Business English: Key Terms, Phrases, and Grammar
Essential Business English Vocabulary
Aim: Objective
Advice: Counsel
Affordable: You can afford it
Baggage: Luggage
Behalf: In the name of
Belief: Belief
Brakes on: It can put the brakes on growth
Bill: Account
Brakes: Group together
Budget: Budget
Bed-night: Motel
Casual labor: Unskilled labor
CEO (Chief Executive Officer): Executive Director
Corporate client: Corporate client
Custom: Custom
Consultant: Assistant
Cost-cutting: Cost reduction
Decline: Decrease
Demanding: Demanding situation
Digress: Deviate from the subject
Display: Expose
Efficient manners: Correct manners
Enroll: Register
Entrance fee: Entry fee
Fair: Just
Fare: Price
Fee: Fee
Feedback: Comment
Foot the bill: Pay the bill
Gesture of goodwill: Gesture of goodwill
Greet: Greet someone
Gratuity: Tip
Grow a business: Create a business
Have greeted: Welcomed with open arms
Hesitate: Doubt
High spender: Person who spends a lot
Leaflet: Pamphlet
Outbound: Unbound
On the house: From the house
On a shoestring: With what you’re wearing
On the horizon: They can be seen from afar
Overcharges: Overpay
Package: Package (bundle)
Pay back: Refund
Prompts: To point
Put the brakes on/going through the roof: They have become very high
Reach: Reach
Reward: Reward
Refurbishment: Renovation
Rewarding: Rewarding
Receipt: Receipt
Run out of: Run out of something
Staff retention: Staff retention
Stocked: Stored
Shoestring: Shoelace
Show your care: Show that we care
Surgery: Surgery
Sort out: Solve
Sum: Sum
Tip: Tip
Well-groomed: Well-groomed
Team-building: Team building
Refund: Refund
Rush: In a hurry
Roof: Roof
Upgrade: Upgrade
Quantifiers
Much: Uncountable
Many: Countable
Some: Some (+)
Any: Any (none / some? or -)
A lot of: A lot + noun
A lot: Adverb
Phrasal Verbs
Cut off: Prevent someone from finishing
Get back: Return
Get through: I’m going to put you through
Hang up: Hang up
Hold on: Wait
Look into: Investigate
Pass on: Give/pass
Sort out: Solve
Run out: Run out
Put you through: I’m going to put you through to someone
Gerunds (Past Actions)
Verbs followed by a gerund:
Admit, advise, allow, anticipate, appreciate, avoid, begin, can’t bear, can’t help, can’t see, can’t stand, cease, complete, consider, continue, defend, delay, deny, despise, discuss, dislike, don’t mind, dread, encourage, enjoy, finish, forget, hate, imagine, involve, keep, like, love, mention, mind, miss, need, neglect, permit, postpone, practice, prefer, propose, quit, recall, recollect, recommend, regret, remember, report, require, resent, resist, risk, start, stop, suggest, tolerate, try, understand, urge.
Infinitives (Future Actions)
Verbs followed by an infinitive:
Agree, appear, arrange, ask, begin, can’t bear, can’t stand, care, cease, choose, claim, continue, decide, demand, deserve, dread, expect, fail, forget, get, happen, hate, hesitate, hope, intend, learn, like, love, manage, need, neglect, offer, plan, prefer, prepare, pretend, promise, propose, refuse, regret, remember, seem, start, swear, tend, threaten, try, vow, wait, want, wish, would like (wish/want), yearn.
Passive Voice
- Present Simple: am, is, are + past participle
- Present Continuous: am, are, is + being + past participle
- Past Simple: was/were + past participle
- Past Continuous: was/were + being + past participle
- Present Perfect: have/has been + past participle
- Past Perfect: had been + past participle
- Future (will): will be + past participle
- Future (going to): am, are, is going to be + past participle
- Future Perfect: will have been + past participle
Conditionals
- Second Conditional: Past Simple + would (infinitive)
- Third Conditional: Past Perfect (had + past participle) + would have + past participle
Conversation Phrases
- Hello, Esther Travel, Esther speaking. How can I help you?
- I’d like to speak to Mr. Cas, please.
- Could you tell me your name, please?
- Tike. I’m calling about a booking I made recently.
- Fine, can you give me the reference number, please?
- Hello, Esther speaking. How can I help you?
- I’d like to speak to the Chief Operations Officer, please.
- Yes, who is calling?
- Lolo.
- I’m putting you through.
- Good morning, my name is X.
- Oh right, well, I’ll look into it straightaway and see if the room has been cleaned.
- I’m sorry, she’s in a meeting at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?
- Okay, I’ll pass on your message and make sure she gets back to you as soon as the meeting’s finished.