Advanced – Page 2 – Advanced Dunglish

When isn’t it -ize?

When you’re using the -ize spelling rather than -ise, there are some words that retain the -ise ending nevertheless. How can you tell?

A very versatile verb that native English uses a great deal but is often forgotten about by non-natives: to get.

Casually noting that something is present in English just uses the verb “to be”, whereas “to exist” is reserved for more positive assertions.

That’s the mnemonic we all learned at primary school in England for the colours of the rainbow. Unfortunately, that’s one more colour than in Dutch!

No matter what your personal take is on Black Peter, be aware that Brits and Americans are liable to see him as an offensive racial stereotype.

Realising mostly means comprehending rather than creating something: getting the picture, not painting it.

Environmentally-aware agriculture is organic in English, not biological.

A project can be completed on time, or in good time, or as scheduled. But the nuances of “timely” aren’t always quite the same.

Only use this to mean someone’s acquired skill and knowledge in English, not as a term for a valuation or checkup or other professional opinion.

Dutch sentence structures can leave a verb and its subject miles apart as some adverbial clause intervenes. A habit that’s best avoided in English.