difference between "job" and "work"?

[smiletrl]

hi,all

I've been confused about the words Job and Work. As I understand, Job is a Noun, while Work could be Noun and Verb.So when Work is used as a Noun,what's the difference between Job and Work? :blink:

Currently,I'm working with some job sites and I'm unsure of the use of word "Work".For instance, if you are looking for a job located in NewYork, you probably would type "jobs newyork" or "ny jobs" in Google. Also there's a chance that you may type "newyork work", and when this happens, will a sentence like "search a work" ,"spotlight works" or "post a work" on a job site seems OK for you Westerner? I know that a sentence like "search a job" or "post a job" is much better than the usage of "Work", but mysite name has been fixed with the word "work",like "chinese-forums.com",my site being kind of "nywork.com".

Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated :rolleyes: Thank you.

[jbradfor]

It's just a slight difference in meaning, and I would expect that if you asked several different native (English) speakers, especially from different countries, you would get slightly different answers.

To me (American English), "work" is anything you do for money, no matter how short or long term. So being hired for 2 hours to wash cars, if that's not the type of work you usually do, is not a "job".

To me, "job" is a longer term commitment, often with no definite end point.

But to me the difference is so slight I wouldn't worry about it. If someone said "Hey, do you want a job? I need my car washed and waxed today" it wouldn't sound wrong to me. For example, the phrase "line of work" (as in "what is your line of work?", meaning "what is your occupation"), is quite normal.

[renzhe]

To me, a job is work done for money, and usually clearly defined: what your responsibility is, how much you get paid, etc. It can be a long-term or a short-term commitment, but it is something where you have a boss who gives you money to do something specific. To me, it also implies that you are doing something for somebody else. People will usually have a job which pays for their living, and often, when people talk about "having a job", they refer to this stable employment, like jbradfor said. But you can also do small short-term jobs which are short in duration and bring a fixed sum of money, like summer jobs. It can also refer to specific assignments for a fixed price, like operations (boob job, nose job) or robbing a bank (bank job).

Work may or may not be paid. you can work as a volunteer in a hospital without pay, you can work with children, or work on your bachelor thesis. You might be forced to work as a part of a court sentence or in prison. You may or may not get money, may or may not have a boss. It's a general term which describes an activity, while "job" describes the circumstances under which the work takes place (employment).

In many cases, the two overlap, since many people have a job, which involves working for money.

[imron]

Also, just to answer another of your questions, you can never say "a work" when referring to any sort of job (you might however use it in sentences like 'a work of art', but that has a completely different meaning.

[马盖云]

I've been confused about the words Job and Work. As I understand, Job is a Noun, while Work could be Noun and Verb.So when Work is used as a Noun,what's the difference between Job and Work?

When "work" is a noun, it represents the product of some action. The first example I think of is a "work" of art, a "musical work", or a group of collected writings could be called a "work".

In the context of employment (jobs), "work" as a noun refers to the activity or the product of the activity, but not necessarily the venue or context of this action.

But, one final thing, we (native english speakers) often refer to the place where we go to do our jobs as "work" (noun).

For example,"I am driving to work to get some work done" (place="work") (action="work")

In chinese, I think you refer to the place as 公司, right?

Hope this helps!

[smiletrl]

Thanks for all your replies,and that helps a lot.

Yeah, when "work" refers to serious (long-term) emloyment, it's not as formal as "job", and I guess "work" couldn't be used as a countable Noun just like "job" :huh: .