agency meaning

agency means 'a business or organization that provides a particular service'.

agency :

business, organization

noun

▪ She works at a travel agency.

▪ She works at a business that provides travel services.

▪ The advertising agency created a new campaign.

▪ The business made a new advertising campaign.

paraphrasing

▪ firm – business

▪ company – organization

▪ bureau – office

▪ office – place of business

agency

Pronunciation

agency [ˈeɪ.dʒən.si]

The stress is on the first syllable 'a-jen' and sounds like 'AY-jen-see'.

Common phrases and grammar about agency

agency - Common meaning

noun
business, organization

Part of Speech Changes for "agency"

▪ agencies (plural noun) – multiple agencies

▪ agent (noun) – a person who acts on behalf

▪ representing – acting for someone

▪ agency-related – pertaining to an agency

Common Expressions with "agency"

▪ travel agency – a business that arranges travel

▪ advertising agency – a company that creates advertisements

▪ government agency – a public department that carries out government functions

▪ employment agency – a business that arranges employment for others

Important examples of agency in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC word questions, agency refers to a company that provides a particular service.

▪The advertising agency launched a new campaign.
▪The advertising company started a new marketing project.

Example of a confusing word: agenda (a list of items to be discussed)

▪The advertising agenda launched a new campaign.
▪The meeting agenda included a discussion on the new campaign.
"Agency" is a noun that refers to an organization or company that provides a specific service, like an advertising agency. The sentence "The advertising agency launched a new campaign" is grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. "Agenda," on the other hand, refers to a list of items to be discussed in a meeting. Using "agenda" in place of "agency" results in a grammatically incorrect sentence, as agendas do not launch campaigns. Thus, "agency" is the correct choice here.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

As a noun, agency can be used as the subject or object in TOEIC grammar questions.

▪The agency handles all our marketing needs.
▪The company manages all our marketing needs.

agency

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

advertising agency

refers to a company that creates advertisements, commonly seen in TOEIC passages.

▪We hired an advertising agency to create our new ads.
▪We hired a company to make our new advertisements.

government agency

refers to an official organization, used in TOEIC readings.

▪The government agency issued new regulations.
▪The official organization released new rules.

Differences between similar words and agency

agency

,

company

differences

agency refers to a business that provides specific services, while company is a general term for a business.

agency
▪She works at a travel agency.
▪She works at a company.
company
▪The agency handles marketing.
▪The company handles various services.

agency

,

firm

differences

agency is a specialized business providing specific services, while firm is a general term for a business organization.

agency
▪They hired an agency for their ads.
▪The agency advises on financial matters.
firm
▪The firm advises on financial matters.
▪The agency advises on financial matters.

Words with the same origin as agency

The origin of agency

The word 'agency' comes from Latin 'agere', meaning 'to act'.

Word structure

It has the prefix 'ag-', root 'ag', and suffix '-ency', so 'agency' means 'the act of'.

Words with the same origin

The root of 'agency' is 'ag' (act). Words with the same root include 'act', 'action', 'active', 'react'.

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