# Work vs Job



## veggito72

Job is the noun of work, right?
So how can I make a difference in use in a sentence?

My job is to clean the room.
My work is to clean the room.

It's a nasty job, but someone's gotta do it.
It's a nasty work, but someone's gotta do it.

I believe that in the second example job is the best option.


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## Elwintee

veggito72 said:


> Job is the noun of work, right?
> So how can I make a difference in use in a sentence?
> 
> My job is to clean the room.
> My work is to clean the room.
> 
> It's a nasty job, but someone's gotta do it.
> It's *a* nasty work, but someone's gotta do it.
> 
> I believe that in the second example job is the best option.



First of all, I don't know what you mean by job being the noun of work.  Both words are nouns and they are more or less synonymous.  In your sentences the slight difference is that a '*job*' can be (but is not always)  work that you do in a contractual way, usually with set hours and for pay.  It can also be a single task.  *Work *can be anything that requires effort, paid/unpaid, regular/done on one occasion.
In your first sentence I would probably understand you to mean that you regularly clean the room, but I would need more context to be sure that the task involved wasn't being done just this once.  In the second sentence, 'a' work is wrong in that context.  We talk of 'a work of art/genius etc', but we do work (no indefinite article).


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## liliput

_Job_ usually refers to your position or employment, whereas as work refers to what the job involves - obviously, these are often interchangeable. _Job_ can also refer to a specific task.

Let's look at your examples:
I have a job as a cleaner. It's my job to clean the rooms. The job consists of cleaning rooms.
I work as a cleaner. I work cleaning rooms. The work consists of cleaning rooms.
The staff work as a team to run the hotel, it's my job to clean the rooms.

Let's look at another example of how someone might talk about their job:
My *job* is Director of a regional office for a company which teaches English. I *work* as an office manager. My *job* consists of recruiting teachers, lliasing with clients, marketing courses and materials, and dealing with any problems that teachers might have. Sometimes I also *work* as a teacher and do odd *jobs* around the office. The *job* can be quite demanding but I enjoy it because I *work* with a lot of interesting people and I am paid quite well.

The common expression in English is either:
It's dirty work, but somebody's got to do it. (note the lack of article)
or:
It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.


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## sdgraham

Not to disagree with lilliput's excellent explanation, but there are additional usages, at least in AE.

A "job shop" refers to a machine shop that accepts small assignments, e.g. one or two pieces. It charges "by the job."

A "job ticket" is a piece of paper specifying a particular piece of work be done and carries the information with it. Such a document can be called a "work order."

"I like to work with wood" means I like to build things from wood.

"Jobbing something out" means to subcontract the work.

A "jobber" is a wholesaler.

To "work something out" is to resolve a disagreement.

Good luck.


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## Ivan_I

Which is better?
A well-paid job OR well-paid work?


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## Andygc

Better for what? Do you have a sentence in mind?


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## Ivan_I

Better in terms of idiomaticity.


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## pob14

We can't give you a good answer until you answer Andy's question:


Andygc said:


> Do you have a sentence in mind?


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## zaffy

I was pretty sure we say 'job' not 'work' while praising someone, for example, "Good job, Tom."  So I picked 'job' in # 6 in this exercise .Yet the key says it is 'work'. Can you explain?


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## sound shift

Is the exercise British? "Nice work, Harry" sounds normal to me, and I speak BrE. "Good job, Tom", when used as praise, is predominantly AmE.


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## zaffy

It is BrE.  So would an AE speaker pick 'job' for #6?


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## User With No Name

zaffy said:


> It is BrE. So would an AE speaker pick 'job' for #6?


"Nice work" and "nice job" both sound perfectly correct to me. There might be some nuances that would lead me to choose one over the other in a given situation, but they are very similar.


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## zaffy

sound shift said:


> Nice work, Harry" sounds normal to me, and I speak BrE.


And would you say "Nice job, Harry" in BE?


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## sound shift

zaffy said:


> And would you say "Nice job, Harry" in BE?


