Beyond the Break-In: How I Got My Money Back

Welcome to Business Fluency - your weekly guide to mastering business English and accelerating your career.

In today’s newsletter:

• Beyond the Break-In: How I Got My Money Back

• A Note About Business Fluency Frequency

• We value your feedback - Your opinion helps us improve

• Word of the day: Excess

• Test Your Knowledge - Interactive quiz on the passive voice

• Whenever you are ready, here is how I can help you

Beyond the Break-In: How I Got My Money Back

The essential grammar for insurance claims and incident reports

In last week's newsletter, I told the story of how a thief broke into my hire car in Cyprus and stole my AirPods and €300 in cash. We recovered the AirPods but not the cash.

To continue the story, I was able to recover most of the cash through my travel insurance.

I claimed for the money as soon as I got back. Within 4 hours (it was not an Italian insurance company!) they agreed to refund me €300 minus €50 excess – that's €250 back in my bank account.

The Language of Insurance Claims: Why the Passive Voice Matters

When I filled out the insurance claim form, it was automatic for me to use the passive voice. But why?

Active voice (informal):

• "I returned to my car at 12:30" (we keep this active)

• "Someone had broken into my car"

• "A thief had stolen my AirPods and €300 in cash"

Passive voice (formal insurance language):

• "I returned to my car at 12:30" (stays active - focuses on your action)

• "My car had been broken into"

• "My AirPods and €300 in cash had been stolen"

Why Use the Passive Voice for Insurance Claims?

1. Professional and Objective Tone Insurance companies expect formal, factual language. The passive voice removes emotion and personal opinion, focusing purely on what happened.

2. Focus on the Action, Not the Person Insurance companies care about what was damaged or stolen, not who you are. "My laptop was stolen" puts the emphasis on the item.

3. Unknown or Irrelevant Agent Often, you don't know who committed the crime, or it's not important for the claim. "A thief stole my wallet" does not give us extra information if we do not know who the thief was. We could even say "My wallet was stolen by a thief" but this is obvious and not necessary in this case. "My wallet was stolen" is precise and concise.

4. Legal and Formal Documents Police reports, insurance forms, and incident reports all use passive voice as standard practice.

How to Form the Passive Voice

Basic Structure: verb to be + Past Participle

Present Simple Passive:

• Active: "Thieves target tourists"

• Passive: "Tourists are targeted by thieves" If this was a report to warn tourists, it is much better for 'tourists' to be at the beginning of the sentence for extra emphasis

Past Simple Passive (most common in incident reports):

• Active: "Someone broke the window"

• Passive: "The window was broken" Again, emphasising the window rather than a person that we do not know

Past Perfect Passive (when showing sequence of events):

• Active: "Someone had stolen the car before we arrived"

• Passive: "The car had been stolen before we arrived"

Using my Cyprus example:

• Active: "I returned to the car at 12:30. Someone had broken into my car (before I returned)."

• Active/Passive: "I returned to the car at 12:30. My car had been broken into (before I returned)."

Present Perfect Passive (for recent events with current relevance):

• Active: "The company has processed my claim"

• Passive: "My claim has been processed" The emphasis is on the claim and not the company

Essential Insurance Claim Phrases

Reporting the Incident:

• "The vehicle was broken into between 2-4 PM"

• "Items were stolen from the hotel room"

• "Damage was discovered upon return"

• "The incident was reported to local police"

Describing Actions Taken:

• "A police report was filed immediately"

• "Evidence was provided to support the claim"

• "Photographs were taken of the damage"

• "The claim was submitted within 24 hours"

Insurance Company Responses:

• "Your claim has been approved"

• "Payment will be processed within 5 working days"

• "Additional documentation may be required"

• "The excess has been deducted from your settlement"

The Professional Impact

Using the passive voice correctly in insurance claims and incident reports:

• Sounds more credible and professional

• Matches the language insurance companies expect

Remember: In business situations involving insurance, police reports, or formal complaints, the passive voice isn't just grammatically correct – it's expected!

Have you ever had to file an insurance claim while travelling? What language challenges did you face?

A Note About Business Fluency Frequency

As we move into the summer months, Business Fluency will be shifting from weekly to monthly publication. I have several exciting new projects launching over the summer, plus I'm organising an important Monte Carlo event this autumn that will require significant time and attention over the coming months.

What this means for you:

• Financial Fluency continues unchanged – weekly delivery every Friday at 8 am CET

• Business Fluency moves to monthly – arriving on the first Wednesday of each month at 8 am CET

This change allows me to maintain the quality and depth you've come to expect while managing my expanded project schedule.

I'll reassess the frequency in a few months once my autumn commitments are complete. Thank you for your understanding, and I look forward to continuing this journey with you!

We Value Your Feedback!

Your opinion helps us improve and lets you suggest topics or ask Business English questions for future issues.

Word of the day: Excess (Insurance Context)

Excess - noun - the amount of money that you have to pay yourself when making an insurance claim before the insurance company pays the rest.

My travel insurance covered the theft, but there was a €50 excess, so I received €250 instead of the full €300. 

Note: In insurance contexts, "excess" is always used as a singular countable noun with articles: "an excess," "the excess," "a €50 excess."

Literal Meaning: Excess comes from the Latin "excessus," meaning "a going beyond" or "departure." In insurance, it represents the portion of a claim that "goes beyond" what the insurance company will pay - the amount the policyholder must contribute before coverage begins. This concept helps insurance companies reduce small claims and keep premiums lower.

Business English Context: In professional settings, "excess" is essential vocabulary for anyone dealing with business insurance, from travel insurance for company trips to professional indemnity insurance. Understanding excess amounts helps businesses calculate true insurance costs and make informed decisions about coverage levels and risk management.

Common Insurance Collocations:

• Pay the excess - contribute your portion of the claim

• Excess amount/fee - the specific sum you must pay

• High/low excess - describing the size of the excess

• Waive the excess - insurance company doesn't require payment

• Voluntary excess - additional excess you choose for lower premiums

• Compulsory excess - minimum excess set by the insurer

• Excess policy - insurance terms regarding excess payments

Types of Excess: Compulsory excess is the minimum amount set by your insurance company that you must pay on any claim. Voluntary excess is an additional amount you can choose to pay to reduce your monthly premiums - the higher your voluntary excess, the lower your insurance costs.

Car Hire Insurance: It is important to check the excess when hiring a car, as rental companies often have very high excess amounts (sometimes €1,000 or more) for damage claims. Many travellers purchase additional insurance to reduce or eliminate this excess.

Professional Applications:

• Travel planning: "Check the excess amount on your travel insurance before your business trip" (= amount you'll pay for claims)

• Risk management: "We chose a higher excess to reduce our annual insurance premiums" (= larger personal contribution)

• Claim processing: "After paying the £200 excess, the insurance covered the remaining repair costs" (= policyholder's contribution)

Business English: Test Your Knowledge

Whenever you are ready, here is how I can help you:

We provide Business English lessons and Cambridge and IELTS preparation courses.

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Why not subscribe to our sister Financial Fluency newsletter for English students interested in learning about the financial markets and investing?

Disclaimer:

This newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The information contained herein is generic and does not take into account your individual financial circumstances. You should always consult with a qualified financial professional before making any investment or financial decisions.

Additionally, the authors and/or publishers of this newsletter may hold investments in securities or other financial instruments mentioned herein. These are included for illustrative purposes only and should not be taken as a recommendation to buy or sell such securities or financial instruments.