Essential Vocabulary

In this section, you will find over 500 useful words and phrases that often appear in the TOEIC test. Refer
to this list to help you prepare whenever you see the Essential Vocabulary icon throughout the book. You
can also use this list as a self-study resource.

Occupation
s
Artist, author, auto mechanic, bookseller, businessman/woman, cashier, chef, cleaner, consultant,
cook, correspondent, dentist, doctor, electrician, engineer, flight attendant, firefighter, florist, health
inspector, hotel manager, information officer, market researcher, mechanic, news presenter, newspaper
reporter, painter, pilot, plumber, police officer, professor, realtor, receptionist, researcher, sales clerk,
secretary, security guard, student, taxi driver, teacher, telephone engineer, tennis coach, ticket clerk,
tour guide, traffic officer, travel agent, waiter/waitress

Relationship
s
Bank manager-client, cashier-shopper, coworkers, doctor-patient, employee-employer, friends, passenger•
flight attendant, salesperson-customer, student-teacher, tourist-tour guide, waiter-customer

Activities
Apply for a job, attend a lecture, buy food, call the office, catch a bus, change a tire, check some figures,
check the time, do some work, drive a car, check your email, cook a meal, exercise in the gym, extend a
warranty, find a job, get on a plane, give a presentation, give directions, go home, go for a drive, go on a
training course, go out with friends, go sightseeing, go to a concert, go to the movie theater, leave work,
listen to the radio, look for a job, , have a meal in a restaurant, have a breakfast/lunch/dinner, have a
meeting, have a picnic, leave a message, mail a letter, make a cup of coffee/tea, meet some coworkers,
open a bank account, order some food, pay a bill, place an order, plan a party, play a computer game, play
golf, play the violin, prepare a presentation, prepare dinner, rent a movie, repair a fault, see a play, send
a text message, take a bath, take a break, take a subway, take a vacation, take a walk, visit a client, wait
for a train, watch a soccer game, watch TV, work on a report, write an email

Feelings and
emotions
Afraid, amused, angry, bored, calm, cold, confident, disappointed, excited, frustrated, happy, hot,
hungry, ill, jealous, nervous, pleased, relaxed, sad, sick, thankful, thirsty, tired, unhappy, uninterested,
unwell, upset, worried

Positions in a
company
Assistant manager, chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO), director,
manager, managing director (MD), president, supervisor, vice president (VP)

1
Departments in a
company
Accounts, customer service, finance, human resource, IT/computing, maintenance, marketing, personnel,
research and development, sales, technical support

2
Locations and Related Words
Airplane Cabin, overhead locker, safety video demonstration
Airport Baggage carousel, boarding pass, customs, flight, gate, immigration, passport,
terminal

Apartment Flat-screen TV, living room, sofa

Bank Checking account, credit/debit card, deposit, interest, savings
Bookstore Books, fiction, read, shelves
Bus station Bay 3, platform, seat number, stop
Car rental agency Insurance, mileage, vehicle
Clothes store Alteration, fitting room, try on
Coffee shop Cup of coffee, snack
College Assignment, board, classroom, course, semester
Concert hall Music, orchestra, performance, seating
Dentist's office Appointment, cavity, drill, polish
Doctor's office Check-up, medication, patient, prescription
Florist's Arrangement, bouquet of flowers
Garage Brakes, oil change, service, tire
Golf course Club, green, round
Grocery store Fruit, vegetables
Hair salon Brush, comb, dry, shampoo, wash
Hotel Busboy, front desk, housekeeping, reservations, room service, wake-up call
Library Borrow, loan, return, novel
Movie theater Audience, box office, feature, screen
Museum Display, entrance fee, exhibit
Office Computer, copy machine, desk, file, folder, laptop, monitor, stapler, stationery
Parking lot Car, park, ticket
Police station Alarm, arrest, officer
Post office First class, letter, mail, postage, stamp
Restaurant Dessert, dish, main course, menu, order, reserve a table, service, waiter/waitress
Sport center Court, game gym, racket, sports
Super market Aisle, food, shop
Taxi stand Cab, driver, fare, tip
Theater Actor, cast, play, sing, stage
Train station Catch, delay, express, track
Travel agency Beach, book, flight, package, scenery, vacation, visa
Time
Expressions
At (6 o'clock/night), on (Monday, June 17111), in (2 hours, the summer, 2014), in (the
morning/afternoon/evening), by (Friday/midnight), until (the weekend), next (year/month/week), for
(three years), from (nine to five, September I"), since (2014), during (the meeting), around (noon), every
(week), once (a month), tonight
Offers and
Requests
Making an offer Making a Request
I can/could do that for you Can/Could I have ... ?
Can I help you ? Can/Will you ... ?
How can I help you? Could/Would You ... ?
Please ...
Would you please ?
Do you mind ... ing ?
Do you think we could ... ?

