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Sun 7 Jan, 2018 05:54 am
All our staff have put in great efforts to enable our company to do well in 2017. Without your hard work, our company would not have achieved a profit of $500,000 in its first year of operation. Once again, thank you for your contributions.
Should it be "effort" and "contribution" instead?
Thanks.
Use the plural if you are considering the individual efforts and contributions of each member of staff, and the singular if you are considering the total effort and contribution.
Contribution and effort can be either countable or uncountable (mass) nouns.
Compare:
The weights of the potatoes.
The weight of the potatoes.
@tanguatlay,
Contribution and
effort can be either countable or uncountable (mass) nouns.
I notice there are no inverted commas around
Contribution and
effort? Is it the latest trend in English to leave out the inverted commas?
Thanks.
@tanguatlay,
tanguatlay wrote:I notice there are no inverted commas around Contribution and effort? Is it the latest trend in English to leave out the inverted commas?
Not a trend and not new. They are optional and can be omitted, especially when the meaning is clear. This is done in many authoritative dictionaries.
@tanguatlay,
Staff has made great effort ...
But do you want to say that? They didn't try, they did it.
@PUNKEY,
PUNKEY wrote:But do you want to say that? They didn't try, they did it.
Your question is unclear. Maybe you misunderstand the meaning of 'effort'.
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