Business English Vocabulary Quiz: 10 Adjectives for Work
- Erin West
- May 14
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 14

Welcome to our Business English Vocabulary lesson!
In this Business English vocabulary lesson, we’ll practice 10 useful adjectives for work. Please follow the steps below.
Ready? Let’s begin!
Step 1. Match these 5 adjectives with their definitions.
Adjectives 1-5
ADJECTIVE | DEFINITION |
| a) doing things to solve problems before they happen |
| b) not interesting or good; weak |
| c) wanting to win or do better than others |
| d) making you believe that something is true or correct |
| e) right or good for a person or purpose |
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Adjectives 6-10
ADJECTIVE | DEFINITION |
| f) easy to get or use when you need it |
| g) always the same, not changing |
| h) that can be believed |
| i) able to change what people think or do |
| j) worth a lot of money; very important |
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ANSWER KEY FOR STEP 1
convincing d) making you believe that something is true or correct
lame b) not interesting or good; weak
suitable e) right or good for a person or purpose
competitive c) wanting to win or do better than others
proactive a) doing things to solve problems before they happen
influential i) able to change what people think or do
credible h) that can be believed
available f) easy to get or use when you need it
valuable j) worth a lot of money; very important
consistent g) always the same, not changing
Step 2. Choose the correct adjective for each gap, then listen to each sentence:
1.
She's become one of the most _____ voices in the local community.
A) suitable
B) influential
2.
Her pitch was so _____ we said yes right away.
A) convincing
B) proactive
3.
Your houseplants needed watering? Come on! That’s a pretty _____ excuse for missing the meeting.
A) lame
B) credible
Download this week’s Business English adjectives worksheet:
4.
Before we share these numbers, let’s make sure every fact comes from a _____ source.
A) competitive
B) credible
5.
You need to be _____ in how you follow up with clients.
A) consistent
B) available
ANSWER KEY FOR STEP 2
She's become one of the most _____ voices in the local community.
A) suitable
B) influential
Her pitch was so _____ we said yes right away.
A) convincing
B) proactive
Your houseplants needed watering? Come on! That’s a pretty _____ excuse for missing the meeting.
A) lame
B) credible
Before we share these numbers, let’s make sure every fact comes from a _____ source.
A) competitive
B) credible
You need to be _____ in how you follow up with clients.
A) consistent
B) available
Step 3. Listening exercise. You will hear a short dialogue between John (the project coordinator) and Maria (the report lead). They’re talking about the report Maria sent to Karen, their manager.
Listen to the dialogue and note any adjectives you hear that describe their work or the report.
ANSWER KEY FOR STEP 3
Here are some adjectives from he conversation:
available
helpful (feedback)
realistic
credible
proactive
last-minute (rush)
suitable
valuable
consistent
Step 4. Go to Programs for more practice. Listen to the dialogue again and fill in the blanks.
You can also download the MP3 and the transcript, and take the quiz. Click the image below.
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