I might if it really was some sort of project - such as re-spraying the car. I wouldn't say "Good job", though. The exercise is not the best, because it doesn't tell us what Harry is being congratulated on.


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## elroy

User With No Name said:


> "Nice work" and "nice job" both sound perfectly correct to me.


 Same.


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## Hildy1

"Work" is likely to be used as a non-count noun; "job" is likely to be a count noun.

In sentence 6 of the exercise, either "job" or "work" would be acceptable. In the others, the clue is the presence or absence of a definite or indefinite article.
Article + job
No article + work

This clue is not available in 6, which is not a complete sentence. It could be completed in different ways:
- That's nice work, Harry!
- You did nice work, Harry!
- You've done a nice job, Harry!
- That's a nice job, Harry!


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## zaffy

Another Brit confirms BE is being americanised. I guess the coursbooks here in Europe will need to be re-edited 

_A few years ago I would have said 'work' but in maybe the last 10 years or so 'job' has become more usual._


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## zaffy

Hildy1 said:


> "Work" is likely to be used as a non-count noun; "job" is likely to be a count noun.


Generally we "go to work", which is an uncountable noun.
_I felt sick but I went to work yesterday._

And what if I want to use work countably? I guess I need to switch to "jobs". Could we say  "go to (number) jobs"? Say some did three jobs on a given day. First babysitting, then working part time at a drugstore and finally cleaning someone's house.
Does this work?

A: Ashley, you look exhausted. Are you sure you don't work too much?
B: Yeah, I think I do. I went to three jobs yesterady. I know it's crazy but I just want to pay off the mortgage as soon as possible.


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## heypresto

I think 'I _did_ three jobs yesterday' would be better.


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## zaffy

heypresto said:


> I think 'I _did_ three jobs yesterday' would be better.



And do these work for you?

_I worked three jobs yesterday. 
I worked at three (different) jobs yesterday._


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## heypresto

The second one works.


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## zaffy

Does either work?

I didn't go to work yesterday. = I didn't go to the job yesterday.


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## elroy

Only the first.


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## zaffy

elroy said:


> Only the first.


And do you like both in AE?

_I worked at three jobs yesterday. = I did three jobs yesterday_


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## elroy

I would say “worked three jobs.”


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## zaffy

elroy said:


> I would say “worked three jobs.”


So looks like this puzzle was made up by a BE speaker, doesn't it? You would omit 'at', right?


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## heypresto

It's in dollars, and FICA stands for (the American) Federal Insurance Contributions Act, so I would guess that it was devised by an AE speaker. 

Where did you see it? 

Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax - Wikipedia


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## Hildy1

I speak AE / CE, and would not say "work two / three jobs", without "at".


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## FromPA

Definition of the noun "Work":
1.  activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.
      "he was tired after a day's work"
2.  a task or tasks to be undertaken; something a person or thing has to do.
      "they made sure the work was progressing smoothly"

Definition of the noun "Job":
1. paid position of regular employment.
2. a task or piece of work, especially one that is paid.


The noun "job" is much more specific than the noun "work."   A job entails doing some kind of work.  A job is something you are employed/paid to do, or something that is your assigned responsibility to do.  My job "at work" (i.e., my place of employment) is to make widgets.  The work for my job (my employment) is making widgets.  My jobs (assigned responsibilities) at home are to take out the trash and wash the dog, which isn't very hard work.

"A work" is the end result of your efforts.  A work of art.


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## zaffy

heypresto said:


> Where did you see it?



I found it here: Quiz+ | Quizplus


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## heypresto

Thank you. As I suspected it's an American site, and uses AE.


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## zaffy

heypresto said:


> Thank you. As I suspected it's an American site, and uses AE.



So here you would add 'at', wouldn't you?


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## heypresto

Yes, I personally would, but again this is written by an AE speaker.


Edit. In fact i would probably say 'I've had three jobs . . .


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## Roxxxannne

Not surprisingly, some Americans say "work two jobs" and others say "work at two jobs." Both sound fine to me, although I say "work two jobs" without "at."


