Vocabulary · Lesson 18

Money & spending: follow the amount, direction, and purpose

Money language becomes precise when you ask five questions: What amount is named? Is money coming in or going out? Who gives it and who receives it? Is the speaker describing price, total cost, affordability, or value? Which charges and time conditions belong to the decision? The same purchase can be affordable but poor value, low-priced but unsuitable, or expensive now but less costly over time.

60–70 min coreincome · expenses · countabilitycost · charge · pay · borrow · lend · owe15–20 min listening and retrieval

NoticeSeparate a listed price, added charge, total cost, available amount, and value judgment.

DistinguishTrack income and expenses, countability, transaction roles, and U.S. checkout language.

BuildUse accurate patterns for paying, spending, charging, borrowing, lending, owing, and saving.

DecideExplain a fictional purchase from stated priorities without giving financial advice or disclosing private information.

Can-do: By the end, you can distinguish salary, wages, income, revenue, expenses, and savings; use countable and uncountable money nouns accurately; track the roles in cost, charge, pay, spend, borrow, lend, owe, and pay back; separate listed price, additional charges, total cost, affordability, and value; understand common U.S. words such as check, bill, receipt, fee, sales tax, deposit, refund, and warranty; describe a budget and payment schedule without treating one choice as universal advice; say U.S. dollar amounts intelligibly; and justify a fictional purchasing decision from complete evidence.

Two-minute retrieval

Reactivate numbers, quantifiers, and comparison

1In this U.S. dollar context, read $1,250.50 as .

2Complete the quantity contrast: .

3A chair is $80 and a desk is $125. The desk than the chair.

Notice a price, added charges, total cost, and available amount

Fictional Harbor Learning Center quote

Mara: “The projector’s listed price is $480. Sales tax is $38.40, and delivery is another $20, so the cash total is $538.40.”

Joel: “The equipment budget has $550 available this month. We can afford the cash total within that limit, but we still need to compare quality and useful life.”

Vendor: “The installment option is twelve payments of $47, or $564 in total. That total includes tax and delivery, and we do not charge a separate setup fee.”

Which number is the listed price before tax and delivery?
Which amounts are added to the listed price?
Which payment route fits the center’s current $550 limit?
Does fitting the limit prove that the projector is good value?

Discovery check: what does each amount represent?

1The $480 amount is the .

2The $38.40 amount is the .

3The $538.40 amount is the .

4The $564 amount is the .

Map money coming in and going out

word	core meaning	useful boundary
salary	regular pay for a job, often expressed as a yearly or monthly amount	not the total of every kind of money a person receives
wage	pay often calculated by the hour, day, or unit of work	wages can name the total pay received
income	money received from work or other stated sources	normally uncountable for one person’s total, although incomes is possible when comparing groups or sources
revenue	money a business or organization receives from its activities before expenses are subtracted	not automatically profit and not the usual word for an employee’s pay
expense	a cost paid or owed for a purpose	one expense is countable; several expenses are outgoings

Profit is what remains for a business after relevant expenses are subtracted from revenue. A person can also describe money coming in and going out. These phrases explain direction without requiring a technical accounting discussion.

Choose the inflow or outflow the record establishes

1Alina’s employment contract gives her the same $3,600 before tax each month. That regular job pay is her .

2Devin is paid $22 for each hour worked. The $22 figure is Devin’s .

3Rae receives a salary from one job and earnings from weekend design projects. Together, those stated inflows form Rae’s .

4For the fictional studio, rent, electricity, software, and insurance are outgoing .

Count the item, not every money word

Money, cash, and the money meaning of change are normally uncountable: some money, much cash, a little change. Their units are countable: three dollars, two coins, four bills. In U.S. English, bill can mean paper money or a statement showing an amount due, so context matters.

Cost is not always uncountable. Use singular the total cost for one combined amount and plural additional costs for separate expenses. Savings usually names money kept for later and commonly takes a plural verb: The savings are protected. A saving can name an amount avoided: a saving of $20. In worth $50, worth does not become a plural money noun.

Choose the countability pattern required by the sentence

1The monthly summary shows : only $20 remains, while fourteen separate bills arrived.

