Rolling in money

1. Do you remember these words?

So, let's read something you will probably understand easily:
Nowadays, the economic system does not allow young people to fly the nest as early as their parents.
Considering the low incomes they get from their part-time jobs, and it's almost impossible to live by. Had it
not been for parents' support, many people would not have purchased a house, for example. This situation
may seem even more hazardous for entrepreneurs who decide to set up their own businesses under the risk
of losing everything they have. The government should give some kind of help to these businesspeople, but it
is not the case nowadays. For this reason, there are several platforms to complain about this situation and
claim a change. Nevertheless, not much has been done so far. May this change shortly?

GLOSSARY:

To fly the nest: to live alone.

Income: money you obtain from working.
Part-time job: working less than full time.
To live by: to survive with the money you earn.
To purchase: to buy.

2. Reading
Now, we will read some texts which are a little more complex.

TEXT 1
Money runs the world
As it may be your case, many students nowadays receive a grant to study and pay for all their expenses.
However, that money isn't enough for them to survive. And that's the first problem. Many students complain
that their money disappears so quickly. To prevent this from happening to you, you should manage your
expenses.
A possible solution to end this miserable situation is working part-time, but you have to make sure you strike
a balance between work and study. Some students do it, but on no account should you work too much
otherwise, your studies would be affected negatively. So wait until you have your timetable and try to
manage both things.
Moreover, whenever you purchase something, ask for student discounts. They may not be much, but that
way you will be able to save some money. Finally, get the most of your student card and be careful how you
use your credit card.
But apart from some pieces of advice on how to manage your money, the reality is that the economic system
and the job opportunities for young people must be changed. First, the government should provide families
with grants for children to access high education and obtain a job. Only when education becomes more
affordable and works more accessible will young people live independently.

TEXT 2

I hate shopping because I hate looking at clothes. Even if there's something I need to buy, I detest it. I find it
a waste of time; there are many other things I could be doing instead. I can't even remember the last time I
went to buy something in a physical shop or what it was. Nevertheless, I do buy things online. I prefer the
comfort of being at home and just purchasing something with a click. I believe there is too much importance
placed on clothes and appearance. I don't feel strongly enough to object politically, and it's simply that I
don't see the point in giving too much consideration to it. For lots of people, though, think appearance is
essential. Many people like wearing something that attracts attention, whereas others prefer to go
unnoticed, in my case. It makes them feel as if they had a strong identity or image. Judging others by their
clothes is unfair. You can't judge a book by its cover; I learned that once at the university. Since then, I have
changed my view on fashion. Wear whatever you feel comfortable with and forget about what others say.

3. Vocabulary: Money
As you have seen in the reading, this topic is incredibly interesting. Let's see some vocabulary you should
know. We are going to divide the glossary into some sections: nouns, verbs, idioms and collocations.

GLOSSARY

Nouns
A saving account: a deposit account.
Bill: a printed statement of the money owed for something.
Mortgage: the money you pay monthly to the bank after buying your house.
Salary: The money you receive each month for your job.
Payroll: the number of workers in an enterprise
Fee: the price for something
Self-employed: a person who is their own boss
Entrepreneur: a person who runs their own business
Heist: a robbery

Verbs
To borrow: to take with the intention of returning.
To lend: to give with the intention of getting it back.
To owe: have an obligation to pay.
To pawn: to sell something temporarily.
To inherit: to receive money or properties from a dead relative
To auction: to sell goods to the highest bidder

Idioms
To tighten your belt: to reduce the expenses.
To live from hand to mouth: to have just enough money to stay alive.
To have money to burn: to have a lot of money.
To cost an arm and a leg: to be expensive.

Collocations
Save money: keep money for when necessary.
Invest money: to put money into financial schemes to get a profit.
Dirty money: money obtained immorally.
Black money: illegal income
Armed robbery: a robbery with guns
Petty theft: a minor robbery

4. Grammar
In this section, we are going to study inversions. We will focus on the structure, the use, and some useful
words and phrases that can help us identify them.

Inversions
Inversions are typically done when we introduce the relevant information at the end of the sentence. It is
generally done with an adverb or adverbial phrase at the beginning.
Structure:
● Adverb+ auxiliary verb + subject + verb
There are specific structures depending on the adverb:

Hardly Hardly had I come in when the telephone rang.

