Buying and selling

advertisement/advert/ad (n)

• the adverts on television

• I fast-forwarded (~ skipped) through the advertisements

• When the ads came on, I got up to put the kettle on.

a notice, picture or film telling people about a product, job or service - quảng cáo

afford (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • Can we afford a new car?

  • None of them could afford 50 pounds for a ticket

  • We can’t afford to go abroad this summer.

• Meaning 2:

  • We cannot afford to ignore this warning.

  • We cannot afford any more delays.

• Meaning 3:

  • The tree affords some shelter from the sun.

  • The legislation aims to afford protection to employees.

  • Being a college professor affords you the opportunity simply to write and do research.

[NO PASSIVE] (usually used with can, could or be able to, especially in negative sentences or questions in the first two meanings):

• to have enough money to be able to buy or do something - có đủ tiền để mua hoặc làm gì đó

• if you say that you can’t ____ to do something, you mean that you should not do it because it will cause problems for you if you do - nếu làm thì gây họa

• ​(formal) to provide somebody with something - chu cấp

bargain (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • I picked up a few good bargains in the sale.

  • The car was a bargain at that price.

• Meaning 2:

  • I’ll make a bargain with you.

  • Finally, the two sides struck a bargain (= reached an agreement).

• a thing bought for less than the usual price - mặc cả

• an agreement between two or more people or groups to do something for each other - thương lượng

brand (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • “You pay less for the supermarket’s own brand,” or “You pay less for the store brand.”

  • Celine always buys things from many luxury and premium brands.

  • How can we build our brand?

  • brand loyalty (= when customers continue buying the same brand)

  • brand awareness/recognition/image/values

• Meaning 2:

  • an unorthodox brand of humour

  • I don’t think Nina would appreciate your particular brand of sympathy.

• Meaning 3:

  • The farmer used a hot brand to mark his cattle.

  • Each cow receives a brand to signify ownership.

• a type of product, service, etc. made or offered by a particular company under a name - thương hiệu

• a particular type or kind of something (syn.: type, kind, etc.)

• a mark made with a piece of hot metal, especially on farm animals to show who owns them - dấu hiệu

catalogue (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • to consult the library catalogue

  • An illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition.

  • Please take a look at our online catalogue.

• Meaning 2:

  • The book provided a catalogue of historical battles, chronicling the conflicts that shaped our world.

  • The documentary presented a catalogue of natural disasters, from hurricanes to earthquakes and tsunamis.

• a complete list of items, for example, of things that people can look at or buy - danh mục

• a long series of things that happen (usually bad things)

change (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • We’re hoping for a change in the weather.

  • There was no change in the patient’s condition overnight.

  • I need to make some major changes in my life.

• Meaning 2:

  • a change of address/government

  • Let’s get away for the weekend. A change of scene (= time in a different place) will do you good.

  • This destination offers holidaymakers a refreshing change of pace.

• Meaning 3:

  • Let’s stay in for a change.

  • Can you just read for a change? It makes a change to read some good news for once.

• Meaning 4:

  • Here’s your 40p change.

  • The ticket machine gives change.

• Meaning 5:

  • Do you have any change for the machine?

  • I only have two dollars in change (coins are worth 2$ together). So, I put some of my loose change in a money box for the children.

• Meaning 6:

  • She packed a change of clothes for the weekend.

• [countable, uncountable] the act or result of something becoming different - sự thay đổi

• [countable] the process of replacing something with something new or different; a thing that is used to replace something - sự chuyển đổi

• [singular] the fact of a situation, a place or an experience being different from what is usual and therefore likely to be interesting, fun, etc. - sự thay đổi

• [uncountable] the money that you get back when you have paid for something giving more money than the amount it costs - tiền thừa

• [uncountable] coins rather than paper money - tiền lẻ

• ____ of clothes, etc. [countable] an extra set of clothes, etc. - bộ đồ dự phòng

coin (n)

• gold coins

• a pound/euro/dollar coin

• notes and coin

• [countable] a small flat piece of metal used as money - đồng xu (dùng như tiền)

• [uncountable] money made of metal - tiền từ kim loại

cost (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • How much does it cost?

  • Tickets cost ten dollars each.

  • Good food need not cost a fortune.

• Meaning 2:

  • The one mistake almost cost him his life.

  • The allegations of the exam cost her the opportunity.

• Meaning 3:

  • The accident cost me a visit to the doctor.

  • Financial worries cost her many sleepless nights.

• Meaning 4:

  • Their accountants have costed the project at $81 million.

  • Have you costed out the proposals yet?

• the amount of money you need to pay to buy, make or do it

• to cause the loss of something

• ____ sb sth to involve you in making an effort or doing sth unpleasant

• to estimate how much money will be needed for sth/the price should be charged for sth

cost (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • You could buy a used car at a fraction of the cost of a new one.

  • Energy is a major cost for businesses.

  • The total cost to you is 3000 pounds.

• Meaning 2:

  • We have had to raise our prices because of rising costs.

• Meaning 3:

  • the terrible cost of the war in death, poverty and the like

  • She saved him from the fire at the cost of her own life (= she died).

  • Victory came at a high cost.

• Meaning 4:

  • Their lawyers were ordered to pay $20000 in costs each.

• [countable, uncountable] the amount of money you need to pay to buy, make or do it

• [plural] the total amount of money that needs to be spent by a business

• [uncountable, singular] the effort, loss or damage that is involved in doing or achieving something

• (also court costs) [plural] the sum of money that somebody is ordered to pay for lawyers, etc., in a legal case

customer (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • marketing strategies to target potential customers

  • They know me - I’m a regular customer.

  • Improving customer satisfaction is a core company strategy.

• Meaning 2:

  • a choosy customer

  • a cool customer (= sombody who is always calm, even when in trouble)

• a person or an organization that buys goods or services from a shop or business

• (old-fashioned, informal) used after an adjective to describe a particular type of person

debt (n)\

• Meaning 1:

  • to (re)pay a debt

  • I need to pay off all my debts.

• Meaning 2:

  • He died heavily in debt.

  • We were poor but we never got into debt.

  • It’s hard to stay out of debt when you are a student.

• Meaning 3:

  • I owe them a debt of gratitude that I can never repay.

  • I would like to acknowledge my debt to my teachers.

• [countable] a sum of money that somebody owes - tiền

• [uncountable] the situation of owing money, especially when you cannot pay - nợ không thể trả

• [countable, usually singular] the fact that you should feel grateful to somebody because they have helped you or been kind to you - nợ ân

demand (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • They are demanding the release of all political prisoners.

  • The UN has demanded that all troops be withdrawn.

  • He had demanded money from her.

  • I demand to see the manager.

  • We demand a lot of our teachers.

• Meaning 2:

  • “WTF?!” she demanded horribly.

• Meaning 3:

  • This journey demands both knowledge and skills.

  • High personal standards are demanded of all applicants.

• to make a very strong request for something - yêu

• + speech to ask a question in an angry or aggressive way - truy vấn

• to need something in order to be successful at something - đòi hỏi

export (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • The islands export sugar and fruit.

  • Most US manufacturers both import and export.

• Meaning 2:

  • KPop has been exported around the world.

• [transitive, intransitive] to sell and send goods to another country - xuất khẩu

• [transitive] ____ something (+ adv./prep.) to introduce an idea or activity to another country or area - quảng bá

• [transitive] ____ something (computing) to send data to another program, changing its form so that the other program can read it

fee (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • Employees are reimbursed for any legal fees incurred when they relocate

  • fee-paying schools

  • Customers pay an annual fee for the service.

  • tuition/school fees

• Meaning 2:

  • a membership/subscription fee

  • There is no entrance fee to the gallery.

• an amount of money that you pay for professional advice or services

• an amount of money that you pay to join an organization, or to do something

• lệ phí, phí, hội phí

fortune (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • He made a fortune in real estate.

  • A car like that costs a small fortune (= a lot of money).

  • You don’t have to spend a fortune to give your family tasty, healthy meals.

• Meaning 2:

  • By a stroke of fortune, he found work almost immediately.

  • Fortune smiled on me (= I had good luck).

• Meaning 3:

  • The company suffered a great reversal of fortune when public taste changed.

• Meaning 4:

  • She can tell your fortune by looking at the lines on your hand.

• [countable] a large amount of money - gia tài

• [uncountable] chance or luck, especially in the way it affects people’s lives - sự may mắn

• [countable, usually plural, uncountable] the good and bad things that happen to a person, family, country, etc. - vận mệnh

• ​[countable] a person’s fate or future - số phận

import (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • The country has to import most of its raw materials.

  • the cost of importing petroleum products into the country

• Meaning 2:

  • Some customs are imported from both the West and the East, and they continue to influence the people in the country.

• to bring a product or service into one country from another

• to bring an idea into one country or region from another

• ____ something (from…) (into…)(computing) to get data from another program, changing its form so that the program you are using can read it

• nhập

invest (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • She advised us to invest in the property market.

