1

Business

The following phrasal verbs are on the subject of ‘business’.

The meaning and examples of each are on the right.

Phrasal verb Meaning and examples

To sell up To sell your business to someone else and leave it.
“After thirty profitable years in the construction industry,
my father finally decided to sell up and retire.”
“It is the goal of some young entrepreneurs to establish a
business that will become very successful so that, in the
future, they can sell up and begin other challenges.”
To wind down To gradually slow things down and sometimes stop
completely.
“When it became clear that the linen industry in Ireland
was suffering too much from increased competition, it
was decided to wind it down over a period of time until it
eventually ended.”
“My uncle once owned a little shop that did well until a big
supermarket arrived in town. He couldn’t compete so he
wound his business down.”
To pour (money) To invest something such as money, for example.
into “When Facebook was floated on the stock market,
investors poured their money into it, hoping they would
make a great profit in the near future.”
“When starting his business, Clive decided to pour all his
energy into it.”
To account for To explain
“How do you account for the fall in sales in the last three
months?”
“You will have to account for all these figures since they
don’t make sense!”
To go under To fail
“If we don’t get more orders in soon to keep our
production and business going, we will go under.”
“The economic crisis has badly affected business so
much in the UK that many small businesses have not
been able to survive and have gone under.”
To work on To spend time and effort making or improving something
“You need to work on developing a strong business plan
or the bank will not lend you money.”
“Harold is working on a new idea right now and he thinks
it will work.”

Exercise 1 - multiple choice

Choose the correct preposition to fill the space.

1 My cousin can’t compete with big business now so he’s winding his business
________.
A up
B off
C over
D down.

2 Jim was told that if he wanted his new venture to be successful that he’d have to
work hard ________ it.
A in
B up
C on
D over

3 If you can’t account ________ the difference between these two balances, you’ll be
in trouble.
A to
B with
C about
D for

4 Most of the money raised by the new tax will be poured ________ new business
ventures.
A into
B over
C onto
D through
5 The film industry in Asia is strong so it probably won’t go ________.
A over
B under
C though
D into.

6 Our town used to be very active but most of the business owners sold ________
and left.
A off
B up
C down
D away
 Marshall Limited
On this subject you will hear two recordings – the first at a slower pace,
followed by a second at a faster speed. Listen carefully to understand
the meaning of these phrasal verbs at both speeds.

In 2005, Marshall Limited decided to wind down its operations in

Venezuela. The market situation had been growing increasingly worse each
year and the company could no longer hope to survive. The competition in
the chemicals industry had become too fierce to allow any more profitable
business to be realistic. It didn’t matter how hard the management worked
on the situation since it was not going to improve.
Over the next two years, the company started selling up its assets as
creditors wanted what was owed to them. The liquidators arrived towards the
end of the year and liquidated the remaining assets. Many people lost their
jobs because the company failed but in a statement made by its public
relations officer, nothing could’ve prevented the company from going under.
Bankruptcy was the only realistic option.
Investors in the company were not happy with the end results.
Hundreds of people had poured their life savings into the company and many
of them had hoped to have a retirement pension partly funded by their
investment. Some would get part of that investment back but the majority
were very disappointed.
There was also $20,000,000 that could not be accounted for. This
money had somehow disappeared over an eight-year period and no one knew
where the money had gone.
It had been a long journey for Marshall who had been worth $150
million at one time but sadly, it became part of history as another company
had become a victim of the recession.
Exercise 2 – listening comprehension - true or false?

Listen to the recording, based on the above text, and circle the
appropriate answer below, either true or false. The answers are in
appendix 1.

1 True False
2 True False
3 True False
4 True False
5 True False
6 True False

Exercise 3 – listening comprehension

Listen to the following sentences and after each sentence, pause the
track. Then answer the question before continuing to the next
question. In this exercise it is not important for you to answer the
questions fully but rather to understand the correct phrasal verb
used. The answers are in appendix 1.

Questions

1 How was the money wasted?

2 What happened to the company that the business leaders tried to save?
3 What did Mr Harrison refuse to do?
4 What did Joe tell the tax authorities about his increased bank account?
5 What did the new recruit to the company do with his selling skills?
6 What did the Baxtors do with their UK manufacturing business?