Viewing □   4   Watch Versions 1 and2ofthevideofrom20.40to23.18withnosound. As
you watch, make notes on Dr Linden's body language. Use this checklist to help you. Compare your notes with the key on page 63.
Checklist
Version 1 Version 2
General appearance Stance and posture
Hands - position Hands-gestures
Eye contact Facial expression Movement
D   5   Watch Version 2 ofthe video from 22.14 to 23.18 again, this time listening to the sound. As you watch, underline the expressions in these extracts which are strongly emphasized. The first one has been done for you. Check your answers in the key on page 64.
a These cost cuts are going to cause considerable pain, b We need to draw up a plan of action. I have put some ideas on the board, c These are some of the measures we could consider. There are broadly three approaches.
d First, we could accept the cuts and reduce staff drastically. Secondly, we could fight and hope to achieve some reduction in the level of the cuts. Or thirdly, and this is what I support, we could put forward an alternative proposal. Now, this would mean...
POSt-Viewing 6   Choose one of the topics (a-c below) and prepare a brief presentation. Try
to be persuasive. (If possible, record your performance on video and use the recording for feedback. Play it back with no sound.)
a Women make better managers of people than men. b The world is changing so fast that long-term planning is no longer feasible.
c Body language is at least as important as spoken language.
body language 37
Language knowledge
dr linden
'Or thirdly, and this is what I support, we couldput forward an alternative proposal.'
1   You are going to hear eight short extracts from different presentations. As you listen, decide whether the language in each extract is being used to emphasize or minimize the message, and complete the table. The first one has been done for you. Check your answers in the key on page 64.
Emphasize Minimize
□
□
□
[a]
□
□
□
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Language focus Emphasizing and minimizing
Emphasizing
Strong adverbs intensify adjectives: We've had an extremely good year.
Adverbs can be total, very strong, or moderate.
total
absolutely (fantastic) completely (awful) entirely (depressing)
very strong
extremely (good) very (bad)
moderate
fairly (safe) reasonably (expensive) quite (cheap)
Minimizing
Look at the way the foil owing expressions of degree and uncertainty modify, or minimize, the message:
It seems we will have to delay the delivery. The Chief Executive Officer appears to have left the country.
It's just a little bit further.
We're going to reduce our staff a hit.
Perhaps we should consider resigning. There might be another way.
I tend to think we should stop now. To some extent, the company has failed to realize its potential.
Intonation is also very important in giving more or less emphasis to what we say.
unit six
2 Add an adverb to these sentences to emphasize the message. Compare your answers with the key on page 64.
a This has been a good year. **
b We have had a difficult time.*
c We have seen a disastrous decline in our profits. **
d It was easy to achieve our objectives. *
e The announcement was unexpected. ***
f I've got some bad news. **
3 Complete these sentences with words that will minimize the message. Compare your answers with the key on page 64.
a We _—_see things differently.-—-
your experience is _---——- limited.
b _, you're right. But _--—-- we
____consider the long-term view.
c There's---time-----we
__. discuss this question now.
Presentation practice
Key
moderate * very strong ** total ***
The trouble with business today is that people don't have time. Companies have reduced their workforce so that fewer people have to do the same amount of work. This means that managers don't see what is happening around them. They need their time to work through their regular tasks and have no time to take on new initiatives. Time for reflection is important. Decisions taken now not only affect today's business, they can also have influence on business in the long term. Strategy is the concern of senior management when it needs to be the concern of everybody in the company.
body language
8    Intensifying and softening adverbs
Adverbs are often used before adjectives and verbs either to strengthen their meaning
(intensifying adverbs) or to weaken it (softening adverbs).
Her comments were deeply offensive, (intensifier - very/extremely)
Her comments were slightly offensive, (softener - a little bit)
Intensifying adverbs
Notice how intensifying adverbs are used to mean 'extremely' or 'completely' in the sentences below. The expressions marked with * are very informal.
Jane really enjoys doing housework. You should see her flat - it's always spotlessly clean. It was downright rude of Antonio to tell Paula that she looked older than her own mother. I hope he feels thoroughly ashamed.
