November 20, 2009
Topic: “Selling online”
Language focus: Modal verbs to express: obligation, necessity, absence of necessity/ obligation, prohibition.
Should for advice

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Books and magazines
Holidays Computers
Designer clothes
Travel/concert tickets
CDs/DVDs

Vocabulary practice 1 Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.
1. We offer a ________ to customers who buy in bulk.
a) refund b) discount c) delivery
2. We ask customers who are not fully satisfied to _______ goods.
a) discount b) refund c) return
3. In order to get a full _______, customers must send back goods in the original packaging.
a) discount b) refund c) return
4. Goods will be ________ within 24 hours of your order.
a) despatched b) purchased c) exchanged

5. Goods are kept in our ________ until ready for delivery.
a) stock b) storage c) warehouse
6. Products and services offered at a large discount are generally a(n) _____.
a) sale b) bargain c) offer

Answers
 1 = discount
 2 = return
 3 = refund
 4 = despatched
 5 = warehouse
 6 = bargain

Simon Murdoch set up the online bookshop Amazon.co.uk. Listen to the first part of the interview and complete the extracts below.
Before ordering
First, you must have a ______ ______ 1 and the website needs to be _______ 2 and ________ 3 to use. It needs to provide ______ ______ ______ 4 about the items that you’re buying. And the prices on there need to be ______
______, 5 good prices.
After ordering
And then, once somebody’s ordered something from your website, you need to provide a fast _______ _______ 6 which is reliable. And then, if anything should go wrong, it’s important that you have an excellent ______ _______ 7 team dealing with enquiries on the phone or by e-mail.

Answers
Before ordering
First, you must have a GOOD WEBSITE 1 and the website needs to be EASY 2 and QUICK 3 to use. It needs to provide LOTS OF INFORMATION 4 about the items that you’re buying. And the prices on there need to be LOW PRICES , 5 good prices.
After ordering
And then, once somebody’s ordered something from your website, you need to provide a fast DELIVERY
SERVICE 6 which is reliable. And then, if anything should go wrong, it’s important that you have an excellent
CUSTOMER SERVICE 7 team dealing with enquiries on the phone or by e-mail.

Listen to the second part of the interview and answer the questions about the online company e-toys.

1.
It offered a great service, i.e. the products were good and the prices were low.
2.
It ran out of money and went into liquidation.

Listen to the last part of the interview. Simon describes the main differences between selling online and high street retailing. Which of these statements are true, according to Simon?
 Selling online is similar to selling by mail order in many ways.
 Warehouses are not essential when selling online.
 Location is more important for online selling than for high street retailing.
 High street retailers need to present goods attractively to get people to buy.

 Selling online is similar to selling by mail order in many ways.
T
 Warehouses are not essential when selling online.
F
 Location is more important for online selling than for high street retailing.
F
 High street retailers need to present goods attractively to get people to buy.
T

Read the rules of an online book club and answer the questions.
1. You must be 18 or over.
2. You shouldn’t give your password to anyone.
3. You don’t have to buy every month.
4. You don’t have to buy our recommendations.
5. You need to buy ten books per year.
6. You don’t have to pay after each purchase.
7. You must pay within three months.
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Can you join if you are 17?
Can you give your password to a friend if you want to?
Is it necessary to buy a book every month?
Is it necessary to buy the recommendations?
Can you buy only five books per year?
Is it necessary to pay after each purchase?
Is it necessary to pay within three months?

Answers:
1 – NO
2 – NO
3 – NO
4 – NO
5 – NO
6 – NO
7 – YES

We use must to talk about _______
We use need to and have to to talk about _______
We can use should to give _______
We use don’t have to and don’t need to to talk about ____
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 advice necessity strong obligation lack of necessity/obligation

Answers
We use must to talk about STRONG OBLIGATION
We use need to and have to to talk about NECESSITY
We can use should to give ADVICE
We use don’t have to and don’t need to to talk about
LACK OF NECESSITY/OBLIGATION
A question for you:
When do we use mustn’t ?
To talk about prohibition or lack of necessity?

1.
Customers _________ pay by credit card.
2.
Advertisers _______ make false claims about their products.
3.
Websites ________ be too complicated.
4.
The website _______ be quick and effective (=work well)
5.
If you buy now, you ________ pay anything until next year.
6.
You _______ to queue up (=line up) when you buy online.
7.
Online retailers _______ to offer guarantees to their customers.

Answers
1.
Customers MUST pay by credit card.
2.
Advertisers MUSTN’T make false claims about their products.
3.
Websites SHOULDN’T be too complicated.
4.
The website HAS TO be quick and effective (=work well)
5.
If you buy now, you DON’T NEED TO pay anything until next year.
6.
You DON’T HAVE to queue up (=line up) when you buy online.
7.
Online retailers NEED to offer guarantees to their customers
Now choose the correct label for each sentence:
STRONG OBLIGATION: sentence/s ___
NECESSITY: sentence/s ___
ABSENCE OF NECESSITY/OBLIGATION: sentence/s ___
PROHIBITION: sentence/s ___
ADVICE: sentence/s ___

Answers
1.
Customers MUST pay by credit card.
2.
Advertisers MUSTN’T make false claims about their products.
3.
Websites SHOULDN’T be too complicated.
4.
The website HAS TO be quick and effective (=work well)
5.
If you buy now, you DON’T NEED TO pay anything until next year.
6.
You DON’T HAVE to queue up (=line up) when you buy online.
7.
Online retailers NEED to offer guarantees to their customers
Now choose the correct label for each sentence:
STRONG OBLIGATION: sentence/s 1
NECESSITY: sentence/s 4,7
ABSENCE OF NECESSITY/OBLIGATION: sentence/s 5,6
PROHIBITION: sentence/s 2
ADVICE: sentence/s 3

.
1.
It’s getting late
2. I can work from home
3.
I’ve been transferred to
Madrid
4. This deal is too important to lose
5. We lost our database once before
6.
I’m afraid this report is urgent
7. I think we all agree
8.
We’ve still got plenty of stock in the warehouse a) so we don’t need to order any more yet.
b) so we must not make a mistake.
c) so you must not forget to back up the files. d) so you’ll have to stay and finish.
e) so I have to learn some
Spanish.
f) so we have to go.
g) so I don’t have to go to the office much.
h) so we don’t need to discuss it any further.

1 = f
2 = g
3 = e
4 = b
5 = c
6 = d
7 = h
8 = a

+
She has to get up at 7.00 every day
You have to drive on the left in the UK
-
We don’t have to wear a uniform at this school
He doesn’t have to work on Saturdays
?
Do I have to buy a grammar book?
Does she have to work on Saturdays?

Meaning
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Use have to + inf. to talk about rules and obligations (general obligations like a rule at work or a law) or to say that something is necessary
Use don’t have to + inf. to say that there is no obligation, or that something is not necessary
 Use do / does to make questions and negatives

+
You must do your homework tonight
She must tidy her room
-
You mustn’t smoke mustn’t in class leave their bags here

Meaning
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Use must + inf. to talk about rules and obligations (imposed by the speaker, e.g. a teacher to students or a parent to children)
Mustn’t and don’t have to have totally different meanings! Compare:
You mustn’t go= you can’t go. It’s prohibited.
You don’t have to go= you can go if you want, but it’s not obligatory/necessary

 You can find explanations and further practice in English Grammar Gold Unit 16 (16.1, 16.2 &
16.3).