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TODAY’S EPISODE:
Instrumental English: Business
In the previous article we talked about learning Conventional English and Instrumental English. We will be doing a series of articles on various subjects related to Instrumental English that will help you expand your vocabulary and help you a lot in reading and understanding texts in English.
Use this vocabulary to build the strength of your business communications.
Business Vocabulary
Account – an arrangement with a bank to keep your money there. Example: I deposited money into my account.
Account balance – the amount of money someone has in a bank account. Example: If the account balance falls below £3,000, the interest rate drops to 1% a year.
Account manager/Bank manager – someone employed by a company to be responsible for one or more of its customers, especially someone in the banking or advertising industry. Example: Account managers regularly contact customers to update them on new products and services.
Accountant – someone who keeps or examines the records of money received, paid, and owed by a company or person. Example: A firm of accountants.
Balance – the amount of money you have in a bank account, or the amount of something that you have left after you have spent or used up the rest. Example: Once we know how much money we’ll need, let’s spend the balance (= the amount left).
Bank – an organization where people and businesses can invest or borrow money, change it to foreign money, etc., or a building where these services are offered. Example: The big banks have been accused of exploiting small firms.
Bankruptcy – a situation in which a business or a person becomes bankrupt. Example: The company was forced into bankruptcy.
Branch – one of the offices or groups that form part of a large business organization. Example: She’s a branch manager.
Checking account – a bank account that you can take money from at any time and that usually earns little or no interest. Example: Why don’t you get yourself a checking account?
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – the person with the most important position in a company. Example: She is giving up the title of president but will remain chairman and chief executive officer.
Commodity – a financial product that can be traded. Example: Returning barren fields to their natural state as wetlands creates a host of “wetland mitigation credits,” a commodity the company plans to sell.
Company – an organization that sells goods or services in order to make money. Example: He works for a software company/a company that makes software.
Deal – an agreement or an arrangement, especially in business. Example: The unions and management have made a two-year pay and productivity deal.
Debt – something, especially money, that is owed to someone else, or the state of owing something. Example: He managed to pay off his debts in two years.
Deduction – the calculation of taking an amount or a part of something away from a total or the amount that is taken away. Example: The interest I receive on my savings account is paid after the deduction of tax.
Earnings – the amount of money that someone is paid for working. Example: Average earnings for skilled workers are rising.
Finance – (the management of) a supply of money. Example: You need to speak to someone in the finance department.
Gross – (in) total. Example: A person’s gross income is the money they earn before tax is deducted from it.
Income tax – a tax that you have to pay on your income, usually higher for people with larger incomes. Example: The Chancellor proposed a 1p cut in the basic rate of income tax.
Leadership – the person or people in charge of an organization. Example: There is growing discontent with the leadership.
Manager – the person who is responsible for managing an organization. Example: I would like to speak to the manager.
Negotiate – to have formal discussions with someone in order to reach an agreement with them. Example: I’m negotiating for a new contract.
Operating costs – a cost relating to producing a company’s goods or services. Example: Operating costs for marketing were incorporated into overall sales figures.
Payment – an amount of money paid. Example: Usually we ask for payment on receipt of the goods.
Receipt – the act or state of receiving money or goods. Example: Goods will be delivered on receipt of payment (= after the money is received).
Saving – the money that you keep in an account in a bank or similar financial organization. Example: She spent all his savings on an expensive car.
Tax – (an amount of) money paid to the government that is based on your income or the cost of goods or services you have bought. Example: A person’s gross income is the money they earn before tax is deducted from it.
Working capital – the money belonging to a company that is immediately available for business use, rather than money it has in investments or property. Example: Companies need large amounts of working capital in order to operate and grow.
Want to learn more words about advanced vocabulary? Check out my 200 Advanced English Vocabulary Course! This video course will grow your English vocabulary quickly.
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Sources:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pt/dicionario/ingles-portugues/
https://www.inglesonline.com.br/vocabulario-sobre-negocios-em-ingles/
https://www.teclasap.com.br/ingles-para-empreendedores/
https://www.sos.com.br/noticias/ingles/vocabulario-de-negocios-em-ingles-principais-expressoes
https://guiadoestrangeiro.com/as-expressoes-mais-usadas-no-ingles-de-negocios/
Until next time, Happy Learning!
