Work & Money
Words for jobs, the workplace, and financial basics
Overview
25 essential words for talking about work, jobs, and money. After this lesson, you’ll be able to discuss your job and handle basic financial conversations.
Words
work /wɜːk/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: (v.) to do a job or activity; (n.) a job or activity you do for money
Examples:
- I work in a hospital.
- What time do you finish work?
Collocations: go to work, at work, hard work, team work, work experience, work from home
Word Family: work (v./n.) → worker (n.) → working (adj.) → workplace (n.)
job /dʒɒb/
noun — A1
Meaning: paid work that you do regularly
Examples:
- She got a new job as a designer.
- I love my job — every day is different.
Collocations: full-time/part-time job, get a job, lose a job, job interview, dream job
company /ˈkʌmpəni/
noun — A1
Meaning: a business organization that makes or sells things
Examples:
- She works for a large tech company.
- The company has 200 employees.
Collocations: big/small company, company director, join a company, run a company
office /ˈɒfɪs/
noun — A1
Meaning: a room or building where people work
Examples:
- I share an office with two other people.
- The office closes at five o’clock.
Collocations: office work, office building, head office, post office, box office
boss /bɒs/
noun — A1
Meaning: the person who is in charge of a workplace
Examples:
- My boss is very supportive.
- I need to ask my boss for a day off.
Collocations: like a boss, the boss of, a good/bad boss
meeting /ˈmiːtɪŋ/
noun — A1
Meaning: an occasion when people come together to discuss something
Examples:
- We have a team meeting every Monday.
- The meeting starts at ten o’clock.
Collocations: have a meeting, attend a meeting, meeting room, business meeting
Word Family: meeting (n.) → meet (v.)
start /stɑːt/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: to begin doing something
Examples:
- What time does the film start?
- She decided to start her own business.
Collocations: start work, start a business, from the start, a fresh start, start over
finish /ˈfɪnɪʃ/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: to complete something; to come to an end
Examples:
- I finished the report yesterday.
- What time do you finish work?
Collocations: finish work, finish school, finish line, from start to finish
money /ˈmʌni/
noun — A1
Meaning: coins or notes used to buy things
Examples:
- I don’t have enough money for a new car.
- How much money do you need?
Collocations: make money, save money, spend money, earn money, pocket money
pay /peɪ/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: (v.) to give money for something; (n.) the money you receive for work
Examples:
- Can I pay by card?
- The pay is good but the hours are long.
Collocations: pay for, pay attention, pay a visit, pay back, pay day
Word Family: pay (v./n.) → payment (n.) → paid (adj.) → unpaid (adj.)
buy /baɪ/
verb — A1
Meaning: to get something by paying money for it
Examples:
- I need to buy some groceries.
- She bought a new laptop last week.
Collocations: buy online, buy and sell, buy a ticket, buy a gift
Word Family: buy (v.) → buyer (n.)
sell /sel/
verb — A1
Meaning: to give something to someone in exchange for money
Examples:
- They sell fresh vegetables at the market.
- He sold his car for $10,000.
Collocations: sell online, sell out, best-selling, sell for
Word Family: sell (v.) → seller (n.) → sale (n.)
shop /ʃɒp/
noun/verb — A1
Meaning: (n.) a building where you buy things; (v.) to visit shops to buy things
Examples:
- There’s a coffee shop on the corner.
- I usually shop on Saturday mornings.
Collocations: go shopping, coffee shop, shop online, book shop, shop around
Word Family: shop (n./v.) → shopping (n.) → shopper (n.)
price /praɪs/
noun — A1
Meaning: the amount of money you pay to buy something
Examples:
- What’s the price of this shirt?
- The prices in that restaurant are very reasonable.
Collocations: high/low price, price list, half price, price range, asking price
cheap /tʃiːp/
adjective — A1
Meaning: costing little money; not expensive
Examples:
- This hotel is quite cheap and clean.
- I found a cheap flight to London.
Collocations: cheap and cheerful, dirt cheap, on the cheap
Word Family: cheap (adj.) → cheaply (adv.)
expensive /ɪkˈspensɪv/
adjective — A1
Meaning: costing a lot of money
Examples:
- That restaurant is too expensive for us.
- Living in the city centre is expensive.
Collocations: very/too expensive, an expensive mistake
free /friː/
adjective/adverb — A1
Meaning: costing nothing; not busy; not controlled
Examples:
- Entry to the museum is free on Sundays.
- Are you free this evening?
Collocations: for free, free time, free of charge, feel free, free trial
Word Family: free (adj.) → freedom (n.) → freely (adv.)
open /ˈəʊpən/
adjective/verb — A1
Meaning: (adj.) not closed; (v.) to make something not closed
Examples:
- Is the bank open on Saturdays?
- Could you open the window, please?
Collocations: wide open, open air, open mind, keep open, open and close
close /kləʊz/
verb/adjective — A1
Meaning: (v.) to shut; to stop being open; (adj. /kləʊs/) near
Examples:
- Please close the door behind you.
- The shop closes at nine.
Collocations: close down, close to, close friend, close call, close the door
use /juːz/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: (v.) to do something with a tool, object, or method; (n.) the act of using
Examples:
- Can I use your phone?
- What’s the use of complaining?
Collocations: use of, in use, easy to use, make use of, it’s no use
Word Family: use (v./n.) → useful (adj.) → useless (adj.) → user (n.) → usage (n.)
need /niːd/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: to require something because it is essential
Examples:
- I need to go to the bank today.
- There’s no need to worry.
Collocations: need to, no need, in need of, need help, basic needs
want /wɒnt/
verb — A1
Meaning: to desire or wish for something
Examples:
- What do you want for dinner?
- I want to learn Japanese.
Collocations: want to, want something, not want to, if you want
help /help/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: (v.) to make it easier for someone to do something; (n.) assistance
Examples:
- Can you help me carry these bags?
- Thank you for your help — I really appreciate it.
Collocations: help out, help with, ask for help, can’t help, self-help
Word Family: help (v./n.) → helpful (adj.) → helpless (adj.) → helper (n.)
problem /ˈprɒbləm/
noun — A1
Meaning: a thing that is difficult to deal with
Examples:
- We have a problem with the internet connection.
- No problem — I’ll do it now.
Collocations: no problem, solve a problem, have a problem, big/small problem
important /ɪmˈpɔːtnt/
adjective — A1
Meaning: having great value or significance
Examples:
- It’s important to eat healthy food.
- This is the most important thing I’ve ever done.
Collocations: very important, most important, it’s important to/that
Word Family: important (adj.) → importance (n.) → importantly (adv.) → unimportant (adj.)
Quick Review
| Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| work | v./n. | do a job / activity for pay |
| job | n. | paid regular work |
| company | n. | business organization |
| office | n. | place where people work |
| boss | n. | person in charge |
| meeting | n. | gathering to discuss |
| start | v./n. | begin |
| finish | v./n. | complete / come to end |
| money | n. | coins/notes to buy things |
| pay | v./n. | give money / receive for work |
| buy | v. | get by paying |
| sell | v. | give for money |
| shop | n./v. | store / visit stores |
| price | n. | cost of something |
| cheap | adj. | low cost |
| expensive | adj. | high cost |
| free | adj. | no cost / not busy |
| open | adj./v. | not closed / make not closed |
| close | v./adj. | shut / near |
| use | v./n. | do something with |
| need | v./n. | require as essential |
| want | v. | desire or wish |
| help | v./n. | assist / assistance |
| problem | n. | difficulty |
| important | adj. | having great value |