Money Doesn't Grow on Trees!: English Vocabulary List

a formal inspection of a business's financial records to see if they are correct and accurate or not

"The firm's finances undergo a rigorous external audit every year."

"An energy audit is a professional inspection and analysis of energy flows in a building to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce consumption and cost."

a situation in which a person or business is unable to pay due debts

"Filing for bankruptcy gave the overwhelmed company a chance to reorganize."

"After years of debt, the small business finally filed for bankruptcy."

to demand a lower price than one's rivals

"They undercut the price."

"The new company tried to undercut its competitors by offering significantly lower prices for similar products."

the funds and resources that a country or organization controls

"The treasury held the kingdom's gold."

"The national treasury is responsible for managing the country's money and financial resources."

the illegal acts done to pay less tax than what is owed or to avoid paying taxes altogether

"He committed tax evasion."

"The wealthy businessman was charged with tax evasion for hiding millions in offshore accounts."

the system by which a government collects money from citizens and businesses to fund public services

"Taxation funds public services."

"The debate focused on whether the current system of taxation was fair and adequately funding essential public services."

a tax paid on goods imported or exported

"The tariff raised prices on imported goods"

"The new tariff on imported steel raised prices for domestic car manufacturers significantly."

an amount of money that a government or organization pays to lower the costs of producing goods or providing services so that prices do not increase

"The government increased the farming subsidy recently"

"The government removed the fuel subsidy causing gasoline prices to rise dramatically overnight."

an economic situation with persistent high inflation and a high unemployment rate

"The 1970s saw a period of stagflation."

"Stagflation is a serious economic problem combining high inflation and high unemployment."

the funds that are set aside for unforeseen expenses that may arise in the future

"Set aside contingency funds."

"The project budget included a significant contingency fund to cover unexpected costs that might arise during construction."

a digital or virtual form of currency secured by cryptography

"Bitcoin is a popular cryptocurrency."

"Cryptocurrency utilizes advanced cryptographic techniques to ensure secure and decentralized digital transactions."

relating to government revenue or public money, especially taxes

"Fiscal year ends soon."

"The fiscal year ends in March and the accounting department is busy preparing reports."

the irregular or unpredictable variation in something over time, characterized by alternating changes

"Stock prices show fluctuation."

"The stock market experienced significant fluctuation yesterday due to unexpected economic news and investor uncertainty."

financial assets in the form of money or able to be easily converted into money

"The company has strong liquidity."

"High liquidity means the company has enough cash to pay its bills on time."

the theory or policy of controlling the amount of money in circulation as the preferred method of stabilizing the economy

"Monetarism focuses on controlling the money supply."

"Monetarism theory emphasizes the role of money supply in controlling inflation."

a deficit in a bank account caused by withdrawing more money than is available

"The account had an overdraft."

"He was surprised to find an overdraft fee on his statement after accidentally spending more than he had."

(economics) an unprocessed material that can be traded in different exchanges or marketplaces

"The commodity is valuable"

"The commodity prices increased sharply due to global supply chain disruptions and demand changes"

a corporation formed by merging different firms or businesses

"The media conglomerate owns TV stations and newspapers worldwide."

"The large conglomerate was formed by merging several smaller companies in the technology sector."

the owner of a property or business

"The proprietor closed the store early."

"The shop proprietor greeted customers with a smile every morning."

a business company controlled or owned by a holding or parent company

"The subsidiary company is based in London."

"The company subsidiary operates in many countries around the world."

a business activity that is mostly very risky

"The venture succeeded well"

"The venture succeeded well after months of careful planning and strategic business partnerships"

a skilled craftsperson who creates objects partly or entirely by hand

"Skilled local artisan."

"The skilled artisan worked for many hours to create the handmade furniture with great care."

related to a line of work that requires large groups of workers to be able to function

"Weaving is labor-intensive."

"The construction of the ancient pyramids was an incredibly labor-intensive undertaking, requiring thousands of workers."

(of work) not requiring special skills, often considered unimportant and poorly paid

"He does menial work."

"The menial tasks like cleaning and filing were assigned to the interns while the managers worked on more important projects."

requiring a lot of effort and time

"The work is painstaking."

"The artist did painstaking work on the portrait and she spent over one hundred hours painting every single detail of the face."

a paid leave from work, often taken every seven years, for study or personal growth

"The professor took a sabbatical to write a book."

"The professor decided to take a sabbatical to write a new book next year."

demanding or requiring a considerable amount of effort and energy to deal with

"The work is taxing."

"The final exam was very taxing for the students because it covered six months of material and required intense concentration."

boring and repetitive, often causing frustration or weariness due to a lack of variety or interest

"The job is tedious."

"The data entry job was extremely tedious because he had to type the same numbers into the computer for eight hours every day."

very small

"The detail is minute."

"The minute details of the painting were invisible to the naked eye so the museum provided magnifying glasses for the visitors to use."

extremely busy and chaotic

"My schedule is hectic."

"Her schedule was so hectic that she barely had time to eat lunch between meetings and appointments all day long."

the total amount of money a person or business has for spending or investing

"The project needs a bankroll."

"The venture capitalist provided the entire bankroll needed to launch the innovative startup company."

a digital code or a printed piece of paper that can be used instead of money when making a purchase or used to receive a discount

"She used a voucher to get twenty percent off."

"He received a voucher for twenty percent off his next purchase as compensation for the delayed delivery."

a loan guarantee that may be taken away if the loan is not repaid

"The car is collateral."

"The bank required him to pledge his valuable artwork as collateral for the substantial business loan he requested."

a time of little economic activity and high unemployment, which lasts for a long time

"The Great Depression was bad."

"The prolonged economic depression caused widespread hardship and social unrest."

the value of an asset after deducting all claims, debts, or liens against it

"She has equity in the house after ten years of payments."

"Equity represents the value of an ownership interest in an asset after all debts are subtracted"

the obvious meaning or worth of something, without looking deeper

"It's face value."

"You shouldn't always accept things at their face value without further investigation."

a payment or concession to encourage someone to do something specific

"The bonus served as a strong incentive"

"Tax incentives encouraged businesses to invest in renewable energy and reduce their carbon emissions."

to estimate how much money something will cost

"Can you quote this?"

"The contractor agreed to quote a price for the renovation project within the next few days."

an amount of money paid regularly to the shareholders of a company

"Get your dividend."

"The company announced a generous dividend payment to its loyal shareholders this fiscal year."

a written record summarizing the proceedings and decisions made

"Read the minute."

"The secretary carefully recorded the minute of the board meeting, detailing all resolutions and action items."