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Grammar fix

hard work

difficult effort

A lot of effort or energy needed to do something, especially when it is challenging or tiring.

collocationB1core

Hear it in context

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

  • Training for a marathon is hard work, but it's worth it in the end.daily life
  • In my opinion, achieving good results at university requires hard work and dedication.IELTS speaking

Fix the pattern

Pattern: hard work (to do something) | be hard work

WrongThanks for your hard works.

RightThanks for your hard work.

'Work' here is uncountable — no 'works' (which means factories or artistic creations).

Patternhard work (to do something) | be hard work

Use it right

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff Success requires a substantial degree of laborious effort.

Natural Success takes a lot of hard work.

'Hard work' is the plain phrase; 'laborious effort' is padded.

Build natural chunks

Words that usually travel with it.

  • hard work
    pays offput ina lot ofyears of

Don't confuse it

'Hard work' is about the effort needed, while 'hardworking' describes someone who puts in a lot of effort.

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