when the action has just started
I’m leaving. Can you tell Mary I’ll see her tomorrow?
Can I speak to John? - Sorry, he is out. No, hold on, he’s just coming down the corridor.
It’s 10 o’clock. I’m going to the canteen for lunch.
- describing current situations and ongoing projects
The time reference is at and around “now”, before and after the situations referred to.
But the situation may not be in progress literally at the exact moment of speaking.
We are waiting for permission to go ahead with the project.
Big Japanese companies are thinking again about uniform pay system.
My boss is dealing with your enquiry but you won’t get a rapid answer.
- describing temporary situations ( when the present progressive is used in this way, the situation described will not last permanently)
They are staying at the Crillon Hotel until the end of the week.
He’s workingin Libya on a fixed-term contract.
They are offering a 20% discount for the duration of the trade fair.
- changing, developing situations ( we use the present progressive to describe changes which have not yet finished)
The number of people using the Internetis growing.
The Amason rainforest is disappearingat an alarming rate.
Consumers in the industrialized world are becoming increasingly concerned with healthy living.
- personal arrangements and plans ( we use the present progressive to refer to future time when talking about the arrangements and fixed plans made before the time of speaking. We often use a time expression unless we are sure that the other people know we are talking about the future.
I’m seeing Mr. P. next weekend.
I’m takingthe client to the best restaurant in town.
She’s got a new job so she’s leaving the firm in October.
- talking about repeated actions
His daughter is taking diving lessons.
His wife is always telling him not to work so hard.
We are constantly monitoringour products for quality.
If we describe repeated situations using the present progressive with “always” , the situation is often unplanned. Compare:
I always meet Marilin in the car park.( planned in advance)
I’m always meeting Marilin in the car park. ( by chance).
PRACTICE
1. Read these extracts about projects that various companies are currently involved in. Match the extracts in column A with those in column B.
A B
- Ford is aiming to corner 10% of car a. The chief reforms are the elimination
Sales in the Asia –Pacific region within of 900 jobs and the reduction of sales,
the next 10 years. general and administrative expenses.
- IBM in Europe chooses schools b. The firm is opting for external manage-
with the technology to teach ment training in a big way and is using collaboration, writes Della Bradshaw. its purchasing power to push the business
schools involved into adopting the very
- Showa Shell Sekiyu and Cosmo Oil latest technology to deliver their courses.
are stepping up plans to cut costs and
improve cash flow. c. After a slow start, the compact disc
version of the video cassette is now
- The New Zealand government selling well in North America.
has decided to sell the country’s
second-biggest electricity generator. d. It currently has about 1% of the
region’s market but hopes
to significantly expand
- Sales of DVD video should take off its operations in China, Japan, Thailand
in Europe next year when nearly 500,000 and India.
players will be sold , according to a new
study. e. It is seeking commercial advisers for
the sale of Contact Energy, which
produces 27% of the country’s energy
supply.
- Which of these ideas do you associate with the present simple and which with the present progressive?
- regular activities...
- temporary situations
- fixed timetables
- giving instructions
- an event in progress
- permanent and factual situations
- a present arrangement for the future
- mental states
- trends and changing situations
- doing by saying
Study these sentences and decide which example corresponds to each of 1-10 above.
a. I’m replacing Bill because he’s off sick.
b. The scheduled flight leaves next Monday at 8.15 from London.
c. The technician is mending the photocopier so you can’t use it now.
d. I’m seeing Bill Sykes tomorrow afternoon, I’ve got it in my diary.
e. The conference room measures 164 square metres.
f. I admit there has been a mistake.
g. I understand they have gone bankrupt.
h. Enter PIN number, select menu, choose language, press OK.
i. With the Internet the world is getting smaller.
j. We have a planning meeting once a month.
- Insert the present simple or present progressive.
1) Light...more quickly than sound (to travel).
2) I....deceitful; but I declare I ...you; I.... you the worst of anybody in the world. ( to be –negative, to love-negative, to dislike).
3) He....best, who....last ( to laugh, to laugh).
4) I don’t interrupt people when they ....( to read).
5) I never .... him doing any work there, whenever I... . He .... behind a bit of glass all day. ( to see, to go in, to sit).
6) Actions .... louder than words( to speak).
7) Robert ...just now ... to my uncle, and they .... hands( to speak, to shake).
