I was reading when it rained (The Past Continuous Tense)

The past continuous tense (was/were + verb-ing) is commonly used when stating an action that was going on around a particular point in the past or another past action.

Examples:
She was writing an e-mail when the phone rang.
I was opening the meeting when he arrived.
We were deliberating on the project at 3pm.
What were you doing when you received the memo?

All the sentences above talk about a continuous action around a fixed point in the past.

Vocabulary/Helpful expressions:

make something come true: to achieve/accomplish/realize
e.g.
We all want to make our dreams come true.
We have until next week to make these goals come true.

Advise vs. advice
- Advise is a verb while advice is a noun.

e.g.
She advises him to take some days off.
My advice is to organize a meeting so a decision can be made.

Practice

I was advising the team to check everything in detail when the power outage happened. The outage went on for 5 hours, and with just one day before the deadline, we were in danger of not making our plans come true.




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Facilitating a Meeting: Giving the Meeting Outline

When facilitating a meeting, it is important that the participants know what to expect during the event. It is therefore, necessary that on the onset, you give them the outline.

An example of the spiel is shown below.

Facilitator:
Good afternoon, everyone! Thank you all for attending today's meeting. I called for this meeting to present to you our proposal concerning a new system that will affect the way we sell our products. But before anything else, as not all of us know each other, I would like that we take turns talking about ourselves by way of introduction. I will start. I am John Smith, head of the marketing department. Then, we go counterclockwise.

<Introductions>

Thank you. Now that we all know each other, let me tell you what to expect from today's meeting. First, a presentation on the current situation will be given by my colleague, Jane. Then, we will proceed with another presentation on the proposal itself. This will be done by yours truly. After which, we will go for a 15-minute coffee break. What follows will be a summary of the two presentations. And finally. we move on to Q&A or discussion on points that I am hoping you will raise. 

By the end of the meeting, we hope that we will be able to make a decision on whether to move forward with the proposal or schedule another meeting for more discussions.

I will now give the floor to Jane for her presentation.



*You may used the blocked expressions when opening or giving the outline of the meeting.


Note:
- If the facilitator and all the participants know each other, then there is no need for introductions. After the greeting, you may go directly to giving the agenda.
- Another important thing to remember is to have somebody who will take the minutes. That way, you will not lose very important points raised in the meeting or decisions made.


Vocabulary:

agenda- items to be discussed in a meeting
e.g. She e-mailed to the participants the agenda of the meeting

minutes- official records of things that took place in a meeting
e.g. Could you please send me the minutes of the meeting?

take turns- to alternate
e.g. They took turns reading.

counterclockwise- the direction opposite that of the clock (right to left)
e.g. Please pass the sheet counterclockwise.


Grammar points:
Discuss (vt.)
- It is a common mistake to use the preposition "about" with the word "discuss". This verb is transitive so it needs an object right after without the help of a preposition.

E.g.
We discussed the different issues experienced by sales.
I will discuss the needs of the project in the meeting tomorrow.

Discussion (n.)
- The noun "discussion", however, needs the preposition "on".

E.g.
The discussion on the new policy was very interesting.
There was a very long discussion on the proposed new strategy.


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The Conditionals

The conditionals or the if-clauses are used when talking about something that you know is sure to happen, might happen or might have happened. The sentence shows the possible cause and effect.

The Zero Conditional

- This is used when talking about matters that are factual.
- It follows the structure, If subj + verb, subj + verb.

Examples:
If the temperature falls below zero, water freezes. (It is a scientific fact that water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius).

Try it out:

What are some other facts that you know? Try using the zero conditionals to construct sentences describing them.

The 1st Conditional

- The 1st conditional is used when talking about something that will happen if the condition is satisfied.
- It follows the structure, If subj + verb, subj + will verb.

E.g.
If you get up late, you will be late for work.
I will go running if I have time later.
If you promise to do the dishes, she will cook dinner.

The 2nd Conditional

- This conditional is used to talk about hypothetical situations.
- This follows the structure, If subj + past verb, subj + would/could/should verb.

E.g.
If I only I had wings, I would fly around the world.

The 3rd Conditional

- The third conditional is used when referring to past situations.
-This follows the structure, If subj + had past participle, subj + would/could/should have + past participle.

E.g.
If I had only gotten up early, I would not have been late for work.
If I had had time, I would have gone running.
If you had promised to do the dishes, I would have cooked dinner.



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