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.