Wednesday's assignment

Contracts

Task 1:

Listen to a talk and take notes of seven key points and supporting details. Compare your notes with a partner. 

Before you consider signing a contract ... Shop around, compare the sevice and the price, do some homework youself or get some reference from your family and friends

When signing a contract ...  Don't sign a contract immediatly, take as much time as you can until you feel comfortbale always make every agreement in written, read all the fine print, fill all the blanks, change the trems that you don't agree with, ask questions when you don't understand, get advice from a lawyer know how to cancel a contract

Task 2:

Listen again and answer the questions. 

1.    What can prevent you from getting the best possible service and price?

Sign with the first company immediatly without doing any homework to compare the service and price.

2.    What are the potential consequences of not performing due diligence?

You'll not get chance to negotiate the best service and price.

3.    What signals should you be wary of when a contract is involved?

Someone pushing you to sign a contract, or giving you a life time service.

4.    What can help prevent misunderstandings or fraud when you sign a contract?

Always make every agreement in written. Read all the terms and conditions.Understand all the fine print. Fill all the blanks. Change the trems that you don't agree with. Ask questions when you don't understand. Get advice from a lawyer.

5.    What is contained in “the fine print” and what are the consequences of not reading it?

Special terms and conditions. The contract cannot be broken unless both of the parties made agreement with it.

 

6.    What points does the speaker make about the language of contracts?

Using the plain language, no jargon, easy to understand.

7.    Explain the term direct agreement and give an example of a personal development service agreement. What do both of these agreements have in common?

direct agreement: door to door selling
a personal development service agreement: gym membership contract

same: 10 days cooling-off period  

8.    What are the potential consequences of cancelling a contract?

Pay the penalty or spend more money and time hiring a lawyer to the court.

9.    What will help protect you if there is a breach of contract?

Keep a contract copy in written for futrue problems.

Task 3:

Fill in the following table and add any new idioms/vocabulary that you have picked from the talk.

Key vocabulary	Meaning	Sentences
party	a person or people forming one side in an agreement or dispute	Both parties have singed the contract.
offer	one party who gives offers present or proffer (something) for (someone) to accept or reject as so desired
acceptance	the other party who accepts the offers the action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered
consideration	a form of payment is given or promised in return for the promised goods or services
terms	specific details that have been agreed upon by the parties
conditions	a requirement stated in acontract
disclaimer	a statement that denies something
cooling-off period	an interval after a sales contract is agreed upon during which the purchaser can decide to cancel without loss
regulated sectors	a non-governmental organization that regulates the activities of companies in an industry for the goverment
small claims court	the civil court that handles cases where the amount of money or the value of goods involved is $25,000 or less
estimate	an approximate calculation or judgment of the value, number, quantity, or extent of something
recourse	the legal right to demand compensation or payment
buyer’s remorse	deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed from buying something
arbitration	the use of an arbitrator to settle a dispute
retainer fee	a fee paid in advance to someone, especially an attorney, in order to secure or keep their services when required
Verbs and verb collocations
to be bound by	to compel, constrain, or unite
to be subject to	conditionally upon
to breach	to break
to sue	institute legal proceedings against (a person or institution), typically for redress
to file a complaint	make a statement that a situation is unsatisfactory or unacceptable
to resolve
to perform due	to do sth. in
diligence	hard work, be very careful in sth.
to disclose	make (secret or new information) known
information	facts
be liable for	be responsible
to reserve the right	to keep the right

Monday's assignment

Task 1:

Listen to a dialogue between a customer and a restaurant manager. Answer the questions below.

1. What product or service does the customer enquire about? What are her general requirements?

40th Wedding Anniversary for her parents. Dinner for 30 person on Friday, Jun. 5th.

2. What are the specific items that the customer would like to have included in her order? How will the manager accommodate those needs?

There are vegtarians, old lady in wheelchair, children from 4 months to 10 years. The manager will offer vegtarian food, wheelchair facilities from the parking lot to the washingroom, long tables, and private room. But they don't need high chair.  

3. Underline the items from the menu that are not mentioned in the conversation:

• mini pizzas • drinks • steak • Caesar salad • cream filling

4. What is the final order that the manager wants the customer to confirm?

Chilgren's menu (mini pizza, chicken      , meatballs)

Family style menu (shrimp, green salad, vegtarian     , chicken )

Light cake (family size)

5. How and when will the order be finalized?

About 1 hour later, the manager will call back to the customer.

6. How would you describe the manager’s style of customer service? Give reasons.

Very friendly and pofessinal. Because he keep listening to the customer and giving suggestions .

Task 2:

Listen to the recording again. Record the phrases and expressions you hear. Then, with a partner, add your own expressions to the list.

Asking for information: I'd like to know if....  Could I have.... Would you like to...