Suggests and Advices

Why don't you ... ? If I were you, I'd ...
How about ... ? Have you considered ... ?
Perhaps you could ... ?
Opinions
Asking for opinions Giving opinions
What do you think (of) ... ? I think ...
Do you agree that. .. I agree (completely) ...
Do you think that...? In my opinion . If
you ask me, .
Sorry, I don't agree

Directions
Asking for directions Giving directions
How do I get to ... ? Go straight ahead
Is there a ... nearby? Go along ...
Are there any near here? Go past. ..
Where's the ? Turn left/right. ..
It's on the corner
Prepositions
Prepositions of place
Above, across from, against, behind, below, between, close to, in front of, inside, near, on top of, under
Prepositions of movement
Into, through, past, up, down, toward, from, onto, away (from)
Topics
Questions about the topic ask you to identify the subject of the conversation. Common
questions include:

What are the speakers discussing? What is the subject of the conversation? What problem
are the speakers discussing? What is the woman talking about? What are the people mainly
discussing?
To answer questions about the topic, it is important to recognize words and phrases
connected to a wide range of work-related topics.

Purchasing · Office Personnel

Entertainment Dining Internet/Computin
General Out g Finance/Banking
Business Health ·
Travel Transportation Technic;:al/Manufaqturing

1 cancellation, visa, ticket, itinerary, trip, excursion, reservation, delay,

vacation, vaccination, abroad, journey, souvenir
2 keyboard, delete, cursor, spam, software, hard disk, mouse, monitor,
desktop, install, laptop, memory, online, e-mail, download, attachment,
crash
3 : budget, funding, investment, tax, balance, borrow, mortgage,
dividend, debt, profit, turnover, audit, account, calculate, transaction,
forecast, credit
4 shuttle, car rental, ferry, terminal, coach, bus, bay, train, platform,
subway, transfer, round-trip, bus, book, check-in, board, divert, taxi
5 banquet, dessert, reservation, menu, appetizer, main course, order,
tip, bill, service, undercooked, rare
6 order, estimate, discount, refund, shipping, charge, invoice,
bargain, merchandise, cost, receipt, catalog, billing, deposit
7 storage closet, board meeting, committee, letter, memo, telephone,
fax, message, courier, stationery, agenda, desk
8. .. contract, negotiate, merger, marketing, sales, warranty,
conference, agreement, strategy
9 electronics, technology, laboratory, specifications, experiment,
expertise, machinery, tools, construction, assembly line, quality
control, regulations, research
10 recruit, hire, interview, retire, salary, promotion, application, pension,
award, reject, qualifications, candidate, references, resume, training,
raise
11 perform, plot, rehearse, play, review, theater, music, art, exhibition,
museum, media, concert, act
12 medical insurance, benefits, doctor's office, dentist's clinic,
hospital, appointment, diagnose, filling, policy, prescription
People
Questions about people ask about relationships, positions within a company, or
occupations. Common questions include:
Who most likely are the speakers? Who is the man talking to? Who is the
woman? What is the man's occupation? What is the woman's position in the
company?
To answer questions about people, it is useful if you know words and phrases that
are connected to these themes.
Exercise A1 Match the relationships.
1. bank ........... employee
manager
.. teacher
2. doctor
....1. client
3. student
. customer
4. employer
. patient
5. tour guide
........... criminal
6. waiter
. tourist
7. commuter
........... toll collector
8. police officer

Exercise A2 Write each job next to the correct set of words.

