Bahasa Inggeris notes, unit 8
A Hard Day's Work
Textbook English Download B1+ Student's Book Form 5 (KSSM, Hamilton House / KPM 2020), pages 95-106
What this chapter covers
- I can name jobs and describe them with words such as full-time, part-time, manual, well-paid, dead-end, stressful, exhausting and satisfying (8.1)
- {'I can use job verbs correctly': 'apply, interview, hire, fire, quit, retire, earn and lose (8.1)'}
- I can read connected texts (advertisement, article, letter, email) about work and answer detail, reason and purpose questions (8.2)
- I can form and use the zero, first, second and third conditionals (8.3)
- I can form and use a mixed conditional to show the present result of a past event (8.4)
- I can choose between commonly confused words (wage/salary, bonus/perk, career/job, qualifications/qualities, advice/advise) and form nouns and adjectives (8.5)
- I can listen for how a speaker feels, and compare two photographs when I speak (8.6)
- I can write a formal letter of application that is organised in paragraphs and uses a correct opening and closing (8.7)
This unit is about work and jobs. You will learn the words for jobs and working life, the four conditionals and the mixed conditional, and how to write a formal letter of application (textbook pages 95 to 106).
8.1Jobs and working life
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| travel agent | a person who books trips and holidays for customers |
| lawyer | a person who gives legal advice and speaks for people in court |
| soldier | a member of the army |
| librarian | a person who looks after the books in a library |
| politician | a person who works in politics, for example a member of parliament |
| accountant | a person who keeps and checks money records |
| electrician | a person who installs and repairs electrical systems |
| technician | a person with practical skills who works with machines or equipment |
What a job can be like
| Describing word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| full-time | about forty hours a week |
| part-time | only part of each day or week |
| manual | uses your hands and physical strength |
| well-paid | you receive a lot of money for the work |
| dead-end | there is little or no chance to move up |
| stressful | makes you worried and anxious |
| exhausting | leaves you very tired |
| satisfying | makes you feel pleased because you enjoy the work |
Job verbs
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| apply for a job | make a request to get it |
| interview someone | ask a person questions about themselves |
| hire | give someone a job |
| fire / get fired | be sent away from a job, usually for doing something wrong |
| quit | leave a job yourself, often because it is too stressful or difficult |
| retire | stop working because of age, around 60 to 65 |
| earn a salary | get money for your work |
Do not mix up the two sides of an interview: the employer interviews the applicant, but the applicant goes to an interview and is interviewed.
(a) Which job is manual and exhausting, a librarian or a builder? (b) Ali is 62 and has stopped working. What did he do?
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(a) a builder
(b) he retired
(b) he retired
8.2Reading: four connected texts
The reading task (pages 96 to 97) joins four texts about work: A an article about a man who tests waterslides, B an advertisement for a holiday resort, C a formal letter of application for a job, and D an email from the manager. Because each text has its own style, first work out the text type; this helps with the questions.
| Text | Clues to its type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Article | a person's name, quotations, past and present facts | informs and interests the reader |
| Advertisement | exciting words, prices, a website | persuades people to buy |
| Formal letter | Dear Mr ..., Yours sincerely, "I am writing to apply for" | applies for a job |
| From, To, short and direct | passes on a request or a decision |
Some questions say "Which sections mention ...?" so you must check all the texts. Underline the key word (here: employment) and tick each text that has it.
The advertisement says "All of our slides have been tested for safety and maximum fun by experts." Which job in text A does this connect to?
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The waterslide tester (Richard Dunk), whose job is to check that slides are safe and fun.
8.3The four conditionals
A conditional sentence has an if clause (the condition) and a main clause (the result). When the if clause comes first, put a comma after it.
| Type | Use | If clause | Main clause | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zero | always or generally true | present simple | present simple | If you steal from a company, you get fired. |
| First | possible now or in the future | present simple | will (or can, must, might, imperative) | If they hire you, you'll earn a great salary. |
| Second | impossible or unlikely now or later; advice | past simple | would + base verb | If I won a lot of money, I would retire. |
| Third | past, did not happen | past perfect | would have + past participle | If she had applied, she would have got the job. |
- Zero: when can replace if.
- First: unless means "if ... not"; provided / providing (that) and as long as mean "if". "Unless you impress the interviewer, you won't get the job."
- Second: use were for all persons, and "If I were you, I would ..." for advice.
- Third: main clause may also use could have or might have.
