Unit 3

Word

Definition

Example

assist

help (someone), typically by doing a share of the work

The secretary always assists with the paperwork and red tape

background

someone's education, family, and experience

Background is also very important for a successful performance

bakery

a place where people make or sell bread, cakes, etc

The bakery has run out of bread

bazaar

a market in Asian and Middle Eastern countries

The bazaars in Morocco are very old

bill

a written list showing how much you have to pay for services you have received, work that has been done etc

They sent us a bill for the work they had done

bookshop

a shop that sells books

I bought a very interesting book at the bookshop

branch

one of the offices or groups that form part of a large business organization

I used to work in the local branch of a large bank

which brings me to

used when saying that something is the next thing that you want to talk about

Which brings me to my second point

browse

look for information on the internet

He stopped to browse around a second-hand bookshop

build a relationship

to develop your friendship or knowledge about someone over time

I am determined to build a relationship with my colleagues

butcher's

a shop where you can buy meat

I buy meat from the butcher's

chain

a group of similar businesses, such as restaurants or hotels, which are all owned by the same organization

He is the owner of a well-known fast-food chain

charge

(of the police) to make a formal statement saying that someone is accused of a crime

The restaurant charged us 40 dollars for the wine

client

a customer or someone who receives services

He is an important client of our company

competent

good at your work or able to do something well

She is a highly competent doctor

convenience store

a shop that sells food, drinks, etc. and is usually open until late

She works in the convenience store near my home

cost

to have a particular price

How much would it cost us to replace?

customer

a person who buys goods or a service

A customer telephoned this morning to ask about prices

department store

a large shop divided into several different parts, each of which sells different things

I'll go to the department store

efficient

working or operating quickly and effectively in an organized way

I must find an efficient way of organizing my time

estimated

an estimated amount, time orsze is not known for sure, but is guessed based on information you have

The house was estimated 2 million dollars

experience

practical contact with and observation of facts or events

He had no previous experience of managing a farm

fall behind

not be at the same level as

He fell behind in his studies because he was ill for a week

feedback

advice, criticism etc about how successful or useful something is

Feedback from the experiment was very positive

focus group

a group of people assembled to participate in a discussion about a product

According to results we obtained from focus groups red is the best colour for the packaging

hand something over to

to give someone the responsibility for doing something that you were doing before

He handed the phone over to me

high street

the main road in the centre of a town where there are a lot of shops

A new bookshop has opened on the high street

informative

providing useful or interesting information

More informal news sites are often entertaining as well as informative

in-store inteview

a situation in which someone is asked questions while they ar shopping in a store

We need to organise an in-store interview and see what customers think about our product

jump in

to suddenly say something in. conversation or discussion

Could I jump in here?

location

the place where something is, especially a building or a business

He visited one location where a couple had to move house

look at something

to study and think abot something

Would you mind sending someone to look at it?

memorable

good or enjoyable and likely to be remembered

I haven't seen them since that memorable evening

move on

to leave your present job, class, or activity and start doing another one

Let's move on to item three: new projects

offer

to have something that people need or wand and be willing to give it

They offered him a very good job, but he turned it down

order

to ask for goods or services to be supplied

I've ordered a new computer from the supplier

overview

a short description of a subject or situation that gives the main ideas without explaining all the details

It is useful to give a brief overview of the research done so far

people skills

the ability to deal with people well

A doctor needs people skills as well as technical knowledge

pharmacy

a shop or part of a shop in which medicines are prepared and sold

I need to get some medicine from the pharmacy

main point

the most important fact or idea in something

We must be brief and I will try to touch on the main point

bad point

a problem, mistake, or difficulty in something

Another bad point is that the bank usually requires the opening of current accounts at home

good point

something useful, interesting, or good in something

Yeah, good point. I'll shut up

professional

relating to work that needs special training or education

He became a professional surgeon

profit

money that you make from selling something or doing business in a particular period, after taking away costs

They sold their house and got a healthy profit

rate

a measure, quantity, or frequency, typically one measured against another quantity or measure

The company seems to rate him very highly

rating

a level on a scale that shows how good, important, popular etc someone or something is

The rating he gave the restaurant was embarrassingly low

recap

to repeat the main points of something that has just been said

Let me just recap what's been discussed so far

recommend

to advise someone to do something

I can recommend the chicken in mushroom sauce

retail

the sale of goods to customers for their own use, rather than to shops etc

I'd really like to get a job in retail

retailer

a person or business that sells goods to the public in relatively small quantities for use or consumption rather than for resale

French retailer Auchan will open 10 new hypermarkets next year

review

to carefully examine a situation to find out whether changes or improvements need to be made

She sent us her review of the issues

satisfaction

the happiness you feel when you succeed or get what you want

She looked at the finished painting with satisfaction

self-service

relating to a shop or restaurant in which you get goods or food for yourself, rather than someone briging them to you

Other online self-service applications were also launched

serve

perform duties or services for (another person or an organization)

He was elected to serve another six years

service

a business that sells help, advice, consultancy, etc., not manufacturing

Do they offer a free delivery service?

shopping centre

a group of shops that are built together in one area, often inside one large building

Going to a shopping centre is a kind of entertainment

spend

to use time doing a particular thing or pass time in a particular place

He spends a lot of time at work

sum something up

to give the main pieces of information from something you have said or written, in a short statement at the end

In your final paragraph, sum up your argument

try something on

to put on a piece of clothing in order to find out whethr you like it, especially before buying

Would you like to try it on?

value

the importance or usefulness of something

Shelley valued her privacy

VAT

a tax added to the price of things in the UK and EU

The Delhi government today announced reduction in VAT

workload

how much work you do

We hired another secretary to handle the increased workload

wrap something up

to finish a job, meeting etc

We're hoping to wrap up the negotiations this week