Trade, commerce, business - how to distingush?

[phuongpham]

hi, everyone
I'm a new member of this forum. I'd be very grateful if anyone could help me to explain the difference among the three terms: trade, commerce, and business.
cheers

[Torsten]

Dear Phuongpham,

Business is a very general term covering a broad range of industries. The word 'business' is also part of many different phrases such as 'Mind your own business please' or 'This is none of your business' etc.
The word 'trade' refers to the exchange of goods, services and products. There is the 'foreign trade' where goods between different countries are exchanged.
The word 'commerce' describes any activity that is aimed to make a profit.
Of course there is much more to those three you mentioned above and the best method to learn how to distinguish between them is to read business related texts and articles where those words occur in various contexts.
Let me know if this of any help to you.
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary