READER QUESTION
Could you settle an office dispute over whether the word
“trainings” is legitimate? We might use it in a sentence such as “I have to go
to three trainings today.”
MY RESPONSE
I use the expressions training sessions, training
modules, training classes, and training courses—not trainings—because,
as far as I can remember, training has been an uncountable noun, like
work, information, music, or air. I would tell my
staff to avoid using trainings in formal contexts, such as in our
training catalogue and company-wide training announcements.
But trainings has become a term of art in much of the
business world, so it’s acceptable to many people, especially in informal
emails. If it does not appear as acceptable usage in standard dictionaries
today, it probably will in the future.
