please help me to clarify what is difference between “Operation” and “Operations”?
thanks
Operation is singular and operations is plural. We need more context to give you a more precise answer.[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC short conversations: A convention participant gets directions from the organizer[YSaerTTEW443543]
here is on context which contains “operations” but not “operation”
In oil-producing operations, it is often desirable to inject water or steam into the formation to improve oil recovery
With a count (pluralizable) noun it is necessary to use an article before the singular form or use the noun itself in its plural form. So ‘operations’ is correct here. Alternately, you could also say: In an oil-producing operation, it is often desirable to inject water or steam into the formation to improve oil recovery.
In the sentence you provided, the plural form ‘operations’ is used because it refers to a variety of different methods of producing oil rather than to just one.[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC short conversations: Employee asks co-worker for his suggestions on booking conference venue.[YSaerTTEW443543]
thanks for your help
by the way, please correct me which one is better: " I visit there for routine operations" or “I visit there for routine works”
I visit there for routine work.
“I visit there” sounds strange to me my German ears.[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC short conversations: Woman asks real estate agent how many of his new apartments he has found tenants for.[YSaerTTEW443543]
The poster may have meant ‘his office’ by ‘there’. Even then, visit and routine do not go together. Better still, to my Indian ears, is:
I go there for my routine work. OR I go to the office and do my routine work there.
(What do you say, Torsten? Initially my concentration was on ‘works’ which is incorrect)
I visit the base/the building/the company/ the department/the depot to carry out routine work.
This sounds good to my beautiful German ears.[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC short conversations: Two coffee shop customers discuss how to plug in laptop computer.[YSaerTTEW443543]
Torsten,
Something more to make your ears tingle - simply omit ‘there’ altogether - I only visit for routine work.
Alan
Now my ears are tingling with utter joy.[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC short conversations: Company executive gives recommendations on what to order at business dinner.[YSaerTTEW443543]
I think ‘I visit that place for routine work’ would do more justice to the poster’s thought as well as your advice to avoid ‘there’.
I agree. Leaving out a noun (which is required, rather than ‘there’) doesn’t necessarily fully explain the original. Whether it could be left out would depend on what was said previously.