ENGLISH FOR IT

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 3

INTRODUCTION

‘English for IT’ is a practical course that will help you use English in your work environment.
The course includes useful vocabulary for carrying out everyday tasks as an IT technician,
as well as comprehension practice. A brief revision of the most relevant grammatical and
functional concepts will help refresh your memory and put your English in use.

Each lesson of the course begins with a ‘Scene’, a dialogue or a text that sets the scene of a
professional situation. From this general context, you will move to the ‘Vocabulary’ section,
where you will learn and practise specific terms in your professional field. The ‘Key con-
cepts’ section offers the opportunity to review a wide range of language structures. Finally,
in the ‘Reading’ and ‘Writing’ sections you will work with a variety of texts that are relevant
to your professional sector.

The aim of ‘English for IT’ is to provide you with the skills you need to communicate with
clients and colleagues in English. With this objective in mind, it includes audio files that
build your listening and speaking skills as well as plenty of activities to work on your reading
and writing skills.

As you know, being able to communicate in English has become key when job hunting.
Speaking English can open many doors for you; it will allow you to participate in interna-
tional courses and to access information sources from all over the world. ‘English for IT’ is
a valuable tool to boost your English for professional purposes. To improve and maintain
a good level, you must make sure to practise often and find opportunities to read spe-
cialised texts, watch shows or films, listen to radio programmes and of course to speak to
others.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. FIRST DAY OF WORK

2. TASKS AND DUTIES

3. HARDWARE

4. SOFTWARE

5. THE INTERNET AND E-MAIL

6. NETWORKS

7. TALKING ON THE PHONE

8. AN IT PROJECT

ANNEX: USEFUL RESOURCES

ANSWER KEY

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 1 FIRST DAY OF WORK
7

OBJECTIVES
In this lesson you will learn to:
• Introduce yourself in a professional environment
• Talk about your professional experience
• Use the present simple
• Use the past simple
• Use the present perfect
• Write a CV and a cover letter

SCENE
1. D
 ialogue: First day of work
Listen to this dialogue about a person’s first day of work.

Two
businesswomen
shaking hands.

2. Listen to the dialogue again and answer the following questions.

1. Where are the speakers?

In an office In a restaurant
2. Who is Belinda?
A new worker The head of administration
3. How many people work in the company?
15 50
4. Are all the employees native English speakers?
Yes, they are. No, they are not.

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 8 English for IT

3. R
 ead the following fragment, where Belinda introduces herself to Gillian.
Complete the sentences with the vocabulary from the box.

Let me
Pleased to Very well,
My name is I am introduce
meet you thank you.
myself.

Belinda: Good morning, Gillian. ______________________________________.

_____________________ Belinda Thompson. Nice to meet you!
Gillian: Hello. _____________________, Belinda!
Belinda: __________________________ the head of administration. Welcome to
DermoSystems. How are you?
Gillian: _____________________.

4. N
 ow, listen to the conversation again and say Gillian’s part of the dialogue after
the beep.

VOCABULARY
Introducing yourself

Listen to the following expressions used in introductions and repeat them after the
beep.

Hello, I’m Peter Friars. Hola, soy Peter Friars.

Nice to meet you. Encantado de conocerle.
Pleased to meet you, too. Igualmente, encantado de conocerle.
How do you do? ¿Cómo está?
I’m Alberto López, the head of the Computer Support Department.
Soy Alberto López, el jefe del Departamento de Soporte Informático.
This is Carolina García, the head of IT (Information Technology).
Esta es Carolina García, la jefa de informática.
What do you do? ¿De qué trabaja?
I’m a computer technician. Soy técnico informático.
Who do you work for? ¿En qué empresa trabaja?
I work for Sanders Technology. Trabajo para Sanders Technology.

Remember: ‘Pleased to meet you’, ‘Nice to meet you’ and ‘How do you do?’ are used in
formal situations. When people ask you ‘How do you do?’, you must reply ‘How do you do?’.
In a more relaxed situation, people will generally say ‘How are you?’ or ‘How are you doing?’.

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 UNIT 1: FIRST DAY OF WORK 9

5. L
 ook at the following sentences and write the appropriate response from
the box.

I work for an
Nice to meet Pleased to I’m a computer
How do you do? American
you, Maria. meet you. assistant.
company.

1. How do you do?

______________________________________________________________
2. Hello, I’m John Richmond.
______________________________________________________________
3. This is Maria, a junior programmer.
______________________________________________________________
4. What do you do?
______________________________________________________________
5. Who do you work for?
______________________________________________________________

Introductions in
a meeting.

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 10 English for IT

VOCABULARY
Talking about your professional experience

Listen to the following expressions to talk about your professional experience and
training, and repeat them after the beep.

I work in a multinational.
Trabajo en una multinacional.
I work as a computer repair technician.
Trabajo como técnico en reparación de ordenadores.
I have experience in the computer support field.
Tengo experiencia en el área de soporte informático.
I have worked as a helpdesk assistant.
He trabajado como asistente de usuarios.
I worked in a computer services company for five years.
Trabajé en una empresa de servicios informáticos durante cinco años.
I got my first job in 2010.
Conseguí mi primer trabajo en 2010.
I have a degree in Information Technology.
Soy licenciado en Informática.
I took a web design course.
Hice un curso de diseño de páginas web.

6. Match the two halves to form sentences about someone’s career.

1. I took a) as a computer assistant.

2. I work b) the head of the IT Department.
3. I have c) my first job when I was 16 years old.
4. I’m d) experience in hardware repair.
5. I work e) an online course about web design.
6. I got f) in the Helpdesk Department.
7. I have g) a degree in IT.

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 UNIT 1: FIRST DAY OF WORK 11

KEY CONCEPTS
Present simple

Here’s a summary of the structure of the present simple of the verbs ‘be’, ‘have got’ and the
rest of the verbs.

TO BE: PRESENT SIMPLE

Affirmative form
Singular Plural
I am / ’m We
You are / ’re a programmer. You are / ’re programmers.
He / She / It is / ’s They

Negative form
Singular Plural
am not /
I We
’m not
are not /
You You are not /
’re not / aren’t a programmer. programmers.
aren’t
is not /
He / She / It ’s not / They
isn’t

Interrogative form
Singular Plural
Am I we
a
Are you Are you programmers?
programmer?
Is he / she / it they

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 12 English for IT

HAVE GOT: PRESENT SIMPLE

Affirmative form
Singular Plural
I have / ’ve got We
You have / ’ve got a car. You have / ’ve got a car.
He / She / It has / ’s got They

Negative form
Singular Plural
I have not / haven’t got We
You have not / haven’t got a car. You have not / haven’t got a car.
He / She / It has not / hasn’t got They

Interrogative form
Singular Plural
Have I we
Have you got a car? Have you got a car?
Has he / she / it they

OTHER VERBS: PRESENT SIMPLE

Affirmative form
Singular Plural
I work We
You work in an office. You work in an office.
He / She / It works They

Negative form
Singular Plural

I do not / don’t work We

You do not / don’t work in an office. You do not / don’t work in an office.

He / She / It does not / doesn’t work They

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 UNIT 1: FIRST DAY OF WORK 13

Interrogative form
Singular Plural
Do I we
Do you work in an office? Do you work in an office?
Does he / she / it they

Remember:
• The present simple adds and ‘–s’ for the 3rd person singular (‘he’ / ‘she’ / ‘it’).
Gina gets up at 7 a.m.
My secretary takes my calls for me.
• If the main verb is not ‘be’ or ‘have got’, you need the auxiliary ‘do’ or ‘does’ to form
questions and negative sentences.
• In questions, the auxiliary verb goes before the subject.
Are you a community manager?
Have you got a Master’s degree?
Do you work in an assembly line?
• Question words like ‘Where’, ‘What’, ‘When’, etc. go before the auxiliary verb.
When is the next meeting?
What do you have for breakfast?
• The present simple is often accompanied by frequency adverbs such as ‘usually’, ‘never’,
‘sometimes’ or ‘often’.

We use the present simple:

• To talk about permanent states in the present.
I’ve got a driving license.
We live in Manchester.
Our company produces car parts.
• To talk about habits and routines in the present.
Henry plays tennis on Saturdays.
The children go to school every day.
I take the bus to work.
• To talk about general truths or laws of nature.
Water boils at 100 ºC.
The sun sets at 7:30 p.m.

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 14 English for IT

7. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the present simple form of
the verb in parentheses.

1. Those businesswomen ____________ (travel) a lot.

2. ____________ Annabel ____________ (work) in the IT Department?
3. I ____________ (not / like) the new boss.
4. Peter ____________ (be) a computer systems analyst.
5. We ____________ (sell) our products worldwide.
6. Our company ____________ (not / produce) much organic waste.
7. ____________ you ____________ (work) in the healthcare sector?
8. When ____________ the flight ____________? (leave)
9. ____________ (be) you the new receptionist?
10. John and Fred ____________ (not / speak) German.

Travellers at the
airport.

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 UNIT 1: FIRST DAY OF WORK 15

KEY CONCEPTS
Past simple

Here’s a summary of the structure of the past simple of the verb ‘be’.

TO BE: PAST SIMPLE

Affirmative form
Singular Plural
I was We
a
You were You were programmers.
programmer.
He / She / It was They

Negative form
Singular Plural
I was not / wasn’t We
You were not / weren’t a programmer. You were not / weren’t programmers.
He / She / It was not / wasn’t They

Interrogative form
Singular Plural
Was I we
Were you a programmer? Were you programmers?
Was he / she / it they

The past simple form of the rest of the verbs depends on whether they are regular or
irregular. Regular verbs such as ‘play’ or ‘work’ form the past tense by adding ‘–ed’ to the
bare infinitive: ‘played’, ‘worked’.

However, irregular verbs such as ‘write’ or ‘give’ don’t follow a specific rule, they have their
own form for the past simple: ‘wrote’, ‘gave’. You will find a list of irregular verbs in the
appendix of this course.

In the table below you can see the affirmative, negative and interrogative structure of the
past simple. This structure is valid both for regular and irregular verbs.

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 16 English for IT

OTHER VERBS: PAST SIMPLE

Affirmative form
Singular Plural
I We
You worked in an office. You worked in an office.
He / She / It They

Negative form
Singular Plural
I We
You did not / didn’t work in an office. You did not / didn’t work in an office.
He / She / It They

Interrogative form
Singular Plural
I we
Did you work in an office? you work in an office?
he / she / it they

Remember:
• The past simple form is the same for all the persons:
I watched the news last night.
Jim watched a film.
My sons watched cartoons.
• If the main verb is not ‘be’, you need the auxiliary ‘did’ to form questions and negative
sentences.
Did you go to the conference? I didn’t see you there.
• In questions, the auxiliary verb goes before the subject.
Were you in New York last week?
Did you visit the Empire State?
• Question words like ‘Where’, ‘What’, ‘When’, etc. go before the auxiliary verb.
Where did you go on holidays?
When was the last time you took a day off?
• The past simple is often accompanied by time expressions that refer to the past, such as
‘yesterday’, ‘last month’, ‘three weeks ago’, ‘in 2010’, etc. Actions in the past simple can also
be introduced by ‘when’ or ‘while’.

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 UNIT 1: FIRST DAY OF WORK 17

We use the past simple:

• To talk about past situations or habits.
When she started work, she was awful at meeting deadlines.
• To refer to finished actions in the past.
I worked for an electronics company for two years before coming here.
I did a course on computing for two weeks last month.

8. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the past simple form of the
verb in parentheses. Consult a dictionary if necessary.

1. Melanie _________________ (live) in Paris for two years.

2. I _________________ (have) a job interview last week.
3. They _________________ (not / enjoy) working abroad.
4. _______________ you ________________ (send) that e-mail to our customer?
5. Bryan ____________ (study) Chinese while he ____________ (be) at university.
6. _________________ you _________________ (receive) the new price list?
7. They _________________ (present) the project three days ago.
8. I _________________ (start) work in 2004.
9. Victor _________________ (not / say) anything about his promotion.
10. _________________ (be) you at the conference?

A candidate at
a job interview.

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 18 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
Present perfect

Here’s a summary of the structure of the present perfect. It is formed with:

‘have’ / ‘has’ + past participle

PRESENT PERFECT
Affirmative form
Singular Plural
I have / ’ve found We
You have / ’ve found a job. You have / ’ve found a job.
He / She / It has / ’s found They

Negative form
Singular Plural
have not / haven’t
I We
found
have not / haven’t a job. have not / haven’t found a job.
You You
found
He / She / It has not / hasn’t found They

Interrogative form
Singular Plural
Have I we
Have you found a job? Have you found a job?
Has he / she / it they

Remember:
• The present perfect is a tense that relates the present with the past in some way.
• Like the past simple form, the past participle form can be regular or irregular. Regular
verbs form their past participle by adding ‘-ed’ to the infinitive. Irregular verbs don’t follow
a specific rule and have their own form for the past participle. You will find a list of irregular
verbs in the appendix of this course.
• The present perfect is often accompanied by ‘ever’ or ‘never’.
Have you ever been to Los Angeles?
No, I’ve never been there.

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 UNIT 1: FIRST DAY OF WORK 19

We use the present perfect:

• To talk about life experiences.
I’ve worked in several companies.
We’ve visited many countries.
Simon has studied in the best schools.
• To give a piece of news or communicate new information. In this context, the present
perfect is sometimes accompanied by ‘just’.
The general manager has announced some changes in the company.
The courier has just phoned. He’ll be here in five minutes.

9. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the present perfect form
of the verb in parentheses.

1. Norma _________________ (work) in the helpdesk service since 2004.

2. ____________ Jennifer _____________ (have) any experience in programming?
3. Our company _________________ (improve) its hardware equipment.
4. I _________________ (not see) last month’s incidents report.
5. ________________ you _________________ (be) to the new meeting room?
6. They _________________ (never / visit) our branch offices.
7. I _________________ (work) as an IT consultant for six years.
8. John _________________ (take) several language courses.
9. We _________________ (get) in touch with another supplier.
10. Mr. Bell _________________ (just arrive).

A customer service
employee at a
helpdesk.

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 20 English for IT

READING
10. Read the following CV of a candidate for a Helpdesk Manager position.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Paul McGill
45 Trenton Terrace
548 KFJ Sussex
Telephone: 07428 526143
E-mail: [email protected]

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Computer Support Coordinator at Fresco Foods Inc.
June 2014-present
Responsible for the company’s Computer Support service in the Sussex area, leading a team
of 15 people.
Analysis of statistics to monitor overall performance of the team.
Company wide roll-out at franchise locations of new software to improve purchasing support.
Optimization of procedures to increase efficiency levels of computer support service.

Computer Assistant at Hughes and Partners

January 2010-June 2014
Set-up of work stations for employees.
Troubleshooting of hardware and software problems.
Development of user manuals and tutorials.
Product evaluations of cost-saving technological solutions for the company.

Paid Internship at 123 Telecom

March 2009-January 2010
Helpdesk assistance to customers.
Follow-up of technical issues reported by clients.

EDUCATION:
2004-2008
Bachelor of Sciences degree in Computer Networking from University of Sussex.

LANGUAGES:
ENGLISH- native speaker
FRENCH- B2 level
SPANISH- A2 level

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 UNIT 1: FIRST DAY OF WORK 21

11. Read the CV again and decide if the following statements are True or False.

1. The candidate’s first job was in telemarketing. True / False

2. He worked in the same company for more than 4 years. True / False
3. He has extensive experience in customer service. True / False
4. He worked as a computer repair technician for 9 months. True / False
5. He speaks 2 languages. True / False

12. Match the following words from the text with the corresponding definition.

1. Management a) T
 he process in which someone or something grows
or changes and becomes more advanced.
2. Development b) P
 eriod of training spent in a company by a young
worker in order to acquire experience.
3. Optimization c) The control and organization of something.
4. Internship d) A first degree at college or university.
5. Bachelor’s degree e) The act of making something as good as possible.

13. T
 ranslate the following sentences from the CV into Spanish. Use a dictionary if
necessary.

1. R
 esponsible for the company’s Computer Support service in the Sussex area, leading
a team of 15 people.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2. Analysis of statistics to monitor overall performance of the department.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3. Product evaluations of cost-saving technological solutions for the company.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 22 English for IT

WRITING
14. Write sentences by putting the following words in order.

1. you / IT / worked / department / in / ever / have / the / ?

______________________________________________________________
2. Germany / Helen / in / seven / years / for / lived / .
______________________________________________________________
3. was / your / job / what / last / ?
______________________________________________________________
4. my / degree / finished / I / months / masters’ / two / ago / .
______________________________________________________________

A job interview.

15. W
 rite the following sentences in English using the expressions you have seen in
this unit. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. He trabajado de técnico de redes durante 6 años.

______________________________________________________________
2. Empecé a trabajar en Tech Solutions en 2012.
______________________________________________________________
3. Tengo amplia experiencia en la resolución de problemas de hardware.
______________________________________________________________
4. Implementé un nuevo sistema de seguimiento que mejoró los niveles de eficiencia.
______________________________________________________________
5. He creado manuales de usuario y he dado formación a los clientes.
______________________________________________________________

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 UNIT 1: FIRST DAY OF WORK 23

16. R
 ead the following cover letter and fill in the blanks with the appropriate
expression from the box.

consider position helpful attached apply interview

Dear Recruiter,

I’d like to _______________ for the IT specialist _______________ you listed in

the Daily Express last Friday.

I bring an unusual combination of experience in the textile industry and computer

services that I believe will be _______________ to your clients.

My CV is _______________. Please _______________ granting me a phone

____________ to discuss job openings in the computer services field.

Regards,
Elizabeth Reeves

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 21 TASKS AND DUTIES
25

OBJECTIVES
In this lesson you will learn to:
• Talk about tasks related to your job
• Explain your main duties at work
• Use the present continuous and the past continuous
• Use ‘will’, ‘going to’ and other future tenses
• Use prepositions and adverbs
• Write about your duties at work

SCENE
1. D
 ialogue: A typical working week
Listen to this interview, where a General Manager talks about his daily routine
and his professional duties.

Mr. Roche working

at his desk

2. Listen to the interview again and answer the following questions.

1. What time does Mr. Roche get up?

At 6:00 a.m. At 6:30 a.m.
2. Why does he get up so early?
To exercise. To start work.
3. What does he usually do in the mornings?
He talks to clients and distributors. He discusses sales with the sales manager.
4. What does he do at the weekend?
He spends time with his family. He practises sport.

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 26 English for IT

3. R
 ead the following sentences from the interview, where Mr. Roche describes
some of his tasks at work. Choose the best option in each case.

1. I often do / work / have late.

2. I usually make / say / have meetings with the sales manager to talk about sales targets.
3. Then, at midday, I write / do / send my paperwork, and do the business accounts for
the company.
4. I frequently go / find / look out for business lunches on Fridays and deal with customers
and distributors.
5. Between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., I spend / take / have time writing e-mails.

4. N
 ow, listen to this fragment of the conversation and say Mr. Roche’s part of the
dialogue after the beep.

Interviewer: Good afternoon, Mr. Roche. Firstly, thank you for taking the time to meet
me and answer some questions for ‘Business Today’ magazine. I have a few questions to
ask you about a boss’ typical working week.
Mr. Roche: Not at all, it’s my pleasure!
Interviewer: What time do you get up at?
Mr. Roche: Well, on Mondays and Wednesdays I always get up at 6:30 a.m., you see,
I’m an early riser!
Interviewer: Can you tell me why you get up so early on those days?
Mr. Roche: Erm, well, it’s the quietest part of the day and the only part of the day I have
to myself!
Interviewer: What do you do so early in the morning?
Mr. Roche: I try to go to the gym and exercise, and think about what I need to do during
the day.
Interviewer: What time do you normally start work?
Mr. Roche: Well, erm, I have to say that I don’t always start at 9 a.m., but I often work
late… Well, I am the boss!

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 UNIT 2: TASKS AND DUTIES 27

VOCABULARY
Your tasks at work

Listen to the following expressions to talk about your tasks and repeat them after the
beep.

to install software and hardware instalar software y hardware

to maintain the system mantener el sistema
to repair equipment reparar equipos
to replace pieces cambiar piezas
to fix hardware arreglar hardware
to add new components añadir componentes
to troubleshoot issues resolver incidencias
to set up security measures establecer medidas de seguridad
to configure e-mail accounts configurar cuentas de e-mail
to set up work stations montar terminales de trabajo
to offer technical support ofrecer soporte técnico
to assist employees with computer problems ayudar a los empleados con los
problemas técnicos
to develop user guides elaborar guías de usuarios
to contact suppliers contactar con proveedores
to train employees dar formación a los empleados
to work with providers trabajar con proveedores
to get estimates pedir presupuestos
to do paperwork hacer papeleo
to write reports hacer informes
to make phone calls hacer llamadas
to send e-mails mandar e-mails

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 28 English for IT

5. L
 ook at the following sentences and fill in the blanks with an expression from the
box.

do send set up repair

assist get make troubleshoot

1. This equipment got overheated when the fan broke; I need you to ___________ it.
2. I have to _______________ a few phone calls before I go home.

3. S
 ince Sara is new, can you _______________ her in configuring the Wi-Fi in the
conference room?

4. Please, tell John to _______________ a new workstation next to Carla.

5. Prior to phoning a technician, use this user guide to ____________ common issues.

6. W
 hy don’t we _______________ an estimate from Bing&Co? They did our server
overhaul at a good price.

7. Can you _______________ me an e-mail with a screenshot of the error message?

8. S
 orry, I can’t talk now. I have to _______________ a lot of paperwork by the end of
the morning.

An IT technician
repairing a
computer

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 UNIT 2: TASKS AND DUTIES 29

VOCABULARY
Talking about your responsibilities

Listen to the following expressions to talk about your duties and responsibilities, and
repeat them after the beep.

What are your main responsibilities? ¿Cuáles son sus responsabilidades principales?
What tasks do you carry out? ¿Qué tareas desempeña?
I’m in charge of Technical Support. Me encargo del soporte técnico.
I repair and maintain computer equipment. Reparo y mantengo equipos informáticos.
I’m responsible for supporting IT users with software issues.
Me encargo de dar soporte a los usuarios informáticos con incidencias de software.
My main responsibilities include troubleshooting user issues.
Entre mis responsabilidades principales se incluye solucionar las incidencias de los
usuarios.
My tasks include developing and maintaining queries and reports.
Mis tareas incluyen desarrollar y mantener búsquedas e informes.
I deal with database security issues.
Me ocupo de temas relacionados con la seguridad de las bases de datos.
I manage a team of 20 people. Gestiono un equipo de 20 personas.
I coordinate the Technical Support Department.
Coordino el Departamento de Soporte Técnico.
I oversee the data transfer protocols and maintain databases.
Superviso los protocolos de transmisión de datos y mantengo bases de datos.
I supervise a large network of computers, servers and printers.
Superviso una amplia red de ordenadores, servidores e impresoras.

6. Match the two halves of the sentences to describe the duties in an IT Department.

1. I develop a) for the applications maintenance.

2. I’m responsible b) writing user manuals.
3. I coordinate c) with software issues.
4. I deal d) of the network security.
5. I’m in charge e) the Helpdesk Department.
6. My tasks include f) budgets for clients.

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 30 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
Present continuous and past continuous

The present continuous is formed with the present simple of the verb ‘be’ and the gerund
(‘-ing’ form) of the main verb.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS
Affirmative form Negative form Interrogative form
am not
I am / ’m I Am I
/ ’m not
are not
You are / ’re You Are you
/ aren’t
He working He working he working
is not /
She is / ’s She Is she
isn’t
It It it
We We are not we
are / ’re Are
They They / aren’t they

Remember:
• In questions, the auxiliary verb goes before the subject.
Are you working this week?
Is the staff doing a good job?
• Question words like ‘Where’, ‘What’, ‘When’, etc. go before the auxiliary verb ‘be’.
What are you doing right now?
Where am I staying?
Why is Ron laughing?
• The present continuous is often accompanied by time expressions that refer to the
moment of speaking or the present time, such as ‘at the moment’, ‘right now’, ‘these days’,
‘this week’, etc.