Do not put will or would in the if clause. Wrong: If you will apply, ... and If I would be you, .... Right: "If you apply, ..." and "If I were you, ...".
Example: same job, three conditionals
Possible: If Mei gets the interview, she will wear a suit.Unlikely: If Mei got the job, she would buy a car.
Did not happen: If Mei had arrived on time, she would have met the manager.
Complete with the correct form.
(a) If I ______ (be) you, I would research the company. (b) If you want a job, you ______ (have to) apply. (c) If we had left earlier, we ______ (not / miss) the interview.
(a) If I ______ (be) you, I would research the company. (b) If you want a job, you ______ (have to) apply. (c) If we had left earlier, we ______ (not / miss) the interview.
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(a) were (second conditional advice)
(b) have to (zero conditional)
(c) would not have missed (third conditional)
(b) have to (zero conditional)
(c) would not have missed (third conditional)
8.4Mixed conditionals
A mixed conditional joins a past condition to a present result. If clause: past perfect (as in the third conditional). Main clause: would + base verb (as in the second conditional).
| Fact | Mixed conditional |
|---|---|
| Nick shouted at his boss, so he is not a manager now. | If Nick hadn't shouted at his boss, he would be a manager now. |
| I missed the bus, so I'm not at work yet. | If I hadn't missed the bus, I would be at work now. |
Method: (1) Find the past action in the fact. (2) Reverse it (positive becomes negative, or the other way) in the past perfect. (3) Reverse the present result and use would + base verb.
Do not use "would have been" when the result is happening now. "If I had taken the job in Greece, I would have been would be in Greece right now."
Make a mixed conditional: "We saved enough money, so we can set up our own business."
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If we hadn't saved enough money, we wouldn't be able to set up (we wouldn't be setting up) our own business.
8.5Confused words and word formation
| Pair | Difference |
|---|---|
| pension / benefit | a pension is money paid to a retired person; benefits are extras with a job (medical insurance, a company car) |
| wage / salary | a wage is paid by the hour or week (minimum wage); a salary is a fixed monthly sum |
| bonus / perk | a bonus is extra money; a perk is a non-money extra (free tickets) |
| career / job | a career is a long-term path of work; a job is one position |
| qualifications / qualities | qualifications are degrees and certificates; qualities are personal features (self-confidence) |
| advice / advise | advice is a noun; advise is a verb |
| Noun | Adjective |
|---|---|
| ambition | ambitious |
| envy | envious |
| wealth | wealthy |
| determination | determined |
| secret | secretive |
| bravery | brave |
Collocations. have an interview, have a career; be a success, be a failure; make a profit, make a fortune; own a company; win respect; do a job, do work experience.
Choose: (a) She gets a monthly (wage / salary). (b) I would (advice / advise) you to be polite.
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(a) salary
(b) advise
(b) advise
8.6Listening and speaking
Listening. Feelings come from the noun in the job: satisfaction gives satisfied, stress gives stressed, exhaustion gives exhausted, envy gives envious. Compare: a stressful job (the job) makes a person stressed (the person). Listen to the tone of voice as well as the words.
Speaking: two photographs.
- State the topic.
- Say how the photos are similar and different.
- Answer the question you were asked, with examples.
| Making generalisations | Giving examples |
|---|---|
| Generally speaking, ... / As a rule, ... / Normally, ... | for instance, ... / for example, ... / ..., such as ... |
8.7Writing a formal letter of application
| Part | What to write |
|---|---|
| Opening | Dear Sir/Madam (name not known) or Dear Mr/Ms Smith (name known) |
| Paragraph 1 | why you are writing and where you saw the advertisement |
| Paragraph 2 | your age, school, qualifications, work experience |
| Paragraph 3 | relevant interests and achievements |
| Paragraph 4 | why you are suitable and that you can work on the dates |
| Closing | I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully (Dear Sir/Madam) or Yours sincerely (Dear Mr Smith) |
Show your skills through experience. Committee member = good with people; café job = can work under pressure; farm work = can do hard physical work; baby-sitting = good with young children. Begin sentences with phrases such as "At the weekends, ..." or "Currently, ..." so that not every sentence begins with "I".
Be realistic. Do not claim things that are too unlikely (like climbing Mount Everest). Answer all the points in the task, and keep to the word limit (140 to 190 words).
Which closing goes with "Dear Sir/Madam"?
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Yours faithfully.