Unit 6: WORK RELATED VOCABULARY

UNIT 6: TALKING ABOUT WORK

TASK 1:

TASK 2:

TASK 3:

TASK 4:

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TASK 5: Draw a line from each word on the left to a word on the right to make a word pair. The
first one is an example.

physically contact
human work
problem on
day demanding
team shift
clock solving
working hours

TASK 6.

TASK 7. Complete the sentences by putting one of these words or phrases in each space.

teleworking freelance flexitime job sharing shifts short term contract

a. John’s company demands that he is in the office between 10:00 and 15:00 but he can start earlier than
that and finish later than that as long as he works 40 hours per week. He is
working…………………………………….
b. This is the worst week of the month for Mary because this week she’s working nights. Next week is
the best, because then she’ll be at home when her daughter comes in from school. She’s working
……………….
c. Pat works for a large insurance firm but he only goes to their office one day a week. For the other
four he works at home and keeps in touch by email, fax and phone. He’s ………………….
d. Peter is a journalist. He writes for a variety of papers. This week it’s the Finacial Times, last week it
was the Wall Street Journal. He decides how much work he does and when he works and completes
his own accounts for taz purposes. He’s working………….
e. Heidi is working at a food processing plant in Germany. She’s worked for two months, and her job
finishes at the end of the month. She hopes the company will renew her contract for another three
months. She’s working on a ……………………….
f. Mary and Jane are both receptionists for a PR firm. Mary works there on Monday and Tuesday, Jane
takes over for the rest of the week. They are …………………

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TASK 8. Read the extracts below and provide synonyms for the following words and phrases:


 No two days are the same  
 Achievement 

 To be hands-on  
 Chained to a desk 
 To get on well with smb.   To be snowed under 
 To hit it off   Red tape 

 Rapport  
 Give sb motivation 

 To get on (well) with smb.   Stretching 

 I’m + job name  
 Demanding 
 To put sth into practice   Breathe down sb’s neck 
 To work on one’s own 

My work is so rewarding
I work in advertising. I love my work, which is really rewarding and stimulating.
Originality and creativity are very important in this industry, of course.
No two days are the same in my job: I could be contacting film companies for new advertising
campaigns one day and giving client presentations the next. I like the client contact and I’m very
much hands -on – being involved with the productive work of the agency rather than managing it.
When I joined the agency, I hit it off with my colleagues immediately and I still get on well
with them. There’s a very good rapport between us.

I like the team work

I’am an aircraft engineer. I work on the research and development of new aircraft. I love
putting ideas into practice. I like working on my own, but it’s also great being part of a team. I
like the team work and the sense of achievement when we do something new. And of course the
planes we are producing are very beautiful.
Is there anything I don’t like? I dislike days when I’m chained to a desk. I don’t like admin
and paperwork- sometimes I feel I’m snowed under with it. And in a large organization like ours,
there can be a lot of red tape and bureaucracy- rigid procedures that can slow things down.

I want to make a contribution

I’m a secondary school teacher. It’s a low paid job but I want to help people and make a
contribution to society. That’s what gives me motivation. My job gives me a lot of satisfaction.
The work can be stretching, taking me to the limits of my skills and knowledge. But it’s great to
see kids developing and learning. Of course, they can be very difficult and demanding, but
sometimes we even get recognition from parents that we are doing a good job! But I don’t like
unnecessary interference – I don’t like people breathing down my neck.

TASK 4. Read the extracts above again and complete the sentences below with the right
expressions.
1. Work that is interesting and exciting is ………….and……………..
2. If you spend time with customers, you have………….. ………………..
3. If you have a good working relationship with your colleagues, you …………. …………. well
with them.
4. If you do the actual work of the organization rather than being a manager, you are …………….
…………….
5. If you want to say that work is not repetitious, you can say, ……………… ……………
…………. ……………… ……………. ……………………..
6. ……………. and ………………. are when you have new and effective ideas that people have
not had before.

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TASK 9. Are these statements true or false?

a. When a worker is on a career break, they are unpaid.

b. Part time workers do not have a full- time job.
c. Flexitime workers always start their working day at the same time.
d. Shift workers always work at night.
e. Freelance journalists receive a regular salary from the newspaper company they work for.
f. Companies which offer flexible working patterns give their employees more control over their
hours of work.
g. If a company has a long- hours culture, its workers often stay late at work.

TASK 10. Some estimates suggest that up to one third of the workforce could eventually be
teleworkers. List the benefits to a company and to the employees of this way of working.
Choose from the list below.

no commuting smaller premises flexible working hours wider choice of potential employees
lower overheads no restrictions on where you live
COMPANY EMPLOYEE

TASK 11: How would you generally feel (happy or unhappy) if you were in the following
situations. Use the words in bold to help you decide.

You had a steady job. Your company has a generous incentive

You worked unsociable hours.
You were given an increment
You received a promotion.
You were suddenly made redundant.
The company you work for is well-known for
its job security.
You found your job very demanding.
Your company gave you sickness benefit.
You received a cut in your salary.
You were forced to resign.
You were under stress.
You receive support from a union.
You receive a commission for the work you
have done.
scheme.
Your work didn't offer much job satisfaction.
Your boss announces that there is going to be
some downsizing of the workforce.
Your company doesn't give you many
incentives.
Somebody called you a workaholic.
You receive regular perks as part of your job.
The office where you work has sick building
syndrome.
You took time off work because of repetitive
strain injury.
You suddenly found yourself unemployed.
You had adverse working conditions.

