in company Upper-intermediate

Case study: Head to head

headword pronunciation translation/notes example sentence
accounts (n pl)
accounts payable/receivable
/'kants/
/kants 'pebl/r'sivbl/
If you compare the accounts payable and
accounts receivable columns you can see
immediately that the company is in trouble!
accuse (v)
/'kjuz/
Her employers accused her of theft!
afloat (adv)
"eep sth afloat
/'flt/
/kip sm
'flt/
#$ million is needed to keep the institution
afloat!
allegation (n)
/lgen/
%he denied the allegations of fraud and
corruption!
analysis (n)
in the final analysis
/nlss/
/n ! fanl nlss/
In the final analysis it is up to the students to
decide!
anonymous (ad&)
/n"nms/
'he bomb threat was made by an anonymous
caller!
asset (n)
/'set/
'he business has assets totallin( #)!$ million!
asset-stripping (n)
/setstrp/
He has made a fortune by asset-stripping. If we
sell the company to him we will let the wor"force
down!
attractiveness (n)
/trktvns/
In spite of the attractiveness of the offer we
decided not to sell the property!
attribute (v)
/trbjut/
Her teachers attributed her learnin( difficulties to
emotional problems!
bleak (ad&)
/blik/
'extile wor"ers face a bleak future!
bluff (v)
/blf/
'hey said they*d had another offer but we "new
they were &ust bluffing!
bomb (n)
drop a bomb
/b"m/
/#r"p b"m/
'he +apanese visitors dropped a bomb by
announcin( they weren*t (oin( ahead with the
deal!
break even (phr v)
/brek ivn/
,fter only two years in business the restaurant
broke even!
brush off (phr v)
/br '"f/
'he -orei(n %ecretary brushed off su((estions
that he had considered resi(nin(!
buoyant (ad&)
/b$nt/
'he housin( mar"et remains buoyant!
capital (n)
wor"in( capital
/'kptl/
/%&k 'kptl/
'he company owns considerable assets but is
currently short of working capital!
closure (n)
/'kl'/
'he children*s hospital is threatened with closure!
cold (ad&)
(opposite . hot)
(o cold on sb/sth
/kl#/
/g 'kl# "n smb#i/sm/
Investors have suddenly gone cold on the
venture!
comment (v)
refuse to comment
/'k"ment/
/rfjuz t 'k"ment/
'he spo"esman refused to comment!
concerned (ad&)
(opposite . unconcerned)
not be concerned
/kns&n#/
/n"t bi kns&n#/
/,re you aware that the train drivers are
threatenin( to stri"e0* /1es but Im not
concerned!*
confirm (v)
/knf&m/
'he study confirms the findin(s of earlier
research!
consolation (n)
come as some consolation to sb
/k"ns'len/
/km z sm k"ns'len t
smb#i/
It came as some consolation to Rachel to "now
that no one else had passed the test!
corruption (n)
/k'rpn/
'he ban" was closed down amid alle(ations of
corruption and fraud!
count against sb/sth (phr v)
/'kant genst smb#i/sm/
I*m worried that my a(e mi(ht count against me!
critical mass (n)
/'krtkl ms/
(ain critical mass
/gen 'krtkl ms/
'he company hopes to gain critical mass by
buyin( another airline!
decided (ad&)
/#'sa##/
2ur holiday was a decided improvement on last
year*s!
decline (n)


in decline
/#'klan/
/n #'klan/
'here has been a steady decline in public
services over recent years!
