Financial English minimal pairs
A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
Words that are easily confused with financial English vocabulary due to similar pronunciation review, followed by different forms of financial English words with suffixes presentation.
Lesson Plan Content:
Financial English minimal pairs
with financial vocabulary word formation practice
Listen to your teacher or partner say something from one box below, think about how they pronounced it, and decide if they are saying the thing in column A or the thing in column B. If you aren’t sure, you can ask which row below, ask for the word in context and/ or ask how the other word on the same line is pronounced.
When your teacher tells you to, test other people in the same way. If your partner asks for example sentences, your teacher will tell you if you can use the example contexts below, or if you should make up your own contexts.
When your teacher stops you, ask about any words below which you are not sure of the meaning of, can’t pronounce differently, can’t imagine contexts for, etc, working together to show how they are pronounced differently and to think of other suitable example sentences each time.
Underline the example or examples on each line that are most connected to finance.
Without example contexts version
|
|
A |
B |
|
1 |
banker |
bunker |
|
2 |
bay |
buy |
|
3 |
bear |
beer |
|
4 |
boat |
bought |
|
5 |
bond |
boned |
|
6 |
bonus |
bonuses |
|
7 |
boom |
boon |
|
8 |
branch |
brunch |
|
9 |
business |
busyness |
|
10 |
canes |
gains |
|
11 |
cash |
catch |
|
12 |
cents |
sense |
|
13 |
chairs |
shares |
|
14 |
cheap |
sheep |
|
15 |
climb |
crime |
|
16 |
co- |
core |
|
17 |
cooperation |
corporation |
|
18 |
crash |
crush |
|
19 |
credit |
creditor |
|
20 |
crises |
crisis |
|
21 |
cut |
cat |
|
22 |
data |
date |
|
23 |
debit |
debt |
|
24 |
doll |
dollar |
|
25 |
fanned |
fund |
|
26 |
fee |
he |
|
27 |
fifth |
fifths |
|
28 |
file |
vile |
|
29 |
fire |
hire |
|
30 |
fiscal |
physical |
|
31 |
force |
fourth |
|
32 |
flawed |
fraud |
|
33 |
folding |
holding |
|
34 |
grant |
grunt |
|
35 |
gross |
grows |
|
36 |
gross |
growth |
|
37 |
half |
halve |
|
38 |
hair |
heir |
|
39 |
late |
rate |
|
40 |
law |
low |
|
41 |
lawn |
loan |
|
42 |
lends |
lens |
|
43 |
loose |
lose |
|
44 |
merge |
merger |
|
45 |
par |
per |
|
46 |
pay |
payee |
|
47 |
peak |
pick |
|
48 |
pray |
pre- |
|
49 |
price |
prize |
|
50 |
quarter |
quota |
|
51 |
race |
raise |
|
52 |
raid |
rate |
|
53 |
ray |
re- |
|
54 |
rice |
rise |
|
55 |
sale |
sell |
|
56 |
scam |
scum |
|
57 |
seat |
seed |
|
58 |
six |
sixth |
|
59 |
slash |
slush |
|
60 |
soar |
sew |
|
61 |
sport |
support |
|
62 |
stalk |
stock |
|
63 |
stats |
status |
|
64 |
tax |
tux |
|
65 |
third |
thirds |
|
66 |
trade |
tread |
|
67 |
travel |
trouble |
|
68 |
Won |
won |
With example contexts version
|
|
A |
B |
|
1 |
(merchant) banker |
(nuclear) bunker |
|
2 |
bay (cruise) |
buy (and sell) |
|
3 |
bear (market) |
(pint of) beer |
|
4 |
(a sinking) boat |
bought (from a department store) |
|
5 |
bond (trader) |
(big) boned |
|
6 |
(winter) bonus |
(staff) bonuses |
|
7 |
boom (in demand) |
boon (for homeowners) |
|
8 |
(bank) branch |
(Sunday) brunch |
|
9 |
business (meeting) |
busyness (at the weekend) |
|
10 |
(walking) canes |
(capital) gains |
|
11 |
cash (and carry) |
catch (up with) |
|
12 |
(twenty five) cents |
(sixth) sense |
|
13 |
chairs (the meeting) |
shares (in Microsoft) |
|
14 |
cheap (prices) |
(black) sheep |
|
15 |
(a steep) climb |
(a serious) crime |
|
16 |
co-(owner) |
core (business) |
|
17 |
cooperation (between departments) |
corporation (tax) |
|
18 |
(market) crash |