We use the present continuous:

• To talk about a continuous action that is happening at the moment of speaking or around
the present time.
I’m watching a product presentation at the moment.
Joe is doing an online course.
• To talk about future plans that are fixed or already arranged.
Mr. Douglas is travelling to Amsterdam next week.
We are going on holidays in July.

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 UNIT 2: TASKS AND DUTIES 31

The main difference between the present simple and the present continuous is that the
present simple refers to habits or permanent situations in the present, while the present
continuous refers to transitory situations in the present. Compare the following examples:
I usually work in the mornings but this week I’m working in the afternoons.
Mr. Lloyd normally drives to work but today he’s taking the bus.

The past continuous is formed with the past simple of the verb ‘be’ and the gerund (‘-ing’
form) of the main verb.

PAST CONTINUOUS
Affirmative form Negative form Interrogative form
was not
I was I Was I
/ wasn’t
were
You were You not / Were you
weren’t
He working He working he working?
was not
She was She Was she
/ wasn’t
It It it
were
We We we
were not / Were
They They they
weren’t

Remember:
• In questions, the auxiliary verb goes before the subject.
Were you watching the news last night?
Was he talking to anyone when you saw him?
• Question words like ‘Where’, ‘What’, ‘When’, etc. go before the auxiliary verb ‘to be’.
What were you doing when I called you?
Who was Mrs. Silva waiting for?
• The past continuous is often used in combination with the past simple. The connectors
‘when’ and ‘while’ are used to indicate the chronological order of the actions.
While we were sitting outside, a stranger stole our camera.
Amanda was working on the article when she received an anonymous call.

We use the past continuous:

• To talk about a continuous action that was in progress in the past but it was not completed.
It’s often used to describe a scene.
Henry and Vivian were having a beer at The Red Lion.
I was answering e-mails all morning.
My boss was working in the office while everyone else was celebrating the deal.

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 32 English for IT

• To describe what was happening when something else interrupted that action. The
continuous action is expressed with the past continuous and the interrupting action is
expressed with the past simple.
I was working on my laptop when suddenly the battery ran out.
While Nancy was taking the photographs, it clouded over.
When she called, Jackie was having lunch.
When I got up this morning, it was starting to rain.

7. L
 ook at the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the present continuous
or the past continuous form of the verb in parentheses. Use the contracted form
whenever possible.

1. Paul ____________________ (do) the shopping at the moment.

2. Barry and Richard ____________________ (work) at the office when they heard
a strange noise.
3. I met the general manager when I ____________________ (wait) for the
conference to start.
4. This year, car dealers ____________________ (offer) big discounts.
5. The audience listened politely while you ____________________ (give) your
presentation.
6. The manager ___________________ (sit) at her desk right now.
7. This time last year many companies ____________________ (expand) their
workforce.
8. I ____________________ (send) him the e-mail now.
9. People ____________________ (drive) too fast during the snowstorm yesterday.
10. It ____________________ (rain) when the plane took off.
A car dealer talking
with clients

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 UNIT 2: TASKS AND DUTIES 33

KEY CONCEPTS
‘Will’, ‘going to’ and other future tenses

‘Will’ and ‘going to’ are used to express actions in the future. Let’s see their structure and
usage.

‘Will’ is always accompanied by an infinitive without ‘to’. ‘Will’ can be contracted to ‘’ll’. The
negative form is ‘will not’ and can be contracted to ‘won’t’.

FUTURE WITH ‘WILL’

Affirmative form Negative form Interrogative form
I I I
You You you
He He will not he
She will work She work Will she work?
/ won’t
It It it
We We we
They They they

We use the future with ‘will’:

• To make general predictions or opinions about the future. The future with ‘will’ is often
introduced by expressions such as ‘I think’, ‘I’m sure’, etc.
It will be hard to find a substitute in such a short time.
Craig thinks that Arsenal will win the match tonight.
I’m sure you’ll learn a lot.
• To express spontaneous decisions or a sudden idea. It’s typical to use ‘will’ when ordering
in a restaurant or when offering help, for example.
I’ll have the risotto, please.
My secretary will arrange the dinner reservations, if you like.
I’ll pick up the coffee this time. You went last time.

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 34 English for IT

‘Going to’ is preceded by a present form of the verb ‘be’ and is followed by an infinitive
without ‘to’.

FUTURE WITH ‘GOING TO’

Affirmative form Negative form Interrogative form
I am I am not Am I
You are You are not Are you
He going He going he going
She is write She is not write Is she write?
to to to
It It it
We We we
are are nat Are
They They they

Remember:
• The forms of ‘be’ can be full or contracted:
We are going to sell our car. / We’re going to sell our car.
She is not going to give up. / She isn’t going to give up.

We use the future with ‘going to’:

• To express intentions about the future, things that we want to do, although intentions are
not as specific as plans.
When I get home, I’m going to have a shower.
He’s going to look for another job.
They’re going to offer more perks to their employees.
• To express predictions about what’s going to happen when we have some sort of
evidence for that.
Look at those black clouds. It’s going to rain.
That woman is going to have a baby.

Apart from ‘will’ and ‘going to’, there are other tenses that can be used to talk about the
future:
• The present continuous is used to talk about fixed plans in the future.
We’re launching our new product line next month.
They’re meeting the union representatives on Friday.
• The present simple is used to talk about timetables.
Our train leaves at 10:30 tomorrow.
What time is your flight?

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 UNIT 2: TASKS AND DUTIES 35

8. L
 ook at the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct future tense
in each case (‘will’, ‘going to’, present continuous or present simple). Use the
contracted form whenever possible.

1. Amy and Ed ____________________ (get) married on the 31st of May.

2. Are you thirsty? I ____________________ (bring) you a glass of water.
3. Look, not a cloud in the sky. It ____________________ (be) another hot day.
4. I ____________________ (attend) the conference in Brussels next week.
5. They ____________________ (not visit) their family for Christmas. They’ve
already booked a package holiday in the Alps.
6. The training session ____________________ (start) at 3 p.m.
7. Don’t climb that tree, you ____________________ (fall)!
8. We ____________________ (play) a basketball game this weekend.
9. I ____________________ (have) the roast chicken, please.
10. The plane ____________________ (arrive) at 8:30.

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 36 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
Prepositions

‘In’, ‘on’ and ‘at’ are some of the most common prepositions in English. They can be used in
time expressions and in place expressions, and they are generally translated into Spanish as
‘en’. Here is a summary of how to use them.

Time expressions
• ‘In’ is used with months, years, seasons and the parts of the day ‘morning’, ‘afternoon’ and
‘evening’.
I started working here in March.
Her son was born in 2012.
Easter is celebrated in the spring.
He always goes to the gym in the mornings.
• ‘On’ is used with specific days or dates.
I’ll send these letters on Monday.
The Titanic sank on the 15th of April.
We have a big family lunch on Christmas Day.
• At’ is used with specific times, ‘the weekend’, ‘night’ and very concrete points in the day,
such as ‘noon’, ‘midday’, ‘midnight’ or ‘lunchtime’.
The shops open at 9 a.m.
We usually go out to eat at the weekend.
I’ll meet you there at noon.
• Other useful time prepositions are ‘before’ (antes), ‘after’ (después).
We must dispatch all the orders before the holidays.
• We use the preposition ‘for’ to express duration and the adverb ‘since’ to indicate the
point in time when something started.
They’ve lived in the same house for five years.
They’ve had the same car since 2011.

Place expressions
• ‘In’ is used with big areas, such as cities, countries or continents, and when we want to
transmit the notion of being inside.
He studied in Sweden for three years.
We put the present in a box.
• ‘On’ is used with floors, when something is placed on a surface, or when something is
placed along an element that resembles a line (such as a river or a street).
Your glasses are on your desk.
The cafeteria is on the 6th floor.
Oxford is on the River Thames.
They’ve opened a deli shop on High Street.

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 UNIT 2: TASKS AND DUTIES 37

• ‘At’ is used to refer to a specific point and with words such as ‘home’, ‘office’ or ‘work’.
I’ll see you at the door.
The passengers were queuing at the bus stop.
Hello, is Martha at home?
No, she’s at work.

Here are other prepositions of place:

behind detrás de
in front of delante de
opposite enfrente
next to al lado de
near cerca
above por encima de
under debajo
along a lo largo de

9. Read the following sentences and fill in the blanks with ‘in’, ‘on’ or ‘at’.

1. The concert starts __________ 8 p.m.

2. World War II broke out __________ 1939.
3. Bryan and Patsy live __________ the 10th floor.
4. All the office supplies are kept __________ that cupboard.
5. Eric is not __________ the front desk right now.
6. Do you know the book shop __________ Greendale Avenue?
7. We’re all meeting __________ the door of the bar downstairs.
8. What do you do __________ New Year’s Day?
9. There’s an important congress __________ May.
10. Are you free __________ lunchtime?

Bookshop on
Greendale Avenue

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 38 English for IT

READING
10. Read the following memo from the Human Resources Department.

Internal MEMO

To: All employees

From: Norman Fratello (Head of Human Resources)
Date: 21st May 2014

Dear employees,

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Susan Waters to Head of IT. Ms. Waters
joined our company five years ago and, since then has followed a solid career path to
promotion. First, she was a hands-on member of our internal Tech Support team and later
as an efficient junior manager to our former Head of IT, Mr. Lewis, who will be retiring.

From now on, Ms. Waters will be reporting directly to our CEO, Mr. Clark. As Head of IT, she
will be in charge of all the tech staff and will ensure the implementation of the new Intranet as
well as our day-to-day user issues.

Please join us in congratulating Ms. Waters in her promotion and in wishing her continued
success at our company.
Sincerely,

Norman Fratello
Head of Human Resources

11. Read the memo again and decide if the following statements are True or False.

1. Ms. Waters’ first job was as an assistant. True / False

2. She has worked in the same company for more than 4 years. True / False
3. Mr. Lewis will be Ms. Waters’ boss. True / False
4. There will be changes in the Intranet. True / False
5. Mr. Lewis was fired by Mr. Fratello. True / False

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 UNIT 2: TASKS AND DUTIES 39

12. Match the following words from the text with the corresponding definition.

1. Former a) T
 o withdraw from office, business, or active life,
usually because of age
2. To ensure b) To secure or guarantee
3. Promotion c) The person responsible
4. To retire d) Previous
5. Head e) Advancement in rank or position

13. T
 ranslate the following sentences from the memo into Spanish. Use a dictionary
if necessary.

1. We are pleased to announce the promotion of Susan Waters to Head of IT.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2. From now on, Ms. Waters will be reporting directly to our CEO, Mr. Clark.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3. Please join us in congratulating Ms. Waters in her promotion.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 40 English for IT

WRITING
14. Write sentences by putting the following words in order.

1. do / you / tasks / What / out / carry / ?

______________________________________________________________
2. in / always / calls / Peter / phone / the / makes / morning / .
______________________________________________________________
3. has / Ricky/ to / the / programme / today / install/ .
______________________________________________________________
4. you / Are / to / laptop / the / replace / on / going / components / this / ?
______________________________________________________________

15. W
 rite the following sentences in English using the expressions you have seen in
this lesson. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. Superviso el Departamento de Soporte Técnico.

______________________________________________________________
2. Soy el responsable de la red de ordenadores de la empresa.
______________________________________________________________
3. Me encargo del seguimiento de los proyectos tecnológicos.
______________________________________________________________
4. Entre mis responsabilidades principales se incluye tratar con los proveedores.
______________________________________________________________
5. A menudo tengo que asistir a reuniones.
______________________________________________________________

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 UNIT 2: TASKS AND DUTIES 41

16. R
 ead the following e-mail and fill in the blanks with the appropriate expression
from the box.

responsible charge deal carry out responsibilities

Hi Emily,

How are you? I hope everything’s going well.

I’ve just started my internship at YZA Tech Systems and it’s going great. My _________
include bringing tea and coffee to the morning meetings, they weren’t kidding about it being
a junior position!

I start off my day down in the server room. First of all, I _______________ with any
maintenance issues that have come up in the night. Then, I have to update the back-up files
and I’m also _______________ for checking the security log. In the afternoons, I
_______________ all sorts of administrative tasks and deal with internal client requests. I’m
even in _______________ of answering telephone calls while from 12-1 while everyone else
is at lunch.

So far, I’m enjoying getting to know the people in the office. I hope they offer me a position
when the 6 months are up!

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll send you another e-mail soon.

Bye!

Juan Luis

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 31 HARDWARE
43

OBJECTIVES
In this lesson you will learn to:
• Talk about hardware
• Discuss actions related to hardware
• Talk about numbers and money
• Use the past perfect
• Use modal verbs to express possibility
• Interpret a user guide

SCENE
1. T
 ext: Laptop Specs
Read the following brochure with technical specifications for two models of
laptops.

Versus HIT-769 £379.99 ex VAT

£455.98 inc VAT

17.3” - Core i3 3110M - Winnux 7 Pro 64-bit / Winnux 8.1 Pro downgrade - 6 GB RAM - 750 GB
HDD

Basic Specifications:
• Operating System - Winnux 7 Pro 64-bit / Winnux 8.1 Pro downgrade - pre-installed: Winnux 7
• Processor - Intel Core i3 (3rd Gen) 3110M / 2.4 GHz / 3 MB Cache
• Memory - 6 GB DDR3L
• Storage - 750 GB HDD / 5400 rpm
• Display – 17.3” LED backlight HD anti-glare 1366 x 768 / HD
• Communications: Wireless, Bluetooth
• Audio and Video - Graphics Processor: Intel HD Graphics 4000 / Integrated webcam 1280 x 720 /
Stereo speakers , microphone / High definition Audio
• Dimensions (WxDxH) - 38.6 cm x 25.92 cm x 2.81 cm
• Weight - 2.5 kg

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 44 English for IT

Aster DTP-256 £336.70 ex VAT

£404.04 inc VAT

15.6” - Core i5 4200U - Winnux 8.1 64-bit - 4 GB RAM - 750 GB HDD

Basic Specifications:
• Operating System - Winnux 8.1 64-bit
• Processor - Intel Core i5 (4th Gen) 4200U / 1.6 GHz ( 2.6 GHz ) / 3 MB Cache
• Memory - 4 GB DDR3L
• Storage - 750 GB HDD / 5400 rpm
• Display – 15.6” LED backlight CineCrystal 1366 x 768 / HD
• Communications: Wireless, Bluetooth
• Audio and Video - Graphics Processor: Intel HD Graphics 4400 / Integrated webcam 1280 x 720 /
Stereo speakers, microphone / High definition Audio
• Dimensions (WxDxH) - 38.16 cm x 25.6 cm x 2.53 cm
• Weight - 2.35 kg

2. Read the brochure again and choose the correct option in each case.

1. This laptop comes with the most updated OS version. Versus Aster
2. This processor is from a later generation. Versus Aster
3. This laptop has more memory than the other one. Versus Aster
4. This laptop has the largest screen. Versus Aster
5. This laptop is the cheapest. Versus Aster

3. Match the following words from the text with the corresponding definition.

1. Processor a) A piece of equipment through which sound is played.

2. Storage b) An electronic screen.
3. Display c) Detailed information about a product.
4. Speakers d) Amount of memory available.
5. Specifications e) The part of a computer that performs operations.

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 UNIT 3: HARDWARE 45

VOCABULARY
Hardware components

Listen to the following expressions related to computer hardware and repeat them
after the beep.

personal computer (PC) ordenador personal (PC)

desktop ordenador de sobremesa
laptop ordenador portátil
screen pantalla
monitor monitor
key tecla
keyboard teclado
mouse ratón
computer case torre del ordenador
power supply fuente de alimentación
motherboard placa base
central processing unit (CPU) unidad central de procesamiento
rapid access memory (RAM) memoria RAM
read-only memory (ROM) memoria ROM
hard drive disco duro
processor procesador
fan ventilador
graphics card tarjeta gráfica
sound card tarjeta de sonido
bus bus
slot ranura de expansión
input devices periféricos / dispositivos de entrada
output devices periféricos / dispositivos de salida
cable cable
USB port puerto USB

The different parts of a computer are often referred to as ‘components’. When we have to
change a specific component, we need to order a ‘replacement piece’ from the manufacturer.

The hard drive is also known as the ‘hard disk’.

Input devices include the keyboard, mouse, webcam, microphone, scanner, etc. Output
devices can include the speakers, printer and monitor.

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 46 English for IT

4. M
 atch the hardware components from the box with the corresponding
photograph.

sound card CPU graphics card hard drive

motherboard RAM memory card USB port power supply

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

7. 8.

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 UNIT 3: HARDWARE 47

VOCABULARY
Hardware maintenance

Listen to the following terms to talk about hardware maintenance tasks and repeat
them after the beep.

to fix arreglar
to repair reparar
to verify verificar
to revise revisar
to check comprobar
to test probar
to inspect inspeccionar
to connect conectar
to insert insertar
to change cambiar
to replace reemplazar
to clean limpiar
to upgrade your hardware mejorar / ampliar el hardware
to perform maintenance tasks hacer tareas de mantenimiento
to plug in enchufar, conectar un cable
to unplug desenchufar, desconectar un cable
to turn on encender
to turn off apagar

5. Read the following sentences and choose the correct word in each case.

a. B  efore opening the computer case to do the repair, you should plug / unplug the
equipment.
b. You’re running out of memory on your PC, I recommend you upgrade / verify the RAM.
c. That computer isn’t working. Can you test / connect the power supply to see if that’s
the trouble?
d. Now, you have to inspect / insert the sound card into that slot.
e. C  leaning / Connecting the heads of all the printers is one of the maintenance tasks
scheduled for this month.
f. If your computer is too slow, call the IT service and they will fix / revise the problem for you.
g. The fan was broken and we verified / replaced it with a new one.
h. We must remind employees to completely turn on / turn off their computers when
they leave the office.

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 48 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
Talking about numbers

Review the names for the numbers 1 to 20.

1 one 11 eleven
2 two 12 twelve
3 three 13 thirteen
4 four 14 fourteen
5 five 15 fifteen
6 six 16 sixteen
7 seven 17 seventeen
8 eight 18 eighteen
9 nine 19 nineteen
10 ten 20 twenty

Number ‘0’ has different names in English: ‘zero’, ‘oh’ or ‘nought’.

From 20 to 99, we form the numbers by adding ‘one’, ‘two’, ‘three’, etc. to ‘twenty’, ‘thirty’,
‘forty’, etc. Notice that there is a hyphen between the two parts.

21 twenty-one 30 thirty
22 twenty-two 31 thirty-one
23 twenty-three 32 thirty-two
24 twenty-four 40 forty
25 twenty-five 50 fifty
26 twenty-six 60 sixty
27 twenty-seven 70 seventy
28 twenty-eight 80 eighty
29 twenty-nine 90 ninety

These are the names for higher numbers:

100 a hundred / one hundred

200 two hundred
1,000 a thousand /one thousand
10,000 ten thousand
100,000 a hundred thousand
1,000,000 a million /one million
1,000,000,000 a billion / one billion
1,000,000,000,000 a trillion / one trillion

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 UNIT 3: HARDWARE 49

Here are some tips about numbers:

• Note that in English there is a comma between the thousands. However, decimal
numbers are marked with a period, and we say ‘point’.
0.5 % (zero point five percent) or 2.6 GHz (two point six Gigahertz)
• If you are giving a phone number, most people give the digits one by one. However, in
British English, if there is a double number (such as 7, for example), they generally say
‘double 7’.

When dealing with currencies or prices, remember that currency symbols are written before
the number but the name of the currency is said after the number.
£15 = fifteen pounds
$20 = twenty dollars
€12 = twelve euros

The UK’s currency is the pound, which is divided into 100 pence (singular: penny). The
currency of the US is the dollar, which contains 100 cents. The euro is the currency of the
European Union, and it’s also divided into 100 cents.

When we say a price in English, we have to say the complete number before and after the
decimal point. With dollars we often say ‘and’ where the decimal point goes.
£10.50

We can say it in different ways:

• Ten pounds fifty pence
• Ten fifty

6. Match the following prices with the correct way to say each figure.

1. $415.00 a) Six hundred and ninety-nine pounds

2. £6.99 b) Fifty pounds fifteen pence
3. €24.95 c) Fifty dollars and fifteen cents
4. $15.50 d) Four hundred and fifteen dollars
5. £699 e) Four fifteen
6. $50.15 f) Six ninety-nine
7. £50.15 g) Twenty-four ninety-five
8. €4.15 h) Fifteen dollars and fifty cents

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 50 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
The past perfect

The past perfect is formed following this structure:

‘had’ + past participle form

‘Had’ can be contracted to ‘’d’.

She’d lived in London for years before moving to Wessex.
The plans had arrived just minutes before the client showed up.

Interrogative sentences are created by putting ‘had’ before the subject, and negative
sentences are created by adding ‘not’ after ‘had’. This can be contracted as ‘hadn’t’.
Had the management agreed on the pricing strategy before the launch?
What accounts had he landed at his previous firm?
The security guard still hadn’t turned off the alarm when I arrived.

We use the past perfect:

• To express an action or state that happened in the past before another past action or
state.
James had been there for two weeks when they decided to transfer the headquarters.
I hadn’t finished the proposal so I decided to stay late.
Sales had started picking up even before they lowered the prices.

As you can see in the examples, the first action to occur chronologically is in the past perfect
and the action that follows (the second action) is expressed in the past simple.

7. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the past perfect form of
the verb in parentheses. Use the contracted form whenever possible.

1. T
 he efficiency rates improved once Ms. Phyllis _____________________ (take)
over the IT Department.
2. Mr. Landers _____________________ (not realise) how expensive office space
was in Manhattan.
3. The client complained that he _____________________ (request) a different
hosting for his company.
4. Cassie quit because her boss _____________________ (insult) her in public.
5. Seth _____________________ (change) the processor before his supervisor
gave him any instructions on how to proceed.
6. When the phone rang, I __________ just __________ (start) my lunch.

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 UNIT 3: HARDWARE 51

7. W
 ho _____________________ (agree) to those ridiculous terms?
8. __________ Martin ___________ (not check) the hard drive before replacing it?

Manhattan
skyline

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 52 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
The comparative and the superlative

Adjectives are words that accompany nouns and describe them. In English, adjectives
always appear before the noun.
It was a wonderful trip.
She’s a happy little girl.

When adjectives have one or two syllables, the comparative form is created by adding ‘-er’
to their stem. When they have more than two syllables, their comparative form is made by
putting ‘more’ before the adjective.

Similarly, adjectives with one or two syllables create their superlative form by adding ‘-est’
to their stem. When they have more than two syllables, their superlative form is made by
putting ‘most’ before the adjective. The superlative form of an adjective is always preceded
by ‘the’, no matter which way it is formed.

The following chart summarises the rules to create comparative and superlative forms of
adjectives.

ADJECTIVE COMPARATIVE FORM SUPERLATIVE FORM

short shorter the shortest
big bigger the biggest
happy happier the happiest
important more important the most important

As you can see in the chart, when a short adjective such as ‘big’ ends in consonant + vowel
+ consonant, the last consonant is doubled (‘biggest’, ‘biggest’). Also, when a short adjective
ends in ‘-y’, this letter becomes ‘-i-’ when adding ‘-er’ or ‘-est’ (‘happier’, ‘happiest’).

The following adjectives are irregular because they do not follow the rules mentioned
before.

