Unit 6. Time

Vocabulary

Look up the translation of the following words and word combinations in the dictionary:

1. casual (adj) A casual attitude is one that is not very strict.

2. category (n) She writes a list of things to do and then organises them into categories.

3. a chain of supermarkets Julie Rost is chief executive of a chain of supermarkets.

4. a comfort (n) Lists are a comfort to me because I feel I won’t forget things.

5. complain (v) I am writing to complain about the damage caused by your company when they delivered my sofa.

6. confirm (v) We would be grateful if you could confirm your reservation in writing.

7. damage (n) I am writing to complain about the damage caused by your company when they delivered my sofa.

8. disastrous (adj) Disastrous results are results that are very bad.

9. dividing wall (n) An open-plan office is an office without dividing walls.

10. downside (n) The downside of working from home is that I have to phone somebody if I want a chat.

11. effectively (adv) What time of day do you work most effectively?

12. global warming (n) Global warming is damaging the environment.

13. grab (v) He grabbed an envelope and scribbled a list on it.

14. high-powered (adj) A high-powered job is one in which you have a responsible position and are very busy.

15. irregular (adj) I don’t mind working irregular hours as I love my job.

16. list-maker (n) There are two types of list-makers: those who make orderly lists and those who write them in a panic!

17. orderly (adj) An orderly list is neat and well-arranged.

18. personal organiser (n) A personal organiser is a book, like a diary, in which you write appointments.

19. rigid (adj) A rigid attitude is the opposite of a casual attitude.

20. scribble (v) He grabbed an envelope and scribbled a list on it.

21. service-oriented (adj) Service-oriented people are people who are interested in customers and their needs.

22. set in (phr v) Some people wait until panic sets in before making a list.

23. set to work on sth Type A makes lists and calmly sets to work on them.

24. sigh with relief (phr) Type B sighs with relief when they have written a list, and then loses it!

25. stress level (n) People with a casual attitude to time-keeping usually have low stress levels.

26. take pride in sth Flight attendants should take pride in their appearance.

27. at the top of the agenda The Global Earth Party puts the environment at the top of the agenda.

Business Letters

1. apply (for) (v) I would like to apply for the position of IT assistant.

2. attend (v) I would be pleased to attend an interview at any time convenient to you.

3. enclose (v) I enclose my curriculum vitae for your attention.

4. for your attention (phr) I enclose my curriculum vitae for your attention.

5. in response to (phr) I am writing in response to your advertisement in The Guardian.

6. I look forward to hearing (phr) I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

7. from you.

8. I would be pleased to ... (phr) I would be pleased to attend an interview at any time convenient to you.

9. I would like to apply for ...(phr) I would like to apply for the position of IT assistant.

Phrasal verbs

1. calm sb down Making lists is relaxing – it calms you down.

2. come up with sth A couple of years Jane Levy came up with a new system.

3. cross sth off If you cross something off a list, you delete it.

4. get by Few people with high-powered jobs get by without lists.

5. put (sth) off If you put something off, you delay it.

6. rely on A lot of people rely on personal organisers in order not to forget things.

Time Expressions

1. be ahead of schedule If you are ahead of schedule, you are making good time.

2. Better late than never. “Better late than never” is a proverb meaning that it is better to do something late than not at all.

3. the day after tomorrow Today is Monday – the day after tomorrow is Wednesday.

4. the day before yesterday Today is Monday – the day before yesterday was Saturday.

5. The early bird catches the worm is a proverb meaning that you do more if you get up early. “The early bird catches the worm”

6. have time to spare If you have time to spare, you have enough time left to do something.

7. in good time If you are in good time, you are early.

8. in time for We arrived just in time for the beginning of the meeting.

9. in two/three days’ time I’ll give you a call in two or three days’ time.

10. kill time I arrived early at the airport so killed time by having a cup of coffee.

11. leave something until the last minute Leaving things until the last minute makes you feel stressed.

12. be making good time If you are making good time, you are ahead of schedule.

13. meet deadlines I prefer to meet deadlines in good time.

14. the (Sunday) after next We’re having a barbecue the Sunday after next.

15. not have much time left Hurry up! We haven’t got much time left.

16. one at a time Stop pushing, children! One at a time through the door.

17. prioritise (v) If you prioritise things, you put them in order of importance or in the order in which they need to be done.

18. promptly (adv) If you do something promptly, you do it immediately.

19. punctual (adj) If you are punctual, you always arrive on time for meetings or other appointments.

20. repeatedly (adv) If you do something repeatedly, you do it time and time again.

21. be ruled by the clock I love being on holiday – I hate being ruled by the clock.

22. be running out of time If you are running out of time, you do not have much time left to do something.

23. There’s no time like the present. “There’s no time like the present” is a proverb meaning that the best time to do something is now.

24. time and time again The Global Earth Party have asked the government the same question time and time again.

25. time flies If time flies, it goes very quickly.

26. time-keeping (n) If you have a healthy attitude to time-keeping, you do things on time but your life is not ruled by the clock.

27. time-saving The article on p. 50 is about time-saving tips that help you not to waste time.

28. waste precious time Jane used to write lists, forget where she put them, and then waste precious time looking for them!

29. the weekend before last We went to Paris for two days the weekend before last.

Work

1. extra pay (n) Unfortunately we don’t get extra pay for working overtime.

2. flexible hours (n pl) If you work flexible hours, you can start and finish work when you like.

3. have a break (phr) When you’re working to a deadline, you can’t always find time to have a break.

4. head office (n) He works for an American law firm whose head office is in Washington DC.

5. the lunch hour (n) Sometimes I’m so busy I work right through the lunch hour.

6. newsroom (n) A newsroom is an office where journalists work.

7. open-plan office (n) Open-plan offices can be very noisy.

8. qualifications (n pl) You don’t have to have any particular qualifications for this job.

9. shift (n) I hate working the night shift!

10. training course (n) You have to go on a training course to be a train driver.

11. work overtime (phr) Unfortunately we don’t get extra pay for working overtime.

12. work to a deadline (phr) When you’re working to a deadline, you can’t always find time to have a break.

13. work unsociable hours (phr) I often work unsociable hours – at nights or at weekends.

Supplementary Reading