iTEP Business-Core cheat sheet

Subject-verb agreement ignores parenthetical phrases: "The manager, along with two analysts, approves the budget" - the verb agrees with "manager," not "analysts."

Collective nouns (team, staff, committee, board) take a singular verb in American business English: "The committee has decided." British usage sometimes allows plural agreement for teams acting as individuals.

Present perfect (have/has + past participle) links past action to present relevance: "We have received the invoice" implies it is now on hand. Simple past marks a finished, dated event: "We received it Monday."

Conditional structures: real condition = present + will ("If the client confirms, we will ship"); unreal = past + would ("If we had budget, we would hire"); past unreal = had + would have ("If we had known, we would have called").

Reported speech shifts tense back one step: direct "I will send it" becomes "She said she would send it"; "I am reviewing" becomes "He said he was reviewing."

Modal decision rule: "must" = obligation, "should" = recommendation, "may/might" = possibility, "can" = ability or permission, "could" = polite request or past ability.

Passive voice (be + past participle) is standard when the doer is unknown or unimportant: "The shipment was delayed." Use active voice when accountability matters: "Logistics delayed the shipment."

Preposition pairs to memorize: responsible for, comply with, depend on, consist of, according to, in charge of, prior to, in accordance with, regarding.

Countable vs. uncountable: "information," "equipment," "feedback," "staff," and "advice" take no plural -s and use "much/little," not "many/few."

Question types map to detail targets: who = person/role, when = time or deadline, where = location or department, why = stated reason, how = method or process.

Numbers are frequent distractors: speakers often name a proposed figure, then correct it ("Let's say Tuesday - actually, Wednesday works better"). The last stated value usually stands.

Signal phrases introduce key information: "The main point is," "What I need from you is," "Just so everyone knows," "To recap," "Before we move on."

Announcements follow a pattern: greeting, purpose, details (time/place/requirement), action requested. Listen for the imperative verb near the end - that is the task.

Hedged language signals uncertainty, not fact: "might," "possibly," "I'm not sure yet," "we're leaning toward." Do not record these as decisions.

Problem-solution turns: a complaint or obstacle is usually followed by "so," "which means," or "what we'll do is" - the fix is the answer to most inference questions.

Politeness formulas carry meaning: "I was wondering if" = a request; "Would you mind" = asking someone to act; "That could be an issue" = disagreement or objection.

Meeting sequence markers (first, then, after that, finally) define order-of-events questions; note which item is deferred ("let's table that") versus decided.

Email register rule: "Dear Mr./Ms. + surname" for formal first contact, "Hi + first name" for colleagues, "Regards" for neutral close, "Best" for familiar close. Absence of a greeting signals internal quick messaging.

A memo header contains To, From, Date, and Subject; the Subject line states the topic and often the requested action.

Business report structure: executive summary (findings in brief), background, method, results, conclusion, recommendations. The summary is the fastest route to main-idea answers.

Scan for data before reading prose: locate figures, dates, percentages, and proper nouns, then read the surrounding sentence to confirm what the number refers to.

Distinguish fact from recommendation: "Sales fell 8%" is a finding; "we should consolidate vendors" is a recommendation. Questions asking what the writer advises target the modal verbs (should, recommend, propose).

Purpose questions are answered by the first and last paragraphs; detail questions by the body; tone questions by adjectives and intensifiers ("unfortunately," "we are pleased to").

Notice and policy documents place conditions in subordinate clauses: "unless," "provided that," "subject to," "except where." These clauses limit the main rule and are common answer targets.

Correspondence sequencing: a complaint letter states the problem, gives evidence, and requests remedy; a reply acknowledges, explains, and offers resolution. Identify which stage the passage is at.

Standard email frame: subject line naming topic and action, greeting, purpose sentence in line one, details in short paragraphs, explicit next step, sign-off.

One idea per paragraph, and keep sentences under roughly 25 words; split any sentence containing two "and" conjunctions or two subordinate clauses.

Request formula: context + specific ask + deadline + reason. "Could you send the Q3 figures by Friday so I can finalize the board deck?"

Bad-news structure: neutral opening, brief explanation, the decision stated plainly, then a forward-looking alternative or next step. Avoid burying the decision in the last line.

Formal register markers: no contractions, no slang, full verb forms ("I would like to" not "I wanna"), and titles rather than first names on first contact.

Complaint language stays factual and impersonal: "The order arrived two days late" rather than "You failed to deliver." Passive or third-person framing removes blame.

Closing lines must state action ownership and timing: who does what by when. "I will follow up Thursday" is stronger than "Let me know."

Cohesion devices for short responses: "however" for contrast, "therefore" for result, "in addition" for accumulation, "for example" for illustration, "meanwhile" for parallel timing.

Response timing: a short pause plus a structuring phrase ("There are two main reasons") reads as fluency; filling silence with "um" repeatedly does not.

Presentation skeleton for 60-90 seconds: opening statement of topic, two or three supporting points with one example each, closing recommendation or summary.

Signposting phrases: "First," "The key point is," "For instance," "On the other hand," "To sum up." These make structure audible to a scorer.

Answer the exact question first, then elaborate. A direct first sentence ("I'd choose the second option") followed by reasons scores higher than a slow buildup.

Telephone and meeting openers: "This is [name] from [department], calling about…"; "Thanks everyone for joining - the agenda has three items."

Paraphrase when a word is missing: describe function instead of stalling ("the tool we use to track shipments" for an unknown term).

Pronunciation priorities: final consonants, word stress on the correct syllable (rePORT as noun vs. rePORT as verb), and clear numbers (thirteen vs. thirty).

Turn-taking language: "Could I add something?" "Sorry, could you repeat that?" "Just to confirm, you mean…" These show interactive control in dialogue tasks.

Grammar range signals: use at least one conditional, one perfect tense, and one comparative structure across a longer response to demonstrate breadth.

Articles: "a/an" for first mention and one of many; "the" for previously mentioned, unique, or specified items ("the report you sent"); zero article for general plurals and abstract nouns ("We value quality").

Relative clauses: use "who" for people, "which" for things, "that" for both in defining clauses; non-defining clauses take commas and cannot use "that."

Gerund vs. infinitive after verbs: enjoy/consider/recommend/suggest + -ing; decide/agree/plan/need + to + verb; "look forward to" is followed by -ing.

Comparatives: one-syllable adjectives take -er/est; multi-syllable take more/most; irregulars are good-better-best, bad-worse-worst, little-less-least. "Than" for comparison, "then" for sequence.

Parallel structure in lists: "reviewing budgets, scheduling meetings, and drafting reports" - all items in the same grammatical form.

Dangling modifiers: an introductory phrase must describe the subject of the main clause. "After reviewing the contract, the manager approved it" - not "the contract was approved."

Question and negative formation uses auxiliary verbs: "Do you have the figures?" not "Have you the figures?" in standard American business English.

Common business confusions: affect (verb) vs. effect (noun); ensure (make certain) vs. insure (cover financially); principal (main) vs. principle (rule).