The Wall Street Crash

1. a powerful business person controlling large companies
2. went up very fast
3. a change for a short period
4. became very active
5. highest point
6. sold at too high price
7. selling all of their shares

The Use of Tenses

 

To describe the changing circumstances we use the usual tenses

1) The Past Simple is common when we describe a sequence of events in chronological order:

e.g. The market share fell by 0.6% and then it plummeted by another 7%.

 

2) Changes which haven’t reached their endpoint are expressed using Present –ing tenses:

e.g. Profits are falling.

Unemployment has been rising.

3) If the change is complete we use a PresentPerfect tense:

e.g. Sales have increased and that has meant higher profits.

4) We use the Past Continuous to describe unfinished changes which were in progress around a particular past time:

e.g. The share price was dropping between September and November.

5) We use the Past Perfect to situate a change that happened before another past event:

e.g. The debts to our suppliers had gone up before a slight recovery in March.

6) We use Conditionals to make predictions for the future, discussing the terms of agreement:

e.g. We will reduce the price by 10% if you give us a firm order in advance.

 

Peter Bingham, the President of a clothing company, is in a meeting with his Sales Director John Amidon, and his Financial Director, Kate Simmons. Complete their conversation with appropriate forms of the verbs in brackets:

Peter: I’m glad you (manage) to make a report by today. I’d like to start by taking a look at the year’s sales and profit figures. First of all, John, could you summarize the sales figures?

 

John: Well, we had a good January – 5.2 million. January is a difficult month because sales always (drop) after Christmas. In February we launched the new children’s line and it went very well. Total sales (rise) to almost 8 million, which was nice. Unfortunately, they then (plummet) after the fire in the main factory. But by the end of April we (recover) – 10.2 million was the figure – and since then sales (go up) steadily month by month. The December figures aren’t in yet, but it looks like we (probably reach) 15 million this month.

 

Peter: Good. I’ve got a couple of questions, but I’ll save them for later. Kate, sales (increase), but has that meant higher profits?

 

Kate: Yes, it has. We’re waiting for the final figures, but we already know that overall, in the first three quarters of the year, profits (increase) and they (still go up).

 

Peter: What about next year?

 

Kate: Well, as you know, next year we’re going to centralise distribution, so costs (decrease). Even if sales (level off), profits (improve).

Comparing Information

 

We can compare business information using a number of different ways:

 

I. Specific phrases for comparison:

1) to compare smth with /to smth

2) if compare smth with/to smth

Note: the construction to compare smth to smth usually means “to claim a similarity between x and y” (to compare New York to a beehive) while the construction to compare smth with smth usually means “to discuss similarities and differences between x and y” (to compare New York with London)

3) in comparison with smth

 

e.g. The market share fell significantly in comparison with the equivalent period of last year.

 

II. The amount of differences can also be indicated using the following verbs:

1) to halve – уменьшиться, сократиться наполовину

2) to double – удваиваться, увеличиваться в два раза

3) to triple – утраиваться, увеличиваться в три раза

4) to quadruple – увеличиваться в четыре раза

5) to increase tenfold – увеличиваться в десять раз

 

e.g. The company profits have tripled if compare with the last year figures.

 

III. Adjectives and their degrees of comparison are of great help to compare different types of business information:

1) Comparative degree: -er/more

 

e.g. Advertising on television is more effective than on the radio.

Our services are cheaper than our rival’s.

2) Superlative degree: -est/most:

 

e.g. This sales unit is the most expensive in the assortment.

December is our busiest month.

3) Positive Degree: as … as/not so … as:

 

e.g. I hope that the product is as good as the advertisement says it is.

I’m afraid our firm is not so competitive as it used to be.

Note: Remember the use of the following expressions: twice as, three times as:

 

e.g. Our prices are twice as high.