pair work

USAGE SUMMARY

"pair work" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it when referring to an activity completed by two people working together, usually on a project or assignment. For example, "The students are engaged in pair work to better understand the material they are studying."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

40 human-written examples

Group work, pair work.

The Guardian

The pair work out of Malmo, southern Sweden's biggest city.

The New York Times

The pair work with an intimacy that suggests an almost telepathic connection.

The Guardian

The pair work on Sherlock separately, playing pieces of music down the phone.

The Guardian

Once, doing an oral exercise that involved pair work with another student, she laughed.

The New York Times

The conflict has seen Amazon impose delays on Hachette titles as the pair work out new terms.

The Guardian - Books

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

17 human-written examples

The pair works consecutively, rather than concurrently, on a translation.

The New York Times - Books

Six years later, the pair worked on the Gates Foundation headquarters.

The New York Times

Once signed to Parkwood, the pair worked on the EP in their home studio.

The Guardian - Music

The pair worked together in the Portuguese's first season before Ibrahimovic left for Barcelona.

The Guardian - Sport

The pair worked together to implore lawmakers to introduce tighter gun controls.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In a business context, "pair work" can effectively communicate the structure of a task force or collaborative project involving exactly two people.

Common error

Avoid using "pair work" when referring to collaborations involving more than two individuals. Use terms like "teamwork" or "group work" instead to accurately reflect the scale of the collaboration.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "pair work" is that of a noun phrase. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's used to describe collaborative activities done by two people. This is seen in examples like "doing an oral exercise that involved pair work with another student."

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

40%

Formal & Business

20%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "pair work" is a noun phrase used to describe collaborative activities involving two individuals. According to Ludwig AI, it's a correct and usable phrase in written English. Although the term is not very frequent, it appears in varied contexts such as News & Media, Science, and Formal & Business communications. When referring to collaborative work involving more than two people, it's better to use alternatives like "teamwork" or "group work".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

collaborative duo

Emphasizes the collaborative nature and the two-person aspect of the work.

joint effort

Highlights the shared effort involved, downplaying the specific number of participants.

team of two

Specifies the size of the team involved in the work.

dyad collaboration

Uses a more formal term for two-person interaction.

partnered activity

Focuses on the activity being done in partnership.

two-person project

Highlights that the work is a project involving two individuals.

shared task

Focuses on the task being shared between two people.

cooperative assignment

Emphasizes cooperation in the context of an assignment.

tandem endeavor

Uses a more sophisticated term to describe a joint undertaking.

paired exercise

Describes a specific type of activity done in pairs, often in educational settings.

FAQs

How can I use "pair work" in a sentence?

"Pair work" is typically used to describe an activity where two people collaborate. For example, "The teacher assigned a "pair work" activity to help students understand the topic better.".

What are some alternatives to "pair work"?

Some alternatives include "collaborative duo", "joint effort", or "team of two depending on the context".

Is "pair work" formal or informal?

The formality of "pair work" depends on the context. It is suitable for educational, business, and general contexts, making it relatively neutral. However, using more descriptive terms like "dyad collaboration" can increase formality.

What's the difference between "pair work" and "group work"?

"Pair work" specifically refers to activities involving two individuals, while "group work" involves more than two people. The key difference is the scale of collaboration.