What do you do?
Introduction
Dialogue comprehension: Understand a dialogue about people's jobs.
Learn vocabulary and phrases about jobs.
Be able to ask about someone's job.
Dialogue
TASK: Read the following dialogue aloud with your teacher. Pay attention to the
names of jobs and to the verbs in the present simple.
Mark: What do you do, Johanna?
Johanna: I'm a journalist.
Mark: Do you work for a magazine or for TV?
Johanna: I work for an online newspaper. I'm a web journalist.
Mark: Where do you work?
Johanna: I work in Chicago. What is your job?
Mark: I'm a doctor. I work in a hospital.
Johanna: Which are your working days?
Mark: I work from Monday to Friday.
Johanna: Do you have many patients?
Mark: Yes, I do. Do you interview many people?
Johanna: Yes, I often interview people, and I do research on the Internet.
Mark: Do you travel much?
Johanna: No, I don't often travel, but I like visiting different countries.
Illustration
Vocabulary: jobs
Here's a list of some jobs.
accountant
assistant
baker
chef
dentist
doctor
electrician
fireman
journalist
mailman
lawyer
nurse
plumber
police officer
salesperson
taxi driver
teacher
waiter
The present simple
Affirmative Negative Questions
I work I don't play do I have
you work you don't play do you have
he/she/it works he/she/it doesn't play does he/she/it have
we work we don't play do we have
you work you don't play do you have
they work they don't play do they have
note:
do not = don't
does not = doesn't
Notice that the auxiliary verb 'do/does' is used to formulate a question in the
present simple (when the 'active verb" is not the verb 'to be'.
To express habits and routines.
Some journalists often travel.
Present Simple - Use 1 We play sports every week.
She works in a school.
A dentist treats people's teeth.
To express known facts or things we know are true.
Present Simple - Use 2 The world is round.
The Earth turns around the sun.
The car costs $15,000 dollars.
Practice
Practice one: Main activities in a job
TASK: Match the names of the different jobs with the sentences describing their
main activities.
chef, doctor, electrician, fireman, journalist, lawyer, accountant, sales assistant, taxi
driver, teacher
He / She knows the laws and helps people in a court of law.
He / She teaches children or adults.
He / She writes articles or presents the news.
He / She stops fires.
He / She takes care of sick people.
He / She works with numbers and calculations in an office.
He / She cooks food in restaurants.
He / She repairs electrical wires.
He / She sells things in a store.
He / She drives people to places.
Practice two: The present simple
TASK 1: Fill in the sentences with the present simple form of the verb in
parentheses. Sometimes you need to ask questions.
1. School teachers ______________ (help) children to read and write.
2. A receptionist ______________ (answer) the phone.
3. Where ______________ (you / work)?
4. This police officer ______________ (try) to find big criminals.
5. My plumber ______________ (not speak) English.
6. Lawyers ______________ (not have) a lot of free time.
7. When ______________ (he / leave) the office?
8. What time ______________ (you / start) work?
9. He ______________ (play sports) on Fridays after work.
10. ______________ you an accountant (to be)?
Practice three: At a company
TASK: In the following dialogue Andrew and Clare meet at a company. They talk
about their jobs. Put the sentences in the right order.
Clare: 1. So you probably work a lot with numbers in your job.
Andrew: 2. Hi, Clare. I'm an accountant.
Clare: 3. Hello, Andrew. What's your job?
Andrew: 4. Yes, I also calculate taxes. What do you do, Clare?
Andrew: 5. That's right. I check the company's financial accounts.
Clare: 6. I'm an English teacher. I teach adults in companies.
Clare: 7. I see. Do you also calculate taxes?
Clare: 8. Yes, I do. And I sometimes travel to different cities too.
Andrew: 9. Do you travel to different companies?
Transfer
Role-play: Talking about your job
TASK: Imagine you meet someone (your teacher) for the first time and you talk
about your jobs. Ask him/her questions about his/her job and answer his/her
questions. Here are examples of sentences you can use.
What do you do?
What's your job?
Where do you work?
I'm a ... .
I help... .
I live near my workplace.
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