work
Primary: verbCan function as: verb, noun
Common zero derivation between verb and noun forms
๐ Pronunciation
/wษหk/
Syllables: work
Stress: single syllable
In American English: /wษk/
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ Word Family
| Word Class | Forms |
|---|---|
| Verbs | work, works, worked, working |
| Nouns | work, worker, workforce, workload, workplace |
| Adjectives | working, worked, workable |
| Adverbs | workably |
Many compound forms possible with 'work-' prefix
๐ฏ Verb Forms
| Infinitive: | to work |
| Base form: | work |
| 3rd person singular: | works |
| Past simple: | worked |
| Past participle: | worked |
| Present participle: | working |
| Gerund: | working |
๐ Meanings & Definitions
Noun Meanings
1
activity involving mental or physical effort done to achieve a purpose or result
Countability: uncountable
“She has a lot of work to do”
“I need to focus on my work”
Common collocations: hard work, do work, finish work
Synonyms: labor, effort, toil
Antonyms: leisure, rest
neutralgeneral
2
place where one is employed
Countability: uncountable
“I'm going to work”
“She's at work”
Common collocations: at work, leave work, start work
Synonyms: workplace, office
neutralbusiness
Verb Meanings
1
engage in physical or mental activity to achieve a purpose
“She works in finance”
“The team worked late”
Synonyms: labor, toil
neutralgeneral
2
function or operate correctly
“The machine isn't working”
“This solution works well”
Synonyms: function, operate
neutraltechnical
๐ง Verb Patterns
work + as + noun
“She works as a teacher”
Note: Used for professions
work + for + noun
“He works for a large company”
Note: Used for employers
work + on + noun
“They are working on a new project”
Note: Used for tasks/projects
Transitivity
Type: primarily intransitive
Passive possible: No
๐ค Collocations
Verb + Noun
Adjective + Noun
โ ๏ธ Common Errors
โ I am working in a projectโโ I am working on a project
Incorrect preposition choice
Common for: Common in Spanish speakers
Medium impact
โ I work since 2010โโ I have worked since 2010
Present perfect needed with 'since'
๐ Register & Frequency
Frequency: top 100 words
Spoken: common
Written: common
Academic: common
Business: common
Formality: neutral