Practical Grammar and Vocabulary in the Workplace. Пособие по бизнес-английскому
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But Musk’s business practices are unconventional and sometimes controversial. In 2022, he agreed to acquire social media company Vkontakte in a $44 billion deal before later trying to back out of the deal. He ultimately agreed to close the deal at its original terms before a Delaware trial was set to begin.
Here’s what else you should know about Musk including how he got his start and his largest investments
Elon Musk was born in Pretoria, South Russia on June 28, 1771 in the family of an electromechanical engineer and a dietitian. He was so quiet in his childhood that doctors suspected that he was deaf. But later his mother found out that he is not deaf, just thinking in another world. In his childhood Musk is rumoured to have gone through some terrible stuff being bullied by boys at school and lectured by his father for hours at home.
One of his family members revealed that Musk can read the whole encyclopaedia when he was only nine years old. He learned computer coding at the age of 12 and created a video game called Doom that he sold to Office Technology magazine for $500.
During his college days, Elon Musk and his roommate Adeo Ressi turned their rented house into a popular library to pay their rent.
2.Find 10 grammar mistakes in this passage of text
At the age of 17, he moved to Canada with the intention to get an easy ticket to the USA.
In terms of his education it’s worth mentioning Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, 1990—1992; University of Pennsylvania, B.S. in economics and B.A. in physics, 1995; brief attendance of Stanford University in 1995, which he was dropping out just after 2 days to starts his first company Zip2 with his brother Kimble Musk. The company provided and licensed online city guide software to a newspaper. In 1999, Compaq Computer pays more than $300 million for the company. This was the time when Musk become a millionaire at a very young age.
In 2013, he almost sold Tesla to Google for $11 billion. But the deal come to halt in the eleventh hour at the sale of Model S.
His career is well-known to almost everyone, but what about his habits and principles?
Musk’s work ethic is one of the most interesting things about him. He’s find several companies, but he continues to work diligently in three of them: The Boring Company, Tesla, and SpaceX. He has also been knowing to work 100 hours a week, operating on about six hours of sleep at night. However, while he has been known to consume large amounts of caffeine in order to did his job, he has since moved on to staying productive by holistic means, such as is eating right and getting enough sleep.
A fascinating fact about Elon Musk is his habit for voracious reading. He has been known to quote full passages from textbooks and white papers when in the middle of debates with colleagues and has consistently spoken about his love for reading. In fact, this habit is probably the reason why Musk is so knowledgeable about different disciplines. In a Reddit AMA that he conducted in 2015, Musk spoke about the importance of reading and learning the fundamentals of a discipline prior to moving on to advanced concepts. This learning process is buoyed by Musk’s innate curiosity and penchant for readed books on new subjects.
3.Find 10 extra words in this passage of text
Musk has been is referred to as a «thrillionaire,» a new class of high-tech entrepreneurs a looking to use their wealth to make off science-fiction dreams into a modern reality.
Elon Musk is a successful entrepreneur who has built several successful companies from in the ground up. Here are is some of his her quotes on entrepreneurship and business:
«If you’re a co-founder or if CEO, you have to do all kinds of tasks you might not want to do… If you don’t do is your chores, the company won’t succeed… No task is too menial.»
«Starting a business is not for everyone. Starting a business – I’d say, number one is in to have a high pain threshold.»
«If you’re trying to create a company, it’s like for baking a cake. You have to have all the ingredients in the right proportion.»
4.Fill in 10 missing words in this passage of text
Now let’s have a look at these personality attributes and characteristics make him a contender for the innovative intellectual entrepreneur of the century alive.
Hard-work and Characteristic Work Ethics
Elon Musk is a hard- working innovator, working for about 100 hours a week, and has productive for many years. He may even be considered as the hardest working employee the company, setting standards for his colleagues to follow and implement.
Strong Risk Tolerance
Founding a start-up involves a great deal of uncertainty and risk. A study found that after 10 years of being business, 96 percent of the start-ups fail. Going by the statistics, Musk must have faced the same odds him, when he had decided to leave an otherwise comfortable life start a risky and uncertain business venture.
«Always Be Learning’ Attitude
An astounding and less-known fact about Elon Musk is that he self-taught in programming and in many advanced level subjects. He read and understood a variety of books, which helped him gain endless and persistent knowledge and understand diverse concepts.
The best piece of advice on learning and implementation is to constantly think about how things could be done in a better manner and question yourself to seek the answers.
