Vocabulary for Daily Routine
1. Collocations (Word Partnerships)
- Heavy workload – A large amount of work.
- “She has a heavy workload this month, so she’s working late.”
- Deadline approaching – The time by which work must be finished is coming soon.
- “With the deadline approaching, the team is under pressure.”
- Work-life balance – Managing time between work and personal life.
- “A good work-life balance reduces stress.”
- Shift work – Work that takes place in rotating schedules (morning/night shifts).
- “Nurses often do shift work, including overnight duties.”
- Take a break – Pause work to rest.
- “I take a short break every two hours to stay fresh.”
- Meet a deadline – Finish work on time.
- “We worked overtime to meet the deadline.”
- Flexible hours – A work schedule that can be adjusted.
- “My job offers flexible hours, so I start at 10 AM.”
- Commute to work – Travel to the workplace.
- “His daily commute to work takes an hour.”
- Overtime pay – Extra money for working beyond normal hours.
- “She earns good overtime pay on weekends.”
- Job satisfaction – Happiness from one’s job.
- “High job satisfaction leads to better productivity.”
2. Adjectives (Descriptive Words)
- Demanding – Requiring a lot of effort.
- “Being a doctor is a demanding profession.”
- Repetitive – Doing the same thing often.
- “Factory work can be repetitive and boring.”
- Rewarding – Giving personal satisfaction.
- “Teaching is a rewarding career.”
- Stressful – Causing mental pressure.
- “Working in finance can be stressful.”
- Monotonous – Lacking variety; dull.
- “Data entry jobs are often monotonous.”
- Lucrative – Highly profitable.
- “Software engineering is a lucrative field.”
- Tedious – Long and tiresome.
- “Filing paperwork is tedious but necessary.”
- Autonomous – Working independently.
- “Freelancers enjoy autonomous work environments.”
- High-pressure – Involving a lot of stress.
- “Stock trading is a high-pressure job.”
- Stable – Secure and unchanging.
- “Government jobs are usually stable.”
3. Phrasal Verbs (Work-Related Actions)
- Clock in/out – Record work start/end time.
- “Employees must clock in by 9 AM.”
- Take on – Accept responsibility.
- “She took on a new project last week.”
- Call off – Cancel.
- “The meeting was called off due to illness.”
- Burn out – Become exhausted from overwork.
- *”He burned out after working 60-hour weeks.”*
- Fill in for – Substitute someone.
- “Can you fill in for me while I’m on leave?”
- Hand in – Submit work.
- “I handed in my report yesterday.”
- Lay off – Dismiss employees due to downsizing.
- “The company laid off 50 workers.”
- Set up – Arrange or prepare.
- “We set up a new workstation for her.”
- Wind down – Relax after work.
- “I listen to music to wind down after work.”
- Run out of time – Have no time left.
- “We ran out of time before finishing the task.”
4. Idioms (Expressions Related to Work)
- Bite off more than you can chew – Take on too much work.
- “He’s overwhelmed because he bit off more than he could chew.”
- Get the ball rolling – Start a process.
- “Let’s get the ball rolling on this project.”
- Go the extra mile – Do more than required.
- “She always goes the extra mile for clients.”
- Hit the ground running – Start something energetically.
- “On his first day, he hit the ground running.”
- In the same boat – In the same difficult situation.
- “We’re all in the same boat with this tight deadline.”
- Keep your nose to the grindstone – Work hard without stopping.
- “If you keep your nose to the grindstone, you’ll succeed.”
- Pull your weight – Do your fair share of work.
- “Everyone must pull their weight in a team.”
- Throw in the towel – Give up.
- “After years of stress, he threw in the towel and quit.”
- Under the wire – Just before a deadline.
- “We finished the report under the wire.”
- Work your fingers to the bone – Work extremely hard.
- “She worked her fingers to the bone to get promoted.”
IELTS Work & Daily Routine Vocabulary Quiz
Fill in the blanks with the correct word:
- She has a __________ workload this month, so she’s staying late every day.
- After years of stress, he finally __________ the towel and quit his job.
- Nurses often do __________ work, including night shifts.
- We finished the project __________ the wire—just before the deadline!
Match the phrases with their meanings:
Phrases:
- 1. Go the extra mile
- 2. Burn out
- 3. Autonomous
Meanings:
- A. Work independently
- B. Do more than required
- C. Become exhausted from overwork
Answers: 1 = , 2 = , 3 =
Choose the best answer:
- What does “lucrative” mean?
- Which phrasal verb means “submit work”?
- “Working her fingers to the bone” means: