When two different prepositions are needed in a list of actions, it can read better if you repeat the noun (or use “it” or “them” as a placeholder).
Category Archives: Wrong register
Medical Latin
Don’t assume that Latin in Dutch medical texts will be the same in English: this is often not the case. Abbreviations in particular can be incomprehensible to English speakers, even doctors
People persons
The plural of person is ‘people’, except in legalese and occasional old-fashioned texts.
Adequate
Would you want to be operated on by a surgeon whose skills are adequate? Or would you rather have one who’s good?
Colophon
It’s not a word. (Well, just about, deep in the dark depths of the dictionary. But that doesn’t make it correct.)
One doesn’t
One no longer uses the indefinite third person singular, as the grammarians like to call it. Unless one is called Prince Charles.
It ain’t necessarily so
It’s an everyday word in Dutch that’s in every toddler’s vocabulary: nodig. The nearest single equivalent in English (necessary) isn’t.
Don’t contribute
Well, I’m perfectly happy for you to have your say in this blog. What I mean is don’t overuse the word in English.
Advanced Dunglish 