Outcomes Intermediate Vocabulary Builder Unit 5 - Working Life

Individual vocabulary terms and definitions covering working life, job roles, workplace conditions, and word building with negative prefixes as presented in Unit 5.

accountant

someone whose job is to organise the financial records for a company or for a person

labourer

someone whose job involves using physical strength; often associated with farm work or building projects

plumber

someone whose job is to repair and connect water pipes, sinks, baths, toilets etc.

repetitive

something that happens again and again, often in a very boring way

surgeon

a doctor who cuts people’s bodies open in order to repair them or replace parts of them

trader

someone who buys and sells or exchanges goods

truck

a very large road vehicle that is used for transporting goods; in British English, often called a lorry

accounts

the financial records of a person or organisation

admin

short for administration; all the tasks involved in organising the management of an organisation

bonus

extra money you get from your employer because you have worked hard or done well

competitive

an activity where everyone doing it is trying hard to do better and be more successful than everyone else

conditions

all the things that affect the way someone is able to live or work

deadline

the time or date by which you have to finish a particular piece of work

delivery

the act of taking things such as goods or letters to a place

demanding

a situation or person that is difficult to deal with because they need a lot of your time or energy

dull

something that is not very interesting

field

a particular kind of activity or area of study

fortune

a large amount of money

in charge

to control something or be responsible for it

insecure

a situation that is not safe or protected and might change to a worse situation

opposite

a different word whose meaning is as different as possible from another word

order

a request to make, supply, or deliver something

recruit

when a company finds people to come and work for it

recruitment

the business and activity of finding people to come and start working for an organisation or company

respected

someone or something that people like and admire

responsibility

the things you have to deal with, especially when they are officially part of your job

rewarding

something from which you get pleasure, money, or satisfaction by doing it

self-employed

working for yourself and not as an employee of a company

temporary

something that only lasts for a limited period of time

vague

something that is not clear or definite

varied

something that changes a lot or consists of lots of different kinds of things

code

a set of rules that say what you are allowed to do, such as a dress code or code of conduct

corruption

dishonest and illegal behaviour by people who are in a position of power or authority

crisis

a sudden and very serious problem that needs to be dealt with straight away

discrimination

deliberately unfair treatment of a person or group of people, such as racial or gender discrimination

employment

the state of having a job or of employing someone

enforce

to use your authority to make sure that a rule or law is obeyed

environmental

relating to the protection of the air, land, and natural water on the earth

exception

a person or thing that is different from others, or a case where rules are deliberately not followed

expose

to make it possible that something harmful or dangerous will happen to someone

fine

to make a person or organisation pay money as a punishment for doing something wrong

fire

when an employer officially tells an employee they no longer have a job

gift

a present that you give to someone

health and safety

the set of rules obeyed by employers to ensure employees and customers are safe in workplaces

in advance

doing something before a particular date or before it is needed

infect

when a virus makes a person ill or destroys/damages information on a computer network

interrupt

to get someone's attention while they are busy doing something else or speaking

notice

telling someone about something some time before it happens, or formally stating you are leaving a job

off

not being at work because of illness or a holiday

property

land and buildings

requirement

something that must happen or be done because of a law or rule

risk

the possibility that an action might cause harm if it does not work out properly

sensible

something that seems good because there are good reasons for it and people agree it is right

system

all the related parts of a process or machine, such as a computer network

virus

a small living thing causing disease, or software that deliberately tries to harm a computer system

warning

a statement telling someone about something bad that might happen, or an official notice to improve work performance

abuse

deliberately rude and insulting language

bend

to make something folded and not straight

benefit

to get something good or an advantage from something

boredom

the state of being bored and not interested in what is happening or what you are doing

grateful

being glad that someone has helped you or given you something

handle

to touch or move something with your hands

motivation

the reason why someone does something

nasty

something that is bad and unpleasant

predict

to say what you think will happen in the future

preserve

to keep something fresh, or stop it from rotting or being destroyed

relatively

a term used when making comparisons to show something is such when compared to similar things

rotting

when plants or dead animals become softer and smell as they are destroyed by a natural process

side effect

an unpleasant and unplanned effect of a medicine

slam

to hit something hard against a hard surface

stare

to look at something or someone for a long time

inaccurate

information that is not correct or an estimate that is wildly wrong

incomplete

not finished or lacking a full understanding

inconvenient

happening at a time that is not suitable or easy

incorrect

not right or factual

indecisive

unable to make decisions quickly or effectively

inexperienced

lacking the knowledge or skill gained from doing something for a long time

inflexible

unwilling to change or having a rigid attitude

inoffensive

not causing any harm or anyone to feel insulted

insensitive

showing a lack of care for other people's feelings

invalid

no longer legally or officially acceptable, such as an incorrect password or expired ticket