Office Matters ------ Part A

1. appointment  n.   an arrangement for a meeting at a given time and place.

 

   If you would like to meet with Mr.Higgings, you must first make an appointment with his secretary.

 

2. attendance n. the act of being present; the number of persons present.

 

    I was very pleased with the number of high-ranking officials in attendance at today's press conference.

 

3. cabinet n. an upright case or cupboard with shelves, drawers, or compartments for safekeeping or display of objects.

 

    He keeps all his files in the cabinets in the back of the office.

 

4. calendar n. chart showing the months of a year (including days and weeks); a schedule

 

    Please check the calendar on the wall and see whitch date Mother's Day falls on this year.

 

5. clerk n. a person who works in an office, bank, or law court and whose job is to look after the records or accounts

 

    She was offered a job as an accounts clerk with a travel firm.

 

6. directory n. an alphabetical or classified list of names and addresses

 

    If you need to speak to him, you can use the office directory and look up his personal extension.

 

7. duplicate (1)n. an identical copy  (2)v. to make an identical copy of; to replicate

 

    Please don't bring a duplicate, since I will need to see your original birth certificate for this passport.

 

8. filing n. putting in usefull order; cataloguing

 

    Developed in the early 1900's, the Dewey Decimal System is a filing system still used by libraries today.

 

9. in-tray n. a flat, shallow container used for holding items that are to be accomplished

 

    The more Dennis procrastinated, the more the stack of paperwork in his in-tray resembled the Rocky Mountains.

 

10.monitor v. to watch, or keep track of, often by means of an electronic device

 

     Seismic readouts are carefully monitored by seismologists, who are always on the lookout for the next big earthquake.

 

11.out-tray n. a tray or shallow basket used in offices to put letters and documents in when they have been dealt with and are ready to be sent out of the office

 

     I will leave that file in my out-tray on my desk, and you can come pick it up anytime in the afternoon.

 

12.partition n. division into parts; sometiong that separates or divides, as a wall

 

     We don't have the mony to add an entirely new office, but what we can do is add a partition and divide one or two of the larger offices into multiple smaller ones.

 

13.postage n. the charge for mailing an item

 

     How much postage is required for small packages to be sent to Hong Kong?

 

14.punctuality n. the quality or state of observing an appointed or regular time

 

     In addition to your dress and appearance, punctuality and a concise delivery are really important when you are giving such an important presentation.

 

15.schedule n. a plan that gives a list of events or tasks and the times at which each one should happen or be done

 

     The plane arrived in Cairo four minutes ahead of schedule.

 

16.shift n. a person's scheduled period of work

 

     They often heard him complain about having to work the graveyard shift in order to pay the bills.

 

17.staff n. the personnel of an enterprise

 

      The staff at the five-star Formosa Hotel delivers prompt and friendly service.

 

18.strike n. a stoppage of work for a period of time by workers, usually in order to try to get better pay benefits or other conditions for themselves

 

     I'm glad that our employees were satisfied and didn't find the need for a strike to express their concerns.

 

19.task n. a piece of assigned work

 

     This task must be made top priority because a very important client wants to pick up these papers today.

 

20.work force n. the total number of workes employed in a specific project; the total number of persons employed

 

     After mouths of unemployment, Tim joined the American work force as the night manger af KFC.