ground works are being laid

[yi-ing]

Hi,


Is it "ground works are being laid..." or "ground work is being laid"?

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/18/cnn10/ten-content-thurs/index.html (00:50)

 

[Skrej]

The expression is 'groundwork is', but he pronounces it as a contraction, so you hear groundwork's being laid.

Note that 'groundwork' is one word in this context.

 

[Beth Anne]

Yes! skrej said it very well. It is "groundwork is being laid" -> the contracted form "groundwork's being laid" Just one note in addition to those comments, the one-word "groundwork" is called a compound noun.