For some reason, Dutch writers love correcting “social” into “societal”.
Category Archives: Style
Get real
A very versatile verb that native English uses a great deal but is often forgotten about by non-natives: to get.
An existential question
Casually noting that something is present in English just uses the verb “to be”, whereas “to exist” is reserved for more positive assertions.
As you ought to realise
Realising mostly means comprehending rather than creating something: getting the picture, not painting it.
A timely reminder
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.
Expertise
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.
Proximity of verb and subject
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.
Some supporting figures
People regularly tell me that they keep hearing natives use the words and phrases I say should be avoided. Which we do; the question is how often. Here are some figures to help back it up.
The verb for spatial positioning: to be
My car is located in the car park. It is placed in the car park. It can be found in the car park. It is positioned in the car park. It stands in the car park. Nope.
Cause and effect
“Causing something to take place” isn’t incorrect. But 99 times out of 100, the native speaker would say it was “made to happen”.
Advanced Dunglish 