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John Millen

When someone tells you he got rich through hard work, ask him 'whose?' - Don Marquis, American writer (1878 - 1937)
Work it out
The verb 'to work' has different meanings when it is used with the prepositions at/out/off/up. What do these phrases mean?
1 to work at (something)
a. to try hard to achieve something
b. to stop doing something you've been doing for awhile
2 to work (something) out
a. to refuse to tell somebody a secret 
b. to find the solution to something by thinking about it carefully
3 to work (something) off
a. to get rid of something by doing something energetic
b. to stop speaking to someone you have known a long time
4 to work (somebody) up
a. to praise someone for something they have done
b. to make someone feel very angry or upset
5 to work (somebody) out
a. to give someone the benefit of the doubt
b. to understand the reasons behind someone's behaviour
Which preposition?
Choose the correct preposition to complete these sentences.
1 You need to work more (off / at) your maths and history next term.
2 There will be a full inquiry to work (at / out) what caused the bus crash.
3 I need to work (out / off) a few pounds after eating all those mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
4 Try not to work yourself (up / out) about your driving test.
5 You should do something you enjoy and work (up / off) all that anger.
6 Why are you behaving like this? I can't work you (off / out) at all.
You need a work permit
What do these nouns mean?
1 a work permit
a. written permission from the authorities to be allowed to work
b. the leave you receive from your company when you are sick
2 a work surface
a. a flat area on which you do some sort of manual work
b. the period of time you work during a day
3 thirsty work
a. difficult manual labour that makes you want to drink lots of liquid
b. to undertake an exciting task
4 a work ethic
a. a belief that hard work pays off
b. a fear of working with other people
5 work experience
a. the first job you ever have
b. a period of time that someone, especially a young person or student, spends working somewhere to get experience of a particular type of job
Work experience
Choose a noun from the above exercise to complete these sentences
1 Next month, I'll be getting a fortnight's .......... at a bank in Central. 
2 I always make a mess on the kitchen ............ whenever I bake a cake.
3 Gardening is ......... in this hot weather, but I enjoy it.
4 We should promote him. He's got an excellent ...........
5 You'll need a ............. to get a temporary job while you're in London. 
Working my fingers to the bone
Match up each useful verb phrase to its meaning (there are more answers than you need) 
1 to work your fingers to the bone
2 to work like a dog
3 to do all the donkey work
4 to do somebody's dirty work
5 to make short work of something
a. to do the hard and boring part of a particular job
b. to refuse to do something your parents ask you to do
c. to work extremely hard for a very long time
d. to do the unpleasant tasks that someone else does not like doing
e. to do something very quickly and easily
f. to work very hard
Answers:
Work it out: 1. a, 2. b, 3. a, 4. b, 5. b
Which preposition? 1. at, 2. out, 3. off, 4. up, 5. off, 6. out
You need a work permit: 1. a, 2. a, 3. a, 4. a, 5. b
Work experience: 1. work experience, 2. work surface, 3. thirsty work, 4. work ethic, 5. work permit
Working my fingers to the bone: 1. c, 2. f, 3. a, 4. d, 5. e



Thirsty work