,(riculture is in decline in many 'hird 3orld
countries!
depreciation (n)
/#'prien/
I usually buy a car that is not brand new because
there will be less depreciation!
dig in (phr v)
/#g 'n/
4oth sides are digging in for a lon( and bitter
dispute!
dirty (adv)
(opposite . clean)
play dirty
/'#&ti/
/ple '#&ti/
'he opposition had started to play dirty!
disinformation (n)
(opposite . information)
/#snf'men/
'he directors were accused of deliberately feedin(
disinformation to the press!
dismissive (ad&)
/#s'msv/
5any scientists are dismissive of a lin" between
mobile phones and cancer!
dividend (n)
/'#v#en#/
%hareholders receive dividends twice a year!
eat into sth (phr v)
/it nt sm/
Increased overheads are eating into their
profits!
eliminate (v)
/lmnet/
He has eliminated dairy products from his diet!
embattled (ad&)
/em'btl#/
He called on the nation to (ive the embattled
president a chance!
entirety (n)
in its entirety
/en'tarti/
/n ts en'tarti/
'he film should be shown in its entirety or not at
all!
equity (n)
/'ek%ti/
6mployees hold 78 of the equity in the company!
ethical (ad&)
(opposite . unethical)
/'ekl/
Is it really ethical to "eep animals in 9oos0
expertise (n)
/eksp'tiz/
'he company is "een to develop its own expertise
in the area of computer pro(rammin(!
expletive (n)
/eks'plitv/
I "now it*s a letter of complaint but I thin" you
should remove all those expletives!
finalise (v)
/'fanlaz/
3e still need to finalise a few details!
formidable (ad&)
/'f$m#bl/
'he company has built up a formidable reputation
for :uality!
free market (n)

/fri m(kt/
In a free-market economy there should be the
minimum of state intervention and re(ulation!
green shoot (n)
/grin ut/
+ust when shareholders were be(innin( to en&oy
the company*s green shoots of (rowth the stoc"
mar"et crashed!
head (n)
(o head to head
/)e#/
/g )e#t')e#/
'he two teams go head to head on %unday!
high (n)
/)a/
,ttendances at matches are at an all-time high!
hold (n)
(et hold of sb
/)l#/
/get ')l# v smb#i/
Can you get hold of ike and tell him the
meetin(*s postponed0
holding (n)
/')l#/
%mall shareholders should thin" carefully before
sellin( any holding!
hori!on (n)
on the hori9on
/)'razn/
/"n ! )'razn/
I*ve (ot some &ob possibilities on the hori!on!
horror (n)
/')"r/
;umours of a ta"eover sent a chill of horror
throu(h 'om*s veins!
impeccable (ad&)
/m'pekbl/
'heir standards of service are impeccable!
impression (n)
be under the impression that <
/m'pren/
/bi n# ! m'pren !t/
I was under the impression that you had been
here before!
inheritance (n)
/n')ertns/
'hey have been tryin( to withhold my inheritance
from me!
initiative (n)
/'ntv/
'he document sets out a number of initiatives
desi(ned to address the problem of child poverty!
insist (v)
/n'sst/
/%taff are doin( everythin( they can to cooperate*
the director insisted!
institution (n)
/nst'tjun/
%he was an institution in our community where
she lived for => years!
interpretation (n)
/nt&pr'ten/
'he police*s interpretation of their transactions
was rather different!
intervention (n)
/nt'venn/
3e do not need further (overnment intervention!
inventory (n)
/'nvntri/
3e made an inventory of the missin( items!
"ump-start (v)
/*mp'st(t/
,ttempts to "ump-start the economy have finally
been successful!
killing (n)
ma"e a :uic" "illin(
/'kl/
/mek k%k 'kl/
,sset-strippers have no interest in businesses but
only want to make a quick killing!
leak (n)
/lik/
+ac"son said he did not believe the leaks came
from his office!
leak (v)
/lik/
%taff were interviewed to find out who leaked the
story!
liability (n)
/la'blti/
'he company*s liabilities include a hu(e debt to
the (overnment!
light (n)
in the li(ht of sth
/'lat/
/n ! 'lat v sm/
In the light of your good record we*ve decided
to overloo" this offence!
liquidation (n)
/lk%'#en/
#iquidation of these three divisions is our best
option for maximisin( shareholder value!
mandate (n)
/'mn#et/
'heir mandate is to report bac" by 5arch on how
the new tax law will chan(e employment!
market share (n)
/m(kt 'e/
'his year we have increased our market share by
?>8!
mastermind (n)
/'m(stman#/
@o(t was the financial mastermind behind
'ransco*s success!
