Lesson 2, exercise 1- wrongdoings in business, terms and

definitions

1. LAW-ABIDING

2. A SLUSH FUND

3. A SWEETNER

4. INSIDER TRADING

5. INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE

6. DISCLOSURE

7. A WHISTLER BLOWER

8. CON ARTIST / FRAUDER

9. A WHITE WASH / A COVER-UP

10. A KICKBACK
DEFINITIONS

 WHITE WASH - AN ATTEMPT TO HIDE UNPLEASANT FACTS ABOUT SOMEBODY OR

SOMETHING

 CON ARTIST – A PERSON WHO CHEATS OR TRICKS OTHERS BY PERSUADING THEM TO

BELIEVE SOMETHING THAT ITS NOT TRUE

 WHISTLER BLOWER – A PERSON WHO INFORMS PEOPLE OR THE AUTHORITIES THAT THE
COMPANY THEY WORK FOR IS DOING SOMETHING WRONG OR ILLEGAL

 KICK BACK – MONEY PAID ILLEGALLY TO SOMEONE IN RETURN FOR HELP OR WORK

 DISCLOSURE – THE ACT OF MAKING SOMETHING KNOWN OR PUBLIC THAT WAS

PREVIOUSLY A SECRET OR PRIVATE

 SWEETNER – SOMETHING THAT IS GIVEN TO SOMEONE IN ORDER TO PERSUADE THEM TO

DO SOMETHING, ESPECIALLY WHEN ITS DONE IN A SECRET OR DISHONEST WAY

 INSIDER TRADING – THE CRIME OF BUYING OR SELLING SHARES IN A COMPANY WITH THE
HELP OF INFORMATION ONLY KNOWN BY THOSE CONNECTED WITH THE BUSINESS, BEFORE
THE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE TO EVERYBODY

 SLUSH FUND – A SUM OF MONEY KEPT FOR ILLEGAL PURPOSES , ESPECIALLY IN POLITICS

 LAW ABIDING – OBEYING AND RESPECTING THE LAW

 INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE – THE ACTIVITY OF SECRETLY GETTING IMPORTANT POLICAL OR

MILITAR INFORMATION ABOUT ANOTHER COUNTRY OR FINDING OUT ANOTHER COMPANY
´S SECRETS BY USING SPIES
 1. Label the possible wrongdoings below with the vocabulary in the box:

Sweeteners
A slush fund
Insider trading
A bribe (bribery)
Industrial espionage
A cover up
A whitewash
A whistle blower
A con job (con artist)

When I saw you…

a) You were telling your stockbroker friend about tomorrow’s announcement of the drop in
profits.
b) A vendor was passing you an envelope that looked like it was full of cash.
c) You were re-labelling boxes of local whiskey as Scotch.
d) You were opening a Swiss bank account.
e) You were taking photos in your competitor’s office.
f) You were passing a suitcase to a civil servant.
g) You were talking to the police
h) You were burning documents.
i) You were talking to the police
j) you were drilling your staff on what they should say to the press

2. Work in pairs for this activity. Accuse your partner of some of the things above and see if
they can come up with innocent explanations.
3. Why do we use the Past Continuous (was/ were + ing) in the sentences above?