CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR

BANKING
AND

FINANCE

Jon Marks

A & C Black 폷 London

 www.acblack.com

First edition published 1997

This second edition published in Great Britain 2007

A & C Black Publishers Ltd

38 Soho Square, London W1D 3HB

© Jonathan Marks 2007

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in
any form without the permission of the publishers.

A CIP entry for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN-10: 0 7136 8250 7
ISBN-13: 978 0 7136 8250 2
eISBN-13: 978-1-4081-0250-3

Text typeset by A & C Black

Printed in Great Britain at Caligraving Ltd, Thetford, Norfolk

This book is produced using paper that is made from wood grown in managed, sustainable forests. It is natural, renewable and
recyclable. The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.
 Contents

page
Introduction 5
1. Money – the basics 6
2. Banks – the basics 8
3. Operating an account 10
4. Credit and debit cards 12
5. Internet banking 14
6. Mortgages 16
7. The housing market 18
8. The consumer credit boom 20
9. Pensions and other financial products 22
10. Insurance 24
11. Wills and other legal matters 26
12. Money and work 28
13. Currency markets 1 30
14. Currency markets 2 32
15. International payments 34
16 International Banking and investments 36
17. National central banks (NCBs) 38
18. National economies and international trade 40
19. Taxation 42
20. Profit and loss accounts 44
21. Balance sheets 46
22. Corporate finance 48
23. Mergers and acquisitions 50
24. Investments 52
25. The dot.com bubble 54
26. Banking and financial problems 56
27. Numbers and statistics 58
28. Phrasal verbs for banking and finance 60
29. Financial idioms and expressions 62
30. Pronunciation and word-building 64
Answer key 66
Index 76

3
 Introduction

Who is the book for?

This book has been written for people whose first language is not English, and who need to use
English in the context of banking and finance. It covers language useful for working in retail
banking, company finance departments and other situations involving financial transactions.
There is a strong focus on the language needed to communicate on financial topics, discuss
financial problems and plan projects. It does not cover rarely-used terms, or academic terms used
by economists. All the language in the book is intended to be accessible to intermediate level
students and above.

How can the book be used?

The vocabulary is arranged by topic. Choose the topics that interest you. The pages do not have
to be completed in any particular order, and there is no need to complete all the pages if some
are on topics which are not useful to you. It is better to complete one or two pages in a day, and
remember the vocabulary, rather than completing as many pages as possible. The answers to the
exercises can be found at the back of the book. There is also an index to help you find the pages
which are most useful to you.

Write new words and phrases you learn in a notebook or file. Review this language regularly so
that it becomes part of your active vocabulary.

A good general dictionary will be very helpful, providing pronunciation guides and more contexts.
For vocabulary relating specifically to Banking and Finance, Dictionary of Banking and Finance
(A&C Black, ISBN 978-07136-7739-3) will be a useful reference source.

5
 1. Money – the basics

A. Put the correct word in each space.

account 앫 back 앫 banknotes 앫 borrowed

change 앫 coin 앫 currency 앫 earn
lent 앫 note 앫 salary 앫 spend
sum 앫 wages 앫 waste 앫 win

1. In the USA, "quarters" (25 cents) and "dimes" (10 cents) are types of _______________.

2. In the United Kingdom, "a tenner" means a ten pound _______________.

3. The US dollar, the Yen and the Euro are types of _______________.

4. Hundred dollar bills and twenty pound notes are _______________.

5. 2,000,000 Swiss francs is a large _______________ of money.

6. I need to _______________ some Euros into Australian dollars.

7. My friend _______________ a hundred pounds from me.

8. I _______________ a hundred pounds to my friend. When she can, she'll pay me _______________

9. I buy a lottery ticket every week, but I never _______________ anything.

10. Most dentists _______________ at least £30,000 a year.

11. __________ are paid to employees weekly. _______________ are paid to employees monthly.

