Work or labor with your hands

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

At an employment agency
.
.
Clerk: Well, that’s good experience. Are you looking for another secretarial job?
Man: Well, I don’t know, that’s the trouble, I can’t decide.
Clerk: All right, training?
Man: Training?
Clerk: Yes, has someone trained you? Has someone taught you how to do anything else?
Man: Ah, no, Frankie hasn’t taught me to do anything else besides office work.
Clerk: So, you’ve no other training.
Man: No, no other training, I’m afraid.
Clerk: Can you do manual labor?
Man: What’s manual labor?
Clerk: Work or labor with your hands. Can you work with your hands?
Man: Oh, yes. I can do lots of things with my hands.
.
.

Work or labor with your hands.

Are "Work " and “labor” nouns in this sentence?

Thank you

2 Likes
2

Yes, I would say both words are nouns in this sentence.

2 Likes
3

Thank you so much, Torsten :rose:

I have one more question:

What does it mean?

Does it mean " Work or labor that you do with your hands"?

2 Likes
4

“Work that you do with your hands. “
“Labor you do with your hands.”
Manual labor
Physical labor
Working with your hands
Chances are this would lead to callouses on your hands.

2 Likes
5

Thank you so much, Arinker :rose:

Very nice.

1 Like
6

But to me, Torsten, they seem to be used as verbs!

2 Likes
7

Thank you so much, Anglophile :rose:

1 Like
8

This doesn’t give much of a clue. It could be either a noun or verb.

However…

Manual is used as an adjective. If labor was a verb, it would take the adverb manually.

2 Likes
9

I took “Can you work with your hands?” which suggests that work is used as a verb.

Yes, both of them can function either as verbs or as nouns.

2 Likes
10

Thank you so much, NearlyNapping :rose:

1 Like
11

Thank you so much, Anglophile :rose:

2 Likes