BUSINESS ENGLISH 5

LESSON E1

Contacting by EmailI. WARM-UPVocabulary
Match the words with their meanings.
A							B1. supermarket chain
2. specifications
3. supplier
4. branches
5. purchasing
6. trolleys		a. a person or company that sells goods to customers
b. retail outlet that share a brand and central managementc. buyingd. statements of requirements in a business settinge. an object with wheels used to transport heavy things
f. shops that belong to the same company and are locatedin different places

II. DIALOGUE BOX
Here is a sample first contact by email.
Dear Sir / Madam:
I represent Intel Supermart. A supermarket chain with 30 branches in the south of Japan. We are looking
for a supplier in the South East who can process initial order of 2000 trolleys which meet our specificationsat an acceptable price. I found your company through the Internet and from what I understand you
produce shopping trolleys.
If you are interested in doing business with us, please contact me by email next week to discuss the terms
and finer details.
Yours faithfully,
Makoto Yamamoto
Purchasing Manager

Comprehension Check
1. What kind of company is Supermart?
2. What kind of business is it looking for?
3. What is the work of Mr. Makoto Yamamoto?

BUSINESS ENGLISH 5

Contacting by EmailIII. LANGUAGE BOX
Make and Do
The basic meaning of make and do is the same. Make is usually used to talk about
producing or constructing something concrete whereas do is used for actions, obligations
and repetitive tasks.
Make is used in the context of activity below.
a. make clothes (e.g make a shirt; make a gown)
b. make furniture (e.g make a coffee table; make a desk)c. make three dimensional art and film ( e.g make a movie; make a sculpture)d. make food (meals) (e.g make breakfast; make a salad)
Do is used in the following expressions:a. do the dishesb. do the shoppingc. do your homeworkd. do the laundrye. do work
f. do a good job
g. do your dutyh. do good

IV. SAY IT!
Your company is looking for a supplier that provides computer hardware.
Write a first-time email to the supplier suggesting a business deal with your company.

BUSINESS ENGLISH 5

LESSON E2

Finding Information by EmailI. WARM-UPVocabulary
Match the words with their meanings.
A								B1. outsource
2. recognize
3. reliability
4. brochures
5. proposed
6. quotation
7. deala. the statement of the price for a workb. a business transaction
c. ability of people or things that can be trusted to work welld. to obtain services from an outside suppliere. to know
f. suggested
g. booklets that give information about a product or service

II. DIALOGUE BOX
Mr. David Owens sent an email to Global Solutions to inquire about outsourcing services.
Dear Sir/Madam:
I am David Owen of LG Training Center. Our company is currently looking for a business partner
to outsource our CD-ROM in China. We recognize the reliability of your firm. Thus, we would liketo know the details of the services you are giving in connection to our needs. Also, we would liketo ask brochures of your product descriptions. Finally, could you please send us a copy of yourproposed contract including price quotation if you find this deal acceptable?
We would be very happy to hear from you soon.
Sincerely yours,David Owens
Marketing ManagerBUSINESS ENGLISH 5

Finding Information by EmailComprehension Check

1. What kind of service is the company looking for?
2. What is the first request being asked? The last request?
3. Do you find the proposed deal acceptable? Why or why not?
III. LANGUAGE BOX
Modals of Polite Requests: Could and Would
A. To state a polite request, use:
subject + would + like to + simple verb + …...
• I would like to know the date and time of the board’s meeting.
B. To ask questions in a very polite way, use:
Could / Would you (please) + simple verbs + …...?
• Could you explain that again, please?
• Would you please email that document to me?

IV. SAY IT!
You will be attending a lecture-forum in Luxemburg. You want to know thedetails of the activity. Send an email to the reservations office and ask forthe following information.
a. How much will you pay?
b. What are the inclusions of the payment?
c. What are the topics?
d. Who are the speakers?

BUSINESS ENGLISH 5

LESSON E3

Giving Updates by EmailI. WARM-UP

Vocabulary
Match the words and phrases with their meanings.
A							B1. reliable
2. backup
3. installation
4. equipment
5. scripts

a. toolsb. the act of putting up something for a purposec. can be trusted
d. support
e. copies of a written text of a play or radio broadcast

II. DIALOGUE BOXSend

AttachSave Draft

SpellingCancel
Show BCC

To:
Cc:
Subject:
Arial

Plain Textv

12v

Hi Samantha
This is just a quick email to let you know that we have found reliable voice actors for recording
radio advertisements. The Heartful Acting agency will provide backup in case problems may occur
when installing the equipment to be used. They will charge us $30 per hour which I think is fairlooking at the specification that they gave for the recording. I’ll send you the brochure tomorrow.
So, let’s try to get it done as quickly as we can.
Would you mind sending the scripts to the agency? Having the scripts earlier would be very
helpful. Hope to get your reply soon.
Brian

