Business planning: making predictions with the first conditional

Summary

This 90-minute ESL lesson for B1 learners explores Business planning: making predictions with the first conditional through a real article. Across 10 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: First conditional with examples and practice
• Real-world phrases for discussing a new project in a team meeting
• Gap-fill and cloze exercises to test vocabulary in context
• Matching exercise to connect terms with their meanings
• Error correction to sharpen grammar awareness

Lesson activities (10 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 First conditional — 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 a new project in a team meeting — ready to use in real conversations.
8. Cloze passage — Fill in blanks within a connected text to practise vocabulary in context.
9. 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:

• Target audience — the specific group of people that a product or marketing campaign is aimed at.
• Get the green light — to get official permission or approval to start a project or plan.
• Run into problems — to experience unexpected difficulties or challenges.
• Long-term goal — an aim or objective that you want to achieve in the distant future, like in five or ten years.
• Break into a market — to successfully enter a new market or industry for the first time, often when it is difficult.

Grammar

This lesson focuses on First conditional.

We use the first conditional to talk about possible future situations and their likely results. It's perfect for business planning because it helps us discuss the consequences of our actions, like what could happen if we launch a new product or start a new marketing campaign.

Examples from the lesson:

• If we secure the new investment, we will open another office. — Use 'will' for a result that you are quite certain about.
• If the competition lowers their prices, we might lose some customers. — Use 'might' or 'could' when the result is possible, but not certain.
• Our profits will increase if the new marketing campaign is successful. — The 'if' clause can come second. When it does, we don't use a comma.

Key rules:

• Structure: If + present simple, ... will/might/could + base verb.
• Always use the present simple tense in the 'if' clause, never 'will'.
• Use a comma after the 'if' clause when it comes at the beginning of the sentence.

Practical English

Discussing a new project in a team meeting

Here are some practical phrases for when you are in a meeting. Use them to make suggestions, agree, express concerns, and talk about possible results for a new project.

Phrases you'll learn:

• "What if we focus on the European market first?" — use this to make a suggestion in the form of a question.
• "That's a good point. If we do that, we'll probably attract a younger audience." — use this to agree with someone and add a likely result.
• "I see what you mean, but my only concern is the budget." — use this to politely express a potential problem or disagreement.
• "So, just to be clear, if we launch in May, what's the expected outcome?" — use this to ask for clarification about a possible result.
• "I have a good feeling about this, as long as we secure the funding first." — use this to express cautious optimism.