Categories: Resource

Business English Vocabulary – Company History

One of the most important parts of business English is teaching your students the necessary vocabulary for describing a company’s history. This means teaching key vocabulary and collocations for describing a business, as well as using grammar incorrectly.

This Powerpoint presentation is intended for intermediate level students who are new to business English, and it mostly gives them vocabulary with examples. However, you may want to bring attention to the grammar used, such as the passive voice for “was founded,” and so on.

Company History – ESL Language from David Wills

After teaching this language, I try to give my students a listening task to get them using it for a well-known company. I like this video about the history of Apple:

I would use these questions, which are obviously quite simple, but it makes the students really pay attention to those important phrases:

1. When was Apple founded?

2. When was the Apple II first sold?

3. When did they introduce the Macintosh?

4. When did they release the iPod?

After this, you’ll want your students to practice using the target language with some freer practice, so have them describe a company they know.

David S Wills

I am a writer, editor, and educator. I have written various books on mid-20th century American writers and a few on grammar and IELTS preparation. I have been in the education field since 2008 and have worked in various countries. I started this website to share some ideas and resources to help my fellow teachers.