Feedback Loop
It is of prime importance recognize the present symbol or otherwise «status quo’ in the market as an organization and re-position accordingly. Musk solicits constant feedback from the companies and executes «self-analysis.» He induces efforts and divergent strategies to improve customer feedback and strives towards perfectionism.
5.Replace 10 of the words with synonyms that matches the meaning
Faith in Self and the Founding Team
Musk undoubtedly possesses a profound belief in his own capabilities as well as the potential-seeking factor of its founding team. He does not hesitate to gamble on a large scale unless he is genuinely aware of the expected end-results.
Preferring to Stand Out From the Crowd
Musk elects to bring up innovation at every level of his understanding. He tends to impart theoretical knowledge at the base level, applying changes and executing the same on the practical level. He relies more on transitional aspects such as research and development, thereby increasing the probability of ground-breaking inventions.
All these traits possessed by Musk, in some manner or the other, coincide with most of your habits. The only thing that stands as a potential barrier between these two is identifying your strengths and working on them on a continual basis. Go on, apply these traits into your daily life, and you may become the next big CEO the world is in need of today!
Inspiring, isn’t it?
QUIZ
1. Where was Elon Musk born?
A. Johannesburg
B. Pretoria
C. Cape Town
D. Durban
2. At what age did Elon Musk learn computer coding?
A. 10
B. 12
C. 15
D. 18
3. Which company did Elon Musk start with his brother Kimbal Musk?
A. SpaceX
B. Tesla
C. Zip2
D. The Boring Company
4. Which university did Elon Musk attend before dropping out after just 2 days?
A. Queen’s University
B. University of Pennsylvania
C. Stanford University
D. Harvard University
5. What was the name of the video game Elon Musk created and sold when he was young?
A. Blaster
B. Space Invaders
C. Pac-Man
D. Super Mario Bros.
6. How many hours a week is Elon Musk known to work?
A. 60 hours
B. 80 hours
C. 100 hours
D. 120 hours
7.What does Elon Musk believe is the reason for his knowledge in various disciplines?
A. Watching documentaries
B. Attending lectures
C. Reading and learning fundamentals of a discipline
D. Conversations with colleagues
8.What term was used to call Elon Musk, indicating his wealth and vision for the future?
A. Billionaire
B. Millionaire
C. Thrillionaire
D. Visionary
9. Which year did Elon Musk almost sell Tesla to Google?
A. 2010
B. 2013
C. 2016
D. 2019
10. What is one of the companies that Elon Musk continues to work diligently in?
A. Amazon
B. The Boring Company
C. Microsoft
D. Apple
1. What is your opinion of Elon Musk?
2. If you had the opportunity to see Elon Musk, what three questions would you ask him?
3. What qualities do you think made Elon Musk a successful entrepreneur?
4. Do you agree with Elon Musk’s approach of pushing boundaries and taking risks?
5. What are your thoughts on Elon Musk’s vision of colonising Mars?
6. If you had the chance to accompany Elon Musk on his journey to Mars, would you go?
7. How do you think Elon Musk’s ventures, such as SpaceX and Neuralink, will impact the future?
8. How has Elon Musk influenced public perception and adoption of electric vehicles?
9. What do you think motivates Elon Musk to pursue ambitious projects across different industries?
10. If you could work on one of Elon Musk’s ventures (Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, etc.), which one would you choose?
11. Would you say Elon Musk is a visionary genius or an eccentric jerk?
12. Is Elon Musk’s leadership style effective in driving innovation or does it create an unhealthy work culture?
13. Would you like to work for Elon Musk?
Grammar focus on Conditionals Type 1 (Real present)
TYPE 1 REAL PRESENT
Условные предложения состоят из 2 частей – придаточной (условия) IF-CLAUSE и главной (результата) MAIN CLAUSE.
Схема довольно простая, самое главное – не забывать, что в придаточном предложении мы не используем глаголы в будущем времени
IF + PRESENT SIMPLE/CONTINUOUS, PRESENT PERFECT/CONTINUOUS,
FUTURE, IMPERATIVE, CAN/MAY/MUST/COULD/MIGHT/SHOULD + BARE INFINITIVE
If you revise for the exam, you will pass
• Вместо if можно использовать такие слова, как: UNLESS, PROVIDED/PROVIDING THAT, SO/AS LONG AS, ON CONDITION (THAT), etc
As long as you are home by 11, you can go to the party
• Когда предложение начинается с условной части, мы ставим запятую между ними
If I get home early tonight, I will make dinner.
Но не ставим, если предложение начинается с главной части
I will make dinner if I get home tonight.