2Tax and delivery are beyond the listed price.

3The center’s emergency in a separate account.

4The coupon reduced the total from $120 to $100, which produced .

Track the roles in every transaction

viewpoint	pattern	example
item or service	something costs an amount	The repair costs $260.
seller or provider	charge someone an amount for something	The supplier charged us $18 for delivery.
buyer or payer	pay someone an amount / pay an amount for something	We paid the supplier $400. We paid $400 for the projector.
use of money	spend an amount on something	We spent $35 on cables.
temporary receiver	borrow something from someone	The center borrowed $200 from the partner fund.
temporary giver	lend something to someone / lend someone something	The fund lent $200 to the center. The fund lent the center $200.
unpaid obligation	owe someone an amount / owe an amount to someone	The center owes the fund $200.

Pay back means return borrowed money: The center paid the fund back on Friday or paid back the $200 on Friday. Borrowing and owing are related in this scenario, but owe can also describe another unpaid obligation. The context must establish what is due and to whom.

Choose the verb pattern from the named role

1The center temporarily received $200 from the partner fund. The center the partner fund.

2The fund temporarily gave the center $200. The fund the center.

3Before repayment, the center .

4The supplier requested an added $18 because it transported the projector. The supplier .

5The center gave the seller $400 in exchange for the projector. It .

Separate price, total cost, affordability, and value

A price is an amount asked for an item or service. The total cost combines every amount included in the stated comparison, such as tax, required fees, delivery, or interest. Can afford means the payment fits the resources and priorities in the context. It does not simply mean that enough cash exists at one moment. Good value means the benefit, quality, useful life, or suitability compares favorably with the cost and alternatives.

Cheap means low in price and can sometimes suggest low quality, depending on tone and context. Inexpensive more neutrally means not expensive. Neither word proves that an item is good value. Expensive is relative to a comparison, budget, or expectation; it does not by itself mean wasteful.

Choose the claim the evidence supports

1. The tag says $480; tax and delivery are separate. Which statement is precise?

2. What does $538.40 represent in the Harbor quote?

3. Which affordability claim follows from the fictional budget?

4. Does fitting the budget prove good value?

Use U.S. checkout and payment language precisely

word	meaning in this lesson	do not confuse it with
check	the restaurant statement showing what is due in common U.S. English	a bank check or the act of checking
bill	a statement showing an amount due, such as an electric bill; also understood for a restaurant amount	a receipt that proves payment
receipt	a paper or digital record that payment or a transaction occurred	the unpaid bill or check
fee	an amount charged for a service or specific purpose	the complete price of every item
sales tax	tax added to eligible purchases under the stated location’s rules	a voluntary tip
deposit	money paid first to reserve, secure, or begin an agreement, depending on the stated terms	proof that every later amount has been paid
refund	money returned after a payment under the stated policy or agreement	a discount applied before payment
warranty	a written promise covering stated repair or replacement conditions for a period	a promise that the item can never fail

A service charge is an amount added for a service. A tip is separate unless the exact bill, policy, or local rule says otherwise. Taxes, refund rights, deposits, warranties, and service-charge practices vary by place and agreement, so read the stated terms rather than guessing from the noun.

Choose the checkout word from the supplied event

1At a U.S. restaurant, the server brings the statement showing the food total before payment. In this context, it is the .

2After the card payment succeeds, the store emails a record of the transaction. That record is the .

3The store accepts the return and sends the paid $40 back to the buyer. The $40 return is a .

4The venue’s stated terms require $100 now to reserve the date and the remaining amount next month. The first $100 is a .

5The supplier adds $18 specifically for transporting the projector. The added amount is a .

Describe planning without turning vocabulary into advice

A budget is a plan for money coming in, going out, and being kept for later. To track spending is to record or review where money goes. To save up for something is to accumulate money toward a goal. To cut back on something is to reduce it, not necessarily stop it.

A loan is money provided under an agreement to be repaid. The amount originally borrowed can be called the principal. Interest is an additional amount charged for borrowing under the stated rate and time conditions. An installment is one payment in a series. Debt is money or another obligation owed. These definitions help you understand and compare stated terms; they are not a recommendation to borrow, invest, or choose a product.

