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 ...  - make sure you shop around: comparing  prices, guarantees, and warranties, the duration of contract, any terms or conditions that are important  ask 3 companies to compare before signing for services -know who you are dealing with: research this company to see its reputation. world of mouse or reference- never feel pressure to sign the contract right away: offer once a life time special deal and they won't offer it again

When signing a contract ...   - always get it in writing, never rely on verbal promise: don’t hesitate to cross out some parts of agreement that you don’t agree with. Make sure any of these changes  are initialed of all parties before you sign. also fill in any blank spaces so other detail can't be added without your permission or your knowledge  - read the fine print: if you don't understand any of terms or conditions, ask questions.  - have a lawer with you - if or how you can get out of contract: cooling off period, check the consumer service act -keep a copy of the contract that you sign

Task 2:

Listen again and answer the questions. 

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

    - people don't do the research enough 

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

    - ripoff

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

    - sales put pressure on consumers.

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

    - people has to do some research about this company or service in order to see their reputation or get a reference letter if it was referred from your friends or family members. 

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

    - the contract can't be changed or broken unless you and your parties both agree with the new terms. 

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

     -  use sample language.

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 situation. 

        a personal development service agreement: gym membership contract 

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

     - find a lawyer and be sued in court.

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

     - consumer service acts or hiring a lawyer.

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	some person who sign the contract
offer	contract
acceptance	agree
consideration	concern about
terms	technical or professional words
conditions	a statement that denies something, especially responsibility
disclaimer	a statement that denies something, especially responsibility
cooling-off period	period that you can cancel without penalty
regulated sectors	a non-governmental orgainization that regulates the activities of companies in an industry for the government
small claims court	in charge of 25000or less
estimate	to say what you think an amount or value will be
recourse	look for someone or a thing for help
buyer’s remorse	the sense of regret after having made a purchase.
arbitration	use the law to determine a dispute by impartial referee agreed to by both parties.	We need write one arbitration in this contract.
retainer fee	an upfront cost incurred by an individual in order to ensure the services of a consultant, freelancer, etc
Verbs and verb collocations
to be bound by	To be limited by
to be subject to	To be title with
to breach	Break
to sue	Go to the court.
to file a complaint	Send a official complaint to somewhere
to resolve	Deal with
to perform due	The date when it done
diligence	take careful
to disclose
information
be liable for
to reserve the right	Keep the right to doing something.

Your Voice on the Telephone: Tone, Intonation and Emphasis

The way you use your voice on the telephone will impact on how the message is received. Tone of voice, intonation and emphatic stress all carry meaning and can affect the way the other person perceives your message.

Tone: Because there are no visual cues, a listener must rely on the tone of your voice to determine the mood and intent of the call. For example, if you are making a complaint, your tone will be serious. If you feel that your concerns are not being addressed, your tone may change to one of frustration. If you have complained about the same problem to several people, your voice will probably have an angry tone.

Intonation: Intonation refers to the way your voice goes up and down when you are speaking. It’s important to vary your pitch to maintain the listener’s interest. Having a monotonous or flat voice makes the conversation boring for the listener. It also sends the message that you are bored with what the other person is saying.

Emphasis: Emphasis refers to the way certain words are stressed to convey meaning. For example, in each of the following sentences different words are stressed, and the meaning of each sentence is different because of it.

I was told you did the work. vs. I was told you did the work. vs. I was told you did the work.

Task 1:

Listen to segments of eight telephone conversations. Discuss the questions below.

Conversation 1: What message does the tone of the speaker convey? Why?

The speaker was very serious and angry because she wanted to complaint the service with a manager.  

Conversation 2: Describe Eleni’s tone. Describe Adam’s tone at the end of the conversation.

Eleni was angry. Adam emphasized his words to Eleni that was true  

Conversation 3 and 4: Compare the tone in the two conversations. How are they different?

3. Gus was in trouble or there was some issues they had to fix

4. The manager had some information to inform to Gus. there was nothing serious happened.

Conversation 5: Describe Greg Milne’s intonation. What impression of Greg would you have if you received this message on your answering machine?

He had falling intonation. he seems that he is not happy. I would think there were some problems about the renovation fees 

Conversation 6: Describe the caller’s tone. What kind of impression does she make?
Would you consider ordering this product based on the sound of her voice? Why?

