Opening page of Everyday English
|
English for Everyday Living |
| To order these lessons on a CD, floppy disk, audio cassette or in print, go to the Order Page. |
In the Office
The office can be in many different places as part of many different businesses or organizations. It can consist of one or two rooms set off from a small manufacturing plant (factory). It can be several rooms handling the business of a chain of retail stores. It can be a several-story tall building handling the business of a national insurance or banking company. There are several features that all types of offices have in common:
They all have one or more persons to type memos, letters, reports, etc.
They all have one or more persons to file records, memos, reports, orders and other paperwork.
They all have at least the basic office machines: telephones, copiers, typewriters or word processors, fax machines, computers and a coffee maker.
They all have somebody who is in charge: the Boss, the President, the Manager, the Supervisor or some other title.
They all handle information that comes from the various branches or departments of the business or organization.
They all keep records on employees: attendance, productivity, benefits, salaries, deductions, payroll taxes, retirement plans and others.
From that point on, Offices begin to differ. Some deal with production figures, material purchases and product sales. Others deal with sales volume, profitability, overhead and advertising. Still others deal with actuarial tables, policies, benefits and claims. This lesson will deal with offices in general, with the things that most of them have in common.
Expressions heard in an office:
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Each of these buildings contains office space: the small gas station may have one little room, Cooper Tire may have ten rooms, and the tall buildings may have hundreds of office rooms. They all handle paperwork for the business. | |||
vYou may print out this lesson from the web page or order it free via e-mail.
Exercise A: The following list of verbs can all be used in an office. Write the meaning for each verb and use it in a sentence that has something to do with an office.
| Verb | Meaning | Used in a Sentence |
| get, -s, got, getting, got | ||
| speak, -s, spoke, -ing, spoken | ||
| help, -s, -ed, -ing, -ed | ||
| come, -s, came, coming, come | ||
| meet, -s, met, -ing, met | ||
| call, -s, -ed, -ing, -ed | ||
| make, -s, made, making, made | ||
| leave, -s, left, leaving, left | ||
| bring, -s, brought, -ing, brought | ||
| pick, -s, -ed, -ing, -ed | ||
| punch, -es, -ed, -ing, -ed | ||
| show, -s, -ed, -ing, -ed | ||
| hire, -s, -d, hiring, -d | ||
| jam, -s, jammed, jamming, jammed | ||
| ring, -s, rang, -ing, rung | ||
| park, -s, -ed, -ing, -ed | ||
| interview, -s, -ed, -ing, -ed | ||
| set up, sets up, set up, setting up, set up |
v
Nouns used in the office: For each of the nouns below, write in the space provided a definition that has something to do with an office.
| Noun | Meaning | Noun | Meaning |
| office | phone | ||
| secretary | typewriter | ||
| receptionist | mimeograph | ||
| typist | copier | ||
| file clerk | fax machine | ||
| manager | computer | ||
| executive | modem | ||
| custodian | keyboard | ||
| salesman | cell phone | ||
| auditor | elevator | ||
| bookkeeper | fluorescent light | ||
| W4 | desk | ||
| application | cafeteria | ||
| benefits | employee lounge | ||
| retirement plan | calculator | ||
| deductions | fire escape | ||
| stock option | fire extinguisher | ||
| employee | memo | ||
| supervisor | interview | ||
| temp | client | ||
| conference | meeting | ||
| corporation | company | ||
| assistant | business | ||
| CEO | head hunter | ||
| time clock | wages |
v
Exercise C: Fill the spaces in the following sentences with the correct nouns from the list above. More than one noun may be correct in some of the spaces.
1. Mr. Jones told his ______________ to hold all of his calls until the ___________ was over.
2. Harold was an ______________ of a large _____________ in Detroit.
3. He started working for this ______________ because it had a good ___________ package and a liberal ________________.
4. Janet had just graduated from a good business school and now she worked as a _____________ for the ________________ of a company.
5. A qualified office worker should know how to operate a ______________, a ______________, a _______________ and a _________________.
6. Jim had worked his way up from _______________ to ________________ and now had his own ________________ with a ______________ to handle his typing and calls.
7. A ______________ has a ________________ similar to an old-fashioned ______________, but the words are viewed on a screen instead of on paper.
8. Marie had to see the ______________ about a mistake in the ______________ on her pay check.
9. Put the card into the ______________ until you hear it click.
10. The _____________ of the company scheduled a _______________ with the heads of all the departments.
Answers: Some of your answers may be different from ours. That is fine as long as your answers are compatible with the rest of the sentence and you can explain them.
1. secretary (receptionist), meeting (conference)
2. employee (manager, CEO, bookkeeper), company (corporation)
3. company, benefits, retirement plan
4. secretary, president (manager, executive)
5. copier, typewriter, fax machine, computer
6. custodian, salesman (executive), office, receptionist
7. computer, keyboard, typewriter
8. bookkeeper, deductions
9. time clock
10. CEO, conference (meeting)
© 2001 Mikie Metric Productions, P.O. Box 3216, Williamsport, PA 17701
To contact us, type the following address in the 'To:' space of your e-mail program:
