A job is a particular position that you find, change or lose; work is the activity and the tasks themselves, and also the place you go to do them: go to work, at work. The two overlap because both are about what you do for a living. A job can be counted: a job, two jobs. Work in this sense cannot: you don't say a work, but you do say a lot of work.
work or job — can you pick the right one?
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get/find/lose + a job; look for + work; go to/finish + work; at work; too much work
- My sister finally found a job at a design studio in Manchester.
- I usually leave work at six, but on Fridays I finish earlier.
- There is so much work before the exams that I hardly see my friends.
What changed
First versionI found a new work at a travel agency.
RevisionI found a new job at a travel agency.
A new work treats work as a word for a position, but a position that you find, lose or change is a job. Also, work in the sense of employment or activity cannot follow a. So the correction replaces work with job.
Work does have a countable meaning, but it refers to a piece of art or writing: a work of art, the works of Chekhov. And job can mean a single task rather than a position: The builders did a great job on the kitchen.
Your turn
I can't talk right now: I have too much ___ to finish before the meeting.
Show the answer
work — Too much only goes with things you cannot count, and here it is about how much there is to do. So the answer is work. Job is countable: you could say too many jobs, but that would be about several positions or separate orders.
Describe what someone you know does for a living. Use job to name their position and work to say what time their working day usually ends.
My brother has a job as a nurse at a children's hospital, and he usually finishes work at seven.
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