When Ecosystems Crash: The Science of Global Instability
Grammar: Embedded Questions
A Business English English lesson exploring business.
What's in this lesson
A Business English ESL lesson on business, practising embedded questions. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: When Ecosystems Crash: The Science of Global Instability
A coral reef looks fine. Then, in a matter of weeks, it bleaches, collapses, and dies. No single temperature reading killed it. No single pollutant. The reef crossed a tipping point — the invisible threshold where a system that absorbed stress for decades suddenly cannot absorb one more degree. Complexity scientists have a word for this: they call it cascading failure. And it turns out the global economy behaves in almost exactly the same way.
Vocabulary
- tipping point
- domino effect
- feedback loops
- cascading failure
- a perfect storm
- Complexity science
- pressure cooker
- resilience
- hedging strategy
- Systemic risk
Grammar: Embedded Questions
- Embedded Wh- question
- I wonder what the next tipping point will be. — wh-word + subject + verb (statement order)
- Embedded whether/if
- It is unclear whether systemic risk can be predicted. — use whether/if for yes/no embedded questions
Discussion questions
- If the global economy were a living organism, which organ would you say is currently under the most stress?
- Imagine you could see every financial and political connection between countries on a single map — what would surprise you most?
- If you had to predict the next major disruption to global business, where would you look first and why?
When Ecosystems Crash: The Science of Global Instability
Grammar: Embedded Questions
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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