Work & Careers
Work & Careers — 20 high-frequency words, with pronunciation, collocations, easy-to-confuse words and four interactive exercises.
📌 In this lesson
🎯 Lesson goal
The vocabulary of the world of work 💼: applying, going to an interview, describing duties and conditions. This is where word-for-word translation from your own language causes the most mistakes: apply for (not “apply to”), work as (not “work like”), earn (not “gain”). 🚀
🗂️ Word Bank
Tap 🔊 to hear the British pronunciation. The IPA transcription is under each word.
📖 Words in context
Elena’s first interview · tap a highlighted word to hear it.
Elena decided to apply for a job in a hotel on the coast. She updated her CV, listed her language skills and sent the application the same evening.
A week later she had an interview. The employer asked about her experience, her availability for the evening shift and whether she minded doing overtime in high season. He explained that every new employee gets three weeks of training, and that the salary is modest at first but there are chances of a promotion.
She accepted. Six months later, her workload is heavy and the deadline for the weekly reports is brutal, but her colleagues are friendly and she has just been offered a permanent contract. "I earn less than my friends in Milan," she says, "but my work-life balance is far better."
🔗 Collocations & chunks
Words travel in pairs, not alone: learn the whole chunk.
| Chunk / collocation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| apply for a position | to ask formally for a job | She applied for a position in marketing. |
| work under pressure | to work when there is a lot of stress | I'm used to working under pressure. |
| meet a deadline | to finish on time | We always meet our deadlines. |
| take on responsibility | to accept duties and their results | He's ready to take on responsibility. |
| a demanding job | a job that is hard and needs effort | Nursing is a demanding job. |
| hand in your notice | to tell your boss you are leaving | She handed in her notice yesterday. |
⚠️ Easy-to-confuse words
| English word | Real meaning ✅ | Easy to mix up with ❌ |
|---|---|---|
| stage | a part of a process; the platform in a theatre | A short training job is an internship or work placement |
| actually | in fact, really | Not “now”: for that, say currently |
| firm | a company or business | Not a handwritten name: that is a signature |
| factory | a place where goods are made | Not a place for animals and crops: that is a farm |
🎚️ Register: when to use them
| Expression | Register | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| I got the gig! | very informal | between friends, for odd jobs |
| I've found a job. | neutral | always suitable |
| I'm writing to apply for the position of… | formal | first line of a job application letter |
| I look forward to hearing from you. | formal | standard ending of a professional email |
🚫 Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake ❌ | Correct ✅ |
|---|---|
| I want to apply to this job. | I want to apply for this job. |
| I work like a waiter. | I work as a waiter. |
| I gain 1500 euros a month. | I earn 1500 euros a month. |
| I have made a stage in a hotel. | I did an internship in a hotel. |
🎮 Vocabulary gym
Four ways to practise the same 20 words. Your progress is saved on this device.
Tap the card to flip it.
Tap an English word, then its meaning. Eight pairs per round.
Complete the ten sentences with the right word. The clue under each sentence will help you.
- I'd like to the summer job.💡 I would like to ask formally for the summer job.
- They received forty forms.💡 They received forty forms asking formally for the job.
- Attach your to the email.💡 Attach the document with your work history to the email.
- The lasted twenty minutes.💡 The formal meeting for the job lasted twenty minutes.
- A good invests in training.💡 A good person or company that pays workers invests in teaching them.
- Every gets a uniform.💡 Every person who works for the company gets a uniform.
- I'm on the night this week.💡 This week my fixed work period is at night.
- We worked a lot of in August.💡 In August we worked many extra hours.
- The is paid on the 27th.💡 The fixed monthly pay arrives on the 27th.
- She must more than her manager.💡 She must get more money for her work than her manager.