ADJECTIVE COMPARATIVE FORM SUPERLATIVE FORM

good better the best
well better the best
bad worse the worst

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 UNIT 3: HARDWARE 53

• When we are comparing two things in terms of superiority, we use the structure
comparative adjective + ‘than’.
My office is cozier than your bedroom.
Bruce is more intelligent than his brother.

• When we are comparing two things in equal terms, we use the structure ‘as’ + adjective +
‘as’.
My office is as cozy as your bedroom.
Bruce is as intelligent as his brother.

• This type of comparison can also be in the negative form.

My office is not as cozy as your bedroom.
Bruce is not as intelligent as his brother.

• When we are comparing two things in terms of inferiority, we use the structure ‘less’ +
adjective + ‘than’.
My office is less cozy than your bedroom.
Bruce is less intelligent than his brother.

8. C
 omplete the following sentences using the comparative or superlative form of
the adjective in parenthesis.

1.  eville is not as ___________________as San Francisco. (expensive)

S
2. But Seville is ___________________ than San Francisco in the summer. (warm)
3. Nick is ___________________ than Josh. (friendly)
4. Josh is ___________________ guy I’ve ever met. (serious)
5. ___________________ part of waking up is definitely coffee. (good)
6. My new phone’s screen is ___________________ than my old one’s. (large)
7. I think Brady’s latest film was ___________________ thing he’s been in. (horrible)
8. I don’t think this new system is as ___________________ as our old one. (quick)

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 54 English for IT

READING
9. R
 ead the following instruction manual to install and use a shared calendar with
other members of your department.

BubbleCalendar
The ultimate time management tool for businesses

1. DOWNLOAD
1.1. Go to www.bubblecalendar.com and click Download.
1.2. A pop-up message will ask if you want to save or execute the programme. Click
Execute.
1.3. The Installation process will begin. Do not exit the page. After a few seconds,
another pop-up message will show up. Click Finish.

2. SIGN IN
Click the BubbleCalendar icon on your desktop and sign in using the corporation
account number you have been given. Check the Remember Me box to save your
log-in information on that computer. For the best user experience, complete your user
profile.

3. SCHEDULING EVENTS
3.1. Go to Calendar and select the day you’d like to schedule an event.
3.2. Select the type of event from the drop-down menu (meeting, conference,
training session…) and type in a title for your event.
3.3. Select the time when the event will start and finish.
3.4. You can include details such as location, materials needed, driving instruction as
well as personalise the event icon in the calendar by clicking Extras.

4. INVITING OTHER PARTICIPANTS

4.1. To add other participants to an event, click Invite. You can type in their e-mail
or select them from the list of BubbleCalendar Contacts.
4.2. The people you have invited will receive an e-mail message and be asked to
confirm their attendance.

5. RESCHEDULING AND CANCELLING

5.1. TTo change the time and/or date of an event, go into the event and change the
desired values. To accept the changes, click Reschedule. All invited members
will receive a notification highlighting these changes.
5.2. TTo cancel an event, go into the event and click Cancel. All invited members
will receive a notification of the cancellation, and the event will automatically go
off their personal calendars.

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 UNIT 3: HARDWARE 55

10. R
 ead the user manual again and decide if the following statements are True or
False.

1. You need a corporate account to sign in. True / False

2. It’s obligatory to fill out the user profile completely. True / False
3. Event participants must have a BubbleCalendar account. True / False
4. Cancelled events disappear from each client’s calendar. True / False
5. BubbleCalendar allows you to book a room for your events. True / False

11. Match the following words from the text with the corresponding definition.

1. To reschedule a) To write on a keyboard

2. To execute b) To change the time or date of something
3. To sign in c) To log in, record one’s data to access services
4. To type d) To perform, to do, to run a program or instruction
5. To go off e) To disappear, to eliminate from

12. T
 ranslate the following sentences from the instruction manual into Spanish. Use
a dictionary if necessary.

1. Select the time when the event will start and finish.
______________________________________________________________
2. To add other participants to an event, click Invite.
______________________________________________________________
3. Click the event icon and change the desired values.
______________________________________________________________
4. For the best user experience, complete your user profile.
______________________________________________________________
5. The installation process will begin.
______________________________________________________________

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 56 English for IT

WRITING
13. Write sentences by putting the following words in order.

1. software / Europe/ is / influential / InternetLife / most / the / company / in / .

______________________________________________________________
2. had / twenty / by / percent / fallen / The / cost / June/ of / by / processors / .
______________________________________________________________
3. initiated / its / takeover / a / competitor / PCWorld / has / hostile / main / of / .
______________________________________________________________
4. play / best / This / for / extended / graphics / videogame / the / option / card / is /
option / .
______________________________________________________________

14. Write the following sentences in English using the expressions you have seen in
this lesson. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. Cuando llegué, mis compañeros ya habían arreglado el problema con el servidor.

______________________________________________________________
2. Tendremos que cambiar tu tarjeta de sonido.
______________________________________________________________
3. Este ordenador es más barato que ese.
______________________________________________________________
4. La impresora láser cuesta 129,99 €.
______________________________________________________________

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 UNIT 3: HARDWARE 57

15. R
 ead the following recommendations and fill in the blanks with the appropriate
expression from the box.

Speakers Microphone Webcam check connect

Getting ready for a videoconference

Before starting a videoconference, you should _______________ the following

equipment:

_______________: If it is set up properly, you should see the video from it on the right-
hand side.

_______________: To test it, just speak out loud. If it works properly, you should notice a
change in the sound meter.

_______________: Click the file Audio Test to verify functioning.

Now you are ready to _______________to your videoconference.

Staff attending a
virtual meeting

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English for IT-Unidad 3.indd 58 31/07/14 11:36
 41 SOFTWARE
59

OBJECTIVES
In this unit you will learn to:
• Talk about software
• Talk about platforms and systems
• Use the imperative to give instructions
• Use modal verbs to express possibility
• Use modal verbs to express obligation and give advice
• Interpret an instruction manual

SCENE
1. D
 ialogue: Working at the Helpdesk Department
Listen to this phone call between a helpdesk employee and a client having
technical problems with an online order.

A woman calling a
helpdesk service

2. Listen to the dialogue again and answer the following questions.

1. W
 hat problem does the customer have with the online shop?
She doesn’t know how to place an order because she is a new client.
She doesn’t know how to place an order because the website has changed.
2. Why can’t the customer add any items to her shopping cart?
Because she hasn’t signed in. Because her user name is not working.
3. Is there a problem with the client’s Internet connection?
It isn’t working today. There aren’t any issues.
4. When will the customer be asked to give her discount code?
When she has already ordered her products.
When she starts browsing the products.

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 60 English for IT

3. R
 ead the following sentences from the dialogue and fill in the blanks with the
expressions from the box.

Is there
logged in Can you see click How can I
anything else

1.  ood morning. ____________________ help you?

G
2. ____________________ your user name on the top right corner of the screen?
3. Well, that means you’re not ____________________to your account.
4. Now, just ____________________on the tab that says ‘Online shop’.
5. ____________________ I can help you with?

4. N
 ow, listen to this fragment of the conversation and say the helpdesk guy’s part
of the dialogue after the beep.

Helpdesk guy: Tell me, can you see your user name on the top right corner of the
screen?
Customer: No, I can only see the ‘Register’ and the ‘Log in’ buttons there but not my
user name.
Helpdesk guy: Okay, well that means that you’re not logged in to your account. The
page might not have identified you automatically since we changed it. You should click
on ‘Log in’ and type in your user name and your password.
Customer: All right, let me do that, just a second… Yes, it seems to be working. Ok, I’m
in my personal account now. What do I have to do next?
Helpdesk guy: Now just click on the tab that says ‘Online shop’.
Customer: Online shop, here it is. Wait, now the page won’t load.
Helpdesk guy: Well, it should, let’s give it a second. Could there be a problem with your
internet connection?
Customer: I don’t think so, it seems to be working. Okay, there, it’s finally coming up.
Helpdesk guy: Excellent. Now you can browse the products and place your order as
usual. Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Customer: Actually, yes. I have a discount voucher. How can I apply the discount to this
purchase?
Helpdesk guy: Sure, first, you have to place your order. Then, when you check out,
you’ll be prompted to redeem your discount code. The discount will be applied
automatically.
Customer: Sounds good. Thanks for your help.
Helpdesk guy: You’re welcome. Have a good day.

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 UNIT 4: SOFTWARE 61

VOCABULARY
Software

Listen to the following expressions related to software and repeat them after the
beep.

programme programa
operating system (OS) sistema operativo
application (app) aplicación (app)
plug-in complemento
code código, codificación
file archivo
executable file archivo ejecutable
bug fallo, bug
interface interfaz
system console consola del sistema
registry editor editor del registro
desktop escritorio
remote desktop escritorio remoto
icon icono
shortcut acceso directo
taskbar barra de tareas
virus virus
antivirus antivirus
malware programa malicioso, malware

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 62 English for IT

5. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct word from
the box.

bug file interface taskbar

malware icon plug-in desktop

1. I saved a direct access icon on the _______________.

2. They’ve designed a new programme _______________which is easy to navigate
for novice users.
3. Once they have sent you the _______________, you can open it and add your
comments.
4. There is a _______________in the software which prevents the wireless printing
from working on tablets. It should be fixed in the next update.
5. Double click on the _______________to launch the programme.
6. Watch out when downloading free programs, oftentimes they have
_______________hidden in them.
7. You need to download the _______________ to watch the video in streaming
from that system.
8. To track the changes in the document, go to the _______________ and click on
‘Review’ and then ‘Track Changes’.

IT expert helping
office workers

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 UNIT 4: SOFTWARE 63

VOCABULARY
Software maintenance

Listen to the following expressions to talk about software maintenance tasks and
repeat them after the beep.

to set up instalar, configurar

to run hacer funcionar, ejecutar
to install instalar
to uninstall desinstalar
to download descargar, bajar
to execute ejecutar
to update actualizar
to upgrade mejorar, instalar una versión mejor o más actualizada
to reboot reiniciar
to freeze quedarse colgado
to debug depurar
to detect detectar
to crash fallar, quedarse colgado
to sign up darse de alta, registrarse
to register registrar(se)
to log in iniciar sesión
to log out cerrar sesión

Some of the tasks you have seen are related to problems. Users may encounter a ‘failure’
(fallo) or may report an ‘error’ (error). Sometimes computers ‘freeze’ and systems ‘crash’ for
unknown reasons. While technicians are looking into the problem, it is possible that a
system, a programme or a service is temporarily ‘unavailable’ (no disponible) to users.

Apart from these verbs, you probably are already familiar with the most common verbs
from software commands, such as ‘open’, ‘close’, ‘save’, ‘save as’, ‘copy’, ‘cut’, ‘paste’, ‘delete’,
‘print’ or ‘find’.

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 64 English for IT

6. Read the following sentences and choose the correct verb in each case.

 ou should update / uninstall the anti-virus to the latest version, it is more effective
1. Y
against malware.
2. Whenever my computer freezes, our tech expert tells me to set up / reboot.
3. A pop-up message comes up when the system detects / logs in malware.
4. When using a public computer, we advise all clients to be sure to debug / log out of
each session.
5. The new software wasn’t compatible so I had to reboot / uninstall the conflicting
programme.
6. In terms of warranties, we recommend upgrading / running to the paid version after
the first six months.
7. Frank decided to reboot the system when he saw the screen was frozen / debugged.
8. You need lots of available RAM to register / to run that picture editing program.

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 UNIT 4: SOFTWARE 65

KEY CONCEPTS
The imperative to give instructions

When we want to give instructions, we normally use the imperative form. The imperative
form of a verb is the same as its infinitive without ‘to’. It sounds much more polite to use
‘please’ with the imperative, and they are commonly used together.

Give me one of those forms, please.

Please make sure that you have your identity card with you.
Send me an e-mail with all the information, please.

Notice that the subject is omitted in imperative sentences because it is understood that the
subject is ‘you’.

Negative sentences are formed by putting ‘do not’ (‘don’t’) before the imperative form.

Please do not feed the animals.

Don’t stay up too late.

7. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with an expression from the
box.

Show Turn off Don’t send hand in

Don’t stand up bring Reserve Don’t call

1.  lease _______________ your papers now, time is up.

P
2. _______________ the meeting room at least 24 hours in advance.
3. _______________ Shane before 4, he’s on the late shift this week.
4. _______________ the receptionist your ID card, and she’ll buzz you in.
5. Please _______________ a copy of your reservation with you.
6. _______________ to film the performance, we want all guests to enjoy the show.
7. _______________ the e-mail without letting Sylvia have a look first.
8. _______________ all mobile phones.

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 66 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
Modal verbs to express probability

Modal verbs are used in combination with other verbs and add extra meaning to the main
verb. Modal verbs can thus be used to express probability, obligation, ability, etc.
Modal verbs follow some special rules:

• They do not have a third person singular form. The same form is used for singular and
plural subjects.
• They are followed by an infinitive without ‘to’.
• Negative sentences are constructed by adding ‘not’ after the modal verb. These forms
can be contracted, although ‘may’ and ‘might’ are more frequently seen in the full form.
• Questions are formed by putting the modal verb before the subject.

Let’s have a look at how modal verbs can be used to express probability or to make
deductions. When we want to say that something is possible, we can use the modal verbs
‘may’, ‘might’ or ‘could’.

We use ‘may’ when we think there is a possibility that something will happen. We use ‘might’
when it is less probable and ‘could’ when we think that the probability is very low.

It may rain tonight.

(I consider it’s likely that it will rain tonight)
It might rain tonight.
(It is possible that it will rain tonight)
It could rain tonight.
(There’s a slight possibility that it will rain tonight but I don’t consider it very likely)

When we are sure about something, we use ‘must’:

They must be tourists, they are carrying maps and cameras.

We can also use the verb ‘have to’ to express certainty, although it is not a modal verb.
Erin has to be at the beach, she always goes fishing on Sundays.

When we think that something is impossible, we use ‘can’t’.

Ross can’t be on a business trip. I ran into him ten minutes ago.

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 UNIT 4: SOFTWARE 67

When we make deductions about a past action, we must add ‘have’ after the modal verb
and use the past perfect form of the main verb.

modal verb + ‘have’ + past participle

These oysters must have gone bad. They smell terrible.

Carrie may have eaten already, she said she was very hungry.

8. Read the following sentences and choose the best option in each case.

 is report on this month’s technical issues could / has to be in here, he always leaves it
1. H
in this file.
2. The coffee is all gone? My roommate must / may have used it all up.
3. The film was so well received by the critics, it might / can’t win an award.
4. The new girl can’t / has to be the one sitting by Cecilia, she’s wearing blue glasses like
Jill said.
5. Hamed left three hours ago, so he could / must be here any time.
6. If the rest of the month is as good as the first two weeks, I may / can’t just be employee
of the month.
7. The meeting can / must have finished, I see Jack is back at his desk.
8. That machine can’t / must be working right, I asked for coffee and it gave me tea.

Employees during
the coffee break

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 68 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
Modal verbs to express permission, obligation and prohibition

Modal verbs can be used to convey the meaning of permission, obligation and prohibition.
Remember that modal verbs have just one form and are followed by an infinitive without
‘to’.

When we want to ask for permission or to ask for something politely, we can use the modal
verb ‘can’.
Can I use your mobile phone?

We can also use ‘could’ or ‘may’ to ask for permission. ‘Could’ is more polite than ‘can’, and
‘may’ is normally used in formal situations.

‘Can’ and ‘may’ are also used to give permission to someone.

You can take the day off tomorrow.

When we want to express an obligation, we use ‘must’. This structure is often used to give
instructions or to express rules.
He must wear a uniform for his new job.
You must take a tablet three times a day.

When we want to express that something is prohibited, we use ‘can’t’ or ‘mustn’t’.

You can’t listen to music in class.
You mustn’t smoke inside the building.

The modal verb ‘should’ is used to give advice. It’s not an obligation but it is a strong
recommendation. You can also use the negative form ‘shouldn’t’ when you don’t recommend
something.
You should read the instructions manual first!
You should get more exercise.
You shouldn’t drink so much coffee.

Apart from these modal verbs, we can express obligation with the verb ‘have / has to’:
Children, you have to brush your teeth before going to bed.
Jodie has to finish the report by noon.

But watch out! The negative form does not express prohibition, but absence of obligation.
You don’t have to throw away that laptop, you can repair it.

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 UNIT 4: SOFTWARE 69

9. Complete the following sentences with the best modal verb in each case.

1. In my opinion, everybody should / may reduce their sugar intake.

2. Smoking is prohibited in the hospital sir, you don’t have to / can’t smoke here.
3. All managers must /can turn in the performance reports by 3 p.m. this Friday.
4. Can / Should you please rush the delivery?
5. The waitresses mustn’t / don’t have to wear their hair in a ponytail, but most of them
do since it is more practical.
6. Must / Could you please turn down the air conditioning? It’s freezing in here.
7. I’d like to change my shift, if I may / should.
8. The bosses shouldn’t / don’t have to raise their salaries and then ask the staff to reduce
personnel.

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 70 English for IT

READING
10. Read the user guide on how to install a programme.

How to install PICWHIZ

1. To download and install the free version of PICWHIZ for home use, the first thing
you’ll need to do is go to www.PICWHIZ.BIZ and click on the Download button.
2. Choose your operating system from the list. If you want to run it on a Mac, you’ll
need to go to a different site. Click here.
3. Click the download link to start your download.
4. If your safety features won’t let you download the software directly, you should
right-click on the download link and choose Download file. This will open up a
new website just for downloading.
5. It’s best to save the software to your programme files folder, so when prompted,
click Save and navigate to Programme Files. Once the download is complete,
click on Open Folder.
6. In the folder that just opened, double-click on the PICWHIZ Icon. When it asks,
click Run then click Install. This will bring up the PICWHIZ Setup Wizard—just
click the Next button until you see the final screen, where you can click Finish.
7. As long as the Launch the PICWHIZ box is checked, it will open right away, and
there will be a new shortcut icon on your desktop for later.
8. At this point, even though PICWHIZ is running, there’s no document open yet.
To open your first document you can hold down the Control key (CTRL) and
tap the N key.
9. Now you are ready to edit all sorts of photographs. Check back for updates every
30 days as the software is upgraded frequently.

11. R
 ead the instructions manual again and decide if the following statements are
True or False.

 ICWHIZ is a professional programme for photographers.

1. P True / False
2. The software is available for both PCs and Macs. True / False
3. They recommend not to download it directly to your
programme file folder. True / False
4. The programme will always save a shortcut icon to your desktop. True / False
5. The software will automatically update every 30 days. True / False

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 UNIT 4: SOFTWARE 71

12. 11. Match the following words from the text with the corresponding definition.

1. To prompt a) P
 rovided that
2. To tap b) To strike a finger upon something
3. To right-click c) A
 particular kind, species, variety, class, or group,
distinguished by a common character
4. Sorts d) T
 o depress the right-hand mouse button, as to
display a menu
5. As long as e) A
 message indicating that the system is ready for
user instructions

13. T
 ranslate the following sentences from instructions manual into Spanish. Use a
dictionary if necessary.

1. T
 o download and install the free version, the first thing you’ll need to do is go to the
website and click on the Download button.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2. When it asks, click Run then click Install.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3. Check back for updates every 30 days as the software is upgraded frequently.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 72 English for IT

WRITING
14. Write sentences by putting the following words in order.

1. You / run / the / must / file / executable / .

______________________________________________________________
2. to / system / check / have / the / operating / You / .
______________________________________________________________
3. new / This / system/ could / the/ upgrade / crash / .
______________________________________________________________
4. the / on / click / Go / to / Home / double / and / taskbar / .
______________________________________________________________

15. W
 rite the following sentences in English using the expressions you have seen in
this lesson. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. Helpdesk. ¿En qué puedo ayudarle?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2. Crea un acceso directo y guárdalo en el escritorio del cliente.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3. La intranet no está disponible temporalmente.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
4. Introduzca su nombre de usuario y contraseña para iniciar sesión.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
5. ¿Le puedo ayudar en algo más?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 UNIT 4: SOFTWARE 73

16. Read the following e-mail about a maintenance operation.

access available send maintenance make

To: All Department Heads

From: Jim Martinez

Please circulate among all employees and schedule your staff accordingly.

Please be reminded that our server will undergo scheduled __________________

on Friday, May 16, 2014 for approximately four hours starting at 7 p.m.

During this time, your files will not be __________________. Nobody will be able
to __________________ or receive e-mails, __________________ the Internet,
or __________________ phone calls on the automated system.

If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to [email protected] or

call Extension 564.

Regards,
Jim Martinez
IT Department Head

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English for IT-Unidad 4.indd 74 31/07/14 11:37
 51 THE INTERNET AND E-MAIL
75

OBJECTIVES
In this lesson you will learn to:
• Talk about the Internet
• Use vocabulary to configure an e-mail account
• Use relative clauses
• Construct conditional sentences
• Express likes and dislikes
• Fill out an invoice

SCENE
1. T
 ext: Configuring an e-mail account
Read the following instruction manual to configure an e-mail account.

From: Enrique Valencia – Customer Service Representative <[email protected]>

To: [email protected]
Subject: Case number 7830587289459

Dear Mr. Lutz,

We’re sorry to hear you are having trouble setting up your e-mail account on your new
OSUP computer. Our goal is to make configuring the new system as easy as possible, but
we are here to help if issues arise.
I’ve pasted below the simplified instructions to configure your account. Please make sure
that you have checked the box on Step 5, as it sounds as if your issues could come from the
system wanting to automatically set it up, whereas you need to do it manually.

Configuring Office Lookout

1.  tart Lookout.
S
2. On the File menu, click Info and click Account Settings.
3. Select Account Settings from the list.
4. On the E-mail tab, click New and Select E-mail Account, and then click Next
5. Click to select the Manually configure server settings or additional server types
check box, and then click Next.
6. Click Internet E-Mail, and then click Next.
7. In the Server Information section, select IMAP for Account Type.

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 76 English for IT

8. In the Your Name box, enter your name exactly as you want it to appear to recipients.
9. In the E-mail Address box, type your e-mail address.
10. In the User Name box, type your account name.
11. In the Password box, type your password.
12. In the Incoming mail server box, type the name of your IMAP4 server.
13. In the Outgoing mail server (SMTP) box, type the name of your SMTP server.
Note: IMAP4 is a retrieval protocol. You must have SMTP to send your messages.
14. Click Next after you have completed entering this configuration information, and then
click Finish.

If you cannot get the system up and running with these instructions, please ping me on the
VideoHelper site from 8-5 (PT) or reply to this e-mail with your phone number and the
best time to contact you. Have your case number handy for all communications.

Yours Sincerely,

Enrique Valencia
Customer Service Representative

2. Answer the following questions based on the e-mail.

1. Who does Mr. Valencia work for?

VideoHelper OSUP
2. Who initiated first contact?
Mr. Lutz Mr. Valencia
3. What does Enrique think is causing the problem?
Trying to configure the account manually.
Forgetting to check the box for manual settings.
4. Will the technician phone the client?
Yes, as long as the client sends him his phone number.
No, they should communicate by e-mail only.

