Main Topic 4: Business Presentations Lesson 32: Business Deals (20-25 minutes) Today, you will: 1. Learn useful vocabulary related to business deals. 2. Review Superlatives ( The and most/-est ) I. VOCABULARY Exercise 1: What s the meaning? (5-6 minutes) Choose the meaning of the underlined words from the choices that follow. Then practice using the words in your own sentences. 1. The senior manager aims to seal the multi-million business deal by tomorrow. a. settle b. dictate c. propose d. authorize 2. A sales representative must always treat the client with respect. a. officer b. producer c. customer d. messenger 3. Mr. Hopkins said yes to the offer with the condition that he will get a higher salary. a. supplement b. requirement c. development d. arrangement 4. The company needs to make enough profit, or else it will be forced to close. a. go out of town b. go out of business c. run out of clients d. run out of employees Page 1
5. We guarantee that our products are 100% genuine and original. a. think b. prove c. guess d. promise Page 2
Exercise 2: What s the word? (5-7 minutes) Read the following dialog with your tutor and try to use context clues to fill in the blanks with the most appropriate word. You can find the missing word from the pool of words at the bottom. Sabrina Hodge, a restaurant owner, is in a business meeting with Mr. Henry Gates, a client. Sabrina Hodge: Good morning, Mr. Gates. It s nice to see you again. Mr. Gates: It s nice to see you too, Ms. Hodge. Shall we proceed with our (1)? Sabrina Hodge: Yes of course. Yesterday you agreed for our restaurant to provide food for your wedding at the rate of $30 per person. Mr. Gates: Yes. But I still would like to (2) with you. Sabrina Hodge: All right. What do you have in mind? Mr. Gates: Since we have a lot of guests at the wedding, 500 to be exact, I hope you can give me a 20% (3). Sabrina Hodge: Hmm. We would really like to be of service to you. I hope we can reach a (4). Instead of a 20% discount, how about a 10% discount, plus free sodas for your guests? Mr. Gates: That sounds good to me. That amounts to $27 per person, right? Sabrina Hodge: Yes Mr. Gates. For a total of $13,500. Mr. Gates: Thank you Ms. Hodge. I really appreciate it. Sabrina Hodge: Thank you for doing business with us, Mr. Gates. We will (5) with the contract within today. Choices: a. compromise b. discount c. follow-up d. restrict e. negotiate f. transaction Page 3
I. GRAMMAR REVIEW: Topic: The or Most/est Omitted (5-6 minutes) Superlative adjectives are used to describe the extreme quality of a person or thing. We use superlatives to compare three or more persons or things. There are two ways to form a superlative adjective: 1. Short adjectives Examples Rule:add "the -est" if the adjective ends in -e, just add st old the oldest late the latest if the adjective ends in consonant, vowel, consonant, double big the biggest the last consonant if the adjective ends in -y, change the y to i happy the happiest 2. Long adjectives 2-syllable adjectives not ending in y all adjectives with 3 or more syllables Rule: use "the most" modern, pleasant expensive, intellectual modern the most modern expensive the most expensive Remember: To make sure that you are making a correct comparison, always follow the above rules. Do not forget to add the, -est, and most to your adjectives. Examples : She is the prettiest among her coworkers Beth, Lisa, and Jane. She is pretty among her coworkers Beth, Lisa, and Jane. They are the most hardworking salespersons in the company. They are the hardworking salespersons in the company. Elena is the youngest worker in the office. Elena is youngest worker in the office. Page 4
Comprehension Check: Complete the following sentence: Jupiter is the planet in the solar system. Exercise 1: Incomplete Sentences (5-6 minutes) Choose the word or phrase that would best complete the following sentences. 1. Viola is among the office staff. a. the punctual b. the punctualest c. the very punctual d. the most punctual 2. Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Jones were the bosses I ve ever had. a. excellent b. more excellent c. most excellent d. very excellent 3. office building in the world is Taipei 101. a. Most tall b. Most tallest c. The tallest d. The most tall 4. She deserves a promotion because she is employee in the department. a. the diligent b. most diligent c. the more diligent d. the most diligent 5. Mr. Harris got discount for our services last month. a. biggest b. most big c. the biggest d. the most big Page 5