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English Course · Level 5 (B2) · Week 6 of 12

The Economy and Work Trends

Grammar: Expressions of probability · bound to · likely to · there's a good chance · may well

This week's plan

DayLearnListen / WatchPractise
Day 1Words: The economy · Sentences 1–2BBC 6 Minute English: “What is degrowth?” (podcast)Exercise 1
Day 2Words: Work trends · Sentences 3–4TED: Jason Fried, “Why work doesn't happen at work” (video)Exercise 2
Day 3Words: Careers · Sentences 5–6British Council B2: “Business news” (listening)Exercise 3
Day 4Words: Money verbs · Sentences 7–8BBC 6 Minute English: “Why has gold got so expensive?” (podcast)
+ BBC The English We Speak: “All hands on deck” (podcast)		Exercise 4
Day 5Words: Probability · Sentences 9–10TED: Tim Jackson, “An economic reality check” (video)Write & Speak
Day 6Review all 30 words + 10 sentencesBritish Council B2: “The sharing economy” (reading)Redo mistakes
Day 7Free day ☺BBC The English We Speak: “Short-change” (podcast)Tick your tracker

30 minutes a day: review, learn, listen, practise, speak. Day 7 is a free day. Tap a resource to find it.

30 words to learn

Set 1 · The economy

  • inflationالتضخّم
  • a recessionركود اقتصادي
  • an interest rateسعر الفائدة
  • the cost of livingتكلفة المعيشة
  • unemploymentالبطالة
  • economic growthالنمو الاقتصادي

Set 2 · Work trends

  • remote workingالعمل عن بُعد
  • hybrid workingالعمل الهجين (بين البيت والمكتب)
  • a freelancerعامل حر / فريلانسر
  • the gig economyاقتصاد الأعمال المؤقّتة
  • flexible hoursساعات عمل مرنة
  • work–life balanceالتوازن بين العمل والحياة

Set 3 · Careers

  • be made redundantيُسرَّح من العمل
  • a promotionترقية
  • job securityالأمان الوظيفي
  • upskillيطوّر مهاراته
  • a start-upشركة ناشئة
  • an entrepreneurرائد أعمال

Set 4 · Money verbs

  • invest inيستثمر في
  • save up forيدّخر من أجل / يحوّش لـ
  • affordيقدر على تحمّل تكلفة
  • cut back onيقلّل من / يخفّض
  • make ends meetيدبّر أموره المادية / يكفّي الشهر
  • fall into debtيقع في الدَّين

Set 5 · Probability

  • be bound toلا بدّ أن / أكيد هـ…
  • be likely toمن المحتمل أن
  • be unlikely toمن غير المحتمل أن
  • there's a good chance (that)هناك احتمال كبير أن
  • may wellمن المحتمل جدًا أن / وارد جدًا
  • the chances are (that)على الأرجح

10 sentences to memorise

  1. 1Prices are bound to go up again next year.لا بدّ أن ترتفع الأسعار مرة أخرى العام القادم.
  2. 2More companies are likely to offer hybrid working in the future.من المحتمل أن تقدّم شركات أكثر نظام العمل الهجين في المستقبل.
  3. 3There's a good chance that I'll get a promotion this year.هناك احتمال كبير أن أحصل على ترقية هذا العام.
  4. 4With inflation so high, many families are struggling to make ends meet.مع ارتفاع التضخّم بهذا الشكل، تكافح عائلات كثيرة لتدبير أمورها المادية.
  5. 5The chances are that robots will do many routine jobs.على الأرجح ستقوم الروبوتات بكثير من الوظائف الروتينية.
  6. 6He was made redundant, so he started his own business.سُرِّح من عمله، فبدأ مشروعه الخاص.
  7. 7Freelancers may well earn more, but they have less job security.من المحتمل جدًا أن يكسب العاملون الأحرار أكثر، لكن أمانهم الوظيفي أقل.
  8. 8We've had to cut back on eating out because of the cost of living.اضطُررنا إلى التقليل من الأكل خارج البيت بسبب تكلفة المعيشة.
  9. 9The new factory is unlikely to open before 2028.من غير المحتمل أن يُفتتح المصنع الجديد قبل عام ٢٠٢٨.
  10. 10If you want to stay employable, you need to keep upskilling.إذا أردت أن تظل مطلوبًا في سوق العمل، فعليك أن تستمر في تطوير مهاراتك.

Grammar: Expressions of probability · bound to · likely to · there's a good chance · may well

Beyond will and might, we use: be bound to / be sure to (almost certain) · be likely to / there's a good chance (probable) · may well / could well (quite possible) · be unlikely to / there's little chance (probably not). Structure: be bound / likely / unlikely + to + infinitive.

