Business Terminology and Financial Language

Posted on Aug 27, 2025 in Administration and Management

Business and Finance Terminology

Company Structure and Departments

  • Organisation: Subsidiary, Factory/Plant, Call Centre, Service Centre, Headquarters, Distribution Centre, Warehouse, Outlet.
  • Research & Development: Carry out research (R&D).
  • Customer Service: Deal with complaints.
  • Human Resources: Train staff.
  • Sales and Marketing: Run advertising campaigns.
  • Production: Operate assembly lines.
  • Finance: Keep records, manage finances.
  • Legal: Draw up contracts.
  • Public Relations: Issue press releases.
  • IT: Install and maintain systems and equipment.
  • Logistics: Transport goods and records.

Financial Concepts

  • Money: Equity stake, Shares, Debt.
  • Market Terms: Stock market, Recession.
  • Profitability: Profit margin, Pre-tax profits, Annual turnover.
  • Investment & Bankruptcy: Investment, Bankruptcy.

Market Performance Verbs

  • Increases: Gain, Increase, Recover, Improve, Rise, Jump, Soar.
  • Decreases: Decline, Drop, Plummet, Decrease.
  • Stability & Fluctuation: Level off, Fluctuate.
  • Multiples: Double, Triple, Halve.

Describing Changes

  • There is a very slight increase followed by a dramatic improvement.
  • The line increased steadily and then dropped suddenly.
  • There is a dramatic decrease and then it evens out.
  • This graph shows fluctuations and then it evens out.

Verbs of Change in Context

  • Demand for pilots has soared in recent years.
  • Sales are falling.
  • Profits improved in July.

Prepositions in Business Context

  • Quantifying Change: Profits rose 5% to 4 billion. The sales of Mac have gone up from 19 billion to 23 billion. Sales increased by 20% over the holiday period. This represents a decrease of 16% from the first quarter. Sales now stand at 7 million.

Numbers and Currency

  • Numbers: Thirty, Forty, Fifty, Seventy.
  • Currency Expressions: £3.15 (three pounds fifteen), $7.80 (seven dollars eighty), €250 (two hundred and fifty euros), 125 (one hundred and twenty-five).
  • Fractions and Decimals: 3 (three), 30 (thirty), 16.5 (sixteen point five), 2/3 (two thirds).

Modal Verbs

  • Possibility/Ability: Can (possibility), Could (past ability).
  • Future Possibility: May (possible future), Might (possible present or future).
  • Future Certainty: Will (future).
  • Obligation/Advice: Should (obligation, recommendation), Must (necessity).
  • Lack of Obligation: Don’t have to.
  • Prohibition: Mustn’t (prohibition, strong advice against).
  • Preference: Would (preference – e.g., “I would like a coffee.”).

Prepositions of Place and Movement

  • At: Hours (at home, at work, at school, at university, at college), Specific locations (at the top, at the bottom, at the side, at reception).
  • In: Vehicles (in a car, in a taxi, in a helicopter, in a boat, in a lift), General spaces (in the newspaper, in the sky, in a row).
  • On: Transport (on a bus, on a train, on a plane, on a bicycle), Media/Direction (on television, on the right, on the way).
  • Movement: Up (upwards), Down (downwards), Into (inside), Out of (outside), Under (below), To (towards).
  • By: For deadlines (by Monday), For means of transport (by bus, by train).
  • Beyond: Further than.

Specific Preposition Usage

  • On: Used for days (On Monday, On Tuesday, etc.).
  • At: Used for times (at 3 o’clock).
  • In: Used for months, seasons, years, and parts of the day (in January, in summer, in 2023, in the morning).