(16) Secret Business English (Is grammar necessary for business English?

In business English, there are grammars that are more important and grammars that are less important. You don't need to worry too much about the differences between "a" and "the" and "singular and plural" that are taught in the first semester of the first year of junior high school. It is not fatal for business English. Also, the difficult grammar we learned at school, such as relative pronouns, are expressions unique to written language. It is rarely used in business conversations. The subjunctive mood, considered the most difficult problem in English grammar, is rarely used in business situations unless you are a minstrel.

On the other hand, there are some grammars that are important in business English. In business, there are many situations where "who" is important. In that sense, the third-person singular present "s" is surprisingly important. European languages, not just English, have a structure in which the subject can be inferred from the conjugation of the verb. For example, in the sentence "...speaks so.", even if you cannot hear the subject, you will understand that the subject (the person speaking that way) is a third party, neither you (I) nor the other person (you). Masu. On the other hand, forgetting the third person singular present "s" can lead to unexpected business misunderstandings.

　 In business conversations, there are cases where the precise time axis becomes the focal point of the conversation. Therefore, if you do not correctly understand and use tenses in middle school English grammar, such as is (current appearance), was (past event), and have been (continuation of what happened before), you will be unable to do business. This may cause the above problem.

The difference between ...ing (progressive tense) and ...ed (past participle) is also important. A developing country is a developing country = a country that is not yet developed = an underdeveloped country. A developed country is a country that has finished developing. The difference between ing and ed means that they have opposite meanings. Getting this wrong can be fatal for your business.

In this way, business English has unimportant grammar and important grammar. In other words, understanding an entire thick grammar book is not something a busy business person should tackle. In order for business people to acquire business English in the limited time of six months, it is important to focus on understanding grammar points where semantic misunderstandings occur. Generally speaking, you will be selectively reviewing important parts of English grammar from the first year of junior high school.