The same fifteen words as the cards above, written out in full — easy to scan, search or print.

internshipB1noun

A period of work, often unpaid, that helps you gain experience and learn a job.

Chris joins the internship knowing only one of twenty interns will actually be hired.

unpaidA2adjective

Not receiving any money for the work you do.

Six months of unpaid work is a huge risk when you already have no savings left.

stockbrokerB2noun

A person whose job is buying and selling stocks and shares for other people.

He has never met a stockbroker before, but he decides on the spot that he wants to become one.

salesmanA2noun

A man whose job is to sell a company’s products.

As a salesman, Chris is used to being told no, which turns out to be good training for interviews.

evictedB2adjective

Forced by law to leave a home, usually because rent hasn’t been paid.

They are evicted from their apartment and have nowhere left to go.

homelessA2adjective

Having no home or permanent place to live.

Being homeless doesn’t stop Chris from showing up to work early every single day.

shelterA2noun

A place that gives people a temporary safe place to sleep or stay.

Some nights there’s no room at the shelter, so they have to find somewhere else to sleep.

destituteC1adjective

Extremely poor, without money, food, or a place to live.

By the middle of the film Chris is almost destitute, yet he never once looks defeated in front of a client.

scepticalB2adjective

Having doubts that something is true or will work.

The doctor is sceptical at first, but Chris’s confidence eventually sells him on the scanner.

resourcefulB2adjective

Good at finding quick, clever ways to solve problems with whatever is available.

He’s endlessly resourceful, turning a locked bathroom and a stopped train into the only shelter he has that night.

relentlessB2adjective

Not stopping or becoming weaker, even when something is very difficult.

His relentless effort at the office is the one thing no other intern can match.

perseveranceB2noun

Continued effort to achieve something despite difficulties or delays.

The film is really a six-month study in perseverance, one small win at a time.

determinationB2noun

A firm decision to do something and not give up until it’s done.

It’s Chris’s determination, more than any single skill, that gets him through the internship.

dignityC1noun

The quality of behaving in a calm, serious way that deserves respect, even in a hard situation.

He carries himself with real dignity, even sleeping on a subway floor with his son.

motivationalB2adjective

Encouraging people to feel confident, hopeful, or determined to act.

The real Chris Gardner later became a motivational speaker, telling his own story to other people.