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## elroy

Hildy1 said:


> I speak AE / CE, and would not say "work two / three jobs", without "at".


Would you use “at” in this example?
_I admire Sam.  He works two jobs, goes to school, and volunteers.  I don’t know how he does it! _


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## Hildy1

elroy said:


> Would you use “at” in this example?
> _I admire Sam.  He works two jobs, goes to school, and volunteers.  I don’t know how he does it! _


I would be more likely to say "he has two jobs".


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## zaffy

And if someone does work at a few jobs, could I ask this?

_Tom, how many jobs do you work at?_


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## elroy

-at for me.


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## zaffy

elroy said:


> -at for me.


You mean without 'at', right? 

_Tom, how many jobs do you work?_


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## elroy

Yes.


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## zaffy

I came across this sentence out of context. Does it work? If so, how do I interpret it?

"I have been in 3 works."


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## Forero

zaffy said:


> I came across this sentence out of context. Does it work? If so, how do I interpret it?
> 
> "I have been in 3 works."


It has multiple interpretations, all dependent on context.

Maybe the speaker has been part of 3 different human sculptures or has performed in 3 theater pieces.


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## elroy

Or they've featured in three works of literature.


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## abluter

There's a nice term, "a job of work", which means a piece of work. A "task" is a job of work to be done.


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## FromPA

abluter said:


> There's a nice term, "a job of work", which means a piece of work. A "task" is a job of work to be done.


That wouldn’t “work” in AmEng.


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## Logos14

I've heard 'job of work' many times in America. It's probably much more common in the UK however.


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## FromPA

Logos14 said:


> I've heard 'job of work' many times in America. It's probably much more common in the UK however.


What part of the US are you from?  It’s a new one for me.


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## Logos14

I've mostly heard 'job of work' in old movies (1930s-40s). This aligns with the ngram that shows it peaking around WW II and then declining rather sharply: Google Books Ngram Viewer. It's used to describe a mundane gig that's to be done in a workmanlike manner, as opposed to the kind of work one does passionately: 'You may think being an artist is very romantic, but to me sculpting is merely a job of work.'


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## FromPA

Logos14 said:


> I've mostly heard 'job of work' in old movies (1930s-40s). This aligns with the ngram that shows it peaking around WW II and then declining rather sharply: Google Books Ngram Viewer. It's used to describe a mundane gig that's to be done in a workmanlike manner, as opposed to the kind of work one does passionately: 'You may think being an artist is very romantic, but to me sculpting is merely a job of work.'


Interesting. I would express that same idea as "it's just a job," meaning, I do it solely for the paycheck.


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## zaffy

Does either work for you?

_The doctor advised me to take some time off from *work* and relax.
The doctor advised me to take some time off from *my job* and relax._


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## Roxxxannne

I'd expect the doctor to say "time off from work" if they mean that you're working too hard or too much.

(By the way, it's 'advised' not 'advidsed.')


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## zaffy

Roxxxannne said:


> By the way, it's 'advised' not 'advidsed.')


Yeah, just a typo, edited.


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## abluter

Those two, #50, Zaffy, are both right and interchangeable.


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## se16teddy

“Time off work” is a common collocation. ”Time off from my job” makes sense but it is not the usual thing to say.


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## elroy

It doesn’t make sense to me.  It sounds like you’re temporarily quitting your job and then returning to it.  It would sound totally strange to me in reference to a three-day vacation, for example.


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## Roxxxannne

elroy said:


> It doesn’t make sense to me.  It sounds like you’re temporarily quitting your job and then returning to it.  It would sound totally strange to me in reference to a three-day vacation, for example.


It makes sense to me if the person to whom the doctor is speaking works seven days a week and obsesses about their job for no reason. But that's context, not grammar.


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## Hermione Golightly

'Take time off work' means just that; maybe a couple of weeks sick leave or a month or two's absence depending on the reason and of course terms of employment.


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## PaulQ

Yes, you could also say 
_The doctor advised me to take some time off from *my* *work* and relax._


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