Business English

11-07-2015
Lecture 3:
Embedded Question Structure
Introduction
An embedded question is a question that is included inside another question or
statement. They are common after introductory phrases, such as:
I wonder
Could you tell me
Do you know
Can you remember
Let's ask
We need to find out
I'd like to know
Could you tell me
I'm not sure
Would you mind explaining
Five Rules for Using Embedded Questions
Rule One
If the embedded question is part of a statement, use a period and not a question
mark at the end of the sentence. Also, if the question is in the present or past
simple verb tense, omit the auxiliary verbs do, does, and did and change the verb
to its appropriate form, as in the example below.
Direct Question

What time did he leave?

Embedded Question

I wonder what time he left.

Rule Two
If the embedded question includes an auxiliary verb or the verb "to be", reverse the
positions of the subject and the auxiliary verb, as in the examples below.

Direct Question

What did he say?

Embedded Question

Could you tell me what he said?

Direct Question

Can you help me?

Embedded Question

I wonder if you could help me.

Direct Question

Is he a doctor?

Embedded Question

Do you know if he is a doctor?

Rule Three
Do not use a verbal contraction at the end of the sentence.
Direct Question

Where is she?

Correct Embedded Question

Do you know where he is?

Incorrect Embedded Question

Do you know where he's?

Rule Four
Embedded questions are introduced by whether, whether or not, and if when
there is no question word in the sentence (yes/no questions).
Direct Yes/No Question

Will he be there?

Embedded Question

Do you know if he will be there?

Do you know whether or not he will be there?
Do you know whether he will be there or not?

Rule Five
The infinitive can follow a question word or whether in embedded questions, as in
the following example.

Direct Question

What should I do?

Embedded Question

Please tell me what I should do.

Embedded Question with an Infinitive

Please tell me what to do.

Using Embedded Questions

There are times when native English speakers prefer to use embedded rather than
direct questions. Here are two examples.
1. Politely Asking for Information
Direct Question

What time does the bus arrive?

Embedded Question

Could you tell me what time the bus arrives?

(more polite)

2. Talking About Something Which Is Unknown to the Speaker

Direct Question

Why did she decide not to come with us?

Embedded Question

I don't know why she decided not to come with us.

Note: The embedded question is in a statement , so it ends with a period, not a

question mark.
Exercise Link:
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/410-embeddedquestions1.htm
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/410-embeddedquestions2.htm
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/bbogage-373658-embedded-indirectquestions-education-ppt-powerpoint/

Lecture 4:
Present Perfect
The present perfect is formed from the present tense of the verb have and
the past participle of a verb:
The present perfect continuous is formed with have/has been and the -ing form
of the verb:
Use
We use the present perfect tense:

for something that started in the past and continues in the present:
Theyve been married for nearly fifty years.
She has lived in Liverpool all her life.
Note: We normally use the present perfect continuous for this:
She has been living in Liverpool all her life.
Its been raining for hours.

for something we have done several times in the past and continue to do:
Ive played the guitar ever since I was a teenager.
He has written three books and he is working on another one.
Ive been watching that programme every week.
We often use a clause with since to show when something started in the past:

Theyve been staying with us since last week.

I have worked here since I left school.
Ive been watching that programme every week since it started.

when we are talking about our experience up to the present:

Note: We often use the adverb ever to talk about experience up to the
present:
My last birthday was the worst day I have ever had.
Note: and we use never for the negative form:
Have you ever met George?
Yes, but Ive never met his wife.

for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of
speaking:
I cant get in the house. Ive lost my keys.
Teresa isnt at home. I think she has gone shopping.
Im tired out. Ive been working all day.

We use the present perfect of be when someone has gone to a place

and returned:
A: Where have you been?
B: Ive just been out to the supermarket.
A: Have you ever been to San Francisco?
B: No, but Ive been to Los Angeles.

But when someone has not returned we use have/has gone:

A: Where is Maria? I havent seen her for weeks.
B: She's gone to Paris for a week. Shell be back tomorrow.
We often use the present perfect with time adverbials which refer to the recent
past:
just; only just; recently;
Scientists have recently discovered a new breed of monkey.
We have just got back from our holidays.
or adverbials which include the present:
ever (in questions); so far; until now; up to now; yet (in questions and
negatives)
Have you ever seen a ghost?
Where have you been up to now?
Have you finished your homework yet?
No, so far Ive only done my history.
WARNING:
We do not use the present perfect with an adverbial which refers to past
time which is finished:
I have seen that film yesterday.
We have just bought a new car last week.
When we were children we have been to California.
But we can use it to refer to a time which is not yet finished:

Have you seen Helen today?

