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TALKING ABOUT WORK VOCABULARY 1 (ESL)

level: Intermediate (B1/B2)
Work and employment vocabulary is essential for professional communication and everyday conversation in English. This first exercise covers key terms for jobs, workplaces, and career topics. This is exercise 1 of 2.


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Choose the correct (and most natural-sounding) response to complete each sentence.
1. This job is too (stressed-out/stressful).

2. There's a lot of work, but I can (deal/handle) it.

3. I was (hired/heard) last month.

4. They (fired/failed) two of my co-workers, and I'm afraid I might be next.

5. I work (at/in) sales.

6. My (commute/communion) (= the time it takes me to get to work) isn't so bad.

7. The company has a reputation for treating their (employees/employed) well.

8. I usually don't eat in the (lunchroom/lunch-zone). I go out to eat.

9. The dress (code/cut) is casual.

10. I'm thinking about (quitting/stopping) my job.




Work Conversation Questions 1. What do you do for work, or what kind of work would you like to do?
2. What is the most important thing you look for in a job — salary, flexibility, or interest?
3. Have you ever had a difficult boss or coworker? How did you handle it?
4. Do you think it is better to have one career for life or to change careers? Why?
5. How do attitudes towards work differ between generations in your country?
6. What do you think the workplace will look like in 20 years?
More English vocabulary exercises Talking about work 1
Talking about work 2
Did you know? The word career comes from the Latin carrus (a wheeled vehicle) via Old French carrière, meaning a road or racecourse. The sense of a professional path through life developed in the 19th century.

Different English-speaking countries use different words: North Americans say on vacation; the British say on holiday. Americans say resume; the British say CV (curriculum vitae — Latin for "course of life").
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