Meaning & use
clerical jobs
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Meaning
nounplural
Jobs that involve routine office work, such as filing, typing, answering phones, and keeping records.
Grammar: Plural: it always takes a plural verb, e.g. 'Clerical jobs are available.' For one job, say 'a clerical job'.
Patterns
- apply for clerical jobs
- clerical jobs in an office
- a list of clerical jobs
After finishing school, she applied for clerical jobs at several local companies.
Clerical jobs often require good computer skills and attention to detail.
He found clerical jobs boring, so he retrained as a technician.
Common combinations
- apply for clerical jobs
- I applied for clerical jobs at three different banks.
- clerical jobs in an office
- Clerical jobs in an office usually involve filing and data entry.
- a list of clerical jobs
- The agency sent me a list of clerical jobs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- office jobs
- A broader term that can include managerial and professional roles, not just routine work.
- administrative jobs
- Often suggests slightly more responsibility than clerical jobs.
Word family
Commonly confused: clerical jobs or clerical collar?
clerical jobs vs clerical collar
A clerical collar is worn by clergy; clerical jobs are office jobs. The word 'clerical' has two different meanings.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'clerical jobs' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Clerical jobs' means office work, so filing and answering phones fits. Option A confuses it with religious work, option C treats it as clothing, and option D is grammatically wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “clerical jobs”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.