Do you use English at work — in meetings, emails, or presentations? Then this Business Vocabulary Quiz is made just for you!
Business English is a little different from everyday English. The words might look familiar, but choosing the wrong one at the wrong time can make your message unclear — or even unprofessional. Words like postpone, collaborate, launch, and manage are used every single day in offices around the world. But do you really know how to use them correctly?
If you’ve already tested yourself with Basic Vocabulary, great job — it’s time to level up! The workplace needs a whole new set of words, and that’s exactly what we’re going to tackle today.
This Business Vocabulary Quiz has 10 carefully chosen questions that cover the most common and useful words used in professional settings. Each question comes with a clear explanation so you don’t just guess the answer — you actually learn from it.
And if you’re feeling extra confident after this, you can push yourself even further with our Advanced English Vocabulary Quiz and see how close you are to C1–C2 level!
So — are you ready to find out how strong your Business English really is? Take the quiz below and see how many you can get right. No pressure, just learning! 💼
📚 Business Vocabulary Quiz: Complete Study Guide
Master these 10 essential business English words and use them confidently at work. Each word includes meaning, correct usage, and real workplace examples to help you write better emails, speak up in meetings, and sound truly professional.
POSTPONE – Delay to a Future Time
'Postpone' means to arrange for something to happen at a later time than originally planned. It is more specific than 'delay' because it always implies a new time will be set.
Common Collocations: postpone + meeting / event / decision / deadline / appointment
✓ We need to postpone the meeting until Friday.
✓ The conference was postponed due to bad weather.
✗ We need to cancel the meeting until Friday. (cancel = stop completely, not reschedule)
✗ We need to delay the meeting until Friday. (delay = push back, but less formal and specific)
Postpone vs Delay vs Cancel. Postpone = move to a specific later time. Delay = push back without a clear new time. Cancel = stop it from happening at all. In professional English, 'postpone' is always the safest and most precise business word.
INCREASE – The Right Verb for Productivity
'Increase' is a transitive verb meaning to make something larger or greater. In business English, it is the correct collocating verb used with productivity, efficiency, sales, and performance.
Common Collocations: increase + productivity / sales / efficiency / revenue / output
✓ The team is working to increase productivity.
✓ The new system helped increase overall efficiency.
✗ The team is working to rise productivity. (rise = an intransitive verb — it cannot take an object)
✗ The team is working to grow productivity. (grow is possible but informal — increase is more professional)
Rise vs Raise vs Increase. 'Rise' is intransitive — it does not take an object (prices rise). 'Raise' is transitive — it takes an object (raise prices). 'Increase' can be both. In business English, 'increase productivity / sales / revenue' is the most natural and professional choice.
ON TIME – The Right Preposition for Punctuality
'On time' = arriving or completing something exactly at the scheduled or expected time. It is one of the most important preposition collocations in professional English.
Common Collocations: submit / arrive / deliver / complete + on time
✓ He submitted his project on time.
✓ Please make sure the report is delivered on time.
✗ He submitted his project in time. (in time = early enough before a deadline — slightly different meaning)
✗ He submitted his project at time. (not a correct English phrase)
On time vs In time. 'On time' = exactly at the scheduled moment (the train arrived on time). 'In time' = early enough to avoid a problem (we arrived in time to catch the train). Both are correct but used in different situations — knowing the difference puts you ahead!
REVIEW – Go Over Something Again
'Review' means to carefully examine or go over something again, usually to check, assess, or summarize it. It is one of the most frequently used words in professional and academic settings.
Common Collocations: review + main points / report / progress / strategy / performance
✓ Let's review the main points again before we finish.
✓ The manager will review everyone's performance next week.
✗ Let's remind the main points. (remind = to cause someone to remember — needs a person as object)
✗ Let's repeat the main points. (repeat = say again word for word — not the same as examining)
Review vs Remind vs Repeat. Review = examine or go over carefully. Remind = make someone remember something. Repeat = say or do something again exactly. In meetings and business writing, 'review' is the professional standard word when revisiting information.
MAKE A DECISION – The Right Business Collocation
In English, 'decision' collocates with the verb 'make' — not 'take' or 'do'. This is one of the most tested collocations in Business English because learners often confuse it with their native language patterns.
Common Collocations: make + a decision / a plan / a suggestion / a choice / a commitment
✓ The manager will make the final decision by Friday.
✓ It is not easy to make a decision under pressure.
✗ The manager will take the final decision. (take a decision is used in British English but less common in professional global English)
✗ The manager will do the final decision. (do + decision is never correct in English)
'Make' is one of the most powerful verbs in Business English. Learn these: make a decision, make a plan, make a suggestion, make progress, make an effort. Knowing which verb pairs with which noun is the secret to sounding truly fluent and professional.
