In this mini episode, you will learn a common, but maybe unexpected, meaning of the word “work.”
Episode 293 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you a common, but maybe unexpected, meaning of the word “work.” Send your questions about English and your suggestions for future episodes to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hi, everyone! This is Gamze, from Izmir, Turkey. And you are listening to (the) Everybody ESL podcast.”
Welcome to episode 293 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts, on the Stitcher app, and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to everybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I want to talk about the word work. Work: w-o-r-k. This is a common word, and I’m sure that you are familiar with it. You probably know at least the most basic meaning of work. The most basic meaning of work is “to do a job or to have a certain job.” So, you could say, “I work every day starting at nine o’clock.” I work every day starting at nine o’clock. Or you could say, “My friend works as a teacher.” My friend works as a teacher.
But there are other meanings of the word work. There is also a meaning that is related to the first meaning. This other meaning is “to operate or function properly.” That is the meaning of work that you can see in a sentence like this: “Because my car doesn’t work right now, I need to take it to the mechanic.” “Because my car doesn’t work” means “because my car is not functioning or operating properly.”
There is another, very common, meaning of the word work that is only a little bit related to those other meanings. And that is the meaning that I want to talk about today.
Work can also mean “to be successful or to be effective, or to be appropriate, or to match or fit something.” Let me give you an example that uses this meaning of the word work.
Let’s say you and your friend are trying to arrange a day to see each other to have lunch together. And you have a very busy schedule, and so does your friend. And so it is difficult to find a day and a time when the two of you are available—a day and a time when the two of you can meet.
You say to your friend, “Well, what about Thursday at 11 o’clock?”
And your friend looks at his calendar on his phone, and he says, “Yes, Thursday at 11 o’clock. That works.” That works. What does that mean? That works. It doesn’t mean that Thursday at 11 o’clock does a certain job, and it doesn’t mean that Thursday at 11 o’clock functions or operates correctly.
But it does mean something kind of similar. Because what it means is “Thursday at 11 o’clock is effective,” “that is a successful answer to the question,” or “it is appropriate,” or “it matches his schedule.”
Here is another example of a situation where someone might use work with that same meaning:
Let’s say you and your friend are shopping together. And your friend is trying to find a new sweater to buy. And your friend shows you this one sweater and kind of holds it up to herself and says, “Well, what do you think about this sweater? Is this sweater good?”
And you look at it, and you think, and you say, “I think that sweater works.” I think that sweater works. When you say that sweater works, you mean “it is effective,” “it is a good sweater for you,” “it matches,” “it fits your appearance or your style,” “it goes well with your appearance or your style,” “it is a successful choice for you.” It works. That sweater works.
This is a very common meaning of the word work, and I think it’s something you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 293 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments or suggestions for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Gamze recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to everybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode, and until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!