Exercise 6

You are offered a typical phone dialogue of two engineers, who are employed as managers for large agricultural businesses and are starting negotiations concerning future transactions.

A) Put the enbracketed verbs in the context-required forms.

A: Hello, (to be) that John Deere Co.? I’d like (to speak) to Joshua Brames, please.

B: Yes, Brames (to speak).

A: Good afternoon, Mr. Brames. This (to be) Thomas Alfredson of Case. We (to see) your new models of 130 horsepower tractors, and we (to be) interested in (to buy) them. (Can) you (to send) us your offer?

B: Oh, you (to know) Thomas, I (to believe) we (to send) you our offer already. You (to receive) it?

A: Not yet. When you (to send) it?

B: I (to mail) it a week ago.

A: Then we (must) receive it today or one of these days.

B: I (to think) so. How many tractor units would you like to buy?

A: Between six and a dozen.

B: Good. And when you (to require) them?

A: In April or in May this year would be perfect.

B: I (to trust) we (can) ship you the machines early in April.

A: When I (to receive) your offer, I surely (want) to clear up some points. When we (to meet)?

B: I (to be) glad to see you any time on Friday.

A: You (to think) the contract (be) ready by that time?

B: I (to hope) that, for I (to leave) for Leeds, Britain, on the 15^th of June.

A: I (to guess) that is next Sunday. You (to join) me for dinner on Saturday?

B: Yes, with my pleasure. I (to call) you at the hotel at about six then.

A: Thank you. See you then, Joshua.

B: Good bye, Thomas.

B) Analyze the logic behind the use of certain word-patterns in this dialogue, and the reasons for behaviour of the speakers.

C) Now learn and reproduce the dialogue in pairs.