Why Experts Can't Explain Themselves
Grammar: Participle clauses for concise professional description
A Business English English lesson exploring business.
What's in this lesson
A Business English ESL lesson on business, practising participle clauses for concise professional description. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: Why Experts Can't Explain Themselves
In 1990, Elizabeth Newton, a Stanford graduate student, ran a simple experiment. One group tapped the rhythm of a famous song, such as Happy Birthday, on a table. A second group tried to name it. Before the test, the tappers predicted that listeners would guess correctly about half the time. In fact, only 2.5 percent did.
Vocabulary
- break down
- come across
- get through
- spell out
- at stake
- by definition
- in practice
- in the long run
- on the other hand
Grammar
- Present participle
- Sending a long email, she lost the reader. — action at the same time
- Perfect participle
- Having read the essay, he changed his plan. — action before the main verb
Discussion questions
- Who explains difficult things well?
- Have you ever misunderstood a manager's message?
- Is jargon ever useful?
Why Experts Can't Explain Themselves
Grammar: Participle clauses for concise professional description
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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