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Jhessika Nascimento
Director of International Partnerships
Jhessika Nascimento is the Director of International Partnerships for Study With Andrea and lives in Brasilia, Brazil.
Jhessika is a bilingual teacher of English and Portuguese, studying for a Master's Degree in Strategic Management in Information Technologies at the Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana.
Graduation in Letters - Portuguese and English.
Postgraduate in Teaching in Higher Education.
Postgraduate in Risk Management and Cybersecurity.
Postgraduate Executive MBA in Process Management BPM-CBOK.
Postgraduate in Translation and Proofreading of Texts in English.
The following is a TOEFL Reading practice test to help you prepare for the Reading section of the TOEFL test.
Instructions: Read the sample passage below and then answer the questions that follow.
TOEFL Reading Practice Passage
Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forest of central Sub-Saharan Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas (both critically endangered), and either four or five subspecies. They are the largest living primates. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95 to 99% depending on what is included, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the chimpanzees and bonobos.
Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Sub-Saharan Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200 to 4,300 metres (7,200 to 14,100 ft). Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda.
(#1) Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking, although they sometimes walk upright for short distances, typically while carrying food or in defensive situations. (#2) A 2018 study investigating the hand posture of 77 mountain gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (8% of the population) found that knuckle walking was done only 60% of the time, and they also supported their weight on their fists, the backs of their hands/feet, and on their palms/soles (with the digits flexed). (#3) Studies of gorilla handedness have yielded varying results, with some arguing for no preference for either hand, and others right-hand dominance for the general population. (#4)
The eastern gorilla is more darkly colored than the western gorilla, with the mountain gorilla being the darkest of all. The mountain gorilla also has the thickest hair. The western lowland gorilla can be brown or grayish with a reddish forehead. In addition, gorillas that live in lowland forest are more slender and agile than the more bulky mountain gorillas. The eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla. Like humans, gorillas have individual fingerprints. Their eye color is dark brown, framed by a black ring around the iris. Gorilla facial structure is described as mandibular prognathism, that is, the mandible protrudes farther out than the maxilla. Adult males also have a prominent sagittal crest.
A gorilla's lifespan is normally between 35 and 40 years, although zoo gorillas may live for 50 years or more. Colo, a female western gorilla at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, was the oldest known gorilla at 60 years of age when she died on 17 January 2017.
Questions
1. According to the passage, gorillas can live in
a. a variety of altitudes.
b. several different countries in Africa.
c. thick forests.
d. lowland forests only.
2. All of the following is true about gorillas EXCEPT
a. they primarily eat smaller animals.
b. they live in a forest habitat.
c. their genetics are similar to humans.
d. their diet consists of vegetation.
3. Look at the word predominantly in paragraph 1. The word predominantly in this passage refers to
a. impulsively
b. unfortunately
c. mainly
d. lastly
4. Look at the word inhabits in paragraph 2. The word inhabits in this passage refers to
a. lives in
b. protects
c. goes
d. works
5. The author implies that
a. most gorillas prefer using their left hand over their right.
b. gorillas rarely walk on their knuckles.
c. gorillas regularly walk upright for long distances.
d. studies haven't solidly proven which hand gorillas prefer using.
6. Why does the writer mention that the eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla?
a. To validate the importance a broad chest in western gorillas
b. To define the meaning of "broad"
c. To highlight a physical difference between types of gorillas
d. To demonstrate that most gorillas are identical in physical build
7. Which of the following statements is true for BOTH eastern and western gorillas.
a. Both eastern and western gorrilas are brown with red foreheads.
b. Both eastern and western gorrilas have unique fingerprints.
c. Both eastern and western gorrilas have thin hair.
d. Both eastern and western gorrilas have light brown eyes.
8. In Paragraph 3, look at the four numbers (#1, #2, #3, #4) that indicate where the following sentence would be added to the passage.
Such a range of hand postures was previously thought to have been used by only orangutans.
Where would the sentence best fit?
(View all the correct answers below.)
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Answers: 1. d 2. a 3. c 4. a 5. d 6. c 7. b 8. #3
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About Andrea
Andrea Giordano is the founder of StudyWithAndrea.com and has taught more than 1,000,000 students from 180 countries. Andrea holds a Master of Education (TESOL) from Shenandoah University, and is the former Executive Director of TESOL and ESL programs at Campbellsville University. Andrea is a proven leader in online English teaching and is driven by her passion to help you speak English clearly.
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