Choose the planning action the sentence actually describes

1The fictional club plans how much can go to rent, supplies, events, and reserves next month. It will .

2The treasurer records every purchase and groups it by category. This helps the club .

3The club keeps $75 each month toward a projector it plans to buy later. It is trying to the projector.

4To reduce one optional category, the club changes weekly deliveries to monthly deliveries. It will deliveries.

Sound natural: Make the amount and transaction role audible

Keep the stressed syllable clear in MON-ey /ˈmʌni/, BUD-get /ˈbʌdʒɪt/, SAL-a-ry /ˈsæləri/, ex-PENSE /ɪkˈspɛns/, and af-FORD /əˈfɔrd/. The p is silent in receipt /rɪˈsit/, and the b is silent in debt /dɛt/. Common U.S. pronunciations of interest include /ˈɪntrəst/ and a fuller /ˈɪntərest/.

Link function words in Can_I_borrow...? /kənaɪ ˈbɑroʊ/ and Could_you_lend...? /kədʒə ˈlɛnd/. The strongest stress follows the correction: The PRICE is $480, but the TOTAL is $538.40. Keep thirteen and thirty distinct: thir-TEEN commonly has final prominence in a contrast, while THIR-ty begins with the stressed syllable. Clarity matters more than copying one accent.

Tutor-read listening: recover the amount and transaction

Tutor: Read each line once naturally, then repeat if requested. Learner: Choose the amount, direction, or sound contrast you heard.

1. Tutor line: “The replacement costs one thousand two hundred fifty dollars and fifty cents.” Which amount did you hear?

2. Tutor line: “The PRICE is $480, but the TOTAL is $538.40.” What contrast is prominent?

3. Tutor line: “The center borrowed $200 from the fund, so the fund lent $200 to the center.” Which roles did you hear?

4. Tutor line: “Can I borrow fifty dollars from you until Friday?” What is the speaker asking?

5. Tutor line: “Keep the receipt until the debt is paid.” Which sound statement is accurate?

Read a purchasing decision from stated priorities

Fictional Lakeside Learning Center equipment record

Purpose and limit: The center needs a working projector for classes beginning next month. A grant permits up to $550 for equipment this month. A separate building-repair reserve cannot be used for equipment under the grant rules. The team will not borrow money for this purchase.

Option A, repair: Repair the current five-year-old projector for a total of $260. The repair has a 90-day warranty. The technician estimates another 8 to 12 months of use but does not guarantee that estimate.

Option B, refurbished: Buy an inspected refurbished projector for a $400 listed price, $32 sales tax, and $18 delivery fee. The total is $450, payment is due now, and the product has a one-year warranty.

Option C, new: Buy a new projector for a $648 cash total or twelve installments of $56. The installment total is $672, and the product has a two-year warranty. Both payment routes exceed the current $550 grant limit.

Recorded decision: The team chose Option B. Its reasons were the $450 total, the one-year warranty, the team’s preference not to borrow, and the fact that the amount stays within the equipment grant. The record does not claim that Option B is the best choice for every buyer.

Evidence check: what does the record establish?

1. What is the center’s current purchasing limit?

2. What is Option B’s complete stated total?

3. What is Option C’s installment total?

4. Which options are affordable within the stated grant limit?

5. Why did this fictional team select Option B?

Build the provider and buyer viewpoints

Build 1: report the provider’s charge

Use the provider viewpoint for the $18 delivery amount.

Build 2: report the buyer’s payment

Use the buyer viewpoint for the $400 projector price.

Notice and repair the transaction pattern

Repair 1: follow the transfer direction

Tap the verb that gives the listener the wrong role.

Repair 2: choose cost or be expensive

Tap the word that cannot complete the pattern after costs too.

Repair 3: add for before the item

Tap the phrase before which for is missing.

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

A laptop for the photo club

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Treasurer’s report155 wordsAbout 1 min

This month, the Greenway Photo Club needed a new laptop for editing members’ photos. We compared three models and picked one with a two-year warranty. It costs $700. The store also charged us $35 for delivery, and sales tax added $56, so the total was $791.

