INSTITUTO MEDIO POLITECNICO DE MASSINGA
HANDOUT 3 CV5 -2025
Título do módulo: Use English for social, personal and professional purposes
NO do módulo: HG025001
Nível do QNQP: 5
Learning Outcome II. Use a variety of strategies to maintain a conversation
1. Reading and Comprehension
These men are innocent!
Back in 1998, three 26- year-olds, Adam Balon, Richard Reed and Jon Wright, made up
their minds that it was time they either left their well-paid jobs in management
consultancy and advertising and went into business together or stopped talking about it.
What kind of business they wanted to set up they weren’t quite sure but it was something
they had been discussing ever since they were at university together. Deciding that the
way forward was to make it easier for busy people to be healthy, the trio bought some
fruit and made smoothies, which they then tested on people at a small jazz festival in
London. ‘we put up a large sign asking, “should we quit our jobs to make these
smoothies?” and put out one bin saying “yes” and another saying “No.” the Yes bin filled
up immediately with empty bottles and the next day they resigned from their jobs.
However, launching innocent smoothies did not happen overnight. Experts in the food
industry told them that their product was too expensive, its shelf life was too short, and
without the use of additives their idea wouldn’t work. Even more worryingly, the
numerous banks they approached were not too keen on financing them and it wasn’t until
their savings were about to run out than a wealthy businessman took a leap of faith and
invested in the business. Ignoring most of the advice they’d been given, innocent then
went on to create a range of drinks made from 100% fresh fruit and nothing else. Careful
production and high-tech packaging gave the drinks the longest possible shelf life, but
they stuck to their beliefs by not ‘messing about with them’ at all. The next step was to
persuade local shops to stock their product, which they delivered personally in their grass
covered minibus.
(Shortened)
1. What work did they do before starting their new business?
2. State the reasons why the experts in the food industry doubted about the success
of the product.
3. How did they get the finance to start their business?
4. What strategy did they use to give the drinks the longest possible shelf life?
5. How did they deliver their products to the local shops?
6. How old were Adam, Richard and Jon?
2. Simple past/ Present perfect
Despite the fact that past simple and presente perfect are used to talk about past actions,
they are different in usage:
1. The Present Perfect is for unfinished actions. The Past Simple is for completed actions.
Compare:
Present Perfect Past Simple
I have lived in Maputo for six years. (I still I lived in Maputo for six years. (Now I live
live there). somewhere else).
I have written several books since I was Shakespeare wrote 30 plays. (He can’t
born. (I can still write some more). write anymore).
2. We can see that the Present Perfect refers to indefinite time and the Past Simple to
definite time by looking at the time expressions used with the two tenses:
Present Perfect - indefinite Past simple – definite
for a long time. yesterday
I have done it since July. I did it last week
before. two days ago
recently at 8 0’clock
I have already done it. In 1987
I haven’t done it yet. When I was young.
for a long time.
Be careful with this morning/afternoon, etc
1. Have you seen Julia this morning? (It is still morning). => Present Perfect.
2. Did you see Julia this morning? (It is afternoon or evening). => Past Simple.
Remember, however, that Present Perfect is a Present Tense, not past. It always tells us
about the situation now. e.g. Maria has lost her key. (She doesn’t have the key now).
a) For - is used when you are using a specific period of time
E.g. I have studied English for 5 years.
b) Since - is used when you are using no-specific period of time
E.g. I have studied English since 2019.
Checking Progress
I. Put the verb into the correct form, present perfect or past simple:
1. It stopped raining for a while, but now it’s raining again. (stop).
2. The town is very different now. It _______________ a lot. (change).
3. I did German at school, but I _________________ most of it now. (forget)
4. The police _______________ three people but later they let them go. (arrest).
5. What do you think of my English? Do you think it ____________? (improve).
6. A: Are you still Reading the paper?
B: No, I __________________ with it. You can have it. (finish)
7. I ______________________ for a job as a tourist guide, but I wasn’t successful. (apply)
8. Where’s my bike? It _______________ outsider the house but I tis not there now. (be).
II. Use for with a period of time and since with a point in time
1. _________ ages
2. __________ 2 hours
3. __________ along time
4. __________ six o’clock
5. __________ I was born
“Any fool can know, the point is to understand”- Albert Einstein (1973)
Elaborated by Alex Mahangue
