The Magnificent Seven Dials of the Economy
Grammar: Discourse markers and connectors
A Business English English lesson exploring money.
What's in this lesson
A Business English ESL lesson on money, practising discourse markers and connectors. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary and discussion questions.
From the reading: The Magnificent Seven Dials of the Economy
Every morning, before the markets open in London, Tokyo, or São Paulo, traders stare at the same seven numbers: GDP growth, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, exchange rates, trade balance, and government debt. These figures do not merely describe an economy — they dictate it. When the United States Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate eleven times between March 2022 and July 2023, it sent shockwaves through every asset class on earth, from Brazilian real estate to South Korean semiconductor stocks. Macroeconomics, in other words, is not an academic exercise. It is the weather system in which every business operates.
Vocabulary
- absorb
- build in
- pass on
- turn to
- across
- against
- at
- into
- on
Discussion questions
- Which economic news story has affected your work or daily life most recently?
- Do you trust the economic statistics your government publishes?
- Is a low unemployment rate always good news for a country?
The Magnificent Seven Dials of the Economy
Grammar: Discourse markers and connectors
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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