  • He invested his life savings in his daughter’s business.

• Meaning 2:

  • The government has invested heavily in public transport.

  • The high school is to invest $2 million in a new stadium.

  • In his time managing the club, he has invested millions on new players

• Meaning 3:

  • She had invested all her adult life in the family.

  • He had invested so much personal energy (in) turning the company around.

• Meaning 4:

  • The new position invested her with a good deal of responsibility.

  • The interview was broadcast on the same day he was invested as Vice President.

• [intransitive, transitive] to buy property, shares in a company, etc. in the hope of making a profit

• [intransitive, transitive] (of an organization or government, etc.) to spend money on something in order to make it better or more successful

• [transitive] to spend time, energy, effort, etc. on something that you think is good or useful

• đầu tư

• ​[transitive] (formal) to give somebody power or authority, especially as part of their job - trao quyền, ủy quyền

obtain (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • to obtain information/data/results

  • I’ve been trying to obtain permission to publish this material.

• Meaning 2:

  • These conditions no longer obtain.

  • With determination and perseverance, one can obtain their dreams and make them a reality.

  • The key to success is to work hard and never give up, and victory will obtain.

• [transitive] ____ something to get something, especially by making an effort - đạt được, thu được

• [intransitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) (of rules, systems, customs, etc.) to exist - tồn tại

owe (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • She still owes her father 3000 euros.

  • Hanna still owes 300 euros to her father.

  • Most hospitals owe money to pharmaceutical companies for medicines and equipment.

• Meaning 2:

  • I owe a debt of gratitude to all my family.

  • I owe it to your staff to be honest with them.

  • Thanks for sticking up for me - I owe you one (= I owe you a favour).

• Meaning 3:

  • He owes his success to hard work.

  • The play owes much to French tragedy.

  • The town owes its existence to the minerals that lie below the mountains.

• Meaning 4:

  • All serfs (nông nô) owed allegiance/loyalty (= had to be loyal) to a lord.

  • Children owe obedience to their parents.

not used in the progressive tenses

• to have to pay somebody for something that you have already received, or return money that you have borrowed

• to feel that you ought to do something for somebody or give them something, especially because they have done something for you

• nợ

• to exist or be successful because of the help or influence of somebody/something - tồn tại hoặc thành công nhờ sự giúp đỡ hoặc ảnh hưởng của ai đó/cái gì đó

• ____ allegiance/loyalty/obedience (to somebody) (formal) to have to obey and support somebody who is in a position of authority or power - tuân theo và ủng hộ ai đó đang ở vị trí quyền lực hoặc có thẩm quyền

own (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • Do you own your house or do you rent it?

  • Most of the apartments are privately owned.

  • I don’t own anything of any value.

• Meaning 2:

  • The successful candidate will be responsible for owning and achieving sales targets.

  • I own a small business and am responsible for its daily operations.

• Meaning 3:

  • She owned the stage, performing a medley of hit songs.

  • Yeah, right, she totally owned you, man!

• Meaning 4:

  • He owned to a feeling of guilt.

  • She owned (that) she had been present.

not used in the progressive tenses

• [transitive] ____ something to have something that belongs to you, especially because you have bought it - sở hữu

• [transitive] ____ something (business) to manage and take responsibility for something -
  quản lý và chịu trách nhiệm cho cái gì đó

• ​[transitive] (especially US English, informal) to be completely successful, especially in a competition; to completely defeat somebody - chiếm hữu (thắng hoàn toàn)

• [intransitive, transitive] (old-fashioned) to admit that something is true - thừa nhận (thừa nhận rằng một điều gì đó là đúng)

profit (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • Net profit (= after you have paid costs and tax) was up 161.3 per cent.

  • The division’s profit margins are being squeezed.

  • Profit from exports rose 10 per cent.

  • There was little or no profit in the products themselves.

  • We should be able to sell the house at a huge profit.

• Meaning 2:

  • Future lawyers could study this text with profit.

• [countable, uncountable] the money that you make in business or by selling things, especially after paying the costs involved - tiền lời

• [uncountable] (formal) the advantage that you get from doing something - lợi thế

property (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • This building is government property.

  • personal/stolen property

• Meaning 2:

  • The price of property has risen enormously.

  • commercial/residential property

  • property development/investment

• Meaning 3:

  • to own/buy/purchase/acquire/sell a property

  • rental/investment properties

  • There are lots of empty properties in the area.

• Meaning 4:

  • Compare the physical properties of the two substances.

