Employment
Definitions and Samples
1. compensate v. To give an employee money or other things in exchange
for the work he or she does
My pay doesn’t properly compensate me for my efforts, but my
other benefits, like health insurance, fill in the gap.
Usage tips Compensate is often followed by a for phrase.
Parts of speech compensation n, compensatory adj
2. dynamic adj. Full of energy
This job requires a dynamic person, someone who will look for
opportunities instead of just waiting around for them.
Parts of speech dynamism n, dynamically adv
3. enterprising adj. Creative in thinking of ways to make money
Immigrants are often among the most enterprising members of society,
partly because anyone brave enough to make an overseas move
is likely to be a risk-taker.
Parts of speech enterprise n (Note:There is no verb “to enterprise.”)
4. exploit v. To take advantage of; to treat inconsiderately in order to
profit
The company tried to exploit the low interest rates to expand operations.
The foreign mining company exploited our copper resources and
then simply left.
Parts of speech exploitation n, exploitive adj
5. incentive n. A possible benefit that motivates a person to do a certain
thing
This city’s willingness to support its public schools gave us an
incentive to move here with our two young children.
Usage tips Incentive is usually followed by a to phrase.
6. industrious adj. Willing to work hard
The Dutch settlements in Ottawa County were founded by industrious
farmers who objected to frivolous behavior such as dancing.
Usage tips Only people can be industrious; companies cannot.
Parts of speech industriousness n, industriously adv
7. marginal adj. Not very significant or effective
Our new advertising campaign had only marginal success, raising
sales by a mere 3 percent.
Parts of speech marginally adv
8. merit n. Value; success based on one’s work, not on luck
Pay raises at our company are based on merit, as determined by a
committee of managers.
Usage tips Merit is uncountable.
Parts of speech merit v, meritorious adj
9. promote v. To move someone to a higher position in a company
Because of his excellent handling of the Vredeman account, Jim
Harris was promoted to vice president.
Usage tips Promote is very often followed by a to phrase indicating
the position one has been moved up to.
Parts of speech promotion n
10. resign v. To quit one’s job
Because of controversy over his leadership style, Morton resigned
from his job as president.
Parts of speech resignation n
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International Trade
1. distill v. to remove one liquid from a mixture of liquids by boiling; to
get something valuable from a confusing mix of ideas
The forest peoples of Southeast Asia distill an alcoholic drink called
arak from a paste of palm berries.
Most students are confused by her lectures, but Joe can always
distill her main idea.
Parts of speech distillation n, distillery n
2. entrepreneurial adj. Able to create business opportunities from a wide
variety of circumstances
Many engineers of the 1970s made great computers, but only a few
were entrepreneurial enough to see the business possibilities in the
new machines.
Parts of speech entrepreneur n
3. extract v. To take out
International mining companies came to the Malay Peninsula to
extract the region’s massive tin deposits.
Parts of speech extraction n, extractor n
4. haggle v. To argue back and forth about a price
The customer and the shopkeeper haggled over the silver plate for
more than an hour.
Usage tips Haggle is often followed by a phrase with over or about.
Parts of speech haggler n
5. intrepid adj. Fearless
For nearly 200 years, only the most intrepid colonists would cross
the Appalachian Mountains.
6. merchant n. A person who makes a living by selling things
The spice merchants of the eastern markets charged top prices to
the Dutch and British sailors, who had come too far to sail away
without buying.
Usage tips The word merchant might be preceded by another noun
telling what the merchant sells (e.g., spice merchant or wine
merchant).
Parts of speech merchandise v, merchandise n, mercantile adj
7. proportionately adv. In an amount appropriate to each of several
recipients
The food aid was distributed proportionately per family, with larger
families receiving more.
Parts of speech proportion n, proportionate adj, proportionally adv
8. prototype n. The first one made of a machine or system
The airplane manufacturer uses robots to test every prototype, just
in case there is a problem with the design.
9. reward n. Something one gets for having done well
The greatest reward of being a parent is to see your child make a
wise decision.
Usage tips Reward might be followed by an of or for phrase naming
what one has done well.
Parts of speech reward v
10. shuttle v. To move back and forth often between two places
The small jet shuttles between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore nearly
every two hours.
Parts of speech shuttle n