يترجم المتعلم «من المحتمل أن» حرفيًا فيقول It is likely that he will come ✓، لكنه يخطئ في الشكل الشخصي: He is likely come ✗ أو He is likely will come ✗. الصحيح: He is likely to come. ونفس الشيء مع bound: Prices are bound to rise. وانتبه إلى أن probably تأتي بعد will وقبل won't: He will probably come · He probably won't come. أما chance فتأتي بعدها that أو of + ing: There's a good chance (that) it will rain · There's a chance of finding a job.

CertaintyExpressionExample
almost certain ✔✔be bound to · be sure to · be certain toInflation is bound to rise.
probable ✔be likely to · there's a good chance (that) · the chances are (that)She's likely to get the job.
possible ?may well · could well · there's a chance (that)The meeting may well be cancelled.
improbable ✘be unlikely to · there's little chance (that)They're unlikely to hire new staff.
almost impossible ✘✘there's no chance (that) · can't possiblyThere's no chance that prices will fall.

Adverbs: definitely, certainly and probably go after will but before won't: He'll definitely come · He definitely won't come.

It is likely / unlikely that + clause is also correct: It is unlikely that the shop will close.

For the past: He is bound to have heard the news (= I'm sure he has heard it).

Exercises

Exercise 1 · Rewrite the sentences using the words in brackets.

  1. 1) Prices will almost certainly go up. (bound)
  2. 2) She will probably accept the offer. (likely)
  3. 3) It's quite possible that the company will move to Smart Village. (may well)
  4. 4) He probably won't get a pay rise this year. (unlikely)
  5. 5) It's very probable that more people will work from home. (good chance)
  6. 6) I'm sure they have heard the news. (bound)
Show the answers
1) Prices are bound to go up. 2) She is likely to accept the offer. 3) The company may well move to Smart Village. 4) He is unlikely to get a pay rise this year. 5) There's a good chance (that) more people will work from home. 6) They are bound to have heard the news.

Exercise 2 · Choose the correct option.

  1. 1) The new law is likely (to help / helping) small businesses.
  2. 2) There's a good chance (of / that) the interest rate will fall.
  3. 3) He (probably will / will probably) start his own company.
  4. 4) She (probably won't / won't probably) leave her job.
  5. 5) The economy is unlikely (recovering / to recover) quickly.
  6. 6) The chances (is / are) that you'll find a better job.
Show the answers
1) to help 2) that 3) will probably 4) probably won't 5) to recover 6) are

Exercise 3 · Correct the mistake.

  1. 1) He is likely come late.
  2. 2) The project is bound fail without more money.
  3. 3) There's a good chance to the shop will close.
  4. 4) It is likely that she get the job.
  5. 5) They may well to move to Dubai.
Show the answers
1) He is likely to come late. 2) The project is bound to fail without more money. 3) There's a good chance (that) the shop will close. 4) It is likely that she will get the job. 5) They may well move to Dubai.

Exercise 4 · Translate into English.

  1. 1) من المحتمل أن يرتفع سعر الذهب مرة أخرى.
  2. 2) لا بدّ أن يجد وظيفة جيدة؛ فهو مجتهد جدًا.
  3. 3) من غير المحتمل أن تنخفض الأسعار هذا العام.
  4. 4) هناك احتمال كبير أن أعمل من البيت يومين في الأسبوع.
Show the answers
1) The price of gold is likely to rise again. / It is likely that the price of gold will rise again. 2) He is bound to find a good job; he is very hard-working. 3) Prices are unlikely to fall this year. / It is unlikely that prices will fall this year. 4) There's a good chance (that) I'll work / I'll be working from home two days a week.

Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.

Write & Speak

Write & Speak — Write a formal email (200–250 words) to your manager proposing a change at work (for example hybrid working or flexible hours). Explain the benefits and risks, and use at least six probability expressions. Then present your proposal aloud as if you were in a meeting.

Example: Subject: Proposal to introduce hybrid working in the marketing team Dear Mr Hassan, I am writing on behalf of the marketing team to propose a trial of hybrid working, with employees spending two days a week at home and three in the office. As you know, the cost of living has risen sharply over the past two years, and many of our colleagues spend more than two hours a day commuting from Sheikh Zayed and New Cairo. A hybrid system is bound to reduce both their travel costs and their stress levels. In addition, recent surveys suggest that employees with flexible hours are likely to be more productive and less likely to resign. There is also a strong business case. If fewer staff are in the office each day, we may well be able to rent a smaller floor when our contract ends next year, which would save the company a considerable amount of money. Furthermore, offering hybrid working would make us more attractive to talented young applicants, who increasingly expect a good work–life balance. I understand that there are risks. Some managers worry that communication will suffer, and there is a chance that certain tasks will take longer at first. However, these problems are unlikely to be serious if we agree on clear rules, such as a weekly team meeting and fixed hours when everyone must be online. I would therefore suggest a three-month trial starting in January, after which we could review the results together. I would be happy to discuss this proposal at your convenience. Yours sincerely, Nour El-Sayed Senior Marketing Executive