12. In business, you have to _______________ money to make money.

13. A: Do you have a bank _______________?

B: Yes. I bank with the Bank of Scotland.

14. In my opinion, eating in expensive restaurants is a _______________ of money.

B. Match the words on the left with the words on the right.

1. a small a. a profit
2. an income b. amount of money
3. donate c. cash
4. high d. cost of living
5. make e. credit card
6. pay by f. losers
7. pay in g. money to charity
8. winners and h. of £25,000 a year

6
For reference see A & C Black Dictionary of Banking and Finance (978-07136-7739-3).
C. Choose the correct word.
1. Spain now uses the euro. Pesetas are no longer ____________.
a. good money b. legal money c. legal tender

2. I bought a TV which doesn't work. I'll take it back to the shop to get ___________.
a. my money returned b. a refund c. a repayment

3. In a shop, to get a refund, you usually have to show the ___________.

a. receipt b. recipe c. payment ticket

4. I'm paying for my new car in 36 monthly __________.

a. instalments b. pieces c. parts

5. I earn a lot of money, but I have a lot of _________.

a. payouts b. expenses c. paying

6. Famous paintings are usually sold by __________.

a. bid b. highest price c. auction

7. In an auction, the item is sold to the person who makes the highest __________.
a. bid b. price c. offer

8. In Japan, the US dollar is __________ .

a. foreign money b. strange money c. a foreign currency

9. In Britain, it's not usual to discuss your personal __________

a. money b. finances c. money arrangements

10. You can _________ a house and __________ a car.

a. hire / rent b. hire / hire c. rent / rent or hire

11. Here's the fifty dollars I __________.

a. owe you b. pay you back c. must return

12. The best things in life are __________.

a. free b. not for sale c. not bought and sold

D. Find the opposites of these words A R P P U F O L O E

in the grid.
S A V E R E U O N N
1. spender / _______________
S H A C B D Y S F M

2. borrower / _______________ T G S R L G C S L B

R D E V E Q X E E U
3. winnings / _______________
L O W Q N V T S T Y
4. losses / _______________ H X Z W D E I S K E

N J O J E D W L I R
5. high prices / _______________ prices
K E E P R O F I T S
6. sellers / _______________
I A Y A C I B Z U O

7
For reference see A & C Black Banking and Finance (978-07136-7739-3)
 Unit
2. Banks
0000– the basics

A. Choose the correct words.

D Grimleys Bank

Open an account today!

Open an account with Grimleys Bank, and start benefiting from our great 1 rates /
levels of interest and 2 small / low charges. With over 3,000 3 branches / outlets,
you'll never be far from us, and unlike many other 4 high street / town centre
banks, we're open all day on Saturdays.

Grimleys customers can 5 take money / make withdrawals from more than a
million 6 cash dispensers / money machines worldwide, and of course you'll
receive a 7 cheque book / book of cheques and a 8 paying
card / debit card within a few days of opening your account.

Computer-users may be interested in our e-account - all the

benefits of a regular Grimley's 9 current / day-to-day account,
with the added convenience of being able to view your 10 lists /
statements and 11 make / do payments online.

Whether you're opening your first current account, 12

switching / changing from another bank or simply want to take
advantage of our 13 range / variety of savings accounts, you'll
be glad you chose Grimleys – the bank that always 14 makes /
puts the customer first.

B. Match the method of payment with the definition.

1. Credit card a. A piece of paper which transfers money from your account to
somebody else's account.

2. Debit card b. Similar to a credit card, but usually operated by a chain of shops or
other retailer.

3. Charge card
c. The money is deducted from your bank account almost immediately.

d. These can be exchanged for foreign currency, or in some cases

4. Cheque
used instead of cash.

5. Traveller's cheque e. You owe the card provider money. You can pay it back in one
instalment, or over a longer period if you wish.

6. Charge account f. You owe the retailer money.

8
For reference see A & C Black Dictionary of Banking and Finance (978-07136-7739-3).