Hey there, this is Teacher Ola Podcast episode 93: Economic vs Economical
My name’s Ola and I’ve overcome a massive language blockade myself and now I help you do the same. If you want to eliminate your fear of speaking and boost your vocabulary, brush up your grammar, improve your pronunciation, this podcast is for you! Go to my website for full transcripts and worksheets to each episode. Happy learning!
Welcome to a new episode, in which we are going to deal with two adjectives that confuse us all on a daily basis! These words are sometimes used interchangeably but unfortunately they do differ my dear. They do. Again, let me remind you because I find this crucial. This is one of my flagship goals to make you realize mistakes are ok. Everybody is allowed to make them. Nobody is perfect. Or maybe everybody is perfect just the way they are. I pick only those words that may cause a stink, if you catch my drift.
I want you to become a confident speaker who knows what he or she wants to say and says it firmly. That’s why I make lists or confusing words and then one by one, week by week tackle them. Make the difference clear.
First you’re going to learn what the word ‘economic’ means and how to use it. What are the most common collocations? Then we’re going to switch to the other adjective in question today, that is ‘economical’ and do exactly the same. Learn the meaning, learn how to use it and how to make common collocations. We will not forget about proper pronunciation. Finally you will practice by repeating 15 sentences containing those two words. Let us begin.
Economic.
Let’s start with this adjective. First of all the pronunciation. Note that the accent falls on the third syllable: /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk/. You can start with the /iː/ sound /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk/, or with the /e/ sound: /ˌekəˈnɒmɪk/, /ˌekəˈnɒmɪk/. American pronunciation prefers the long /aː/ sound instead of the short /ɒ/ sound. Hence in American pronunciation the word /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk/, or /ˌekəˈnɒmɪk/ becomes /ˌiːkəˈnɑːmɪk/, or /ˌekəˈnɑːmɪk/.
Don’t fall into despair. I’m just showing you there are options and you have to relax. Just speak. Know that there are different variants, choose one, stick to it and that’s it. Also, keep in mind that the root word economy begins with the / /sound and the accent falls on the second syllable. listen and repeat:
economy /ɪˈkɒnəmi/
economic /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk/
This adjective refers to e’conomy, money, finances, wealth. The adjective eco’nomic is related to the economy.. Eco’nomic means: connected with the trade, industry and development of wealth of a country, an area or a society. Eco’nomic also means ‘financially efficient’, in other words how profitable or financially rewarding something is. ‘Economic’ means in that case that something is producing enough profit to continue. Economic business is a business which is efficient financially. It makes sense to continue doing that business because it’s profitable.
Let me give you a list of a few common structures with the word economic:
economic growth
economic development
economic crisis
economic policy
economic slowdown
economic climate
economic recession
economic system
economic reform
economic recovery
Economical
Let’s start with the pronunciation, just like we did before. So the accent also falls onto the third syllable, /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪkl/. ust like before, just like with the word ‘economic’ you can choose the sound you want to start with. I’m going for the /iː / sound, /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪkl/. ˌYou can choose the short /e/ sound and sound just as correct /ekəˈnɒmɪkl/. If you’re a fan of american accents go for a long /aː/ sound and say: /ˌiːkəˈnɑːmɪkl/ or /ˌekəˈnɑːmɪkl/.
What about the meaning of this word? How does it differ from the previous word, economic? Wel, economical means cheap. Not wasteful. If someone or something is economical it uses money, time, goods etc carefully and without wasting any. Economics is providing good service or value in relation to the amount of time or money spent. A person can also be economical, which means that he or she is frugal. They don’t spend more money than it’s necessary. It’s a good thing.
Additionally, there’s one idiom with the word ‘economical’. Be economical with the truth. If you say that someone is economical with the truth you mean that they lie. You don’t want to use the word ‘lie’, so it’s a euphemism. An indirect word or phrase that people often use to refer to something embarrassing or unpleasant, sometimes to make it seem more acceptable than it really is, for example: instead of saying that someone died we say that someone passed away. It’s easier for us to cope with, the word ‘die’ can be harsh. Just like the word ‘lie’. Maybe it’s more diplomatic sometimes to say: he was rather economical with the truth. One more thing, the opposite of economical is: uneconomical.
What are the most common structures with the word ‘economical’? For example:
economical use of something
economical prices
economical car
economical person
economical heating system
Now the time has come. It’s all about you now. Please stay focused, be active. Listen and repeat all the sentences out loud:
They found it was not economic to sell their products to the supermarkets.
This new oven is highly economical.
The government’s economic policy has been broadly successful.
This arrangement is more economical with space.
They discussed competitiveness in global economic markets.
He was economical in all areas of his life.
Economic growth is slow.
This is a well-designed car that is also very economical to run.
Economic reform is needed.
They sell good-quality clothes at economical prices.
It is no longer economic to run the service.
Many formerly thriving businesses are not economic today.
This arrangement is more economical in its use of staff.
What are the prospects for economic recovery?
He was rather economical with the truth.
Well done! Thank you for doing this! Now, download the worksheet and practice some more. Translate 10 sentences into English and say them out loud. Say them out loud before checking the answer key. You’ll be surprised at how much you can correct when you hear your sentence rather than just see it. Check your sentences by ear, if you will. The worksheet is in your inbox if you’re a member of TOPeople. If you’re not, please become one. It’s free, and one of the best ways to subscribe is to download the newest worksheet at teacherola.com/92.
Here you have it! Two confusing adjectives explained and practiced. Today we had ‘economic’ and ‘economical’. At the end of the day I want you to keep in mind this. Economic means something related to economy, money, market, trade whereas economical means not wasteful. That’s it!
Thank you for tuning in, for staying till the end. If you want to support this podcast please Share this episode with someone you think might need it. I would love this podcast to reach people who feel blocked when it comes to speaking English.
Next week we’re going to explain song lyrics. Spice Girls! See you next Wednesday. Till then have a great, fearless week. Remember to say it out loud! Happy learning bye-bye!