deadline
Meaning: the final time or date when work must be finished
Example: The deadline for the report is Friday afternoon.
Tip: People often say meet a deadline or miss a deadline.
Back to vocabulary topics
Vocabulary
Vocabulary for work and the officeStudy the English you need for meetings, tasks, emails, deadlines, and daily office conversations.
This lesson teaches practical office English for meetings, projects, feedback, and digital work. Start with the most useful work words, then learn common phrasal verbs, and finally practise natural questions you can use with coworkers and managers.
8 words4 phrasal verbs6 questions
Visual overview
Office vocabulary board
deadlinemeetingtaskcoworkerschedulefeedbackspreadsheetmanagerVocabulary for work and the office
Core words
Start with the most useful words for this topic. Read the meaning, notice the example, and reuse the phrase in your own sentence.
meeting
Meaning: a planned time when people talk about work together
Example: We have a team meeting every Monday morning.
Tip: Meetings can be in person or online.
task
Meaning: a piece of work you need to do
Example: My first task today is replying to client emails.
Tip: People often speak about finishing, assigning, or tracking tasks.
coworker
Meaning: someone who works at the same company as you
Example: My coworker helped me prepare the presentation.
Tip: Colleague is a slightly more formal word.
schedule
Meaning: a plan of times for work, meetings, or activities
Example: My schedule is full this afternoon.
Tip: You can talk about a meeting schedule or your weekly schedule.
feedback
Meaning: comments that help you improve your work
Example: Thank you for the feedback on my draft.
Tip: Constructive feedback helps people improve without feeling attacked.
spreadsheet
Meaning: a digital table used to organize numbers and information
Example: I added the sales numbers to the spreadsheet.
Tip: Spreadsheets are common in finance, planning, and office reports.
manager
Meaning: the person who leads a team or department
Example: My manager asked me to prepare a short summary.
Tip: Managers often assign tasks and review progress.
Useful phrasal verbs
These verb combinations appear often in natural conversations, so they are worth memorizing as full expressions.
follow up
Meaning: to contact someone again to continue a task or conversation
Example: I will follow up with the client tomorrow morning.
Tip: Follow up is one of the most common office phrases in English.
hand in
Meaning: to give completed work to a teacher, manager, or system
Example: Please hand in the report before noon.
Tip: Hand in is common with assignments, forms, and reports.
log in
Meaning: to enter a digital system with your username and password
Example: You need to log in before you can open the dashboard.
Tip: The opposite action is log out.
set up
Meaning: to prepare or organize something
Example: Can you set up the meeting room for the presentation?
Tip: You can set up a call, a file, or a whole process.
Questions you can ask
Practise these ready-made questions so you can react faster in real conversations.
Can we move this meeting to the afternoon?
When to use it: Use this when you need to change a meeting time.
What is the deadline for this task?
When to use it: Use this when you need to confirm when something must be finished.
Could you send me the file, please?
When to use it: Use this when you need a document from a coworker.
Who is leading the meeting today?
When to use it: Use this when you want to know who will speak first or make decisions.
Could you give me some feedback on this draft?
When to use it: Use this when you want comments before you finish your work.
Should I log in with this password?
When to use it: Use this when you are checking account access or setup steps.
Quick practice
Use these short exercises to check the lesson before you move on.
Practice
Complete the sentence: The ______ for the presentation is tomorrow at noon.
A deadline is the final time when the work must be finished.
Practice
Which phrasal verb means to contact someone again later?
Follow up is very common in emails, meetings, and client work.
Practice
Choose the better question: What is the deadline for this task? / What is deadline of this task?
The first version is the natural English question.
Practice
Correct the sentence: My manager give me useful feedback yesterday.
Yesterday shows the sentence needs the past form gave.