Which word?

Ensure vs. Insure

To ensure that something will be done means to make it certain to happen: When amending the contract, the lawyer ensured that her client received a better deal. To insure someone or something means to protect the person or object against risk by regularly paying an insurance company a sum of money. In the event the person is injured or killed or the object is damaged or lost, the insurance company will then pay out a sum of money to cover the injury or loss: The company was insured against accidents in the workplace. There is considerable overlap between the meaning and use of insure and ensure. In both British and US English the primary meaning of insure is the commercial sense of providing financial compensation in the event of damage to property; ensure is not used at all in this sense. For the more general senses, ensure is more likely to be used, but insure and ensure are often interchangeable, particularly in US English: Bail is posted to insure that the defendant appears for trial. The system is run to ensure that a good quality of service is maintained.

b) Revise the meaning of some derivatives of “SURE”.

• sure [∫O:] / [∫u^ər] – вірний, безпомилковий; надійний; безпечний; безперечний, певний; упевнений;

• assure [ə`∫O:] / [ə`∫u^ər] – запевняти; забезпечувати, гарантувати; страхувати (переважно життя);

• ensure [ın`∫O:] / [ın`∫u^ər] – забезпечувати, гарантувати, (по)ручатися; страхувати;

• insure [ın`∫uə] / [ın`∫u^ər] – страхувати(ся); застраховувати(ся); забезпечувати;

• reassure [ֽri:ə`∫O:] / [ֽri:ə`∫u^ər] – відновлювати довіру; заспокоювати; запевняти, переконувати; підбадьорювати; перестраховувати;

• unsure [ֽAn`∫uə] / [ֽAn`∫u^ər] – ненадійний; небезпечний; невизначений; невпевнений; такий, що вагається;

c) Translate into Ukrainian paying special attention to the words in italics.

1. Are you sure these figures are right? 2. No one is really sure why he resigned. 3. The increase in new home sales is a sure sign the recession is over. 4. What is sure is that learning is a complex business. 5. It is impossible to be sure about the value of land. 6. There’s not much more I can say to assure you. 7. She assured me of her support. 8. They assured us that they would not be late. 9. The excellent reviews given to the film have assured its success. 10. “Are you sure the raft is safe?” she asked anxiously. “Couldn’t be safer,” Max assured her confidently. 11. The client must ensure that accurate records are kept. 12. Government must ensure fair and open competition in business. 13. Ensure that it is written into your contract. 14. Our new system ensures that everyone gets paid on time. 15. The company insured itself against a fall of the dollar. 16. Businesses can insure against exchange rate fluctuations. 17. Have you insured the car? 18. He understood her feelings and tried to reassure her. 19. She just reassured me that everything was fine. 20. She was feeling nervous, unsure of herself. 21. I was unsure how to reply. 22. Fifty-two per cent were unsure about the idea. 23. The date is unsure. 24. I am unsure whether I’ll be able to come. 25. If you’re unsure, ask the customer to spell their name.

Task 12. Define which part of speech are the italicized words.

1. Work plays a major part in most people’s lives.

2. People of all sorts work in business.

3. The terms businessman and businesswoman refer to a wide range of individuals, from the rich and famous to small company owners.

4. The term describes the combination of traditionally administrative personnel functions with performance, employee relations and resource planning.

5. The objective of human resources is to maximize the return on investment from the organization’s human capital and minimize financial risk.

6. Thus, “Human Resources” means people, plus the skills and experience they bring to an organization.

7. HRD works to ensure that the right people are available to meet the company’s needs.

Task 13. a) Complete all the phrases below with one word.

1. to _____ freelance for several employers;

2. _____ plays a major part in our lives;

3. various people _____ in business;

4. they _____ for themselves;

b) Revise the following prepositional phrases:

to work as a teacher	працювати вчителем;
to work in a company	працювати в компанії;
to work for a large firm	працювати у великій фірмі;
to work for a farmer	працювати у фермера;
to work with partners	(спів)працювати з партнерами;
to work closely with one’s colleagues	працювати пліч-опліч з колегами;
to work side by side with smb.	тісно співпрацювати (з кимось);
to work on (a design, etc.)	працювати над (дизайном і т.д.);
to work at English (German, Italian etc.)	працювати над англійською мовою (німецькою, іспанською і т.д.);
to work under sb.	працювати під чиїмось керівництвом;
to work to a man called ...	працювати на людину на ім’я ... (яку звати ...);
to work to a university degree	працювати (навчатися) над отриман-ням університетського ступеня
to work towards a mutual solution	працювати над розробкою взаємовигідного рішення.

c) Use the above phrases in the sentences of your own.

Task 14. a) In the text “Human Resources” (Task 6) find antonyms of the following words.

1. minor;	3. biased;	5. unknown;	7. uncommon;	9. uneffective; unproductive;
2. illegal;	4. the poor;	6. unrelated;	8. to minimize;	10. irregular; inconstant.

b) In the text “Human Resources” (Task 6) find synonyms of the following words.

1. aim; 2. gain; 3. staff; 4. react; 5. reach;

6. kinds; 7. reject; 8. satisfy; 9. reflects; 10. persons;

11. wealthy; 12. quantity; 13. division; 14. ongoing; 15. precious;

16. pointless; 17. tendency; 18. dismissal; 19. questions; 20. originates;

21. highlights; 22. prominent; 23. discussion; 24. employing; 25. productivity;

Task 15. a) Match the terms in column A with their definitions in column B.

A

B

freelance recruitment staff appraisal part-time worker staff development fixed-term contract

a contract, the duration of which is agreed in advance between the employer and the employee; a worker who is not employed by one organization, but is paid for each piece of work he / she does by the organization he / she does it for; a periodical advisory and support discus-sion between staff members and management, which also reaches agreements about objectives and the achievement of targets, which are then incorporated in target agreements; the act or the process of finding new people to join a company or an organization; a person who works only part of the day or week during which people normally work; development of skills and abilities (through activities, programmes, and events) to maximise potential and increase productivity; includes identifying, implementing, and evaluating available training and learning needs and programmes;

b) Translate into Ukrainian paying special attention to the words in italics.

1. Michael Cross is a freelance journalist. 2. Jill was starting to get some freelance writing jobs from trade magazines. 3. She had a baby and decided to go freelance. 4. I work freelance from home. 5. I work as a freelance for magazines and newspapers, write books and teach journalism at university. 6. Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a job at an organization or firm. 7. As a manager or leader you will no doubt have responsibility for undertaking staff appraisals. 8. Participation in staff appraisal is a contractual requirement for all staff. 9. The systematic analysis of teachers’ needs in relation to professional personal development is becoming widespread as staff appraisal and career review become more structured. 10. Workers are considered to be part-time if they commonly work fewer than 30 or 35 hours per week. 11. According to the International Labour Organization, the number of part-time workers has increased from one-fourth to a half in the past 20 years in most developed countries, excluding the United States. 12. There are many reasons for working part-time, including the desire to do so, having one’s hours cut back by an employer and being unable to find a full-time job. 13. For any employer, employing part-time workers can be an efficient way to keep costs down in areas where you don’t need full-time cover. 14. Most staff developers would agree that the goal of staff development is change in individuals’ knowledge, understanding, behaviors, skills – and in values and beliefs. 15. There may be times when it’s best for your business to take on somebody on a fixed-term contract. 16. Fixed-term contracts give you the advantage of bringing in specific skills and labour as and when they are needed.

Task 16. a) Reveal the meaning the words in bold from the following example sentences.