crush (the can before recycling) |
|
19 |
credit (card) |
(leading) creditor |
|
20 |
(some debt) crises |
(a debt) crisis |
|
21 |
cut (costs) |
cat (or dog) |
|
22 |
data (gathering) |
date (when you are free) |
|
23 |
debit (card) |
(government) debt |
|
24 |
(baby) doll |
dollar (trade) |
|
25 |
fanned (with folded paper) |
(investment) fund |
|
26 |
(fixed) fee |
he (or she) |
|
27 |
fifth (out of ten) |
(four) fifths |
|
28 |
file (for bankruptcy) |
vile (character) |
|
29 |
fire (wrongdoers) |
hire (car) |
|
30 |
fiscal (year) |
physical (exercise) |
|
31 |
force (to be reckoned with) |
fourth (quarter) |
|
32 |
flawed (plan) |
fraud (prevention) |
|
33 |
folding (paper) |
holding (company) |
|
34 |
(government) grant |
grunt (of effort) |
|
35 |
gross (profit) |
grows (exponentially) |
|
36 |
gross (or net) |
(organic) growth |
|
37 |
half (of the year) |
halve (the headcount) |
|
38 |
(blonde) hair |
heir (to the fortune) |
|
39 |
late (payment) |
(exchange) rate |
|
40 |
law (and order) |
(all-time) low |
|
41 |
(green) lawn |
(home) loan |
|
42 |
lends (to SMEs) |
(camera) lens |
|
43 |
loose (regulations) |
lose (half of your investment) |
|
44 |
merge (with a competitor) |
merger(s and acquisitions) |
|
45 |
(on) par |
per (share) |
|
46 |
pay (for) |
payee (and payer) |
|
47 |
(reach a) peak |
pick (the best supplier) |
|
48 |
pray (at a shrine) |
pre(-tax) |
|
49 |
price (rises) |
prize (for sales rep of the year) |
|
50 |
(third) quarter |
(import) quota |
|
51 |
race (to the top) |
(pay) raise |
|
52 |
(police) raid |
(inflation) rate |
|
53 |
ray (of sunlight) |
re-(structuring) |
|
54 |
(fried) rice |
rise (in value) |
|
55 |
(summer) sale |
sell (for a discount) |
|
56 |
(tax) scam |
scum (on the pond) |
|
57 |
(comfortable) seat |
seed (funding) |
|
58 |
six (billion) |
sixth (of September) |
|
59 |
slash (taxes) |
slush (on the street) |
|
60 |
(share prices) soar |
sew (on a button) |
|
61 |
(aerobic) sport |
(government) support |
|
62 |
(long) stalk |
stock (picking) |
|
63 |
(real-time) stats |
(current) status |
|
64 |
(corporation) tax |
tux (and bowtie) |
|
65 |
third (from the top) |
(two) thirds |
|
66 |
(international) trade |
tread (gently) |
|
67 |
(leisure) travel |
(financial) trouble |
|
68 |
(Korean) Won |
won (the race) |
Test each other on the words:
- say both things on one line and see if your partner can repeat back the one which is more connected to finance (with the right pronunciation)
- say both thing on one line and see if your partner can explain how their pronunciations are different
- show your partner one line and see if they can pronounce both words, with a clear difference between them
- say the words on one line, in either order, and see if your partner can spell them in the same order
- say the words on one line, in either order, and see if your partner can repeat them back in the same order (with the right pronunciations)
- say just one word and see if your partner can spell it
- say just one word and see if your partner can repeat it back in a suitable context
Financial vocabulary word formation
Write as many different forms of the words below as you can.
|
bank |
|
|
buy |
|
|
unbearable |
|
|
bondholder |
|
|
shareholder |
|
|
climber |
|
|
corporate |
|
|
credit |
|
|
crisis |
|
|
debt |
|
|
five |
|
|
statistical |
|
|
fiscally |
|
|
four |
|
|
fraudster |
|
|
grow |
|
|
halve |
|
|
heirloom |
|
|
lawyer |
|
|
lender |
|
|
lost |
|
|
merge |
|
|
payment |
|
|
risen |
|
|
sale |
|
|
scammer |
|
|
six |
|
|
stockholder |
|
|
taxable |
|
|
three |
|
|
trader |
|
Look above for ideas, brainstorm more, then compare your extra ideas as a class.
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