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English vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with J
Sign in to saveA job can be new, a journey can be long, and a group can be easy to join. The surrounding words show which J word you need.
Use job, join, journey, judge, and just accurately in clear everyday sentences.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
job, join, journey, judge, and just /dʒɒb, dʒɔɪn, ˈdʒɜːni, dʒʌdʒ, ænd dʒʌst/
The short answer
Choose the J word that matches both the meaning and the grammar of the sentence. Check whether you need a thing, an action, or a word that changes the emphasis of what you say.
Nora joined the evening class after work.
Why it works: Joined is an action. It tells us that Nora became a member of the class.
5 more examples
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Maya found a part-time job near her home.
A job is paid work. Part-time describes the amount of time Maya works.
Not this:Maya found a
quiet placeto study near her home. What changes: A place is a location. It does not name paid work. -
Please join us for lunch after the meeting.
Join means come and be with the group.
Not this:Please
meet usoutside the cafe after the meeting. What changes: Meet tells people to come to the same place. Join stresses becoming part of the group or activity. -
The train journey took three hours.
A journey is the travel from one place to another.
Not this:The
train stationwas busy for three hours. What changes: A station is a place. A journey is the travel itself. -
Try not to judge the idea before you hear the full plan.
Here judge means form an opinion about something.
Not this:Try not to
reject the ideabefore you hear the full plan. What changes: Reject means decide against an idea. Judge means assess it; the final opinion may be positive or negative. -
I need just five minutes to send the message.
Just means only here. It limits the amount of time.
Not this:I need
nearly five minutesto send the message. What changes: Nearly means not quite. Just means the amount is no more than five minutes in this context.
Read the full guide
Do not learn a word as a translation alone. Notice its partners. You can apply for a job, join a class, take a journey, judge a competition, and say just before a time, a reason, or an amount. These patterns make a new word easier to recall when you need it.
Use job for work or a task
A job often means paid work. You can look for a job, start a job, or apply for a job. It can also mean a task that needs doing, as in Cleaning the kitchen is a big job. The sentence will show which meaning is intended.
Maya found a part-time job near her home.
Which phrase fits paid work: apply for a job or apply for a journey?
Apply for a job. A journey is travel, while a job can be a position where someone works.
Use join for becoming part of something
Join is a verb. You can join a club, join a meeting, or join other people for an activity. Use join someone or join something; do not add with before the person or group. Say Join us for lunch, not Join with us for lunch.
Please join us for lunch after the meeting.
Join the class means become part of it. Meet the class may only mean arrive at the same place.
Use journey for travel between places
A journey is the travel from one place to another. It may be by bus, train, car, boat, or on foot. We often say a long journey, a safe journey, or a journey by train. Journey is a noun, so it can follow an article: the journey or a journey.
The train journey took three hours.
Is a journey the vehicle, the station, or the travel itself?
It is the travel itself. The vehicle and the station can be part of a journey, but they are different things.
Use judge for a considered opinion
To judge means to form an opinion after looking at information. A person can judge a competition, a plan, or a situation. The word can also be a noun for the person who makes an official decision in a court or contest. Context tells you whether judge is an action or a person.
Try not to judge the idea before you hear the full plan.
Judge an idea means assess it. Reject an idea means make a negative decision about it.
Check what just means in the sentence
Just has several everyday meanings. Before a number, it can mean only: just five minutes. With the present perfect, it can mean a short time ago: I have just arrived. Before or after a time, it can mean exactly or immediately: just before noon. Read the whole sentence before choosing its meaning.
I need just five minutes to send the message.
In I have just arrived, does just mean only or a short time ago?
It means a short time ago. The present perfect helps you identify this use.
Before you go
Remember this
Use job for paid work or a task, join for becoming part of a group, journey for travel, and judge for forming an opinion. Use just with care because its exact meaning comes from the words around it. Practice each word in a complete sentence.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with J"
What are some useful English words beginning with J?
Useful B1 words beginning with J include job, join, journey, judge, and just. They are common in everyday conversations about work, groups, travel, decisions, time, and amounts. Learn each one in a complete sentence so you can see its grammar and usual partners.
Maya found a part-time job near her home.
What is the difference between job and journey?
A job is paid work or a particular task, while a journey is travel from one place to another. You can apply for a job and take a journey. Both are nouns, so the article or adjective before them can help you recognize their place in a sentence.
Maya found a quiet place to study near her home.
How do I use join in a sentence?
Use join when a person becomes part of a group or activity. Say join a club, join a class, or join us for lunch. Join is a verb, so it usually follows a subject or an instruction. Do not usually add with before the person or group after join.
Please join us for lunch after the meeting.
Can judge be a noun and a verb?
Yes. As a verb, judge means form an opinion about a person, idea, or situation. As a noun, a judge is a person who makes an official decision in a court or a competition. The words around judge tell you whether it is an action or a person.
Please meet us outside the cafe after the meeting.
What can just mean in English?
Just can mean only, exactly, or a short time ago. In just five minutes, it limits an amount. In I have just arrived, it refers to a recent time. Read the verb tense and the nearby words because they show which meaning is intended in that sentence.
The train journey took three hours.