Mister Guru

alking about jobs and professions or occupations is very common in social interactions, especially when we want to know more about a person that we have just met. Small talks on jobs or professions is one of the safest topic to talk about in initial meetings. You can build a light and comfortable conversations by talking or asking about jobs or professions, for example discussing the type of job you do and where you work.

Here are some gambits and expressions that you can use in talking about jobs or professions.

A. Asking about jobs / professions.

• Do you have a job?
• Do you work full-time or part-time?
• Where do you work?
• What are you?
• What is he?
• What is your job?
• What is his job?
• What is your father's job?
• What is your occupation?
• What is your profession?
• What do you do?
• What type of job do you do?
• What does he do?
• What does your father do?
• What does he do for a living?
• How does he earn a living?
• What do you do to make a living?

B. Telling about jobs / professions.

• I am a student / a teacher / a bank clerk, etc.
• He is a soldier / a teacher / a doctor, etc.
• I work as a teacher in a vocational school.
• He works as a consultant.
• I work for a foreign company.
• He works in a garment manufacturer and exporter.
• My job is selling computers online.
• Her job is handling telephone calls.
• He is in charge of the front office department.
• Her job mainly deals with customers' complaints.

C. Showing interest

• Are you?
• Wow! That must be interesting.
• How interesting!
• It must be a well-paid job.
• That sounds like a lot of hard work.
• That must be a lot of work.
• That must be a rewarding job.

D. Example Dialogue

Read the following conversation and practice it.

Anne :	Hi, Jim. I heard that you've got a new job now.
Jim :	Yes. I resigned from my old job two months ago, and moved to an exporting company.
Anne :	How do you travel to work now?
Jim :	By city bus. I usually take the A17 bus at 6:45 every morning.
Anne :	What time do you start work?
Jim :	At 8 sharp.
Anne :	And how do you spend the day in your new job?
Jim :	Well, in the morning I usually type letters to customers.
Anne :	What time is your lunch break?
Jim :	We have a one-hour break from 12 pm until 1 pm.
Anne :	And what do you do in the afternoon?
Jim :	I usually make telephone calls, and check incoming emails.
Anne :	Sounds interesting! What time do you finish work?
Jim :	I usually leave the office at 4.30 pm.
Anne :	I hope you like your new job, Jim. See you!
Jim :	Thanks, Anne. See you!

I. Guess what profession is being talked about.

II. Answer these questions by referring to the example dialogue between Anne and Jim above.

1. Where does Jim work?
2. How long has he been working there?
3. How does he go to work?
4. What time does he catch the bus to work?
5. What time does he start work?
6. What does he usually do in the morning?
7. What time does he have lunch?
8. What does he usually do after lunch?
9. What time does he leave work?
10. What can you infer about the relationship between the speakers?

III. Explain these occupations. Use the Simple Present to tell about the places of work and what he or she usually does.

Example:
A policeman : He usually works in the police station, but sometimes on the street. He controls the traffic and keeps situation in order.

1. A bell boy : ....
2. A receptionist : ....
3. A teacher : ....
4. A waitress : ....
5. A farmer : ....
6. A nurse : ....
7. A firefighter : ....
8. A front desk clerk : ....
9. A carpenter : ....
10. An architect : ....
11. A shopkeeper : ....
12. A tailor : ....
13. A lawyer : ....
14. A chef : ....
15. A room boy : ....

ead the text below and do the exercises.
You may look at your dictionary while doing the exercises.

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Things Around Us

There are many things around us. They can be different in size, shape, color, smell or texture. They can also be made from different materials. Things are different because they have different properties.

Things are similar in some ways too. Let's take a look at how things can be similar.

Things have weight

The weight of a book tells us how heavy that book is. Every thing, be it big or small, has weight. We often use 'heavy' or 'light' to describe the weight of something.

Some things, such as a pencil or a feather, are light. We can lift them easily. Some things, such as a cupboard or a desk, are heavy. We cannot lift them easily.

It is easy to lift an empty pail, but when the pail is full of water, it is harder to lift it. This shows that water has weight.

What about air? Does it have weight? Air, like water, and all the things around us, has weight too.

Things occupy space

Look at this cupboard. Only one shelf is filled with books.

The books occupy half the space in the cupboard. There is still space for some more books.

The glass is filled with colored water. The water occupies all the space in the glass. What do you think will happen if you put a few pieces of ice into the glass of water?

Air occupies space too. When we blow air into a balloon, the air fills the space inside the balloon.

In science, anything that has weight and occupies space is called matter.

I. Match each word with its synonym.

II. State whether these sentences are "TRUE" or "FALSE"

III. Complete this crossword puzzle.

When using English, especially in conversation, English learners usually make mistakes when they describe places. This is because there are different "rules" in their native language and when they use English, the "rules" are still applied by mistake.

In talking about specific locations, English learners often confuse the use of "in front of", "in the front of", and "at the front of". Probably, it is because those three phrases have one meaning in their native language. For example, "in front of", "in the front of", and "at the front of" in the Indonesian language have the same meaning, that is "di depan". There will be a confusion in saying "di depan" in English if we don't know the correct use of "in front of", "in the front of", and "at the front of".

