Wordlist

headword

pronunciation

translation/notes

example sentence

business (n)

\"bIzn´s\

business communication/

\"bIzn´s

The object of modern business communication is to be fast and efficient.

correspondence (n)

k´Æmju…nIÆkeISn\

ÆkÅrIÆspÅnd´ns\

businesslike (adj)

\"bIzn´sÆlaIk\

Your e-mails should sound businesslike and efficient.

button (n)

\"bøtn\

at the touch of a button

\´t D´ ÆtøtS ´v ´

One of the dangers of e-mail is that the reader can send your message to

"bøtn\

hundreds of other people at the touch of a button.

hit a button

\ÆhIt ´ "bøtn\

It’s easy to write an e-mail – you type it onto a computer screen, hit a button and

off it goes.

confidential (adj)

\ÆkÅnfI"denSl\

E-mails are not as confidential and secure as most people think, so be careful what

you write.

contact (n)

\"kÅntœkt\

keep in contact

\Æki…p In "kÅntœkt\

E-mail is an efficient and easy way for people to keep in contact.

cramped (adj)

\krœmpt\

I don’t like messages with no spaces between paragraphs – they look so cramped

(opposite = spaced out)

and, after all, space isn’t a problem.

CV (n)

\Æsi…"vi…\

Please find my CV as an attached file.

disclaimer (n)

\dIs"kleIm´\

A disclaimer is a written paragraph at the end of an e-mail stating that a company

does not take responsibility for things such as viruses etc.

disorganised (adj)

\dIs"O…g´naIzd\

A lot of e-mails seem disorganised and this only adds to the stress of people’s jobs.

(opposite = organised)

e-mail (n)

\"i…ÆmeIl\

external/internal e-mail

\ekÆst‰…nl\InÆt‰…nl

Do you think it is a good idea for companies to ban internal e-mail?

"i…ÆmeIl\

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headword

pronunciation

translation/notes

example sentence

error (n)

\"er´\

spelling/typing etc error

\"spelIN\"taIpIN Æer´\

E-mail messages are often full of spelling and typing errors.

experience (n)

\Ik"spI´rI´ns\

have sufficient experience

\hœv s´ÆfISnt

I am afraid that you do not have the necessary qualifications or sufficient

Ik"spI´rI´ns\

experience.

file (n)

\faIl\

on file

\Ån "faIl\

Remember that an offensive e-mail can stay on file for years.

font (n)

\fÅnt\

A font is the style of printed letters as they appear on a page, e.g. Times Roman.

further to

\"f‰…D´ Ætu…\

Further to our previous correspondence, please find the attached document with

information about my referees.

inappropriate (adj)

\ÆIn´"pr´UprI´t\

Writers often use a cheerful, informal tone that is inappropriate in a business e-mail.

(opposite = appropriate)

information (n)

\ÆInf´"meISn\

process information

\Æpr´Uses

When you write an e-mail, think about ways to help the reader process

ÆInf´"meISn\

information as quickly as possible.

internal (adj)

\In"t‰…nl\

internal communication (n)

\InÆt‰…nl

Nowadays most companies use e-mail for their internal communication needs.

k´Æmju…nI"keISn\

internal e-mail (n)

\InÆt‰…nl "i…ÆmeIl\

One American company banned internal e-mail in favour of face-to-face

(opposite = external

communication.

e-mail)

line break (n)

\"laIn ÆbreIk\

Space is not limited in an e-mail so use extra line breaks to separate text into

paragraphs.

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headword

pronunciation

translation/notes

example sentence

reference (n)

\"refr´ns\

provide an up-to-date

\pr´ÆvaId ´n

Please let me have the names and addresses of two people who can provide an

reference for sb

Æøpt´ÆdeIt "refr´ns f´

up-to-date reference for you.

Æsømb´dI\

reflect (v)

\rI"flekt\

reflect badly on

\rIÆflekt "bœdlI Ån\

It’s easy for a reader to re-distribute e-mails that reflect badly on the writer and

(opposite = reflect well on)

the company represented.

with regard to …

\wID rI"gA…d tu…\

With regard to your request for work, I regret that I am unable to consider your

application.

Regarding …

\rI"gA…dIN\

Regarding our previous correspondence, please find my CV as an attached

document.

regret (v)

\rI"gret\

I regret to say that …

\aI rIÆgret t´ "seI D´t\

I regret to say that I am unable to consider your application.

sales rep (n)

\"seIlz Ærep\

Sales rep is an informal way of saying or writing “sales representative”.

security measure (n)

\sI"kjU´r´tI ÆmeZ´\

A disclaimer at the end of an e-mail is a security measure that companies use to

say that they do not take responsibility for something.

sentence (n)

\"sent´ns\

Aim for short, simple sentences in your e-mails.

size (n)

\saIz\

Use a standard font in a size which is not too small and not too big.

skill (n)

\skIl\

Typing is one of the most useful skills you can have in business.

space (out) (v)

\ÆspeIs “"aUt‘\

Space out the text – you’re not wasting paper!