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 UNIT 5: THE INTERNET AND E-MAIL 77

3. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the expressions from the
box.

handy we’re sorry it sounds make sure here to help

1. T
 hanks for you call, and don’t hesitate to call again if the problem persists, we’re
____________________.
2. Before rebooting the system, ____________________ all cables are properly
plugged in.
3. Have a paper and pencil ____________________, just in case I need to give you
a case number.
4. From what you’re saying, ____________________ as if the issue might be server
related.
5. Thanks for calling, ____________________ to make you wait but all lines are
currently busy. Please hold for the next available technician

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 78 English for IT

VOCABULARY
The Internet

Listen to the following expressions related to the Internet and repeat them after the
beep.

server servidor
browser buscador
navigator navegador
search engine motor de búsqueda
search bar barra de búsqueda
to search hacer una búsqueda, buscar
to google hacer una búsqueda
to surf the net navegar por Internet
to load cargar(se)
to download bajar, descargar
to upload subir, cargar
to share compartir
link enlace
window ventana
tab pestaña
website página de Internet
domain dominio
hosting alojamiento
cache caché
cookies cookies
profile perfil
account cuenta de usuario
user name nombre de usuario
password contraseña
authentication autenticación, autentificación

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 UNIT 5: THE INTERNET AND E-MAIL 79

4. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the expressions from the
box.

account upload browser domain

cookies cache download password

1. F
 or security reasons, your _______________ should contain 6-8 characters and at
least one number.
2. Before you choose a name for your business, make sure the _______________
name is free for the website.
3. I am going to _______________ the documents to the department’s intranet.
4. A web _______________ stores copies of documents passing through it;
subsequent requests may be satisfied from the cache if certain conditions are met.
5. Your _______________ is personal and in transferrable, your user name and
password will identify you.
6. The tax forms are available on the government’s website and you have to
_______________ them to your PC.
7. I was having trouble viewing the website until I realised it no longer supports the
_______________ I was using.
8. We use session _______________ to help us maintain and verify your details while
you use the website and navigate from page to page.

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 80 English for IT

VOCABULARY
An e-mail account

Listen to the following expressions to work with e-mail and repeat them after the
beep.

e-mail correo electrónico

e-mail address dirección de correo electrónico
settings configuración
to set up configurar
to configure configurar
incoming e-mail server servidor de correo entrante
outgoing e-mail server servidor de correo saliente
inbox bandeja de entrada
outbox bandeja de salida
trash papelera
spam correo no deseado
draft borrador
contacts contactos
to send enviar
to reply responder
to forward reenviar
to put someone in copy poner a alguien en copia
to put someone in blind copy poner a alguien en copia oculta
to attach adjuntar
attachment archivo adjunto

We can attach different types of files to an e-mail: ‘spreadsheets’, ‘texts’, ‘images’,

‘screenshots’… It’s advisable to run the ‘spellcheck’ (corrector) in our e-mails and in our
documents in order to avoid spelling mistakes and make a good impression.

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 UNIT 5: THE INTERNET AND E-MAIL 81

5. Match the words (1-8) with the corresponding definition (a-h).

1. Draft a) A
 n image created by copying part or all of the display on a
computer screen at a particular moment
2. To forward b) To arrange, prepare
3. Blind copy c) Unsolicited commercial messages sent via e-mail
4. To attach d) A copy of a document with no evidence to the original
correspondent that it was sent to a third party
5. To set up e) A computer programme that allows easy entry and ma­ni­
pulation of figures, equations and texts
6. Spam f) To fasten, join, connect
7. Spreadsheet g) To transmit, especially to a new recipient
8. Screenshot g) A first or preliminary form of any writing, subject to revision

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 82 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
Relative clauses

Relative clauses are used to give additional information about something and are introduced
by a relative pronoun. Relative pronouns are words which replace nouns. They are used to
connect two sentences that share a specific noun that refers to the same person or thing.
I’ll have sushi.
Sushi is my favourite dish.
I’ll have sushi, which is my favourite dish.

In the example, ‘which’ is the relative pronoun that introduces a relative clause. In this case,
‘which’ refers to ‘sushi’.

These are the main relative pronouns:

RELATIVE FUNCTION
PRONOUNS
It replaces a person.
who
Mario’s the man who is wearing the black hat.
It replaces a thing.
which
He’s got an offer which may interest you.
It can replace a person OR a thing.
that A dentist is somebody that looks after your teeth.
A file is something that contains documents.
It refers to a place.
where
The hotel where we stayed on holiday was expensive.
It replaces his, her or its and indicates possession.
whose
He’s the man whose sister works in the bank.
It can replace who when it is the object of a verb or preposition, but is mainly used in
whom (*) formal written contexts.
The girl with whom he spoke no longer works here.

(*) Note: ‘whom’ is not used very often in modern spoken English. It usually appears in fixed
expressions such as ‘to whom it may concern’ for formal letters. Nowadays, it is more
common to say who or that or omit it altogether.
The girl (who / that) he spoke with no longer works here.

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 UNIT 5: THE INTERNET AND E-MAIL 83

Relative clauses can be defining or non-defining. A defining relative clause gives essential
information about an element from the main clause, whereas a non-defining relative clause
gives additional information that can be omitted. Compare these two sentences:
The girl who is wearing a blue sweater is our new trainee. (defining)
Greta, who is from Germany, is our new trainee. (non-defining)

In the first sentence, the relative clause ‘who is wearing a blue sweater’ gives important
information to identify the girl. However, in the second sentence the relative clause ‘who is
from Germany’ adds extra information but it could be omitted (‘Greta is our new trainee.’)
Notice that non-defining relative clauses are preceded by a comma.

All the relative pronouns are allowed in defining relative clauses but only ‘wh-’ pronouns can
introduce a non-defining relative clause.

The ring that / which I bought in Morocco has an intricate design.

This ring, which I bought in Morocco, has an intricate design.
The relative pronoun can be the subject or the object of the relative clause.
The companies produce organic food. They are located in the valley.
(They = The companies = subject)
The companies which are located in the valley produce organic food.

That’s the company. We visited it last year.

(it = the company = object)
That’s the company which we visited last year.

It is very common in English to omit the relative pronoun when this is the object of a defining
relative clause.

I’m afraid the person (that) you are looking for is in a meeting at the moment. (object)
Who is the man (that) Mr. Jones is talking to? (subject)

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 84 English for IT

6. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct relative
pronoun. Sometimes, more than one option is possible.

1. The director is the woman _______________ has long hair and glasses.
2. There are a lot of things _______________ make him happy.
3. Dublin, _______________ I spent my childhood, has changed a lot in the last 20
years.
4. We’ve adopted a business model _______________ is very successful in other
countries.
5. My friend Cody, _______________ is a sales representative, has to travel a lot.
6. They met a man _______________ daughter is a TV presenter.
7. We know many people _______________ can help you with the project.
8. This is the restaurant _______________ Owen and Evelyn celebrated their
engagement party.

Ha’penny Bridge in
Dublin

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 UNIT 5: THE INTERNET AND E-MAIL 85

KEY CONCEPTS
Conditional sentences

Conditional sentences are used to talk about the results of different situations (or conditions).
These situations can be real or unreal, and they can occur in the past, present or future.
Conditional sentences are formed with a conditional clause (introduced by ‘if’) and a result
clause.

If it rains, the match will be cancelled.

Note that the conditional clause and the result clause are separated by a comma.
However, it is possible to start a sentence with a result clause, but in this case we do not put
a comma in the middle of the sentence.

The match will be cancelled if it rains.

Zero Conditional
We use the zero conditional to talk about present actions that have a result in the present.
This type of conditional is used to talk about actions that are usually true, such as universal
laws. It follows this structure:
‘If’ / ‘When’ + present simple, present simple

If you click on that link, it takes you to the website.

When you raise the temperature to 100º, water boils.

1st conditional
We use the first conditional when we talk about real possibilities that have a result in the
future. The condition introduced by ‘if’ is considered possible or likely to happen. The first
conditional follows this structure:

‘If’ + subject + present simple, subject + ‘will’ + infinitive without ‘to’

If the directors all agree, we will go ahead with the negotiations.

If there is a fault in the goods, we will ask for a refund.

2nd conditional
We use the second conditional when we describe an unreal situation in the present or
future. In this case, the condition introduced by ‘if’ is an imaginary situation or something
that will probably not happen. The second conditional follows this structure:

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 86 English for IT

‘If’ + subject + past simple, subject + ‘would’ + infinitive without ‘to’

If the store were larger, we would sell a wider product range.

If we booked the hotel now, we would take advantage of their cheap rate.

As you can see in the first example, when we use the past form of the verb ‘be’ with the
second conditional, we normally use the form ‘were’ for all subjects, including ‘I’, ‘he’, ‘she’
and ‘it’.

3rd conditional
We use the third conditional when we talk about an unreal situation in the past, that is, a
past event that did not happen. The third conditional follows this structure:

‘If’ + subject + past perfect, subject + ‘would’ + ‘have’ + past participle

If we had known about the strike, we would have organised ourselves better.
If you had come earlier, we would have taken the first train.

Notice how the conditional sentences describe something that didn’t happen (in fact, we
didn’t know about the strike and you didn’t come earlier) and, for that reason, the result
couldn’t take place either (we didn’t organise ourselves better and we didn’t take the first
train).

Conditional sentences can also be expressed with a negative structure.

If she doesn’t call, I’ll send her an e-mail.
If we weren’t so strict about deadlines, our suppliers would be happier.
If Jacob hadn’t arrived on time, Olivia would have done the presentation.

In some cases, we can use ‘unless’ to substitute the ‘if not’ structure when it means ‘except’
or ‘if and only if’.
We won’t pay unless you send the goods immediately.
They wouldn’t give you a discount unless you showed them your membership card.
She wouldn’t have called so late unless something terrible had happened.

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 UNIT 5: THE INTERNET AND E-MAIL 87

7. R
 ead the following conditional sentences and fill in the blanks with the
corresponding form of the verb in parentheses. Use the full form.

1. If we continue working at this pace, we ____________________ (finish) the

project earlier than expected.
2. If he took a taxi, he ____________________ (arrive) quicker.
3. If the meeting had gone on longer, we ____________________ (stay) overnight
in a hotel.
4. If the service had been better, I ____________________ (leave) a tip.
5. When someone calls after closing time, the answering machine ________________
(answer).
6. If Jim ____________________ (know) your number, he would have called you.
7. If we ____________________ (send) him the bill today, he will pay us by the end
of the week.
8. When we ____________________ (not know) what to do, we ask our supervisor.
9. If we ____________________ (change) the settings, your PC would be more
efficient.
10. If the airport ____________________ (be) nearer, we would have taken a bus.

Happy customer giving a tip

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 88 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
Expressing likes and dislikes

In English, we can use the verb ‘like’ to talk about our preferences. It can be followed by a
noun or a verb with an ‘-ing’ form.

I like chocolate.
I like skiing and snowboarding.

Let’s have a look at other expressions to express preference, which follow these same
structures.

• Expressing likes: ‘love’, ‘adore’, ‘enjoy’, ‘prefer’, ‘fancy’, ‘be fond of’, ‘be keen on’.
I fancy an ice-cream after lunch.
Madison absolutely loves playing with little puppies.

• Expressing dislikes: ‘dislike’, ‘hate’, ‘can’t stand’, ‘be fed up with’, ‘be tired of’.
Our boss dislikes Oliver’s attitude.
Jodie is fed up with her personal situation.
Mary hates speaking in public.
I can’t stand working in these conditions.

• Expressing indifference: ‘not mind’.

Benjamin doesn’t mind the rain.
Benjamin doesn’t mind giving you a lift

In fact, many of the verbs above can also be used with the infinitive with ‘to’ and the meaning
is the same. So remember, using the ‘-ing’ form is always correct, whereas some other verbs
can take both structures: ‘like’, ‘love’, ‘prefer’, ‘hate’, ‘can’t stand’.
I like to ski and snowboard.
Madison loves to play with little puppies.
Phil prefers to eat early.
Mary hates to speak in public.
Jolene can’t stand to waste money.

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 UNIT 5: THE INTERNET AND E-MAIL 89

8. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct expression
from the list.

1. Mark likes / is fed up to run.

2. Alex adores to try / trying new foods.
3. Jan’s co-workers are fed up with / of their working conditions.
4. Marvin fancies/ loves to solve problems.
5. I don’t mind returning / to return later.
6. Danny is tired with / of working overtime.
7. Mrs. Ferrer enjoys to train / training new employees.
8. Our manager is fed up / hates to see the stockroom disorganised.

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 90 English for IT

READING
9. Read the following domain name purchase agreement.

Domain Name Purchase Agreement

The current owner of the domain name identified below (hereinafter referred to as
‘Seller’) desires to sell all rights, title and interest in such domain name to the Purchaser,
and the Purchaser desires to acquire same rights, title and interest in such domain
name from the Seller. Therefore, it is agreed between the parties as follows:

1. T
 he domain name to be transferred from the Seller to the Purchaser is
______________________ (referred to sometimes herein as ‘domain name.’)

2. T
 he Seller agrees to transfer to the Purchaser all right, title and interest in and to
the identified domain name, including any trademark rights associated with the
domain name itself and all Internet traffic to the domain name. Notwithstanding,
this Agreement does not relate to any Website content, which shall remain the
property of the Seller.

3. A
 s consideration for the sale of the domain name the Purchaser promised to pay
the Seller the amount of __________________. This sum shall be paid within
three (3) business days from the date this Agreement becomes effective. In the
event that payment is not timely received, this Agreement may be cancelled by
the Seller at the Seller’s sole discretion.

4. A
 fter receipt of full payment for the domain name, the Seller will within two (2)
business days take the necessary actions required to change the registered
ownership of the Domain Name.

5. N
 othing in this Agreement shall be construed to in any way limit the right of the
Seller to purchase, own, create and/or maintain another Website.

6. T
 he effective date of this Agreement shall be the date signed by the parties. If the
parties sign on different dates, the effective date shall be the date of the last
signature.

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 UNIT 5: THE INTERNET AND E-MAIL 91

10. Read the text again and decide if the following statements are True or False.

1. The Seller cannot legally own another website. True / False

2. The website content passes to the Purchaser with the domain name. True / False
3. If the Purchaser doesn’t pay in 3 days the contract can be null and void. True / False
4. The Seller has 2 days to change ownership after being paid. True / False
5. The effective date is the first date signed. True / False

11. Match the following words from the text with the corresponding definition.

1. Purchaser a) O
 f the immediate present
2. Parties b) The person who wants to buy
3. Traffic c) T
 he volume of messages transmitted through a
communication system
4. Current d) P
 erson who enters into some activity, such as a
contract
5. Business days e) T
 he days companies are open, not weekends

12. T
 ranslate the following expressions from the contract into Spanish. Use a
dictionary if necessary.

1. T
 he Seller agrees to transfer to the Purchaser all right, title and interest in and to the
identified domain name.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2. This sum shall be paid within three (3) business days from the date this Agreement
becomes effective.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to in any way limit the right of the
Seller to purchase, own, create and/or maintain another Website.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 92 English for IT

WRITING
13. Write sentences by putting the following words in order.

1. don’t / systems / up / I / new / setting / mind / .

______________________________________________________________
2. cache / from / The / cleared / cookies / need / be / the / to / .
______________________________________________________________
3. You / attach / to / forgot / documents / the / .
______________________________________________________________
4. how / here / he’d / know / If / John / to / problem / were / solve / the / , / .
______________________________________________________________

14. W
 rite the following sentences in English using the expressions you have seen in
this lesson. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. No me gusta arreglar el hardware.

______________________________________________________________
2. Estoy harto de la actitud de Trisha.
______________________________________________________________
3. Si no llaman, envíales un correo electrónico.
______________________________________________________________
4. Jeremy es la persona que liderará la implantación del nuevo software.
______________________________________________________________
5. El Departamento de Informática recomienda este proveedor, que ofrece planes de
hosting económicos.
______________________________________________________________

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 UNIT 5: THE INTERNET AND E-MAIL 93

15. R
 ead the following commercial text and fill in the blanks with the appropriate
expression from the box.

authentication log tool encrypted share

Virtual Brainstorm is the perfect collaborative solution for your business. With this
_______________, your employees will be able to upload files to the platform and
_______________ them with other colleagues and clients. A _______________
of participation is then sent to the project manager, however often you decide.

Your company’s ideas are safe with Virtual Brainstorm! Each user is assigned a
personal account and will go through a secure _______________ process before
accessing your _______________ data.

Virtual Brainstorm can be implemented on your website or secure server and

customised to your company’s corporative image.

See our Subscription Plans here.

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English for IT-Unidad 5.indd 94 31/07/14 11:37
 61 NETWORKS
95

OBJECTIVES
In this lesson you will learn to:
• Interpret a report
• Talk about the elements of a network
• Talk about the types of networks
• Connect ideas using linking words
• Construct sentences using the passive voice
• Use the ‘-ing’ and infinitive with ‘to’
• Structure an oral presentation

SCENE
1. Read the following report about a company’s proposal for a new network.

Network Proposal
A need for a more efficient and flexible network has been identified and the following
proposal has been made by Franklin Networks. Among the benefits, the new network
will offer scalability, one central location for backups, multiple networks (LAN, VPN,
WAN) and better security. Besides, IT technicians will be able to work remotely.

Current network problems

• None of the locations are connected and each location is running on its own Local
Area Network (LAN).
• There is no Virtual Private Network (VPN) enabling the company to have some
separation from the public network.
• Some hardware needs to be upgraded and additional systems added to ensure
productivity among departments.

Inventory of network devices

• 10 switches • 1 Application Server • 1 Database Server
• 5 routers • 1 Server (Linux OS) • 48 workstations
• 5 DSU/CSU • 1 Directory Server for • 11 printers
• 5 print servers & 1 web Windows Server
server

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 96 English for IT

Software requirements
• All workstations to be configured in the same way. A disk image will be created to
allow greater flexibility when troubleshooting.
• All workstations will run Virus Scan, Microsoft Office and Microsoft Live for e-mail
solutions.
• Applications such as Management 10 and Windows Server 12 will be hosted at the
Head Office location via VPN.

Deploying new network: timeframe

• Ordering equipment – allow 10 days
• Schedule 3-day downtime for current network to install new hardware and software
• Testing new network – 1 day
• Staff training – 6 hours per department. Once the network is in place, staff training
will be provided.

Staff training
• Each department will be trained specifically for their position within the company
• A training page on the company’s intranet will be set up for further guidance

2. Read the dialogue again and answer the following questions.

1. What network problems have been identified?

Old network, out of date equipment, high security risk, no VPN
Old hardware, no connectivity between departments, no VPN
2. Why will an image disk be created?
To make analysing and solving problems easier
To make sure all workstations are configured in the same manner
3. How long will it take to set up the new network?
3 days in total 14 days in total
4. Are all the employees native English speakers?
A 3-day training for all departments and then access to a training page on the intranet.
Individual training for each department and then access to a training page on the
intranet.

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 UNIT 6: NETWORKS 97

IT technician
drawing a network

3. Match the following expressions (1-5) with the corresponding definition.

1. Scalability a) In a faraway place

2. Remotely b) To discover why something does not work effectively
3. To run c) Period of time in which something is unavailable or not working
4. To troubleshoot d) To operate
5. Downtime e) The ability of a system to grow bigger

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 98 English for IT

VOCABULARY
Elements of a network

Listen to the following expressions related to networks and repeat them after the
beep.

network red
cabling cableado
backbone red central, backbone
workstation estación de trabajo
server servidor
peripheral periférico
node nodo
hub concentrador, hub,
switch conmutador, switch
network interface card (NIC) tarjeta de interfaz de red (TIR)
server servidor
modem módem
router router
wireless inalámbrico
wired por cable
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi
firewall cortafuegos
protocol protocolo
bridge puente de red, bridge
gateway portal
backup copia de seguridad
encryption encriptación, codificación
to transfer data transferir información
to deploy a network desplegar / implementar una red

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 UNIT 6: NETWORKS 99

4. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with an expression from the
box.

switch workstation gateway protocol

peripheral firewall bridge backbone

1. A
 _______________ connects two networks or two segments of a network to send
data packets.
2. A _______________ is a computer connected to a network and can access files
and applications that are stored in the server.
3. Any device like a printer or backup device that users can share is called a
_______________.
4. A _______________ guides data packets from their source to their destination
port, whereas as a hub passes data randomly, it does not lead the data packet from
one point to another.
5. Nowadays the most dominant networking _______________ is TC/IP.
6. A _______________ protects a network from unauthorised access.
7. The main cabling that connects all the segments in the network is called the
_______________ and this is the main transmission path which handles the most
important data traffic.
8. A _______________ lets different networks work together by changing the data to
make it compatible with the protocols of other networks.

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 100 English for IT

VOCABULARY
Types of networks

Listen to the following expressions to describe networks and repeat them after the
beep.

intranet intranet
Internet Internet
local area network (LAN) red de área local
wide area network (WAN) red de área amplia
metropolitan area network (MAN) red de área metropolitana
campus area network (CAN) red de área de campus
personal area network (PAN) red de área personal
wireless network red inalámbrica
wireless local area network (WLAN) red de área local inalámbrica
wireless wide area network (WWAN) red de área amplia inalámbrica
wireless personal area network (WPAN) red de área personal inalámbrica
peer-to-peer network red entre iguales
client-server network red cliente-servidor
bus topology topología en bus
mesh topology topología en malla
ring topology topología en anillo
star topology topología en estrella
tree topology topología en árbol

Devices connected
to a network

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 UNIT 6: NETWORKS 101

5. W
 hat kind of network is it? Read the following descriptions of different networks
and match them with the expressions from the box.

wireless local area peer-to-peer

wide area network client-server network
network network
mesh topology star topology ring topology bus topology

 group of interconnected networks which operates over a large area.

1. A
_________________________
2. In this type of topology, each of the devices and computers are connected to a
central node. _________________________
3. A network that operates over a small distance and whose devices are not connected
by cables. _________________________
4. Network where all the computers have the same capabilities. That is, each computer
acts as a server and a client. _________________________
5. Network where on centralised powerful computer controls the rest of the devices
that are connected to the network. _________________________
6. In this type of topology, each node is connected to its left and right neighbour node.
_________________________
7. In this type of topology, each network device and computer is interconnected with
one another. _________________________
8. In this type of topology, each computer and network device is connected to a single
main cable or backbone. _________________________

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 102 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
Connectors

A connector (or linking word) is a word or phrase that joins together ideas within a sentence
or between sentences or paragraphs. Connectors show us the relationship between ideas
and are used to give additional information, explain cause and effect, explain a result or
consequence, contrast information, etc.

Giving additional information

We use ‘furthermore’, ‘moreover’, ‘in addition’, ‘also’, ‘as well as’, ‘besides’ and ‘too’ to give
additional information about a previously stated idea. ‘Furthermore’ and ‘moreover’ are more
formal, and are most often found in writing. ‘Also’, ‘besides’ and ‘too’ are less formal, and are
used more in speech.

The report comes from a very reputable source. Furthermore, the author spent six
months investigating before publishing it.
This solution is clearly beneficial for the short-term. Moreover, it will increase customer
loyalty in the long run.
Janice’s salary was increased less than the average. In addition, her sales bonus was lower.
She decided to sue the company.
We were offered the contract, which also lead to other opportunities.
Send it by e-mail. The fax machine is very slow and besides, it’s nearly out of toner.
I use this website for networking and for learning about training courses, too.
I use this website for networking as well as for learning about training courses.

Notice that ‘furthermore’, ‘moreover’, and ‘in addition’ introduce a new sentence and are
followed by a comma. Notice that ‘also’, ‘besides’ and ‘too’ are used within the same sentence.

Explaining cause and effect

We use ‘because (of)’, ‘since’, ‘as’, ‘owing to’ and ‘due to’ to introduce the cause or effect of
something.

‘Because’, ‘since’ and ‘as’ are followed by a sentence (subject + verb).

Because Mr. Sanchez didn’t speak much English, he had trouble understanding me.
The director couldn’t continue filming because the light wasn’t very good.
Since the roads were very busy, we had to drive slower.
Rob was given a few days holiday, since he had been working very hard.
The conference was very interesting, as it was related to my work.

