English vocabulary - Martin Hunt 2016

14 People and jobs

In this unit you will learn

✵ the names of many jobs

✵ words for place of

work/conditions at work

(office, friendly...)

✵ how to ask questions about/describe your job

Basics

Do you know these words? Check in a dictionary and write the word in your language.

Test your basics

Write the English word in the space provided. Don’t look at page 175!

Extension

People and types of work

✵ A worker is someone who works; your manager is someone who tells you what to do (we often use the informal word boss); a colleague is someone who works with you.

✵ You can work for a company, for example, Microsoft; some people work for the government; these people are called civil servants.

✵ Some jobs need a lot of training (verb = train): for example law (lawyer), medicine (doctor), or education (teacher); these jobs are called professions and the people are called professionals. They often have to study for exams to become qualified to do their job.

✵ A new area of work is IT (information technology) - this is work with computers and electronics.

Places and conditions of work

✵ Businessmen and women and secretaries usually work in an office; a factory is a place that makes things, for example cars; a farmer works on a farm; a doctor can work in a hospital or a [surgery/doctor’s office] - a [surgery/doctor’s office] is smaller than a hospital; teachers work in a school; more and more people are now working at home.

✵ Most people work to earn money (get paid); they also get some weeks of [holiday/vacation] when they don’t have to work.

Describing jobs and colleagues

Look at these opposites:

✵ To give a eeneral idea we can say a job is wonderfulor awful

✵ An office where the people like each other is friendly; the opposite is unfriendly.

✵ You like to do a job which is interesting, but one which is boring will send you to sleep.

✵ Employers who are generous give a lot to their employees; the opposite of generous is mean.

✵ If managers are strict, then you must do what they say; the opposite is easy-going.

✵ Managers who are polite always says ’please’ and ’thank you’; the opposite is rude.

✵ If you are shy at work, then you are not happy with people you don’t know well; the opposite is self-confident.

✵ Someone who helps a lot is helpful; the opposite is unhelpful.

✵ A colleague who is sensitive always thinks about other people’s feelings; the opposite is insensitive.

Questions and sentences

About work

Examples:

When do you work?

Practice

Exercise 1 Can you do this crossword?

Across

1 The opposite of boring ...

4 How much do you get? $20,000

5 A place that makes cars

7 Another example of 4 down

8 The opposite of easy-going

9 People who work are called ...

Down

1 Another term for computer work

2 Civil servants work for the

3 You might find a secretary here

4 The law is an example of a ...

6 For difficult jobs you often need ...

Exercise 2 Use the box below to complete the questions or answers about Katherine Summers.

Katherine Summers

34 years old

Computer engineer for Juice Computers in the United States

Place of work: factory in California

Hours: 8a.m. - 6p.m.

Pay: $50,000

[Holiday/Vacation]: 4 weeks a year

Colleagues: friendly, and easy-going

For example:

What's уоur name?

How old are you?

1 ...?

2 Where do you work?

3 What do you do?

4 ...?

5 How much [holiday/ vacation] do you get a year?

6 ...?

7 ...?

Katherine Summers

I'm 34 years old

I work for Juice Computers.

I work from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.

I get $50,000 a year.

Really friendly and easy­going.

Exercise 3 Fill the gaps with the correct word from the box on page 181. Be careful - one of the words is not used.

1 Mr Stevens asked his secretary to write a letter to the bank.

2 I work with a in a ... small office in London.

3 George was very ... when I first joined the company and helped me a lot.

4 To become a lawyer you have to pass lots of ... before you become ... .

5 I don’t think Jane likes me, she’s always so ... .

6 How much do you get paid? £15,000? Your company is so ...!

7 ’Richard! The wants to see you right now.’ ’OK, I’m coming.’

8 He always says ’please’ and ’thank you’. It’s nice to work for someone who’s so for a change.

boss

businesswoman

colleague

exams

friendly

mean

polite

qualified

secretary

unfriendly

Now check your answers.

