B2 vocabulary is measured by precision under pressure: can you say job security, carbon emissions, and cost of living in the middle of a discussion without reaching for money problems and pollution things? Work and global issues are the two topics every exam, interview, and seminar returns to — so this set pays rent forever.
What you can do after this lesson
You can name the standard concepts of working life and global affairs with their natural partner words, and you can upgrade vague sentences into precise ones.
The lesson
Work — the life cycle of a job: you apply for a position, shortlist candidates, take up a post, work a probation period, earn a salary (monthly) or wages (hourly), receive benefits and allowances, aim for a promotion, and eventually resign, are made redundant (the job disappears), or are dismissed (you are the problem — don't confuse the last two).
Work — describing conditions: job security, workload, work–life balance, a demanding role, a rewarding career, flexible hours, a skills shortage, the informal sector (where much Pacific employment actually sits), casual labour, a permanent position.
Global issues — the core nouns and their verbs: you tackle / address poverty, combat climate change, cut / reduce carbon emissions, bridge the gap between rich and poor, provide access to clean water and education, displace communities (rising sea levels displace coastal villages), and economies recover from or are hit hard by a crisis.
Number and trend language (the connective tissue of both topics): a sharp rise in, a steady decline in, to double / halve, widespread, scarce, unsustainable, a long-term trend.
Learn the verb with its noun — tackle poverty is one item, not two.
Examples
- Weak: Many young people don't have work. → Strong: Youth unemployment remains high, and many graduates end up in the informal sector.
- Weak: The weather is changing and it's bad for villages near the sea. → Strong: Rising sea levels are already displacing coastal communities.
- Weak: She got a better job in the company. → Strong: She was promoted to a permanent position after her probation period.
- Weak: The government should do something about the water problem. → Strong: The government should prioritise access to clean water in rural provinces.
Common mistakes
- ✗ He was fired because the factory closed. → ✓ He was made redundant. (Fired/dismissed blames the worker — a real insult in a reference letter.)
- ✗ a work, works (countable) → ✓ a job, jobs; work is uncountable. Also: doing a research → doing research.
- ✗ solve climate change → English prefers combat / tackle / address — solve collocates with problem and crisis, not with ongoing issues.
- Learning nouns without verbs: knowing emission but not cut emissions leaves you unable to finish the sentence.
Self-check — what can I do now?
Answer aloud in full sentences:
- Explain the difference between being dismissed and being made redundant — whose fault is each?
- Describe one global issue affecting the Pacific using at least four items from this lesson.
- Upgrade this sentence: "Lots of people are moving to the city because there is no work in the villages." — aim for unemployment, opportunities, or informal sector.
If the collocations arrived as chunks — tackle poverty, cut emissions — without assembly time, the set is active.