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 UNIT 6: NETWORKS 103

‘Because of’, ‘owing to’ and ‘due to’ are followed by a noun.
The airports were closed today because of the snow.
Flying costs have increased owing to the increase in fuel costs.
He’s not going to take the job due to the low salary.

Explaining a consequence or a result

We use ‘consequently’, ‘as a consequence’, ‘as a result’, ‘therefore’, ‘thus’ and ‘so’ to introduce
a consequence or a result of an action. All of these connectors (except for ‘so’) appear at
the beginning of a sentence and are followed by a comma. Most of these terms are more
common in written English.

There were heavy rains all over the country. As a result, many people lost their homes.
The team couldn’t score in the last minutes. Consequently, the Marlins won the league.
The stock market hit a new high. As a consequence, the founders of Barky became
millionaires.
The package arrived the morning of the presentation. Therefore, Miriam was able to get
the flyers ready for the show.
Mrs. Anderson hasn’t shown up yet, so I’m going into the conference by myself.

Contrasting ideas
We use ‘however’, ‘nevertheless’, ‘although’, ‘though’, ‘even though’, ‘despite’, ‘in spite of’,
‘while’ and ‘whereas’ to join two contrasting ideas.

We use ‘although’, ‘though’, ‘even though’, ‘despite’, ‘in spite of’, ‘while’ and ‘whereas’ to
introduce a situation which is followed by a contrasting result. These connectors have
different grammatical restrictions. Pay attention to the connector placement and
punctuation in each case.

‘Although’, ‘though’, ‘even though’, ‘while’ and ‘whereas’ are followed by a sentence (subject
+ verb).
Although he didn’t understand English very well, he tried to follow the conference.
Even though I don’t agree with all the conditions, I still think it’s a good deal.
Though Mr. Pollinger wasn’t expecting my visit, I was still able to interview him.
While the rest of the team favoured Plan A, I was more inspired by the alternative.
Whereas some corporations choose the cheapest solutions, Pear Industries has shown
time and time again that they prefer the best strategic solution.

‘Despite’ and ‘in spite of’ are followed by a noun.

Despite the length, it is a good, clear document.
In spite of the weather, the plane still took off on time.

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 104 English for IT

We use ‘however’ and ‘nevertheless’ to introduce a contrast to the first idea mentioned.
‘However’ and ‘nevertheless’ begin a second sentence that contrasts a previous sentence
and are always followed by a comma.
The author wasn’t that well-known. However, she was surprised how many turned up at
her book signing.
I didn’t particularly care for that film. Nevertheless, it won multiple awards.

• Expressing order
We use connectors such as ‘first / firstly’, ‘first of all’, ‘second / secondly’, ‘then’, ‘finally’, ‘in
conclusion’ and ‘to sum up’ to organise our ideas in a well-structured manner.
First of all, I’d like to welcome you all here today.
Secondly, please note that the data indicates a strong correlation between tobacco use
and oral cancer.
In conclusion, there is no reason to avoid healthy fats like olive oil in a balanced diet.

6. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the best connector in each
case.

 elsey was in charge of the network deployment project. Nevertheless / Despite /

1. K
Therefore, it seemed like Sonia was doing all of the work.
2. I’m sick of Rick showing up late, although / so / nevertheless I’m starting the meeting
without him.
3. F
 irst of all / Consequently / While numbers have never been my strong suit, I’m quite
good with spreadsheets.
4. In conclusion / Although / Despite, our clients
deserve to find cost-effective, efficient and
safe solutions for their home computing
needs.
5. The IT team supports the new Head of the
Department, despite /even though / in
addition he’s not popular with upper
management.
6. S ince / However / Because of the plane was
late, we had to skip the cocktail party.
7. The new technology looked very promising.
Therefore / However / As a result, it was
months away from being on the market.
A professional
working with 8. In spite of / Although / Nevertheless the
numbers and technology has existed for some time, this is
spreadsheets the first practical use for the mass market.

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KEY CONCEPTS
The passive voice

The passive voice is a verb structure that we use when the person or thing doing the action
is not important to the sentence or it is not known. This structure is typically used to explain
processes, where the important thing is the process itself, rather than who does the action.
We form the passive voice with the verb ‘be’ + the past participle of the main verb. The
subject can be singular or plural so we use the third person singular or plural form of ‘be’
when we form the passive voice. The passive voice follows this structure:
subject + be + past participle (+ ‘by’ + agent)

This wine is produced by local wineries.

Notice that in this passive sentence, the person or thing that receives the action (‘this wine’)
is the subject and it is in the first position of the sentence. Word order here is very important.
‘This wine’ is singular so we use the form ‘is’ plus the past participle of the verb ‘produce’:
‘produced’. As you can see, the agent (the person or thing that does the action) is introduced
by the preposition ‘by’. However, the agent is often omitted.

We can use the passive voice with all of the verb tenses. We change the verb to be to form
the different tenses in the passive voice. We always use the past participle of the main verb.
Past participles can be regular (they finish in ‘–ed’) or irregular. Remember you can check in
a dictionary as well as the annex in this course for some of the most frequent irregular verbs.

Here are examples of passive voice structures for a variety of different verb tenses:

• Present simple passive

subject + ‘is’ / ‘are’ (not) + past participle

The contract is written in Greek.

The taxi isn’t ordered yet.
The papers are signed at the bottom.

• Past simple passive

subject + ‘was’ / ‘were’ (not) + past participle

He was given a gold watch when he retired.

The campaign wasn’t marketed correctly.
The salaries were reviewed last month.
The directors weren’t told about the problem.

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 106 English for IT

• Present perfect passive

subject + ‘has’ / ‘have’ (not) been + past participle

The flight has been delayed because of the weather.

The new software hasn’t been tested yet.
The negotiations have been postponed until tomorrow.
The shares haven’t been sold.

• ‘Will’ passive

subject + ‘will’ (not) + be + past participle

The web page will be updated every month.

The closure won’t be announced until the end of the month.

• ‘Be going to’ passive

subject + ‘is’ / ‘are’ (not) going to be + past participle

The lobby is going to be modernised.

The new position at work isn’t going to be offered to David.
The presentation handouts are going to be printed on white paper.
The letters aren’t going to be delivered to our head office.

We make interrogative sentences in the passive voice by changing the word order of the
subject and the verb ‘be’. The auxiliary verb ‘be’ changes its form according to the verb
tense of the sentence and it goes in the first position of the sentence. Here are examples of
question forms in the passive voice.

Are the guests registered on the computer?

Was the answering machine connected to all the phones?
Has our company been included in the list of successful businesses?
Will my package be delivered on time?
Are the new statistics going to be included in the financial report?

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 UNIT 6: NETWORKS 107

7. Write passive sentences by putting the following words in order.

1. offered / workshop / to / all / The / will / current / be / employees / .

______________________________________________________________
2. The / University / is / by / report / of / Colorado / published / .
______________________________________________________________
3. before / be / Will / Friday / problem / the / fixed / ?
______________________________________________________________
4. have / proposals / All / CEO / the / the / by / been / validated / .
______________________________________________________________
5. not / The / mobile / was / shopping / site / optimised / for / .
______________________________________________________________
6. to / be / each / office / going / Is / audited / ?
______________________________________________________________
7. new / has / been / software / installed / not / The / .
______________________________________________________________
8. were / areas / in / Improvements / most / seen / .
______________________________________________________________

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 108 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
‘-ing’ form vs. infinitive with ‘to’

Sometimes students are confused about when to use an ‘-ing’ form or when to use an
infinitive with ‘to’. In this section we’ll review the most common usages of these two verbal
forms.

‘-ing’ form
As a general rule, we use the ‘-ing’ form:
• When it functions as the subject of a sentence and thus comes before the main verb.
Teleconferencing is slowly replacing business travel.
Shopping is more convenient if it’s done online.

• After a preposition that is not ‘to’.

They accused me of falsifying the company’s accounts.
We’re interested in showing our pilot project at the fair.

An exception to this rule is ‘look forward to’, which takes an ‘-ing’ form.

• After verbs of preference, such as ‘like’, ‘love’, ‘enjoy’, ‘not mind’, ‘dislike’, ‘hate’, ‘loathe’,
‘can’t bear’ and ‘can’t stand’.

I enjoy thinking up ideas for promoting new products.

I don’t mind dealing with paperwork.
I hate attending poorly-organised meetings.

• Some verbs are always followed by the ‘-ing’ form. These verbs include: ‘deny’, ‘admit’,
‘delay’, ‘suggest, ‘avoid’, ‘consider’ and ‘can’t help’. Some of these verbs are also
considered reporting verbs because they indicate how somebody says something.

They denied having anything to do with the incident.

He admitted taking some petty cash from the cashbox.
I suggest taking the clients to see the new warehouse.

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 UNIT 6: NETWORKS 109

Infinitive with ‘to’

We use the infinitive with ‘to’:
• To express an objective or purpose.
He got up early to have time to pack his suitcase.
Miss Simpson sent the memo to remind us to sign the paperwork.

• After adjectives.
It is important to say the company name when you answer the telephone.
It is faster to send an e-mail.

• Some verbs are always followed by the infinitive with ‘to’. These verbs include: ‘hope’,
‘want’, ‘begin’, ‘learn’, ‘expect’, ‘manage’, ‘decide’, ‘help’, ‘need’, ‘appear’, ‘promise’.

I hope to receive your new catalog soon.

Everyone needs to sign the document before it is sent.
He managed to download the photograph of the display.

• We use the infinitive with ‘to’ after certain verbs which are followed by an object.
Some common verbs of this type are: ‘want’, ‘expect’, ‘help’, ‘ask’, ‘tell’, ‘consider’,
‘advised’, ‘allow’.

My personal assistant told me to call you back this morning.

The company allowed us to have a two-week summer vacation.
The recruitment officer considered me to be the best candidate for the job.

‘-ing’ form and infinitive with ‘to’ with verbs of preference

As has been said before, verbs of preference are usually followed by an ‘-ing’ form. However,
the verbs ‘like’ and ‘prefer’ can be followed by the ‘-ing’ form or the infinitive with ‘to’.
I don’t like speaking in public.
I like to concentrate on one task at a time.
I prefer going out for lunch to staying in the office.
I prefer to eat something light at midday like a sandwich and a bowl of soup.

Notice, though, that ‘would like’ and ‘would prefer’ are always followed by an infinitive with ‘to’.
I’d like to speak to the manager, please.
I’d prefer to go to the restaurant in the center of town, if you don’t mind.

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 110 English for IT

8. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct verb form in
each case.

1.  o shake / Shaking hands is the most common form of greeting.

T
2. They dislike to travel / travelling by air and usually choose the bullet train.
3. Management expects us to give / giving written notice before quitting.
4. You need to bring / bringing in your old router to be eligible for the upgrade.
5. Mr. Anderson says it’s terrible to talk / talking behind your colleagues’ back.
6. Pam enjoys to find / finding creative solutions.
7. The guidebook suggests to visit / visiting at sunset.
8. Over the years, I’ve learned to keep / keeping my mouth shut.

Santorini at sunset

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 UNIT 6: NETWORKS 111

READING
9. G
 iving an oral presentation is a key skill in a professional career. Read the following
blog post about how to give a good presentation.

Top 10 Tips for Delivering a Great Presentation

General advice:
The best practice structure for effective speeches and presentations consists of an
introduction, a body and a conclusion. In the introduction tell them what you are
going to talk about. In the body deliver the key messages using practical examples to
support your points. Finally, in the conclusion summarise what you have said and
always give your audience the opportunity to ask you questions.

Top 10 Tips
1. Don’t make your presentation too long. Time yourself to make sure you stay
within the time limit.
2. Avoid information overload. Don’t have more than 3 main points.
3. Always be punctual – start on time and finish on time. Other people’s time is
valuable too, don’t waste it!
4. Don’t speak too fast. Pace yourself. Avoid speaking in a monotone – it’s boring.
Think about how you want to break up sentences, where you will pause for
emphasis, what words you’ll stress. Project your voice. Use your hands. Be
energetic!
5. Know your audience. What is their level of knowledge of the topic you are
speaking on? Don’t get into technical details if you’re not speaking to technicians.
6. Know your material and practise your presentation beforehand, and then practise
again, and then practise again…
7. Know the room and make sure the equipment is properly set up and working
before you begin.
8. Keep your slides simple. Don’t put your audience to sleep by reading your
PowerPoint slides; do them a favour and give them a handout to read later.
9. Make eye contact with your audience. Don’t read from your slides with your
back turned to your listeners. Use a remote control to change the slides and
keep your focus on your audience.
10. Have a Plan B in case your equipment stops working or something distracting
happens.

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 112 English for IT

10. R
 ead the blog post again and decide if the following statements are True or
False.

1. The blog post gives tips to write a presentation. True / False

2. A good presentation should include detailed information. True / False
3. The speaker’s tone of voice and body language are important. True / False
4. Any machines or technology should be tested before the
presentation. True / False
5. It is strongly recommended to read your slides and give handouts to
your audience. True / False

An employee
giving a successful
presentation

11. Match the following words from the text with the corresponding definition.

1. Tip a) The speed of your talk

2. Eye contact b) To look into people’s eyes
3. Pace c) To give someone too much detail
4. Handout d) A piece of advice
5. Information overload e) Information presented in a paper format

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 UNIT 6: NETWORKS 113

12. T
 ranslate the following paragraph from the blog post into Spanish. Use a
dictionary if necessary.

The best practice structure for effective speeches and presentations consists of an
introduction, a body and a conclusion. In the introduction tell them what you are going to
talk about. In the body deliver the key messages using practical examples to support your
points. Finally, in the conclusion summarise what you have said and always give your
audience the opportunity to ask you questions.

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 114 English for IT

WRITING
13. Write sentences by putting the following words in order.

1. network / set / you / kind / will / up / of / What / ?

______________________________________________________________
2. by / been / Chinese / has / company / The / a / developed / proposal / .
______________________________________________________________
3. We / deploy / campus / University / network / for / been / asked / to / area / of / have
/ a / Bath / the / .
______________________________________________________________
4. this / will / peripherals / be / to / connected / The / computer / .
______________________________________________________________

14. W
 rite the following sentences in English using the expressions you have seen in
this lesson. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. Los clientes escogieron la propuesta de NiponTech a pesar de su elevado precio.

______________________________________________________________
2. El Sr. Brooks está teniendo problemas con el cortafuegos de su ordenador.
______________________________________________________________
3. El servidor hace una copia de seguridad cada noche.
______________________________________________________________
4. Es una red inalámbrica y, por lo tanto, no necesitamos cableado.
______________________________________________________________

15. R
 ead the following description of a star topography and fill in the blanks with the
appropriate expression from the box.

local area
hub disconnected devices exchange
networks

Star topography is typically found in wireless _______________________. In this

type of topography each of the devices and computers are connected to a central hub,
which in turn connects all the _______________________together. However,
because computers cannot _______________________messages with each other,
but have to go through the main _______________________. Therefore, if the
central hub fails, all the computers connected to that hub will be _____________,
which is the main disadvantage of this type of network.

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 71 TALKING ON THE PHONE
115

OBJECTIVES
In this lesson you will learn to:
• Maintain a telephone conversation in English
• Discuss problems
• Use polite language to deal with complaints
• Express the purpose of an action
• Use reported speech
• Write a complaint

SCENE
1. Dialogue: A telephone conversation
Listen to this telephone conversation where a customer makes a complaint.

An IT technician
making a
complaint on the
phone

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 116 English for IT

2. Listen to the dialogue again and answer the following questions.

1. Why does Luigi call?

To complain about a bill. To complain about the moisturising creams he received.
2. How many moisturising creams did he want?
55 75
3. What is Susan’s attitude?
She doesn’t care about Luigi’s problem She is willing to help.
4. What is the relationship between the speakers?
It’s the first time they’ve ever spoken. They know each other.

3. Match the following statements with an expression from the box.

Well, there are

Yes, it’s ref. no. Yes, it’s 00 39 1 Thank you,
Hello, Susan. actually two
35871 XY. 459 21 900. Susan.
errors.

1. Susan: Good afternoon, Luigi, Susan speaking. How can I help you?
Luigi: ________________________________________________________
2. Susan: What’s the problem, Luigi?
Luigi: ________________________________________________________
3. Susan: Could you give me the invoice reference?
Luigi: ________________________________________________________
4. Susan: Can you give me your telephone number, and I’ll call you back later today?
Luigi: ________________________________________________________
5. Susan: I will talk to our dispatch department immediately, and call you back.
Luigi: ________________________________________________________

4. N
 ow, listen to the fragments from Activity 3 and say Luigi’s part of the dialogue
after the beep.

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 UNIT 7: TALKING ON THE PHONE 117

VOCABULARY
Telephone language

Listen to the following useful expressions for speaking on the phone and repeat them
after the beep.

Good morning, this is James Foster. Buenos días, soy James Foster.
Hello, Liam speaking. Hola, soy Liam.
I’m calling from Stork Enterprises. Llamo de Stork Enterprises.
I’d like to speak to Mrs. Brown, please. Quería hablar con la Sra. Brown,
por favor.
Can I speak to Mrs. Brown? ¿Puedo hablar con la Sra. Brown?
May I have your name? ¿Me dice su nombre?
Who’s calling, please? ¿De parte de quién, por favor?
I’ll put you through. Le paso.
Can you take the call? ¿Puedes atender la llamada?
One moment, please. Un momento, por favor.
Hold the line, please. Manténgase a la espera, por favor.
Sorry to keep you waiting. Disculpe la espera.
Can you speak more slowly, please? ¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor?
Could you speak up? ¿Podría hablar más alto?
Sorry, I can’t hear you. Perdone, no le oigo.
Can you say that again? ¿Lo puede repetir?
Thanks for calling. Gracias por llamar.

At home, we usually say ‘Hello?’ to answer the phone. In a work environment, it is common
to say the name of the company and then ‘Can I help you?’ If it is your own extension, you
can simply say “Hello, this is Mark.”

We can use the following expressions to say the purpose of our call:

I’m calling because we haven’t received the goods yet.

I’m calling in order to complain about a delivery.
I’m calling with regards to the order we placed last week.

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 118 English for IT

5. Listen to the dialogue and fill in the blanks with the expressions you hear.

Receptionist: DermoSystems. Good morning.

Caller: Hello, _________________________ Mr. Roche, please.
Receptionist: _________________________
Caller: This is Ms. Gibbons of Bank International.
Receptionist: ________________________ . I’m putting you through.
Receptionist: Hello, Mr. Roche, _________________________Ms. Gibbons of
Bank International.
Mr. Roche: Good morning, Claudia. Ms. Gibbons? Pardon, from what company?
Receptionist: From Bank International. _________________________
Mr. Roche: Oh yes, thank you Claudia. _________________________

A receptionist
taking a call

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 UNIT 7: TALKING ON THE PHONE 119

VOCABULARY
A telephone conversation

Listen to the following expressions that appear in telephone conversations and repeat
them after the beep.

I’m afraid Ethan is not here at the moment. Me temo que Ethan no está.
I’m afraid he’s not available at the moment. Me temo que no está disponible
en este momento.
I’m sorry, he’s not in. Lo siento, no está.
Would you like to leave a message? ¿Quiere dejar un mensaje?
Can I take a message? ¿Quiere que tome nota?
I’ll make a note. Tomo nota.
Can you spell your name, please? ¿Puede deletrear su nombre, por favor?
How do you spell that? ¿Cómo se deletrea?
Can I have your telephone number? ¿Me da su teléfono?
I’ll tell her you called. Le digo que ha llamado.
May I leave a message? ¿Podría dejar un recado?
Could you take a message? ¿Podría dejarle una nota?
Can you ask him to call me back? ¿Le puede decir que me llame?
Could you tell him I called? ¿Podría decirle que he llamado?

6. L
 ook at the following telephone conversations and choose the best expression in
each case.

1. R
 eceptionist: Mrs. Butler is out of the office right now. Would you like to leave / take
a message?
Caller: Yes. Can you say / ask to call me back?

2. R
 eceptionist: Alexander is not in / available at the moment. He’s speaking on the
other line.
Caller: Ok. Could you leave / take a message, please?

3. R
 eceptionist: I’m sorry / afraid, Sophia is in a meeting right now.
Caller: Can you say / tell her I called?
Receptionist: Ok, I’ll make a note / message.

4. R
 eceptionist: Mr. Campbell is not in. Can you / I take a message?
Caller: Yes. Tell / Ask him that Mr. Wong called, please.
Receptionist: How do you say / spell your surname?

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 120 English for IT

A computer
assistant making a
phone call

KEY CONCEPTS
Dealing with complaints

Let’s have a look at a few polite expressions we can use when dealing with complaints.

I’m awfully sorry. Lo siento muchísimo.

I’m sorry to hear about that. Siento oír eso.
I apologise for that. Le pido disculpas por ello.
My apologies. Mil disculpas.
I apologise for the inconvenience. Disculpe las molestias.
Please accept our apologies. Por favor, acepte nuestras disculpas.
It won’t happen again. No volverá a suceder.

When a customer complains about something, we have to find out what went wrong and
take action to solve the problem. Here are a few common verbs:

to check something comprobar algo

to look into something investigar algo
to see about something encargarse de algo
to see what happened averiguar lo que ha sucedido
to get back to someone volver a contactar con alguien para darle información
to offer a solution ofrecer una solución

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 UNIT 7: TALKING ON THE PHONE 121

In this situation, we generally use the future with ‘will’.

I’m sorry about the mistake in your invoice. I’ll look into it
and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

It’s also possible to use the following structure:

‘Let me’ + infinitive without ‘to’

I apologise. Let me see what happened and will get back to you by noon.

7. Read the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct expression.

1. We’re sorry about the delay. We apologise the inconvenience.

2. Don’t worry, I’ll see that and will offer you a solution.
3. We’re sorry hear that you’re not happy with our service.
4. Okay, I’ll see happened and will give you a call later.
5. I’m awfully sorry, sir. I’ll look it right away.
6. Let me check your order and I’ll get to you today.
7. I’m sorry to hear the misunderstanding.
8. That’s very unusual. me have a look at our database.

A Helpdesk
employee dealing
with complaints

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 122 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
Expressing purpose

In English, we can use an infinitive with ‘to’ in affirmative sentences to express the reason
why we do something.

We’re working hard to improve our customer service.

My assistant is calling all our suppliers to find the car part you need.

In formal situations, we can also use ‘in order to’ or ‘so as to’. The negative forms ‘in order not
to’ or ‘so as not to’ are needed when we want to make a negative sentence.

We are writing in order to / so as to ask for information about your product range.
Ethan turned down the music in order not to bother the neighbours.
You should leave now so as not to be late.

If you take the last example, you’ll see that the subject of the two actions is the same (you
should leave now in order for you not to be late). Notice that all the previous examples work
the same way.

However, when someone does something so that another person can do something else,
we use the connector ‘so that’. This structure is followed by a full sentence, which can be
affirmative or negative.

I’ll give you the envelope so that you take it to the post office.
Mia is preparing the room so that our guests do not miss a single detail.

We can also express purpose with the preposition ‘for’, followed by a noun or an ‘-ing’ form.

They’ve launched a new app for project management.

They’re launched a new app for managing your projects.

Notice that it is not possible to use the infinitive with ‘to’ after the preposition ‘for’.

Apps for different

purposes

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 UNIT 7: TALKING ON THE PHONE 123

8. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct expression in
each case.

1. Ian left early so as not to / so that he miss his flight.

2. I’m calling to / for request your catalogue.
3. The taxi will drop you off at the gate in order to / so that you don’t get lost.
4. The technicians will have special training to learn / learning about the new software.
5. We’ll have a sale in order to / so that get rid of the excess stock before summer.
6. We’ve consulted with a cross cultural specialist so as not to / so as to say anything
offensive to our foreign guests.
7. Jamal has to find time to / in order not to organise his desk, it’s a mess.
8. In order to / So as not to ensure your safety, we ask that all seatbelts remain fastened
during the flight.