auto mechanic dentist decorator plumber

police officer reporter waiter librarian
hairstylist carpenter politician taxi architect
chef flight attendant driver vet

1. . ride, passenger, fare, catch 9. . : cook, recipe, pot, chop

2 print, news, interview, newspaper 10. .. nail, wood, build, hammer
3. . table, serve, order, reserve 11 . .. shelves, lend, novel,
/
reference
4. . duty-free, aisle seat, cabin 12 law, arrest, crime, patrol
5. .. oil, engine, service, repair, garage 13. . design, blueprint, building,
draw
6. .. vote, election, campaign, debate 14. .. sick, heal, animal, health
7. . checkup, cavity, drill, polish 15. .. salon, shampoo, trim, style
8. .. paint, wallpaper, brush, can, 16. .. leak, pipe, sink, repair
roller, cloth
Activities
Questions about activities ask about actions in progress, actions in the past, future
plans, and suggestions. Common questions include:
What are the speakers doing? What will the woman do next? How does the man plan to
spend the afternoon? What does the woman suggest the man do? What does the man ask
the woman to do?

To answer questions about activities, it is useful if you are familiar with common
collocations. Collocations are words that are often used together.

work check rent extend send

reserve give look make get
visit take call change leave
apply do prepare go pay

1 _ fora job, in writing, for a grant, pressure

2. . an office, a movie, a car, an apartment
3. . clothes, your mind, jobs, a tire
4. . by car, on strike, sightseeing, on an interview
5 an e-mail, out some brochures, back a product, in a form
6. . some work, the laundry, the dishes, the chores
7 dinner, a presentation, to leave, for the launch
8. . on a report, in publishing, out the cost, toward a goal
9. . a warranty, your stay, an offer, a deadline
10. . approval, home, a promotion, on a plane
11. . a message, work, in five minutes, the company
12. . some figures, the time, your e-mail, if something works
13. . permission, a presentation, directions, a demonstration
14. . for a job, at your watch, around a factory, into a complaint
15. . a seat, a table, judgment, the right
16 a bill, attention, cash, off a loan
17 a cup of tea, an appointment, a decision, notes
18. .. the office, a meeting, collect, in sick
19. .. a break, the subway, a vacation, a risk
20. .. a client, New York, our website
Locations
Questions about locations ask you to identify where the conversation takes place, where the
speakers work, or specific places. Common questions include:

Where does this conversation take place? Where are the speakers? Where does the man probably
work? What type of company do the speakers probably work for? Where did the woman go last
week?

To answer questions about locations, it is useful to recognize words and phrases connected to a
wide range of everyday places.

airport clothes store fitness center park

apartment coffee shop gas station post office
art gallery concert hall hotel train station
bank courtroom jewelry store travel agency
car rental agency department store movie theater stadium

1. .. fill up, gas, self-service, pump, fuel, diesel

2 gate, baggage carousel, boarding pass, customs, passport, security,
terminal
3. .. judge, case, hearing, trial, jury, law, verdict, guilty, innocent
4. . studio, lounge, sofa, block, high-rise, move in, rent
5. .. currency, exchange rate, account, loan, savings, statement, withdraw
6. . insurance, terms, mileage, vehicle, economy, luxury, pick up, drop off
7 designer, fitting room, try on, suit, button, zipper, alteration
8. .. mug, snack, cafe, light meal, specialty tea
9. . musician, orchestra, perform, seating, recital, live, symphony, stage,
interval
10 five-star, family-run, check in, suite, lobby, housekeeping, room
service, wake-up call
11 counter, package, mail, postage, card, stamps, scale, envelope, parcel
12. .. display, entrance fee, exhibition, collection, curator, painting, souvenir,
artist
13 platform, line, waiting room, timetable, conductor, car, commuter train
14. . seaside, brochure, view, visa, package tour, stay, travel documents
15 electronics department, customer services, escalator, floor, help desk
16 box office, show, feature, screen, popcorn, trailer, 30, schedule, matinee
17 locker room, weights, gymnasium, hall, treadmill, court, member
18 spectators, indoor, season, game, packed, pitch, field, ballpark
19 try on, bracelet, pendant, diamond, silver, pearls, earrings
20 bench, lake, recreational area, flower beds, path, fountain, pond