[Idiom] Change Job<s>

[EricaWW]

Let's say a guy recently quit one job and got a new job.

a) "He recently changed job."
b) "He recently changed jobs."
c) "He recently changed one job a new job."

Could anyone of those be free of errors?

 

[bhaisahab]

Let's say a guy recently quit one job and got a new job.

a) "He recently changed job."
b) "He recently changed jobs."
c) "He recently changed one job a new job."

Could anyone of those be free of errors?

Both a) and b) are possible.

 

[5jj]

Both a) and b) are possible.

And, before anybody asks, c) is not.

 

[EricaWW]

For a phrase like "change X", where the dumping of one instance of "X" and acquiring another instance of X is intended, if "X" is some suitable countable noun phrase, then "X" could be used in the singular form WITHOUT an article, besides the plural form?

 

[5jj]

For a phrase like "change X", where the dumping of one instance of "X" and acquiring another instance of X is intended, if "X" is some suitable countable noun phrase, then "X" could be used in the singular form WITHOUT an article, besides the plural form?

As bhai said, both a) and b) are ppossible. That answers this question.

 

[EricaWW]

According to bhai's rule, the following is acceptable English?

a) "Age 10 is too early to change school."
b) "The students want to change teacher."
c) "It is time to change car."

 

[5jj]

According to bhai's rule, the following is acceptable English?

a) "Age 10 is too early to change school."
b) "The students want to change teacher."
c) "It is time to change car."

I don't like the word 'rule' much, but the answer to the question is 'yes'. However, a quick hunt round the corpora suggests that the plural is much more common.

 

[Barb_D]

I don't find the singular acceptable -- not in the first post and not in the more recent one.

American difference? She changed job recently would be entirely unnatural.

 

[bhaisahab]

The plural is more common, but I find "change job/teacher/school" entirely natural. I have to say that I don't much like "change car" (or "cars" for that matter), I would prefer "change the car".

 

[5jj]

I don't find the singular acceptable -- not in the first post and not in the more recent one.

American difference? She changed job recently would be entirely unnatural.

The British National Corpus gives three examples of change/changed job and 39 of change/changed jobs. The singular form is much less common than the plural, but it appears to be acceptable. I certainly use the singular form, and nobody has ever commented on it - and some of my colleagues have been very hot on pointing out my solecisms.

 

[5jj]

As I have mentioned elsewhere, I do think that Americans are more prescriptive about some points of grammar and punctuation than we British.That is not intended as a negative comment in any way.

When I was training would-be TEFLers, it was invariably the American trainees who picked up my 'mistakes' - and would often not take my word for it when I said that my language was perfectly acceptable BrE. I used to have a bookmarked Swan, Fowler and Partrridge in my classroom as well as the ALD.

If I was occasionally a little annoyed by this, I have to admit that I was far more annoyed at the complete ignorance of acceptable usage displayed by some British trainees.

Sorry, I have digressed.

 

[TheParser]

According to bhai's rule, the following is acceptable English?

a) "Age 10 is too early to change school."
b) "The students want to change teacher."
c) "It is time to change car."

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) May I most gently comment that Moderator Barbara's comments probably

reflect most Americans' sentiments?

(2) If you are dealing with Americans, you may wish to use the plural in those

three sentences. Otherwise (as Teacher Fivejedjon pointed out) some Americans

might feel that you have not mastered proper English.

 

[5jj]

(1) May I most gently comment that Moderator Barbara's comments probably reflect most Americans' sentiments?

(2) If you are dealing with Americans, you may wish to use the plural in those three sentences. Otherwise (as Teacher Fivejedjon pointed out) some Americans might feel that you have not mastered proper English.

I would agree with you, if Erica has learnt to speak an American variety of English. However, if she has learnt a British variety, then Americans just have to accept that we do things differently sometimes - as we have to accept that Americans do things differently sometimes..

However, as the plural form appears to be more common, even in BrE, then I agree that it's probably the one for learners to go for

 

[Barb_D]

As i have mentioned elsewhere, I do think that Americans are more prescriptive about some points of grammar and punctuation than we British.That is not intended as a negative comment in any way.

I don't take it as even slightly negative!

I do find it a little amusing because I've read so many posts (in other forums) from (usually) native British speakers who just derride Americans as doing any darn thing we want to with the language -- it's funny to see us called the prescripive ones! :-o

Especially when the truth is that we often stick to the older forms longer.

(It really gets my goat when people say "We invented the langauge so we know what's correct." Honestly, I have read almost exactly that! Without a hint of irony! Seems to me that unless "we" are speaking something closer to Old German than modern English, that "we" have lost the right to say you invented anything. Oh well.)

 

[5jj]

I do find it a little amusing because I've read so many posts (in other forums) from (usually) native British speakers who just deride Americans as doing any darn thing we want to with the language

To my eternal shame, I was one of those BrE speakers when I started out in this line some (gulp) 44 years ago. If there was just a trace of transatlantic touch to anything, it appalled me. It was some time before I slowly began to realise that my version of BrE was just one of many, equally valid, forms of English.

-- it's funny to see us called the prescripive ones!

You are - at least compared with me. When I started out, I was a staunch defender of the subjunctive and 'whom', to name but two. I actually defended forms that were already past their sell-by date when my teachers started school. Today, it seems to me that Americans are far more particular about 'rules' than we speakers of BrE, at least when it comes to formal or semi-formal writing and speakin.

It really gets my goat when people say "We invented the langauge so we know what's correct." Honestly, I have read almost exactly that! Without a hint of irony!

That, at least, is somehing I haven't done for many years.

 

[Barb_D]

Eternity is a long time. You can probably let go of that shame now! ;-)

 

[SoothingDave]

I would agree with you, if Erica has learnt to speak an American variety of English. However, if she has learnt a British variety, then Americans just have to accept that we do things differently sometimes - as we have to accept that Americans do things differently sometimes..

However, as the plural form appears to be more common, even in BrE, then I agree that it's probably the one for learners to go for

If a Chinese person says "I want to change job" the American listener is not going to think "She must have learned some minority position of British English."

They're just going to think her English is poor.

 

[5jj]

If a Chinese person says "I want to change job" the American listener is not going to think "She must have learned some minority position of British English."

They're just going to think her English is poor.

And I suppose that if I say "I want to change job", the American listener is going to think my English is poor.

I can live with that.