8) And now my written story ends. I look back , once more ,for the last time, before I close these leaves. I ... myself with Agnes on my side, journeying along the road of life. I ... our children and our friends around us and I ... the roar of many voices, not indifferent to me as I travel on.( to see, to see, to hear).
9) I don’t feel the cold when I... with my children ( to play).
10) Every star ...its own orbit.(to have).
11) My tooth-brush is a thing that haunts me when I... and... my life a misery. (to travel, to make).
12) This is Mr. Slush’s latest book. It... a wonderful sale( to have).
13) That’s the way she always ...(to talk).
14)I’m sure you’ll like him when you ... him( to see).
ENJOY YOURSELF
GRAMMAR IN RHYME
Three little words you often see,
Are Articles A, An and The.
A noun is the name of anything,
As School, or Garden, Hoop, or Swing.
Adjectives tell the kind of Noun,
As Great, Small, Pretty, White, or Brown.
Instead of Nouns the Pronouns stand,
Her head, His face, Your arm, My hand.
Verbs tell of something being done-
To read, Count, Laugh, Sing, Jump, or Run.
How things are done the Adverbs tell,
As Slowly, Quickly, Ill, or Well.
Conjunctions join the words together-
As men And women, wind And weather.
The Preposition stands before
A noun , as In or Through a door.
The Interjection shows surprise, as Oh! How pretty! Ah! How wise!
The whole are called nine parts of speech
Which reading, writing, speaking teach.
UNIT II PAST TENSES
PAST SIMPLE
FORM
I/you/ he/ she/ it/ we theyworked. I/ he/ she/ it was late.
I/you/ he/ she/ it/ we/ theydidnotwork. You/ we/ they were late.
Did I/ you/ he/ she/ it/ they work? Was I/ he/ she/ it late?
Were you/ we/ they late?
USES
- talking about completed actions that happened in the past
Graham bellinvented the telephone.
“Did you readthe contract? “ “ Yes, and Isent it back to the legal department”.
- referring to a definite moment or period in the past
Imet the president yesterday.
Ispoke to them an hour ago.
Ted Turnerlaunched CNN in 1980.
The standard of living in Europe went up during the 1960s.
Did youdiscuss the problem at the last week’s meeting?
- describing something, e.g. the history of the company
When George Eastman introduced the first Kodak camera in 1888, he wantedto supply the tools of photography at the lowest possible price to the greatest number of people. The rapid growth of his businessmade the large- scale production a necessity. The creation of ingenious tools and processes for manufacturing film enabled the Eastman company to turn out high-quality merchandise at prices that put them within the reach of the general public.
- in reports, e.g. a company’s annual report.
( The past simple is used in annual reports when they refer back to the previous year’s trading:)
Last yearwas a tough year for our group. On the one hand, weearned more than a billion dollars, wegenerated record cash flow and many of our businesses posted big gains in sales, profit and market share. On the other hand, our total earnings declined, our overseas subsidiariesexperiencedmajor problems and our US production facilities underperformed.
PRACTICE
- Complete each paragraph using the verbs in brackets( have, say, begin, introduce, open)
In 1985 Simon Bell .... his computer business at the University of Southampton. In 1987 his company ..... the Z5000 machine which the magazine PC Journal.... “may become the next industry benchmark”. The following year he.... an office in the United States and soon ....offices in 28 countries.
(amount, decide, employ, run, go )
In 1989 Bell.... public. By now the firm ....750 people and sales .... to over $159 million. Then two years later employees .... to celebrate 1 April by hanging a giant inflatable banana outside company headquarters, the first of many publicity stunts. On another occasion the CEO .... the London marathon.
( set up, launch, total, offer )
In 1992 Bell .... free installations software as a standard option and in 1993 ... the low-priced Explorer PCs, one of the most highly praised systems in the industry. In 1996 Bell.... an Internet computer store, through its website www.bell.com. Last year sales .... more than $10million a day.
2.Complete the annual report choosing from the following verbs. There are more verbs than necessary. ( delay, choose, improve, give, make, stabilise, hinder )
Last year the international situation in the hydrocarbons industry ... to some extent. However, the volatile foreign exchange rates.......currency management more difficult and relatively weak demand.... expansion projects. We therefore ...to focus our efforts on specific opportunities where our know-how .... us a technical advantage over particularly aggressive competition. As a result we propose doubling our dividend.
PAST PROGRESSIVE
FORM
Iwas working WasI working?
You/ we/ they were working Wereyou/ we/ they working?
He/ she/ it was working Washe/ she/ it working?
