Business English: Phrasal Verbs for Work

Shanghai Baoye Center

In this lesson, we are going to focus on eight phrasal verbs and some collocations you can use to talk about work. 

WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN A JOB? 

New technologies change the way we work. Employers want to know that you are able to pick up new tasks and that you don't get frustrated when something goes wrong. You need to have sufficient knowledge and background to do your job. You should know how much work you can take on and how much time you need in order to complete a task. 

Teamwork is one of the main requirements when applying for a job. In other words, are you able to work effectively with others? You need to be able to collaborate with your colleagues and support each other. You and your team need to remember that you have a common goal to achieve, which means that you should be able to split up work. 

​Employees also need to be able to work alone and resolve problems when they come up. Problem-solving is an essential skill in the workplace and this can make a huge difference to your career. The problems you face at work can be simple or more complex. So, being able to come up with effective solutions is really important. While robots can take over more repetitive tasks, people have to deal with the real problem and what causes it. 

Regardless of what your job is, you can always pick up new skills. It might take a while to figure out whether you actually enjoy your current job or not. You can experience multiple work environments and learn a lot of practical skills that will help you in the future when thinking about a career change. 

​
VOCABULARY

• pick something <-> up (phrasal verb) - to have an idea or a skill without effort  
• take something <-> on (phrasal verb) - to accept work or responsibility 
• complete a task | finish a task (collocations) 
• in other words (phrase) - used when saying the same thing in a different way or explaining it 
• achieve your goal (collocation) 
• split something <-> up (phrasal verb) - to divide something into smaller parts
• solve a problem | resolve a problem (collocations) also fix a problem (informal) 
• come up (phrasal verb) - if a problem comes up, it needs to be dealt with immediately 
• come up with something (phrasal verb) - to think of something such as an idea or a plan 
• take something <-> over (phrasal verb) - to gain control of something 
• deal with something (phrasal verb) - to take action to do something to solve a problem 
• figure something <-> out (phrasal verb) - to think about something until you understand it 
• a career change (collocation) 

Exercise 

Complete the sentences with a phrasal verb from the list below. Use the correct form of the verb: 
pick up (x2), take on (x2), split up, come up, come up with, take over, deal with, figure out  

1. You can look for creative designs to ......................... new ideas. 
2. Is this the best idea you can .........................?  
3. I can't ......................... any more work at the moment.  
4. If you want to ......................... new skills, you can take some specialised courses.  
5. When you ......................... difficult customers, it's important to listen intently and give them your full attention. Don't interrupt them and show empathy.  
6. You might get requests from other departments to help them by ......................... extra tasks outside of your traditional role. You can set clear expectations, so you can focus on your actual priorities at work.  
7. Some people find it difficult to ......................... their dream job.  
8. When we have a large project, we ......................... into teams to get more done.  
9. I declined the job offer because a better opportunity .........................  
10. I ......................... the job after he left. 

Answers: 
1. pick up; 2. come up with; 3. take on; 4. pick up; 5. deal with; 6. taking on (-ing after a preposition); 
7. figure out; 8. split up; 9. came up; 10. took over; 
​

Other Business English lessons: 
Collocations with Job (Part 1) 
​Collocations with Job (Part 2) 
English Lesson: Jobs and Skills 
Business English: Working in an office 
Business English: Prepositions with WORK 
Business English: How to Talk about Money 
Business English: Collocations with Business 
Business English: How to Talk about Your Job Responsibilities 


Please LIKE and SHARE with friends! 
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below this lesson. 

DO YOU NEED ENGLISH FOR WORK?

Take 40 lessons on topics which include: phone calls, socialising, presentations, meetings, time management, problem-solving, company structure, figures, trends, marketing, selling, and more.

Business English Speaking Course