AI in hiring: expressing cause and effect

Summary

This 90-minute ESL lesson for C1 learners explores AI in hiring: expressing cause and effect through a real article. Across 11 interactive exercises, you'll develop reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, practical communication, speaking skills — all built around authentic English content.

What you'll practise:

• 5 key vocabulary items with definitions and usage notes
• Grammar focus: using participle clauses to show reason and result with examples and practice
• Real-world phrases for discussing new technology at work
• Gap-fill and cloze exercises to test vocabulary in context
• Error correction to sharpen grammar awareness
• A reading passage to practise newly learned language

Lesson activities (11 exercises)

Each exercise builds on the previous one. Work through them in order for the best learning experience.

1. Warm-up — Discussion questions to activate what you already know about the topic.
2. Comprehension — Answer questions to check your understanding of the main ideas and supporting details.
3. Vocabulary — Learn key words and expressions from the article, with definitions and usage notes.
4. Fill the gaps — Complete sentences with the correct vocabulary. Drag and drop or type your answers.
5. Grammar — Study using participle clauses to show reason and result — explanation, examples, and key rules.
6. Error correction — Find and fix the mistake in each sentence — a great grammar workout.
7. Practical English — Learn phrases for discussing new technology at work — ready to use in real conversations.
8. Cloze passage — Fill in blanks within a connected text to practise vocabulary in context.
9. Reading — Read a short passage on the topic and answer comprehension questions.
10. Discussion — Reflect on the topic and share your opinions using the language you've learned.

Vocabulary

This lesson introduces 5 key terms drawn directly from the article:

• A double-edged sword — something that has both positive and negative effects.
• To vet candidates — to carefully check someone's background, skills, and qualifications to see if they are suitable for a job.
• To fall through the cracks — to be overlooked or forgotten, often due to a flaw in a system.
• To streamline the process — to make a system or process simpler and more efficient.
• Algorithmic transparency — the principle that the decisions made by an AI should be understandable and explainable to humans.

Grammar

This lesson focuses on using participle clauses to show reason and result.

Participle clauses allow us to express complex ideas more concisely, which is common in formal and written English. By using the -ing (present) or -ed (past) form of a verb, we can connect two ideas without needing conjunctions like 'because' or 'after', making our language more sophisticated when discussing topics like AI.

Examples from the lesson:

• Recognising the potential for bias, the company installed an ethics committee to oversee the AI. — The present participle (-ing) shows the reason for the action in the main clause. It has an active meaning: 'Because the company recognised the potential for bias...'
• Trained on incomplete data sets, the system failed to identify qualified candidates from non-traditional backgrounds. — The past participle (-ed) is used here with a passive meaning. It explains the cause of the system's failure: 'Because it had been trained on incomplete data...'
• Having successfully filtered over 10,000 CVs, the AI presented a shortlist of the top 20 applicants. — The perfect participle (having + past participle) emphasises that one action was completed before the next one started, showing a clear sequence of cause and effect.

Key rules:

• The subject of the participle clause must be the same as the subject of the main clause.
• Use the present participle (-ing) for active meanings and the past participle (-ed) for passive meanings.
• These clauses are more common in formal writing and speaking than in casual conversation.

Practical English

Discussing new technology at work

When a new technology is proposed at work, it's important to contribute to the discussion constructively. These phrases will help you voice your opinion—both positive and negative—in a way that is collaborative and professional.

Phrases you'll learn:

• "I can definitely see the potential here, particularly when it comes to..." — use this to express support by highlighting a specific advantage.
• "My only reservation would be around..." — use this to politely introduce a concern or potential problem.
• "One thing we need to be mindful of is..." — use this to raise awareness of a potential risk or unintended consequence.
• "As long as we have a clear protocol for [X], I'm on board." — use this to state that your support is conditional on a specific safeguard.
• "To build on what [colleague's name] said, we should also consider..." — use this to agree with a colleague and add your own related point.