Cool MateIt took effort vs Labor
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
It took effort
Top 2,000 (common)
Labor
Top 2,000 (common)B2noun
| It took effort | Labor | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //ɪt tʊk ˈɛfət//🇺🇸 //ɪt tʊk ˈɛfərt// | 🇬🇧 //ˈleɪbər//🇺🇸 //ˈleɪbɚ// |
| Meaning | It required hard work or energy. | Physical work or effort, especially to produce something. |
| Example | It took effort to finish the project on time. | The labor market has significantly changed in recent years. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 2,000 (common) | Top 2,000 (common) |
| CEFR level | - | B2 |
| Part of speech | noun | |
| Collocations | took considerable effort, needed effort, required effort | manual labor, labor force, labor market, hard labor, labor union |
| Antonyms | - | rest, leisure, idleness |
| Common mistakes | Confusing with 'It took time' - effort and time have different meanings., 'Effort' may be wrongly pluralized to 'efforts' when not needed. | Confused with 'labour' in British English and 'labor' in American English., Using 'labor' as a countable noun incorrectly., Misunderstanding 'labor' as only referring to physical work, ignoring intellectual labor. |
| Usage notes | Use in contexts discussing work or challenges. It's neutral and suitable for most situations. Avoid in overly casual or slang contexts. | Used in both formal and informal contexts. In formal settings, it can refer to work done for wages or in economic discussions. In informal settings, it may refer simply to hard work in everyday tasks. Not typically used for casual or trivial efforts. |
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Frequently asked questions: It took effort vs Labor
What's the difference between It took effort and Labor?
It took effort: It required hard work or energy. Labor: Physical work or effort, especially to produce something.
Can you show an example of each?
It took effort: It took effort to finish the project on time. Labor: The labor market has significantly changed in recent years.
Can I use It took effort and Labor interchangeably?
Not always. It took effort and Labor are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.