I was not working.
You/ we/they were notworking.
He/ she/ it was not working.
USES
- emphasizing the duration or continuity of a past event
He was workingon the report all day long.
During the 1990s computer scientists were trying to deal with the millennium bug.
- describing a background event
( We use the past progressive to describe an event which was in progress when it was interrupted by another one. The second, shorter event, is in the past simple.)
I was just leaving the office when he arrived.
We were talkingabout safety procedures when the fire alarm went off.
- for repeated events
He was visiting clients all last week and didn’t come to the office.( a number of different clients).
Last month we were having a lot of problems with the production line. ( a number of different problems).
(However , the past progressive is not normally used for the same action which is repeated, or for habitual past actions.)
The production line stopped five times yesterday.
When I was at business school we often worked on case studies.
- making polite requests
I was wonderingif you could give me a lift downtown.
( There is no idea of past time here. The past verb form is a polite formula and makes the request less direct.)
for events planned in the past which did not take place.
I was planning to visit the exhibition but I went to the football match instead.
She was goingto phone them yesterday but didn’t have time.
PRACTICE
- Read the following passage and choose where to insert these sentences.
a) Magazines such as “Fortune” and “Business Week” were all mocking him.
b) But it is true that Jobs was still losing money. In the early 1990s he was going bankrupt at an alarming rate.
c) Pixar Animation Inc. was also bleeding cash fast.
d) His two businesses, Next ( a computer firm) and Pixar ( a computer animation company) were rapidly going bankrupt.
Entrepreneurs can go through long periods of bad luck and fall on hard times. Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, is one of those people. Since enjoying tremendous success in the 1980s he spent 11 years of humiliating failure.
After he was sacked by Apple, he lost millions of dollars by selling his shares at the wrong time. ................ . Next had spent $180 million of its shareholders’ money and had nothing to show for it. ........... .
For five years the criticism from the business press was universal and deafening. ................... . The writer called Randall Stross published a book called ‘Steve Jobs and the Next Big Thing’ which accused him, among other things, of fostering false optimism on successes that didn’t exist and having no financial know-how. It was a humiliating attack. ............... . By 1995 he had lost $200m out of fortune of $300m.
Now all that is behind him. Pixar now makes animated movies in partnership with Disney. Toy Story was the third –highest earning animation of all time and the launch of the iMac was a huge success. We haven’t heard the last of Mr. Jobs.
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE
FORM
I/ you/ they/ wehad worked. HadI/ you/ we/ they worked?
He/ she/ ithad worked. Had he/ she/ it worked?
I/ you/ we/ they had not worked.
He/ she/ ithadnotworked.
USES
- talking about events that happened before other events
(In this extract the events in bold type refer to an earlier past)
had climbed into the dryer = before the accident
his employer had not given him proper training = before the accident
had been an unlawful killing = before the trial
had died = before the trial
Paul Bennett was killed after hehad climbed into a giant industrial tumble dryer to free a piece of cloth trapped inside. The machine started incidentally and he was spun to death at heat of 43 C. It became evident that his employerhadnotgiven him proper training and a jury decided that there had been an “unlawful killing” – it was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr. Bennett had died as a result of manslaughter.
- with “I wish”, “if only” and “I’d rather”
( we use the past perfect to talk about events that did not happen)
I wish Ihad been more interested in English at school.
If only I had bought those shares; they’ve gone up 27%.
I’d rather he’d asked me before taking my car.
( In the negative the sentence expresses a regret for events that did take place)
He wishes he hadn’tleft his previous job. ( but he did).
- emphasizing the recent nature and/or duration of actions
( if we want to focus on continuous activity taking place in an earlier past we use the progressive form)
Theyhad been testingthe drug for years before it came onto the market.
She had to take a break because she’d been working far too hard.
PRACTICE
1. Read the CV and complete the sentences about Susan George using these verbs.( develop, market, be, obtain, spend).
1. Before she went to Lancaster University, Susan......three “A» levels.
2. Before she got her degree in biology, she......three years in Lancaster.
3. Before she joined Fisons, she ....... on a marketing course.
4. Before she worked at Rootes AgriTech, she ....... disease-resistant rice plants.
5. Before she became a product Manager at Boots, she ...... . remedies for Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Susan has been relatively successful but things didn’t always turn out as she hoped. Change the verb form in brackets.