Never Never had she been to such a beautiful place.

Seldom Seldom do we watch such an amazing film.

Rarely Rarely will they see such a marvelous spectacle.

Only then Only then did I realise what had happened.

Not only ... but Not only does he love music, but he also likes sports.

No sooner No sooner had I arrived home than my mother knocked on the door.

Scarcely Scarcely had I got to school when the director asked me to his office

Only later Only later did she really understand the situation.

Nowhere Nowhere have I ever had such bad service.

Little Little did he know!

Only in this way Only in this way could he finish his studies.

In no way In no way do I agree with you.

On no account On no account should you leave your luggage unattended.

● However, in the following expressions, the inversion comes in the second part of the sentence:
Not until Not until I met her did I really know how she was.
Not since Not since Lucy left college had she had such a wonderful time.
Only after Only after I had left school did I understand why it's important to study.
Only when Only when we'd all arrived home did I feel calm.
Only by Only by working extremely hard could I finish the project.

● We can use inversion after 'so + adjective...that':

So beautiful was the girl that everybody looked at her

Finally, we can also use inversions instead of 'if' in conditionals with 'had' 'were' and 'should':
Had I been there, this problem wouldn't have happened.
Had we known sooner, we could have prevented the accident.

● Inversion can happen after "here", and "there" as an adverb of place. After here and there, we can
use a main verb without an auxiliary verb or modal verb:

Here comes the bus!

Here's your coffee.
There goes all our money!

● Inversions can also be used with "so" and "neither"

SO is used to show agreement with affirmative statements by, or concerning, another person.
SO + Auxiliary + Subject (pronoun) : So do I

NEITHER is used to show agreement with negative statements.

NEITHER can be replaced by NOR with no change in meaning.
Neither + Auxiliary + Subject (pronoun) : Neither do I (Nor do I)

Use:
1. To be more formal.
2. To emphasise the adverb.

Summing up

Adverb+ aux+
subject (at the
beginning)
Inversions Structure Conditional
sentences
Adverb+
aux+ subject
( t th d)

REMEMBER!

Inversions must always have an auxiliary verb.

We should invert the order of the sentence.
There are certain structures we must take into account.

5. Listening
You will hear a person talking about business. In the first one, the speaker is talking about her business. In
the second one, a teacher is advising on money issues.
After listening to the recordings, you will find some questions to test your comprehension skills.

5.1 Listening 1: Running a business

Transcript:

When I finished university, I wasn't quite sure what to do next. I spent a gap year traveling thinking about it.
My parents had always tried to talk me into joining a big company such as Google, but I didn't fancy it. You
know, rushing everywhere 24-7 is not for me. After sleeping on it, I came up with the idea of setting up my
own business. I've always been creative, so I decided to run a craft shop. I spent all my savings on this project
and opened it last year. After a couple of months, it took off. My friends have always said that I could do this,
and I've proved it's working. The next step was to set up my own online shop. In the beginning, I was a bit
skeptical about its success, but I was wrong! Customers started to buy online, and it became the talk of the
town. It was amazing to see how my dream came true. I have done several courses on business
administration throughout the years to improve sales, and I'm a recognized brand already. My friends'
support has been of paramount importance in all this process. It's for them that I am a successful
entrepreneur now. Have you got a dream? Go for it, and don't think twice. You may fail, but you'll never
know if you don't try.

5.2 Listening 2:

Transcript:

Hello, I'm Cindy, an economist working at the university. Today, I aim to give you some pieces of advice on
money matters before you finish your degree and start working. As you may know, many students receive
pocket money to cover their expenses. Many people depend on that money and can purchase many things
with it. However, they should learn how to manage it since it may be the case that the family has to make
cutbacks. Parents should also teach children the importance of saving and its value. Children should be
encouraged to work for their money, but not at an early age. Everything has a process, and working to get
money will be done during adulthood, don't you think so? As future economists, knowing the best way to
manage money is essential. You may obtain profit from working for a company or being self-employed, but
you must bear in mind that you have to plan your finances carefully. On no account should you waste all your
money on useless things.

