B1 | Vocabulary | 10 min

Work and Careers: Useful Collocations

12 phrases that go together

Collocation	Vietnamese	Example
meet a deadline	finish work on time	We worked late on Friday to meet the deadline.
work overtime	work extra hours	I often work overtime at the end of the month.
apply for a job	ask for a job	She applied for a job at a language center.
gain experience	build up your experience	You can gain experience by working as a volunteer.
get promoted	move up to a better job	He got promoted after two years in the company.
handle a complaint	deal with a customer's complaint	The manager handled the complaint politely.
attend a meeting	go to a meeting	All staff must attend the meeting at nine o'clock.
hand in your notice	tell your boss you are leaving	I handed in my notice because I found a better job.
earn a good salary	earn good money	She earns a good salary, so she can save money every month.
work flexible hours	work at times you can choose	Many parents work flexible hours so that they can look after their children.
take a day off	ask for a day away from work	I took a day off to go to the dentist.
work as part of a team	work together with other people	In my job, I work as part of a team of five people.

Remember

Choose the correct answer (a, b or c) to complete the sentences below with work collocations (phrases that go together).

1. We worked all weekend to ___ the deadline.

____ a. do ____ b. meet ____ c. catch

2. My boss asked me to ___ overtime because we were very busy.

____ a. make ____ b. take ____ c. work

3. She applied ___ a job at a bank.

____ a. for ____ b. to ____ c. in

4. You can ___ experience by working as a volunteer.

____ a. earn ____ b. gain ____ c. win

5. He worked hard and ___ promoted after two years.

____ a. became ____ b. made ____ c. got

6. The manager listened to the customer and ___ the complaint politely.

____ a. did ____ b. handled ____ c. held

7. All staff must ___ the meeting at nine o'clock.

____ a. do ____ b. take ____ c. attend

8. I am tired of this job, so I am going to ___ in my notice.

____ a. hand ____ b. make ____ c. take

Complete each sentence with a word from the box. Use each word once. One word is extra.

Write a suitable word from the box in each blank. Use each word only once. There is 1 extra word you do not need.

complaint deadline experience flexible notice overtime promoted salary

1. The report is due on Friday, so I must meet the ____.

2. She earns a good ____, so she can save money every month.

3. He worked hard for three years and finally got ____ to manager.

4. My mother can choose when she starts and finishes work. She works ____ hours.

5. I am leaving my job next month. I handed in my ____ last week.

6. The shop manager is talking to an angry customer. She has to handle a ____.

7. We are very busy this month, so I have to work ____ every evening.