1. She wishes she .....(get) better”A”level grades.
2. She wishes she ......(to obtain) a distinction at degree level.
3. She wishes she ......(do) a doctorate.
4. She wishes the marketing course ......(last) longer than eight weeks.
PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
FORM
I/ you/ we/ they had been working Had I/ you/ we/ they been working?
He/ she/ it had been working Had he/ she/ itbeen working?
I/ you/ we/ theyhadnotbeen working
He/ she/ it had notbeen working.
USES
- talking about events that happened before other events
( Like the past perfect simple the past perfect progressive looks back to an event that took place before another past event. The main difference is that the progressive form emphasizes the duration of the first event. So, we normally use the progressive with an expression indicating how long: for over an hour, for a long time, since 1999, etc.
I’d been trying to get through for over an hour before someone answered the phone.
He’d been thinking of going abroad for a long time and then he got a post in Singapore.
Before they closed down the subsidiary, it had been losing money for years.
- finished and unfinished activities
Compare:
a) When I last saw her she’d been planninga new sales strategy.
b) When I last saw her she’d planneda new sales strategy.
In sentence (a) the planning may or may not have been completed; we don’t know whether the new strategy was abandoned or not.
In sentence (b) it is clear that the planning had reached an end-point.
Note that we do not use the progressive form with verbs describing permanent states, perception, etc.
The man who said there was no future in computershadn’t understood their significance.
PRACTICE
1. Complete the following sentences using either the past perfect simple or progressive.
1. My flight from Sydney arrived late because there .......(be) a bomb alert before the plane took off. When we finally left we ...... (wait) for over five hours.
2. I............(work) hard all year so I felt I needed a rest.
3. I ..........(See) the designs before they went on show but they .......( not impress) me.
4. When I bough my BIP shares, their value .......(fall) for some time.
5. The merchant bank didn’t know that one of their traders......(hide) huge losses.
6. The employee was dismissed because he .........(steal) company property ever since he was taken on.
7. It took me 20 minutes to realize I ......(look) in the wrong file.
2. Read the extract about Marcel Bich’s early career and complete the sentences. If it is not possible to use the past perfect progressive, use the simple form.
Marcel Bich set up in business in 1949 and created France’s most successful company and its third best-known brand after Dior and Chanel.
He was educated in Italy as a child, followed by two years at the Lycee Francais in Madrid. He completed his secondary education in Bordeaux where he received the nickname “Baron” – a title that he carried for the rest of his life. At 18, he began selling torches door-to-door and later said that this experience was critical to his entrepreneurial success. At university he studied mathematics and philosophy and after graduation began work as a production manager for an office machine company. He then joined Stephens, a large French pen manufacturer, as a production executive, but the Second World War interrupted his career and when it was over he decided he wanted to set up on his own.
1. Before he died in 1994 he.......(create) France’s most successful company.
2. Before going to Bordeaux he .....(study) in Italy and Spain.
3. Before he went to university, he ......(sell) torches door-to-door.
4. Prior to becoming a production manager he .......(study) maths and philosophy.
5. Before the Second World War he (work) for Stephens as a production executive.
UNIT III COMBINING PAST AND PRESENT
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE
FORM
I/ you/ we/ theyhave worked Have I/ you/ we/ they worked?
He/ she/ it has worked Has he/ she/ itworked?
I/ you/ we/ theyhave not worked
He/ she/ it has notworked
USES
- talking about recent results of past actions
( In this extract the impact of information technology over the last few years is described in terms of its present significance.)
It has shaken up company structures just as much as external markets, says Vanessa Houlder. To enthusiasts, information technology is forging a productivity revolution. Ithas changed not just the nature of the markets and competition. Inside companies, ithas changedbehavior. Ithas broken down the barriers of geography and time. Ithas flattened organizational structures, eliminating vast numbers of jobs, while making others more demanding and effective.
- announcing news
( the use of the present perfect focuses on the current relevance)
Our fax number has changed.
We’ve just lowered our prices.
They have updated their website.
The government has announced a decrease in corporation tax.
Telecom Italia has askedits chief executive to complete negotiations over the company’s plans to participate in a new digital pay TV system.
- with time adverbs
( We use the present perfect simple to say how long a situation that began in the past has lasted up to the moment of speaking).
He’s been vice-president for 10 years.
He’s had the same job since 1996.
She’s always beena creative person.
- talking about life experiences
He’s done many jobs in his time. He’s sold encyclopedias, he’s been a journalist, he’s worked in a shoe factory and now he’s a trade unionist.