It's blatantly obvious that Olga is only interested in Richard because he's stinking rich*. I wonder what she'll do when she finds out he's wildly exaggerated how rich he really is! I don't know what I was worrying about! The exam turned out to be dead easy*! This celebrity website is good fun but most of the information is wildly inaccurate.
Softening adverbs
Note the softening adverbs used in these sentences from newspapers.
The spokesperson said the new insurance scheme was only slightly different from the old one. [weak collocation; slightly can be used with a wide range of adjectives] The Chief Executive said he was mildly surprised by the public interest in the firm's plans. [mildly also collocates with amusing/ed, irritating/ed, offensive]
Alfredo Scaluzzi's new film is loosely based on a nineteenth century novel, [loosely also collocates with centred, structured, related, connected]
Ms Giroa said she regarded reports that she was about to seek a divorce as faintly ridiculous, [fairly formal; faintly also collocates with amused, surprised, patronising, absurd]
Alternatives to very
There are a variety of words that you can use as alternatives to very which collocate with most adjectives, for example: really, extremely, terribly, incredibly and awfully. Other adverbs collocate with certain adjectives and verbs but not with others.
alternatives to very		NOT
highly	unlikely, educated, recommended	appreciate, influences, interesting
strongly	influence	appreciate
greatly	appreciate, influence	
utterly	absurd, ridiculous	sorry, busy, glad, lonely
complete ly/totally/entirely	different, dependent, separate	
thoroughly	enjoy	
Absolutely only collocates with adjectives which have strong meanings, e.g. absolutely (NOT vety) delighted, very (NOT absolutely) happy.
20   English Collocations in Use Advanced
Exercises
8.1 Match a word from each box to form collocations.
blatantly   downright   spotlessly ashamed   clean inaccurate
stinking  thoroughly   wildly obvious   rich rude
8.2 Complete each sentence using a collocation from 8.1.
1 He's just bought a 200,000 dollar yacht - he must be........................................................!
2 I'm amazed you didn't realise she was lying! It was........................................................to me!
3 It was........................................................of him not to say hello to the secretary.
4 I've been hoovering and dusting all day, so now my flat is.........................................................
5 Most of the facts were wrong in that news report. It was.........................................................
6 You should be........................................................of yourself. Your behaviour was appalling!
8.3 Rewrite the underlined part of each sentence using a collocation from the opposite page.
1 The American writer Mark Twain is famous for commenting that reports of his death had been over-exaggerated.
2 This restaurant is recommended by many different people.
3 The exam was extremely easy: everyone got high marks, (make this informal)
4 The musical West Side Story is kind of based on the plot of Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, (make this less informal)
5 The idea of the boss singing Happy Birthday to me struck me as a little bit ridiculous.
6 The success of the Wimbledon tennis tournament is 100% dependent on the weather, (give two answers)
7 I really enjoyed the days I spent at your lovely house in the country.
8 I was just a little surprised by her decision to quit her job so soon.
9 I was really delighted when they told me I'd got the job.
10 The new model of this camera is a little, bit different from the old one.
8.4 Add intensifying adverbs from the opposite page to these sentences to make the words in bold stronger.
1 I appreciate the fact that you have given me so much of your time.
2 Sometimes Tony says ridiculous things.
3 The crossword in today's newspaper is difficult. I can't even start it!
4 It's sweet of you to offer to help.
5 I found his remarks offensive; he should apologise.
6 She leads a lonely life in a tiny house on a remote island.
7 We should try to keep the two groups separate from each other.
8 She is an educated person.
9 I've been busy all week.
10 That meal was expensive! I'm not eating there again.
8.5 Are the adverb collocations correct or not? If they are incorrect, correct them using collocations from C opposite.
1 I thoroughly enjoyed the film.
2 Your help would be strongly appreciated.
3 The song is highly influenced by Brazilian folk rhythms.
4 I find the situation utterly absurd.
BLook out for more collocations with these words as you listen and read, and record them in collocation bubbles indicating what they do, and do not collocate with.
English Collocations in Use Advanced   21