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A question about vocabulary Hi everyone, I have a question about vocabulary. When I want to refer to someone who has retired from their job/position, I use the prefix "ex" like "ex-president", "ex-athlete",... am I right? But I really dont know what word or prefix I need to use when it comes to someone who is still in their job/postion. So please help me with this one, thank you so much !
Sep 12, 2019 4:08 PM
Answers · 3
To refer to someone currently in a job, you don't need a prefix. You can say, "She is a nurse," etc. Or if you want to emphasize that this is their current job, you could say, "She is currently working as a nurse," "He is working as an accountant."
September 13, 2019
Thanks Kevin for your explanation. It really helps
September 12, 2019
"Ex" is not incorrect. Sometimes it is better to say "former." For example, "Bob is a former athlete." You can also use it as an adverb. "Sue was formerly the president of that bank." It depends on the tone. "Ex" has more negative connotations, e.g. "ex-wife." If someone is still in their profession, there is no prefix. You would just refer to them by that title, i.e. "Bob is a banker," or "Bob is in banking." The second is a more formal, and stuffier way to say the same thing. Source: Native English speaker. Professional ESL teacher (not on iTalki).
September 12, 2019
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