Consumerism contributes to the current economy, yet, compulsive shopping is detrimental to our economy
and health. When was the last time you spent a day without shopping? I want to make you question the
need to consume and the utility of the products we buy. Only when you realise this will you be able to change
your view. Advertisements greatly influence us, but we must question everything we see. Be wise, guys, and
you will be successful.

1. Writing

Nowadays, the essay is a really common type of writing, we use it to give an argument about something. In
an argumentative essay, the writer persuades the readers to understand and support their point of view
about a topic providing evidence. In this section, we will learn how to write an argumentative essay.
Argumentative essay

It is a type of writing in which we objectively give our opinion, evaluating the pros or cons of something. We
must use the passive voice, reported speech, and impersonal structures to do that.

Structure

It is necessary to organize our text to give coherence to it. Give a title to it which summarises the topic:

1. Introduction � introduces the problem and states some solutions that will be developed in the body

2. Body

� 1st paragraph ---- describe one idea, develop it with supporting arguments and conclude

� 2 paragraph ------- describe one idea, develop it with supporting arguments and conclude

3. Conclusion � you shouldn't add new information. Try to summarise your points and give your opinion.

Language

Try to use formal language by avoiding slang, phrasal verbs, idioms, and contractions. Try to use passives,
conditionals, reported speech and modal verbs instead.

The use of connectors and linking words (nevertheless, in addition, so that, etc.) is also required in this kind
of writings to connect words, phrases, and sentences and establish semantic relationships among the
paragraphs.

Useful Expressions

Opening � The trend nowadays is towards ….

Over the past ten years or so....

Recent research indicates that…

Give opinion� As I see it,

It seems to me that …

I would also say that ...

I am convinced that …

I am inclined to believe that …

Presenting arguments� One justification often given for ........... is that…

Advocates/Proponents would claim that …

Those who object to ................. often argue that …

Another objection is that …

However, it should not be forgotten that …

Conclude � All in all it seems to me that ...........

The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that …

All things considered, …

 On balance, I tend to believe that…

The next mind map summarizes the main points mentioned above:

Title
1st
paragraph
Argument Neutral/fo
ative rmal
writing language

Argumen
tative
essay

An example of an argumentative essay:

A slow way of killing yourself

Introduction

It is widely believed that smoking is a huge problem that must be forbidden. However, even though there
are many proofs of how hazardous it is, people are still smoking. Nevertheless, a group of Italian scientists
has published an article trying to help people with this addiction to save money.

1st paragraph

Firstly, smoking is highly detrimental to your health and the people surrounding you. There are different
pieces of research whose results show that smoking may have adverse effects on your health, such as lung
cancer, among other mortal diseases. When you are smoking, you are swallowing smoke, and you are killing
yourself slowly.

2nd paragraph

Secondly, apart from the damage to your health, it is also costly. Each package costs 5 euros, and an
addicted person usually buys like 20 packages every month, so they are spending 100€ on something that is
killing them. One last conclusion to be drawn is that smoking is also a way to kill your beloved ones. This is
because they are inhaling your smoke and can get lung cancer.

Conclusion
Taking the ideas mentioned above into account, I think that people should not smoke because they are
risking their lives. Moreover, it is also a costly habit that creates addiction. For these reasons, I believe that
smoking should be banned in certain places, and more advertising campaigns should be done to prevent
people from smoking.

REMEMBER!

In argumentative essays we give our opinion about a topic. Don't use contractions, the pronouns "I"/" we"
or informal language. Instead, use linkers to connect your sentences and paragraph so that the text has
coherence and cohesion. Introduce your opinion only at the end.

7. Speaking
7.1 Pronunciation
In this section, we will deal with linking, that is, the action of joining words when we speak.

We usually link words to each other, and that's why they do not always sound the same as when we say
them individually. Linking is crucial in English to be understood. Learning how connected speech will help
you speak English faster, more fluently, and much more like a native speaker. There are two types of linking:
● CATENATION

It happens when the last sound of a word is a consonant, and the first sound of the next word is a vowel.

Consonant ⇔ vowel

Eg. Turn off tur-noff

Can I have a sandwich? ca-ni-ha-va-sandwich?

