Meaning & use
clerical assistance
Last updated
UK/ˈkler.ɪ.kəl əˈsɪs.təns/
US/ˈkler.ɪ.kəl əˈsɪs.təns/
Meaning
noununcountable
Help with routine office tasks such as filing, typing, copying, and record keeping.
Grammar: Uncountable: use 'some' or 'a lot of', not 'a' or a plural form.
Patterns
- provide clerical assistance
- need clerical assistance
- clerical assistance with something
The professor hired a student to provide clerical assistance with her research.
If you need clerical assistance, ask the front desk.
The grant covered clerical assistance but not equipment.
Common combinations
- provide clerical assistance
- The agency provides clerical assistance to small businesses.
- need clerical assistance
- We need clerical assistance to organize these old files.
- clerical assistance with something
- She offered clerical assistance with the mailing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- administrative support
- This is broader and can include decision-making or management tasks, while clerical assistance is limited to routine office work.
- secretarial help
- This focuses on tasks traditionally done by a secretary, such as typing and scheduling, whereas clerical assistance is a wider term for office support.
Practice
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Choose one answer.
'Clerical assistance' is uncountable, so it cannot take 'a' or a plural form. 'Some' works with uncountable nouns; 'many' and 'assistances' do not.
Make it your own
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