Business

Unit 1: Introduction to Business English

Listening 20 min Article Advanced

Vocabulary - Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Remote Working

Grammar - Phrasal Verbs

The Business Essentials Program has been created by specialized teachers to help Intermediate and Advanced levels to develop their business communication skills.

Whether you are an employee, a CEO, a freelancer or just starting your first job, having Business English skills under your belt will always make you stand out from the rest and open up new and exciting opportunities!

You will begin this first unit by reviewing useful Marketing, Finance, and Human Resource vocabulary. Put what you have learned into practice by doing the activities.

After this review please go to Section 1 to learn some very useful tips for working remotely and how to be as productive as possible working from home. Not only are these tips extremely handy given the current situation, but you will also start to become familiar with common phrasal verbs such as “to fall behind” and “to keep track”.

Finally, in Section 2, you have a video lesson in which you will learn 10 essential phrasal verbs that you can impress your colleagues with at work. Learn how to use phrasal verbs such as “to push (something) back”, “to call off”, “to work (something) out”, plus many more. You will be able to participate and check to see how much you can remember by taking the quiz at the end.

Throughout all the lessons you will hear a range of different accents and be able to familiarise yourself with the pronunciations of keywords.

Let’s begin!

Review the vocabulary and complete the activities.

Marketing vocabulary review

Marketing is an area that really benefits from using the right language. Using the right vocabulary in Marketing can help you communicate ideas to your chosen audience.

The brand is known for usually local ingredients.
The new campaign aims to reach a target audience of consumers 45 years old and younger.
Some of ABA’s main key words are “learn English from home”.
The learnings provided from analytics allowed us to improve our product.
It’s important to have a strong social media presence in order to connect with your customers.
According to economic forecasting, we will not reach our yearly sales goal.
SEO is essential if your company wants to succeed on the internet.
People are becoming more aware of clickbait, which may cost news agencies.
Students have strong engagement with content that interest them.
I see a lot of exercise content on my feed due to native advertising.
At the bottom of the website, there is a call-to-action inviting users to leave a review.

Exercise

Fill in the correct definition using the vocabulary from the examples above. ⇩

Finance vocabulary review

Finance vocabulary can be very specific, so here is some useful vocabulary that can help you express yourself when talking about finances.

Finance Vocabulary

I have to pay the interest on my loan.
If I choose to buy this house it would be a big investment.
It is important that we do not spend more than the budget allows.
The business has made a 50% profit.
Shop owners have lost $20,000 in revenue since January.
The tourism sector is in recession after the hurricane.
We borrowed money from the bank and now we are in debt.
I used my house as collateral for a loan, so that I can pay for my son’s university.
The company reported total assets worth $1.9 million.
70% of the money we make comes from trade with America.

Exercise

Fill in the correct definition using the vocabulary from the examples above. ⇩

Human Resources vocabulary review

HR exists in order to make sure that employers are finding the right people for the jobs and also so that workers are being treated fairly. If you work for a company or own your own business, HR vocab is incredibly useful.

Human Resources Vocabulary

You need to understand safety standards in the workplace.
My team won’t listen to me, so I think I should try to improve my leadership skills.
I am interviewing candidates for the management role this afternoon.
You have worked with many important companies, so you must have excellent business credentials.
She hired a lawyer because she believes that she was a victim or discrimination.
I am a freelance writer for different newspapers and magazines.
I resigned from my last position because I was not being paid fairly.
We must ensure that all our employees understand their roles.
Andrew has very strong negotiation skills.
Reports of harassment have led to two members of the team being fired.