A passenger
fastening her
seatbelt

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 124 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
Reported speech

Reported speech consists on explaining what another person has previously said. When we
use reported speech, we must change the verb tense of the original sentence to a past
form. Thus, the present tense becomes the past tense, and the past tense becomes the past
perfect.

The following table summarises the verb changes in reported speech.

DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH

Present simple Past simple

work / works worked
Present continuous Past continuous

am / is working was working

are working were working

Past simple Past perfect

worked had worked

Present perfect Past perfect

have worked had worked

Imperative Infinitive with ‘to’

Work! to work

Modal verb direct speech Modal verb reported speech

will would

can could

may might

might might

should should

must must / had to

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 UNIT 7: TALKING ON THE PHONE 125

When we use reported speech, we also have to change pronouns, determiners and time
references to match the new situation. You can see a summary of those main changes in
the following table.

Direct Speech Reported Speech

I he / she

we they

this that

these those

my his / her

our their

here there

this morning that morning

yesterday the day before

now that day / then / at that time

tomorrow the next / following day

last week the week before

next week the week after / the following week

“I’ll be late home tonight,” Zach said.

Zach said he’d be late home that night.

“We can’t be on stage now,” they said.

They said they couldn’t be on stage then.

“See you tomorrow,” she said.

She said she would see me the next day.

“I saw the managing director yesterday,” he said.

He said that he’d seen the manager director the day before.

“We sent you a sample last week,” they said.

They said that they’d sent us a sample the week before.

“My company is going to open a production plant in China next year,” he said.
He said his company was going to open a production plant in China
the following year.

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 126 English for IT

“She’s working in Glasgow now,” he said.

He said she was working in Glasgow at that time / then.

“Write a report about last month’s sales”, he told me.

He told me to write a report about the previous month’s sales.

Sometimes we want to report a question that someone said. In reported questions, there is
no subject-verb inversion and the auxiliary ‘do / does / did’ disappears. If it’s a yes/no
question, the reported question is introduced by ‘if’. If the direct question contains a question
word, the reported question is also introduced by that question word.

“Do you accept credit cards?” the customer asked.

The customer asked if we accepted credit cards.
“Where is the train station?” the lady asked.
The lady asked where the train station was.

9. Transform the direct speech sentences into indirect speech.

1. Sherri said, “I was exhausted last week.”

_____________________________________________________________
2. “My manager is being difficult tonight,” he said.
______________________________________________________________
3. “This is the best location for the server,” Mary stated.
______________________________________________________________
4. “Our staff’s qualifications have never been higher,” said the Head of IT.
______________________________________________________________
5. Todd said, “I’ll talk to you next week.”
______________________________________________________________
6. “I’m convinced this software will improve,” said Mr. VanNuys.
______________________________________________________________
7. “This product line might be too expensive,” stated Sam.
______________________________________________________________
8. “The new screens arrive this morning”, Leroy mentioned.
______________________________________________________________

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 UNIT 7: TALKING ON THE PHONE 127

READING
10. Read the following complaint e-mail.

To: Gerry Simms- regional director THM Hardware <gsimms@thmhardware.

com>
From: Jerome O’Daly <[email protected]>

Dear Mr. Simms,

I’m writing on behalf of our company located just outside Saint Louis. You have
been our main supplier of hardware components for over 8 years, and I think our
relationship has always been a good one.
However, it’s come to our attention that lately, your customer care is nearly non-
existent. We rarely get a face-to-face visit from the salesperson anymore, and
the deliveries are completely unpredictable. We never know when they are
coming. Due to the new platform rollout last summer, we have moved from
telephone orders to web orders, but the results have proved disastrous.
Oftentimes the wrong products show up. We have been waiting for 3 EVN
keyboards for over 19 days, now. Moreover, what does show up is often dented
or battered and completely unsuitable for sale.
I don’t know if the problem is the online ordering platform, the transport company
or the actual design of the product boxes, but I do know that you need to find a
solution before we are forced to find a new supplier.

Regards,

Jerome O’Daly
Manager- IT Services

11. Read the e-mail again and decide if the following statements are True or False.

1. T
 he purpose of the e-mail is to discuss to the procedure to order
keyboards. True / False
2. Some products have not been served on time. True / False
3. Mr. O’Daly dislikes the new ordering platform. True / False
4. After 8 years, they are cancelling the orders. True / False
5. The new boxes are arriving in better condition. True / False

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 128 English for IT

12. Match the following words from the text with the corresponding definition.

1. Unpredictable a) To be noticed by somebody

2. Main b) To be obliged to do something
3. On behalf of c) Not to be foreseen or foretold
4. To come to one’s attention d) As a representative of
5. To be forced e) Principal, leading

13. T
 ranslate the following sentences from the e-mail into Spanish. Use a dictionary
if necessary.

1. I’m writing on behalf of our pharmacy.

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

2. However, it’s come to our attention that your customer care is nearly non-existent.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

3. I don’t know if the problem is the online ordering platform, but I do know that you
need to find a solution before we are forced to find a new supplier.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

WRITING
14. Write sentences by putting the following words in order.

1. Mr. / speak / like / Ramirez / to / I’d / to

_____________________________________________________________
2. you / leave / to / like / a / Would / message / ?
_____________________________________________________________
3. your / have / Can / telephone / I / number / ?
_____________________________________________________________
4. ask / him / to / me / back / you / call / Can / ?
_____________________________________________________________

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 UNIT 7: TALKING ON THE PHONE 129

15. W
 rite the following sentences in English using the expressions you have seen in
this lesson. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. Lo siento, Mario no se puede poner en este momento.

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
2. Quería poner una queja sobre un pedido.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
3. Llamo de LevanTech, de Valencia.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
4. Llamo en referencia al último envío.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
5. Me temo que el problema con el servidor no se ha resuelto todavía.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

16. R
 ead the following response to a complaint e-mail and fill in the blanks with the
appropriate expression from the box.

apologies error sorry get back look into

Dear Ms. Robbins,

We are ________ to hear about the problems with your e-mail account.
There must have been an unreported ________, since the issue is not
recorded on our database.

We will ________ the matter straight away and will ________ to you as
soon as possible.

Please accept our ________ .

My best,

Alexander Stone
Helpdesk Department

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 130 English for IT

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 81 AN IT PROJECT
131

OBJECTIVES
In this lesson you will learn to:
• Discuss your ideas in a meeting
• Negotiate the conditions of a deal
• Make suggestions to clients and colleagues
• Use phrasal verbs
• Recognise and use false friends
• Be aware of cultural differences when doing business

SCENE
1. D
 ialogue: A Business Meeting
Listen to this dialogue where two people are holding a business meeting.

A business
meeting

2. Listen to the dialogue again and answer the following questions.

1. What problem does Eric report at the beginning of the dialogue?

There will be a delay in the delivery of Phase 2. The whole project will be late.
2. What is the deadline to complete the project?
December 31st. December 15th.
3. How does Eric react to including the statistics tool?
He’s cooperative. He refuses to do it.
4. Why are they worried about including the statistics tool?
Because it will delay delivery. Because John Quincy is against it.

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 132 English for IT

3. R
 ead the following fragments from the dialogue and complete the sentences with
the expressions from the box.

setbacks update schedule impact note

1. S
 amantha: I’d like to start the meeting by discussing the status of the RST project.
Can you give me an ________________, Eric?
Eric: Sure. As you know, the first phase of production finished two weeks ago. We’re
working on the second phase. However, we’re encountering some technical
________________ which may delay delivery.
2. Samantha: So you’re saying that Phase 3 will be on ________________? Okay, so
when will the second phase be ready, then?
3. Samantha: On an unrelated ________________, John Quincy suggested that
the sales package should include a statistics tool. Are we in time to request that?
4. Eric: That functionality was not included in the project briefing. If you request it now,
remember that it might have an ________________on the timing as well as the
budget.

4. N
 ow, listen to this fragment from the dialogue and say Samantha’s part of the
dialogue after the beep.

Samantha: I’d like to start the meeting by discussing the status of the RST project. Can
you give me an update, Eric?
Eric: Sure. As you know, the first phase of production finished two weeks ago. We’re
working on the second phase. However, we’re encountering some technical setbacks
which may delay delivery.
Samantha: I’m afraid we can’t postpone the deadline, Eric. The contract with our current
suppliers extinguishes on December 31st. We need the full system migration done
by December 15th at the very latest.
Eric: I see what you’re saying. But actually, it’s not going to affect the final delivery of the
project. It’s just that the second phase will take us a bit longer than expected.
Samantha: So you’re saying that Phase 3 will be on schedule? Okay, so when will the
second phase be ready, then?
Eric: It was set for June 2nd but it will most likely take about three weeks more.
Samantha: Three weeks? No way, I might be able to get you two weeks if you guarantee
the third phase isn’t impacted. The board of directors wants to see a functional
version of the new system by July 5th for the annual board meeting.
Eric: All right, I’ll do my best to cut it down to two weeks, then.

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 UNIT 8: DOING BUSINESS 133

VOCABULARY
Discussing ideas

Listen to the following expressions to discuss ideas in a meeting, and repeat them
after the beep.

to agree estar de acuerdo

to disagree estar en desacuerdo
to understand comprender
from my point of view desde mi punto de vista
in my opinion en mi opinion
as I see it tal como yo lo veo
Are we all in agreement? ¿Estamos todos de acuerdo?
I see what you mean. Ya veo lo que te refieres.
I see what you’re saying. Entiendo lo que dices.
Can you get to the point, please? ¿Puedes ir al grano, por favor?
Do you follow me? ¿Me sigues?
I don’t quite follow you. No te sigo.
I’ve lost my train of thought. Ya no sé qué quería decir.
Can I interrupt you there? ¿Te puedo interrumpir?
Can you clarify that point? ¿Puedes aclarar ese punto?
Can you develop that a bit further? ¿Puedes explicarlo en más detalle?

5. L
 ook at the following situations (1-5) and match them with the expression you
would use in each case (a-e).

1.  ou are totally against what another person is saying.

Y
2. You understand the other person’s point of view.
3. You are interested in an idea and you want more information.
4. You don’t understand what the other person is trying to say.
5. You don’t remember what you were going to say.

a) I don’t quite follow you.

b) I’ve lost my train of thought.
c) I see what you mean.
d) I strongly disagree.
e) Can you develop that a bit further?

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 134 English for IT

VOCABULARY
Negotiating

Listen to the following expressions to negotiate business offers, and repeat them
after the beep.

I want to put this offer on the table.

Quiero poner esta oferta sobre la mesa.
Can we discuss the payment terms?
¿Podemos negociar las condiciones de pago?
Could you deliver it sooner?
¿Podrían entregarlo antes?
What’s your best offer?
¿Cuál es su mejor oferta?
Can you lower the price?
¿Pueden bajar el precio?
Could you improve on that offer?
¿Pueden mejorar la oferta?
I’m afraid your offer is unacceptable under those conditions.
Me temo que su oferta es inaceptable bajo esas condiciones.
I’m sorry but we can’t accept that.
Lo siento pero no podemos aceptarlo.
I’m afraid that’s impossible.
Me temo que es imposible.
We could give you a discount.
Podríamos hacerles un descuento.
Put yourself in my position.
Póngase en mi lugar.
That sounds reasonable.
Me parece razonable.
It looks like we’re reaching an agreement.
Parece que estamos llegando a un acuerdo.
Would you like to discuss it with your partners before you make a decision?
¿Quiere comentarlo con sus socios antes de tomar la decisión?
I’ll have to consult my partners on this issue.
Tendré que consultar el tema con mis socios.
Could we have that in writing?
¿Lo pueden poner por escrito?

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 UNIT 8: DOING BUSINESS 135

6. R
 ead the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the expressions from the
box.

reach give consult discuss offer accept

1. W
 e expected you to _______________ better conditions, since we’re one of your
best clients.
2. Before closing the deal, I’d like to _______________ a few details.
3. Hopefully, we’ll _______________ an agreement this week.
4. Can you _______________ us a discount for a bulk order?
5. Sorry, there’s no way I can _______________ that deal, we need a compromise.
6. I need to make a phone call to _______________ my lawyer before signing
anything.

Head of IT
negotiating the
conditions of a
project

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 136 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
Making suggestions and giving advice

When we want to give recommendations to other people, we can use the verbs ‘suggest’
and ‘recommend’ in the following way. :

‘suggest’ / ‘recommend’ + ‘-ing’ form

The concierge suggested taking the bus tour.
The waitress recommends trying the house wine.
I suggest asking for more time.

It is also possible to use a full sentence after ‘suggest’ and ‘recommend’.

‘suggest’ / ‘recommend’ + (that) + subject + infinitive without ‘to’

The concierge suggested that he take the bus tour.
The waitress recommends we try the house wine.
I suggest that your company refund our money.
We recommend that Keith stay in Brussels.
I suggest you go.

As you can see in the examples, the verb in the second sentence is an infinitive without ‘to’,
because this sentence is in the subjunctive.

Another useful expression to give advice is to use the expression ‘If I were you…’ (using the
second conditional).

If I were you, I’d take the job he’s offered you.

If I were you, I’d buy the tickets in advance.
I wouldn’t do that if I were you.

7. Choose the correct form to complete the sentences.

1. I recommend to install / installing the latest version of the software.

2. The IT technician suggested that we try / to try another brand of ink cartridges.
3. I wouldn’t suggest to go / going to Egypt in August.
4. Mr. Landers will recommend eliminating / to eliminate costs.
5. We didn’t suggest adding / to add extra hours, but they did anyway.
6. My colleagues all suggest we run / to run a more powerful antivirus.
7. Steven recommends driving / to drive to the airport.
8. My uncle doesn’t suggest we travel / to travel without health insurance.

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 UNIT 8: DOING BUSINESS 137

KEY CONCEPTS
Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are verbs that are followed by a particle (a preposition or an adverb). Phrasal
verbs can have a literal meaning or a metaphorical meaning. A metaphorical meaning is
when the combination of verb + particle gives a new meaning that is not related to the
meaning of the original verb or particle. Compare these two sentences:

I decided to go out when I realized there was nothing on the TV. (literal = to go
somewhere)
The fire went out because I didn’t put any wood on it. (metaphorical = to extinguish)

Phrasal verbs can have one or two particles after the verb.

Here is a list of some useful phrasal verbs and their translations into Spanish.

to add up sumar
to blow up explotar
to break up romper (una relación)
to bring up mencionar, sacar en la conversación
to call off cancelar
to carry on continuar
to come across encontrar, encontrarse
to come up with ocurrirse
to fall apart romperse, desmoronarse
to find out descubrir
to get along llevarse bien
to get away marcharse, escaparse
to get over sobreponerse
to give back devolver
to give up abandonar
to go away irse
to go on continuar
to hold on mantenerse, aferrarse
to look after cuidar de
to look forward to esperar con impaciencia, tener ganas de hacer algo
to look up consultar
to make up reconciliarse
to pick up recoger, levantar del suelo

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 138 English for IT

to put down poner por escrito

to put off postponer
to turn down rechazar
to turn on encender
to turn off apagar
to turn up aparecer

Some phrasal verbs are intransitive (they don’t take an object).

I didn’t hear my alarm go off this morning.

Please go away. I never want to see you again.

Phrasal verbs can be transitive, which means that they are followed by an object. Transitive
phrasal verbs can be inseparable or separable. Let’s look at the difference between these
two.

With inseparable phrasal verbs, the verb and the particle always go together and cannot be
separated. Therefore, the object noun or pronoun will always appear after the particle.

I’m looking for my watch. Have you seen it?

The archaeologists came across a statue of an ancient goddess.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
They never really got on with each other, although they ate lunch together for years.

With separable phrasal verbs, the verb and the particle can be separated by the object. If
the object is a noun, it can go before or after the particle. However, if the object is a pronoun,
it must go between the verb and the particle. Compare the structures in the following
examples:

We have to put these files away before they get back.

We have to put away these files before they get back.
We have to put them away before they get back.

It would not be possible to put the pronoun ‘them’ after ‘put away’.

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 UNIT 8: DOING BUSINESS 139

8. R
 ead the following sentences and choose the correct phrasal verb to replace the
underlined expression.

1. I didn’t want to mention the matter of our terrible results. bring up / give up
2. We must discover how the competition has improved their click rate.
carry out / find out
3. Please consult the exact number of technical issues from July. look out / look up
4. Don’t postpone the meeting; we need to talk about the network deployment.
put off / put down
5. My boss is so angry I think he’s going to explode. blow up / blow off
6. T  ake care of my plant while I’m on holidays, please. look over / look after
7. Don’t quit now, we’re nearly done! give up / bring up
8. Cancel my dentist appointment, I have a headache. call off / bring up

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 140 English for IT

KEY CONCEPTS
False friends

False friends are words that look similar in two languages but which have very different
meanings. Learners often find it hard to use them correctly, or are surprised to find out what
they mean in English. Here is a list of some false friends that are misleading for Spanish
learners.

ENGLISH WORD ENGLISH MEANING SPANISH WORD SPANISH MEANING

actually nowadays actualmente de hecho
agenda diary agenda orden del día
argument plot argumento discusión
to assist to attend asistir ayudar
to attend to assist, to help atender asistir
career degree carrera carrera professional
colleague friend colega compañero de trabajo
conductor driver conductor director de orquesta
constipated to have a cold constipado estreñido
deception disappointment decepción engaño
discussion argument discusión explicación
educated polite educado con estudios
embarrassed pregnant embarazada avergonzado
eventually from time to time eventualmente al final
exit success éxito salida
intoxicated poisoned intoxicado borracho
large long largo grande
library book shop librería biblioteca
misery pobreza miseria tristeza
parent relative pariente progenitor
to pretend to expect pretender fingir
professor teacher professor catedrático universitario
to realise to carry out realizar darse cuenta
to resume to summarise resumir reanudar
sensible sensitive sensible sensato
sensitive of the senses sensitivo sensible
sympathy friendliness simpatía compasión
stranger foreigner extranjero desconocido
to support to put up with soportar apoyar
to succeed to happen suceder tener éxito
terrific terrifying terrorífico genial, fenomenal

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 UNIT 8: DOING BUSINESS 141

9. Read the following sentences and choose the correct word in each case.

1.  he whole department will assist / attend the training session next week.
T
2. I’m sure Ben will make the right decision. He is a sensible / sensitive man.
3. Most production processes are carried out by machines actually / nowadays.
4. The new secretary will assist / attend the manager in administration tasks.
5. The Head of Marketing had a big argument / discussion with the General Manager.
He was so angry that he slammed the door as he went out.
6. Noah is just a junior employee. You can’t pretend / expect him to know the ins and
outs of the company.
7. I wish you a wonderful career, full of success / exit.
8. Our receptionist is so nice and educated / polite, that all of our customers are delighted
to talk to her.

A nice receptionist

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 142 English for IT

READING
10. Read the following article about doing business abroad.

Doing Business Overseas

Doing business abroad is a challenging experience for anyone. No matter how skilled
you are at negotiating in your own country, cultural differences can represent a barrier
for effective communication and may even lead to losing a deal. Here are a few
things that should be taken into account when doing business abroad.

Culture
The first piece of advice is obvious: learn about the country you’re visiting. Travel
guides and the Internet will offer some helpful facts about the country’s economy,
history, culture and traditions. More importantly, travel guides often include
information for first-time visitors with regards to what’s appreciated or offensive in
that country. It is a good idea to attend a seminar about cross-cultural communication
if you are planning lots of foreign business trips.

Business etiquette
Different cultures have different ways of doing business. Make sure you know what is
expected in a business relationship and what is considered appropriate in each
country. In some places, being late for a meeting is very rude, whereas other countries
are not as strict with respect to punctuality. Another example could be gifts. Although
in some cultures it is not common to exchange gifts in a business meeting, in others
you will be expected to offer a gift to your host as a sign of good will.

Body language
Some cultures are keen on physical contact and this factor plays an important role
when doing business. However, other cultures avoid physical contact and your clients
may be offended, for instance, if you pat them on the shoulder after a long meeting.
Be careful with hand gestures which may have negative or rude connotations in other
countries, although they are harmless at home.

To sum up, doing business in another country has a lot to do with knowing its culture.
Very often, ignoring the cultural background could put the success of a business
transaction at stake. On the contrary, being aware of cultural aspects can be the key
that will open the doors to a profitable international negotiation.

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 A nice receptionist

UNIT 8: DOING BUSINESS 143

Doing business
abroad

11. Read the article again and decide if the following statements are True or False.

1. International negotiation is challenging only for unexperienced

business people. True / False
2. Some business meetings can be failures because of cultural
differences. True / False
3. Being late is considered very rude all over the world. True / False
4. A gift exchange will guarantee your success in any meeting. True / False
5. Gestures help us communicate in a foreign country because they
mean the same everywhere. True / False

12. Match the following words from the text with the corresponding definition.

1. To sum up a) Exact or precise

2. Rude b) External to one’s own country or nation
3. Foreign c) To summarise
4. Strict d) Having knowledge, cognizant
5. To be aware e) Discourteous or impolite

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 144 English for IT

13. T
 ranslate the following sentences from the article into Spanish. Use a dictionary
if necessary.

1. Doing business abroad is a challenging experience for anyone.

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2. Your clients may be offended, for instance, if you pat them on the shoulder after a
long meeting.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3. To sum up, doing business in another country has a lot to do with knowing its culture.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 UNIT 8: DOING BUSINESS 145

WRITING
14. Write sentences by putting the following words in order.

1. I’ve / thought / my / lost / train / of / .

______________________________________________________________
2. offer / bulk / Can / a / discount / for /you / orders / ?
______________________________________________________________
3. is / deadline / I’m / realistic / that /not / afraid / .
______________________________________________________________
4. the / for/ contacts/ looking / Middle / We’re / in / East / .
______________________________________________________________
5. you / meeting / looking / to / I’m / forward / again / .
______________________________________________________________

15. W
 rite the following sentences in English using the expressions you have seen in
this lesson. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. Hemos encontrado una serie de problemas que afectarán a la entrega.

______________________________________________________________
2. Me temo que tendremos que rechazar su oferta.
______________________________________________________________
3. En mi opinión, es imposible llevar a cabo este proyecto con un presupuesto tan
escaso.
______________________________________________________________
4. ¿Por qué no comentamos las distintas opciones para el proyecto?
______________________________________________________________

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 146 English for IT

16. Read the following text and fill in the blanks with the expressions from the box.

foreign abroad sign up colleagues attend

Cross Cultural Workshop

Do you travel for work? Do you need to talk to suppliers in _______________
countries? Do you work closely with _______________ from all over the world?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this weekend’s workshop is for you.
Held by Dr. Alice Franklin from the European Business Institute, this 4-hour workshop
will focus on best practices for managing multicultural teams, remote teams, and
even sales teams _______________.

Spaces limited to 10, first come first served. You must _______________ by this
Wednesday to be eligible for a 10% discount. Professionals who _______________
the workshop will receive a certificate at the end of the session. Click here for more
information.

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 147
ANNEX: BASIC GRAMMAR

Pronouns

Pronouns are elements that substitute nouns. Subject pronouns refer to the person or thing
that does the action. Object pronouns refer to the person or thing that receives the action.
Possessive pronouns refer to the person or thing that owns something.

