In the office – Vocabulary and Phrases
a calendar – a table or register with the days of each month and week in a year
He marked the date on his calendar.
a diary – a book or pad containing pages marked and arranged in calendar order, in which to note appointments
a desk – a table at work
Please leave the report on my desk.
a drawer – a sliding box without a lid which fits into a chest, table etc
You can find the book in the bottom drawer of my desk.
a noticeboard – a usually large board in a hall, on which notices are put
I'll put the list on the noticeboard.
a calculator – a small electronic or mechanical device that performs calculations
Can I borrow your calculator for a minute?
a wastepaper basket – a basket or other (small) container for waste paper
Put those old letters in the wastepaper basket.
a briefcase – a portable, often flat case with a handle, used for carrying papers or books
I left my briefcase in the restaurant.
an envelope – flat paper container, as for a letter or thin package
Do not open the envelope. It is not addressed to you.
scissors – cutting instrument for paper, cloth, etc
Where are my scissors?
to do the filing – to put or keep (papers, for example) in useful order for storage or reference
filing cabinet – a container for keeping papers in order
It's not in the filling cabinet. Where is it then?
a computer – an electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations
I'm afraid Janet is not able to work with computers.
a keyboard – the row or set of keys on a computer
Some of the keys on my keyboard are not working.
a mouse – a button-operated device that can be slid on wheels or ball bearings over a desktop to move the cursor
I have to buy a new mouse.
a notebook – a small, lightweight laptop computer
My notebook is too old and heavy.
a laptop – a notebook
a printer – a machine that prints documents
The printer is broken. We have to call the service.
to save files on – to copy files from RAM on a disk or other storage medium
Have you saved all your files?
hard disc – a rigid magnetic disk mounted permanently in a drive unit
There is a hard disc error. You cannot use the PC now.
floppy disk – a thin, flexible plastic disk coated with magnetic material, on which data and programs can be stored
to switch the computer on/to switch the computer off – to start / finish using the computer
Can I switch it off or are you going to use it later?
to send invoices – to make payment documents get to business partners
Have you sent the invoice yet?
to do paperwork – written or clerical work, as records or reports, forming a necessary but often a routine and secondary part of some work or job
I hate paperwork. It takes so much time.
a spreadsheet – a piece of paper with rows and columns for recording financial data for use in comparative analysis
Financial analysts use a spreadsheet to determine how a firm's sales and profit margins have varied throughout a period of quarters or years
figures – numbers, data
Please check the figures once again.
to add up – to make the correct total
These figures don't add up right.
to make a phone call – to call
I need to make one important phone call before lunch.
to surf the Internet – to search the net (for information)
Surf the net for relevant information.
to send an email – to make an email get to its recipient
I forgot to send the email.
to look into a problem – to investigate, deal with a problem
Customer Service is looking into the problem.
to sort out a problem – to solve a problem
We have to sort out the problem as soon as possible.
to place an order for – to order some goods
I placed the order for 100 chairs last week.
to cancel an order – to say/write an order is not valid
I'm afraid we have to cancel the order.
to confirm an order – to assure an order is valid
Please confirm your order by 28 July.
busy – actively and attentively engaged in work
She is too busy. She is working on an important project.
hectic – characterized by rapid and confused movement
The week before the trip was hectic and exhausting.
boring – not interesting
This work is boring. It's only paperwork.
stressful – full of stress or tension
The last day in the month will be very stressful.