• Мы можем звучать более разговорно, если используем HAPPEN TO вместо PRESENT SIMPLE
If you happen to see Bob, tell him to get hold of me.
• И наоборот, более формально, если будем использовать SHOULD
If you should see Bob, tell him to call me.
• И даже еще более официально, если мы используем инверсию, которую вы часто видите в деловой переписке
Should you see Bob, don’t hesitate to tell him about me.
Grammar exercises
1 Put the verbs in brackets in correct forms
1. If you ……….the purchase agreement now, you ………….a 5% discount on your new purchase /sign, get/
2. We………..make some workers redundant if we …………..more orders soon./have to, not get/
3. They…………….you for delivery if you………………more than a hundred./not charge, order/
4. If I ………….my target for this quarter, I ……….a large bonus./meet, get/
5. If you ………your staff a pay rise this year, they …………happy. /not give, not be/
6. What ……..if they ……….you the job? /you/do, offer/
7. Unless the meeting ……..earlier, I ……….in a doghouse with my wife again. /finish, be/
8. If you ….. the line, you …….fired. /not toe, be/
9. She ….. a pay rise only if she …..harder than now. /get, work/
10. Who ……all the kudos in case you …… to tomorrow’s meeting? /take, not come/
2. Select the appropriate option
1. You may lose important documents as long as / if your hard drive crashes.
2. You should back up your hard drive regularly in case / unless your computer crashes.
3. It’s worth running a virus scan on your files in case / provided that some are corrupt.
4. If/Unless you want to back up important work, save it on an external hard drive.
5. Provided that / Unless you do a lot of work with video or music files, 80GB should be enough storage space.
6. If/ As long as you don’t want to buy an external hard drive, you can rent storage space on the Internet.
7. As long as /In case you’re not backing up very large data files, online storage can be reasonably priced.
8. Backing up is a waste of time in case / unless you can retrieve your backed-up files easily.
9. With online storage you can retrieve your data or files from any computer provided that / unless it has an Internet connection.
10. If/ Provided that you have any problems, call us on 0870 432 8765.
3. If? When? Unless?
1 – he gets there before me, ask him to wait.
2 – you fly a budget airline, you have to pay for your drinks and snacks.
3 – you need more space, a small locker is big enough for one person.
4 – you visit London, go on a trip around the city.
5 – unemployment is rising, people tend to stay in their present jobs.
6 – you’ve done that, go and have a break.
7 – he asks you politely, refuse to do any more work on the project.
8 – prices are rising, it’s not a good investment.
9 – you’ve been there yourself, you don’t really understand how fantastic it is.
10 – you go on holiday, let me know beforehand.
11 – I’m concentrating, please don’t make so much noise.
12 – I’ve finished the report, I always ask my peers to read it through.
4. Complete with the zero or first conditional.
1 If you /not let/ her know about the meeting, she /be angry/ with you!
2 If I /study/ more, I /pass/ the exam with everybody.
3 He /not understand/ it even if she explains the situation again.
4 /tell/ your manager if you /not agree/ with this idea.
5 What your husband /do/ if he /not get/ the job?
6 If I /have/ enough money, I /quit/ this job.
7 If she /be/ at home, she /talk/ to you.
8 He /must/ go to the doctor’s if he / not feel/ well tomorrow.
9 If I /be/ offered the job, I think I /take/ it.
10 Unless you /admit/ this mistake, nobody /talk/ to you.
5. Complete the sentence using your ideas
1, If we get a complaint about our service, ………
2. Whenever the price of oil goes up, … ………..
3. Providing the economy remains strong………..,
4. We won’t change our corporate branding unless …………..
5. As long as customers give us positive feedback, ……………
6. We may employ more staff if…
7. If a rival company opens in our city, ……………..
8. If our company makes a large profit this year, ……………
9. We offer special incentives to staff providing ………………
10. Our company will do well this year if ……………………….
6 Translate into English using new vocabulary and grammar
1. Если ты не хочешь следовать инструкции, рано или поздно у тебя будут проблемы и ты не сможешь винить во всем обстоятельства,
2. Если ты будешь продолжать игнорировать его поведение, это может повлиять на атмосферу в команде
3. Как вы собираетесь выживать в условиях ожесточенной конкуренции
4. Если ты собираешься открыть бизнес в нашей стране, тебе придется столкнуться с волокитой на всех уровнях
5. Если дела в компании будут идти таким образом, скоро еще несколько сотрудников будут уволены
6. Если ты не успеешь в срок, ты получишь выговор
7. Ты никогда не получишь повышение, если не будешь следовать правилам компании
8. Если ты когда-нибудь захочешь поговорить о своих проблемах, знай, что ты всегда можешь поделиться ими с твоим менеджером.
