Unit 6 Jobs and companies

Unit overview

https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/dad558c3-fbc3-43f4-8d6d-1e8a630e87ed

Asking about work experience

【Vocabulary】Jobs vocabulary

1. Most job nouns are formed from verbs by adding either -er or -or.
   e.g.
   bank > banker
design > designer
clean > cleaner
act > actor
direct > director
edit > editor

2. There are no hard and fast rules about which verbs take -er or -or, but there are some basic spelling rules.
   1）In the case of -er job nouns, if the verb already ends in an e, simply add -r.
   e.g.
   manage > manager
drive > driver
write > writer
   2）In the case of -or job nouns, if the verb ends in e, drop the e and add -or.
   e.g.
   supervise > supervisor
illustrate > illustrator
   3）If the last two letters of the verb are a vowel followed by a consonant, the consonant is doubled.
   e.g.
   program > programmer

Language note: You can use the gender-neutral term waiter (instead of waitress) to refer to the person serving you food in a restaurant, whether the person is male or female. You can also use the term server.

【Grammer】Past tense of the verb 'be'

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/3e6dd719-ed8a-4f05-a5e7-a7090b915ca6

1. Use the past tense of the verb be to talk about people's former jobs. The verb be has two past forms, was and were.
   1）Use was with the pronouns I, he, she and it.
   e.g.
   I was a banker.
He was a computer programmer.
She was a supervisor.
It was very difficult.
   2）Use were with the pronouns you, we and they.
   e.g.
   You were an actor.
We were designers.
They were drivers.
   3）Remember that the pronoun you can be singular or plural.
   e.g.
   You were a writer.
You were writers.

2. To form past tense questions with the verb be, move the verb to the beginning of the sentence.
   e.g.
   He was an illustrator. / Was he an illustrator?
They were managers. / Were they managers?

3. To form past tense negatives with the verb be, use was not and were not.
   e.g.
   She was a driver. / She was not a driver.

4. The phrase was not is usually contracted to the word wasn't. The phrase were not is usually contracted to the word weren't.
   e.g.
   I was not a cleaner. / I wasn't a cleaner.
They were not editors. / They weren't editors.

【Grammer】Past simple time markers

1. There are words and expressions that help us talk about the past and put events in order.
   1）Use the adjective last to talk about what happened in the recent past.
   e.g.
   Last week I was on vacation.
Where were you last night?
I like my job now, but my last job was terrible!
   2）Use before, before that, after and after that to put past events in order. We'll use the example of a woman working in a restaurant.
   e.g.
   She was a waiter before she was a supervisor.
She was a supervisor. Before that, she was a waiter.
After she was a supervisor, she was the manager.
She was a supervisor. After that, she was the manager.
   3）dialog
   e.g.

MAN: I'm very happy in my new job at Tomorrow Computers. I'm a programmer. My last  boss was awful. I wasn't happy there.
WOMAN: Where were you before ?
MAN: I was at Dyno Systems. I was an engineer.
WOMAN: Was that your first job?
MAN: No. Before that , I was at LM Computers.
WOMAN: Well, I'm happy that you like your new job.
MAN: Me, too. Thanks.

【Expressions】Talking about your job

1. Talking about current and past jobs is a common topic of conversation.
   e.g.
   How's your job?
What's your job like?
How was your last job?
What was your last job like?
Where were you before?

2. When talking about your job, you can describe your hours, your pay or your boss.
   e.g.
   I like my job, but I work too many hours.
The pay is really good in my new job.
My boss is OK, but sometimes he's difficult.

3. You can also compare your current job with past ones.
   e.g.
   My last job was easier than this job.
My pay is better now, but I work longer hours.
I was at LM Computers for only one year.
My last boss was terrible.

【Final Task】Asking about work experience

During your first week as an employee at IXW, you meet the director of sales at a social event. He wants to know a bit more about you. When you see a blank, give information about a previous job you had, or make something up. Listen and record the correct response.