Clarifying information: Let me repeat.... Would that be OK?

Changing the topic: Shall we talk about...  Do you have.... How about....

Closing the conversation: I'll call back to you shortly.

Task 3:

Locate information relating to each of the situations above. Go to the home page of the Ontario Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services, and then click on then Your Rights. There are four categories, within your groups, write a quick summary, and then present your findings to the class.

Monday's assignment

When we take notes on information we hear over the phone, we often need to write down the information quickly. The use of abbreviations is a helpful strategy while taking messages.

Task 1:

Write the full word or expression (or meaning) beside each abbreviation below. Add other abbreviations (and their meanings) you commonly use or would like to know the meaning of. Share them with the class.

1. AGM      Annual General Meeting                 13. RSVP         répondez,s'il vous plaît (french) = please reply

2. apt.         apartment                                      14. ste.             suite

3. asap        as soon as possible                       15. urg.             urgent 

4. co.          company                                       16. w/               with

5. ext.         extra                                              17. w/o             without

6. FYI        For Your Information                     18. cc.              carbon copy

7. inv.         invoice                                           19. e.g.             exempli gratia (latin) = for example 

8. mo.        month                                             21. etc.             etcetera

9. no. or #  number                                           22. i.e.              id est  (latin) = that is

10. mt.       metric ton                                        23. vs.              versus

11. N/A      Not Applicable                                24. p.s.            postscript

12. impt.    important                                         25. n.b.            nota bene (latin) = note well

                                      Telephone Phrasal Verbs

Task 2:

The following are common phrasal verbs we often use while on the telephone. Match the correct meaning with each phrasal verb.

1. hold on                               g	a. put the receiver down
2. put (a call) through               j	b. return someone’s call
3. get through                          e	c. answer a call, lift the receiver to take a call
4. hang up                               a	d. stop talking on the phone
5. call up                                 l	e. connect one caller to another
6. hang on                              m	f. deactivate (a cell phone)
7. call back                             b	g. wait
8. pick up                               c	h. talk louder
9. get off (the phone)               i	i. to be disconnected abruptly during a telephone conversation
10. get back to (someone)       k	j. to be connected to someone on the phone
11. cut off                               d	k. return someone’s call
12. switch off/turn off              f	l. make a telephone call
13. speak up                            h	m. Wait

 Task 3:

 Some phrasal verbs are separable (e.g., call someone back); others are not. Complete the chart below by putting the phrasal verbs above under the correct column.

                                                                                           

Separable	Not separable
Put a call through	hold on
get through	hang on
call up	get back to (someone)
call back	speak up
pick up
cut off
switch off/turn off
hang up
get off (the phone)

Wednesday's assignment

Task 1:

 Watch a video about parent-teacher interviews. Listen to a parent-teacher interview at:

www.settlementdownloads.org/downloads/video/parentteacher/PT_EN.html

While you are listening, identify the expressions that are used to:

Begin the interview:	Welcome to the Parent-teacher interviews. I just wanna to say I'm very glad to see that you can make here this evening.
Make transitions from one topic to another:	We are happy to hear that. But we have a concern about...... Do you have any other questions about ......? OK, as you can see...... Can I ask a question?
End the interview:	Thank you very much for coming both of you tonight. It's being a pleasure having you here. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

 Answer the questions below about the interview.

1. Is Richard progressing well in school?

    Yes, he is.

2. What specific comments about Richard’s performance does the teacher make?

    He is a strong student, and a great sociable child.

3. What four questions did the parents ask?

    They asked about Homework, new friends, after school programs, and report card.

4. What information do the parents give the teacher about their son?

    Richard likes to write stories.

5. What suggestions does the teacher give to help Richard do better in school?

    Read more at home.

6. How does the meeting end?

    The teacher thanked the parents for coming, and told them can contact him if they have any questions. 

    

Take 2:

Accordingly, children in Ontario receive a report card three times during the school year. The report card has grades and written comments about the child’s performance in each subject. The comments usually include next steps – actions the child is encouraged to take to improve his/her mark in a particular subject.

The list below contains terms from an Ontario report card. Write the correct letter on each line to match the terms with their meanings. Use a dictionary if needed.

1. exceeds (the provincial standards) .....d...	a) a text with a graph or some other visual display
2. remediation .......j.....	b) longer
3. literary text ......h........	c) standard ways of doing something
4. graphic text .......a........	d) goes beyond what is expected
5. cite .......i..........	e) at a constant level (of success)
6. extended ........b........	f) very good performance
7. considerable effectiveness ...........f......	g) a figure with four or more sides and angles
8. conventions ......c.........	h) a story
9. consistently ........e...........	i) to mention, refer to
10. emerging ........k.........	j) an action taken to correct or improve a skill
11. polygon ...........g...........	k) beginning, starting to happen