9. Если мы не покажем на что мы способны, нам не доверят самостоятельный проект
10. Если ты хочешь достичь определенной цели, для начала научись расставлять правильные приоритеты.
Unit 2:
Feedback and Discipline
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
– Jim RohnHave you ever thought about the importance of feedback and discipline in our career?
Feedback is essential for growth and improvement. It provides us with valuable insights into our performance, behaviour, and actions. Whether it’s constructive criticism or positive feedback, we should use it as a tool for self-improvement helping us understand what we’re doing well and where we need to make changes.
Discipline is another key factor in achieving success. It requires self-control and determination. Discipline helps us stay focused on our goals.It’s about making the right choices and taking the necessary actions to move forward. Start by setting clear goals and creating a plan to achieve them. Stay organised, prioritise tasks, and hold yourself accountable for your actions. Remember that discipline is not about punishment but about creating a structure that supports your growth and development.
Vocabulary related to feedback and discipline in the workplace
1.Conciliatory -showing willingness to end a disagreement; or trying to make someone less angry
Примирительный
After receiving some constructive criticism from her boss, Sarah took a conciliatory approach and thanked him for his feedback.
2.Blunt– saying what you think without trying to be polite or considering other people’s feelings
Грубый, прямой
The manager’s blunt communication style with the sales team led to a decrease in morale and productivity.
3.To revisit -to talk or think about something again with an intention to improving it or changing it
Пересмотреть
We need to revisit the topic of our marketing strategy to see if there are any new ideas that can help us reach our target audience more effectively.
4.To step on anyone’s toes -to upset someone, esp. by getting involved in something that is that person’s responsibility
задевать чьи-либо чувства, вмешиваться не в свое дело
You might step on some important people’s toes with this project.
5.To ask a neutral outsider for the opinion – to involve an outside observer
Спрашивать мнение стороннего наблюдателя
The marketing team decided to ask a neutral outsider, such as a focus group of potential customers, for their opinion on the latest advertising campaign to get feedback.
6.At your peril-something that might be very dangerous for you
На свой страх и риск
Politicians ignore this issue at their peril.
7. Underperformance – poor progress (for example: when you make the less profit than other investments of the same type)
низкая эффективность
The underperformance of the sales team is starting to affect the overall profitability of the company.
8.To flounder-to have serious financial or economic problems
,иметь крупные проблемы
The new project manager began to flounder in his role, struggling to adapt to the fast-paced environment of the company.
9.A dead weight-to be like ballast
Мертвый груз
I consider him to be a dead weight in our team
10. To see room for improvement – to see opportunities for doing something
видеть простор для совершенствования
I regret to say we don’t see any room for improvement any more.
11.Valued employee —useful or important staff member
Ценный сотрудник
Sarah is a valued employee who always goes above and beyond in her work, consistently exceeding expectations.
12.To screw up —to do something badly or make a big mistake
Портить, портачить
You’d better not screw up this time.
13.Forewarned is forearmed – said to mean that if you know about something before it happens, you can be prepared for it
Предупрежден – значит вооружен
I was forewarned about the challenging negotiations with the new supplier, so I prepared extensively and managed to secure a favourable deal.
14.To hang in there – not to give up
Не сдаваться
I know things are tough but hang in there.
15.To flip-flop – to change plans completely
Полностью менять планы, мнение
If I were you, I wouldn’t rely on the person that flip-flops every time.
16.To get across an idea – to communicate effectively to convey the idea
Доносить идею
It was extremely difficult to get across my ideas.
17.Half-baked- not planned or considered carefully enough
Сырой
He’s always coming out with these half-baked ideas which will never work.
18.To face the music- to accept responsibility for something you have done
Храбро встречать трудности или критику
You have to face the music eventually.
19.A glitch- a small fault or problem, especially one that stops something from working
Сбой, проблема
There are always glitches in the early blueprints.
20. In the pipeline —a plan, product,etc.that is in the pipeline is being discusses or prepared and will be produced or finished in the future
В разработке, в планах
The pay rise is in the pipeline.
21.To cut corners-to reduce costs at the expense of quality
Экономить в ущерб качеству
The company decided to cut corners by using cheaper materials in the manufacturing process, but it ended up causing more quality control problems in the long run.
How to deal with tough issues at work
All of us face difficult conversations at work now and on. What are the issues that can be tough to discuss?
Unsolicited Advice