Sam Xia
Is 'profit' often used in singular form or plural form I feel a little confused by the word 'profit', sometimes it is used in singular form, but other times it is used in plural form
Apr 23, 2016 3:50 PM
Answers · 2
I would say it is used in the singular most often. In the singular, it refers more to the CONCEPT of profit (revenue - cost). The company made a profit this year; it did not go deeper in debt. In the plural, it is referring to many instances of making profit, for example, the profits from all of its 100 stores.
April 23, 2016
I agree that the usage here may seem a little irregular. It may not be possible to give an easy rule but this may help a little: a) Singular when talking about the overall performance of a business e.g. Last year XYZ Ltd made a (big) profit (rather than a loss). b) Plural when talking about the profit made on a group of individual transactions e.g. Market traders made profits yesterday of 10% more than the previous Friday.
April 23, 2016
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