Words and phrases

Here are some useful words and expressions from the text that you might want to learn and use when talking about work and jobs.

Words

a shop assistant (n) – a person who works in a shop and helps customers
a clothing store (n) – a shop that sells clothes
a part-time job (n) – work for only part of the week, not full-time
a shift (n) – a set period of time when you work
the afternoon (n) – the time between lunch and evening
the evening (n) – the time between late afternoon and night
the city centre (n) – the middle of a city where there are lots of shops and offices
modern (adj) – new and up to date
bright (adj) – full of light or colour
a section (n) – a part or area of something
a customer (n) – a person who buys things in a shop
the till (n) – the machine where you pay in a shop
tidy (adj) – clean and organised
a sale (n) – a time when things are sold at lower prices
stressful (adj) – making you feel worried or tense
a queue (n) – a line of people waiting for something
the checkout (n) – the place in a shop where you pay
friendly (adj) – kind and easy to talk to
rude (adj) – not polite; unpleasant to others
frustrating (adj) – annoying because things don’t go as you want
a dream job (n) – the perfect job that you really want
experience (n) – the knowledge or skill you get from doing something
a steady income (n) – money that you earn regularly
marketing (n) – the activity of promoting and selling products
design (n) – planning how something should look
independence (n) – being able to do things by yourself

Phrases

work as (something) – do a job such as a shop assistant
do (a job) for (a length of time) – work somewhere for a certain period
work (number) days a week – say how many days you work
wake up early – get out of bed early in the morning
city centre – the main part of a city
help (someone) find (something) – assist someone to choose what they need
work at the till – take money from customers and give change
keep (a place) tidy – make sure it stays clean and organised
get busy – have a lot of people or work to do
take the rough with the smooth – accept both good and bad things in life
get along (with someone) – have a good relationship with someone
stand all day – be on your feet for many hours
deal with (someone) – handle or manage a person or situation
be happy with (something) – feel good or satisfied about something
get experience – gain new skills or knowledge through work
a steady income – regular money from work
in the future – at a later time
a bit different – not the same; somewhat changed
like the people I work with – enjoy working with my team
have independence – be able to do things on your own

Grammar from the transcript

Here are some of the most useful grammar points from the transcript.

Present Perfect Simple

We use the present perfect simple tense to talk about experiences or actions that began in the past and continue up to now.

• I’ve been doing this job for about a year and a half.
• I’ve got different sections for men’s, women’s, and children’s clothes…

Comparative structures

We use comparatives and superlatives to compare people, things, or situations.

• It can get more stressful during sales…

Adjective patterns

Some adjectives need to be followed by infinitives, prepositions or -ing forms to explain feelings or opinions. These are called adjective patterns.

• It’s nice to help them. (adjective + infinitive)
• I’m happy with everything so far. (adjective + preposition)

Complex sentences

We use complex sentences to link clauses, give reasons and times, or add contrasts.

• It can also get pretty stressful when there’s a long queue at the checkout.
• Although not everything’s perfect, I think my job is okay for now.

Verb patterns

Verb patterns happen when some verbs are followed by infinitives, base verbs or -ing forms.

• I really enjoy meeting all the different kinds of people.
• I’d probably like to do something a bit different.

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