  • a plant with medicinal properties

  • The difference occurs because of local variation in soil properties.

• [uncountable] a thing or things that are owned by somebody; a possession or possessions - tài sản

• [uncountable] land and buildings

• [countable] (formal) a building or buildings and the surrounding land

• bất động sản

• [countable, usually plural] (formal) a quality or characteristic that something has - tính chất

purchase (v)

• Please ensure that you purchase your ticket in advance.

• We recently purchased a property just outside Los Angeles.

• The equipment can be purchased from your local supplier.

• Victory was purchased (= achieved) at too great a price.

​to buy something (formal) - mua

purchase (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • to make a purchase (= to buy sth)

  • Keep your receipt as proof of purchase.

  • Our intention is to increase purchases from local suppliers.

  • Such massive purchases by single investors were extremely rare.

• Meaning 2:

  • major purchases, such as a new car

  • Figures suggest that consumers return one in five online purchases.

• Meaning 3:

  • She tried to get a purchase on the slippery rock.

• [uncountable, countable] the act or process of buying something

• [countable] something that you have bought - hàng hoá

• [uncountable, singular] (specialist) a strong hold on something with the hands or feet, for example, when you are climbing (syn.: grip) - điểm tựa, điểm bám (cho tay hay chân)

receipt (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • Can I have a receipt, please?

  • Keep your receipt as proof of purchase.

  • to make out (= write) a receipt

• Meaning 2:

  • to acknowledge receipt of a letter

  • The goods will be dispatched on receipt of an order form.

  • Are you in receipt of (= received daily) any state benefits?

• Meaning 3:

  • net/gross receipts

• [countable] a piece of paper or an electronic document that shows that goods or services have been paid for - biên lai

• [uncountable] (formal) the act of receiving something

• [plural] (business) money that a business, bank or government receives

• biên lai, phiếu thu

require (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • These pets require a lot of care and attention.

  • Deciphering (= resolving) the code requires an expert.

  • True marriage requires us to show trust and loyalty.

• Meaning 2:

  • I just require a signature on the form.

  • The wearing of seat belts is required by law.

  • “Hamlet” is required reading (= must be read) for this course.

not usually used in the progressive tenses (formal)

• to need something; to depend on somebody/something

• [often passive] to make somebody do or have something, especially because it is necessary according to a particular law or set of rules

• yêu cầu

sale (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages

  • I haven’t made a sale all week.

  • They charge a fee of 3 to 5 per cent of the sale price.

  • We gave them our sales pitch (= our explanation of why they should buy sth - tiếp thị bán hàng).

• Meaning 2:

  • They have to boost sales to make a profit.

  • Retail sales (bán lẻ) fell in November by 10 per cent.

  • the sales figures for May

• Meaning 3:

  • a sales and marketing director

  • She works in sales.

  • He’s a sales manager for a hotel group.

  • The Ving Group has a 6000 strong sales force.

• Meaning 4:

  • The sale starts next week

  • I bought a coat in the sales

  • a half-price sale on all bed linen

• [uncountable, countable] an act or the process of selling something - bán hàng

• ____s [plural] the number of items sold - doanh số

• ____s [uncountable] (also ____s department [countable]): the part of a company that deals with selling its products - bán hàng

• [countable] an occasion when a shop or business sells its products at a lower price than usual - giảm giá

save (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • to save sb’s life (from danger)

  • He’s trying to save their marriage.

  • If you really want to save the planet, sell your car.

  • Thanks for doing that. You saved my life (= helped me a lot).

• Meaning 2:

  • We scrimp (cut down on) and save to send our children to a private school.

  • I’m saving for a new bike.

  • We’ve been saving up (= accumulating/tích lũy) to go to Australia.

  • I’m trying to save up for my holiday.

• Meaning 3:

  • People are looking for ways to save money.

  • We’ll take a cab to save time.

  • If you go this way, it will save you ten minutes walking to the destination.

• Meaning 4:

  • He’s saving his strength for the last part of the race.

  • We’ll eat some now and save some for tomorrow.

  • I won’t save you a seat if you’re late.

• Meaning 5:

  • Save data frequently

  • All your recent researches are automatically saved in the “History”.

  • The data can be saved to disk.

• [transitive] to keep somebody/something safe from death, harm, loss, etc. - bảo vệ

• [intransitive, transitive] to keep money instead of spending it, especially in order to buy a particular thing - tiết kiệm

• [transitive, intransitive] to avoid wasting something or using more than necessary - tiết kiệm

• [transitive] to keep something to use or enjoy in the future or for somebody else to use - bảo toàn

• [transitive, intransitive] to make a computer keep data by putting a copy in a location where it will be stored - lưu

select (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • He hasn’t been selected for the team.