► Exercise 4 (Recordings 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 14.5) Pronunciation practice. Listen and repeat the words on the recording. Use the transcript at the back of the book to help you if necessary.

In use

Reading

Before you start, check you know these words:

island

strangers

companions

classroom

pub

Note: A round of drinks is when you buy everyone in your group a drink.

You are going to read an extract from a novel, Everyone but the Busman, about a group of strangers who go to live for a month on a tropical island. NOTE: A busman’s holiday is going somewhere on [holiday/vacation] where you end up doing your normal job.

Reading 1 Put a ✓ next to the jobs that are mentioned. Be careful, one job isn’t used.

As Tom woke up the next morning, he knew there really was no turning back. This was it. He was stuck here, on this boat, off to an unknown island with a group of strangers.

Tom decided to spend the morning studying his companions. What did he know? All right, the women first. Stella: well, he hadn’t been surprised to hear she was a police officer. With her strict manner, she was made for the job. Just the opposite of shy Liz, the housewife. And then there was Fiona... She’d been so rude and unfriendly, Tom couldn’t believe she worked as a nurse!

As for the men, well, Eric seemed friendly and easy-going. He had told them he was a teacher and Tom could imagine why he had wanted to leave the classroom. Finally, of course, there was Frank. Unbelievably mean, Frank was the only one who had not bought a round of drinks at the pub. Little surprise that he was a businessman and, Tom thought, probably a very good one.

Reading 2 Look back at the text above and fill in the missing information below. Do not write anything in the ’Listening’ column yet.

► Listening

Before you start, check you know this word:

useful

Everyone but the Busman was also turned into a radio play but was changed slightly. You are going to listen to a part of the play.

Listening 1 (Recording 14.6) Listen and write down the name of the missing character (Stella, Liz, Fiona, Eric or Frank).

Listening 2 Look back at the table for Reading 2. Listen again and write down any details that are different in the radio play in the ’listening’ column.

Now check your answers.

Recap

Here are the words we learned in this unit. Do you know them all? Write down the translations if you need to.

People

Types of work

company government profession

law   education  (professional)

IT   study   medicine

training  qualified

Places and conditions

office    factory   farm

hospital   [surgery/  school

at home   doctor’s office] get paid

[holiday/vacation] earn

Jobs and colleagues

wonderful awful  (un) friendly

interesting boring  generous

mean  strict   easy-going

polite  rude   shy

self-confident (un)helpful (in)sensitive

What to do next

✵ Look up the names of other jobs in English.

✵ Try to describe a friend or a family member and what he/she does.

✵ Write a letter to a real or imaginary friend; write about your new job and your new colleagues. Ask questions about his/her job.

Why not try this unit next?

✵ Time (1)

Answer key for this unit

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

1 Who do you work for?  I work for Juice Computers.

2 Where do you work?   I work in a factory in California.

3 What do you do?   I m a computer engineer.

4 When do you work?   I work from 8a.m. until 6p.m.

5 How much [holiday/   I get 4 weeks’ [holiday/ vacation] a year.

vacation] do you get a year?

6 How much do you get paid/ I get $50,000 a year.

earn?     Really friendly and easy-going.

7 What are your colleagues like?

Note: Watch your grammar on question 7 - colleagues is plural!

Exercise 3

1 Mr Stevens asked his secretary to write a letter to the bank.

2 I work with a colleague in a small office in London.

3 George was very friendly when I first joined the company and helped me a lot.

4 To become a lawyer you have to pass lots of exams before you become qualified.

5 I don’t think Jane likes me, she’s always so unfriendly.

6 How much do you get paid? £15,000? Your company is so mean'.

7 ’Richard! The boss wants to see you right now.’ ’OK, I’m coming.’

8 He always says ’please’ and ’thank you’. It’s nice to work for someone who’s so polite for a change.

Reading

Reading 1 [businesswoman is not used)

Reading 2

Listening

Listening 1

Frank is the missing character.

Listening 2