Useful Language

A. Explain the following word combinations and give their Russian equivalents:

 gain support and commitment

 listening errors

 aural errors

 straight forward agreements

 negotiate with ease

 mutually respectful relationships

 failure of business organizations

 voluntary and non-profit venture

 divide the work into manageable activities

 put management techniques into practice

 basic management skills

 scope of functions

B. Fill in the gaps with the words from the box.

 high-tech venture		 arrogant		 creative
 customers	 marketing		 capable		 management

Basic _____ skills, especially in such key areas as _____ and finance, are at least as important in a new _____ as in the more common low-tech start-up. High-tech entrepreneurs – typically young, brainy, single-minded and _____ – rarely possess such skills. However, a really high-tech manager needs to be most _____ and extremely active so that to have one foot in the lab and one foot in the market place. He/she must understand the technology and be able to ask the right questions as well as be _____ of getting close to the market and to _____.

Focussing on Grammar

Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are: can, could, may, might, must, ought to, will, would, shall, should.

Certain verbs or expressions have virtually the same meaning as some modals. They are: need (= must), had better (=should), have/has to/have (has) got to (= must), be able to (= can), used to (= would). E. g. You have got to organize a meeting in the near future.

We use modal verbs to express: ability, advice, logical assumptions, necessity, offers, obligation, duty, permission, possibility, probability, prohibition, request, and suggestions.

A. Study the usage of modal verbs in the following sentences. Translate them into Russian.

1. You ought to see the director. We have to decide how to achieve the objectives.

2. Managers should divide the work into manageable activities and then into individual jobs.

3. He can manage his team effectively. –Nobody was able to do it better.

4. You should ask advice. We need to allocate resources of money and people.

5. You had better finish it as soon as possible. We need to select people to manage and perform the jobs.

6. Shall I measure the work of the team? We ought to make decisions about pay and promotion.

7. She must be working on the project.

8. She can’t be a good manager. She doesn’t have management skills.

9. I had to use a new method of management.

10. He has to divide responsibility. The necessity is coming from the situation in the company.

11. Managers need to practice the method of motivation.

12. He didn’t need to/didn’t have to set objectives (It wasn’t necessary for him to do it because somebody else had done it for him).

13. Can I do anything for you?

14. May I use your phone, please?

15. Would you like me to help you?

16. You must take into account all the factors before setting the objectives. You are obliged to do it.

17. I had to go to the top manager to discuss the problem.

18. All employees must obey the law.

19. People ought to be more tolerant.

20. Employees may not be left unpaid.

21. They may be having a meeting now.

22. They ought to be in the company by now.

23. You can’t give orders.

B. Identify the use of the modal verbs, then write a synonymous expression(s).

E.g.

Can I consult a lawyer on this very important issue?

permission

May I / Could I?

1.	You should book a hotel room in advance.
2.	He has got to go and see the headmaster.
3.	A manager must be logical, rational and analytical.

C. Fill in the blanks:

Modal		Use	Synonymous expression
1.	Shall I help you?	offer	Would you like me to help you?
2.	You _____ have seen a lawyer.	_______	It would have been a better idea if you had seen a lawyer.
3.	You mustn’t miss the work without good excuses.	_______	____________
4.	_____ I use the phone, please?	polite request	____________ ____________
5.	You _____ publish your book in one of the central publishing houses.	_______	It’s a very good idea to publish your book in one of the central publishing houses.

D. Fill in mustn’t or needn’t.

Tom,

Thanks for offering to chair tomorrow’s meeting for me. Apart from Sally and Dave, the sales staff _____ needn’t … attend, but the Personnel people _____ miss it, as several matters concern them. You _____ mention the new officer – we can deal with that later and you _____ discuss the changes in the computer course timetables since they’re not urgent. Don’t forget that you _____ mention the visit by the inspectors – we don’t want people panicking. You _____ forget to bring up the matter of the Smithson contract, and you also _____ leave out the new manager’s appointment. You _____ go into details unless people have questions. But remember you _____ give anyone the idea that their job is at risk because of this. Make it clear that employees _____ speak unless they want to. Last but not least, you _____ mention the staff party – Mr. Jones wants to announce that himself. By the way, you _____ take notes, as my secretary will be there to do that.

Thanks,

Laura

E. Practice expressing offers. Use the following sentence patterns:

Pattern 1. Can I do anything to help you? (informal)

Pattern 2. Shall I do it for you? (informal)

Pattern 3. Would you like me to visit him? (formal)