Phrasal verbs: starting a new job

This comprehensive ESL worksheet is designed to help learners master and confidently use 14 essential phrasal verbs used when starting a new job. These phrasal verbs focus on everyday office communication, teamwork, and career development. Through a variety of engaging activities, students will practise recognising, understanding, and applying these phrasal verbs in realistic business and social contexts.

What’s included:

Short dialogues:
Phrasal verbs are introduced naturally through workplace conversations about new jobs, projects, and responsibilities. Students read each dialogue and match the highlighted phrasal verbs to clear definitions, reinforcing both form and meaning.

Email and sentence completion tasks:
Learners practise using workplace phrasal verbs in context by completing professional emails, rewriting sentences, and correcting errors with the right expressions. These exercises build accuracy and confidence in written English.

Matching and error correction activities:
Students replace incorrect phrasal verbs with the correct ones, improving understanding of subtle differences in meaning and usage.

Discussion and role-play prompts:
Thought-provoking questions encourage learners to share personal experiences of starting new jobs, taking on responsibilities, or stepping into challenging roles. Pair-work activities and role-plays simulate real-life office situations, helping students practise phrasal verbs in authentic conversation.

Advice and problem-solving tasks:
Students read about workplace challenges (e.g., fitting in, learning new systems, or handling a transition) and give advice using target phrasal verbs, strengthening both speaking and critical-thinking skills.

By the end of this worksheet, students will not only understand the meaning of each career-related phrasal verb but also use them naturally and effectively in both professional and everyday English. This resource is ideal for intermediate to upper-intermediate ESL learners aiming to expand their vocabulary, improve workplace communication, and boost fluency.