Dutch surnames often have prefixes (van, van der, de, ter, etc.) and are alphabetized by the remainder, which stops half the phone book being listed under V.
Author Archives: Mike Wilkinson
Plurals are in the mind’s eye
Singular subjects require singular verbs and plural subjects require plural verbs… except when they don’t.
Using “a” and “an”
Whether to use “a” or “an” depends on if a vowel follows. But remember: that’s determined by the spoken sound, not the alphabetical letter.
Sustainability and durability
The word “duurzaam” covers two different meanings in Dutch (eco-friendly and long-lasting), so you can’t use “sustainable” as a catch-all translation.
The Netherlands
Um… surely not. The Dutch don’t make mistakes when referring to their own country, do they? It turns out to be a surprisingly tricky one.
A dull-as-ditchwater subject
A dull-as-ditchwater subject, but a not-to-be-missed topic: hyphenation of compound adjectives before nouns.
Data
A singular noun. Yes, the origin of the word is the Latin plural of datum, but that’s not the point. Languages are dynamic and changing; if you don’t go with the flow, it can sound hypercorrect.
In a manner, way or fashion
If you want to write English in an efficient manner, in a smart way and in a natural fashion, then don’t forget your adverbs. Do it efficiently, smartly and naturally.
Lowercase acronyms
English always writes its acronyms in capitals, with just a few exceptions that have escaped into the wild as normal words (such as radar, laser, snafu and scuba).
Adequate
Would you want to be operated on by a surgeon whose skills are adequate? Or would you rather have one who’s good?
Advanced Dunglish 