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EveryLingua

 ·  40 lists  ·  1606 words

Work and public life

The factual text: the order, the accounts, the ruling.

What holds these lists together

Work, business, law and the press belong together because they produce the same kind of text: a factual, written one from which nothing may be left out. A job description, a balance sheet, a court report and a news item read differently and ask the same things — nouns where speech would use verbs, precision instead of emphasis, and every word in the sense it has in the trade. French leans further towards the noun than English does: where an English letter says «we will deliver next week», a French one writes la livraison interviendra la semaine prochaine. And some words mislead on sight: actuellement means «at present», never «actually».

The 40 lists

B2Organising workThe plan, the handover, the bottleneck.50 wordsB2Economy and businessTurnover, margin, balance sheet, takeover — the words that turn up in every business report and nowhere else.50 wordsB2Law and the courtsHearing, judgment, time limit, burden of proof — the words a court report is written with.50 wordsB2How a news story is madeResearch, cross-checking, embargo, correction — the words for what happens before the article appears.50 wordsB1Looking for a flatThe advert, the viewing, the keys.30 wordsB1Shopping onlineThe basket, the delivery, the return.30 wordsB1Cooking and preparingThe knife, the heat, the timing.34 wordsB1Hotel and accommodationThe booking, the desk, the room.31 wordsB1Post office and bankThe parcel, the transfer, the statement.38 wordsB1Garden and balconySowing, watering, cutting back.45 wordsB1Trades and renovationThe quote, the tools, the wall.40 wordsB1At the supermarketThe aisle, the label, the till.50 wordsB1Station, airport, borderThe ticket, the gate, the connection.44 wordsB1On the telephone, and fixing a timeGetting through, putting off, being on time.31 wordsB1Offices and formsThe form, the proof, the deadline.43 wordsB1Friendship and relationshipsGetting on, falling out, making up.37 wordsB1Eating outOrdering, the courses, the bill.30 wordsB1Work and professionFrom the covering letter to the meeting.49 wordsB1Applying and the interviewReading the advert, sending the papers, holding the interview.46 wordsB1Insurance and contractsThe policy, the claim, the small print.40 wordsB2Projects and managementWho decides, who delivers, who signs it off.45 wordsB2Marketing and advertisingWho is being advertised to, with what, and what it cost.41 wordsB2Mail, documents, filingWriting, checking, filing, granting access.50 wordsB2Working hours and payFrom the shift to the payslip to the tax return.49 wordsC1Hotel operations from the insideOccupancy, the room rate, and the night on which the books are closed.42 wordsC1Customs and foreign tradeDeclaration, commodity code, origin — and who bears the costs.40 wordsC1Human resourcesHiring, development, parting — the language of the personnel department.42 wordsC1Negotiating and closing contractsFrom the letter of intent to the termination clause.49 wordsC1Organising an eventProgramme, technical set-up, safety — what sits behind one evening.40 wordsC1Customer service and complaintsCase, escalation, goodwill: the language spoken at the other end of the line.42 wordsC1Working from homeThe words for a working day that happens between two rooms.35 wordsC1Warehousing and order pickingPlace, route, paperwork — why an item is found, or is not.40 wordsC2Collective bargainingHow pay is settled when nobody negotiates it alone.28 wordsC2Sports managementWho pays for a club, who runs it, and who owns the pictures.30 wordsC2Occupational medicineWhat a workplace does to a body.24 wordsC1Purchasing and procurementEnquiry, quotation, framework agreement — and everything a price is not.42 wordsC1Giving and taking criticismThe sentences that keep a conversation from escalating.34 wordsC1Speaking and presentingFrom the opening to the question you have no answer to.35 wordsC1The work referenceThe text that sounds kindly and says something else.34 wordsC2Meetings and committeesMotion, vote, minutes — and what makes a decision stand.46 words

Spread across the levels

The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.

LevelWordsShare
A140 %
A2231 %
B157636 %
B239625 %
C147930 %
C21288 %

Practise this category

Multiple choice and gaps, across all 40 lists and all 1606 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.