  • All our hotels have been carefully selected for the excellent value they provide.

  • She was selected as the parliamentary candidate for Bath.

  • Select what you want from the options available.

  • They could select from a range of choices depending on their interests and skills.

• Meaning 2:

  • Select the text you want to format by holding down the left button on your mouse.

  • You can select and look up a word on the website of Oxford Learner’s Dictionary by clicking the word twice.

• [transitive, intransitive] to choose somebody/something from a group of people or things, usually according to a system

• (computing) to mark something on a computer screen; to choose something, especially from a menu

• chọn lựa

supply (v)

• The company supplied sports equipment to schools.

• The company supplied schools with sports equipment.

• The well stopped supplying water for the village many years ago.

• He was charged with intent to supply (= planning to sell) class A drugs.

​to provide somebody/something with something that they need or want, especially in large quantities - cung cấp, trang bị

supply (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • Advances in agriculture increased the food supply.

  • Demand for skilled labour outstrips supply.

• Meaning 2:

  • Our supplies are running out.

  • food and medical supplies for refugees

• Meaning 3:

  • The strom disrupted the town’s power supply.

  • the electricity/gas/energy supply

• [countable] an amount of something that is provided or available to be used

• ____ies [plural] the things such as food, medicines, fuel, etc. that are needed by a group of people, for example, an army or expedition

• [uncountable] the act of supplying something; the fact of receiving something that is being supplied

• cung cấp, trang bị

variety (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • There is a wide variety of patterns to choose from.

  • He resigned for a variety of reasons.

  • The text consists of extracts from a variety of sources.

  • articles and essays on a variety of topics

• Meaning 2:

  • It’s the variety that makes my job so enjoyable.

  • We all need variety in our diet.

  • a constant craving for variety and adventure

• Meaning 3:

  • different varieties of English accents

  • My cooking is of the “quick and simple” variety.

• Meaning 4:

  • a variety show/theatre

• [singular + singular or plural verb] ____ (of something) several different sorts of the same thing - một loạt

• [uncountable] the quality of not being the same or not doing the same thing all the time - sự đa dạng, phong phú

• [countable] a type of a thing, for example a plant or language, that is different from the others in the same general group - loài, loại, chủng, v.v.

• ​(North American English also vaudeville) [uncountable] a form of theatre or television entertainment that consists of a series of short performances, such as singing, dancing and funny acts - chương trình tiết mục giải trí

waste (v)

• Meaning 1:

  • Stop wasting time and just get on with it!

  • to waste food/energy/etc.

  • Why waste money on clothes you don’t need?

  • She wasted no time in rejecting the offer (= she rejected it immediately).

• Meaning 2:

  • It was a wasted opportunity.

  • His talents are wasted in that job.

  • You’re wasted as a sales manager - you should’ve been an actor.

• Meaning 3:

  • Don't waste your sympathy on him—he got what he deserved.

  • Expensive wine is wasted on me (= because I cannot appreciate it properly).

  • Her comments were not wasted on Chris (= he understood what she meant).

  • In the end her efforts were not entirely wasted.

• to use more of something than is necessary or useful

• [usually passive] to not make good or full use of somebody/something

• to give, say, use, etc. something good where it is not valued or used in the way that it should be

waste (n)

• Meaning 1:

  • I hate unnecessary waste.

  • I hate to see good food go to waste (= be thrown away).

  • The report is critical of the department’s waste of resources.

  • What a waste of paper!

• Meaning 2:

  • These meetings are a complete waste of time

  • They believe the statue is a waste of taxpayers’ money.

• Meaning 3:

  • household/garden/industrial waste

  • hazardous/toxic/radioactive waste

  • waste disposal (= the process of getting rid of waste)

  • Landfills for solid wastes have started reaching their capacity.

• Meaning 4:

  • The farmers use both animal and human waste as fertilizer.

• Meaning 5:

  • the frozen wastes of Siberia

• [uncountable, singular] the act of using something carelessly or unnecessarily, causing it to be lost or destroyed

• [singular] ____ (of something) a situation in which it is not worth spending time, money, etc. on something

• sự lãng phí

• [uncountable] (also ____s [plural])

  materials that are no longer needed and are thrown away

• (also ____ matter [uncountable] solid or liquid material that the body gets rid of

• chất thải

• ____s [plural] (formal) a large area of land where there are very few people, animals or plants - đất hoang