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headword

pronunciation

translation/notes

example sentence

step (n)

\step\

take the (unusual) step

\ÆteIk Di… ønÆju…ZU´l

One American multinational recently took the unusual step of banning internal e-mail.

of doing sth

Æstep ´v Ædu…IN

ÆsømTIN\

stock (n)

\stÅk\

in stock

\ÆIn "stÅk\

We only have one or two of that model in stock so let me know as soon as

possible if you’re interested.

supply (v)

\s´"plaI\

supply sb with sth

\s´ÆplaI sømb´di

Please supply me with the names of two referees.

wID "sømTIN\

text (n)

\tekst\

Remember to separate your text into paragraphs.

VAT (n)

\Ævi…eI"ti…\

including/

\INÆklu…dIN\ÆnÅt

The price of the new XTR3 is €1,355, not including VAT.

not including VAT

INÆklu…dIN Ævi…eI"ti…\

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headword

pronunciation

translation/notes

example sentence

chain (n)

\tSeIn\

Fashion group, Inditex, owns six different clothing chains.

decline (n)

\dI"klaIn\

The decline in interest rates has made borrowing easier.

decline in

demand (n)

\dI"mA…nd\

As demand has grown for the worms, we’ve tried feeding them using other food

sources.

double (v)

\"døbl\

Next year we hope to double production from ten to twenty tons of worms.

ecological (adj)

\Æi…k´"lÅdZIkl\

The worms recycle the waste, meaning that the business is also ecological.

economic growth (n)

\Æi…k´ÆnÅmIk "gr´UT;

Economic growth is slow in times of war.

Æek´ÆnÅmIk "gr´UT\

fall (v)

\fO…l\

The value of stocks and shares has fallen dramatically in recent times.

(opposite = rise)

flexibility (n)

\Æfleks´"bIl´tI\

Our ability to adapt to new situations – our flexibility — has been a key factor in

(opposite = inflexibility)

our success.

go down (phr v)

\Æg´U "daUn\

Unemployment figures went down last month.

(opposite = go up)

go up (phr v)

\Æg´U "øp\

The average price of a house in London has gone up by almost 25%.

(opposite = go down)

group (n)

\gru…p\

Inditex is one of the world’s largest fashion groups.

grow (v)

\gr´U\

It’s been a tremendous success story – the group has grown enormously.

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headword

pronunciation

translation/notes

example sentence

headquarters (n pl)

\Æhed"kwO…t´z\

Inditex’s activities are controlled from La Coruña, where the group recently moved

into new headquarters.

house prices (n pl)

\"haUs ÆpraIs´z\

House prices in Britain are higher than in many other countries in Europe.

increase (v)

\In"kri…s\

Inflation has steadily been increasing over the past twelve months.

(opposite = decrease)

innovation (n)

\ÆIn´U"veISn\

Innovation – the ability to use new and original ideas – is vital in today’s business

world.

interest rates (n pl)

\"Intr´st ÆreIts\

The decline in interest rates has made borrowing money easier.

level (n)

\"levl\

This year net revenues reached a level of $3,249 million.

reach a level

management

\"mœnIdZm´nt\

Inditex’s unique management methods are based on flexibility and innovation.

management method (n)

operate (v)

\"Åp´ÆreIt\

The group now operates in 39 countries.

production (n)

\pr´"døkSn\

We’re hoping to double production next year to 20 tons.

rate of inflation (n)

\ÆreIt ´v In"fleISn\

What’s the rate of inflation in your country?

risk (n)

\rIsk\

The investment was too big and I didn’t want to take a risk.

take a risk

stable (adj)

\"steIbl\

Economists predict that interest rates will remain stable over the next twelve

remain stable

months.

(opposite = unstable)

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headword

pronunciation

translation/notes

example sentence

staff (n)

\stA…f\

The higher the number of staff, the higher your wage bills.

number of staff

start-up costs (n pl)

\"stA…tøp ÆkÅsts\

“Why did you decide to set up a worm farm?” “The start-up costs were relatively

low.”

taxes (n pl)

\"tœksIz\

Taxes in Canada are much higher but the standard of their public services is much

better.

unemployment (n)

\ÆønIm"plOIm´nt\

Unemployment went down last month to 2.7% of the population.

work (n)

\w‰…k\

Several members of staff have been made redundant yet the amount of work has

amount of work

doubled!

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