SUBJECT PRONOUNS
SINGULAR PLURAL
English Spanish English Spanish
1st person I yo we nosotros, nosotras
vosotros, vosotras,
2nd person you tú, usted you
ustedes
3rd person he / she / it él / ella / ello they ellos, ellas

OBJECT PRONOUNS
SINGULAR PLURAL
English Spanish English Spanish
1st person me me us nos
2nd person you te you os
3rd person him / her/ it lo / la / lo // le them los / las // les

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
SINGULAR PLURAL
English Spanish English Spanish
1st person mine mío/a/os/as ours nuestro/a/os/as
2nd person yours tuyo/a/os/as yours vuestro/a/os/as
3rd person his / hers / its suyo/a/os/as theirs suyo/a/os/as

Determiners

A determiner is a particle that goes before a noun and which helps us specify what person
or thing we are talking about.

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 148 English for IT

Demonstratives

DEMONSTRATIVES SINGULAR PLURAL

NEAR this these
FAR that those

Possessive adjectives

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES
English Spanish
my mi / mis
your tu / tus
his su / sus (de él)
her su / sus (de ella)
its su / sus (de ello)
our nuestro/a/os/as
your vuestro/a/os/as
their su / sus (de ellos)

Quantifiers

NEGATIVE
SENTENCES
‘SOME’ / ‘ANY’ / AFFIRMATIVE INTERROGATIVE
’NO’ (*) SENTENCES with with SENTENCES
negative affirmative
verb verb
COUNTABLE
AND
UNCOUNTABE
some any no any
NOUNS

(*) This applies also to derived words such as ‘something’, ‘anything’, ‘nothing’, ‘someone’, ‘anyone’, ‘no-one’, etc.

There are some apples in the fridge.

There aren’t any apples in the fridge.
There are no apples in the fridge.
Are there any apples in the fridge?

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 ANNEX: BASIC GRAMMAR 149

There is some water in the jar.

There isn’t any water in the jar.
There is no water in the jar.
Is there any water in the jar?

Question words

QUESTION WORDS
English Spanish
Who? ¿Quién?
What? ¿Qué?
Where? ¿Dónde?
When? ¿Cuándo?
Why? Por qué?
Which? ¿Cuál?
How? ¿Cómo?
How much? ¿Cuánto?
How many? ¿Cuántos?

Adverbs

Frequency adverbs

Frequency adverbs indicate how often something happens. Here are some frequency
adverbs, ordered from higher to lower frequency.

FREQUENCY ADVERBS
English Spanish
always siempre
usually / normally habitualmente
normally normalmente
often a menudo
sometimes a veces
occasionally ocasionalmente, de vez en cuando
rarely, seldom raramente
hardly ever casi nunca
never nunca

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 150 English for IT

Frequency adverbs are placed before the main verb of the sentence. If the sentence
contains the verb ‘be’, the adverb is placed after this verb.

We seldom go out at the weekend.

Dan often works extra hours.
Jessica is never late.
They are always complaining about their work load.

Adverbs of manner

Adverbs of manner express how something happens or how it is done. We form adverbs of
manner by adding ‘–ly’ to an adjective. Here are some adverbs of manner:

ADVERBS OF MANNER
Adjective Adverb
slow slowly
quick quickly
bad badly
sudden suddenly
happy happily

Notice that when an adjective ends in ‘-y’, this letter becomes an ‘-i-’ when we add ‘-ly’, as in
happily. Some irregular adverbs of manner that do not follow this rule are:

IRREGULAR ADVERBS OF MANNER

Adjective Adverb
good well
fast fast
hard hard

The standard position for adverbs of manner is at the end of a sentence or after the main
clause of the sentence.

He paid the bill very quickly.

He responds to his e-mails very fast.
She spoke to him slowly so he would understand everything.

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 ANNEX: LIST OF IRREGULAR 151

VERBS

These are some of the most common irregular verbs. Make sure you know the verbs marked
in bold, as they are frequently used in English.

INFINITIVE PAST SIMPLE PAST PARTICIPLE TRANSLATION

arise arose arisen levantarse; surgir
awake awoke awoken despertarse
be was/were been ser, estar
beat beat beaten golpear; vencer
become became become llegar a ser; convertirse
begin began begun empezar
bet bet bet apostar
bite bit bitten morder
bleed bled bled sangrar
blow blew blown soplar
break broke broken romper
bring brought brought traer; llevar
build built built construir
buy bought bought comprar
catch caught caught coger, atrapar
choose chose chosen elegir
cling clung clung aferrarse, agarrarse
come came come venir
cost cost cost costar
cut cut cut cortar
deal dealt dealt tratar
dig dug dug cavar, excavar
do did done hacer
draw drew drawn dibujar
dream dreamt / dreamed dreamt/ dreamed soñar
drink drank drunk beber
drive drove driven conducir
eat ate eaten comer
fall fell fallen caer
feed fed fed alimentar
feel felt felt sentir
fight fought fought luchar
find found found encontrar
fit fit/fitted fit/fitted encajar, ajustar

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INFINITIVE PAST SIMPLE PAST PARTICIPLE TRANSLATION

fly flew flown volar
forbid forbade forbidden prohibir
forget forgot forgotten olvidar
forgive forgave forgiven perdonar
freeze froze frozen congelar(se)
get got got obtener
give gave given dar
go went gone ir
grow grew grown crecer; cultivar
hang hung / hanged hung / hanged colgar
have had had tener
hear heard heard oír
hide hid hidden ocultar(se)
hit hit hit golpear
hold held held sostener, coger
hurt hurt hurt herir
keep kept kept guardar; quedarse
know knew known saber, conocer
lay laid laid colocar, poner
lead led led guiar, llevar
learn learnt / learned learnt / learned aprender
leave left left dejar; salir
lend lent lent prestar
let let let dejar, permitir
lie lay lain estar tumbado
lose lost lost perder
make made made hacer, fabricar
mean meant meant significar
meet met met encontrarse; conocer
pay paid paid pagar
prove proved proven / proved probar, demostrar
put put put poner
quit quit quit dejar
read read read leer
ride rode ridden montar, cabalgar
ring rang rung llamar por teléfono
rise rose risen levantarse
run ran run correr
say said said decir

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 LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS 153

INFINITIVE PAST SIMPLE PAST PARTICIPLE TRANSLATION

see saw seen ver
seek sought sought buscar
sell sold sold vender
send sent sent enviar
set set set poner
sew sewd sewn / sewed coser
shake shook shaken agitar
shed shed shed verter, derramar
shine shone shone brillar
shoot shot shot disparar; filmar
show showed shown mostrar
shrink shrank shrunk encoger(se)
shut shut shut cerrar
sing sang sung cantar
sink sank sunk hundir(se)
sit sat sat sentarse
sleep slept slept dormir
smell smelt / smelled smelt/smelled oler
speak spoke spoken hablar
speed sped / speeded sped / speeded conducir a mucha velocidad
spell spelt / spelled spelt / spelled deletrear
spend spent spent gastar; pasar tiempo
spin spun / span spun girar
spit spit / spat spit / spat escupir
spill spilt / spilled spilt / spilled derramar
split split split dividir
spoil spoilt spoilt estropear
spread spread spread extender; untar
stand stood stood estar de pie
steal stole stolen robar
stick stuck stuck pegar; encajarse
strike struck struck golpear
sting stung stung picar (insecto)
swear swore sworn jurar
swell swelled swollen / swelled hinchar(se)
swim swam swum nadar
swing swung swung balancear
take took taken coger
teach taught taught enseñar

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 154 English for IT

INFINITIVE PAST SIMPLE PAST PARTICIPLE TRANSLATION

tear tore torn rasgar
tell told told decir
think thought thought pensar
throw threw thrown lanzar
understand understood understood comprender
wake woke woken despertar(se)
wear wore worn llevar puesto
wet wet / wetted wet / wetted mojar
win won won ganar
write wrote written escribir

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 155
ANNEX: USEFUL RESOURCES

Online dictionaries

Cambridge Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

Collins English Dictionary

http://www.collinsdictionary.com/

WordReference.com
http://www.wordreference.com/

Glosario de Informática Inglés-Español

http://es.tldp.org/ORCA/glosario.html

Career and CV samples

The Guardian: Guardian Careers

http://careers.theguardian.com/

Prospects.ac.uk: Careers Advice

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers.htm

Europass
https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/home

Free Resume Samples, Cover Letter Samples and Tips!

http://susanireland.com/

Computers and Technology

Make Use of
http://www.makeuseof.com/topics/

PC Advisor
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/

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 156 English for IT

IT Communities – Share Knowledge at Toolbox

http://it.toolbox.com/

GeekGirl’s Plain English Computing

http://geekgirls.com/

TechWorld
http://www.techworld.com/

TechRadar – Technology News and Reviews

http://www.techradar.com/

TEDTalks – The Birth of the Computer

http://www.ted.com/talks/george_dyson_at_the_birth_of_the_computer

TED Talks – 9 Talks on Tech… and Fish

http://www.ted.com/playlists/39/mikko_hypponen_9_talks_on_tec

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 157
ANSWER KEY

LESSON 1
Activity 1

Script
Belinda: Good morning, Gillian. Let me introduce myself. My name is Belinda Thompson.
Nice to meet you!
Gillian: Hello. Pleased to meet you, Belinda!
Belinda: I am the head of administration. Welcome to DermoSystems. How are you?
Gillian: Very well, thank you.
Belinda: We are a distributor of cosmetics in Europe... Come with me to the administration
department… This is your workplace where the administration tasks are done, and this is
your desk.
Gillian: It’s a very nice office. How many people work here?
Belinda: We have got 15 employees in the administration department, and a total of 50 in
the company.
Gillian: Are all the employees English?
Belinda: Some of the employees are from the UK, and some are foreign. We are an
international company.
Gillian: Where is the managing director’s office?
Belinda: Mr Roche’s office is here, he is from France, and he is French.

Activity 2

1. In an office
2. The head of administration
3. 50
4. No, they are not.

Activity 3

Belinda: Good morning, Gillian. Let me introduce myself. My name is Belinda

Thompson. Nice to meet you!
Gillian: Hello. Pleased to meet you, Belinda!
Belinda: I am the head of administration. Welcome to DermoSystems. How are you?
Gillian: Very well, thank you.

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 158 English for IT

Activity 5

1. How do you do?

2. Pleased to meet you.
3. Nice to meet you, Maria.
4. I’m a computer assistant.
5. I work for an American company.

Activity 6

1. I took an online course about web design.

2. I work as a computer assistant. / in the Help Desk Department.
3. I have experience in hardware repair.
4. I’m the head of the IT Department.
5. I work in the Help Desk Department. / as a computer assistant.
6. I got my first job when I was 16 years old.
7. I have a degree in IT.

Activity 7

1. Those businesswomen travel a lot.

2.  Does Annabel work in the IT Department?
3. I don’t like the new boss.
4. Peter is a computer systems analyst.
5. We sell our products worldwide.
6. Our company doesn’t produce much organic waste.
7. D o you work in the healthcare sector?
8. When does the flight leave?
9. A re you the new receptionist?
10. Anthony and Fred don’t speak German.

Activity 8

1. Melanie lived in Paris for two years.

2. I had a job interview last week.
3. They didn’t enjoy working abroad.
4. Did you send that e-mail to our customer?
5. Bryan studied Chinese while he was (be) at university.
6. Did you receive the new price list?
7. They presented the project three days ago.

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 ANSWER KEY 159

8. I started work in 2004.

9. Vanessa didn’t say anything about her promotion.
Were you at the conference?
10. 

Activity 9

1. Norma has worked in the Help Desk service since 2004.

2. H as Jennifer had any experience in programming?
3. Our company has improved its hardware equipment.
4. I have not seen last month’s incidents report.
5. H ave you been to the new meeting room?
6. They have never visited our branch offices.
7. I have worked as an IT consultant for six years.
8. John has taken several language courses.
9. We have got in touch with another supplier.
10. Mr. Bell has just arrived.

Activity 11

1. False
2. True
3. True
4. False
5. False

Activity 12

1. c)
2. a)
3. e)
4. b)
5. d)

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 160 English for IT

Activity 13

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. Responsable del servicio de Soporte Informático del área de Sussex, liderando un
equipo de 15 personas.
2. Análisis de estadísticas para controlar el rendimiento general del departamento.
3. Evaluaciones de producto de soluciones tecnológicas con reducción de costes para
la empresa.

Activity 14

1. Have you ever worked in the IT department?

2. Helen lived in Germany for seven years.
3. What was your last job?
4. I finished my master’s degree two months ago.

Activity 15

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. I’ve worked as a network technician for six years.
2. I started to work at Tech Solutions in 2012.
3. I have extensive experience in troubleshooting software problems.
4. I implemented a new monitoring programme that increased efficiency levels.
5. I’ve created user guides and I’ve trained our customers.

Activity 16

Dear Recruiter,

I’d like to apply for the IT specialist position you listed in the Daily Express last Friday.
I bring an unusual combination of experience in the textile industry and computer
services that I believe will be helpful to your clients.
My CV is attached. Please, consider granting me a phone interview to discuss job
openings in the computer services field.

Regards,
Elizabeth Reeves

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 ANSWER KEY 161

LESSON 2
Activity 1

Script
Interviewer: Good afternoon, Mr. Roche. Firstly, thank you for taking the time to meet me
and answer some questions for ‘Business Today’ magazine. I have a few questions to ask
you about a boss’ typical working week.
Mr. Roche: Not at all, it’s my pleasure!
Interviewer: What time do you get up at?
Mr. Roche: Well, on Mondays and Wednesdays I always get up at 6:30 a.m., you see, I’m
an early riser!
Interviewer: Can you tell me why you get up so early on those days?
Mr. Roche: Erm, well, it’s the quietest part of the day and the only part of the day I have to
myself!
Interviewer: What do you do so early in the morning?
Mr. Roche: I try to go to the gym and exercise, and think about what I need to do during the
day.
Interviewer: What time do you normally start work?
Mr. Roche: Well, erm, I have to say that I don’t always start at 9 a.m., but I often work late…
Well, I am the boss!
Interviewer: What do you do in the morning?
Mr. Roche: The morning is the most productive time of the day, so I usually have meetings
with the sales manager to talk about sales and the sales targets. Then, at midday, I do
my paperwork, and do the business accounts for the company.
Interviewer: And tell me, what do you do for lunch?
Mr. Roche: I frequently go out for business lunches on Fridays and deal with customers and
distributors.
Interviewer: And what do you do then?
Mr. Roche: Between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. I spend time writing e-mails. Then, I plan meetings
with customers and distributors. I then inform my personal assistant to arrange the
meeting room.
Interviewer: Do you have any time to rest or spend time with your family?!
Mr. Roche: Yes, I always find time to rest. At night I spend time with my family and at the
weekends, I often play golf. It really helps me disconnect. I sometimes play golf with
customers in winter and in spring.
Interviewer: Well, thank you very much for your time, Mr. Roche, our readers will enjoy
reading about a boss’ typical working week.

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 162 English for IT

Activity 2

1. At 6:30 a.m.

2. To exercise.
3. He discusses sales with the sales manager.
4. He practises sport.

Activity 3

1. I often work late.

2. I usually have meetings with the sales manager to talk about sales targets.
3. Then, at midday, I do my paperwork, and do the business accounts for the company.
4. I frequently go out for business lunches on Fridays and deal with customers and
distributors.
5. Between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., I spend time writing e-mails.

Activity 5

1. This equipment got overheated when the fan broke; I need you to repair it.
2. I have to make a few phone calls before I go home.
3. Since Sara is new, can you assist her in configuring the Wi-Fi in the conference room?
4. Please, tell John to set up a new workstation next to Carla.
5. Prior to phoning a technician, use this user guide to troubleshoot common issues.
6. Why don’t we get an estimate from Bing&Co? They did our server overhaul at a
good price.
7. Can you send me an e-mail with a screenshot of the error message?
8. Sorry, I can’t talk now. I have to do a lot of paperwork by the end of the morning.

Activity 6

1. f)
2. a)
3. e)
4. c)
5. d)
6. b)

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 ANSWER KEY 163

Activity 7

1.  aul’s doing (do) the shopping at the moment.

P
2.  arry and Richard were working (work) at the office when they heard a strange noise.
B
3. I met the general manager when I was waiting (wait) for the conference to start.
4. This year, car dealers are offering (offer) big discounts.
5. The audience listened politely while you were giving (give) your presentation.
6. The manager isn’t sitting (sit) at her desk right now.
7. This time last year many companies were expanding (expand) their workforce.
8. I’m sending (send) him the e-mail now.
9. People were driving (drive) too fast during the snowstorm yesterday.
10. It was raining (rain) when the plane took off.

Activity 8

1.  my and Ed are getting (get) married on the 31st of May.

A
2. Are you thirsty? I’ll bring (bring) you a glass of water.
3. Look, not a cloud in the sky. It’s going to be (be) another hot day.
4. I’m attending (attend) the conference in Brussels next week.
5. They’re not visiting (not visit) their family for Christmas. They’ve already booked a
package holiday in the Alps.
6. The training session starts (start) at 3 p.m.
7.  on’t climb that tree, you’re going to fall (fall)!
D
8. We’re playing (play) a basketball game this weekend.
9. I’ll have (have) the roast chicken, please.
10. The plane arrives (arrive) at 8:30.

Activity 9

1. The concert starts at 8 p.m.

2. World War II broke out in 1939.
3. Bryan and Patsy live on the 10th floor.
4. All the office supplies are kept in that cupboard.
5. Eric is not at the front desk right now.
6. Do you know the book shop on Greendale Avenue?
7. We’re all meeting at the door of the bar downstairs.
8. What do you do on New Year’s Day?
9. There’s an important congress in May.
10. Are you free at lunchtime?

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 164 English for IT

Activity 11

1. False
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. False

Activity 12

1. d)
2. b)
3. e)
4. a)
5. c)

Activity 13

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. Nos complace anunciar el ascenso de Susan Waters a Jefa de Informática.
2. A partir de ahora, la Sra. Waters reportará directamente a nuestro Director General,
el Sr. Clark.
3. Únanse a nosotros al felicitar a la Sra. Waters por su ascenso.

Activity 14

1. What tasks do you carry out?

2. Peter always makes phone calls in the morning.
3. Rick has to install the programme today.
4. Are you going to replace the components on this laptop?

Activity 15

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. I supervise the Technical Support Department.
2. I’m responsible for the company’s computer network.
3. I’m in charge of managing our technological projects.
4. My main responsibilities include dealing with suppliers.
5. I often have to attend meetings.

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 ANSWER KEY 165

Activity 16

Hi Emily,

I’ve just started my internship at YZA Tech Systems and it’s going great. My
responsibilities include bringing tea and coffee to the morning meetings, they weren’t
kidding about it being a junior position!
I start off my day down in the server room. First of all, I deal with any maintenance issues
that have come up in the night. Then, I have to update the back-up files and I’m also
responsible for checking the security log. In the afternoons, I carry out all sorts of
administrative tasks and deal with internal client requests. I’m even in charge of answering
telephone calls while from 12-1 while everyone else is at lunch.
So far, I’m enjoying getting to know the people in the office. I hope they offer me a
position when the 6 months are up!

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll send you another e-mail soon.
Bye!
Jake

LESSON 3
Activity 2

1. Aster
2. Aster
3. Versus
4. Versus
5. Aster

Activity 3

1. e)
2. d)
3. b)
4. a)
5. c)

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 166 English for IT

Activity 4

1. hard drive
2. sound card
3. CPU
4. motherborad
5. RAM memory card
6. USB port
7. power supply
8. graphics card

Activity 5

1. Before opening the computer case to do the repair, you should unplug the equipment.
You’re running out of memory on your PC, I recommend you upgrade the RAM.
That computer isn’t working. Can you test the power supply to see if that’s the trouble?
2. Now, you have to insert the sound card into that slot.
3. Cleaning the heads of all the printers is one of the maintenance tasks scheduled for
this month.
If your computer is too slow, call the IT service and they will fix the problem for you.
4. The fan was broken and we replaced it with a new one.
5. We must remind employees to completely turn off their computers when they leave
the office.

Activity 6

1. d)
2. f)
3. g)
4. h)
5. a)
6. c)
7. b)
8. e)

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 ANSWER KEY 167

Activity 7

1. The efficiency rates improved once Ms. Phyllis had taken (take) over the IT
Department.
2. Mr. Landers hadn’t realised (not realise) how expensive office space was in Manhattan.
3. The client complained that he’d requested (request) a different hosting for his company.
4. Cassie quit because her boss had insulted (insult) her in public.
5. Seth had changed (change) the processor before his supervisor gave him any
instructions on how to proceed.
6. When the phone rang, I had just started (start) my lunch.
7. Who had agreed (agree) to those ridiculous terms?
8. H adn’t Martin checked (not check) the hard drive before replacing it?

Activity 8

1. Seville is not as expensive as San Francisco. (expensive)

2. But Seville is warmer than San Francisco in the summer. (warm)
3. Nick is friendlier than Josh. (friendly)
4. Josh is the most serious guy I’ve ever met. (serious)
5. The best part of waking up is definitely coffee. (good)
6. My new phone’s screen is larger than my old one’s. (large)
7. I think Brady’s latest film was the most horrible thing he’s been in. (horrible)
8. I don’t think this new system is as quick as our old one. (quick)

Activity 10

1. True
2. False
3. False
4. True
5. False

Activity 11

1. b)
2. d)
3. c)
4. a)
5. e)

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 168 English for IT

Activity 12

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. Seleccione la hora a la que comenzará y acabará el evento.
2. Para añadir a otros participantes al evento, haga click en Invitar.
3. Haga click en el icono del evento y cambie los valores que desee.
4. Para una mejor experiencia de usuario, complete su perfil de usuario.

Activity 13

1. InternetLife is the most influential software company in Europe

2. The cost of processors had fallen by twenty percent by June.
3. PCWorld has initiated a hostile takeover of its main competitor.
4. This graphics card is the best option for extended videogame play.

Activity 14

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. When I arrived, my colleagues had already fixed the problem with the server.
2. We’ll have to replace your sound card.
3. This computer is cheaper than that other one.
4. The laser printer costs €129.99.
Activity 15

Getting ready for a videoconference

Before starting a videoconference, you should check the following equipment:

Webcam: If it is set up properly, you should see the video from it on the right-hand side.
Microphone: To test it, just speak out loud. If it works properly, you should notice a
change in the sound meter.
Speakers: Click the file Audio Test to verify functioning.

Now you are ready to connect to your videoconference.

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LESSON 4
Activity 1

Script
Helpdesk guy: Hello, Helpdesk Service. How can I help you?
Customer: Hi, I’m having trouble ordering on your website. I’m trying to place an order, and
I actually have ordered from you before with no problem, but today I can’t access my
wish list or shopping history.
Helpdesk guy: Well, we just launched the new site yesterday. Tell me, can you see your
username on the top right corner of the screen?
Customer: No, I can only see the ‘Register’ and the ‘Log in’ buttons there but not my
username.
Helpdesk guy: Okay, well that means that you’re not logged in to your account. The page
might not have identified you automatically since we changed it. You should click on
‘Log in’ and type in your username and your password.
Customer: All right, let me do that, just a second… Yes, it seems to be working. Ok, I’m in
my personal account now. What do I have to do next?
Helpdesk guy: Now just click on the tab that says ‘Online shop’.
Customer: Online shop, here it is. Wait, now the page won’t load.
Helpdesk guy: Well, it should, let’s give it a second. Could there be a problem with your
internet connection?
Customer: I don’t think so, it seems to be working. Okay, there, it’s finally coming up.
Helpdesk guy: Excellent. Now you can browse the products and place your order as usual.
Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Customer: Actually, yes. I have a discount voucher. How can I apply the discount to this
purchase?
Helpdesk guy: Sure, first, you have to place your order. Then, when you check out, you’ll be
prompted to redeem your discount code. The discount will be applied automatically.
Customer: Sounds good. Thanks for your help.
Helpdesk guy: You’re welcome. Have a good day.

