Unit 10 · Global Challenges & Change · Lesson 48
Make It Happen
Learn to structure plans with sequencing and purpose language. You'll pitch a project so you can turn ideas into concrete action.
Warm-up · §1
5 minGet talking
One project (personal, professional, community) you'd start tomorrow if time and money were sorted.
In your experience, which step kills most projects: idea, plan, funding, first execution, follow-through?
Pick five people (real or types) for the project team. What's each person's job?
Grammar focus · §2
8–10 minPlanning language — sequencing, purpose, contingency
Quick rule
SEQUENCE: first / next / by the end of / by month X. PURPOSE: in order to / so that / with the aim of. CONTINGENCY: in case / if / should + subject + verb (formal).
Pattern builder
Sequence
First, / Next, / By the end of X, / Once X is done, /
e.g. By the end of week one, the team will be recruited.
Purpose
to + verb / in order to + verb / so that + clause / with the aim of + -ing
e.g. We're running a pilot in order to test demand.
Contingency
in case + clause / should + subject + verb (formal)
e.g. Should funding fall through, we'll delay by a quarter.
Compare
| Function | Structure | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence steps | first, next, then, by | Neutral |
| State purpose | in order to / so that | Neutral to formal |
| Cover risk | in case (of) / should… | 'Should' = more formal |
Examples
- →
First, we'll map the stakeholders. Then, we'll draft a one-page pitch.
- →
By the end of month one, we aim to have secured seed funding.
- →
The purpose of the pilot is to test demand before scaling.
- →
We're doing a small pilot in order to test demand.
- →
In case attendance is low, we've booked a smaller room as backup.
- →
Should funding fall through, we'll delay launch by a quarter.
Common mistakes
We're running a pilot for to test demand.
✓ We're running a pilot to test demand. / …in order to test demand.
Never say 'for to' — either 'to' or 'in order to'.
In case of the funding falls through, we'll delay.
✓ If the funding falls through / In case the funding falls through, we'll delay.
'In case of' + noun; 'in case' + clause.
Should funding will fall through, we'll delay.
✓ Should funding fall through, we'll delay.
Formal 'should' inversion takes bare verb, not 'will'.
Natural English
In pitches, native speakers speak in threes: 'First we'll…, then we'll…, and finally we'll…' This rule of three sounds structured and memorable.
Deep dive (full explanation)
Talking about a plan clearly needs three tools: SEQUENCE (order of steps), PURPOSE (why each step exists), and CONTINGENCY (what if it goes wrong). B2+ speakers layer all three.
Step 1 · Notice the pattern— build the sentence before you analyse it
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Step 2 · Test the rule
Quick check 1.'We're running a pilot ___ demand.'
Quick check 2.'___ funding fall through, we'll delay launch.'
Step 3 · Use it in context— longer, less supported items
Question 1.'We're running a pilot ___ demand.'
Question 2.'___ funding fall through, we'll delay launch.'
Question 3.'By the end of month one, we ___ seed funding.'
Question 4.'We booked a smaller room ___ attendance is low.'
Question 5.Which is WRONG?
Vocabulary · §3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
milestone
an important checkpoint in a project.
stakeholder
anyone with an interest in the project.
scope
the boundaries of what a project covers.
deliverable
a specific output produced by the project.
pilot
a small-scale test version.
budget
the money available for the project.
timeline
the schedule of the project.
risk
something that might go wrong.
contingency
a backup plan for a risk.
to scale up
to grow something to a larger size.
buy-in
genuine support from key people.
MVP (minimum viable product)
the smallest version that delivers real value.
Step 1 · Sort first— what belongs with what?
Step 2 · Pin the meaning
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Step 3 · Produce— now say it about you
Activate it now
Use each word about a real project you know.
- Make it yours#1
One milestone from a project you've worked on — did you hit it or miss it?
milestonetimeline - Your view#2
Is scope creep a project killer or a sign of ambition?
scopedeliverable - Rank#3
Rank hardest to secure: budget, buy-in, time, talent, luck.
budgetbuy-in - Complete#4
Finish: 'The MVP for my dream project would be ___.'
MVP (minimum viable product)pilot - Discuss#5
Should contingency plans be public or kept quiet?
contingencyrisk
Pronunciation · §4
3–4 minRhythm in structured sentences
In three-part pitches, native speakers use even rhythm on the sequence markers and stress the content: 'FIRST, we'll SCOPE it. NEXT, we'll PILOT it. FINALLY, we'll SCALE it.' Consistent rhythm sounds confident.
- FIRST we scope it, NEXT we pilot it, FINALLY we scale it.
- By the END of month ONE, we'll have SECURED funding.
- In ORder to TEST demand, we're running a pilot.
- SHOULD funding fall THROUGH, we'll deLAY by a QUARter.
- The purpose of the PIlot is to TEST buy-in.
Reading · §5
8–10 minThe Idea Was the Easy Part
Listen to the passage
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Every serious project begins with an idea and dies from something else — usually poor scoping, missing buy-in, or a timeline built on optimism. Ideas are cheap. Delivery is expensive. Good project people design in three phases. First, they scope aggressively — deciding what the project is NOT going to do is more important than what it will. Second, they build for the smallest viable version — an MVP that produces real value in weeks, not years. Third, they plan contingency openly: 'Should the pilot fail, we'll do X.' Naming the risk out loud makes stakeholders trust the plan more, not less. Milestones matter, but the deliverables between them matter more. A slide deck is not a deliverable. A working prototype, a signed partnership, a paying customer — those are. Every timeline should be readable as a sequence of these concrete outputs. The boring truth about making things happen: it's mostly small, unglamorous choices, repeated on schedule, under budget, with the right people in the room. The idea was the easy part.
