Using Proper Business English Collocations Can Ease Commercial Dealing

Use the right combinations of words when doing business

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Business English collocations are common combinations of words used when speaking about business in English. Collocations can be understood as words that usually go together. For example, in English we do business, not make business. That business English collocation can make all the difference if you are trying to do business around the world. When decisions concern a lot of money, it's important to get the phrase right.

Here are common business English collocations used in various business operations:

The Verb 'To Do'

Accounts: Mary does the accounts in bookkeeping.

Business: We do business with countries around the world.

Deals: We did a deal with them last year.

Due diligence: Let's do our due diligence before we begin the project.

Paperwork: First we have to do the paperwork.

Research: Let's do some research on the subject.

The Verb 'To Make'

An appointment: I made an appointment with the sales manager for next week.

A calculation: She has to make a calculation before she decides whether to approve.

Cutbacks: The company made cutbacks at their stores in New York.

A deal: We made a deal with our competitor.

An investment: The CEO made an investment in a new factory.

A loan: The bank made us a loan of $750,000.

Money: The company made a lot of money in the last year.

A profit: We made a good profit on the deal.

The Verb 'To Manage'

A business or factory: He manages two stores in California.

Expectations: Always manage your expectations during contract negotiations.

A project or a team: Susan is managing five projects at the same time.

The Verbs 'To Operate' or 'To Run'

An airline: The company operates/runs an airline in Brazil.

A facility: We operate/run facilities in Germany and Japan.

A service: We operate/run a tourist service in Boulder, Colorado.

The Noun 'Deal'

Cut a deal: We cut a deal with our competition.

Do a deal: The company did a deal in Los Angeles.

Give someone a deal: Let me give you a deal on a new car.

Close a deal: Jake closed the deal yesterday. He's celebrating today.

Work on a deal: We're working on a deal with a new client.

The Noun 'Contract'

Write/draw up a contract: Let's write up a new contract for next year.

Sign a contract: Make sure to read it carefully before you sign any contract.

Negotiate a contract: Accepting a first offer is no way to negotiate a contract.

Offer someone a contract: We'd like to offer you a contract with our company.

Bid on a contract: We're bidding on three contracts at the moment.

Adjectives Modifying 'Customer'

Long-time customer: We treat our long-time customers with great respect and even better deals.

Regular customer: He's a regular customer. He comes in every Friday afternoon.

Prospective customer: He's pitching the project to a prospective customer.

Paying customer: The only customer we need is a paying customer.

Domestic/international customer: We have both domestic and international customers.

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Your Citation
Beare, Kenneth. "Using Proper Business English Collocations Can Ease Commercial Dealing." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/business-english-collocations-1210155. Beare, Kenneth. (2020, August 26). Using Proper Business English Collocations Can Ease Commercial Dealing. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/business-english-collocations-1210155 Beare, Kenneth. "Using Proper Business English Collocations Can Ease Commercial Dealing." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/business-english-collocations-1210155 (accessed March 28, 2024).