Word Family Worksheets

✅ to work against - to cause problems for someone or something, make it harder to achieve. 

- When you are applying for a job, age often works against you. 

- Their image works against them. They need to change it if they are going to succeed. 

✅ to work away at - to continue working hard at something for a long time. 

- When I got back to the office, he was still working away at his report. 

- He's been working away at it all afternoon but you can't really see what he has achieved. 

✅ to work around something - when you find a way of organizing an activity avoiding any problems. 

- We can't change it. We'll just have to work around it. 

- The deadlines are very short but I'm sure you can find a way to work around them. 

✅ to work off - to overcome the effects of something by doing something energetic or different. 

- I feel totally stressed. I'm going to go work it off at the gym. 

- We ate too much at lunch so we went out into the garden to work it off. 

✅ to work on something - when you spend time and effort trying to perfect something. 

- In training, he's been working on improving the weak parts of his game. 

- I've been working on my level of fitness before I go on this walking holiday. 

✅ to work out - to calculate the solution to a mathematical problem. 

- I've never been very good at maths. I couldn't work out the rate per week. 

- The bill is $98, so who can work out how much each of us must pay? 

✅ to work out - means to think carefully to find a solution to a problem. 

- We don't want a strike. I hope that someone can work out a way to avoid it. 

- Nobody has worked out a solution to this problem. We are still spending too much. 

✅ to work out - also means to do physical exercise to improve your fitness. 

- He runs at the weekend and works out twice a week in the gym. 

- I worked out a lot when I was younger but now I prefer easier exercise like walking! 

✅ to work yourself up - to make yourself angry or anxious about something. 

- It's not very important. Don't get so worked up about it! 

- He got very worked up about the interview. He really wanted the job and got very stressed about it. 

✅ to work up to something - when you gradually do more of something until you reach a certain level. 

- He started training with small weights and worked up to 100 kilos. 

- You should start by doing a few minutes exercise and work up to half an hour a day.