match (v)
/m+/
2ur office failed to match the (rowth of the rest of
the company!
maximise (v)
/'mksmaz/
3e aim to maximise profits over the next year!
modest (ad&)
/'m"#st/
His income was modest compared with that of
other chief executives!
motion (n)
pass/propose/re&ect/table a
motion
/'mn/
/p(s/prpz/r*ekt/tebl
'mn/
'he committee re"ected the motion to reduce the
wor"force by $>8!
net (ad&)
(opposite . gross)
/net/
$et earnin(s per share amounted to #>!AB!
network (v)
/'net%&k/
'echies dream of a world in which data can be
wirelessly networked between CCs laptops and
smart phones!
nick (n)
come &ust in the nic" of time
/nk/
/km *st n ! nk v 'tam/
,uthorisation from the ban" came "ust in the nick
of time.
obsolete (ad&)
/'"bslit/
5ost computer hardware rapidly becomes
obsolete!
ongoing (ad&)
/'"ng/
'he ongoing investi(ation into hospital practices
has raised some important issues!
outstanding (ad&)
/at'stn#/
'al"s will resume next month to discuss the
outstanding issues!
pace (n)
"eep pace with sth
/pes/
/kip 'pes % sm/
'he (overnment is not allowin( salaries to keep
pace with inflation.
package (n)
/'pk*/
'his package was desi(ned to stabilise the
economy in %outh Dorea!
parasite (n)
/'prsat/
,sset-strippers are parasites who have no
interest in businesses but only want to ma"e a
:uic" "illin(!
pioneer (n)
/pa'n/
'he firm has been a pioneer in the
pharmaceutical field since $E)7!
pitifully (adv)
/'ptfli/
Fast month*s profits were pitifully small!
plug in (phr v)
/plg 'n/
Can you see where the printer plugs in0
pore over sth (phr v)
/'p$r v sm/
4en was poring over desi(ns with an en(ineer!
predecessor (n)
/pri#'ses/
,l(ood seems to have learned nothin( from the
faults of his predecessors!
premature (ad&)
/prem'tj/
It*s a little premature to tal" about concludin( a
deal!
profit (n)
turn a healthy profit
/'pr"ft/
/t&n )eli 'pr"ft/
Investors have turned a healthy $=% profit in
&ust 7 months!
propose (v)
/pr'pz/
It was proposed that we postpone ma"in( a
decision until next month!
proposed (ad&)
/pr'pz#/
How will the proposed ban affect farmers0
R & ' (n) (. research and
development)
/(rn'#i/
Increasin( the R & ' bud(et would mean we could
turn some of our desi(ns into new products for
next season!
race (n)
stay in the race
/res/
/ste n ! 'res/
3e need to ma"e our prices more competitive if
we want to stay in the race!
reconstruction (n)
/rikn'strkn/
Reconstruction is already under way after the
floods!
regrettable (ad&)
/r'gretbl/
It is regrettable that so many people have lost
their &obs because of this!
regulation (n)
/regju'len/
'he (overnment has promised stricter regulation
of the stoc" mar"et!
reluctance (n)
/r'lktns/
+ulia*s reluctance to &oin the party was a mystery!
renewal (n)
/r'njul/
;ecently we have seen a period of economic
renewal!
return (n)
(et a decent return
/r't&n/
/get #isnt r't&n/
3e were able to get a decent return of $>8 on
our investment!
revenue (n)
/'revnju/
'he ma(a9ine had been losin( advertisin(
revenue for months!
revive (v)
/r'vav/
+en"ins certainly has the ability to revive
,ustralian women*s tennis!
ride out (phr v)
ride out a recession
/ra# 'at/
/ra# 'at rsen/
3e hope to ride out this recession better than
last time!
scale (n)
economy of scale
/skel/
/k"nmi v 'skel/
'o achieve economies of scale we need to brin(
another two refineries on stream!
securities (n pl)
/s'kjrtz/
'he company holds one million dollars in U%
(overnment securities!
sentiment (n)
/'sentment/
His party had encoura(ed nationalist sentiment!