● INTRUSION

We link words ending with a vowel sound to words beginning with a vowel sound. It is often a /j/ or /w/ or
/r/ sound between two other vowel sounds.

Vowel ⇔ vowel

- When the first word ends in an "a, e, i" our lips are wide. Then we insert a Y sound at the
beginning of the next word: payyall

- When the first word ends in an o, u, our lips are round. Then we insert a W sound at the
beginning of the next word: gowout

● ELISION

Elision means when a sound disappears. This often happens with a /t/ or /d/ sound.

Eg. Next door Nexdoor

● ASSIMILATION

It happens when two sounds blend together, forming a new sound altogether. This often happens with /t/
and /j/ which make /ʧ/ and with /d/ and /j/ which make /ʤ /.

Eg. Don't you donʧu

Won't you wonʧu

● GEMINATES
Those are twin sounds. When one word ends with the same letter as the beginning of the next word, you
should connect the two words in your speech.

Eg. Social life socialife

● The letter 'r' after a vowel at the end of a word is often not pronounced. However, when the
following word begins with a vowel, the /r/ sound is pronounced to make a smooth link.

● Linking also occurs when the word ends with a consonant similar to the beginning of the next one.

need to [neeto]

sleep better [sleebetter]

dark gray = [dargray]

cheese sandwich = [cheesandwich]

7.2 Situation
This section will see how to keep a conversation in a shop. We will hear a shop assistant and a customer
discussing an issue. This will help us practice the vocabulary related to the unit's topic. When you finish this
speaking section, you will have a conversation with others in a shop.

Transcript:

Assistant: Hello Madam. How can I help you?

Customer: Hello, I came the other day, and I bought a pair of jeans. However, when I got home, I realised I
got the wrong size. So I was wondering if I could have a refund.

Assistant: I see. Sorry madam, but we are not allowed to give the money back. Unfortunately, we sold out all
the remaining sizes of that product. Nonetheless, you could pick up another item for the same price if you
want to.

Customer: Mmm, ok. Have you got that blouse in beige?

Assistant: Sure, here you have.

Customer: Great! I'll try it on.

Assistant: How is it? Can I have a look? Oh, it fits you like a glove.

Customer: Do you think so?

Assistant: Yes! Moreover, it has a discount now. So don't think twice.

Customer: Alright. I'll get it.

Assistant: Do you fancy any other thing?

Customer: No, that's fine. Thank you.

Assistant: May I charge you by cash or credit card?

Customer: Cash.

Assistant: Here you are, your receipt and your change. Have a lovely day!
Customer: You too.

REMEMBER!

Linking is critical in pronunciation when we want to achieve fluency and naturalness. Remember the
different rules and the type of sounds we usually link. That will improve your speaking.

8. Key ideas
Let's see a summary of what you have learnt in this unit:

● In this unit, you have found a text about economy. This helps us learn more complex vocabulary
and structure.
● In this unit, we have learnt vocabulary related to money. It is of great importance to know
vocabulary from different fields; otherwise, you would be stuck, and you wouldn't be able to
participate in various conversations.
● Grammar is the base for speaking and writing, so mastering it would imply better knowledge and
better performance. This section has helped us understand the inversions we normally use in
formal language.
● In this unit, we have listened to people talking about money, and we have learned useful
vocabulary related to this topic.
● In this unit, we have learnt to write an argumentative essay which might be useful for us if we have
to describe something.
● This unit has focused on linking, and we have also seen a dialogue between two people talking
about a problem in a shop. Speaking situations is helpful for conversation and practice it helps us
improve our oral skills.

9. Links of interest
Today, we have many resources to study a language. We can use online platforms or mobile apps as a tool
to learn English. You can improve your comprehension skills by listening to the radio online, reading the
news, or watching films. That's why we have created this section for you to keep on learning English. This
section consists of helpful links to help you with your English.
● Vocabulary and expressions of money https://blogs.transparent.com/english/money-money-
money/

● Inversions https://learn-english-
today.com/lessons/lesson_contents/exercises/inversion_quiz1.html

● Practice linking https://www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/linking-pronunciation

● In the next video, you will find a video about money where you will find useful expressions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdeAMY_JaN8