Jobs & Work: English Work Vocabulary and Linking Sounds

One of the speakers in this episode explains that he finished his professional training largely for the pay rise it would bring — and then admits it came to "Only maybe fifty...pence" an hour. Another describes leaving university, signing on for unemployment benefit and ending up in a pub, "serving drinks and crisps to people" alongside fellow graduates. Work is where a lot of everyday English lives, and this unit gives you the words for it, plus the small sound changes that make those words run together.

What you'll hear in this episode

The unit works in four steps, twice over. First we build the vocabulary by asking you questions — if you have a job, you are...? — with a beep for you to repeat. Then you hear five gapped questions and guess the missing words. Then Donnie answers them, and you match each answer to its question. After that we do it all again with a second set of words and Alec's answers.

Donnie's answers are long and unhurried. On job hunting he runs through vacancy websites, uploading a CV, sending a cover letter, and simply "going in and showing your face" — before concluding that the best approach is to "put yourself out there, and be proactive". On application forms he's honest: some led to a phone call, most "resulted in...er, no response from the company". Talking about his teaching work, he finishes with "I love it!"

Alec is drier and full of hesitation, which makes him excellent listening practice. His boss, he says, is "kind" and always finds time to help. People lose their jobs through lateness and "not taking their responsibilities seriously". He doesn't get paid overtime any more, and notes that "I have friends here...that do overtime for no extra money". Asked when he'd like to retire: "as soon as possible". He was offered a promotion once, but only after handing in his notice — "It's too late", he told them.

Quick facts

Episode	2.1
Pack	Vocabulary and Pronunciation 2
Level	2
Duration	22 minutes 21 seconds
Topic	Jobs and work
Pronunciation focus	Linking sounds between words
Speakers heard answering	Donnie and Alec

What you'll learn

The pronunciation thread here is linking, and the examples are the phrases you'll use most often. Look for a job, apply for a job and I work for a large company all contain the same joined-up chunk, /fərə/. Find a job becomes /faɪndə/, fill in an application form starts /fɪlɪnə/, I work as a teacher gives you /kəzə/ and I work in an office gives /kɪnə/. Once you hear these as single blocks rather than three separate words, whole sentences stop sounding fast.

You'll also work on the weak vowel. In get a pay rise, get a job and look for a job, the "a" reduces to /ə/ — it never gets its full sound. There's word stress on supervisor, salary, promotion and unemployed, the shared /ʃən/ ending in application and promotion, and the difference between the past endings of promoted /ɪd/ and unemployed /d/.

The listening sections train something more practical: understanding a real answer that wanders. Donnie's reply about job hunting lasts well over a minute and never quite finishes a sentence cleanly. Your job is to catch the target phrase inside it and match it to the question. Model sentences are given for every item too, so you leave with usable language: I lost my job, I got a pay rise, I have to work shifts, I do a lot of overtime.

Vocabulary from the workbook

salary — money you get from a job, usually paid monthly, it doesn't change even if you work more hours. Donnie contrasts it with the weekly amounts he used to earn.
wages — the money you are paid for the hours you work. Note the /ɪz/ in the last syllable.
to get a pay rise — to get paid more money. Alec's came to about fifty pence an hour.
overtime — hours you work in addition to your usual hours, often paid at a higher amount of money.
to work shifts — to work a period of time which is often at unusual hours, e.g. in a hospital.
a boss — the person who is above you at work and tells you what to do. Informal; our example sentence is "I hate my boss!"
a supervisor — the person in control of a group of people or a task. More formal: "My supervisor's OK."
to get a promotion / be promoted — to get a better job, higher up and usually with more money.
to retire — to stop work, usually because you have got to a certain age. "I can't wait to retire."
to fill in an application form — to write information into a form.

The workbook

The workbook for this unit contains the full script of everything Katie, Tom and Mark say, plus the transcripts of Donnie's and Alec's answers, so you can read back anything you missed. In the Extra Materials you get a vocabulary glossary with IPA for every item — including the linked transcriptions like /lʊkfərədʒɒb/ and /fɪlɪnənənæplɪkeɪʃən fɔːrm/ — then three practice tasks.

Practice 1 is a two-paragraph gap-fill about losing a job and asking for a pay rise. Practice 2 asks you to underline the correct option in five sentences, including the trap Have you got / found / applied a job yet? Practice 3 is pronunciation: shared sounds, past-tense endings, weak /ə/ and main stress. Full answers follow, with explanations rather than just a key.

This workbook is part of the Zapp! English all-in-one pack, which covers every episode we've made for €39.

Get the complete courseAll workbooks and audio — €39

Common questions

Is the audio scripted?

The answers from Donnie and Alec are unscripted — you can hear the hesitations, coughs and laughter. The teaching sections that set up the tasks and give the answers are scripted, so the instructions stay clear.

What level is this episode?

It's Level 2, from the Vocabulary and Pronunciation 2 pack.

Can I use the audio without the workbook?

Yes. Every question is asked aloud and every answer is given aloud, so the 22-minute recording stands alone. The workbook adds the written practice and the glossary with pronunciation.

What's the difference between a salary and wages?

A salary is paid monthly and stays the same however many hours you work; wages are paid for the hours you actually work. Donnie explains the difference from his own experience.

Why focus on linking sounds?

Because look for a job is three words but one sound group. If you expect three, you won't recognise it at speed.

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