SUPPORT – Backing Up with Evidence
'Support' means to provide evidence, data, or reasoning that strengthens or validates a report, argument, or claim. It is widely used in business and academic writing.
Common Collocations: support + a report / an argument / a claim / findings / a decision
✓ We need more data to support the report.
✓ The research findings support our original hypothesis.
✗ We need more data to approve the report. (approve = officially accept or authorize — different meaning)
✗ We need more data to provide the report. (provide = give or supply — changes the meaning entirely)
'Support' is a high-frequency word in professional writing. Compare: 'The data shows our point' vs 'The data supports our claim' — the second sounds far more authoritative. Always use 'support' when you want to show that evidence backs up an idea.
LAUNCH – Introducing Something New
'Launch' means to officially introduce or begin something new — such as a product, strategy, or campaign. It carries a sense of excitement, planning, and public announcement.
Common Collocations: launch + a strategy / a product / a campaign / a project / an initiative
✓ They decided to launch a new marketing strategy.
✓ The company will launch its latest product next quarter.
✗ They decided to open a new marketing strategy. (open = not used with strategy — wrong collocation)
✗ They decided to begin a new marketing strategy. (begin is grammatically possible but sounds informal and weak in business context)
'Launch' is stronger and more specific than 'start' or 'begin'. It implies something that has been planned, prepared, and is now being officially introduced. In business English, always prefer: launch a campaign, launch a product, launch an initiative — over simply 'start'.
MANAGE – The Professional Word for Responsibility
'Manage' means to be in charge of, organize, and take responsibility for something — such as a budget, team, or project. It implies both authority and accountability.
Common Collocations: manage + a budget / a team / a project / resources / expectations
✓ She is responsible for managing the budget.
✓ He manages a team of 15 people across three departments.
✗ She is responsible for controlling the budget. (control = to dominate or restrict — sounds too rigid in this context)
✗ She is responsible for planning the budget. (planning = only one part of managing — too narrow)
Manage vs Control vs Handle. 'Manage' implies leadership and organization. 'Control' implies authority and restriction. 'Handle' is more informal. In professional CVs, job descriptions, and business writing, 'manage' is always the strongest and most appropriate choice.
COLLABORATE – Working Together Professionally
'Collaborate' means to work jointly with others toward a shared goal. It is a formal and professional alternative to simply saying 'work together', and it implies teamwork, shared effort, and mutual contribution.
Common Collocations: collaborate + on a project / with a team / across departments / with partners
✓ Let's collaborate on this project together.
✓ The two departments collaborated closely to meet the deadline.
✗ Let's compete on this project. (compete = to rival each other — completely opposite meaning)
✗ Let's contribute on this project. (contribute = give something to — different focus, needs preposition 'to')
Instead of saying 'work together', use 'collaborate' in professional writing and speaking. It immediately raises the register. Related words: collaboration (noun), collaborative (adjective). Example: 'A collaborative approach leads to better results.' This is a high-value word for job interviews, emails, and presentations.
RESCHEDULE – The Precise Word for Changing Plans
'Reschedule' means to arrange a new time for something that was previously planned. It is the most precise and professional word used in business when a meeting, appointment, or event needs to be moved.
Common Collocations: reschedule + a meeting / an appointment / a call / an event / a deadline
✓ The meeting was rescheduled to next month.
✓ Can we reschedule our call for Thursday afternoon?
✗ The meeting was moved to next month. (moved is informal and vague — acceptable but less professional)
✗ The meeting was shifted to next month. (shifted is too informal for professional business communication)
'Reschedule' is one of the most useful words in professional email writing. Common phrases: 'I would like to reschedule our meeting', 'Could we reschedule for a later date?', 'The event has been rescheduled.' Knowing this word will make your business emails sound polished and confident.
Pro Tips to Build Your Business English Vocabulary Fast
- Learn words in context: Don't just memorize definitions — notice how words are used in real emails, meetings, and reports. A word like collaborate or launch means much more when you see it in action.
- Focus on collocations: Business English is all about word pairs. Don't just learn increase — learn increase productivity, increase revenue, increase efficiency. This is what makes you sound natural and professional.
- One word a day: Pick one new business word each day and use it in a sentence, an email, or even a message to a friend. Small daily habits build big vocabulary over time.
- Review, don't just read: After taking a quiz like this, go back to the words you got wrong. Reading the explanation once is good — reviewing it three times is what makes it stick.
- Upgrade your word choices: Every time you write start, ask yourself — could this be launch? Every time you write work together, could it be collaborate? Small upgrades make a big difference in how professional you sound.
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