(There is no focus here on when he did these things in the past. Only the experiences are important).
- with expressions referring to “time up to now”
Have you ever visitedBeijing? ( ever = at any previous time up to now)
I’venever seen the Niagara Falls. ( never = at no previous time up to now)
I’vealreadyhad a word with Bruce. ( already = before now)
Hasn’t she yet decided what to do next? ( yet = until the present time)
We’ve had a good year so far. ( so far = up until now)
We’ve grown rapidly over the last few years. ( = recent years up until now).
- after “ this is the first /second time”
This is the first time we have (ever) receiveda complaint.
It’s only the second time we’ve met.
- referring to a completed event in the future after “when”, “ as soon as”, etc.
I can’t make a decision if I haven’t received all the data.
I’ll phone you when I’ve received confirmation.( or “when I receive”)
I won’t make a decision until Ihave spoken to the principal.( or “until I speak”)
I’ll leave as soon as I’ve finished.( or” as soon as I finish”.
PRACTICE
1. Choose between the past simple and the present perfect.
Stella McCartney, Paul McCartney’s daughter, joined/ has joined the troubled Paris fashion house Chloe barely a year ago. It took/has taken her just one year to reverse its fortunes. Previously Chloe was/has been virtually invisible as a major force in the world of fashion. But almost single-handedly she transformed/ has transformed Chloe into the most talked about fashion brand in the world. She increased/has increased sales fivefold. Paris didn’t see/hasn’t seen anything like it since the young Yves St Laurent took/has taken the city by storm 30 years ago.
When she was/has been appointed it was /has been clear she knew/has known what she had/has had to do. “ I want to bridge the gap between consumers and the press. At the moment fashion is just sort of stuck in the middle”.
So far, Stella stuck/has stuck to her philosophy of avoiding outrageous and uncommercial catwalk creations. She kept/has kept to the simple philosophy of designing clothes that she or her friends would want to wear. As her best friends are Kate Moss, Naomi Kampbell and Yasmin le Bon, it also brings her big publicity.
2. Complete these announcements, read out today during a radio programme called “Business in Action”. Complete each one, using these verbs in either the past simple or the present perfect. ( agree, buy, give, issue, slump)
In a gigantic deal, BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO, the world’s second-largest international cigarette maker, ....... to take over ROTHMANS ( the fourth-largest) for $8.7 billion.
Shares in MARKS AND SPENCES, Britain’s biggest retailer,....... by more than 10% in the last 24 hours after the firm ..... a profits warning.
Europe’s postal market is becoming increasingly competitive. Only weeks after the British government ...... the state-controlled POST OFFICE greater commercial freedom, it ....... Germany’s third-largest private carrier. GERMAN PARCEL has a big distribution network and a large stake in GENERAL PARCEL, which operates Europe-wide.
3.Look at Christopher Harvey’s CV and ask and answer questions using the present perfect or past simple when appropriate.
EDUCATION
1997-1999 Master’s Degree in Financial Administration
Project: setting up an import company in Spain
1993-1996 Business Studies, Henley Management School
Project: market survey of perfume sales in France, Spain and
Italy
EMPLOYMENT
1996-1998 Steelcase Straford (Spain)
Marketing assistant reporting to the marketing director. I was in charge of a dealer development programme involving five other members of staff, responsible for the creation of a mail order catalogue sent to 5,000 customers, creating a database on competing products and planning roadshows for the launch of new products.
1994-1995 American Cyanamid(Spain)
Export assistant in charge of order processing, customs clearance, dealing with delivery delays.
LANGUAGES Spanish: fluent English :fluent
COMPUTER LITERACY Windows, Microsoft Office, QuarkXpress, Photoshop.
Examples:
Live abroad?
Has he ever lived abroad? Yes, he has. He has lived in Spain for a number of years.
Study economics?
Has he ever studied economics? No, he hasn’t, but he studied finance.
Be in charge of the team?
Set up a business?
Have direct sales experience?
Use Excel?
Organise exhibitions?
Deal with export procedures?
4.Sort these words into two categories: Used with the present perfect and with the past simple.
Ago, yet, lately, since, last year, over the last two years, for the past three weeks, yesterday, at 3 o’clock, during the 1990s.
5.Choose the correct adverbs.
1. I’ve yet/already/ so far spoken to Peter about it.
2. We’ve made a lot of progress over the past three years/ since three years/ during three years.
3. We set up two years ago/ during the 1970s/ over the last two years.