Is the noun used "differently" in "worth the effort" vs. "worth the efforts" ?
According to Merriam-Webster, effort has the following 5 definitions –
- conscious exertion of power : hard work
- a serious attempt : TRY
- something produced by exertion or trying
- effective force as distinguished from the possible resistance called into action by such a force
- the total work done to achieve a particular end
it appears that other than definition 1 (and maybe also 5), which should be uncountable, definitions 2-4 (or 2-5) are countable nouns.
If the interpretation of the 5 definitions is correct, does the term "worth the effort" use the "uncountable" definition (e.g. worth the hard work) while "worth the efforts" uses the "countable" definition (e.g. worth the attempts) ?
Best Answer
By default, "effort" refers to the uncountable abstract definition of the noun (i.e. "work"), rather than the countable concrete definition (i.e. "attempt"). For example:
"Not worth the effort" normally relies on the same interpretation, that the value of some product was not equal to the value of the work required to create it. It refers to the collective, abstract idea of some amount of labor:
The plural "efforts" is much less common, but can be used to describe a group of related labors, either at multiple times or by multiple (groups of) people.
For this reason, if you want to use the plural in this expression, you should clearly explain that there was more than one "effort" involved: