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Category Archives: Overused words

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.

Posted byMike WilkinsonOctober 20, 2021October 20, 2021Posted inAdvanced, Overused words, StyleTags:bestaan, bestaan uit, dunglish, engels3 Comments on An existential question

As you ought to realise

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

Posted byMike WilkinsonOctober 3, 2021Posted inAdvanced, Dual meanings, Overused wordsTags:dunglish, engels, realiseren, zich realiserenLeave a comment on As you ought to realise

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.

Posted byMike WilkinsonAugust 30, 2021Posted inBackground, Overused words, StyleTags:dunglish, engelsLeave a comment on Some supporting figures

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”.

Posted byMike WilkinsonJuly 20, 2021Posted inAdvanced, Longwindedness, Overused words, Style, Wrong registerTags:dunglish, engels, plaatsvinden1 Comment on Cause and effect

Don’t mention it

When someone mentions something, it’s a minor sideline, a small point. “Oh, by the way…” Not a general verb for a statement in a report or document.

Posted byMike WilkinsonApril 29, 2021May 1, 2021Posted inAdvanced, Overused words, StyleTags:dunglish, engelsLeave a comment on Don’t mention it

Chapter and verse

A document really has to be pretty large before you can call its subdivisions “chapters”. We’re talking a small book, not a ten-pager.

Posted byMike WilkinsonApril 18, 2021Posted inAdvanced, Overused words, StyleTags:dunglish, engels, hoofdstukLeave a comment on Chapter and verse

Support

A perfectly good word, but hugely less common than its Dutch equivalent. So Dutch authors overuse it horrendously.

Posted byMike WilkinsonMarch 24, 2021Posted inAdvanced, Overused words, StyleTags:dunglish, engels, ondersteunen, ondersteuningLeave a comment on Support

In relation to, with regard to

Texts by Dutch authors tend to be full of little phrases like these. Sure, they have their place, but there’s often a natural one-word alternative.

Posted byMike WilkinsonJanuary 8, 2021Posted inAdvanced, Longwindedness, Overused words, StyleTags:dunglish, engelsLeave a comment on In relation to, with regard to

Performance

“Performance” is the noun that comes from “to perform”. But it’s not the right word to use for carrying out tasks or doing work: the overtones are too confusing.

Posted byMike WilkinsonDecember 5, 2020December 16, 2020Posted inAdvanced, Overused words, Style, Wrong registerTags:dunglish, engels, prestatie, presteren, uitvoerenLeave a comment on Performance

Relations and relationships

Dutch uses the same word for both (relatie), but the meanings in English are distinctly different.

Posted byMike WilkinsonSeptember 9, 2020September 9, 2020Posted inAdvanced, Mistranslations, Overused words, Style, Valse vriendenTags:BZK (ministerie), dunglish, engels, relatieLeave a comment on Relations and relationships

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