How can I decide which job I should do?

:blossom: In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. :blossom:

Hi!


At an employment agency

Man: I’m looking for a job.
Clerk: Would you please go and check the board.
Man: Check what board?
Clerk: The job board.

Man: OK. Oh! The board is covered with little cards: driver, secretary, mover.
Oh, I see, each card is a new job. But so many cards, so many new jobs, so many positions available. How can I decide which job I should do? ←1

Clerk: Have you found a job?
Man: No. I’m afraid I haven’t.
Clerk: But there’re lots of new jobs available.
Man: I can’t decide which one I should do. Can you help me decide? ←2
Clerk: Of course. That’s my job to help you decide which job you should do. ←3
Man: Oh! Good. So, help me decide.
Clerk: Right. But I must ask you some questions first.
Man: Please do.
Clerk: Experience?



What does “do” mean in these three sentences?

Does it mean “choose” or something else?

Thank you

2 Likes

I think in this context it means the type of work he will do.

What does a driver do?
A driver drives a car or truck.

What does a secretary do?
A secretary types and files.

3 Likes

In the first, there is no do.
In the second, if it is cards, then it is check and if it is the type of cards, then it is choose.
In the third, it is find.

4 Likes

Thank you so much, NearlyNapping :rose:
Very nice.

2 Likes

Thank you so much, Anglophile :rose:
Very nice.


I’m sure “do” has the same meaning in these three sentences.

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Why did I suggested the equivalent of choose? ←

Because before this conversation, there’s another conversation that used choose instead of do:

Man: Oh, where can I find a real job?
Woman: Well, you can start by looking in the newspaper.
Man: Where in the newspaper?
Woman: In the classified pages. Turn to the pages marked classified.
Man: Classified, classified, let’s see, classified. Oh, here we are, classified But these are just ads for cars and homes for sale.
Woman: Oh, keep going. The ads for jobs are classified under employment, or help wanted, or job wanted.
Man: Oh, let’s see, employment, employment, hmm. Here we are, employment. Let’s
see. Ah, drivers, telephone operators, … Oh office help, movers There are so, many jobs.
How can I decide which job to choose? :backhand_index_pointing_left:
Woman: You need help.
Man: Oh, where can I find help?
Woman: In an employment agency.

Now what do you think about this? ←

Thanks

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To me, ‘do’ is related to the original main verb.

3 Likes

Here, choose means “select”.

It’s difficult to explain “do” without using “do”.
Here are some more examples:
“What do you do for a living?”
“I work at the Acme factory.”
“What do you do there?”
“I’m a crane operator.” Or maybe “I operate a crane.”

So, as used in these examples “do” is specifically about performing a job — your employment.
(Note that the first “do” in the examples is just the verb for the sentence.)
The overall meaning of the dialogue is that the Man (CHIPS) is trying to choose what he wants to do as a job.

3 Likes

Thank you so much, Anglophile :rose:
Very nice.

2 Likes

Thank you so much, Arinker :rose:
Very nice.

1 Like