1
BUSINESS ENGLISH
LEARNING TARGETS
1. the ability to speak English correctly and fluently
2. the ability to write English correctly
3. the ability to understand spoken English
4. the ability to read and analyse English texts
5. the ability to analyse English sentences correctly
6. the ability to use monolingual dictionaries and grammars
7. the ability to translate from German to English and vice versa
UNIT 1
USING DICTIONARIES
Consider the following article from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary:
economy noun (plural economies)
1 (often the economy) [C] the relationship between production, trade and the supply of money in a
particular country or region:
The economy is in recession. • the world economy • a market economy (= one in which the price is
fixed according to both cost and demand)
2 [C] a country, when you are thinking about its economic system:
Ireland was one of the fastest-growing economies in Western Europe in the 1990s.
3 [C,U] the use of the time, money, etc. that is available in a way that avoids waste:
We need to make substantial economies. • It's a false economy to buy cheap clothes (= it seems
cheaper but it is not really since they do not last very long). • She writes with a great economy of
words (= using only the necessary words). • (BrE) We're on an economy drive at home. (= trying to
avoid waste and spend as little money as possible) • Buy the large economy pack! (= the one that
gives you better value for money) • to fly economy (class) (= by the cheapest class of air travel) • an
economy fare (= the cheapest)
Questions:
1. What is the main difference between bilingual and monolingual dictionaries?
2. Why do German students make so many mistakes when they try to write English texts with
the aid of a bilingual dictionary?
3. The headword of the article economy is followed by noun. Why is this information important?
4. Explain the abbreviations [C] and [U]. Why do you need to know what these abbreviations
mean?
5. What abbreviation(s) would you put after information, knowledge, advice, inflation and
innovation?
6. Why do German students often use these words incorrectly?
7. How would you describe word combinations such as world economy and market economy?
8. How would you describe word combinations like make economies and substantial economies?
9. Why are word combinations like substantial economies important for the language learner?
10. What are the German equivalents of We need to make substantial economies and It's a false
economy to buy cheap clothes?
11. Examine the sentence We need to make substantial economies. How could you construct new
sentences with the aid of this example?
Consider the following example sentences:
1. North Korea’s economy is in poor shape.
2. In 1993 the Japanese economy was in bad shape.
3. Most people thought the economy was in fairly good shape.
BUSINESS ENGLISH
LEARNING TARGETS
1. the ability to speak English correctly and fluently
2. the ability to write English correctly
3. the ability to understand spoken English
4. the ability to read and analyse English texts
5. the ability to analyse English sentences correctly
6. the ability to use monolingual dictionaries and grammars
7. the ability to translate from German to English and vice versa
UNIT 1
USING DICTIONARIES
Consider the following article from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary:
economy noun (plural economies)
1 (often the economy) [C] the relationship between production, trade and the supply of money in a
particular country or region:
The economy is in recession. • the world economy • a market economy (= one in which the price is
fixed according to both cost and demand)
2 [C] a country, when you are thinking about its economic system:
Ireland was one of the fastest-growing economies in Western Europe in the 1990s.
3 [C,U] the use of the time, money, etc. that is available in a way that avoids waste:
We need to make substantial economies. • It's a false economy to buy cheap clothes (= it seems
cheaper but it is not really since they do not last very long). • She writes with a great economy of
words (= using only the necessary words). • (BrE) We're on an economy drive at home. (= trying to
avoid waste and spend as little money as possible) • Buy the large economy pack! (= the one that
gives you better value for money) • to fly economy (class) (= by the cheapest class of air travel) • an
economy fare (= the cheapest)
Questions:
1. What is the main difference between bilingual and monolingual dictionaries?
2. Why do German students make so many mistakes when they try to write English texts with
the aid of a bilingual dictionary?
3. The headword of the article economy is followed by noun. Why is this information important?
4. Explain the abbreviations [C] and [U]. Why do you need to know what these abbreviations
mean?
5. What abbreviation(s) would you put after information, knowledge, advice, inflation and
innovation?
6. Why do German students often use these words incorrectly?
7. How would you describe word combinations such as world economy and market economy?
8. How would you describe word combinations like make economies and substantial economies?
9. Why are word combinations like substantial economies important for the language learner?
10. What are the German equivalents of We need to make substantial economies and It's a false
economy to buy cheap clothes?
11. Examine the sentence We need to make substantial economies. How could you construct new
sentences with the aid of this example?
Consider the following example sentences:
1. North Korea’s economy is in poor shape.
2. In 1993 the Japanese economy was in bad shape.
3. Most people thought the economy was in fairly good shape.