Our equipment budget for this year is only $600, so we could not afford the laptop on our own. Our partner group, the Westside Art Center, lent us $200. We paid the store on Friday and kept the receipt.

We now owe the art center $200. We will return the money in four monthly installments of $50, starting in May. The art center does not add interest.

To save money, the club will spend less on snacks at meetings for the next few months. Members also agreed that a new laptop bag, which costs about $40, can wait until next year. Our next report will show the first installment.

Find it

Tap the 7 verbs from the lesson’s transaction table (cost, charge, pay, spend, borrow, lend, owe), in any form.

Check your understanding

1. Why did the club need help from the art center?

2. How will the club return the $200?

3. Which purchase can wait until next year?

Word search

Money word hunt

Find the word for each clue. Words run across, down, or diagonally. Tap the first letter, then the last.

bills and coins, not a card payment → ?
money a bank lends under an agreement → ?
money that you still owe → ?
pay calculated by the hour → ?
money kept for later → ?
coins you get back when you pay too much → ?
the amount a seller asks for an item → ?

Crossword

Money words

Click a clue or a square, then type. Press Check when you finish.

Across

Down

Match up

Who does what with the money?

Tap an item on the left, then its partner on the right.

Role or meaning

Verb

Practice money language without disclosing private finances

You never need to reveal real income, salary, wages, rent, debt, bank balance, savings, credit score, loan, tax record, spending history, family support, financial stress, purchase, employer, account number, or payment problem. This lesson teaches English, not financial, tax, legal, investment, or credit advice. If a prompt feels private, use Harbor Learning Center, Lakeside Learning Center, or another fictional organization. No task requires choosing a financial product or defending a real decision.

Amount map: Label every number as listed price, tax, fee, deposit, installment, refund, payment, or total. Do not compare unlike amounts.

Direction map: Name the giver, receiver, item or service, temporary transfer, unpaid amount, and repayment date before choosing the verb.

Decision map: State the fictional budget, timeframe, required features, risks, payment timing, total cost, and evidence for value.

Advice boundary: Report what fits the supplied priorities. Do not turn one fictional decision into a recommendation for every person.

Final production and check

Final production: deliver a 90-second fictional purchasing briefing

Use only the Lakeside record. State the purpose and $550 limit; separate every listed price, tax, fee, cash total, and installment total; identify which options fit the current limit; compare payment timing, warranty, expected useful life, and the team’s no-borrowing preference; report the selected option and its exact reasons; and finish with one limitation on the conclusion. Use at least eight target chunks, including costs, charged, paid for, can afford, good value, total cost, installment, and warranty. Make every amount and transaction role audible.

Evidence check: Can the listener recover what the center needs, which money is available for that purpose, what every option costs in total, which extra charges are included, when payment is due, what coverage is stated, which preference affects the decision, and why the choice is specific to this fictional team?

Final check: choose the complete financial account

1. Which sentence reports Option B’s price and total accurately?

2. Which sentence assigns the transaction roles correctly?

3. If a fictional fund temporarily gives money to the center, which direction is accurate?

4. Which statement keeps affordability and value separate?

5. Which sentence uses cost accurately?

6. Which account of payment terms is accurate?

Reflect: which money relationship does the sentence encode?

Explain the decision path

Complete these ideas aloud: Salary differs from income because... Revenue differs from profit because... The total cost may exceed the price because... Affordability differs from value because... The receiver borrows from... The giver lends to... A receipt differs from a bill because... An installment differs from the complete total because...

Take the fictional $400 refurbished projector and report it from four viewpoints: what the item costs, what the supplier charges for delivery, what the center pays for the item, and what the complete total includes. Then explain why this team’s choice does not become universal financial advice.

Return tomorrow for the five-item retrieval check before rereading the lesson.

Next-day retrieval

Return without rereading the page. Recover one countability contrast, the borrow-lend direction, the complete total, the affordability-value boundary, and the payment document.

Five delayed checks

1. Which countability statement is accurate?

2. Which three-part transaction has consistent direction?

3. Recover the refurbished projector’s complete total.

4. Which sentence preserves the affordability-value distinction?

5. Which account distinguishes the documents?