· 40 lists · 1606 words
Work and public life
The job, the office, the contract, the counter.
What holds these lists together
Work in the broad sense, and the business that fills a working week around it: the application and the interview, the meeting, the negotiation, the complaint, the form at the counter and the call to book an appointment. What connects them is the register. Almost everything here is said to somebody you do not know, and Italian marks that where English does not: the polite «you» is Lei, with the verb in the third person — Può ripetere, per favore? Titles matter too. A letter opens Gentile dottoressa, and in Italy anyone with a degree may be addressed as dottore, not only a physician.
The 40 lists
B2Organising the workSchedule, sign-off, bottleneck, handover — the words of a working day that is not made of tasks alone.50 wordsB2Business and the economyTurnover, margin, accounts, takeover — the words that turn up in every business report and almost nowhere else.50 wordsB2Law and the courtsHearing, judgment, time limit, burden of proof — the words a court report cannot be read without.50 wordsB2How a news story is madeResearch, cross-checking, embargo, correction — the words for what happens before the article exists.50 wordsB1Finding and renting a flatFrom the advertisement to the day the keys change hands.30 wordsB1Shopping onlineOrdering, waiting, sending it back, and getting somebody to answer.30 wordsB1Cooking and preparingReading an Italian recipe and naming what the hands are doing.34 wordsB1Hotel and accommodationBooking a room, checking in, and saying what is wrong with it.31 wordsB1Post, parcel and accountWhat is needed at the counter and in online banking.38 wordsB1Garden and balconySowing, watering, pruning, harvesting.45 wordsB1Trades and renovationTools, materials, and the phone call to the tradesman.40 wordsB1Friendship and relationshipsHow closeness starts, how it holds, and how it ends.37 wordsB1At the supermarketShelves, offers, the checkout and complaints.50 wordsB1Eating outFrom booking the table to the tip.30 wordsB1Station, airport, borderChecking in, changing trains, getting through the controls — and the words you read at a run rather than learn in a classroom.44 wordsB1Phone calls and appointmentsThe formulas that simply apply on the telephone, and the ones that hold when a date has to be found.31 wordsB1Work and occupationFrom the letter of application to the Monday meeting.49 wordsB1Applying and the interviewRead the advertisement, send the papers, get through the interview.46 wordsB1Authorities and formsThe words you need at exactly the moment you cannot look them up.43 wordsB1Insurance and contractsTaking one out, giving notice, reporting a claim.40 wordsB2Projects and leadershipWho decides, who delivers, who signs it off.45 wordsB2Marketing and advertisingWho is being advertised to, with what, and what the whole thing cost.41 wordsB2Emails, documents, filingWriting, checking, filing, signing off — the words that sit on every screen and are never actually learnt.50 wordsB2Working hours and payFrom the shift to the payslip to the tax return, and on to what a contract does with what you make.49 wordsC1The hotel 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 carries the cost.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 and safety: what lies behind one evening.40 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 wordsC1Customer service and complaintsCase, escalation, goodwill — the language at the other end of the line.42 wordsC1Working from homeThe words for a working day that takes place between two rooms.35 wordsC1Warehousing and Order PickingLocation, route, paperwork — why an item is found, or is not.40 wordsC2Collective bargainingHow a wage comes about that nobody negotiates on their own.28 wordsC2Sport managementWho pays, who decides, and who owns the broadcast.30 wordsC2Occupational medicineWhat a workplace does to a body.24 wordsC2Meetings and committeesMotion, vote, minutes — and what a resolution is.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.
| Level | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 4 | 0 % |
| A2 | 22 | 1 % |
| B1 | 586 | 36 % |
| B2 | 390 | 24 % |
| C1 | 476 | 30 % |
| C2 | 128 | 8 % |
Practise this category
Multiple choice and gaps, across all 40 lists and all 1606 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.