Job vs Work at a glance
- job
/dʒɒb/ · noun (countable)
The regular paid position you have, or a single task.
- She's just got a new job at a tech company.
- Painting the fence was a bigger job than I expected.
- work
/wɜːk/ · noun (uncountable), verb
The activity of doing tasks, especially to earn money, or the place where you do it.
- I have too much work to do this week.
- What time do you finish work today?
How to remember it
You can count jobs but not work. Say a job, but some work or a lot of work. If you can put a in front, it's job.
Good to know
Say go to work, at work, after work (no article). Works (plural) has special meanings: works of art, roadworks. "A lot of jobs" is fine when you mean many positions or separate tasks: "The factory created 200 jobs."
Common mistakes
Wrong: I'm looking for a work in marketing.
Right: I'm looking for a job in marketing.
Wrong: I have a lot of jobs to finish before Friday.
Right: I have a lot of work to finish before Friday.
Wrong: I go to job by bus.
Right: I go to work by bus.
Quick quiz
1.He's applying for a as a nurse.
2.I'll call you when I get home from .
Pick the right word for each gap.