User:Un assiolo/Damages versus damage
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The noun damages does not refer to multiple instances of damage. According to the article damages,
At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury.
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| This page in a nutshell: The plural damages is incorrect except in a legal context and should be replaced with damage. |
In other words, damages are paid as compensation for damage. The payment is ordered by a court.
The word damage, when used outside this legal context, is a mass noun: the correct word for multiple instances of damage is damage. Accordingly, all instances of damages should be replaced with damage when the damages were not awarded by a court or sought by a plaintiff.
This of course only refers to the noun. Damages is correct as a verb meaning causes damage.