Unit 7

Orders

Talking about orders and deliveries

Starting Point
1. What goods and services are often bought online?
2. What do you buy online?
3. Is there anything you would not buy online? If so,
why not?

A. Reading
The Amazon.com and UPS Relationship
Two market-leading companies which were founded
in the same city in the USA, Seattle. One almost a hundred
years before the other, signed an important business deal in
1995. UPS, founded in 1907, is now the largest express
delivery company in the world and Amazon, founded in
1005, has become the world’s most popular online retailer.
On Amazon.com, customers can purchase goods 24
hours a day, seven days a week after they have checked that
they are in stock. Once the customer places an order,
Amazon is expected to deliver the goods quickly and offer
customers choice, competitive prices, and excellent customer
service at the same time. UPS helps Amazon meet all these
needs.
Firstly, UPS allows Amazon to process the
customer’s order faster. With UPS Online Tools on its
website, Amazon can quote its customers prices for a wide
choice of delivery options. Secondly, customers can track
their shipment, using the UPS order tracking system.
Finally, customers can use UPS’s excellent Returns on the
Web services if there is a problem with the product on
delivery.
These tools are not only popular with customers, who
can make an enquiry about the status of their order online,
but they also help Amazon cut costs. Nearly all customer
contact is made via the website, including billing, as
customers pay the invoice online before UPS makes the
delivery.
Exercise 1:
Read the text and answer the questions
1. In what ways are Amazon.com and UPS similar?
2. What do customers expect from Amazon.com?
 3. In what ways does UPS help Amazon meet these
expectations?
4. How does this relationship help Amazon.com?

B. Vocabulary
Exercise 1:
Match 1 - 10 below from the text to definition a – j.
1. to purchase a. question
2. In stock b. things you buy or sell
3. Goods c. transporting products to a
customer
4. To process d. a request for something to
be sent
5. An order e. to say how much something
will cost
6. To quote f. to deal with, e.g. an order
7. A shipment g. to buy
8. An enquiry h. goods which are being
transported
9. An invoice i. a document you must pay
10. A delivery j. ready to sell

Exercise 2:
Complete 1 – 10 with a suitable verb, using the phrases in
bold in the text to help you then put the phrase into a
sentence
1. ____________ a price
2. ____________ an invoice
3. ____________ an order
 4. ____________ a product in stock
5. ____________ goods
6. ____________ an order
7. ____________ a shipment
8. ____________ a delivery
9. ____________ an enquiry
10. ____________ the goods

Exercise 3:
Put the process of ordering in the right order
a. ____ The customer tracks the progress of the order
online
b. __1_ The customer makes an enquiry about the
supplier’s products and the price
c. ____ The customer pays the invoice
d. ____ The customer places an order
e. ____ The supplier provides information and quotes a
price for the product or service
f. ____ The supplier delivers the goods to customer
g. ____ The supplier confirms the order with the
customer
h. ____ The supplier checks that the product is in stock
i. ____ The supplier gives the customer a date for
delivery of the goods
j. ____ The supplier begins to process the order

Choosing a Delivery Company

Background
Company sets up online retail service
Dixons is a leading electrical retailer and part of the DSG
International Group, which owns stores across much of
European, including Electro World. Dixons once had a store
in most towns and cities across the UK and Ireland. In
response to the crisis in the retail industry, the company is
now concentrating on its online service. It has seen its
Internet sales grow 50% each year during the last four years,
and it now gets over one million visitors per month. The
company’s CEO has stated that the company intends to
become ‘the most successful electrical retailer on the web’.

Exercise 4:
Discussion
1. Why are companies like Dixons setting up an online
retailing service?
2. What do you think would make a good online retailer
service?
3. What does an online retailer look for in a delivery
company?

C. Structure
Relative clauses
Relative clauses are clauses starting with the relative
pronouns who, that, which, whose, where, when. They are
most often used to define or identify the noun that precedes
them. Here are some examples:
 • Do you know the girl who started in grade 7 last
week?
• Can I have the pencil that I gave you this morning?
• A notebook is a computer which can be carried
around.
• I won't eat in a restaurant whose cooks smoke.
• I want to live in a place where there is lots to do.
• Yesterday was a day when everything went wrong!
• Relative pronouns are associated as follows with their
preceding noun:

Preceding noun Relative pronoun Examples

- Do you know the girl
who ..
a person who(m)/that, whose - He was a man that ..
- An orphan is a child
whose parents ..
- Do you have a computer
which ..
a thing which†/that, whose - The oak a tree that ..
- This is a book whose
author ..

Some relative clauses are not used to define or identify the

preceding noun but to give extra information about it. Here
are some examples:

• My ESL teacher, who came to Germany in 1986,

likes to ride his mountain bike.
• The heavy rain, which was unusual for the time of
year, destroyed most of the plants in my garden.
• Einstein, who was born in Germany, is famous for his
theory of relativity.
• The boy, whose parents both work as teachers at the
school, started a fire in the classroom.
• My mother's company, which makes mobile phones,
is moving soon from Frankfurt to London.
 • In the summer I'm going to visit Italy, where my
brother lives.

