Due diligence: presenting formal business findings

Summary

This 90-minute ESL lesson for C1 learners explores Due diligence: presenting formal business findings 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: Nominalization with examples and practice
• Real-world phrases for presenting formal business findings
• Gap-fill and cloze exercises to test vocabulary in context
• Matching exercise to connect terms with their meanings
• 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. Matching — Connect words, phrases, or concepts to their correct counterparts.
5. Grammar — Study Nominalization — 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 presenting formal business findings — 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:

• Leave no stone unturned — to investigate every possibility and detail in a very thorough way.
• To vet (someone/something) — to carefully check someone's background or something's suitability and quality before making a decision.
• Get bogged down in (the details) — to become so involved with minor, complex aspects of a situation that you are unable to make progress or see the main issues.
• Boilerplate clause — a standard, pre-written section of text in a legal document or contract that is used in many different situations without being changed.
• Contingency plan — a plan for what to do if a particular negative event or unexpected situation occurs in the future.

Grammar

This lesson focuses on Nominalization.

Nominalization is the process of creating a noun from a verb or an adjective. In the context of business due diligence, it is frequently used in formal reports and presentations to create a more objective, concise, and authoritative tone.

Examples from the lesson:

• Our investigation into their financial records revealed several inconsistencies. — Here, the verb 'investigate' is changed to the noun 'investigation', making the statement sound more formal than 'We investigated their financial records...'
• The company's failure to provide the documents was a major red flag. — Instead of saying 'The company failed to provide...', using the noun 'failure' shifts the focus from the action to the abstract concept, which is common in formal analysis.
• An assessment of potential legal liabilities is our next priority. — Nominalizing the verb 'assess' to 'assessment' allows it to function as the subject of the sentence, a typical structure for introducing key findings or next steps in a report.

Key rules:

• Use nominalization to make your language sound more formal and objective.
• It often requires restructuring the sentence, using prepositions like 'of' or 'in'.
• Avoid overuse, as it can make your writing unnecessarily complex and difficult to read.

Practical English

Presenting formal business findings

When presenting the results of an investigation, like a due diligence report, your language needs to be precise, professional, and clear. These phrases will help you structure your presentation, highlight key information, and deliver your conclusions with confidence.

Phrases you'll learn:

• "To bring everyone up to speed, our investigation covered..." — for opening the presentation and providing context.
• "What stands out from our analysis is..." — for highlighting a significant or surprising finding.
• "We've uncovered a few areas that warrant closer attention." — for tactfully introducing potential problems or risks.
• "The crux of the matter is that..." — for emphasising the single most important point or issue.
• "In light of these findings, our recommendation is to..." — for formally proposing a course of action based on your report.