Work

give up work

I’d give up work if I could afford to.

find work

I’m still looking for a job. It’s so difficult to find work in the present economic climate.

do work

There’s plenty of work to be done in the garden at this time of year.

face work

I just couldn’t face work yesterday, so I took the day off.

complete work

Payment will be withheld until the work is completed to my satisfaction.

involve work

As a salesman my work involves a lot of driving.

check work

Make sure you check your work before handing it in. Silly mistakes can lose marks.

make work

These new regulations have made a lot of extra work for me.

get on with work

Stop talking and get on with your work. I want this finished by the end of the lesson.

go out work

After the baby’s born, I won’t have to go out to work anymore – at least not for a few years.

get off work

Can you try to get off work early tomorrow so that we can visit Sue in hospital!

put a lot of work into

He’s put a lot of work into improving his maths. He studies for hours most nights. 

go into work

A tremendous amount of work has gone into the preparations for the wedding.

get down work

I’ve been avoiding getting down to work all day. I just feel so tried and lifeledd at the moment.

hard work

There is no doubt that teaching is hard work, but it can be very fulfilling.

monotonous work

Washing dishes all day is pretty monotonous work.

extra work

I’m afraid we can’t take on any extra work at the moment. We’re already working to capacity.

skilled work

Furniture-making is very skilled work and involves years and years of training.

back-breaking work

Digging the garden is back-breaking work. It’s so physically demanding.

>Then, why not get your son to do it for you!

hard day’s work

After a hard day’s work, it’s nice to get home and put your feet up.

search of work

Many young people travel to the large cities in search of work.

piles of work

Sorry, I can’t come to the meeting this evening. I’ve got piles of work to do for tomorrow.

rewards of work

It was good to see her reaping the rewards of all her hard work.

standard of work

The standard of his written work is extremely high. His speaking is led good.

backlog of work

The only way to clear this huge backlog of work is to take on more part-time staff.

pressure of work

The pressure of work is beginning to get to him. Unless he cuts down the time he’s at the office, his health will suffer.

 

Notes

• Note the following expressions:

His work is satisfactory / up to standard / up to scratch.

His work is unsatisfactory / of a poor standard / shoddy / sloppy.

• If you are out of work, you are unemployed.

If you are in work, you have a job.

My brother’s been out of work for 5 years.

There are a lot more people in work than there were 10 years ago.

• We talk about part-time / full time / casual / freelance / voluntary work.

If you have too much work, you are up to your ears in work.

Note the proverb: Many hands make light work!

If you have a particular difficult task to do, you ‘have your work cut out!’