Exercises 1:

Choose the correct relative pronoun or relative adverb.

1. The woman … ……..is sitting at the desk is Mr.

Winter's secretary.
2. I cannot remember the reason……….he wanted us to
leave.
3. Jane, ………. mother is a physician, is very good at
biology.
4. She didn’t see the snake ………….was lying on the
ground.
5. Do you know the shop …………..Andrew picked me
up?

Exercise 2:

Combine the sentences with relative clauses. (Decide

whether to use commas or not.)

1. A monk is a man. The man has devoted his life to

God.
A monk …………
2. I have one black cat. His name is Blacky.
I have ………
3. A herbivore is an animal. The animal feeds upon
vegetation.
A herbivore ……………
4. Carol plays the piano brilliantly. She is only 9 years
old.
Carol …………….
 5. Sydney is the largest Australian city. It is not the
capital of Australia.
Sydney……………..

6. We ordered a book. It was very expensive.

The book…………………
7. You are sitting on a bench. The paint on the bench is
still wet.
………………
8. The photographer could not develop the pictures. I
had taken them in Australia.
…………………….
9. One of the bins smells awful. You haven’t emptied
the bin for 3 weeks.
…………………..
10. They are singing a song. I don’t know the song.
………………………

Exercise 3:

Combine the sentences with relative clauses or contact

clauses. Use contact clauses where possible. (Decide
whether to use commas or not.)

1. The city seems to be abandoned. It is usually

crowded with people.
2. You made an offer. We cannot accept it.
We ………………
3. A midwife is a woman. She assists other women in
childbirth.
A woman………………..
4. Three youngsters were arrested by the police. They
had committed criminal offences.
The police ………………..
 5. The World Wide Web has become an essential part
of our lives. It was invented by Tim Berners-Lee.
Tim Berners-Lee …………….

Exercise 4:
Combine the two sentences by using connectors who,
whom, which, where, when, etc.
1. The hooligans are dangerous criminals. They were
arrested last night.
2. The boy wets the bed. He lives next door.
3. The boy had a crush on her. His overcoat is filthy.
4. The woman is a diver. Her hair is wavy.
5. The spinster wants to marry eagerly. You met her three
days ago.
6. The car belongs to Mr. Jones. Its bonnet has a few dents.
7. The detached house has a garden that looks terrific. He
lives in the detached house.
8. Margaret was madly in love with him. She did not want to
tell the truth.
9. Susie is a friend of my daughter’s. She is swinging on the
old rope.
10.The people next door very often go to posh restaurants.
They come from well-to-do families.

D. Language Function
 Some useful expressions used during a travel

I'd like an aisle seat, please. I'd like to sit next to my

colleague. I only have one bag to check in.

I'd like to book a hire car for three days

Do I need an international driving license?

How would you like to pay? Do you take credit cards?

A single to Munich, please.

Do I need to reserve a seat?

Is the seat reservation included in the price of the ticket?

Do you have a double room for two nights?

A non-smoking roam please. with a bath and a balcony.

We need your credit card number to hold the reservation.

I'm calling from room 21.

The TV doesn't work.

The bed hasn't been made.

I'd like to change my room.

I don't have any cash on me.

That's OK. You can pay by credit card.

E. Dialogue
1. Checking in for a flight

A: Can I have your ticket and passport, please? Thank

you. Would you like an aisle or a window seat?
B: I'd like an aisle seat if possible.
A: OK. I have given you a seat m the exit row. Is that
all right?
B: Yes, that's fine. Thanks. And I'd like to sit next to my
colleague if possible.
A: I'm sorry. We don't have any more seats together.
Could you talk to the cabin attendant when you
board the plane.

2. Hiring a car
A: Hello, I'd like to book a hire car for three days
from March 14th -17th, please.
B: Do I need an International driving license to drive
here?
A: No, but there is a charge f or an extra driver.
B: So how much will it cost in total?
A: $300 How would you like to pay?
B: By credit card, please.
3. Taking the train
A: A single to Munich, please.
B: First or second class?
A: First class, please
B: OK. That will be 70 euros. Please sign here.
A: Do I need to reserve a seat?
B: No, the seat reservation is included in the price.

4. Booking a hotel
A: Welling ton Hotel. Can I help you?
B: Ye s, I've been trying to book a room on your hotel
website but I can't complete the booking.
A: Sorry, sir. I can do the booking for you.
B: Thank you. I'd like to book a twin room for two
nights, the 12th and 13th of June.
A: Just one moment I'll check our availability. Can I
have your name please?
B: Yes, it's Cook. I won't be arriving until 11:00 p.m.
Do you need my credit card number to hold the
reservation?
A: Yes, please.
5. Checking into a hotel
A: Hello, I have a reservation in the name of Perry.
B: I am sorry, I cannot find a booking in that name. Did
you book the room yourself?
A: No, my company Carditis, booked it.
B: Ah yes, here it is. Could you fill in this form,
please? Would you like a smoking or non-
smoking room?
A: A non-smoking room, please, with a bath and a
balcony if possible.
B: We have a non-smoking room with a balcony on the
10th floor. Enjoy your stay.