English Vocabulary for ESL learners
Commonly-used expressions.
Expressions with WORK to talk about your job.
- WORK FOR (+ the name of the company
or organisation where you are employed.)
- "I work for the government."
- "Linda works for XYZ airline company."
- "I've been working for
IBM for the past year.
You are paid by the company, firm or organisation to do a specific job, not necessarily in their offices. You can work for a company from home.
- WORK AS
(+ the name of your profession or trade (carpenter,
waitress, teacher, lawyer ...)
- “I work as a software developer for Microsoft.
- “I work as an interpreter for a Japanese company.”
- “I work as a representative for ABC office supplies.
- “I work as a consultant for two different companies.”
- WORK IN ( +
a geographical place, a sector or field,
or a general type of place such as a shop.
- “I work in Zurich in a pharmaceutical laboratory.
- “I work in the IT industry. I develop programs.”
- "I work in a
shop, a cafeteria, a laboratory, a supermarket..."
- WORK AT
(with 'the' + the actual building or the specific place where you work.)
- “I work at the head offices of ABC Electric in London.”
- “I work at the mill/ the shoe factory/ the post office.”
- “I work at
the central train station.
- Sometimes people use AT + the name of a company or firm (“I work AT XYZ”)
meaning ‘AT the offices/the headquarters of’ XYZ …
Please note that British English spelling is used on this website.