To avoid such mistakes, let's learn how to use "in front of", "in the front of", and "at the front of" correctly. It can also help us in TOEIC test, especially in the Listening Section" Analying Pictures, in which we often have to identify the specific location of things in a picture.

Common Mistakes in using "in front of"

The most common mistakes in using "in front of" happens when people talk about things which are on opposite sides of a road, street, river, room, etc. "Opposite" or "facing" should be used instead.

In Indonesia, when people want to say "Dia tinggal didepan rumah saya" or "Rumahnya berada di depan rumah saya", they usually say:

• He lives in front of my house.
• His house is in front of mine.

The above sentences are incorrect. Remember, in front of is not used to talk about things which are on opposite sides of a road, street, river, room, etc. Instead, we should use opposite or facing.

These are the correct sentences to describe the picture:

• He lives opposite my house.
• His house is opposite mine.
• There is a truck parked in front of the house.
• A car is parked in front of the house.

"In front of"

"In front of" is the antonym / opposite of "behind".

• There was a flagpole in front of the building.
• We were delayed by a slow heavy truck in front of us for about thirty minutes until we overtook it.
• Although she sits in front of me, I don't know much about her.
• He couldn't enjoy the movie since the couple in front of him kept talking loudly.
• An old lady was standing in front of me in the queue.
• Shy students always get nervous when they speak in front of the class.

"In the front of"

"In the front" is the antonym / opposite of "in the back".

• My father and grandfather were sitting in the front of the car, while the rest of us were sitting in the back.
• The new student sat in the front of the class. (in the front row)

"At the front of"

"At the front of" is the antonym / opposite of "at the back of".

• There's a big advertisement board at the front of the building.
• The car has a distinguished trademark at the front.
• The boy is standing at the front of the queue.

Exercise

Fill in the blanks with "in front of", "opposite", "in the front of", or "at the front of".

1. She was very surprised and stood there ... him for a moment.
2. You will be able to find the office easily. There's a big billboard ... it.
3. I can't see the writing on the board clearly. I think I'll sit ... the class.
4. Walk along this street. The office is ... the museum.
5. Watch out. The car ... us is swaying in and out carelessly.
6. When traveling, my daughter prefers sitting ... the car.
7. I enjoyed watching the sunset from the balcony ... my room.
8. He lives in a big old house ... a vocational school.
9. Who is the young girl sitting ... Anna? I've never seen her before.
10. A police car was ... the convoy.

Reference: Swan, M. Practical English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1980.

Choose the best answer; A, B, C, or D to each question.

1. Which of the following is true about all living things?
   1. They can make food.
   2. They breathe in air.
   3. They need sleep.
   4. They can think.
2. Plants take in ... during photosynthesis.
   
   1. carbon dioxide
   2. hydrogen
   3. nitrogen
   4. oxygen
3. Photosynthesis happens ....
   
   1. only in sunlight
   2. only in the dark
   3. only part of the time
   4. all of the time
4. Green plants can only make food ....
   
   1. in the day time
   2. in the night time
   3. in the morning
   4. in the evening
5. Which of the following groups of living things can make their own food?
   
   1. Bird
   2. Plant
   3. Man
   4. Fish
6. Green leaves can absorb ... from the sun.
   
   1. water
   2. carbon dioxide
   3. light energy
   4. oxygen
7. Which of the following plants cannot make its own food?
   
   1. Hibiscus plant
   2. Papaya tree
   3. Mushroom
   4. Water lily plant
8. The food found in the leaves of green plants is ....
   
   1. salt
   2. flour
   3. water
   4. starch
9. What do you use to show that a food substance contains starch?
   
   1. Lime water
   2. Salt solution
   3. Iodine solution
   4. Sugar solution
10. When a few drops of iodine solution are dropped into some starch solution, the starch turns ....
    
    1. blue
    2. yellow
    3. brown
    4. green
11. In strong sunlight, green plants need water and ... to make food.
    
    1. good soil
    2. carbon dioxide
    3. mineral salts
    4. oxygen
12. Plants with no green coloring in their leaves cannot ....
    
    1. breathe air
    2. absorb water
    3. grow well
    4. make food
13. Green plants help to remove ... from the atmosphere.
    
    1. oxygen
    2. water
    3. sunlight
    4. carbon dioxide
14. Water plants are usually put in an aquarium. This is because in strong sunlight, they supply ... to the fishes.
    
    1. food
    2. water
    3. energy
    4. oxygen
15. When green plants make food during the day, they give off ....
    
    1. light energy
    2. oxygen
    3. carbon dioxide
    4. heat energy
16. Green plants are planted everywhere because they help to ... the air in the atmosphere.
    
    1. dirty
    2. clean
    3. spoil
    4. pollute
17. Water helps to keep a plant ....
    
    1. weak
    2. limp
    3. green
    4. firm
18. Plants lose water to their surroundings mainly through the ....
    
    1. roots
    2. stems
    3. leaves
    4. fruits
19. A balsam plant takes in water from ....
    
    1. the air
    2. the pot
    3. the soil
    4. the rocks
20. Plants give out water as ....
    
    1. smoke
    2. rain
    3. ice
    4. water vapor

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