clerical work

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   Office tasks such as filing, typing, copying, and answering phones, usually done by a clerk.

   Grammar: No plural and no 'a': say 'She does clerical work', not 'a clerical work'.

   Patterns

   • do clerical work
   • clerical work in an office
   • a clerical work job

   He spent the morning doing clerical work: filing invoices and answering the phone.

   Most of the clerical work in the office is now done on computer.

   She found clerical work in a small law firm.

2. 2noununcountable

   Routine written or record-keeping duties connected with an organization's daily business.

   Grammar: Often used with words like 'routine', 'daily', or 'administrative' before it.

   Patterns

   • routine clerical work
   • clerical work for a company
   • reduce clerical work

   New software has cut the amount of routine clerical work in the department.

   Volunteers handle the clerical work for the charity.

   Much of his day is taken up with clerical work rather than meeting clients.

Common combinations

do clerical work

I did clerical work for two years before I was promoted.

routine clerical work

Routine clerical work like data entry can be very tiring.

clerical job

She applied for a clerical job at the hospital.

clerical duties

His clerical duties include sorting the mail.

clerical staff

The company hired more clerical staff during the busy season.

Synonyms and how they differ

office work

A broader term that can include any task done in an office, not just filing and typing.

paperwork

Focuses on forms and documents rather than the whole range of office tasks.

administrative work

Suggests more responsibility, such as organizing schedules or managing records, than simple clerical work.

Word family

clerk noun

A person whose job is to do clerical work, keep records, or serve customers.

clerical adjective

Relating to office work or to clerks; also relating to priests in some religious contexts.

Commonly confused: clerical work or clerical?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “clerical work”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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