Meaning & use
consulting services
Last updated
Meanings
phrasepluralbusiness
Professional advice or work from experts who help organizations improve or solve problems.
Grammar: Plural; use with plural verbs, e.g. 'Consulting services are available.'
Patterns
- provide consulting services
- offer consulting services to someone
- use consulting services
The company provides consulting services to small businesses.
They hired consulting services to improve their marketing.
Our consulting services include training and strategy.
phrasepluralbusiness
A company or department that gives such expert advice.
Grammar: Often used in names or descriptions of firms: 'a consulting services firm'.
Patterns
- a consulting services firm
- work for consulting services
She works for a consulting services firm in London.
The consulting services division grew quickly.
Common combinations
- provide consulting services
- They provide consulting services to hospitals.
- management consulting services
- Management consulting services can be expensive.
- IT consulting services
- IT consulting services help with computer systems.
- offer consulting services
- The firm offers consulting services in finance.
Synonyms and how they differ
- advisory services
- Very similar, but 'advisory' often focuses on giving advice rather than doing the work.
- consultancy
- A countable noun for a company or the activity; 'consulting services' is more general and plural.
Word family
- consult verb
- To ask an expert for advice.
- consultant noun
- A person who gives professional advice.
- consultancy noun
- A company that gives professional advice, or the work itself.
Commonly confused: consulting services or consultation?
consulting services vs consultation
A meeting to discuss something, not the ongoing service; 'consultation' is countable and often one event.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'consulting services' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Consulting services' is a plural phrase and takes a plural verb without 'a'. Option 2 uses the singular 'service', option 3 adds 'a' before a plural, and option 4 uses a verb incorrectly after 'for'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “consulting services”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.