Andrew Su, CEO at brokerage Compass Global Markets said the average cost of producing gold in Australia, home to some of the world's biggest gold miners, has jumped from $500 an ounce in 2007 to over $1,000 an ounce this year.
Persons (plural) is a very formal word. We only use it in rather legalistic contexts: [notice in a lift] Any person or persons found in possession of illegal substances will be prosecuted.
1 In the first sentence, the words creator and champion refer to a single person, so the verb is singular. 2  In the second sentence, the words cause and solution refer to a single object or issue. 3  The verb must also be singular.. ( 4 Michael Strumpf and Auriel Douglas, The Grammar Bible.