Learn English – “She hopes to earn her living as a ___ in an office”

word-choice

I am rattled today when I tried to answer the following question:

"Now that she is fully trained, she hopes to earn her living as a …………….. in an office."

Select one:
A. typewriter
B. secretary
C. staff
D. personnel

I think all of the above are correct. Can anyone help me? Please tell which one is correct and WHY other options would be incorrect.

Best Answer

  1. A typewriter is a machine (now obsolete). A person who uses a typewriter is called a typist. INCORRECT
  2. A secretary is an office assistant, one of whose duties is to write up memos and correspondence (these days usually on a computer). CORRECT
  3. Staff is a group noun (non-count) referring to a group of people. One person can be a member of the staff, but she cannot be "a" staff. INCORRECT
  4. Personnel is a group noun (non-count) referring to a group of people. One person can be part of a company's personnel, but she cannot be "a" personnel! INCORRECT
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