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/4fa55be2-9ac5-404e-98c0-941e498a9072

Introducing a new employee

【Grammer】Regular past simple verbs

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/5ea1d977-4936-4427-9aba-95a22a50c0ea

1. Regular verbs always end with -ed in the past tense.
   e.g.
   work > worked
I worked as a manager.
He worked in Paris for three years.
They worked in a restaurant last summer.
We worked in sales.

2. If the base form of a regular verb ends in e, add -d to make the past tense.
   e.g.
   move > moved
I moved to a new apartment last week.

3. If the base form of a regular verb ends in a vowel + y, add -ed.
   e.g.
   play > played
We played tennis last weekend.

4. If the base form of a regular verb ends in a consonant + y, change the y to i and add -ed.
   e.g.
   study > studied
She studied for four hours last night.

5. The past tense of the irregular verb do is did. Use did + not + base verb to make negative past tense statements with regular verbs. Use the contraction didn't, unless you are emphasizing the word not.
   e.g.
   We didn't study last night.
He didn't work in London.

6. Use did + subject + base verb to make past tense questions with regular verbs.
   e.g.
   Did you study last night?
Where did you work before?

【Expressions】Making formal introductions

1. Use these expressions to formally introduce someone:
   e.g.
   I'd like to introduce Lee Hamilton.
I'd like you to meet Lee Hamilton.
Let me introduce Lee Hamilton.

2. If the person is a new employee, identify his or her position. Americans typically use a person's first name after they have been formally introduced.
   e.g.
   Lee is our new director of sales.

3. A few comments on the person's background will help with the introduction. This could include the person's work history, education or some personal details.
   e.g.
   Lee comes to us from LM Computers.
She was the sales manager there for five years.
She has an MBA from Boston University.
Lee is married and has three kids.

4. Use expressions like these to formally welcome someone after their introduction:
   e.g.
   Let's welcome Lee to the company!
Let's all make Lee feel very welcome!

5. If you are the person being welcomed, thank everyone. You can also thank the person who introduced you.
   e.g.
   Thanks, everyone, for the warm welcome.
Thank you very much. I'm excited to be here.
I'd like to thank Brian for that great introduction.

6. dialog
   e.g.

KAREN: Good morning, everyone. It's my pleasure to introduce Kim Zhang. Kim is our new director of sales. Kim comes to us from Green Products. He worked there for three years as sales manager. Kim has an MBA from Harvard University. He speaks both Chinese and English. Let's welcome Kim to the company!
KIM: Thank you all very much. I'm so happy to be here at New Futures. First, I'd like to thank Karen for that warm introduction .

【Expressions】Introducing a colleague

1. dialog
   e.g.

BOSS: Julie, I'd like to introduce Ken Stevens. Ken is our new director of engineering.
JULIE: It's a pleasure to meet you, Ken. Welcome. I work in sales here.
KEN: Oh, thanks, Julie. Nice to meet you, too.
BOSS: Ken comes to us from XYZ Systems. He was the engineering manager for five years.
JULIE: Oh, nice. How was it?
KEN: It was good, but I'm happy to be here now.
JULIE: This is a great place  to work.
BOSS: Good answer, Julie!

Reading a business card

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/d0f5c7a4-f9f9-4e77-8aa5-8703bdb1a320

【Vocabulary】Company departments and job titles

1. No two companies are organized exactly the same way. A company's departments depend on the needs of the company and how it's structured. Here are some of the most common department names:
   e.g.
   Human Resources (HR)
Operations
Information Technology (IT)
Finance
Sales and Marketing
Customer Service
Purchasing
Legal
Research and Development (R&D)

2. People in a company are also organized by the departments they work in and their job titles. We have already learned some titles like manager, supervisor and director. Here are some other high-level job titles:
   e.g.
   chief executive officer (CEO)
president
vice president (VP)
chief financial officer (CFO)
chief operations officer (COO)
chief technology officer (CTO)

3. dialog
   e.g.