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TASK 12: Match sentences 1-6 with one of the sentences A-F. Use the words in bold to help
you.
1. Samantha is the assistant manager of a bank and she works from 8.30 to 5.30 every day.
2. Tracy works on the production line of a factory which makes cars. She uses a machine to spray
paint onto the finished car parts.
3. Jane works for herself. She is a photographer. She works every day for about eight or
nine hours.
4. Jeanette is a cleaner for a company in Birmingham, but she only works there for about
three or four hours a day.
5. Claire has a powerful job in the personnel office of a large multinational company. She is
responsible for employing new people and getting rid of those that the company doesn't
want to employ anymore.
6. Marie works in the finance department of an international college in Oxford.

A. She is a semi-skilled blue-collar worker in a manufacturing industry.

B. She is self-employed and works full-time. She likes to describe herself as freelance.
C She is responsible for hiring and firing.
D. She calculates the wages, salaries, pension contributions and medical insurance contributions
of all the staff.
E. She is a full-time white-collar worker in a service industry.
F. She is an unskilled part-time employee.

TASK 13: Read this essay and complete the gaps with one of the words or expressions from
Tasks 11 and 12. You may need to change the form of some of the words.

'Some people live to work, and others work to live. In most cases, this depends on the job they
have and the conditions under which they are employed. In your opinion, what are the elements
that make a job worthwhile?'

In answering this question, I would like to look first at the elements that combine to make a
job undesirable. By avoiding such factors, potential 1…………….. are more likely to find a job that
is more worthwhile, and by doing so, hope to achieve happiness in their work.
First of all, it doesn't matter if you are an 2…………….. worker cleaning the floor, a
3………….. 4……………… worker on a production line in one of the 5………………. , or a
6………….. worker in a bank, shop or one of the other 7…………… : if you lack 8…………..,
with the knowledge that you might lose your job at any time, you will never feel happy. Everybody
would like a 9……………… in which he or she is guaranteed work. Nowadays, however,
companies have a high turnover of staff, 10……………… new staff and 11…………………. others
on a weekly basis. Such companies are not popular with their workers. The same can be said of a
job in which you are put under a lot of 12………………… and worry, a job which is so 13
…………… that it takes over your life, a job where you work 14……………….. and so never get
to see your family or friends, or a physical job in which
you do the same thing every day and end up with the industrial disease that is always in the papers
nowadays - 15 …………………………..
With all these negative factors, it would be difficult to believe that there are any elements
that make a job worthwhile. Money is, of course, the prime motivator, and everybody wants a good
16…………………….. . But of course that is not all. The chance of 17………………….. , of being
given a better position in a company, is a motivating factor. Likewise,18 ………………………such
as a free lunch or a company car, an 19 …………………………… scheme to make you work hard
such as a regular 20……………….. above the rate of inflation, 21……………………. in case you
fall ill and a company 22……………………. scheme so that you have some money when you retire
all combine to make a job worthwhile.

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 Unfortunately, it is not always easy to find all of these. There is, however, an alternative.
Forget the office and the factory floor and become 23……………… and work for yourself. Your
future may not be secure, but at least you will be happy.

TASK 14

TASK 15

TASK 16

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TASK 17.

TASK 18.

TASK 19.

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TASK 20.
TASK 21
Find the best paraphrase in B for the words in bold in A.
a.
1. John is my opposite number in our company.
2. Sue and Jane have a good working
relationship.
3. We established a good rapport with our boss.
4. When going out on teambuilding activities we
try not to talk shop.
5. Everytime I get to work or leave i have to clock
in and clock out.
6. I have a lot of paperwork to do by tomorrow.
7. My father did manual work all of his life.
8. I think I’d like a vocational work, like being a
nurse or a teacher.
9. Most of the day I do routine tasks, but
occasionally there’s a crisis or I have to meet a
deadline.
10. As a pilot you work irregular and antisocial
hours.
11. I’m a salesman, so I’m not stuck behind a
desk.
12. There are people who cannot move up the
career ladder so they work in dead-end jobs .
Task 22
Correct the mistakes in the paragraph
B.
a. finish something by a fixed day or time
b. hard and physical
c. has the same position/does the same job as
me
d. which helps people
f. how we communicate and work together
g. to use an electronic card to record the time
somebody arrives at or leaves work
h. letters/reports to write/forms to complete
e. communication/relationship
j. to talk about work
k. sitting in an office all day
l. the hours do not enable you to have a
normal social life
m. jobs with no prospects of promotion
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Task 23. Give one example of …
A manual job
A job with great variety A
job with irregular hours
A job with routine tasks
A job with regular deadlines
A job with lots of paperwork

Task 24. Give three adjectives which you think describe each of these jobs (for example,
stressful, glamorous, dead-end).

assembly line
worker shop steward
pr officer
bodyguard
lifeguard
trawlerman
private eye
refuse collector

.
Task 24. Write about the benefits and disadvantages of freelance