Can / Can’t for Ability and Permission

Learn how to use can and can’t to talk about what someone is able to do and what is or isn’t allowed. These are essential for workplace requests, describing job skills, and asking for time off.

Sick Day

Listen to a short phone call in which a teacher named Jacob calls his workplace to say he is sick and asks to take the day off. You will hear can and can’t used naturally: “Could I take today off?” and “We’ll see if we can get another teacher to cover your classes.”

A Fish Out of Water

Learn this idiom for someone who feels uncomfortable or out of place in a new situation or environment. It is a natural fit before the next lesson about starting a new job, where anyone can feel this way on their first day.

Meeting Coworkers

A woman is starting a new job and meeting people at the office for the first time. Listen for workplace vocabulary like department, tour, and appreciate, as well as expressions such as “break the ice” and “learn the ropes” that are common in new work situations.

Office Supplies Company

Listen to a business phone call about office supplies and equipment. A customer asks about products including computers and answering machines, and requests a brochure with more details. Good practice for the kind of formal but friendly language used in everyday business communication.

Youth Part-Time Jobs

Randall shares his thoughts on the value of young people working part-time jobs, using the example of his daughter working on a farm on Saturdays. The video explores how early work experience builds independence, self-reliance, and an understanding of the value of money.

Simple Past Tense (Regular and Irregular Verbs)

Learn how to talk about completed past actions and events. This tense is essential for discussing work history, describing past job experiences, and answering interview questions like “What did you do at your last job?”

Modals of Advice (might, could, should, ought to, have to, had better)

Learn how to give and understand suggestions, obligations, and warnings using modals of advice. These are common in workplace conversations, job searching, and career planning. For example: “You should update your resume” or “You had better call before the deadline.”

Career Search

Listen to a conversation about career choices and job searching. The speakers discuss a range of occupations and explore how social and cultural factors can influence the kind of work people do.

Get Your Foot in the Door

Learn this career idiom meaning to take a first step toward a goal by gaining an initial opportunity, even if it is not your ideal position. Sample sentences cover internships, entry-level jobs, and networking, all directly connected to the job-search theme of this path.

Common Phrasal Verbs (get up, turn off, look for, speak up, take off)

Learn how phrasal verbs work and practice the ones most common in everyday spoken English. These come up constantly in work settings: looking for a job, speaking up in a meeting, or turning off equipment at the end of the day.

Computer Jobs

A man interviews for a computer job but quickly reveals he lacks the technical skills the position requires. A good example of what not to do, and a chance to think about how to prepare better for a technical interview.