Business English Bits Issue 243
The 10-min homework newsletter that supports your advanced business and English language learning through Youtube video reports and highlighting vocabulary ...
Greetings to today’s Business English Bits!
In today’s highlighted video reports - issue 243 - we are looking at investment in the UK outside the city of London. London dominates the UK economy and is a key hub for the financial industry which returns an outsized* percentage of the nation’s GDP.
*Outsized (adj) - Exceptionally large, greater than usual
Little by little, however, both local and foreign individuals and businesses are looking at other cities that might be able to produce more effective ROI (Return of investment) or simply offer different possibilities.
The report hones in on* Knighthead Capital’s Tom Wagner who is pouring money into Birmingham City Football Club and the city itself. The new business plan for the club is not just backing** football; the investment also covers housing and transport and the promise of increased employment.
*To Hone in on (pv) - To focus attention or effort very closely on a specific issue
**Backing (n) - Support
Cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, to name just a few, have also seen both the cities and sporting clubs receive huge makeovers* in the last decade. So, maybe the UK’s next big opportunities aren’t just in London after all.
*Makeover (n) - Significant improvement, redesign, or transformation of smth
Sit back and enjoy a look at some of the UK’s alternative centres of investment …
Focus on some key new adjectives from the video …
VIDEO: Bloomberg TV (10mins) - Why the UK Economy Can’t Rely on London Alone
Key Words - (Smth = Something; Sb=Someone; Col=Colloquial)
Compelling (adj) – Persuasive, powerful, convincing
To Go all in (ph) – To commit fully, often taking significant risk
Derelict (adj) – Neglected, abandoned, in poor condition
Oft (adv) – Often, frequently
To Spur (v) – To encourage, stimulate, drive forward
Sluggish (adj) – Slow-moving, lacking energy, underperforming
Bailout (n) – Financial assistance to prevent failure
To Pay dividends (ph) – To yield positive results or rewards
Commensurate (adj) – Corresponding in size, degree, or proportion
Laggard (n) – One who is slow to adopt, falls behind competitors
Word of the Day … Guess the missing key word - Answer given below with examples!
Some new phrasal verbs to review …
Word of the Day Answer:
Affable (adj) - Friendly or easy to talk to
Examples:
“Her affable leadership style made employees feel comfortable sharing new ideas during meetings.”
“At the conference, his affable personality helped him build strong connections with potential clients.”
I hope you’ve been able to grab hold of some useful information from this issue of Business English Bits ….
Have a fun weekend, and see you next Saturday!
Kevin