The call's tone is happy. She thinks that is not good, and costs money. NO, she is not interested about what he said and hanged up immediately.

Conversation 7, 8: Which words are emphasized in each conversation? Why? How would you emphasize the words in Tom’s sentences?

7:Tuesday. Thursday.

8:Telehome. Tet Home

Informal Calls: Calling a Friend

Task 1:

Click here to listen to two friends talking on the phone. Write the phrases you hear:

1. A phrase the caller uses to identify herself:

It's Jane.

2. A phrase the caller uses to find out if the recipient is free to chat:

I am just calling to say hi. 


3. Phrases the two friends use to change the topic:

So, listen.

4. A phrase the recipient of the call uses to signal that she wants to end the conversation: 

Well.

5. A phrase the caller uses to cooperate in ending the conversation:

I should let you go. 


Task 2:

Listen to the recording again. Listen for the phrases below and write their meanings.

1. In ages: very long time 


2. I’m off until January: have relax time until January 


3. Time for yourself

Can arrange schedule by herself 


4. Have someone over

 
invite somebody over  

5. Seeing a man/woman 


Dating a man/woman

6. Kind of faded away

 
disappear

7. He was in IT

work as IT area 


8. I should let you go

end of conversation 


9. Take care 


bye bye

Additional tuition fees for international students

Canada is well known by high quality education in the world. Every year, hundreds and thousands international students come to Canada for studying in colleges or universities. However, the international students’ tuition fees are much higher than locals’. This situation is fair or not, there are different opinions.

Some people disagrees this policy. They think the international students do not obtain special education than local students. There are same classrooms, same teachers and same equipments. Everything is same, except tuition fees, so additional tuition fees are unfair for international students. Moreover, high tuition fees increased study pressure of international students. Most of they need do part time jobs for affording their tuition fees. Therefore, they may not have enough time to study as Canadian students. Additional, different tuition fees let international students to feel that they are special group in the campus. So they need not only bear higher study pressure, but also undergo mental stress and loneliness which local’s students could not feel.

But other people think it is faired to pay additional tuition fees by international students. In Canada, for public colleges and universities, the most of costing of day-to-day running and development are supported by government funds. So local’s teenagers should enjoy the benefits as lower tuition fee, because their parents have made lots of contributions to Canada, and have paid tax many years. Additional, most of international students will leave Canada and go back to their mother country after they graduated. They are not going to contribute to Canada. So some people do not think that international students should get the same benefits as Canadian students. At last but not least, the major responsibility of national educational system is training and improving citizens’ level of education. In this respect, it is fair and reasonable that colleges or universities provide more and cheaper opportunities of obtaining high quality education for local’s students.

To sum up, although additional tuition fees may burden on a part of international students, it is fair for most of students and citizens. If there will be more scholarships for international students, which provide by companies, in colleges and universities, we think this unequal situation will be decreased effectively.

Calling About a Missed Appointment

Missing a scheduled appointment without providing notification is considered rude. If you inadvertently miss an appointment with a service provider or someone you’ve arranged to meet with, you should call to apologize and offer an explanation.

If you miss an appointment with a healthcare provider, you may have to pay for the missed appointment. Many healthcare providers require 24 hours’ notice to cancel an appointment.

Task 1:

Listen to the following telephone conversation in which a patient is apologizing for missing an appointment. As you listen, fill in the blanks.

Hospital: Good morning. Princess Margaret Lung Scan Study.

Patient: Oh, hello. I had an appointment for a lung scan on Monday and I’m terribly sorry but I missed the appointment. I apologize. I just didn’t notice it on my calendar.

Hospital: Okay. May I have your name, please?


Patient: Yes, it’s Vivian Bryce – that’s B-R-Y-C-E. My appointment was for 9:45 a.m. on Monday the 12th. I was wonderful if I could possibly reschedule?

Hospital: Let’s see. How about the Wednesday the 21st at 9:15 a.m.?

Patient: No, I’m not available on the 21st. Do you have anything on Friday the 23rd?

Hospital: 
Yes, how about 10:30 a.m.?

Patient: Perfect. So that Friday the 23rd at 10:30 a.m. Bye.

Hospital: Bye.

Task 2:

Complete the table below with the expressions used to apologize and the explanation used in the above telephone dialogue.

Apology	Explanation
I am terribly sorry but I missed the appointment. I apologize.	I just didn't notice it on my calendar.