Language Activator – work hard

work hard / put a lot of effort into something / work at / be hard at work / be hard at it / be hard at work on something / be hard at work doing something / push yourself / beaver away / labor

work hard

(verb phrase)

to work hard when you are doing your job, your schoolwork, or anything that takes time and effort

.I wouldn’t mind working so hard if they paid us more

put a lot of effort into something

(verb phrase)

to work hard because you think something is important and you want to do it well

.Stella had obviously put a lot of effort into her assignment, and got a good grade

work at

(transitive verb not in passive)

to try hard to improve something or to improve the way you do something

.The only way to be successful in athletics is to really work at it

be hard at work / be hard at it

(verb phrase)

informal to be working very hard and continuously

.Mike’s been hard at it all afternoon and he still hasn’t finished mending the car

be hard at work on something

 .Since January, Leane’s been hard at work on a self-help book on how to launch a business

be hard at work doing something

.They’ve been hard at work getting the house decorated

push yourself

(verb phrase)

to force yourself to work or train very hard at something

. If you really push yourself, you should get all the work done on time

push yourself hard

Warm up your body before you start exercising, and avoid pushing yourself too hard or too fast

beaver away / plug away

(intransitive phrasal verb)

informal to work very hard for a long time in a determined way

.American investment bankers are still plugging away, looking for business in developing

.countries like Thailand, Indonesia, or Malaysia

beaver away on / at

. Haven’t you finished? You’ve been beavering away on that report all morning

labor

(intransitive verb)

formal to work hard, especially doing hard physical work, or doing something difficult or boring

. Sheffield is a city where steel-workers once laboured in their thousands

labour over

. Shipman was seated in his office, labouring over his paperwork, when I came in

labour to do something

The goal was just what the team needed, at the end of a game in which they had laboured hard to overcome Chelsea

Practice

:Fill in the blanks with appropriate words

N1. You should be able to take your music exam in the summer, if you ——- —  — between now and then

.N2. The company puts a great deal of ———- into training its staff

.N3. Bruno had been ——-  ——–  the kitchen all morning

: Answers

work at it / effort / working hard