When a force acts on a body along some path, the work done is W=F*s, where W is the work done, F is the force that is doing the work on the body and s is the path. The force doing the work has to be in the same direction, or parallel, as the path. This is called positive work. If the force and the path are anti-parallel, the work is negative. So the relationship between work and force is W=F*s.