Activity 2

1. She doesn’t know how to place an order because the website has changed.
2. Because she hasn’t signed in.
3. There aren’t any issues.
4. When she has already ordered her products.

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Activity 3

1. Good morning. How can I help you?

2. Can you see your username on the top right corner of the screen?
3. Well, that means you’re not logged in to your account.
4. Now, just click on the tab that says ‘Online shop’.
5. Is there anything else I can help you with?

Activity 5

1. I saved a direct access icon on the desktop.

2. They’ve designed a new programme interface which is easy to navigate for novice
users.
3. Once they have sent you the file, you can open it and add your comments.
4. There is a bug in the software which prevents the wireless printing from working on
tablets. It should be fixed in the next update.
5. Double click on the icon to launch the programme.
6. Watch out when downloading free programs, oftentimes they have malware hidden
in them.
7. You need to download the plug-in to watch the video in streaming from that system.
8. To track the changes in the document, go to the taskbar and click on ‘Review’ and
then ‘Track Changes’.

Activity 6

1. You should update the anti-virus to the latest version, it is more effective against
malware.
2. Whenever my computer freezes, our tech expert tells me to reboot.
3. A pop-up message comes up when the system detects malware.
4. When using a public computer, we advise all clients to be sure log out of each session.
5. The new software wasn’t compatible so I had to uninstall the conflicting programme.
6. In terms of warranties, we recommend upgrading to the paid version after the first six
months.
7. Frank decided to reboot the system when he saw the screen was frozen.
8. You need lots of available RAM to run that picture editing program.

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Activity 7

1. Please hand in your papers now, time is up.

2. Reserve the meeting room at least 24 hours in advance.
3. Don’t call Shane before 4, he’s on the late shift this week.
4. Show the receptionist your ID card, and she’ll buzz you in.
5. Please bring a copy of your reservation with you.
6. Don’t stand up to film the performance, we want all guests to enjoy the show.
7. Don’t send the e-mail without letting Sylvia have a look first.
8. T urn off all mobile phones.

Activity 8

1. His report on this month’s technical issues has to be in here, he always leaves it in this
file.
2. The coffee is all gone? My roommate must have used it all up.
3. The film was so well received by the critics, it might win an award.
4. The new girl has to be the one sitting by Cecilia, she’s wearing blue glasses like Jill said.
5. Hamed left three hours ago, so he could be here any time.
6. If the rest of the month is as good as the first two weeks, I may just be employee of the
month.
7. The meeting must have finished, I see Jack is back at his desk.
8. That machine can’t be working right, I asked for coffee and it gave me tea.

Activity 9

1. In my opinion, everybody should reduce their sugar intake.

2. Smoking is prohibited in the hospital sir, you can’t smoke here.
3. All managers must turn in the performance reports by 3p.m. this Friday.
4. C an you please rush the delivery?
5. The servers don’t have to wear their hair in a ponytail, but most of them do since it is
more practical.
6. Could you please turn down the air conditioning? It’s freezing in here.
7. I’d like to change my shift, if I may.
8. T  he bosses shouldn’t raise their salaries and then ask the staff to reduce personnel.

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Activity 11

1. False
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. False

Activity 12

1. e)
2. b)
3. d)
4. c)
5. a)

Activity 13

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. Para descargar e instalar la versión gratuita, lo primero que debes hacer es ir a la
página web y hacer clic en el botón Descargar.
2. Cuando te pregunte, haz clic en Ejecutar y luego haz clic en Instalar.
3. Comprueba las actualizaciones cada 30 días, ya que el software se actualiza con
frecuencia.

Activity 14

1. You must run the executable file.

2. You have to check the operating system.
3. This new upgrade could crash the system.
4. Go to the taskbar and double click on Home.

Activity 15

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. Helpdesk. How can I help you?
2. Create a shortcut and save it on the user’s desktop.
3. The intranet is not currently available. / is temporarily unavailable.

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4. Type in your user name and password to log in.

5. Can I help you with anything else?

Activity 16

To: All Department Heads

From: Jim Martinez

Please circulate among all employees and schedule your staff accordingly.
Please be reminded that our server will undergo scheduled maintenance on Friday,
May 16, 2014 for approximately four hours starting at 7 p.m.
During this time, your files will not be available. Nobody will be able to send or receive
e-mails, access the Internet, or make phone calls on the automated system.
If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to [email protected] or call
Extension 564.

Regards,
Jim Martinez

LESSON 5
Activity 2

1. OSUP
2. Mr. Lutz
3. Forgetting to check the box for manual settings.
4. Yes, as long as the client sends him his phone number.

Activity 3

1. Thanks for you call, and don’t hesitate to call again if the problem persists, we’re here
to help.
2. Before rebooting the system, make sure all cables are properly plugged in.
3. Have a paper and pencil handy, just in case I need to give you a case number.
4. From what you’re saying, it sounds as if the issue might be server related.
5. Thanks for calling, we’re sorry to make you wait but all lines are currently busy. Please
hold for the next available technician.

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Activity 4

1. For security reasons, your password should contain 6-8 characters and at least one
number.
2. Before you choose a name for your business, make sure the domain name is free for
the website.
3. I am going to upload the documents to the department’s intranet.
4. A web cache stores copies of documents passing through it; subsequent requests
may be satisfied from the cache if certain conditions are met.
5. Your account is personal and intransferrable, your user name and password will
identify you.
6. The tax forms are available on the government’s website and you have to download
them to your PC.
7. I was having trouble viewing the website until I realised it no longer supports the
browser I was using.
8. We use session cookies to help us maintain and verify your details while you use the
website and navigate from page to page.

Activity 5

1. h)
2. g)
3. d)
4. f)
5. b)
6. c)
7. e)
8. a)

Activity 6

1. The director is the woman who / that has long hair and glasses.
2. There are a lot of things which / that make him happy.
3. Dublin, where I spent my childhood, has changed a lot in the last 20 years.
4. We’ve adopted a business model which / that is very successful in other countries.
5. My friend Cody, who is a sales representative, has to travel a lot.
6. They met a man whose daughter is a TV presenter.
7. We know many people who / that can help you with the project.
8. This is the restaurant where Owen and Evelyn celebrated their engagement party.

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Activity 7

1. If we continue working at this pace, we will finish the project earlier than expected.
2. If he took a taxi, he would arrive quicker.
3. If the meeting had gone on longer, we would have stayed overnight in a hotel.
4.If the service had been better, I would have left a tip.
5.When someone calls after closing time, the answering machine answers.
6.If Jim had known your number, he would have called you.
7. If we send him the bill today, he will pay us by the end of the week.
8.When we do not know what to do, we ask our supervisor.
9.If we changed the settings, your PC would be more efficient.
10. If the airport had been nearer, we would have taken a bus.

Activity 8

Mark likes to run.

1. Alex adores trying new foods.
2. Jan’s co-workers are fed up with their working conditions.
3. Marvin loves to solve problems.
4. I don’t mind returning later.
5. Danny is tired of working overtime.
6. Mrs. Ferrer enjoys training new employees.
7. Our manager hates to see the stockroom disorganised.

Activity 10

1. False
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. False

Activity 11

1. b)
2. d)
3. c)
4. a)
5. e)

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Activity 12

1. El Vendedor acepta transferir al Comprador los derechos, titularidad e interés en el

nombre del dominio citado.
2. La cantidad debe ser abonada en un plazo de tres (3) días laborables a partir de la
fecha en la que el Contrato entra en vigor.
3. No hay nada en este contrato que deba interpretarse como una limitación en modo
alguno del derecho del Vendedor a comprar, poseer, crear y/o mantener otra Página
Web. // En ningún caso se interpretará que el presente contrato limite en modo alguno
el derecho del Vendedor a comprar, poseer, crear y/o mantener otra Página Web.

Activity 13

1. I don’t mind setting up new systems.

2. The cookies need to be cleared from the cache.
3. You forgot to attach the documents.
4. If John were here, he’d know how to solve the problem.

Activity 15

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. I don’t like fixing hardaware.
2. I’m fed up with Trisha’s attitude.
3. If they don’t call, send them an e-mail.
4. Jeremy is the person who / that will lead the new software implementation.
5. The IT Department recommends this supplier, who offers cheap hosting plans.

Activity 16

Virtual Brainstorm is the perfect collaborative solution for your business. With this
tool, your employees will be able to upload files to the platform and share them with
other colleagues and clients. A log of participation is then sent to the project manager,
however often you decide.
Your company’s ideas are safe with Virtual Brainstorm! Each user is assigned a personal
account and will go through a secure authentication process before accessing your
encrypted data.
Virtual Brainstorm can be implemented on your website or secure server and customised
to your company’s corporative image.
See our Subscription Plans here.

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LESSON 6
Activity 2

1. Old hardware, no connectivity between departments, no VPN

2. To make analysing and solving problems easier
3. 3 days in total
4. Individual training for each department and then access to a training page on the
intranet.

Activity 3

1. e)
2. a)
3. d)
4. b)
5. c)

Activity 4

1. A bridge connects two networks or two segments of a network to send data packets.
2. A workstation is a computer connected to a network and can access files and
applications that are stored in the server.
3. Any device like a printer or backup device that users can share is called a peripheral.
4. A switch guides data packets from their source to their destination port, whereas as a
hub passes data randomly, it does not lead the data packet from one point to another.
5. Nowadays the most dominant networking protocol is TC/IP.
6. A firewall protects a network from unauthorised access.
7. The main cabling that connects all the segments in the network is called the backbone
and this is the main transmission path which handles the most important data traffic.
8. A gateway lets different networks work together by changing the data to make it
compatible with the protocols of other networks.

Activity 5

1. wide area network

2. star topology
3. wireless local area network
4. peer-to-peer network
5. client-server network

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6. ring topology
7. mesh topology
8. bus topology

Activity 5

1. Kelsey was in charge of the network deployment project. Nevertheless, it seemed

like Sonia was doing all of the work.
2. I’m sick of Rick showing up late, so I’m starting the meeting without him.
3. While numbers have never been my strong suit, I’m quite good with spreadsheets.
4. In conclusion, our patients deserve to find cost-effective, efficient and safe treatments
for solutions for their home computing needs.
5. The IT team supports the new Head of the Department, even though he’s not
popular with upper management.
6. S ince the plane was late, we had to skip the cocktail party.
7. The new technology looked very promising. However, it was months away from
being on the market.
8. A  lthough the technology has existed for some time, this is the first practical use for
the mass market.

Activity 7

1. The workshop will be offered to all current employees.

2. The report is published by the University of Colorado.
3. Will the problem be fixed before Friday?
4. All the proposals have been validated by the CEO.
5. The site was not optimised for mobile shopping.
6. Is each office going to be audited?
7. The new software has not been installed.
8. Improvements were seen in most areas.

Activity 8

1. Shaking hands is the most common form of greeting.

2. They dislike travelling by air and usually choose the bullet train.
3. Management expects us to give written notice before quitting.
4. You need to bring in your old router to be eligible for the upgrade.
5. Mr. Anderson says it’s terrible to talk behind your colleagues’ back.
6. Pam enjoys finding creative solutions.
7. The guidebook suggests visiting at sunset.
8. Over the years, I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut.

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Activity 10

1. False
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. False

Activity 11

1. d)
2. b)
3. a)
4. e)
5. c)

Activity 12

POSSIBLE ANSWER
Look at this sample answer and compare it to the answer you have written:
La estructura más recomendada para hacer discursos y presentaciones efectivas se
compone de introducción, desarrollo y conclusión. En la introducción, explica de qué
vas a hablar. En el desarrollo, da los mensajes clave utilizando ejemplos prácticos para
corroborar tus argumentos. Finalmente, en la conclusión resume lo que has dicho y
siempre da al público la oportunidad de hacer preguntas.

Activity 13

1. What kind of network will you set up?

2. The proposal has been developed by a Chinese company.
3. We have been asked to deploy a campus area network for the University of Bath.
4. The peripherals will be connected to this computer.

Activity 14

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. The customers chose NiponTech’s proposal despite its high price.
2. Mr. Brooks is having problems with his computer firewall.
3. The server does a backup every night.
4. It’s a wireless network and, therefore, we don’t need cabling.

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Activity 15

Star topography is typically found in wireless local area networks. In this type of
topography each of the devices and computers are connected to a central hub, which in
turn connects all the devices together. However, because computers cannot exchange
messages with each other, but have to go through the main hub. Therefore, if the central
hub fails, all the computers connected to that hub will be disconnected, which is the
main disadvantage of this type of network.

LESSON 7
Activity 1

Script
Susan: Good afternoon, Luigi, Susan speaking. How can I help you?
Luigi: Hello Susan, I tried calling the office several times this morning, but all the lines were
busy.
Susan: Oh, I’m very sorry about that, Luigi, we had a power cut this morning, and all the
lines were down.
Luigi: Oh, I see, I thought it was very strange. Well, I’m calling you because we found a
mistake on the last invoice we received.
Susan: What’s the problem, Luigi?
Luigi: Well, there are actually two errors. The first mistake is the total amount of goods we
ordered, and the other is the total cost of the order.
Susan: Oh, I see. Could you give me the invoice reference?
Luigi: Yes, it’s ref. no. 35871 XY.
Susan: And what was the total quantity of goods you ordered?
Luigi: We ordered 55 moisturising creams, but you included 75 on the invoice.
Susan: Emm, I see. And when did you receive the delivery?
Luigi: We received the delivery the day before yesterday. That is the reason why I am
calling you.
Susan: Yes, I understand. Please, accept our apologies. We will rectify the error as soon as
possible. Can you give me your telephone number, and I’ll call you back later today?
Luigi: Yes, it’s 00 39 1 459 21 900, extension 345.
Susan: So that’s 00 39 1 459 21 900, extension 345.
Luigi: That’s correct.
Susan: Once again, Luigi, please, accept our apologies. I will talk to our dispatch department
immediately, and call you back.

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Luigi: Thank you, Susan. As it’s urgent, I hope you can rectify this matter as soon as possible.
Susan: Yes, I’ll look into it straight away. Goodbye.

Activity 2

1. To complain about a bill.

2. 55
3. She is willing to help.
4. They know each other.

Activity 3

1. Susan: Good afternoon, Luigi, Susan speaking. How can I help you?
Luigi: Hello, Susan.
2. Susan: What’s the problem, Luigi?
Luigi: Well, there are actually two errors.
3. Susan: Could you give me the invoice reference?
Luigi: Yes, it’s ref. no. 35871 XY.
4. Susan: Can you give me your telephone number, and I’ll call you back later today?
Luigi: Yes, it’s 00 39 1 459 21 900.
5. Susan: I will talk to our dispatch department immediately, and call you back.
Luigi: Thank you, Susan.

Activity 5

Receptionist: DermoSystems. Good morning.

Caller: Hello, I would like to speak to Mr. Roche, please.
Receptionist: Who’s calling, please?
Caller: This is Ms. Gibbons of Bank International.
Receptionist: One moment, please. I’m putting you through.
Receptionist: Hello, Mr. Roche, you have a call from Ms. Gibbons of Bank International.
Mr. Roche: Good morning, Claudia. Ms. Gibbons? Pardon, from what company?
Receptionist: From Bank International. Can you take the call?
Mr. Roche: Oh yes, thank you Claudia. Put her through.

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Activity 6

1. Receptionist: Mrs. Butler is out of the office right now. Would you like to leave a
message?
Caller: Yes. Can you ask to call me back?
2. Receptionist: Alexander is not available at the moment. He’s speaking on the other
line.
Caller: Ok. Could you take a message, please?
3. Receptionist: I’m sorry, Sophia is in a meeting right now.
Caller: Can you tell her I called?
Receptionist: Ok, I’ll make a note.
4. Receptionist: Mr. Campbell is not in. Can I take a message?
Caller: Yes. Tell him that Mr. Wong called, please.
Receptionist: How do you spell your surname?

Activity 7

1. We’re sorry about the delay. We apologise for the inconvenience.

2. Don’t worry, I’ll see about that and will offer you a solution.
3. We’re sorry to hear that you’re not happy with our service.
4. Okay, I’ll see what happened and will give you a call later.
5. I’m awfully sorry, sir. I’ll look into it right away.
6. Let me check your order and I’ll get back to you today.
7. I’m sorry to hear about the misunderstanding.
8. That’s very unusual. Let me have a look at our database.

Activity 8

1. Ian left early so as not to miss his flight.

2. I’m calling to request your catalogue.
3. The taxi will drop you off at the gate so that you don’t get lost.
4. The technicians will have special training to learn about the new software.
5. We’ll have a sale in order to get rid of the excess stock before summer.
6. We’ve consulted with a cross cultural specialist so as not to say anything offensive to
our foreign guests.
7. Jamal has to find time to organise his desk, it’s a mess.
8. I n order to ensure your safety, we ask that all seatbelts remain fastened during the
flight.

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Activity 9

1. She said she was exhausted the week before.

2. He said that his manager was being difficult that night.
3. Mary stated that was the best location for the server.
4. The Head of IT said their staff’s qualifications had never been higher.
5. Todd said he would talk to me the following week.
6. He said he was convinced that software would improve.
7. Sam said the product line might be too expensive.
8. Leroy mentioned the new screens arrived that morning.

Activity 11

1. False
2. True
3. True
4. False
5. False

Activity 12

1. c)
2. e)
3. d)
4. a)
5. b)

Activity 13

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. Escribo en representación de nuestra empresa.
2. Sin embargo, hemos notado que su atención al cliente es prácticamente inexistente.
3. No sé si el problema es la plataforma de pedidos online, pero sí que sé que tienen que
encontrar una solución antes de que nos obliguen a buscar un nuevo proveedor.

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Activity 14

1. I’d like to speak to Mr. Ramirez.

2. Would you like to leave a message?
3. Can I have your telephone number?
4. Can you ask him to call me back?

Activity 15

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. I’m sorry, Mario is not available at the moment.
2. I’d like to make a complaint about an order.
3. I’m calling from LevanTech, in Valencia.
4. I’m calling with regards to your last shipment.
5. I’m afraid that the server problem hasn’t been solved yet.

Activity 16

Dear Ms. Robbins,

We are sorry to hear about the problems with your e-mail account. There must have
been an unreported error, since the issue is not recorded on our database.
We will look into the matter straight away and will get back to you as soon as possible.
Please accept our apologies.
My best,

Alexander Stone
Help Desk Department

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LESSON 8
Activity 1

Script
Samantha: I’d like to start the meeting by discussing the status of the RST project. Can you
give me an update, Eric?
Eric: Sure. As you know, the first phase of production finished two weeks ago. We’re working
on the second phase. However, we’re encountering some technical setbacks which may
delay delivery.
Samantha: I’m afraid we can’t postpone the deadline, Eric. The contract with our current
suppliers extinguishes on December 31st. We need the full system migration done by
December 15th at the very latest.
Eric: I see what you’re saying. But actually, it’s not going to affect the final delivery of the
project. It’s just that the second phase will take us a bit longer than expected.
Samantha: So you’re saying that Phase 3 will be on schedule? Okay, so when will the second
phase be ready, then?
Eric: It was set for June 2nd but it will most likely take about three weeks more.
Samantha: Three weeks? No way, I might be able to get you two weeks if you guarantee
the third phase isn’t impacted. The board of directors wants to see a functional version
of the new system by July 5th for the annual board meeting.
Eric: All right, I’ll do my best to cut it down to two weeks, then.
Samantha: Excellent, thank you, please see what you can do. On an unrelated note, John
Quincy suggested that the sales package should include a statistics tool. Are we in time
to request that?
Eric: Yes, that’s no problem, we could implement it. But that functionality was not included
in the project briefing. If you request it now, remember that it might have an impact on
the timing as well as the budget. Do you follow me?
Samantha: Yes, that’s the thing, we can’t contribute to the project delivery falling farther
behind. We’ve got a tight schedule and a limited budget, as you know. Can you send me
an estimate of cost and what how it could impact delivery? I’ll talk to John and get back
to you.
Eric: Absolutely, you’ll have it tomorrow.

Activity 2

1. There will be a delay in the delivery of Phase 2.

2. December 15th
3. He’s cooperative.
4. Because it will delay delivery.

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Activity 3

1. Samantha: I’d like to start the meeting by discussing the status of the RST project.
Can you give me an update, Eric?
Eric: Sure. As you know, the first phase of production finished two weeks ago. We’re
working on the second phase. However, we’re encountering some technical setbacks
which may delay delivery.
2. Samantha: So you’re saying that Phase 3 will be on schedule? Okay, so when will the
second phase be ready, then?
3. Samantha: On an unrelated note, John Quincy suggested that the sales package
should include a statistics tool. Are we in time to request that?
4. Eric: That functionality was not included in the project briefing. If you request it now,
remember that it might have an impact on the timing as well as the budget.

Activity 5

1. d)
2. c)
3. e)
4. a)
5. b)

Activity 6

1. We expected you to offer better conditions, since we’re one of your best clients.
2. Before closing the deal, I’d like to discuss a few details.
3. Hopefully, we’ll reach an agreement this week.
4. Can you give us a discount for a bulk order?
5. Sorry, there’s no way I can accept that deal, we need a compromise.
6. I need to make a phone call to consult my lawyer before signing anything.

Activity 7

1. I recommend installing the latest version of the software.

2. The IT technician suggested that we try another brand of ink cartridges.
I wouldn’t suggest going to Egypt in August.
3. Mr. Landers will recommend eliminating costs.
4. We didn’t suggest adding extra hours, but they did anyway.
5. My colleagues all suggest we run a more powerful antivirus.
6. Steven recommends driving to the airport.
7. My uncle doesn’t suggest we travel without health insurance.

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Activity 8

1. bring up
2. find out
3. look up
4. put off
5. blow up
6. look after
7. give up
8. call off

Activity 9

1. The whole department will attend the training session next week.
2. I’m sure Ben will make the right decision. He is a sensible man.
3. Most production processes are carried out by machines nowadays.
4. The new secretary will assist the manager in administration tasks.
5. The Head of Marketing had a big argument with the General Manager. He was so
angry that he slammed the door as he went out.
6. Noah is just a junior employee. You can’t expect him to know the ins and outs of the
company.
7. I wish you a wonderful career, full of success.
8. Our receptionist is so nice and polite, that all of our customers are delighted to talk to
her.

Activity 11

1. False
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. False

Activity 12

1. c)
2. e)
3. b)
4. a)
5. d)

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Activity 13

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. Hacer negocios en el extranjero es una experiencia estimulante para cualquiera.
2. Tus clientes pueden ofenderse, por ejemplo, si les das palmaditas en la espalda
después de una larga reunión.
3. En resumen, hacer negocios en otro país tiene mucho que ver con conocer su cultura.

Activity 14

1. I’ve lost my train of thought.

2. Can you offer a discount for bulk orders?
3. I’m afraid that deadline is not realistic.
4. We’re looking for contracts in the Middle East.
5. I’m looking forward to meeting you again.

Activity 15

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Look at these sample answers and compare them to the answers you have written:
1. We’ve encountered a series of setbacks that will delay delivery.
2. I’m afraid we’ll have to turn down / reject your offer.
3. In my opinion, it’s impossible to carry out this project with such a tight budget.
4. Why don’t we discuss the different options for the project?

Activity 16

Cross Cultural Workshop

Do you travel for work? Do you need to talk to suppliers in foreign countries? Do you
work closely with colleagues from all over the world?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this weekend’s workshop is for you. Held
by Dr. Alice Franklin from the European Business Institute, this 4-hour workshop will
focus on best practices for managing multicultural teams, remote teams, and even sales
teams abroad.

Spaces limited to 10, first come first served. You must sign up by this Wednesday to be
eligible for a 10% discount. Professionals who attend the workshop will receive a
certificate at the end of the session. Click here for more information.

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