Buying and Selling

advertisement /ˌædvərˈtaɪzmənt/ (n)

an announcement in a newspaper, on television, on the Internet, etc that is designed to persuade people to buy a product or service, go to an event, or apply for a job | Ex: | saw an advertisement for a new kind of camera.

afford /əˈfɔrd/ (v)

to have enough money to pay for something | Ex: I'm not sure how they're able to afford such expensive holidays.

bargain /ˈbɑrgɪn/ (n)

something you buy that costs much less than normal | Ex: Her dress was a real bargain.

brand /brænd/ (n)

a product or group of products that has its own name and is made by one particular company | Ex: ! tried using a new brand of soap.

catalogue /ˈkætəˌlɔg/ (n)

a book that contains pictures of things that you can buy | Ex: Do you have a catalogue with all your products in it?

change /ʧeɪnʤ/ (n)

coins rather than notes | Ex: I'm sorry, | haven't got any change.

coin /kɔɪn/ (n)

a flat round piece of metal used as money | Ex: Put a coin into the slot.

cost /kɔst/ (v)

if something costs an amount of money, you need that amount to pay for it or to do it | Ex: A new computer costs around €1,000.

cost /kɔst/ (n)

the amount of money that you need in order to buy something or to do something | Ex: What's the total cost of these three pairs of shoes?

customer /ˈkəstəmər/ (n)

a person or company that buys goods | Ex: Supermarkets use a variety of ways to attract

debt /dɛt/ (n)

an amount of money that you owe | Ex: By this time we had debts of over €15,000.

demand /dɪˈmænd/ (v)

to say strongly that you want something | Ex: The teacher demanded an explanation for all the water on the floor.

export /ˈɛkspɔrt/ (v)

to send a product to another country so that it can be sold there | Ex: Their flowers are exported around the world.

fee /fi/ (n)

money that you pay to a professional person or institution for their work | Ex: He will have to pay school fees of €2,000.

fortune /ˈfɔrʧən/ (n)

a large amount of money | Ex: They must have spent a fortune on flowers.

import /ˌɪmˈpɔrt/ (v)

bring it to your country | Ex: We import most of our coal from other countries.

invest /ˌɪnˈvɛst/ (v)

to use your money with the aim of making a profit from it | Ex: Banks invested €20 million in the scheme.

obtain /əbˈteɪn/ (v)

to get something that you want or need | Ex: She has to obtain her father’s permission before she does anything.

owe /oʊ/ (v)

to have to give someone a particular amount of money because you have bought something from them or have borrowed money from them | Ex: Pam still owes me €5.

own /oʊn/ (v)

to legally have something, especially because you have bought it | Ex: Who owns that house by the lake?

profit /ˈprɑfɪt/ (n)

money that you get when you sell something for a price that is higher than the cost of making it or buying it | Ex: Investors have made a 14 per cent profit in just three months.

property /ˈprɑpərti/ (n)

the things that you own | Ex: “The books are my personal property.

purchase /ˈpərʧəs/ (v)

to buy something | Ex: She purchased a new lamp for her bedroom.

purchase /ˈpərʧəs/ (n)

something that you buy | Ex: Her latest purchase was a long black coat.

receipt /rɪˈsit/ (n)

a document that you get from someone showing that you have given them money or goods | Ex: Make sure you get a receipt for the taxi.

require /ˌrikˈwaɪər/ (v)

to need someone or something | Ex: Working with these children requires a great deal of patience.

sale /seɪl/ (n)

an event or period of time during which a shop reduces the prices of some of its goods | Ex: The Easter sales start tomorrow.

save /seɪv/ (v)

to regularly put money in a bank, or to invest it so that you can use it later | Ex: Don't wait until you're 40 to start saving for retirement.

select /səˈlɛkt/ (v)

to choose someone or something from a group | Ex: You can select one of four colours. 189

supply /səˈplaɪ/ (v)

to provide someone or something with something that they need or want | Ex: Our shop supplies things to people all over the country.

supply /səˈplaɪ/ (n)

an amount or quantity of something that is available to use | Ex: We have a good supply of fresh water here.

variety /vərˈaɪəti/ (n)

a number of different people or things | Ex: Adults study for a variety of reasons.

waste /weɪst/ (v)

to use more of something than is necessary, or to use it in a way that does not produce the best results | Ex: Don't waste water like that — turn the tap off when you're not using tt!

waste /weɪst/ (n)

the failure to use something that is valuable or useful in an effective way | Ex: All this uneaten food — what a waste!