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English Vocabulary: Business & Work

Core Verbs

disclose (verb)

reveal or make known (previously secret/private information)

Examples:

  • The company must disclose all financial information to investors.
  • He refused to disclose his sources.
  • Please disclose any conflicts of interest.

discontinue (verb)

stop doing/producing something

Examples:

  • The company discontinued that product line.
  • Treatment was discontinued after side effects appeared.
  • We've decided to discontinue this service.
German: einstellen

impart (verb)

communicate or pass on knowledge/information

Examples:

  • Teachers impart knowledge to their students.
  • She imparted valuable wisdom from her experience.
  • The book imparts important lessons about resilience.
German: vermitteln

Key Adjectives

feasible (adj)

possible and practical to do; achievable

Examples:

  • The project is technically feasible but financially challenging.
  • Is it feasible to complete this work by Friday?
  • We need to find a feasible solution that works for everyone.

promising (adj)

showing signs of future success; hopeful

Examples:

  • The results look promising.
  • She's a promising young scientist.
  • It's a promising start, but there's more work to do.

knowledgeable (adj)

well-informed; having expertise

Examples:

  • She's very knowledgeable about wine.
  • He's the most knowledgeable person on this topic.
  • Hire someone knowledgeable in tax law.
German: sachkundig

Essential Phrases

join forces

work together, combine efforts (usually for a common goal)

Examples:

  • The two companies joined forces to develop new technology.
  • Environmentalists and scientists joined forces to protect the forest.
  • We should join forces if we want to succeed.

take action

do something to solve a problem or achieve a goal

Examples:

  • We need to take action before it's too late.
  • The government must take action on climate change.
  • If you're unhappy, take action to change your situation.

scrap/abandon plans

cancel or give up on plans completely

Examples:

  • They scrapped plans for the new factory.
  • We had to abandon our plans due to bad weather.
  • The government abandoned plans to raise taxes.

part ways

separate; go in different directions (literal or figurative)

Examples:

  • After ten years, the business partners decided to part ways.
  • We parted ways at the train station.
  • Their different visions caused them to part ways.

serious blow

major setback or damage

Examples:

  • The scandal was a serious blow to his reputation.
  • Losing that contract was a serious blow to the company.
  • The injury was a serious blow to her Olympic hopes.
German: schwerer Schlag

Nouns & Concepts

grievance (noun)

complaint or resentment about unfair treatment

Examples:

  • Employees can file a grievance with HR.
  • He aired his grievances at the meeting.
  • The union has several grievances against management.

entitlement (noun)

1) the right to have something 2) belief that you deserve privileges

Examples:

  • Citizens have an entitlement to free healthcare in this country. (right)
  • His sense of entitlement makes him difficult to work with. (negative: expects special treatment)
  • Welfare entitlements are being reduced by the government.

high proportion

large percentage or share

Examples:

  • A high proportion of students passed the exam.
  • There's a high proportion of young people in this city.
  • A high proportion of the budget goes to salaries.

Practice Exercises

Fill in the blanks:

  1. The project is technically ________, but we lack the funding. (feasible/promising)
  2. The two companies decided to ________ to compete with the market leader. (join forces/part ways)
  3. We had to ________ our expansion plans due to the economic downturn. (disclose/discontinue)

Use in context:

Write one sentence using "take action" and another using "serious blow" about a business situation.

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