Step 1 · Scan for evidence— decide true or false, then underline your proof
Q1.The writer says a slide deck counts as a deliverable.
Q2.The writer recommends naming risks openly.
Q3.According to the writer, ideas are more expensive than delivery.
Step 2 · Read between the lines— inference and attitude
Question 1.What does the writer say kills most projects?
Question 2.Why is scoping so important?
Question 3.What is an MVP for, according to the writer?
Question 4.What effect does naming risk have on stakeholders?
Listening · §6
8–10 minA project pitch to a small panel (about 1:30)
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Investor:So — one minute. What are you actually building?
Nia:First, an MVP — a simple app that connects local growers to restaurants. Small scope. Two cities.
Investor:Timeline?
Nia:By the end of month three, we'll have onboarded fifty restaurants and a hundred growers.
Investor:Budget?
Nia:Ninety thousand for the pilot. Sixty percent staff, thirty percent tech, ten percent contingency.
Investor:Biggest risk?
Nia:Growers not adopting. In case of low uptake, we've pre-scoped a lighter version — SMS-based, no app required.
Investor:And if it works?
Nia:By month twelve, we scale to five more cities. Should the pilot exceed target, we bring that forward to month nine.
Investor:Who's your first partner?
Nia:A regional grower coalition. Signed letter of intent. Not a pitch — a commitment.
Step 1 · First listening— tick only the phrases you hear
Step 2 · Second listening— now check the details
Question 1.What is the MVP?
Question 2.What's the month-three milestone?
Question 3.What's the biggest risk?
Question 4.What's the contingency for low uptake?
Exam skills · §7
5 minStrategy focus — Pitching in Speaking Part 2/3
Task
Weak pitches ramble; strong pitches use a three-part frame every time.
Strategy
Frame: SCOPE (what and what NOT) → SEQUENCE (three milestones) → RISK (one contingency). This fits any pitch in 45–60 seconds.
Example
First, the MVP is a small app connecting fifty local growers to fifty restaurants in two cities — nothing more. By month three we'll have onboarded them; by month six we'll have processed our first thousand orders. Should adoption stall, we've pre-scoped a lighter SMS version to guarantee we still ship value.
Practice · §8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Step 1 · Retrieval— write the missing language from memory
Q1.Fill: 'By month three, we w___ h___ onboarded fifty restaurants.' (future perfect)
Q2.Fill: 'A specific output produced' = a d___.
Q3.'To grow something to a larger size' = to s___ up.
Step 2 · Check yourself— try it from memory, then reveal the options
Try each sentence from memory first — then reveal the options to check yourself.
Question 1.___ funding fall through, we'll delay launch.
Question 2.By the end of month one, we ___ seed funding.
Question 3.We're doing a pilot ___ test demand.
Question 4.The smallest version that delivers real value = an ___.
Question 5.A backup plan for a risk = a ___.
Question 6.Genuine support from key people = ___.
Writing · §9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 140–180 word pitch for a project (real or imagined). Use at least ONE sequence, ONE purpose and ONE contingency structure, plus FIVE items of project vocabulary.
Step 1 · Analyse the model— how does the writer open, link ideas and close?
Model answer
Our MVP is a small app that connects local growers directly to independent restaurants — fifty growers, fifty restaurants, two cities. Deliberately small scope. First, we'll spend month one securing partnerships and buy-in from a regional growers' coalition. By the end of month three, we'll have onboarded the first fifty of each side and processed a live pilot week. By month six, we aim to have hit five hundred orders. The purpose of the pilot is not to prove the app works technically — it will — but to test whether growers will actually adopt it. Adoption, not code, is the real risk. Should uptake fall short of target, we've pre-scoped a contingency: a lighter SMS-based version that requires no smartphone at all. Our budget for the pilot is ninety thousand, with ten per cent held as contingency. If the pilot hits its milestones, we scale to five more cities in year two — carefully, and only where the same coalition model can be built first.
Step 2 · Rewrite in your own words— same purpose and register, your own content
Your answer
Self-edit before you finish
- • Is the register right for the reader?
- • Did you use this lesson's target grammar at least twice?
- • Any repeated words you could upgrade with today's vocabulary?
Speaking · §10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
ROLEPLAY — 60-second pitch. Your teacher/partner plays an investor: 'You've got one minute — pitch it.' Answer using ONE sequence, ONE purpose and ONE contingency structure, plus FIVE project vocabulary items.
How to run it: rank the phrases below — choose the three you will definitely use and cross out one you would never say. Then take opposite positions and negotiate to an agreement in three minutes.
Rank these — which three will you use?
- • First, we'll ___
- • By the end of month ___, we'll have ___
- • The purpose of the pilot is to ___
- • Should ___ fall through, ___
- • Our MVP is deliberately ___
- • Ten percent contingency ___
Step 1 · Warm up on script first— get the moves right, then improvise
- InvestorOne minute — pitch it.
- You_______________
- InvestorTimeline and budget?
- You_______________
- InvestorBiggest risk?
- You_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Optional group extensions. ~18 min total
Homework · §11
Take-homeTake it home
Write a 150-word pitch using one sequence, one purpose and one contingency structure.
Record a 60-second voice pitch of any project you're serious about.
Write true sentences with: milestone, stakeholder, MVP, contingency, buy-in, scale up.
Watch a 3-minute pitch clip and note one sequence, one purpose and one contingency structure.
Recap · §12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- You can structure a plan with sequence, purpose and contingency.
- You can pitch a project with B2+ project vocabulary.
- You can use future perfect for planning milestones.
- You're ready for Lesson 49 — “The Small Words”.
Grammar · Vocabulary · Speaking · Review
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