400 Must Have Words for the TOEFL LESSON 20 - Financial Systems Vocabulary Test
allocate [ˈæləˌkeɪt] v.
To give out different amounts for different purposes
→ The budget allocates $58 billion to the military and only about $2 billion to education.
Usage tips Things that can be allocated are things that can be “spent”—money, time, energy, etc.
Parts of speech allocation n.
commodity [kəˈmɑdədi] n.
A thing that can be bought and sold,such as grain, oil, or wood
→ Tulip bulbs were one of the most valuable commodities in seventeenth-century Holland.
Usage tips A thing is called a commodity only in the context of buying or selling it.
decline [dɪˈklaɪn] v.
To decrease in power or amount
→ America’s railroads declined because the automobile dominated American life.
Parts of speech decline n.
equity [ˈekwɪtɪ] n.
The value of one’s share in an investment
→ Barnard’s equity in the business was one-third,or about $350,000.
Usage tips In this meaning, equity is always singular and usually followed by an in phrase.
inflation [ɪnˈfleɪʃən] n.
A situation in which prices for many items rise quite fast
→ During the rapid inflation of the 1970s, prices for food and fuel sometimes rose 20 percent in a single month.
Parts of speech inflate v., inflationary adj.
net [net] adj.
After all costs have been subtracted from an amount
→ My gross salary is around $35,000, but my net pay is closer to $29,000.
Parts of speech net v., net n.
per capita [pəˈkæpɪtə] adv.
For each person
→ Research shows we’re likely to sell 15 light bulbs per capita per year in medium-sized cities.
Parts of speech per capita adj.
regulate [ˈrɛɡjəˌleɪt] v.
Control according to a set of rules
→ Trading on the New York Stock Exchange is regulated by officials of the exchange and by federal law.
Parts of speech regulation n., regulatory adj.
subsidy [ˈsʌbsɪdɪ] n.
Money given by a government or other organization to support an activity
→ Federal subsidies to grain farmers have helped them stay in business despite three years of bad weather.
Parts of speech subsidize v.
tangible [ˈtændʒəbl] adj.
Obviously real because it can be seen, touched, or otherwise observed
→ One tangible benefit of putting electrical cables underground is a clearer view of the sky.