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Business Nouns Exercise
Exercise one:
Instructions: Find the noun that collocates. Choose the most suitable option (a, b, or
c) for each sentence.
1. We can draw several _______ from this data. Let’s not jump to _______ without
having all the facts.
a) conclusions b) outcomes c) decisions
2. Internet gaming is a thriving _______. The government is stepping in to regulate
the _______. Everyone uses the QWERTY keyboard because it’s the _______
standard.
a) market b) regulation c) industry
3. What is the monthly _______ on your car loan? I’m working two jobs to save
enough money for a down _______ on a new home. They don’t accept cash on
delivery, only _______ in advance.
a) payment b) installment c) deposit
4. We need to invest in a professional, modern _______ for our employees. The
new conference center is a state-of-the-art _______ conveniently located in the
downtown area. We’re investing millions of dollars to upgrade our ________.
a) workplace b) facility c) venue
5. Due to _______ constraints, we haven’t hired any additional staff this year. We
were able to put together a prototype on a shoestring _______. We’re on a tight
_______, so let’s shop around and make sure we’re getting the best price.
a) financial - b) resource c) budget
6. A word of _______: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I think you
need legal _______ to find out what your rights are. James has a lot of
experience and typically gives me sound _______.
a) counsel b) advice c)recommendation
7. Many people distrust him. They think he has a hidden _______ and isn’t acting
in our best interest. What’s next on the _______ today?
a) diary b) schedule c) agenda
8. The car dealership is having an end-of-year sales ________. We’re offering a
special ________ to our loyal customers. My supervisor recommended me for a
________.
a) offer b) event c) opportunity
9. If you are not 100% satisfied with our product, you are entitled to a _______. I
was given a full _______ for the faulty product I purchased.
a) return b) refund c) compensation
10. It was an attractive ______, but I didn’t take it. They told me they would hire me,
but I don’t have a firm _______ yet. Kurt turned down the ______ they made him.
a) suggestion b) offer c) decision
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11. I think the benefits outweigh the _______. We should go for it. If we start
charging for this service, we’ll run the _______ of losing our customers. We took
a _______ by allowing someone young and relatively inexperienced to run the
department.
a) challenges b) chance c) risks
12. Our primary _______ is to provide an excellent customer-service experience. I’m
not sure if what we’re doing is in line with our stated _______. We accomplished
our _______ of increasing sales by 15%.
a) goal b) purpose c) objective
13. An internship can be a great way to gain ________ in your field. Volunteering my
time was a rewarding _______. Stan is highly-educated but lacks hands-on
_______.
a) knowledge b) experience c) opportunity
14. We were behind schedule, so we worked overtime to meet our ________. The
project must be finished on time. We cannot miss this _______. We were behind
schedule, so we asked our manager to extend the ________.
a) timing b) deadline c) milestone
15. I don’t know what it would cost, but to give you a rough ________, I’d say about
$4,000 a month. Even by our most conservative _______, at least 15% of the
workforce is underemployed. The preliminary _______ for GDP growth is 2%.
a) estimation b) estimation c) prediction
16. Our product outperformed the leading _______. They need to update their
_______ identity. Our website helps us build _______ awareness and gain
credibility.
a) brand b) competitor c) trademark
17. The copier is under _______, so it shouldn’t cost anything to get it fixed. The
laptops come with a limited _______.
a) warranty - b) guarantee c) repairment
18. My first job was working as a landscaper for minimum _______. Registered
nurses earn a fairly high hourly _______. Do you think their factory workers earn
a fair _______?
a)salary b) payment c) wage
19. There has been growing _______ for simplifying the tax code. Both political
parties have pledged ________ for public education.
a) back-up b) funding c) support
20. Read this testimonial from a satisfied _______. Many companies record all their
_______ service calls. We’ll do whatever we can to prevent losing a ________.
a) client b) customer c) customer's
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Exercise two
Instructions: In the blanks, write the noun that collocates with the words in
red. Before trying the exercise, see these useful business nouns and their
collocations.
1. Luke’s a full-time _______, so he receives 12 vacation days per year.
What kind of ________ benefits does your firm offer? I’m going to
interview a prospective _______ this afternoon.
a) candidate b) employee c) firm
2. We lost some bids to foreign _______. It’s an industry with a lot of stiff
_______. There is a lot of _______ between these two companies.
a) competition b) competitors c) rivalry
3. Becoming a millionaire at age 30 is a rather ambitious _______. I try to
set a ________ for myself every month and then work towards achieving
that ________.
a) objective b) target c) goal
4. Central banks have lowered interest rates to stimulate _______. China’s
rapid _______ has slowed in recent years. This region has undergone
considerable _______ in the last decade.
a) development b) growth c) expansion
5. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive a pay _______ this year. Jill got a _______
along with the promotion. Mark has performed well and is expecting a
sizeable ________ this year.
a) reward b) bonus c) raise
6. Would you demand an ________ if you received harsh criticism in front of
your peers? I expect an ________ from our suppliers for their repeated
shipping errors. Could you help me write a letter of ________ to our
customers?
a) apology b) explanation c) appreciation
7. The product’s _______ audience is young adults. The _______ date for
the deployment is December 15. Our ________ market is active senior
citizens.
a) target b) deadline c) potential
8. We were quoted a ________ outside of our budget. It’s a quality product,
but it comes with a high _______ tag. Tuition is under $10,000. It seems
like a reasonable _______.
a) cost b) price c) investment
9. None of the ideas generated any ________. There is a renewed
_________ for locally-produced food. _______ rates are low, so it might
be a good time to get a mortgage.
a) demand b) interest c) need
10. There is a limited ________ of people with these technical skills.
The price of oil reflects global _______ and demand. Do we have an
adequate ________ to meet the growing demand?
a) supply b) demand c) inventory
11. I’m reading an article about Elon Musk’s _______ story. Our social
media strategy is vital to our ________. We’re not expecting immediate
_______. It’s going to take some time to see results.
a) success b) journey c) failure
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12. Try to learn from this ________ and not make the same ________
twice. We were overcharged, but it appears to have been an honest
_______.
a) mistake b) error c) mishap
13. We’re hoping our customers take _______ of our latest sale. We
have one important competitive _______ over our competitors. Major
banks have an unfair _______ over smaller institutions.
a) advantage b) edge c) dominance
14. Being bought out by a larger company was a radical ________ for
us. The market is constantly transforming, and successful companies must
adapt to _________. Everyone is hoping the new CEO will bring about
_______ and get the company moving in the right direction.
a) change b) innovation c) stagnation
15. The product comes with a lifetime ________. It’s a no-risk
purchase. It comes with a money-back _______. The owner gave us a
personal _________ that the construction project would be completed on
time.
a) guarantee b) warranty c) assurance
16. Though we’ve enjoyed considerable ________, we still strive for
continuous ________. I’ve seen a dramatic _______ in my team’s English
communication skills. The economy is finally showing signs of _______.
a) improvement b) growth c) decline
17. To set up your voicemail, follow the ________ on page 12 of your
handbook. The book provides step-by-step _______ for starting a small
business.
a) instructions b) guidance c) rules
18. To the best of my _______, we’ve never met before. Kurt has a
working _______ of several programming languages. We need to find
more opportunities for _______ transfer between departments