sew up (phr v)
/s 'p/
3e*ve (ot the deal sewn up now!
shape (n)
in (reat shape
/'ep/
/n gret 'ep/
'he team will start the new season in great
shape.
shrink (v)
/rk/
'he company*s profit mar(ins shrank from 7?!)
per cent to $A per cent!
si!eable (ad&)
/'sazbl/
He receives a si!eable income from lettin(
properties!
speak (v)
spea" for itself
/spik/
/'spik fr tself /
His success as a lawyer speaks for itself!
speculation (n)
/spekj'len/
'here has been a (reat deal of speculation about
what will happen after the elections!
stake (n)
/stek/
;C% has bou(ht a ma&ority stake in 5a&estic
-ilms!
stall (v)
/st$l/
'al"s have stalled and both sides are preparin(
for war!
stand (v)
/stn#/
3here does the Cresident stand on this issue0
steady (ad&)
/'ste#i/
%low but steady pro(ress has been made towards
concludin( the deal!
stick with sb (phr v)
/'stk % smb#i/
'hey*re (oin( to stick with the same team as last
%aturday!
stimulus (n)
/'stmjls/
'he (overnment hopes that lower interest rates
will be a stimulus to investment!
stone-cold (adv)
stone-cold dead
/stn'kl#/
/stnkl# '#e#/
Interest in the local arts festival is stone-cold
dead.
strategic (ad&)
/str'ti*k/
%he was responsible for the firm*s strategic
plannin(!
strike (v)
/strak/
Colice say they fear the man could strike a(ain!
struggling (ad&)
/'trgl/
'he (overnment has pled(ed to support
struggling farmers throu(h the latest health
scare!
subsidiary (ad&)
/sb's#jri/
2ne of their subsidiary ob&ectives is to study the
factory*s impact on local wildlife!
suspicious (ad&)
/s'sps/
Collea(ues became suspicious when he started
actin( stran(ely!
sustained (ad&)
/s'sten#/
'he country has seen sustained economic
development over the last $B months!
switch (v)
/s%t/
'hen he switched sides and turned a(ainst his
former allies!
table (v)
table a motion
/'tebl/
/'tebl mn/
, number of motions were tabled by the
opposition!
tear sth away from sb (phr v)
/'te sm %e frm smb#i/
(he family firm was torn away from him when
he was only ?)!
techie (n)
/'teki/
(echies dream of a world in which data can be
wirelessly networ"ed between CCs laptops and
smart phones!
tender (n)
/'ten#/
'he authorities have invited international tenders
for the pro&ect!
threat (n)
pose a real threat
/ret/
/pz rl 'ret/
'hey face the threat of terrorism every day!
3e are bein( told that the accident poses no real
threat to the environment!
time (n)
time will tell
/tam/
/tam %l 'tel/
(ime will tell whether he made the ri(ht choice!
topple (v)
/'t"pl/
, civil war mi(ht topple the (overnment!
turnaround (n)
/'t&nran#/
2ver the last five months the country has seen an
economic turnaround!
unreliable (ad&)
(opposite . reliable)
/nr'labl/
'he car*s unreliable in wet weather!
uptick (n)
/'ptk/
'he share price is finally showin( a decided
uptick!
upturn (n)
upturn in sb*s fortunes
/'pt&n/
/'pt&n n smb#z f$tjnz/
Fast month saw an unexpected upturn in the
industrys fortunes.
viciously (adv)
/'vsli/
Colice have reported several viciously sava(e
attac"s!
vulnerable (ad&)
/'vlnrbl/
3e are in the vulnerable position of producin(
barely half our food!
wireless (ad&)
/'%als/
I use a wireless modem to connect to the Internet!
wirelessly (adv)
/'%alsli/
'echies dream of a world in which data can be
wirelessly networ"ed between CCs laptops and
smart phones!
word (n)
the word is <
/%&#/
/! '%&# z/
(he word is that her latest boo" is the best yet!
work (n)
have your wor" cut out for you
/%&k/
/)v j '%&k kt at f ju/
3e*ll have our work cut out for us if we want to
maintain sales at this level!