Tom Bradley is the chief executive officer (CEO). 
Paul Adams is the director of Information Technology. 
Eric Bilardi is the chief operations officer (COO). 
Sue Kelly is a vice president (VP). 
Claire O'Donnell is the chief technology officer (CTO). 
Elaine Campbell is the director of Research and Development. 
Trisha Smith is the chief financial officer (CFO).

【Grammer】Irregular past simple verbs

1. Regular verbs end with -ed in the past tense (example: work – worked). Irregular verbs have a variety of forms in the past tense. Here are some examples:
   e.g.
   meet - met
get - got
write - wrote
find - found
eat - ate
I met some interesting people last night.

2. Here are some more examples of irregular past tense verbs:
   e.g.
   give - gave
have - had
go - went
see - saw
come - came
buy - bought
take - took
He gave me his business card.

3. Negatives are formed in the same way for irregular verbs as for regular: Use did + not + base verb. Use the contraction didn't, unless you are emphasizing the word not.
   e.g.
   She didn't go with them.
I didn't buy it.

4. Past tense questions are also formed the same way with irregular verbs as with regular: Use did + subject + base verb.
   e.g.
   Did you see him last night?
Did they have dinner at the hotel?

【Reading】Understanding business cards

1. A business card typically includes the person's name, company name and job title. The card will also include contact information, including address, phone number, email and possibly a fax number.
   e.g.
   A: Let me give you my business card.
B: Thanks. Here's mine.
   Many cards also show a company logo or slogan. Contact information might also include social networking contacts.

2. dialog
   e.g.

MegaDesign 
15 Apple Road, San Diego, California  
Jennifer Weld
Director of Human Resources  
Phone: 760-434-8345
Email: jweld@megadesign.com
Babble: @jweld89

FutureInvest
2276 Lake Drive
Chicago, Illinois 97283
Jake  Hudson
Chief Financial Officer
Tel: 834-234-1930
Email: jakeh@futureinvest.com
TxTme: jakehud@TxTme.com

Writing about jobs

【Vocabulary】Saying what year it is

1. If the year begins with 19, it's common to say 19 + the last two numerals.
   e.g.
   1997 = nineteen ninety-seven

2. If the year begins with 20, you can say 20 + the last two numerals; or two thousand + the last two numerals.
   e.g.
   2014 = twenty fourteen
2014 = two thousand fourteen

3. In the UK, if the year begins with a 20, you might hear and in the date.
   e.g.
   2014 = two thousand and fourteen

【Expressions】Describing a job

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/d546140d-33ba-4f88-94ab-c8a64d3f80fa

1. When describing a past or present job, start with company name and job title.
   e.g.
   I work at Blue Sky Tech. I'm the production manager.
My job title is production manager.
I worked at Pharmatek for three years. I was a project manager.
My job title was project manager.

2. When talking about past jobs, say how long you worked there using for or describe the duration using from and to.
   e.g.
   I worked there for three years.
I worked there from 2009 to 2012.

3. Use the expression responsible for to talk about responsibilities.
   e.g.
   I am responsible for marketing new products.
I was responsible for the production schedule.

4. Use the verb report to to talk about who you report to.
   e.g.
   I report to the CEO.
I reported to the vice president of production.

5. dialog
   e.g.

I worked at Bio Products for four years. 
I was the sales manager. 
I was responsible for all of the salespeople. 
I managed 15 people. 
I reported to the director of sales.

【Reading】Reading about someone's job

1. Read the text and answer the questions.

My job now is at a restaurant. 
I'm a supervisor. 
I'm responsible for around 12 servers. 
It's difficult work, but I like it. 
Before this job, I worked in a different restaurant as a server. 
I worked there for about 15 months. 
I wasn't very happy there. 
I didn't like my boss. 
She was very unfriendly. 
Before that, I was a student.