We have bought a new car this week.
- See more at: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/englishgrammar/verbs/present-tense/present-perfect#sthash.GqBp3BDo.dpuf

4 English Grammar Rules You Must Know to Get Your Dream Business Job

1. Do not use contractions.

First off, weve got a general rule for resumes, cover letters, interviews and even
business emails or presentations:
Dont use contractions.
Contractions are shortened forms of two words. For example:

she + will = shell

is + not = isnt

should + have = shouldve

do + not = dont
Most of the time, writing or speaking with contractions is perfectly fine. (Youll find
them throughout all of FluentUs posts!)
A friendly Howre you doing? or Whats going on? is great for making friends.
Taking contractions apart can make people sound stiff and unfriendly.
For now, dont worry about being friends with your interviewerwe need to focus on
sounding professional. And to sound professional, we cannot use contractions.
For example, take a look at the two cover letter introductions below:

My names Edward Conne and Im contacting you today in regards to an open

Sales and Marketing Manager position at Korin, Inc. Ive been working for the past
three years as a Marketing Specialist at Jennings & Borinson.
My name is Edward Conne and I am contacting you today in regards to the open
Sales and Marketing Manager position at Korin, Inc. I have been working for the
past three years as a Marketing Specialist at Jennings & Borinson.
The second introduction sounds unnatural and stiff, but thats what we want.
Remember, its unprofessional to be friendly with your resume or cover letters.
Youll have plenty of time to be friendlyafter you get job. Now lets move on to
something a bit more difficult and technical. Things are going to get harder from
here, but I promise its worth it.
2. Use the present continuous to talk about current jobs and future plans.
The present continuous is used when speaking or writing in the present tense. Its
important for the job application process and it should be used to:
1.

Talk about your current job(s) in cover letters, resumes and interviews

2.

Talk about future plans in cover letters and in interviews

To form the present continuous, heres what we need:
present tense of to be + -ing verb (present participle)
It sounds harder than it really is, I promise. For example:

She is talking to her daughter.

I am walking to school.

We are going to start a new company.

Since were going to be using the present continuous to talk about ourselves, we
only have to use sentences starting with I am For example:

I am taking classes for a Masters Degree in Business.

We can also use the present continuous to describe temporary

situations and future plans. For example:

I am taking classes for a Masters Degree in Business until May. (temporary

situation)

I am taking classes for a Masters Degree next summer. (future plans)

Most of your interview and nearly all of your resume summary and cover letter will
be about you. So it helps to write in something else besides the past simple and
present simple tenses.
The Present Continuous in Resume Summary Statements
Your resumes summary statement is a section at the start of your resume with
strong statements that summarize your qualifications, strengths and experience.
Remember to keep your summary statement under four sentences. Too short and it
looks unprofessional, too long and no one will finish reading it.
Putting the present continuous to use in a resume summary isnt hard. In fact, if you
follow two simple rules, itll take five minutes.
For example, lets look at the resume of a student looking to find his first job.
I am currently studying English at Seoul National University and will be graduating
in June. After, I am planning to work at an established textbook company for
several years.
These two sentences are already most of a good summary. All resume
summaries follow the same basic pattern:

1.

Talk about what youre currently doing (temporary situation)

2.

Talk about what you want to do in the future (future plans)

It might only be two lines, but its most of a summary and its perfect for summary
statements.
The Present Continuous in Cover Letters

The present continuous is used in cover letters in almost the same way. In a resume,
you might talk about the future, butin a cover letter you want to focus on the
present using the present continuous.
The first line of any cover letter starts with why youre sending an email. It should
include:

The title of the job youre applying for

Where you found the job opening

Its just as easy as it sounds. For example:

I am submitting this application for the editorial position you advertised on

Jobs Now.

I am sending this email in regards to the sales position posted on EmployMe.

If you dont remember where you saw the posting, no problem:

I am submitting this application for the quality assurance specialist position

open at Indica Labs.
Dont be afraid to talk about your current job or any activities youre doing now
either. Cover letters arent supposed to be short, so if you want to talk a little about
the interesting work youre doing now, add it in using the present continuous.
The Present Continuous in Interviews
Since we can use the present continuous to talk about temporary situations or
future plans, it is absolutely necessary for an interview.
Specifically, we can use it to talk about current jobs or responsibilities. For example:
Q: What do you do now?
A: I am working as a Software Quality Assurance Engineer at Brocks & Hendricks.
Or we can use it to answer questions about future plans:
Q: When do you graduate?

A: I am graduating this June with an MBA.

The present continuous is a good opening line. Follow it up with some details in the
simple present, simple past or simple future tense and youll be sounding
professional in no time.
Now we have most of a resume summary, the beginning of a cover letter and a way
to talk about current jobs and future plans. Youre one step closer to the job of your
dreams, a big step.