hard work — difficult effort
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcore
A lot of effort or energy needed to do something, especially when it is challenging or tiring.
Say it like a native
Textbook Success requires a substantial degree of laborious effort.
Native Success takes a lot of hard work.
'Hard work' is the plain phrase; 'laborious effort' is padded.
Pattern: hard work (to do something) | be hard work
In use
- 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
Common mistake
✗ Thanks for your hard works.
✓ Thanks for your hard work.
'Work' here is uncountable — no 'works' (which means factories or artistic creations).
Common collocations
hard work— pays off, put in, a lot of, years of
Don't confuse it
'Hard work' is about the effort needed, while 'hardworking' describes someone who puts in a lot of effort.