BUSINESS ENGLISH 5

Giving Updates by EmailComprehension Check
1. What update does Brian give Samantha?
2. What service will the Hearful Acting give in case of problems?
3. How much does the agency charge for the recording?
4. What does Brian want Samantha to do?
III. LANGUAGE BOX
A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and functions as a noun. It can function as :A. Subjects
Traveling could be a very nice job.
Sending emails to friends is exciting.
B. Objects of Prepositions
I will call you after arriving at the office.
Do you object to working late?
Look for gerunds in the Dialogue Box. Identify their functions.
IV. SAY IT!
You requested for supplies from another company. But your orders haven’t
been sent yet. Email that company to update them on the problem.

BUSINESS ENGLISH 5

LESSON E4Reserving and Buying by EmailI. WARM-UP

Vocabulary
Guess the meanings of the underlined words.
a. money paid for sending letter or parcels by post
b. a connected group of pages on the World Wide Webc. the condition of something that is ready for use
d. things
e. acceptance_____1. The company decided to update their site to attract more buyers.
_____2. She has been waiting for confirmation of her flight from the travel agent.
_____3. The suppliers delivered the wrong items by mistake. As a result, the client got 				 angry.
_____4. The post office has increased the postage to 10 cents for the letters sent outside		the country.
_____5. I would like to know the availability of the products so I can prepare the payment.
II. DIALOGUE BOX

Subject: Order

Dear Lorraine,Good day!
I have seen your site and I am interested in buying some of your products. I would like toplace an order for the following items:• 3 pieces of the green dress in small, medium, large sizes• 7 skirts from sizes 6 to 12
Please confirm these orders as soon as possible and also state how much I will pay for thepostage, We’ll pay cash when the items are delivered.
Also, could you send some information on the availability of these products next month?
Hope to hear from you soon.
Samantha
Manager

Comprehension Check
1. What items does Samantha want to buy?
2. What sizes of the skirt does she need?
3. What requests does Samantha ask from Lorraine?
4. What information does she want to know the following month?

BUSINESS ENGLISH 5Reserving and Buying by EmailIII. LANGUAGE BOXCollocations
A collocation is two or more words that often go together. For example, do business,make a profit, have lunch, keep an appointment.
Look for examples of collocations in the Dialogue Box
ExerciseGroup the given phrases with the correct verbs to form collocations.
A copyan orderthe bill				PAYan advertisement
a signal		
a telephone call			SEND

a finethe pricean email			

PLACEIV. SAY IT!
You are going to have a vacation in Hawaii and would like to stay in Waikiki Hotel& Resort. Make an email reservation.
Guide questions:
1. What kind of room do you want?
2. How much does the room cost?
3. What accommodations does the hotel offer? Is breakfast included?

BUSINESS ENGLISH 5

LESSON E5

Making a Complaint by EmailI. WARM-UP

Vocabulary
Match the words with their meanings.
A						B1. reference
2. cartridges
3. assured
4. dispatched
5. overlooked
6. negligencea. small containers for powder and liquid, inserted into a device
b. failed to noticec. something that gives informationd. failure to do somethinge. sentf. something that is certain to happen

II. DIALOGUE BOX
Subject: Order Reference # 002993
Dear Sir,I placed the above order, reference number 002993, on January 15th. There seems to be a problem withthis order. The printers we received are not the ones we wanted. I was told you had enough stock of thebrand that we asked for, hence the reason I placed the order. Also, I was assured the items would be
dispatched by January 18th but we still haven’t received the cartridges. It seems my specifications wereoverlooked, either that, or you are not serious about your business.
I’m willing to overlook this negligence as long as it’s corrected by next week; otherwise I will cancel myorder.
Sincerely,Brenda Whiteman

Comprehension Check
1. What items did the customer order?
2. Which item was not received?
3. What will the client do if the problem is not fixed?
4. What would you do if you were the client?

BUSINESS ENGLISH 5

Making Complaints by EmailIII. LANGUAGE BOXVerbs seem and appear are often used when someone makes a complaint. Seem --something gives the impression of happening in the ways you describe it. Appear --telling something you believe though you cannot be sure it is true.
• There seems lacking in the items we ordered.
• It appears that the sizes of the shoes are not the same.
Nouns mistake and error are used to talk about confusion.
• The cashier made a mistake when counting the money.
• There was an error on the information sheet.
Look for these expressions in the Dialogue Box

IV. SAY IT!
You ordered several office tables from a furniture shop. The shop clerk promised
to deliver the items the week after, on Monday. Two weeks have passed and still
no delivery has been made. Email the shop and express your disappointment.